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Three Career Lenses: Applying Emotional Intelligence Throughout Career Planning

I was honored to be invited to write the Focus article on emotional intelligence for the National Career Development Association Quarterly, Summer 2024 issue. Although the audience is career professionals, the material and exercises are relevant to anyone. With addressing career-decision-making, job search, and career management, the information is applicable for a lifetime. The article is four pages, so I highly recommend clicking the PDF folder below, to make it an enjoyable read because of the amazing graphics. In case you can’t access it, the text version is below too.

The article, Three Career Lenses: Applying Emotional Intelligence Throughout Career Planning, by Karen Litzinger, originally appeared in NCDA’s magazine, Career Developments, at www.ncda.org. Copyright August 2024. Reprinted with permission.

Litzinger-Emotional-Intelligence-NCDA-Article-Summer-2024Download

Three Career Lenses: Applying Emotional Intelligence Throughout Career Planning

By Karen Litzinger

We all likely know someone intellectually bright who struggles with career success and satisfaction. Others may not have the same grades or credentials yet seem to flourish. The secret sauce in a happy recipe for life and work may be high emotional intelligence.

Daniel Goleman’s ground-breaking work in his book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ remains a cornerstone in the field. Often referred to as EI or EQ, emotional intelligence is both understanding and managing one’s own emotions as well as recognizing and understanding others’ emotions. Goleman posits that EI may be even more important than cognitive intelligence (IQ) in predicting positive life outcomes.

The Five Key Components of Emotional Intelligence (Goleman, 1995):

  1. Self-Awareness – Recognizing and understanding one’s own emotions, including the impact on thoughts and behaviors.
  2. Self-Regulation – Managing and controlling one’s emotions, impulses, and behavior in different situations.
  3. Motivation – Focusing/directing emotions to achieve goals, persisting when encountering challenges, and maintaining a positive outlook.
  4. Empathy – Understanding the feelings and perspectives of others to enhance interpersonal relationships.
  5. Social Skills – Managing relationships effectively, including clear communication, effective teamwork, and conflict resolution.

We often think of EQ as related to dealing with “office politics” or career management. Yet EQ plays a role in how a student makes and pursues education and career choices. How a job seeker deals with the emotions of job loss or application rejection could determine self-sabotage or success.

This article looks at Goleman’s (1996) five components of emotional intelligence through three lenses: Career Decision-Making, Job Searching, and Career Management. Action strategies to enhance our efforts as counselors and coaches are offered for each of the five components. The framework can be used to identify possibilities for a holistic approach.

Career Decision-Making

  • Self-awareness: Help constituents explore interests, skills, values, and personality in career choice and understand decision-making styles. Explore the impact of career beliefs, family and societal pressures, and emotional and physical challenges. Ask about body sensations which can lead to identifying emotions and preferences.
  • Self-regulation: Encourage well-informed decisions rather than impulsive choices that might be rooted in the emotional urgency to decide or based on narrow perspectives, such as the latest “hot” careers. Engage in career conversations with loved ones that are calm and rooted in information rather than excessive emotion or argumentation.
  • Motivation: Listen to what is presented and offer tailored help to give hope. Present concepts and activities in manageable chunks so as not to overwhelm. Share that many career and educational paths are good choices, and there is no one “right” decision. Give positive feedback when career exercises are completed. Review progress and where the process is heading to show the big picture. 
  • Empathy: Guide constituents to see that their loved ones’ ideas or pressures may be rooted in concern about well-being or financial security.  Recognizing that we all have different values at different stages can help a person see things from others’ perspectives. When not hearing back from a contact for an informational interview, provide a reminder about how much email everyone receives.
  • Social Skills: Role-play how to communicate about career decision-making with loved ones in ways that enlist support rather than conflict. Educate about informational interviews, including introducing oneself, identifying questions to ask, and having a thank you protocol.  Encourage patience in hearing back from requests in this age of quick turnaround expectations.

