Page 83 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

Eight Fast-Track Strategies for Successful Career Changers

decision to upgrade your education and take a financial interest in
assisting you is to place yourself in your employer’s shoes and ask your-
self what changes or improvements in the company would be
meaningful from his or her point of view.
For virtually every business, the bottom line has something to
do, directly or indirectly, with making the company profitable and suc-
cessful. Think about the following ways you might be able to impact
the bottom line at your company:

• Creating or improving products or services that will draw
additional revenues for the company
• Helping the company save time or money
• Improving the reputation, visibility, and credibility of the
company to the public and its customers
• Making a measurable contribution to improving worker
morale and productivity
• Decreasing waste, inefficiency, accidents, and downtime
• Troubleshooting problems more effectively and efficiently
• Becoming part of a management team
• Helping the company best the competition

All of the results listed above impact the company’s profits in
one way or another. When you save time, you also save money.
When the company has a more visible presence in the community,
it attracts more consumers. If you can improve production or ser-
vices, you will not only increase customer satisfaction but you may
also be able to charge more for those items—again, generating
more profits for the business.
When you help your boss connect your proposed educational
choice to the kinds of changes or activities that increase revenue,
he or she is much more likely to support your decision to seek
additional education and quite possibly will supplement your
tuition costs.
Present your proposal to receive funding from the company
just as you would a formal business presentation. The use of color-
ful literature from colleges and universities, measurable estimates
of the future improvements you expect to make, and the use of
visual aids such as charts, graphs, or even simple drawings will all

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