How to Build a Career In the New Economy:
A Guide For Women and Minorities

— HENRY FORD

Before you can seek success in a career you must understand five important principles. They determine your level of success or failure long before your first day at work. Unfortunately most African Americans, minorities and women fail to learn or master them. They base their career choices on how much money they will earn when they are hired. They fail to consider the impact their career has on their future. This inappropriate thinking is responsible for our lack of self-worth and non-fulfillment in our professional and personal lives. This is a common reason why most minorities and women fail to find fulfillment, financial security and happiness in their careers. If you incorporate the five principles listed below into your life, you will find success and fulfillment. It requires a commitment to follow these principles. Their results far out weigh the effort it takes to apply them.

Five Principles That Make Careers Successful

1. Know The Difference Between a Career And a Job.
2. Plan Your Career in Advance. Without Preparation You Lack Direction.
3. Never Allow Money To Determine What You Do, Or Become The Primary Force in Your Career.
4. Seek Opportunities. Understand Opportunities Present Themselves as Obstacles and Challenges.
5. Learn How to Take Reasonable and Worthwhile Risks.

Know The Difference Between A Job And A Career

African Americans’, minorities and women must stop seeking jobs. Instead of seeking jobs, seek careers. There is a world of difference between having a job and a career. A job is something we go to because we need money to pay bills, buy goods and services. We accept a job for the sole purpose of obtaining money. We must ask ourselves, if the money provided by our jobs creates self-worth and happiness? How much money does it take to make us feel fulfilled? When you ask employees this question, they give the following answers. I am underpaid, over worked, and unhappy. I don’t make enough money. In fact few individuals enjoy their jobs. Surveys have shown that more than 70% of employees are not happy with jobs or careers. Without considering your income, does your job make you feel good. Are you proud of what you do to earn your income? Does it allow you to sleep comfortably at night?

The Dictionary defines a job as: An action requiring some exertion; a task, an undertaking. An activity performed in exchange for payment; especially, performed regularly as one’s trade, occupation, or profession. The Dictionary defines a career as, a chosen pursuit; a profession or occupation. The general course or progression of one’s life, especially one’s profession. A path or course. A rapid course or swift progression, speed. "My hasting days fly on with full career," (Milton). The moment of highest pitch or peak activity. To move or run at full speed; go headlong; rush.

As you can see the definitions of the words career and jobs are different. The reasons and manner in which we perform them are based on different motives and objectives. The dictionary uses words and phrases such as, exertion, task, undertaking and exchange for payment to describe a job. None of these words show a job is a pleasurable and enjoyable experience or something to look forward to doing. The dictionary used words and phrases such as, chosen pursuit, progression of one’s life, moments of highest pitch or peak activity to define a career. These words and phrases describe something we enjoy and look forward to every day. The author’s definition of career is "True careers are something we desire to make a significant part of our lives. They provide feelings of satisfaction, enjoyment and income during the process of performing them. The activities in our careers give us something to look forward to each day. They provide feelings of self-worth, purpose, and a mission in life."

A true career is something we miss if we were unable to do it. It is something we willingly and freely devote one hundred and ten percent of our time and energy. Careers provide personal growth, opportunities, and financial rewards. It's something we are passionate about. The author’s definition of a job is "what we do out of necessity to earn a living to provide food, shelter and security. A job is anything you take to earn a living regardless if you don’t receive personal satisfaction. A job is what you do to earn money. The purpose of earning money is the only reason you work. A job is something you would leave in a flash if someone was willing to pay you a few dollars more or sometimes less."

A job is something we resent doing. It makes us stressful, unhappy, and is taxing on our mental and physical health. It is something we spend our working and social hours complaining about. The constant bickering about our jobs alienates us from friends and family. It often reaches the point where no one wants to associate with us for fear of having to listen to us talk about our horrible jobs. We should not interpret that all jobs are difficult, hard and careers are easy. We can have a job that is easy and a career that is demanding. The differences are the rewards we receive from them and how we feel about doing them. When a job is demanding and difficult it is perceived as a non-enjoyable chore and frustrating. When we have a job, staying motivated is difficult, and complete undesirable tasks. Our weekly pay check or fears of being fired are our motivating factors. Since we are not getting paid or fired at time we are doing this undesirable task, our motivation is likely to be low or nonexistent.

