There are a lot of people in your community who could use your help. Whether you’re thinking about a new career, in the middle of making a career change, or just about to start your dream job, you know you wouldn’t have made it as far as you have without the advice, encouragement, and wisdom of others. What you might not know is how much wisdom you have to share with others that would be of help with them…
…and before you say “Who? Me?”, stop and make a short list of everyone who’s helped you along the way. Some of your help may have come from teachers and counselors, but a lot more help may have come from friends or people in your neighborhood, like the checkout clerk in the grocery store who told you what a good listener you were, and that led you to think about becoming a social worker.
Or the neighbor whose lawn mower you keep in good shape when you were a kid, who told you how good you were with your hands. Or the parent at your child’s school who said your cookies always sell out first at the bake sales, so why don’t you think about a career as a baker?
None of this help came from “professional helpers”—it came from people who took the time to care, and now you can pass that same encouragement on to others:
Family and friends
There’s a good chance someone you know is either looking for work or thinking about a life change. You might not be a career counselor, but it doesn’t take training to sit down over a cup of coffee and ask how it’s going. You may find they’re stuck in their career path in a place where you can say “I’ve been there”, and tell them how you got through. Just as important, you might be able to tell them what you tried that didn’t work, and save them the time and energy of going down the wrong road.
Volunteer
If you look in your local paper, you’ll see there are a number of non-profit agencies, groups in places of worship, or meeting in the public library all designed to help people move forward in their career searches. If you’ve had some success, go to the meeting and offer to mentor someone who needs some help, or speak to the group about your experience. Not only will your message help others, but your work can help you hone your speaking and listening skills, two qualities employers highly value in their workers.
Hit the Web
If face-to-face assistance isn’t your thing, take a ride on your computer to look for chat rooms or social network groups where people are looking for help. There are a number of technology-based groups where people with a common profession ask each other for help and ideas. You may have just the answer someone else is looking for, and even if you don’t, you can learn a lot about a profession just by listening on the sidelines.
Don’t forget the Y
No matter where you are in your career path, there’s always a need for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Y volunteers, tutors at the library, and more. Our young people need your encouragement today more than ever, and you can make a difference a child will remember years from now.
This economy can make it easy to think about what we need, and harder to think about what we have. If you take a minute to step back, you’ll see a wealth of riches in your life, and endless ways to share them with others, and that benefits everyone, including you.
