Supply teaching vs. permanent teaching - which one is right for you

Supply teaching vs. permanent teaching - which one is right for you by Michael Cheary Teaching jobs aren’t one-size-fits-all. When you begin your job search, you not only need to decide what location and school type you’d like to work in, but also whether a supply teaching or a permanent role is more suited to you.We spoke to the experts at recruitment firm Randstad, who let us know the key differences between supply teaching and permanent teaching â€" and how to tell which one is right for you:What is a supply teacher?A supply teacher works on a temporary basis, covering the role of a permanent teacher.As a supply teacher, you could be working in multiple schools on day-to-day assignments, or you could be providing long-term cover to one school in particular, for example as maternity cover.You’ll need to make yourself available frequently, and be confident in working in a variety of classroom situations.Supply teaching vs. permanent teaching Often, supply teachers will have the same teaching and preparation responsibilities as a perman ent member of staff. For example:Preparing lesson plans that match the school’s scheme of workTeaching in line with the national curriculumAssessing and marking pupils’ workProviding feedback to pupilsDespite these similarities, the key difference between supply teaching and being permanently employed is that, with the latter, you’ll be committed to one school, meaning you’ll be able to establish long-term relationships with staff, students and parents.As a supply teacher, the length of time that the teacher will spend with the group of students will be significantly shorter than as a permanent teacher, and this lack of continuity can be challenging.Additionally, as a supply teacher, you’ll need to consistently adapt your teaching style to meet the changing needs of different situations, schools, subjects and age groups.Why become a supply teacher?If you are at the start of your teaching career, supply work can provide a fantastic opportunity to gain the experience to buil d an excellent teaching career.Or, if you are returning to teaching after a break, in can be the perfect way to get back into the swing of the classroom environment. Alternatively, if you want to teach around your other personal commitments, then supply teaching is the also the way forward.Additionally, supply teaching can be the perfect springboard into securing a permanent teaching position.What are the benefits of supply teaching?ExperienceSupply teaching will give you inside access to a huge variety of schools â€" allowing you to ensure that you pick the right one for your induction.Flexibility and varietyYou can build your teaching days around your personal life and take full control of work-life balance, whilst test driving lots of different classroom settings to see if they are the right fit for your strengths.Long term assignmentsA long term placement will typically last between six weeks and a year, without the commitment of a permanent contract (you’ll still be expected to plan, prepare and mark).Transition to a permanent position Once you start supply teaching, it can make it easier for you to make the move to a permanent role.For example, more than 1000 teachers a year are taken on permanently after working as supply teachers with Randstad. And as you’ll build friendships in many local schools, you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment and worth to a number of heads of department and senior staff.Why choose a permanent teaching job?There are many benefits to being employed permanently, including:Guaranteed workAs a permanent teacher, you’ll be able to rest assured knowing that each day you’ll have a school to return to that you know and love.RoutineIt can be easier to settle into a routine in your personal life if your work life is also in a routine.SalaryYou’ll know exactly what you’re earning, so it may be easier for you save for the future (as well as spend in the short term).Career progressionIt can be easier to m ove up the career ladder at a school if you’re a permanent member of staff, as you’ll get to know your department and your working environment inside out.Continuity and teamworkBy teaching the same students each day, you’ll be able to see them progress and achieve, which can be very rewarding.You’ll also get the opportunity to work closely with the same group of teachers each day, you’ll start to feel part of a team, and may enjoy your job even more.If you’d like to find out more about how to transition from supply teaching to a permanent teaching position, get in touch with a Randstad specialist today.Ready to find your perfect teaching position? View all Randstad Education jobs now.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordan ce with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. What job suits me?

Soft Skills You Need in Your Resume

Soft Skills You Need in Your ResumeYour resume is one of the most important parts of your marketing toolkit. So it's a great idea to take some time to craft a resume that has all of the right soft skills for the job.Just as you can't help but feel impressed by someone who is a successful person who has such-and-such qualities, you should know what type of resume to a potential employer will be more impressed with. The answer is easy: You have to incorporate everything that makes you a great prospect for the job in your resume. That means you have to have all of the following:- Marketable skill. While you might not have always worked as hard as others, you do have the qualities that make it possible to succeed in your chosen field. Knowing how to talk to people, doing well in exams, getting along with others, and knowing how to write a well-written resume are the soft skills that can get you a great position. They also prove that you have the commitment that is required for a career i n sales.- Ability. The more prepared you are to help your company find success, the better your chances will be of getting hired. While you might not be the greatest writer, or even the greatest interviewer, you can help your prospective employer to learn more about you and what you bring to the table. Being able to communicate clearly and succinctly can be a major asset.- Customer service. By helping those who you need to with their needs, you can show that you care and are there when they need you, which is an essential part of your job description.- Social skills. It's no fun when you're working in sales to be one of the only people in the office who aren't outgoing. So it's important to get out and do some things, and to network to build contacts. This allows you to build your portfolio, which is a major plus for your resume.- Outstanding personality. Because you will be so close to the public, you will need to be one of the best at what you do, and this shows your sense of self -worth.- Discipline. Even though you might not be always able to work the same hours that other employees, you still need to be organized and responsible for the products that you sell. This shows your ability to get things done and your ability to keep up with deadlines.

