tage was made possible by a grant from the john h. delantoni charitable trust, supporting educational innovation. host: take a look at your life right now. what are your responsibilities? what are you priorities? do you enjoy your work? who do you depend on? and who depends on you? rediscover where you are now on this episode of career advantage. ♪ ♪

host: in this course we look at our dreams about who we want to be and where we want to go: finishing college, making money, owning a business, getting that first job. pursuing your career is like using a roadmap. you first need to identify where are you now? you know, like information signs in a shopping mall that say, you are here. so, where are you? >> i am a mother, i am a daughter. i'm an aunt. i'm a sister. i'm a step sister. i mean it just, it really goes on and on.

i'm a student. i'm an employee. >> right now i'm focused on my career and having fun as a bachelor. and i think that will never happen again. so, i figure you do it now when you're young and you don't have those commitments. and then when you are truly ready, you'll know. so, it's not like i'm worried at all. it's just that i know that right now my time is career and having fun. host: donald super, a research psychologist, described a career as a way to express your self-concept, which is how you see yourself. if you're always fixing cars and electronic appliances, and you can get so caught up in the process that you lose track of the hours, your self-concept might be about mechanics or engineering. if you're social, talkative, always on the go, and everyone calls you about what to do this weekend, then you get an idea about your self-concepts, always interacting with people.

according to dr. super, our self-concept is played out in our career as well as in our home and family, leisure, self-improvement and community. what are your responsibilities? what are your priorities? >> well, certainly for myself, or for my, i guess, emotional, physical, financial well-being, play a big role probably in my parents' lives in a lot of those areas as well. and hopefully along with kind of having partners and co-workers kind of a big role in kind of making sure that students who we work with do really well, and kind of, realize their maximum potential. host: let's do a fast checkup on your self-concept or life role or satisfaction with your life as it is now.

you need something to write with. remember to get pen and paper ready before each episode of career advantage. right now list the following aspects of your life: work, home and family, leisure, self-improvement, community. now, next to each word write a number between one and five showing how satisfied you are with each area of your life. the number one, indicating that you are not satisfied at all; the number 5 indicating that you are very satisfied. here we go. work. how do you feel about your work right now? are you using your skills and talent to the fullest? are you working in or out of the home? >> one of the reasons that i made the move to this company is because, you know, the oil industry is very complex. there are many, many, many different aspects, you know, with this business. and i thought that there would be a lot for me to learn there.

my main goal was to go to a job and not be bored. because normally after a year of working in any other position i've had, you know, within like six months to a year i'm bored to death. i know the job like the back of my hand. but at the same time i'm in college, so i'm working part-time. so there's no room for opportunities to grow, you know, within the company. so, that was one of the things i looked at when i was actually doing the research for the company, is making sure that, you know, i wasn't going to be bored. host: write a number between one and five to show how satisfied you are with work. again, the number one means that you are not satisfied. the number five means that you are very satisfied. ready to move on? home and family. where do you live? who trusts and encourages you? who depends on you? are you caring for elderly parents?

do you have pets? >> i have a difficult time juggling house and work and school and anything leftover for me is difficult. host: how do you feel about your home and family life? write down your number between one and five. leisure. how do you relax? do you play computer games or board games? do you ski, snowboard, or surf? do you quilt or knit? what about taking long walks? what about sunday afternoon barbeques in the backyard? >> definitely movies are part of that. believe it or not kind of really simple pleasures these days just kind of maybe taking 1/2 hour or hour off, go in and read some magazines i haven't read in a long time or read some newspapers, again i'm a little bit of a current affairs fan and so, just a chance to do that sometimes is kind of a welcome break from kind of rush, rush, hurry, hurry. host: how do you feel about your leisure time? again, write a number between one and five,

one indicating dissatisfaction, five indicating complete satisfaction. self-improvement. do you pay attention to your health? do you exercise often and eat right? are you balanced, mentally, spiritually, and physically? when is the last time you enrolled in a class or the last time that you taught something new to someone else? >> exercising in the morning to fulfill that balance in your health. working a really long day because i'm enjoying and learning and then coming back home and just relaxing. host: how do you feel about your self-improvement? write down your number. community. how do you get involved outside your home and work? do you volunteer at a local organization or school? do you go to a place of worship? what about political, cultural, and social issues affecting your city? and how do you feel about your place in the community?

