A quick note:
It is a great pleasure to introduce a guest writer to the blog: Phoenix (currently undercover in her corporate job)
Phoenix will be writing regular pieces on ‘Escape the City’ topics. Watch this space for a proper introduction from her.
Have You Got What It Takes?
We’ve all got great ideas about things we’d like to DO in our lives, but the question HOW? frequents itself in our minds when we dare to dream. In my experience, most of us rarely acknowledge the bag of tools under our own belts.
I prefer not to use the term transferable skills, because frankly, that just sounds boring. Rather, I recommend that you look at what knowledge you’ve gleaned from your life experiences and be opportunistic. Go on – use what you’ve learned (and I promise, you have learned things) and apply that knowledge to forward your personal ambitions – whether those ambitions lie within your current career, outside of it, or in some completely crazy off the wall dream you’ve secretly been harbouring since your teens. The French have a phrase for this kind of behaviour: “en profite”. I prefer to use the word smart.
Turn what you KNOW into what you NEED
Take my situation for example, I left a red brick university, and hit the grey corporate wall of a conservative City institution. I took a job as a City P.A. and I spent, lemme see… oh at least two years and plenty of evenings wallowing into glasses of red wine, and many more work days whining to my friends (as they will gladly verify) about the sheer unfairness of it all.
At some point amidst all this self debilitating behaviour, I decided I needed a holiday. Planning my trip to Australia was an absolute breeze. Not only did I wangle the best possible air fares, I secured an absolutely stunning beach side apartment in peak season, booked scuba dive training at short notice, and organised the entire trip with minimal effort. Before my stint as a P.A., this would have seemed like a mammoth task and one that required all my attention.
OK so maybe you aren’t going to Australia and maybe (if you’re lucky) you aren’t a P.A. But, just think about how the mastery of Excel spreadsheets could help you to calculate your financial requirements for a future venture, or how you could turn a boring PowerPoint presentation into a sales pitch for your latest business idea, or how dealing with that oh-so-annoying boss of yours could assist you when volunteering at an institute for challenged children, or how the sheer perseverance of your City job could help you run a marathon!
How to identify your Transferable Skills
Go on, do it now. Take a piece of paper, fold in two and on one side make a list of every skill you’ve bagged courtesy of your current employer (even if you’re convinced you’ll never need them). On the opposite side, make a list of all the things you want to do in your life, however big or small. Now start matching skill sets to actions.
If at this point you still find that you’re lacking in the skills you think you need, don’t worry you aren’t doomed to an unfulfilled life for all eternity, if you read some of our ‘Esc Hero’ profiles, you will realise that it’s possible to simply ‘take the plunge’ and pick up the necessary skills along the way, or, you can start to seek out people in your social sphere who have the skills, knowledge or know-how about your field of interest.
“I see Pride… I see Power….”
Whatever path you choose, don’t be stopped in your tracks by self limiting notions. Have the boldness and courage to recognise your strengths, and use them to play on the court of life (because it’s far more fun than watching others from the safety of the stands).
Copyright Asha Patel November 2009.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved this article – everything you said totally resonated. Thanks for the small nuggets of advice, Asha. Look forward to your reading your other pieces!
hahah brilliant use of cool runnings clip to back up sound advice! where can i get one of those motivational purple jumpers?