Page 95 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

Eight Fast-Track Strategies for Successful Career Changers

Many government agencies like the county public health
department, the state department of rehabilitation, and public
libraries, will forgo both educational credentials and experience if
you are fluent in Spanish, Farsi, Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese,
French, Arabic, Afrikaans, Italian, or other languages spoken by
part of the populace in your community.

If you feel like you can Just Do It and “it” does
not legally or ethically require that you have a
special license, degree, or designation, then
most probably you can move forward to
whatever “calls” to you, as long as you’re
willing to take the ride of your life!

People who use the strategy of just diving in tend to hurl them-
selves forward headfirst and usually enjoy learning to swim. In fact,
they get an incredible thrill out of taking just this kind of challenge.
If you think you’re this type of person, you probably have an intu-
ition or intense inner feeling telling you to go ahead. I invite you to do it!

Strategy 8. Entrepreneurship
An entrepreneur is someone who initiates and usually (but not
always) runs his or her own business.
Ever thought you could go from being an administrative assis-
tant to a CEO in one day? All you have to do is open your own busi-
ness and put your own name at the top of the organizational chart.
Alice’s entrepreneurial story in Chapter 6 will tell you how she did it.
Later, in Chapter 9, we’ll highlight, in detail, how you can go
about making the path of entrepreneurship work for you. You’ll be
taking a self-assessment that will help you highlight the strengths
you bring to your new enterprise as well as the areas that need
improvement.
By seeking out supplemental skills or the advice of other
experts and professionals, you’ll be better equipped to turn your
new venture into a successful one. In the chapter on entrepreneur-
ship, you’ll also learn about just how motivated you are to weather the

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