Talk:Gary's Address

Reflection 11: Career as an Enterprise -- 242 words

Career is one's journey with ups, downs, and its turns. To shift one's focus from simply finding a job to actively managing and growing one's professional journey, career should also be viewed as a personal enterprise.

Let's take my example. My credentials in training are impressive, so I believe that I can land such a job. However, training specialty assumes some concentration. AI is on the rise, so I can take on AI project as a volunteer or create an AI-training business to add this credential to my resume.

If I need cash during the AI transition, I can take on some cash job as a driver or, let say, dog walker. Because of my passion to vocational discovery, I can also take on a job at public school and, when I am in the system, offer our WiseNxt as an after-school program.

I possibly need two jobs, not one. A human being needs both bread and butter, but a fulfilling career often requires balancing both. 'Bread' jobs (those that primarily provide financial stability) are necessary for survival and security. However, 'butter' jobs (those we're passionate about) add flavor and satisfaction to our professional lives.

Like any successful business, a career administration requires strategic planning, continuous learning, and adaptability to thrive. In fact, one's competencies are parts of one's career portfolio. This approach assumes nurturing "star" credentials, investing in promising "question marks," maintaining "cash cow" competencies, and potentially divesting from "noise" activities.

Exploring careers, developing skills, earning qualifications, and finding jobs are ongoing processes throughout life. While these tasks are personal, getting help from others can make a big difference.

The job market today is always changing. New types of work appear as technology advances, while some traditional jobs become less common. This means we need to keep learning and exploring our options.

It's also hard to see ourselves clearly. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but sometimes it's difficult to recognize them on our own. Talking to others, like teachers, counselors, or professionals in fields we're interested in, can give us a clearer picture of where we excel and where we can improve.

Building relationships with people in different careers is really valuable. They can share insider knowledge, help us develop important skills, and keep us motivated. However, creating and maintaining these connections takes time and effort.

Trying to figure out your career path all by yourself is challenging. It's like trying to be an expert on the job market, a career advisor, and a networking pro all at once. That's why getting support and advice from others isn't just helpful – it's often necessary for making good career choices and progress.

Reflection Five: Search for Insightful Mentors

Claude

In the early 2010s, I unexpectedly secured a position with the US Marine Corps. I say 'unexpectedly' because I had no apparent qualifications for the role at the outset. My previous experience, however, may have contributed to landing this job.

I led the Russian component of a cultural program, given considerable freedom to innovate. The project had substantial resources but minimal oversight and bureaucracy. We extensively utilized technology and various methodologies.

Russian language proficiency was a key objective. Initially, we used standard textbooks and conversational resources. However, when the first cohort took the Defense Language Proficiency Test, they were surprised by its practical nature, being tested on real-world scenarios rather than textbook greetings.

For the second iteration, I collaborated with Professor Soboleva from the Defense Language Institute to develop a new curriculum, which we rapidly implemented and tested.

As a result, my students matched the listening skills of their peers at the Defense Language Institute. I believe continued curriculum development would have led to even better outcomes. While I consider my role successful, the project ended after a year due to budget constraints.

Afterwards, I stood at a crossroads between continuing as a language instructor or transitioning to information technology. Based on past experiences, I sought advice from industry insiders.

On the linguistic side, I consulted a high-ranking recruiter from a top cultural training provider. They explained the difficulties of finding innovative roles in the field due to fierce competition and limited opportunities. They candidly admitted that despite my results, hiring me would be challenging due to bureaucratic constraints and potential backlash from more credentialed competitors.

On the IT side, finding quality consultants proved more difficult. Some had narrow expertise or conflicting objectives. However, IT was evolving rapidly and offered more diverse roles than language training at the time. IT recruiters seemed more prone to burnout than their counterparts in more stable fields.

It's worth noting that finding my linguistic consultant was largely luck. While there's no shortage of advisers offering ideas without accountability, finding an honest, caring industry insider is rare but invaluable.

Meta

An Unexpected Career Turn

In the early 2010s, I landed a position with the US Marine Corps, despite having no apparent qualifications. My previous experience leading a Russian cultural program, which involved developing innovative solutions with extensive resources and minimal supervision, may have contributed to this opportunity.

A Successful Project

In this role, I aimed to improve Russian language proficiency among students. Initially, we used standard textbooks, but they didn't meet our needs. After a disappointing first attempt, I collaborated with Professor Soboleva from the Defense Language Institute to develop a new curriculum. Our students eventually matched the listening skills of their peers at the Institute.

A Crossroads

After the project ended due to budget constraints, I considered continuing as a language instructor or transitioning to information technology. Seeking advice from insightful insiders, I met with a high-ranking head of recruiting from a top cultural training provider. They warned me about fierce competition and limited opportunities in the linguistic field.

Challenges in Finding Honest Consultants

While I found a valuable consultant on the linguistic side, I struggled to find equivalent experts in information technology. Some had narrow expertise, while others had their own agendas. I realized that finding honest and caring consultants who can provide actionable advice is challenging.

A Lesson Learned

My experience taught me the importance of seeking advice from industry-based consultants who are both knowledgeable and honest. While there are many sounding-board advisers who can offer ideas, finding a consultant who truly cares and is accountable for their guidance is rare and valuable.

OpenAI

In the early 2010s, I unexpectedly secured a position with the US Marine Corps. I say "unexpectedly" because, in my view, I had zero credentials for this job on day one. I lacked both the necessary education and work experience. Perhaps my previous activities contributed to landing this job.

I led the Russian segment of a cultural program, developing it in highly innovative ways. This work involved extensive resources and minimal supervision, with virtually no bureaucratic roadblocks. We made extensive use of technology and various methodologies.

Achieving some level of Russian language proficiency was one of our objectives. For the first iteration, we used standard textbooks and conversational language resources. However, they didn't meet our needs. When the first cohort took the Defense Language Proficiency Test, they were surprised that no one greeted them with "Hello" in Russian, expecting a standard response. Instead, they were given a snippet from Moscow radio and asked to interpret what happened in the story.

For the second iteration, I reached out to Professor Soboleva from the Defense Language Institute and inspired her to develop a new curriculum. I built it after one workday to test it the next day.

As a result, my students matched the listening skills of their peers at the Defense Language Institute. I believe that if we had continued developing a new curriculum, new participants would have outperformed their peers. I consider my role successful; however, the project ended after a year due to budget constraints.

After that experience, I found myself at a crossroads, deciding whether to continue as a language instructor or transition to information technology.

Given my previous experience with social workers, this time I decided to seek advice from insightful insiders.

On the linguistic side, I connected with a high-ranking head of the recruiting department at a top cultural training provider. I met this person in an unofficial setting. After discussing my situation, they explained that finding a job in that field would be difficult due to fierce competition and limited opportunities, especially in innovative roles.

This knowledgeable insider said, "You have many competitors with better educational and experience credentials. Even if you achieved great results in your first experience, I cannot imagine hiring you. As a bureaucrat, I want to keep my role and avoid blame if anything goes wrong, including complaints from your competitors."

On the information technology side, I couldn't find consultants of the same quality. Some had narrow scopes of expertise and couldn't see the bigger picture. Others had their own objectives. It is worth mentioning that information technology was changing more rapidly and offered more roles than language training at that time. Technology recruiters seemed more prone to burnout and exhaustion compared to their stable-field linguistic peers.

I was fortunate to find a great consultant on the linguistic side. Based on my research, there is no shortage of sounding-board advisers who can provide numerous ideas without being accountable for them. Industry-based consultants are vital, but finding one who is both honest and genuinely cares is difficult.