6 Logical Tips to Finding a Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

6 Logical Tips to Finding a Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career It would be interesting to review a few perceptions that job seekers have on issues stemming from feelings rather than from logic. Such perceptions are based more on gut feelings rather than thinking. Examples follow. The interview is about me. People feel good when asked to come in and interview, because they think the interview is about them. In fact, it is not. The interview is about the interviewer’s needs and the interviewer’s competitive evaluation process that considers the candidate’s ability to provide what the interviewer needs. Accept LinkedIn invitations only from people you know. When in transition, it’s not about whom you know so much as it is who knows you. After all, it’s you who is looking for a job. And the more connections you have, the more opportunities you’ll have. If you’re hiding in a box, no one will find you.   Surprisingly enough, most help comes from the 2nd and 3rd degree connections and not from the 1st degree connections. Create your own résumé. People in transition need to preserve their savings, and so many compose their own résumés, which eventually get changed or edited or rewritten by others equally unqualified yet willing to help. The typical outcome is a less than competitive résumé that generates very few or no bites. The best advice, therefore, is to hire a trusted and recommended professional, certified, and experienced résumé writer. A less expensive solutionâ€"provided you’re absolutely certain your résumé is a good oneâ€"is to have it edited by a professional editor. Such an editor or resume writer knows what sells and would put that knowledge and expertise to work for you. And yes, the good ones are not inexpensive. No need to tell family about being in transition. Many people feel uneasy or embarrassed about revealing too many details of their transition. That’s a big mistake, because family and friends really are the people who will go out of their way to be of help. No need to pay for career and/or interview preparation coaching. Again, like with the résumé, people want to preserve their savings and do not want to spend on professional help such as experienced career and interview preparation coaches. This too is a huge mistake.  A career coach will not only shorten the in-transition period but also teach you pertinent interviewing skills as well as how to negotiate a job offer. In most cases, fees spent on career coaching are dwarfed by the benefits gained from knowing how to negotiate a better compensation package. Focus only on your past career path and ignore other possibilities. In today’s fast-changing business environment, new jobs are being invented every day, and many of the past’s traditional jobs are morphing into new ones or becoming totally eliminated. Job seekers who do not consider job opportunities in fields unrelated to their past ones make a mistake. Some reach a pointâ€"possibly because of age discrimination or the elimination of their traditional jobsâ€"at which a change in career might be a wonderful solution. It worked for me extremely well.

Have an Idea Get Lost in Your Thoughts. Then Apply a Dose of Design Thinking. Marla Gottschalk

Have an Idea Get Lost in Your Thoughts. Then Apply a Dose of Design Thinking. Marla Gottschalk Photo by Kris Chin on Unsplash Were counting on you to trust yourself enough to speak your own version of our future. Seth Godin Id like to think we all have ideas worth sharing. I also believe that our ideas deserve more than a random scribble or a passing thought. Somehow, when we fail to pause with an idea â€" there is often a lost opportunity. However, developing our ideas is easier said than done. Anyone that has tried to bring an idea to fruition, realizes there are fundamental obstacles that cause us to leave an idea behind. First, both emotion and data are typically required to prove an ideas worth. Yet early in the development process accurate data is often unavailable. Secondly, we must plan for  the most common reaction to something new: fear of change. When these enduring obstacles are not at least considered, it can be a challenge to develop any modicum of idea momentum. Borrowing the notion of a user story from design thinking, may help bridge the expanse of the unknown, left by fear and a lack of targeted data. It may just save your idea from being scrapped. Here is a collected set of elements to consider when reflecting on your idea (user stories are included): Respect tenacity. Does the idea return to you over over again? If you find that an idea simply wont leave you alone pay attention. Elizabeth Gilbert describes this experience in her glorious Ted Talk (and its utterly amazing). Clarification. There is a reason this idea found you. What are you solving? Does the idea build awareness, address a problem or correct a pain point? Document the core. What comprises the core of your idea? Is it a collection of elements that havent yet been considered together? Is it a way to group people or things to build awareness? Is it something others have simply overlooked? Map its contents. Build the emotional case. Explore if your idea resonates with others as a key litmus test. These discussions will help you refine the problem statement. You may shift your focus slightly â€" yet this might make all the difference going forward. Develop the all-important user story. How might the idea positively affect you, your employees or a potential customer if brought to the world? What do you envision happening if the idea matures and is operationalized? Can you develop a prototype? What are the snafus or costs that might accompany implementation? The development of a user story can help build your case. Offer structure. Attempt to design a framework that would organize your thoughts. (See how I organized an idea about how we differ when facing change, here.) Master the talk. What is your idea elevator pitch? Think of a few, illustrative sentences that not only describe what you are trying to accomplish â€" but might stir a potential call to action. An idea evolves over time. Respect it. Dont dismiss an idea just because the world as we know it â€" fails to offer data to support the future state. Now go. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She is a charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program. Her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including Talent Zoo, Forbes, Quartz and The Huffington Post.