Job Searching

  • Self-awareness: Normalize negative emotions regarding loss or rejection and help clients understand the importance of processing. Share that the emotional roller coaster of emotions, including shaken confidence, is common. Take time at the beginning of meetings to ask how the person is doing rather than rushing to job search advising, as unexpressed emotions may block progress.
  • Self-regulation: Discuss how frustration may come across in networking or job interviews in terms of words, tone, and nonverbal behavior. Coach and role play about how to avoid talking negatively about a past employer or situation or doing so in a brief, positive, and productive manner. Provide resources for stress management, counseling, or therapist referrals based on scope of practice.
  • Motivation: Provide stories of hope to counter pessimism and inaction.  Encourage looking at others’ success as potential for their own rather than through a lens of envy. Remind clients that it only takes one offer to reach success. Share stories of famous people who were rejected many times before success, such as Walt Disney, Stephen Spielberg, and J.K Rowling.
  • Empathy: When not hearing back from networking contacts or recruiters, remind your clients that it could be because they are busy or experiencing their own challenges. If a job seeker is envious of another’s success, ask if they really know what efforts or challenges that person went through in obtaining it.
  • Social skills: Teach and role-play interviewing and networking skills. Communicate that small talk is part of relationship building at the beginning of interviews and in networking settings. Review job search correspondence, including thank you messages. Frame negotiations as requests rather than demands. Remind clients that hiring decisions are about how a candidate fits into a team as much as about job-related skills.

Career Management

  • Self-awareness: Help clients direct their career path based on self-awareness and preferences rather than being pulled into roles by employer needs. This may include being aware of strengths that are not interests.  Explore assessments and 360 feedback to learn of strengths and areas for growth.
  • Self-regulation: Share tips like pausing before speaking, waiting 30 minutes before sending a sensitive email, and asking a trusted individual to review emails. Encourage finding a therapist or counselor, or trusted friend to discuss work issues with rather than colleagues.
  • Motivation: If disengaged, raise questions about whether the field, industry, or employer is a good fit and whether exploration of options may be helpful. If one’s career is not progressing, encourage trying new angles rather than focusing energy on what didn’t work in the past. Remind the person to do one’s best despite burnout or while job searching so as to leave on good terms with positive references.
  • Empathy: Help clients understand that colleagues may not be supporting their ideas or speaking up on bullying actions due to their own fears. Raise awareness that a supervisor may be experiencing conflicts between supporting staff and meeting the demands of superiors. Model fostering respect for others’ points of view and ideas.
  • Social skills: Educate about the importance of relationship building along with completing work tasks and demonstrating competence. Offer to review emails and role-play difficult conversations. Encourage participation in social events of the organization and profession.

Name, Tame, and Reframe

Understanding the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors can be a tool for emotional intelligence in career planning, especially related to the components of self-awareness, self-regulation, and motivation. Cognitive psychology is rooted in how distorted thoughts can lead to distressing emotions and maladaptive behavior (Beck, 1961) and was the precursor to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). The process of reframing negative thinking can be used by career practitioners at all levels.

Cognitive behavior model illustration – An activity to encourage client emotional intelligence:

Thoughts → Emotions → Behaviors

Name – Ask what barriers, concerns, or negative thoughts are at hand. Share any that have been observed or discussed. Encourage writing down the negative self-talk sentence. Inquire about what feelings result from saying that statement and what behavior might result from that feeling. If the individual is drawing a blank, share a few ideas and ask if these fit or if other ideas come to mind. Inviting the person to write down and/or sketch out the resulting feeling and behavior with connecting arrows further illustrates the concept.

Tame – The precursor to the Cognitive Behavior Therapy model, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, suggested disputing irrational beliefs to replace them with more adaptive beliefs (Ellis, 1962). This questioning and providing alternative evidence can diffuse or “tame” negative emotions that result from the original unhelpful belief.

Reframe – Ask what would be a more helpful sentence or belief to say to oneself rather than the original statement – not a Pollyanna affirmation like, “I trust the right path will come to me,” but something that is believable and makes them feel a bit better. Give examples if needed. Invite writing down the new reframed statement. Ask about resulting feelings and likely behaviors, inviting recording the new results.

