Embrace the Fulfilling Career He Wants for You!!

My Disaster Job

My father got a new job, and the family was having to move in the middle of the summer from Long Island to Washington, DC. I was in college and needed summer jobs for spending money during the academic year, but the mid-summer move caused me to go to DC to live with a relative to try to get and work in a job. Knowing nobody there made my job search very tough but did lead me to a job selling encyclopedias door-to-door. Yes, it was a long time ago.

After two days of training, memorizing sales pitches, and hearing amazing success stories (I now wonder if any of them were true), I was ready to go! Five of us were packed in a car, and we were dropped off like Special Forces soldiers strategically placed in the neighborhood that had a sign that said, “No soliciting!” “Meet me at this spot at 5:13 for pickup” were the last words of encouragement from my group leader.

I was dressed in coat and tie, trying to look respectable, but I still had a ponytail that was pretty common for guys those days. (BIG MISTAKE as you will see) The morning was proceeding as expected with nobody slamming the door in my face, most were polite, and I was experiencing some of what I had been taught to expect. I keep knocking on doors as I knew the next house could be the ONE!

The first two times Harry (not his real name), the policeman, came with flashing lights to investigate a reported incident and possibly arrest me were when two elderly neighbors had called to accuse me of breaking and entering and being a Peeping Tom. The first charge was explained by saying that I had just opened the screen door to knock on the wooden front door. The second incident, about an hour later was handled with me saying that I did look through the clear glass window to the right of the door to see if anyone was home. A couple of bumps in the road, no sales yet, and thirst and hunger were encroaching on me. It was early-mid-afternoon, and schools were about to let out.

Well, the third “incident” was the topper. Unbeknownst to me, there was a big news story about the “Highway Phantom Rapist” who operated in the beltway around Washington. I saw some flashing lights, and my new friend Harry was on his way. When he stopped me, a bunch of children riding their bicycles home from school stopped to see what was going on.

Harry told me that he had been asked to check out some guy with a ponytail who might be the rapist. Since he knew I was not the guy, here is what he said while spreading my legs, putting my hands on the top of his car and patting me down. “Charlie (yes, he already knew my name at this point), there’s this rapist hitting the news, and someone has accused you of being a possible suspect. I know you are not it, but I have to go through the motions of checking you out for all to see.

What looked like intense questioning was really, “How are sales going? I know you are new to town, but I hope you become a Washington Reskins fan,” etc. The crowd of elementary school age children and now a few parents continued to grow. I have a faint memory of an ice cream truck stopping to sell cones, but I’m not sure.

The expression of the children seeing a “bad person” made me shake my head. Ultimately, Harry thought he had spent enough time looking tough with me for a proper grilling of this suspect to show the people looking out of their home windows that he had fully vetted this very suspicious character. Ugh…

While I’d almost made a sale to another policeman in the non-solicitation neighborhood, that possibility was not enough encouragement for me to continue. I’d had enough. I realized that I was not cut out for this work and walked early to the pickup spot.

Looking back, I now wish I had had the Crown Ministries Career Direct Assessment back then.  I could have spent my time and money much more effectively to get me to a career that suited me best.

Are You Feeling This?

The example above may be an extreme one of a career path misstep, but you may be in the midst of a challenging season and thinking about where your career is headed. In this period of affluence, certainly this should be a time of fulfillment in work, job flexibility, and options to consider. But most businesses are trying to squeeze what they can out of staff to compete with other companies in the US and abroad. It can be tough.

You may be a student or parent of a student with questions about what the student should study. If a student starts off on the wrong track, the extra semester or two of educational expenses could be a financial killer.

What’s the answer?

Fast Forward to Three Years Ago

In the ministry that I was starting, I knew that dissatisfaction, frustration, pain and even fear about work and career was going to be a big issue. I’d heard it from clients. I’d even heard the suicide word from a client really impacted by changes in his career.

I knew mid-life crises and work/retirement transitions were going to be a common topic, so I needed a process that would help me serve others well. After some research, I picked Crown Ministries Career Direct as the best way to help those well into their careers and for students preparing for their career.

Since picking Career Direct, I have had a Leadership Coach and Assessor with an international practice say that Career Direct is the best career assessment he has ever seen. One client said he had spent $5,000 on career counseling, and that Career Direct (CD) was so much better and more useful. He realized he had wasted his money on the other consultant.

There are three ways you can use Crown Ministries Career Direct…

1. If you would like to help others by assessing their personality, interests, skills and values, get training to be a Career Direct Consultant. I have yet to hear of an assessment process that includes all four assessment areas, so you can rest assured that this approach is the most comprehensive. There is so much more I could say, but you can email Catherine Brown at [email protected] for more information.

2. If you are a parent with children 17 years or older who are trying to understand what curriculum would be best to study, Catherine Brown loves and specializes in this type of client. You can check out her Career Direct page by clicking HERE.

3. If you are someone in a mid-career or other job transition crisis, I like to specialize with this kind of client. In fact, I had a successful career from a worldly perspective in the Wealth Management field, but I kept gravitating to the issues underneath the money.

While being trained as a Career Direct Consultant, I learned that Wealth Management or Financial Services was the 7^th career that I should investigate. I had just spent 33 years in that field, toughing it out!!! The top two career areas identified for investigation were Counseling and Religion. The job I have today incorporating both of these is by far the most fulfilling and joyful job/career I’ve ever had. Join me in glorifying God at work using His design of you.

If you are interested in learning more about how God has designed you to thrive in a career that glorifies him, Career Direct is the answer. If you would like to learn more, you can visit my profile page on the Career Direct website by clicking HERE. Alternatively, you can go to Crown Ministries Career Direct career page for more information about the assessment.

Charlie