Month: July 2019

Connecticut summers are idyllic, even with the recent heat wave. Many of our calls start with….”I would like to schedule a career counseling meeting in September.”  Their thinking is that few companies are hiring in the summer and/or they will want to change careers or jobs in the fall. But most always career fixes require […]

Most people play life too cautiously. They overestimate transactional cost and greatly underestimate opportunity cost.  When providing career coaching, I am mindful about all the time, energy, and money that goes into career change.  These are transactional costs.  I understand.  But most everyone underestimates – or doesn’t think – about opportunity costs. Every day that […]

Does anyone play chess?  Quick lesson: if you place your opponent’s King into check and the opponent can’t move to another square without being in check, you win.  Checkmate.  Most players employ a castle defense to protect their Kings.  In playing online chess, invariably, players will play against those more highly rated.  When I do […]

Anyone of a certain age knows of the phrase: “escaping the rat race”. It was a pipe dream for many in the 1980s/1990s.  Most white-collar careers consisted of commuting to a large organization, playing corporate warrior, and then repeating. Endlessly. Face time, organizational politics, rigid schedules, performance reviews, and company policies were the trade-off for […]

For better (I’m highly efficient) or worse (I hold myself to standards that are hard to meet), I suggest the fewest possible meetings with my clients.  I’m also super self-conscious about my clients spending money (too much Catholic indoctrination, way back when!). So, I find myself in the strange position of having clients convince me […]

“I read your career book and realized it was time for a change.” Mike said as we were having drinks at a friendly bar in Stamford, CT.  Mike is an old friend so he bought Career Path of Abundance simply as a gesture to 30 years of friendship.  He continued: “I picked up the book, expecting to […]

Many companies are now using personality profiling tests to screen applicants.  Most of the tests relate to “fit” as in whether one’s personality fits the type of job to which the candidate is applying. Sometimes the screening is general.  I suppose if the test reveals the candidate to be a psychopath then the fit is […]

You might think that having many abilities is automatically a good thing in the career world.  Over the long run, it likely is for most everyone but, for periods of time, particularly at the beginning of one’s career, being a good generalist is less advantageous than being a specialist. So, for example,  the one-dimensional brilliant […]

Let me start by noting that Career Counseling Connecticut is not in the business of creating starving artists.  We help our passion-filled career seeking clients either make their careers work out financially in their direct area of passion or help them figure out work that – while perhaps is not singing on Broadway – is […]

20 years ago, I recall hearing the news that JFK Jr. died (July 16, 1999).  Happily married and delighted by our young son, I was walking near the beach on a beautiful day.  It was a Sunday and I didn’t have any pressing work.  But I was utterly miserable and semi-anxious with the thought that […]