Alternatively Lead with Emotions: Another angle for reframing could be first identifying the distressing feelings and then the possible unhelpful thoughts that preceded or followed the emotions. With that information, reframing thoughts can lead to more helpful emotions and behavior outcomes.  

Career Decision-Making Example

Name: My parents (or partner) will never let me do this career. → fear → not exploring it/arguing.

Tame: How will you know unless you ask? What if I helped you find a way to explain how thought out your choice is and how to remain calm?

Reframe: Maybe I could explain it with a new angle and your help. → hope, willingness → strategizing, asking.

Job Searching Example

Name: No one is going to hire me because of my age (or my degree or my lack of experience, etc.). → depressed, anxious → procrastinating, giving up.

Tame: How will you know unless you try? Remember, it only takes one offer.  Maybe someone will see your age as an asset because of wisdom or dependability. What if you take a course that shows your willingness and ability to learn new things?

Reframe: Even though there may be age discrimination, I can emphasize the positive aspects of my wisdom, reliability and recent learning, and then remind myself that I just need one offer. → more hopeful → willing to take action of applying or taking relevant workshops.

Career Management Example:

Name: I’m never going to get a promotion even though I’m such a hard worker. → frustration, anger → complaining, outbursts.

Tame: Hard work doesn’t automatically translate to a promotion. Have you asked for advice or feedback from others at your organization?  Are there courses for hard or soft skills that might be helpful?  A job change to another employer might be the necessary path.

Reframe: I’ll seek more advice and try one or two new angles and then probably look for a job at another company. → calmer, accepting → planning and productive action.

Stress Management: Coping, Band-aid, or More?

The EQ component of self-regulation naturally ties to techniques for stress management. It is better to punch a pillow than yell at an employer, right? These techniques may just be helpful coping band-aids to career challenges if not accompanied by self-awareness, empathy, and social skills. Beyond coping, these strategies may positively impact emotions and behavior. 

Certain behaviors are known to release endorphins, often referred to as a “feel good hormone” and can come from these activities (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021):

  • Exercise: Walking fast or other aerobic activities are most helpful for endorphin release, but any level of movement may help with stress management.
  • Meditation: This technique of deep breathing and focusing one’s mind is the most researched, yet other breathing or mindfulness techniques can help with stress management.
  • Music: All forms are helpful, including listening, singing, dancing, or playing an instrument.
  • Laughter: A good belly laugh can reduce stress and could come from watching a comedy movie or viewing humorous video clips.
  • Ultraviolet light: A walk on a sunny day releases endorphins and doing so in nature may increase the enjoyment.

Individuals in all stages of career development can benefit from stress management help for emotional regulation. A career professional can take an active role in helping clients by sharing a resource link, suggesting a technique, conducting a workshop, providing counseling, or referring to a therapist based on your scope of practice.

Moving Forward

Building emotional intelligence doesn’t have to feel like an extra task, rather it can be integrated into existing career planning activities. High EQ helps create success in both career and life. Many career practitioners likely already use EQ strategies and don’t realize it. Now appreciate the impact and importance!

Author:

Karen Litzinger ([email protected]) is the author of the award-winning book, Help Wanted: An A to Z Guide to Coping with the Ups and Downs of the Job Search. Karen spent over a decade in college career services and the last twenty years in private practice through Litzinger Career Consulting based in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Counselor, and Certified Career Counselor. Karen achieved professional-level status through the National Speakers Association and presents programs nationally and through video. For additional information about Karen and her book: KarensCareerCoaching.com.    

                                                    

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Common Career Concerns: My India Connections and Reflections

I’ve been reflecting this month on my trip to India in 2015 and some of the common career issues that came up when visiting the school my church has been sponsoring since 2003. After conversations about this, the principal invited me to speak with the 9th and 10th grade students, which was a fun surprise and challenge. Yep, that’s my photo of them.  It all reminds me that as different as groups may be with language and culture, we have quite a bit in common….something helpful for us to remember about humanity.