People with jobs rely on strong work ethics to complete difficult undesirable tasks. This does not work long before it begins to create problems. It creates constant turmoil within ourselves. We perform tasks because we feel duty bound and paid for doing them. We dread work because we lack interest and the desire to perform. It becomes a constant struggle between our emotions and values. This results in stress, discomfort, and unhappiness. Other problems we encounter at our jobs add to this unhappiness. It’s a myth to believe a strong work ethic is enough to sustain us over long periods without love for what we do. Relying on strong work ethics without a passion for what we do is often our greatest source of frustration.

These frustrations make our jobs unbearable and causes our performance to deteriorate. This results in our loss of self confidence and feelings of worthlessness. Only money binds us to our jobs. This happens to good employees who maintain jobs instead of careers. We develop a different attitude when we have careers. When we have a career, we view difficult tasks as challenges and barriers we will overcome. With a career our objectives and desired results highly motivate us. We are self motivated by our passion for our career.

Successful people have passion for their careers. This passion sustains them during difficult times. It allows them to see negative situations as obstacles they are willing to overcome. Careers give us instant gratification as we perform our duties. Selecting the right career propels us toward success and happiness. Understand the difference between a job and career is the first step toward achieving success.

Plan Your Career In Advance

Too many of us began our employment search with the newspaper classified section. We look for anything that is available. Three problems are created when we do this. The first problem is you are looking for a job instead of a career. The second problem is we must never use the newspaper classified section or luck as our primary source for obtaining and developing a career. It is our responsibility and obligation to develop other sources for obtaining and developing the careers we desire. When our career’s success depends on the classified sections, chance or luck we place ourselves in powerless positions.

Never allow yourself to be a victim of the circumstances that surround you. When you allow this to happen you are powerless and have little control over your destiny. Take charge of your life, as Benjamin Disraeli said, "man is not the creature of circumstances, circumstances are the creatures of man." Our third problem occurs when we fail to predetermine the career of our choice. When we fail to expend the time and energy to predetermine a chosen career, we are forced to accept any jobs that become available. If we allow this to happen, we failed to take the necessary actions to insure the success of our chosen careers.

When we seek jobs, rely on classified ads, chance or luck, we create the foundation for failures in our jobs and careers. This forces us to accept the first job offered due to financial considerations. Poor financial situations often mandate this. Planning our careers in advance is critical for those of us with limited finances to insure they are available when we need them. Make an investment in yourself, take the time and effort to select and prepare for your career before you seek employment. When we accept jobs because we failed to plan our careers, we often become locked into undesirable work for life. These jobs are not what we desire doing. This is a frightening and dismal thought.

The first step in avoiding this problem is to predetermine our careers. Our educational system does not provide proper guidance to choice a career suited for must students. Most students finish high school or college without an idea of the career they will pursue. Many individuals select professions that are not suitable for them. Their decisions are based what’s available or convenient at the time they are looking for work. Another reason we select the wrong career is because it is based on what our parents, relatives or friends do for a living. Their choices are not based on personal likes, dislikes or talents. We all have talents, we must take the time to discover them and use them as a factor when we choose our careers. We must base the selection of our careers on our interest and talents. Our careers should not be based on what others do or would like to do. Our careers should not be determined by what’s available at the time we seek employment. We must take the time to discover a career that complements and enhances our interests, and abilities.

Excellent career choices are ones that involve activities you love. You cannot over stress the importance of selecting a career you enjoy. Doing what you love to love to do is more then just a career. It’s a joy. It creates a passion for living. It allows you to live life to the fullest. Even more important, when you near the end of your life, you can look back with little regards. You won’t feel life passed you by without doing the things you wished and dreamed you did. Finding the right career is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. You are asking yourself, how can I decide what career will make me happy before I experience it. The answer is not complicated. Just try to decide what you enjoy doing, what your abilities and talents are, and what gives you self-satisfaction.

The first step is to determine your interests. Many of us never determine our interests because we limit our thinking and opportunities. We never explore the endless possibilities. We confine ourselves to what others do around us. We have tendencies to mock the unknown, to discredit new ideas and experiences. We stay within our comfort zone. They are the things we are familiar with. We emulate our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends. We think if they like it, we should. Even when we don’t enjoy what these individuals do, they often influence our decisions. We become what they are and not who we are. We try to please others instead of ourselves.

We are bombarded with prejudices, frustrations and negative experiences ingrained by our families, friends and environment. We constantly hear how African Americans, minorities and women cannot find good careers. How unfairly they are treated in the working world. This negative thinking sets us up for failure even before we start our careers. This creates a fear of having a career. This fear prevents us from establishing careers. We have effectively brainwashed our ourselves and our children into believing it is impossible to find success in our careers. This fear paralyzes us. We never establish careers or fail in our careers because we believed we will fail before we start.

