Page 107 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

Ten Success Stories About People Just Like You

that she wanted more intellectual stimulation, more positive impact
on the natural environment, and, in her words, more “recognition”
that she believed she could get from a more “prestigious” job.

Admitting that you want more power, prestige, or
recognition may be considered unpopular in some
circles, but it’s your career and your life. In the
Fearless Career Change philosophy, it’s fine to
want these things. But you can get them only if
you first admit to yourself that you want them and
then go about fashioning a career that will
maximize your chances of getting those
satisfiers met.

Marie had received a BS in biology from Yale University. Before
we met, she had made several attempts to break into the field of
environmental planning, without success. She related that employ-
ers gave her the feedback that she was academically lacking for the
position. Even though she had a bachelor’s degree from one of the
most prestigious schools in the United States, they could not accept
her application without a master’s degree. Environmental planning,
she felt, would utilize the talents she already had and give her a
hand at making a real impact on conserving and restoring the
earth’s natural environment. She felt at a loss because she didn’t
feel she had the time to attend graduate classes for two years or
more. She especially didn’t want to spend “another minute” run-
ning her own business.
Since she wanted the transition to be quick, she decided to use
the fearless career change plan for strategic education. She called
a local university and found out that it had a program called “Open
University” in which students could enroll immediately without
submitting transcripts, essays, or letters of recommendation.
The only things she needed to register were her driver’s
license and her social security number. When she checked the cat-
alog for an appropriate course, she found that the university
offered a master’s program in environmental planning—exactly
what she was looking for!

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