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Welcome to the Green Career Tip of the Week
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Online Version of this Issue Green Career Tips Archive
Our Green Career Tip has a bit of a different slant this week. Recent events in my personal life have inspired new ideas about how we can use our childhood memories as clues to finding a green career. I invite you to read this week's tip and see if these tips might inspire new insight for you as well.
Nearly every week we hear from members who want to know which companies are hiring. Although there's no complete list of green companies, a new investment index provides a list of cleantech companies with potential throughout the United States and the world. Check out What's New at Green Career Central below!
We have several new blog postings including two announcements you don't want to miss!
Did you get a f.r.e.e month on the Green Career Central site this week? Scroll down to see if the beginning of your email is next to the treasure chest. We do this every week!
Tip of the Week: Use Your Childhood Memories as Clues to Your Green Career
As I was sorting and clearing the last closet at my late Mother’s house, my childhood home, I ran across some amazing finds—a collection of toys my brother and I played with as young children.
Several things struck me about the collection of toys. Nearly all of the toys—from my favorite books and toddler puzzles to the play figures and flash cards—had something to do with animals, nature, and the seasons.
The recognition I felt as I saw toys that I haven’t seen, or thought about, in decades struck me at my core. It’s hard to put the feeling into words, but a part of me remembered how I felt when I assembled the little wooden farm or matched the animal flash cards to the right spot on the puzzle. There was a connection to these items that didn’t rely on words for meaning.
Since mid-April, I’ve now spent 1-3 days a week clearing out, sorting through, and making decisions about the lifetime of memories my family created when we all lived in my Mom’s house. Our collective love of nature is reflected in so many ways within the house—photographs, art work, books, magazines, newspaper clippings, favorite quotes, creative writing, and the list goes on…and on. As a result of this experience, I’m able to trace my love and connection with nature back through my childhood. Discoveries in the family archives tell me a number of my ancestors had a love of nature as well.
What Do Your Home and Memories Tell You About Your Interests?
In my work with career changers over the years, I’ve seen light bulbs go on for people as a result of exploring their interests as a child. Don’t underestimate the power of your knowing as a child!
Although not everyone has the opportunity I’ve had to revisit their childhood home in depth, I know where we live and what we’ve been drawn to throughout our lives gives us clues about our passions and interests.
Although “The Answer” to your quest for a green career may not jump out at you immediately, searching your memories and your treasures may allow you to discover clues that confirm your direction, give new depth to your focus, or redirect you toward something you’d forgotten that intrigued you in the past.
Read through the following questions with a blank sheet of paper nearby and jot down anything that comes to mind as you consider each question. Don’t force it to make sense in the moment; just allow whatever comes to come. Make as long a list as you can.
- What toys did you love as a child?
- What are your favorite memories from family outings or trips?
- What did you dream about or ponder in your youth?
- What books, magazines, or movies did you read or watch? What stories and images drew you in?
- Did you try to find solutions to any problems as a kid?
- What were your favorite projects or reports in school?
- What passions did your family share?
After your first pass through these questions, let them sit. Come back to them in a few days. Keep a piece of paper or computer file nearby to record ideas as they come to you. Sometimes memories need a little coaxing to come into focus.
If you can’t bring your childhood to mind, think back as far as you can. Talk to childhood friends, siblings, or other family members to see what they remember about your interests and passions during your childhood.
Don’t pre-judge your answers as being silly, unrealistic in your current life, or childish. You never know what you’ll see when you look at the answers as a whole. As individual clues my love of dogs, my poem about giraffes, my animal flashcards, my wooden farm, my story about a squirrel, and my recycling diorama don’t amount to much, but when you look at them in context with each other, definite themes begin to appear.
Taking Your Childhood Interests to the Next Level
After your initial brainstorming session with the list above, take a few more minutes to look at your list in its entirety.
- As you look at your list, do you see any themes or patterns developing?
- Can you see any interests that have fallen by the wayside that would be fun to rekindle?
- Is there anything you’d like to do to take your interest to a new level? Take classes, volunteer for a cause, or study to deepen your knowledge?