Parents, relatives and friends must never allow their frustrations and failures to negatively effect their children and others they influence. Never allow your failures and frustrations to become your children’s afflictions. It’s a terrible trait to pass to each generation. Never limit your dreams or your thinking. Focus on what you can do. Not on what you cannot do. Explore the endless possibilities, discover your likes and dislikes. Teach your children to do the same. Accomplish this by being aware of what’s happening in the world and not restricting yourself to your limited environment. Create opportunities for yourself by overcoming obstacles.

Do this by asking positive and successful individuals about their professions, their likes and dislikes. Maintain an open mind about careers and opportunities that are new and different. Reading provides opportunities to learn about people, what they do, where they go, and their experiences. Take advantage of the endless possibilities of career opportunities around you. Hobbies, school, volunteer work, social and business relationships, organizations, associations, libraries, TV, radio and church contacts can turn into career possibilities. The key is to expose yourself to as many experiences as possible. See how these activities make you feel about yourself. To select the right career requires that you take the time to know yourself. Only when you know yourself can you select the career that’s right for you. Once you know your interest and explored career opportunities you can make an informed choice when you select your career. Selecting the proper career is the first step. Another important aspect to understand is to always give yourself options. They are alternatives if your primary career plans do not materialize.

Small number of blacks have successful and highly visible careers in entertainment and professional sports. This has caused the black population to express unrealistic interested in these careers. Because of the high viability in sports and entertainment blacks overlook this is a small segment of the population. Limited number of blacks, whites, other minorities, and women will achieve success in sports and entertainment careers. Too many blacks invest their time and energy into having careers in the sports and entertainment areas only because they are so visible. They fail to realize if their sports or entertainment career never materializes or ends prematurely, they have nothing to rely on. This is why we must have alternative career options. Alternative career options can also sustain us until we are ready to re- turn to our first career choice. Even for nonprofessional sport careers circumstances can occur that can end our careers in any profession. These circumstances can be beyond your control. New technological advances can make career and professions obsolete. Understanding that sometimes our first career choice may not be possible is important.

Having options provides security and confidence. They make it easier to succeed in our first career choice. Security and confidence overcome our fear of failure which cases most disasters in our careers. Once you select your career(s) immediately work toward achieving them. The sooner we select our careers the faster we achieve our success. Successful people planed their careers long before they start their first day of work. This provides the time and opportunities to prepare for their career.

Never make the fatal mistake of thinking of payment in only financial terms. Think of payment as gaining experience, contacts, references, future career offers. Seek out knowledgeable people in the career you are perusing. Use them as mentors and role models. Learn from their successes and failures. Contact organizations and businesses that relate to your career. Seek information to gain insight into your career, make contacts and friends. Volunteer your time to gain experience and exposure in your career. These activities open doors and create opportunities.

Unsuccessful people replied on just newspapers classified ads, chance, luck, friends and families for jobs. Learn to create opportunities for yourself by making contacts, promoting yourself and gaining valuable experience in advance. Starting in grammar or high school is the idea time to start developing career goals. Parents should encourage their children to have some idea of the career they want before they graduate from high school. This choice does not have to be lock in stone and can change later but it helps students to start gearing themselves toward a career. We can also start new career plans when we are older. You may be working at a dead end job or just lost interest. It is never too late to start developing a career. The only limits in your career are the limits you place on yourself.

What Do You Want From Your Career

1. What Is Your Career Goals?
2. Establish Time Frames for Goals (Divide them into Components That Are easier to Complete). 
3. What Does it Take to Be Successful in Your Career?

It is not enough to know what type of career we want. We must also establish goals for our careers. The sum of our individual goals is the foundation of our success in our careers. Establishing goals for our career is just as important as selecting the right career. Without goals our career lacks direction and purpose. Our self-esteem soars when we establish career goals that became our life’s mission. They are an important part of whom we are. They give us joy, satisfaction and purpose. Our career goals do not become alive and have meaning until we write them. Putting our career goals in writing transforms them from thoughts into a reality. They become something we can see, touch and are responsible for. Career goals must be written as a brief statement and reviewed daily. An example of a written goal is as follows:

"I want to be president and owner of my company by age 35. It will specialize in pediatrics health care for children. My company will earn annual profits of 20 million dollars and treat 20,000 children a year. It will be recognized as the industry's leading company in pediatrics health care."