One shared pattern was the influence and wishes of parents on their children’s education and future.  I certainly hear this with at least half of my career counseling clients.  In India I learned of two divergent parental influences.  In this poor, rural farming village, I learned many parents were discouraging their sons from finishing higher grades since they were needed on the farm.  On the other end of the spectrum, I met a mother who said she would go without food to pay for school expenses.  This mother was so proud of how many of her children later became teachers!

Another common thread was about whether school seems relevant to the tasks of actually earning a living.  I remembered hearing frequently from engineering students at Carnegie Mellon who thought many of their courses would not be used and were simply hoops to go through.  In the case of the India farming community, I was coached to share with students that a good education would enable them to write farming grants and that math would be needed to make calculations for crop planting calculations and efficiency.

A third common thread was the idea of nepotism and networking.  I recall hearing that in India, it very difficult to get a job in the government unless you are related to someone.  Here in the United States, I naturally encourage networking as a job search strategy with a 50-80% success rate. Networking is simply a foot in the door to get an interview. Hopefully in both countries, the employer wants to hire someone who can actually do the job well.

The reason I have been reflecting on my India experience is that I spent the last three months helping launch a crowdsource funding campaign for a rainwater harvesting facility for the school so students can have water with every meal.  I hope you will take a moment to read the article that follows this.

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Uncommon Problems: My India Connections and Reflections

Most of us take for granted having a glass of water with every meal. At this school in the Khasi Hills of India, these children don’t. This is the school that I visited in 2015 and among other things, gave a career talk to the 9th and 10th grade students. There is no reliable source of water for drinking or plumbing in this poor, remote area. Despite the fact that the region has a monsoon season, there are months during the dry season when the water harvested during the rainy season has run out.

The last three months, I have been coordinating a crowdsource funding campaign to help them raise money for a Rainwater Harvesting facility.  My relationship with the school started in 2003 when I became a sponsor to a student to pay for school expenses until government funding kicked in.  As a woman without children, supporting her had special meaning.  Nubrilon went on to college and became a teacher, and I had the opportunity to actually meet her in person in 2015.

I hope you will take a moment and CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THIS SCHOOL AND CONSIDER A CONTRIBUTION. Do please view the two-minute video that I’m pretty proud of producing with the help of my tech savvy sweetheart.  Thank you for indulging me in my request to help in the education of children and their futures, which is naturally close to my heart as a career counselor.

OR CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW FOR MORE INFO, KAREN’S VIDEO, AND TO PLEASE HELP.

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Free High School Summit for Education Planning

My friends at March Consulting have created a totally free online virtual event called The Ultimate Guide to College. In this 7-day summit experience that starts this Thursday, September 22, the March Consulting team will be interviewing 15 experts (including me!) in their various fields of work that will leave you with a better understanding of today’s current college landscape, and a career beyond! Please forward this email to friends and family who may benefit.

Topics include: College Admissions, STEM, testing, financial aid, performing arts, athletics, and careers.

Be sure to watch my interview on September 28th, where I will be discussing how to make good educational and career decisions saving time, money and heartache.  Your future is in your hands! I give a shout out to all levels of education, including apprenticeships!

This summit is an excellent opportunity for a wide range of students (and parents) to be exposed to different options for their future in an informative, fun, casual, and distanced environment. I so encourage anyone wanting to catch up with what I’m doing, or even just what these trends are looking like currently to check it out!

It is FREE OF CHARGE, (all you have to do is register here): https://www.theultimateguidetocollege.com/

Check out this amazing new program, innovatively created for pandemic times!

Karen

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Help for High School Students and Parents

“The 6-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time undergraduate students who began seeking a bachelor’s degree at 4-year degree-granting institutions in fall 2011 overall was 60 percent.”

People are often surprised by this data from a 2019 Department of Education report. I hope this information motivates high school students and their parents to think even more carefully about post-high school choices.