- Given that you know your interests lean in the green direction, do you see ways to green your original childhood interests?
- Can you trace any interests and passions from your adult life back to your childhood? Although this is taking the process in the opposite direction, you may still uncover some additional insights using this method of discovery.
Tie this information in with clues you identify about your current passions and interests. What do your interests invite you to explore in more depth? If you’d like more help uncovering your passions and interests check out the What’s Your Green Niche ebook below. We’ve developed a simple yet powerful system to help you define your focus within the green economy.
Copyright © 2008 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
"GCC's process was incredibly helpful in getting me started in a new career direction. The worksheets and brainstorming exercises in the What's Your Green Niche ebook helped me realize I already had the skills to launch a new green career. Today, less that four months later, I have a terrific salary doing business development for energy and environmental projects. Thanks to Green Career Central, my dream of merging my personal conviction with professional life came true."
-- Kelly Fergusson
Menlo Park Councilmember (Mayor, 2007) turned Business Development Manager of Energy & Environmental Solutions
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Are You Searching for Your Green Niche?
You know you want a green career, but do you know what you want to do in the green economy?
The key to discovering your green niche is pinpointing how to leverage your skills, passions, talents and experience to plug into the green economy.
When you know what part of the economy you want to target, you’ll have an entirely new level of clarity. With that new clarity, your current level of overwhelm and confusion will decrease.
The What’s Your Green Niche eBook eBook takes you through a step-by-step process to determine your green niche. Here's a list of some of the things you'll gain as you work through this eBook. You'll:
- Create your personal definition of success.
- Discover how you know what you are drawn to.
- Develop a list of your 40 favorite skills and interests with the help of checklists.
- Brainstorm over 40 career ideas based on your favorite skills and interests in an hour or so.
- Narrow your career ideas to your top two ideas.
- Develop a plan to achieve your green career goals whether you want to return to school, launch your job search, or start your business.
Members - Download (part of membership)
Non-Members - $55.00
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Green Career Central Blog:
Electric Car Manufacturing Coming to California in 2010 - New announcements means a new source of green jobs is on its way to California, complete with a million dollar grant to provide training to employees who are switching industries. Read the post and add your comments
Mark Your Calendar - Web 2.0 Summit 2008 - This internet industry conference is looking beyond the industry itself to focus on ways the internet can help resolve global issues including global climate change. Read the post and add your comments
Membership Has Its Advantages!
The discussion forum topic, audios, ebook, and articles listed below are available to members of GreenCareerCentral.com as a part of their membership. If you're not a member and would like to have immediate access, we'd love to have you join us now!
Green Career Central is a membership site with a comprehensive set of easy-to-use programs, resources, and events to help people achieve their green career dreams whether they want to find a green job, start a green business, or get a green education.
  
"This is likely the only site of its kind on the Internet. A lot of thought and care have been put into it. Thanks to the exercises in Step 1, I'm finally able to articulate what I'm passionate about and how I want to use my passion in the world. Thank you so much." -AM, California
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This Week's Drawing for a
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What's New at GreenCareerCentral.com
New Investment Index Highlights Promising CleanTech Companies
Nearly every week we hear from members who want to know which companies are hiring. Although there's no complete list of green companies, a new investment index provides a list of cleantech companies with potential throughout the United States and the world. Read on...
Cool Green Career Interviews
One of the best ways to learn what's possible in the Green Economy is to hear from people who have green careers.
Listen to interviews with our Green Career Experts
Articles
Thinking of owning your own green business or greening a business you already own?
Check out the articles to help you Go Green!
Did You Know...
...if you missed a Tip of the Week, you can read the archived publications?
Green Career Tips Archive
About Us
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Green Career CentralTM is a membership site for people who want to transform their passion for the environment into a prosperous green career.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and managing editor of this site, has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career For Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together sixteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper.
Why not have the green career you've been dreaming of? You can struggle on your own or gain support throughout your journey. The decision is obvious ... Join Us Now! |
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