Only when your goals are meaningful to you will you strive for them year after year. They will sustain you in times of difficulty. Your career goal becomes a special part of you that you love and cherish. Goals must be challenging. Overcoming challenges creates feelings of self-worth. Goals must be challenging enough that you must exert yourself but not to the point where you dread the ideal of trying to overcome them.

Establish Time Frames For Your Major Goals

Establishing time frames for career goals is a critical tool to insure success. Time frames are gages to determine your progress. They let you know if you are on the right or wrong track. They are signals to determine what’s working and what’s not. Time frames require you to take inventory of yourself, others and what’s going on around you. When things are not working, they make you seek new solutions. They force you to ask questions which provide answers. Set realistic time frames. Unrealistic time frames sets you up for failure or ridicule. When you miss time frames, this does not make you a failure, it means either you did not properly plan or set unrealistic time frames. Do not be ashamed if you do not meet your goals time frames. Learn from your mistakes. Use these experiences as a tool to help you succeed in your career goals.

Acquire the Skills Needed To Be Successful

Education, training and tools are needed to succeed in careers. Some careers are specialized while other require general skills. Career requires skills and training that are based on a rapidly changing environment. Make a detail listing of the skills and training you need to be successful. You may discover the skills and training needed last year are no longer sufficient today. Once you list the skills and training needed for today’s success, rate yourself. Do you have the skills and training to be successful? If you have the skills and training are they more than proficient? Are your training and skills up to date? If you had to leave, your employer today would you be able to successfully compete in the current market in your field? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, you need to update your skills.

Most skills and training are obvious but some skills critical to the success of your career are not. They unfortunately do not teach many of these skills in school. In most careers, it is critical to work with others and to conduct ourselves accordingly. The ability to work with others is a critical ingredient of success. To be successful we must be counselors, diplomats, teachers and mediators. Master the art of selling. To be successful we must sell ourselves and our ideas. We must learn to communicate with others socially and professionally. Other qualities such as humor, wit, discipline and the ability to handle stress are critical components to successful careers. It is essential we master these qualities. Use individuals you respect as a role model or mentors. They will show you the obvious and not so obvious skills needed for successful careers. Determine what qualities and skills set them apart from the crowd. Adapt their traits as your own, make them a part of whom you are.

Never Allow Money Determine What You Do And Become

Far too many of us become consumed by the desire to obtain money. We become slaves to it. We are willing to do anything to obtain it, regardless whether it’s right or wrong. We sacrifice our health, family and friends to obtain money. We forfeit religious and moral beliefs for the opportunity to obtain it. We forfeit our values and who we are for the sake of money. We forfeit the most important aspect of ourselves when we allow our desire for money to turn us into someone we despise.

Can you image living with someone for twenty-four hours a day, day in, day out, year after year, whom you despise? That’s what happens when we allow our quest for money turn us into someone we dislike. You are out of control when your desire to earn money does not allow you the time and opportunity to relax and enjoy yourself and your family. Too many individuals spend their life creating fortunes and die before they have a chance to enjoy it. They become so preoccupied with making money they neglected their personal well-being. They never find time to relax and replenish their mental and physical health. They are consumed by the process of making money. They lose touch with themselves. They ignore warning signs that something is wrong. Many of these individuals gain or lose weight unnecessarily. These individuals usually don’t eat properly, obtain sufficient rest. They are always worrying and never find time to relax because they are too busy many money. These individuals have physical aliments, ulcers, back pains, headaches, etc.

They often forfeit their moral beliefs. The dollar becomes their religion and their God. They do not consider the consequences of their actions. If their actions harm others, it is not a consideration for them. These individuals have no problem stealing, swindling or taking advantage of others to make money. These individuals only consider the short-term benefits. People who are solely guided by money are never willing to help others. They never volunteer their time to help others unless they profit by their actions. These individuals have little regards for their fellow man. When our actions are guided entirely by money, we live a selfish and disappointing life that is only motivated by greed. There is nothing wrong with making money or becoming wealthy. We should all strive to be wealthy. We must understand wealth, success and happiness cannot be created by what we own or how much money we have. These qualities are determined by the type of person we became during the process of earning our living. Did we help others while developing our careers? Have we enriched the lives of others? Did we sacrifice our family’s well being for our careers? Did we help others without concern for pay? You have to live with yourself twenty-four hours a day for the rest of your life. Become a person you can be proud to love.