again, write down your number between one and five. these life roles, work, home and family, leisure, self-improvement, and community are interrelated. in other words, satisfaction or dissatisfaction in one area of your life affects the other areas. making the right career choices positively affects the other areas of your life. however, if you're dissatisfied at home, your anger or unhappiness may affect your work. financial problems may lead to family problems, or you may spend too much time on leisure activities to forget that you're stuck in a job that you don't enjoy. i know that when i take the time to run or meditate in the morning, i definitely get a better start on my day. i have more energy and more patience at work. as you look over the satisfaction checkup that you just completed, think about which areas you want to improve.

which life roles would you like to improve first? how can your career choices increase satisfaction in the other areas of your life? what if you had a job that gave you more flexibility? you could see your family more, or what if you signed up for that photography class as a balance to your work? ask yourself how you feel about your life roles. >> probably mixed - i mean, overall i definitely enjoy it. i'm definitely glad that there are a variety of challenges i'm pretty happy basically with the things i'm involved in. at times, to be honest though, i get a little bit warn out, get a little bit tired. and instead of each thing being interesting involvement with it becomes, wow, one more activity, one more thing you try and get right. >> if anything, what do i need? more time. i think time is probably the most precious element right now.

time can mean, how do i manage my day better so that i can do all the things that i want to do? so it's not just 12, 13 hours of work. say, it's going on a run or it's going on a mountain bike ride, or just hanging out with a friend, reading a book. time, i think, if anything is what i need. >> well, right now my, i'd say my primary role is mother. and i don't mind this role, you know, because i love my son. i think he's a bright and intelligent- he's a neat kid. i, you know, i just love him to death. but, i think at the same time, if like all my roles take up like 50% of or 80% of my time, and it's a combination of all the roles, and i need more time for myself. host: i recommend that you record your insights and ideas

in what i will call a personal career profile. a notebook, or file, or binder that you create during the course. you can write down your responses to the exercises in your profile. you can also include any questions and concerns that come to mind that may get addressed later on in the course or to go over with a career counselor or teacher. often i find that writing makes me remember important ideas and commit to taking action. you know, just like making a list before you head to the grocery store, you won't forget what you need to buy. if you're taking this time to look at your life roles, you're definitely moving towards your ideal career. and you don't take this journey alone. >> support is really important in this process. and everybody is much more successful if they have some kind of support network. your support network is typically friends, colleagues, classmates.

it doesn't have to be a big group. it doesn't have to be a formal group that you meet with. but, ideally you identify a few people that are truly going to be positively supporting of you. and people who say, yes, keep going in that direction, keep looking, encourage you very positively as opposed to people who say, "you want to do what? you can't make a living doing that!" that's not going to be any help to anybody." host: sam keene, the former editor of psychology today says that there are two crucial questions that we need to ask as we go through life. the first question is, where am i going? the next question is, who will go with me? where are you going? who will go with you? career advantage will help you answer the first question. where are you going? that answer depends on your interests, values, and skills. but we also need to look at the second question,

who will go with you on this journey? along the way as we make transitions, we all need a support system. what's a support system? think of a trapeze artist flying through the air, letting go of one bar in order to catch the other bar. scary. until we realize that there is a safety net below to catch her in case she falls, not as scary. your support system is like that safety net. we have to take the action on our own to make the changes in our lives. and we have to be realistic and remember that falls do happen. but as long as we have a safety net, we're alright. i also envision a support system as my coaching staff. i have to go out on the field or the court and actually play the game and take the risks. but i'm definitely more confident and competent if i have people to coach me and cheer me through the process.

who do you call when something positive happens to you? who do you call when you have a problem or a question? who laughs with you? who depends on you? who trusts you? and who do you trust? what about when relationships breakdown or you run into financial trouble. sometimes we forget that difficult times, when we feel like running or hiding are actually when we need to connect and confide in other people. >> that's a good question. i'd say my roommates, i live with my best friend. sometimes i come home and i'll say, "god, today was just a horrible day." you know, what could i have done better? not even dive into that, just, it's a horrible day, you know, i want to talk about it. >> probably certainly my mom among others, i think there's no one like a mom. to give you kind of support you need. but not just my mom, a lot of other people, my dad, and i've got great aunts and uncles.