This summer may be an opportune time for high school (and college) students to engage in some reflection and exploration about education and career choices. My guess is that there are less opportunities for summer jobs because of the pandemic business slow down, so possibly more time for other activities. Even if not, students have more time now than during the school year for education and career counseling. I’d be happy to help with my four session High School Advising Package. Maybe a graduation gift for someone you care about? I’m now serving clients remotely across the country.

Besides the low 60% graduation rate, think about the debt of the 40% who didn’t graduate and have thousands of dollars of loans. Average student debt of those graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2019 was $29,900; some sources note higher rates. Loans were taken out by 69% of students. Click here for a link to the article that was updated in January 2020.

I was at a program this week by Steve Wize of Mental Fitness who shared data that 40% of college graduates are underemployed. While historically higher degrees indicate higher earnings, this could be shifting. Click here for the 2020 data on wages by education; note that the research is based on those 25 and over. There are many paths to success that do not require a bachelor’s degree. I shared options in the blog I wrote earlier this year, Top Careers that Do Not Require a Bachelor’s Degree. While there are many paths to success and happiness, I highly advocate some type of education beyond high school, whether a degree, apprenticeship, or certification.

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College Student COVID Career Chaos: 9 Tips for Success

(Gift certificates for personalized career coaching can help practically and emotionally.)

An April College Reaction Poll showed that ¾ of students had their internship or post-graduate work plans disrupted due to the coronavirus, with half having offers canceled.  Others had them delayed or moved to remote.

It can be easy to lose hope, but now is not the time to bury your head in the sand.  You want and need to keep moving forward with the job search so you are in the pipeline when the economy opens up.  Plus, there are indeed some industries and companies that are still hiring. 

You should also be thinking of additional activities to supplement your job or internship search activities to be ready for the interview question:

“How did you spend your time during the pandemic period?”

You don’t want “looking for a job” to be your only answer.

HERE ARE MY NINE TOP TIPS:

1. Clarify career goals, including back-up plans: College students are often not successful in the job search because they were so busy just getting through that they didn’t clarify what they wanted to do after graduation beyond “get a job and start paying back loans.” Sometimes students really don’t like their major, but feel it’s too late to shift since so much money was invested.  It’s never too late to shift, especially when you have decades in front of you.  Right now, many people are reinventing themselves so you are in good company. Because of the economic conditions, students may feel like it’s not realistic to find a job you’ll like.  Sure, you may need to think about back-up plans and compromise, but at least know your ideal target.  The reason knowing your goals and targets make you more effective in the search is because that is necessary for networking.

2. Never Stop Networking: Yes, this remains important and going on even during COVID times.  Some things never change. Networking still has a 50-80% success rate, much higher than the “black hole of the Internet.” College students may think of networking as only tied to LinkedIn, but that is just one vehicle of many.  The old-fashioned strategy of asking your parents (and other relatives, friends, neighbors, and college professors) “Do you know anyone who is in the ABC career field or XYZ industry?” is still relevant. Professional associations and college career offices are also good sources. Remember that networking is ideally about asking for advice and information not “do you know of any jobs.”

3. Leverage LinkedIn: This is a key resource both for networking and actual job vacancies. First make sure you have a solid profile, smiling photo, and references that you give and receive.  For networking, naturally see if any of your contacts is in or knows anyone in your career or industry of interest.  Ask them to introduce you for networking purposes; the clearer you are about seeking advice and not a job lead, the more willing they will be.  When you send an invitation to anyone, be sure to personalize it.  Choose a couple career interest groups to join; observe first and share a resource or comment if you can before reaching out to an individual or group to ask a networking question.  Lastly, tap the little known alumni feature for networking. Go to your college page, click on the Alumni link, and search by title, keyword or company. You can also include a city as a key word and filter by graduation year.