Earning money is only one component of achieving success and happiness. We have not achieved real success in our careers if we destroyed our personal and family lives during the process of establishing our careers. It is more important who we become during the processing of developing our careers than how much money we make or the titles we obtain. We must never lose sight of this and base our careers on this simple principles. There is nothing wrong with having large sums of money if we do not destroy our morals and important values in the process. The three negative problems associated with money are:

When We Allow Money to Dominate Our Lives
When We Are Willing to Make Money Unethically
When We Fail to Properly Manage Our Money

One final thought. There are many people with more money then they can spend in a hundred life times and yet they are unhappy. You read about them in the papers every day (professional athletes, movie stars, singers, self-made millionaires, royalty, and individuals who win lotteries). They turned to drugs, has emotional problems, committed suicide or murder and how their marriages end in divorce. This shows that money it self, does not solve life’s problems. Why money does not solve life’s problems is discussed in chapter twelve.

Seek, Recognize, And Utilize Opportunities

The reason for the failure of most careers is the inability to recognize and use opportunities. Most individuals incorrectly believe that opportunities present themselves as opportunities. We waste time looking for signs that read opportunities here. This is why we fail to recognize opportunities. This thinking is entirely incorrect and prevents us from succeeding in our careers. Most career opportunities present themselves as problems or obstacles that must be overcome. When we see these situations, we dread them. Most of us don’t want to be bothered with problems. Others walk away from them. We must not see problems as obstacles but challenges and opportunities to advance our careers and lives.

Take Worthwhile Risks

Success does not happen by chance nor by luck. Success will never come if you wait for it. Some of us believe we will achieve success because we are good people or deserve to it. This is not only foolish but dangerous. Waiting for a miracle or luck is a major factor in the failure of our careers. This prevents us from taking action. Success never happens by accident or luck, or because we are deserving or did good deeds. Success has little to do with being good, bad or being deserving. Individuals who take reasonable risks create success. Risk takers don’t wait for things to happen, they make things happen. When you create the conditions you want, you control your destiny and determine the success in your career.

It’s unfortunate that most of us associate risks as something that we should avoid. This could not be further from the truth. When we take risks, we distinguish ourselves from our peers. Remember, "you cannot and will not be notice by doing the same things that everyone else does." Opportunities will not enhance your career without risks. Risks are essential to successful careers. Individuals with successful careers are not inclined to take foolish risk. They review the consequences of "taking or not taking risks." They realize it is a greater danger not to take risks when the rewards are significant and outweigh potential loses. Instead of asking can they afford to take the risk, they asked themselves can they afford not to take the risk.

Risk takers are considered dynamic and visionaries. They show personal power and a keen sense for making the right decisions. They don’t wait for things to happen. They make them happen. They view options from all points of view, despite personal likes or dislikes. They determine what conditions provide the best results. They know what was the best alternative yesterday may be inappropriate today. People with successful careers ask themselves four questions prior to taking risks. The answers to these four questions determine your degree of risk. They decide if the risks are too great or the degrees of risks are acceptable.

Four Questions To Ask Yourself Prior To Taking Risks:

1. What Is the Worst Thing That Could Happen?
2. What Is the Best Thing That Could Happen?
3. What Probably Will Happen?
4. Can I Afford Not to Take the Risk?

By answering these four questions, you may learn what at first appeared as a "great risk" is actually "not a risk at all." By using the answers to these questions you can examine your options. Your answers provide the wisdom and confidence to know what risks to take or avoid.

Making Difficult Decisions

No one has the answer to every problem or question. We will be faced with dilemmas with no right or wrong answers. We must use our instincts and common sense to make appropriate decisions. We must make decisions based on our values even when the out come is not what we desire. When we make tough decisions on reasons other then our values, we lose ourselves and the person we hope to become. You have to live with the person you are for the rest of your life. Finding success in our careers at the sacrifice of destroying our families and personal life is a poor choice. Making the right decisions can cost you money, aggravation and so-called friends in the short run. In the end, the right decisions, brings long term wealth, happiness, and true friends. Never be ashamed of starting at the bottom or allow pride to ignore opportunities. Look at problems for what they are, opportunities for improvement. When you start at the bottom, you have no where to go but up. View this as an opportunity to learn a business from the ground up. This can be invaluable experience which insures your success. It is better starting at the bottom and working your way to the top, then starting in the middle and ending at the bottom. Starting at the bottom and working your way to the top build’s character, discipline, and a sense of self-worth. The greatest successes are individuals who started at the bottom and worked their way to the top This feeling of accomplishment cannot be described in words. Whatever work you do, take professional pride in it. Do it to the best of your abilities no matter the position.