i've got very supportive sisters. i'm very close to all three of my sisters. host: your support system will encourage and challenge you through the career process. and here's another benefit of your support system. according to the best selling career book, "what color is your parachute?" about 86% of positions are found through people who know you. an important statistic to know as you're taking this course. so, as you go through this career process, you want to keep in touch with as many people as possible. not only can they motivate you, but they can give you direction, too. they might say, "sure, i can help you prepare for your interview next week. but you should also apply to that new company that's hiring." so, how do you start to put your safety net in place. let's start with the people that you see every day. what about your family? my husband is the head coach on my coaching staff.

right before a recent interview he told me, "just remember who you are." he didn't say, "i can't see you in that job." or, "why would you want to work there?" he simply commented, "just remember who you are." and his belief in me supported me in interviewing well and making the right decision. next, what about your friends? sometimes people tell me that they don't want to talk with their friends about looking for a job. you might say, "i don't want to take advantage of them." or, "they're so busy. i don't want to bother them." now what if your friend called just after losing his job? how would you respond? would you spend time with him? what if another friend just graduated from technical school and needed encouragement before she started job interviews? would you be there for her? i'm sure that you would be there for your friend. hopefully they would do exactly the same for you.

your friends know you. they know your history. they know your quirks and your fears. they know what gets you fired up. they believe in you. what better people to have in your support network than your friends? >> i have some really great friends who have inspired me, you know, with, you know - the lives that they're living have really inspired me. my parents want, you know, like most parents want you to have a stable and secure path and that's totally understandable. sometimes i think it gets in the way of supporting, you know, a child's dreams. it's like, you know, their voice can be so huge and so loud in your own mind, when you're going, "i want to be an artist." and, you know, the parent voice is screaming, "you'll never make a living!" it's like, oh my god you're right. okay. i'll just stay in the corporate world and die, you know?

so, i didn't really call upon my parents. >> if you don't have the support there, if you have a lot of people saying, "you can't do it." or, whenever you bring up the idea of doing it, they kind of roll their eyes, not being able to kind of talk ideas through with you or when they do talk things through with you they're not constructive. but instead, they always seem to have an obstacle. and so i think i've felt pretty lucky, blessed really, to kind of work with a lot of people and come to know a lot of people who have been kind of the opposite and really kind of generous in their support. so that's been a nice thing. host: another source of support is someone who can work with you in a confidential and responsible way. think of an academic advisor or a minister at church. these people are trained to assist you. they listen and respond. they can make up an important part of your support system too.

>> mentoring is valuable for a little different reason. in this day, when there aren't clear cut career paths anymore, when there isn't a job hierarchy to walk your way up, four years in this box and then two years in this box and so on, having a mentor who has the bigger picture in mind, who has experience, and can say, "you know, that's an attractive possibility, but i don't think that's so good for you. i think you need to beef up your skills in marketing." and you've never done anything in marketing. now that mentor is steering you the way the old job ladder used to steer you. but, the job ladder isn't there anymore. host: remember that while you're taking this course, you can meet with career counselors at your school or in the community. >> college counselors, particularly those that focus on career issues, are there to work with students who need help with career planning,

who need help choosing a major, who need help with job search, who need help anywhere in that spectrum from what do i want to be when i grow up, to how do i get that job? >> if you really think these 12 skills are going to be full of what i want to do. >> okay. >> on the next job. >> excellent. >> we encourage students to come as soon as they start their college studies. and that gives them a tremendous advantage, because they can start looking at the future from the very beginning. and they don't have to know where they want to be at the end. they don't have to have a plan, but if they come in at the beginning, one of the first things we can do is show them, here are ways that you can use your time in college to get occupational information, to learn more about yourself, to build skills that you're going to need in the world of work. and they can have a kind of general plan that becomes increasingly specific as they go through school. host: so, we can see that getting your support system in place takes time, energy, and creativity too.