4. Join a Professional Association: Join one if you haven’t. Almost all professional associations have greatly discounted student membership.  Many allow recent grads under that category for up to a year, or ask for an exception.  Information provided can help you learn about a profession both for clarifying goals and for showing knowledge in an interview. Many have career resource sections and job vacancies.  Most importantly, they are a source of networking!  Whether you make a networking request of an author of an article or the president of the local, state or national group, you may more likely receive a response out of professional responsibility. It one of the very few “cold” networking requests that I suggest, and introverts are often more comfortable in this realm.  If you aren’t sure where to start, Google the specific phrase “professional association” followed by one or two words of your career goal. 

5. Tap Your College Career Center: You typically will have access to your center as an alumni.  Even if you feel there isn’t any help for your field or major, at least try and especially tap any alumni networking program as well as the vacancy list.  Having been director of a college career center, I often advise clients on how to best use their college services to complement my more personalized coaching. For example, a staff member may be able to give you a recruiter’s name of an organization they are connected with even if there is no current vacancy.

6. Volunteer Strategically: While volunteering is a worthwhile activity itself, to both serve and feel productive, I advise clients to choose the place and experience strategically.  What activities can be connected to your goals? What roles will allow you to have more interaction with staff members, even if remotely.  What meetings can you “sit in on” to learn about the bigger picture, even if your role is data entry or making phone calls? Are they open to supporting you having networking meetings with staff members?  You can treat this somewhat like an internship, even if the duties are not as significant.

7. Get into Gigs: Consider project or freelance work to learn skills and add content to your resume, portfolio and interviewing. Volunteering may do that for you, but you can also find gigs through freelancing platforms like Upwork.com, the most well-known. Click here for nine additional ones.

8. Upgrade Your Skills: Although you may be tired of being on-line, downtime is an opportunity to show employer you are using your time well by developing your skills.  Whether you upgrade your technology skills (more important than ever), take a writing course, or enroll in a workshop through a professional association, you are setting yourself up to feel good about yourself and impress a prospective employer. Many free on-line education platforms exist, although some have a mix of free and fee-based offerings. Click here for a top 10 and click here for a top 25.

9. Identify Hot Spots: Although the economy may feel frozen, in a recent meeting of career counseling professionals, we identified several industries that are hiring during and because of this coronavirus crisis.  These include Logistics & Distribution, Grocery and some Retail, Virtual Meeting Platforms, Cybersecurity, SaaS companies, Human Resources, Management Consulting, parts of Healthcare. 

I would be honored to help you think strategically about career planning for success and satisfaction.

And I would be happy to help you to create an answer that employers will admire to the question….

“How did you spend you time during the pandemic period?”

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Top Careers that Do Not Require a Bachelor’s Degree

Since I was interviewed twice in two months regarding the high cost of college, I thought I would share some top jobs that don’t need a bachelor’s degree. Most people are shocked to learn that of those entering a bachelor’s degree (thinking it will be four years), the actually graduation rate SIX years later is just 59%. Career counseling can help save individuals and families time, money and heartache! Do be sure to graduate from high school, and some type of training, certification or apprenticeship is a yes!

Employment Projections 2018-2028. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 4, 2019 News Release,

Of the 10 fastest growing occupations, projected 2018-2028, the first five do not require a degree:

  1. Solar Photovoltaic Installers, 63.3% increase, $42,680 median wage May 2018
  2. Wind Turbine Technicians, 56.9% increase, $54,370 median wage May 2018
  3. Home Health Aides, 36.6% increase, $24,200 median wage May 2018
  4. Personal Care Aides, 36.4% increase, $24,020 median wage May 2018
  5. Occupational Therapy Assistants, 33.1% increase, $60,220 median wage May 2018

CLICK HERE for the rest of the top ten and the full news release.

Highest Paying Jobs without a Degree, Best Jobs U.S. News and World Report, January 7, 2020

This data is part of a comprehensive report with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and interviews. The report includes information on mobility, stress, balance, unemployment rate and job links to vacancies.  Helpful is more salary data beyond the median wage, so can give a more realistic view of starting salaries. Job growth is noted at the end of the job descriptions, so keep reading. Numbers of actual expected to be created is important to know in addition to growth because if it is a very small field, even with rapid growth, opportunities may be limited.