but look at the rewards. and now, here's patrick with another hot tip! hi. i'm patrick combs with another hot tip. use the buddy system! get your friends to support you while you're making your career plans come true. i first saw the magic of getting close friends to keep me on track when i was in college. my best professor was working on her doctorate and i asked her, "isn't it hard to stay motivated to write this gigantic thesis paper?" and she says, "no. i've got deals with my three best friends. i make them a great dinner if they'll call me once a week and ask, 'so, how are you doing on your thesis.' one friend calls monday, another calls on wednesday, the other calls on friday. and knowing that they're going to call to check on my progress keeps me on task." i've been using the buddy system ever since and it is hot stuff.

it makes you feel supported, like someone besides yourself is anxious for you to succeed. and you get hooked on not wanting to let your buddies down. so here's your assignment. call someone today and tell them that you're working on a new career plan. ask them to call you on a regular basis to check on your progress. setup a schedule. if they think they're too busy or they think they might forget, then call someone else. this is how support systems get started. until next time, be great! a friend of mine who's making a career change in her 50s, after a recent divorce, says that her two daughters are her best support. not only do they encourage her, but they provide a reality check. she needs to hear them say, "mom, if you can get through the divorce, you can get through anything." who are some of the people in your support network?

what about a teacher or a neighbor? perhaps a co-worker and definitely a friend or family member. the most important aspect of this support system is trust. go ahead and let these people know what you are doing right now. >> when you're in school you kind of build that network among your classmates. you know, one of the first things i did when entering a new class, any class, all my classes, was exchange phone numbers with at least one person. host: now, here are some ways that you can get your support network to help you during your career search. first, you can ask the people in your support network to listen. share the progress and the frustrations in your career search. you can do this over coffee, during a morning run, or on the phone. having someone listen can often be the best support. it gives us the chance to hear our own accomplishments and considerations out loud as well as have a trusted friend show they care.

>> i think one of the best parts about this support network in this process is that they can keep you motivated and keep you going. and hopefully help you keep momentum and not stop before you have all the information to make a good decision. often what happens is there would be one barrier and we'll shutdown the process and stop. what your support network can do is say, that's okay, there are ways of getting around that barrier, keep going, you're so excited about this, let's see if we can brainstorm together other ways that you can get the information you need. so, they can keep you on track and keep you from giving up too soon. host: next, have your support team ask you questions. this is a great way to keep you on your toes during your search. have them ask you about the kind of work you like doing and the environment you want to be in. they can even play reporter and pretend they're doing an article on your next career move.

it's up to you to give the responses. role playing can be a fun way to free up ideas and perhaps lead you towards the right career. >> so, when i was looking at career goals, i tried to find people that were, maybe not into accounting, but like, that had graduated from college, that could offer me some advice, and say, "oh yeah, i went through that before and, you know, that's okay, you know, don't worry about it." so, i actually kind of surrounded myself with friends and support system that i have. and a lot of it came from, you know, a driving factor inside. i had to find it in myself and ask myself, "do you really want this?" and you have to do something about it too. you just can't sit here and think people are going to come to you and just want to help you. you have to play a role in it too, right? host: in this episode, we looked at your self-concepts, how you see yourself through your life roles. art student, carpool organizer, accountant, mother,

your feelings about these life roles affect the choices that you make in your work life. you might tell me, my education is very important. so, for now, i'm working at a restaurant during evenings and weekends to make money to pay for school. looking at how satisfied you are with your life roles is a great starting point for this course. we also talked about support systems. who's on your coaching staff and cheering section? you might tell me, rebecca, here's my support system. my best friend from high school, since she really knows me, and she puts up with me, my former boss, since he always expects the best of me and he taught me a lot, and my neighbor, who's a great listener - she's so calm and patient. whoever makes up your support system is up to you. remember to call on them when you need someone to talk to as you go about your career search. you'll find them to be there for you.

i'm sure that you would do the same for them. in the next episode, we'll look at how 'what you believe' affects your behavior, which in turn, affects your career search. i'll see you next time on career advantage. to learn more about this program, career advantage, visit us at pbs online at the internet address on your screen.

production of career advantage was made possible by a grant from the john h. delantoni charitable trust, supporting educational innovation.