Top 10 highest paying jobs without a degree:

  1. Patrol Officer, 5% growth with 34,500 jobs, $61,380 median wage
  2. Executive Assistant, -19.8% growth losing 123,000 jobs, $59,340 median wage
  3. Sales Representative, 1.7% growth with 23,300 jobs, $58,510 median wage
  4. Electrician, 10.4% growth with 74,100 jobs, $55,190 median wage
  5. Wind Turbine Installer, 56.9% growth with 3,800 jobs, $54,370 median wage
  6. Structural Iron and Steel Worker, 11.5% growth with 9,200 jobs, $53,980
  7. Plumber, 13,6% growth with 68,200 jobs, $53,910 median wage
  8. Hearing Aid Specialist, 15.9% growth with 1200 new jobs, $52,770 median wage
  9. Sound Engineering Technician, 1.6% growth with 200 jobs, $52,390 median wage
  10. Brick Mason and Block Mason, 9.7% growth with 8400 jobs, $50,950 median wage

CLICK HERE for details about these jobs, the rest of the top 25 jobs, and specifics about report methodology.

10 Highest Paying Jobs without a College Degree Paying more than $79,000, April 24, 2019

Also sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with just slightly older data, these fields are also worth a look:

  1. Transportation, Storage and Distribution Managers, $94,730, 7% growth
  2. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, $94.350, -10% growth
  3. First Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives, $89,030, 7% growth
  4. Power Distributors and Dispatchers, $86,410, -3% growth
  5. Commercial Pilots, $82,240, 4% growth
  6. Detectives and Criminal Investigators, $81,290, 5% growth
  7. Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay Electrical Repairers, $80,200, 4% growth
  8. Elevator Installers and Repairers, $79,780, 12 percent growth
  9. Power Plant Operators, $79,610, 1% growth
  10. Media and Communication Equipment Workers, $79,580, 8% growth

CLICK HERE for the article, including brief descriptions. It was source from prior Bureau of Labor Statistics data which had projections until 2026 rather than the more current 2028.  This is a good example of how employment projections data changes, so career decisions should be based on more than wages and growth because the job market can change. Making sure you have skills and interests that fit is important too.

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Costs of College: Making the Best Choices

In this past Sunday’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article (link at end), I was interviewed about the impact of the high cost of college on education decision-making. Though I commented on the realities that most can no longer afford to go to college to “find themselves,” I do believe that a life choice should be more than simply a well-paying, in-demand job.  Yes, a person needs to know job market information, but if you are miserable or unsuccessful, that’s really not enough for the long term.  A poor career choice can negatively affect your relationships as well as mental and physical health. There are many education paths and levels that can lead to success and happiness.

Making grounded education and career choices involves FIRST looking at yourself in terms of interests, skills, values and personality and THEN exploring what is out there that relates specifically to you, not the whole world of work.  Career counseling helps individuals do this through insightful conversation, career research, and exercises, including career inventories (which by the way are not meant to ”tell you what you should be” even if you wish they would!).

I love helping high school students through retirees answer the question “what do I want to be when I grow up.”  And if you are thinking of going back to school, it is especially critical to be clear and grounded before investing time and money.

Speaking of money, HERE IS THE LINK TO THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW ARTICLE.  Lots of good data there!

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Karen’s Five Favorite Newsletters

Welcome to the first blog entry of my completely revised, spiffy website! Thank you for your interest in my take on career planning and business etiquette to help people be more confident and competent in this aspect of life. Besides practical tips and information, I also like to share stories that can educate and inspire. So I would like to share links to five of my favorite older newsletter posts that are important to me or don’t quite lend themselves to be rewritten, yet still could be useful.

Take Your Passion and Make it Happen

Thank You Notes: My Etiquette Take on a Post Office Sign

Student Loan Forgiveness

Is a Degree Worth It?

Perfection Reflection and Intuition Insights


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