What To Include In A Graduate School Resume Sample

What To Include In A Graduate School Resume SampleThe most popular method for getting a job after graduation is through a graduate school resume sample. This is because most employers are very particular about the resume format and will not take kindly to one that does not reflect their company's needs or values. They are also interested in applicants who have put some thought into their application and have created a professional looking document that shows some initiative.A graduate school resume sample should be carefully constructed and written to show how prepared you are for the job. It should give a good idea of the qualities that they are looking for. It should highlight your best skills, strengths, and experiences. It should highlight your attributes as a person, as well as how these can help the company.As well, the document should be careful to avoid cluttering it with extraneous information. While that may seem obvious, it is the only way to ensure that the reader will sp end more time on the next page reading the important information. Remember, if the document contains too much filler, the attention span of the reader will be short, which means that your application will most likely be tossed right in the trashcan.As well, the resume should also include all of the details needed for the prospective employer to assess your abilities, and to get a sense of your compatibility with the company. The resume sample should show all of the relevant information for the first section of the application. It should highlight the skills, the previous work experience, and any other relevant information that the company would like to see in its new hire.The next section of the document is the section that most people overlook, which is the personal statement. This is where you tell the reader a little bit about yourself. You need to go into some detail about your character, strengths, and interests. You want to make sure that you stay focused on your purpose for a pplying for the job, and about how this will affect the company's goal.The next section of the resume sample is your education. While this does not need to be lengthy, it should include your major and what it was related to, as well as the school you attended. This will help the company make a judgment about your ability to handle a variety of responsibilities. If the company has a specific need for a certain type of position or if the position you are applying for requires extensive training, the education section is a very important part of the resume.The next section will be the experience section. This is where you will list the different jobs and different positions that you have held. This section should also include any volunteer work or past positions that demonstrate your ability to be a team player.Finally, the final section will discuss your leadership qualities, as well as your professional potential. These three sections are the areas that are most important to employer s, because they want to know what kind of person they will be hiring to make sure that their business runs smoothly. If your resume does not show these things, your chances of getting an interview are almost nonexistent.

3 Treatments for Make Stuff Up Disorder - Career Pivot

3 Treatments for Make Stuff Up Disorder - Career Pivot Make Stuff Up Disorder I introduced Make Stuff Up Disorder (MSU) several weeks ago in the post, Do You Suffer from Make Stuff Up Disorder? We all suffer from this disorder from time to time. If you say, I do not make stuff up in my head under stress…well, I do not believe you. This time, I want to talk about 3 ways to treat this disorder. You can never cure it, but you can reduce its effects. Stop, Drop and Roll Do you remember when, as a kid, you were told to stop, drop, and roll should your clothes ever catch on fire? The idea was that your natural reaction to having fire on your body would be to panic and run. They came up with an easy to remember a saying that toldyou exactly what to do. So, before panic could set in, you’d remember to stop, drop, and roll. Make sense? Many of us have triggering events that set off panic. Let me tell a story. Mary is a client of mine. Every time her boss calls her on her cell phone, she girds herself for the worst and answers the phone. Mary’s boss is a bully, so she is always looking for alternative ways to communicate with her and to minimize discussions. Last week Mary was attending a conference. She was quite happily listening to a session when she felt her cell phone vibrate. She looked down at the caller ID and it was her boss. This time, she did not immediately answer and let it go to voicemail. What she did next broke her pattern. She texted her boss back saying she was sitting in a session and could not take her call. She asked via text whether there was anything she could help her with via text. Her boss replied that she too was coming to the conference and just wanted Mary to know. Mary never went into panic mode. It this case, there was nothing to worry about. Normally, Mary would have allowed her head to make stuff up. But on her own, she had determined her own “stop, drop, and roll” routine, and executed it flawlessly. She controlled the narrative rather than letting her boss dictate her emotional state. Listen to the most recent episode Treatment #1 Identify triggering events that cause you to make stuff up. Develop your own “stop, drop, and roll” procedure. In Mary’s case, it was not to impulsively call her boss back but to text her instead. Can you identify a ‘make stuff up’ triggering event and then develop your own “stop, drop, and roll” procedure? Reflection When a crisis arises in our life, most of us will instinctively predict the future. We will predetermine in our heads what the outcome will be. We make stuff up! This happened to me just the other day. I have decided to cut the cable and eliminate our cable TV subscription. I have been waiting for Google Fiber to come into our neighborhood, but it has dragged out for months. I am predicting in my head what it is going to happen when I call the cable company to reduce the service to basic Internet and not discontinue it altogether. Do I know it will be a hassle? NO. I am predicting it will be a hassle. Treatment #2 After a crisis has played itself out, go back reflect on what stories you made up. Were they based on fact, or did youjust make stuff up? In my previous post on Make Stuff Up Disorder, I mentioned Susan who heard about a layoff in her area and immediately went into stress mode, worrying that she would get laid off. After the fact, we reviewed what had happened and what she could have done differently. She could have stayed calm and contacted her manager about the realities of the situation. Reflecting back to discover what stories you make up is a great method of short-circuiting the process. The next time a crisis arises, will Susan make stuff up? Probably. However, she has the opportunity to catch herself, at which she will get better and better over time. Lack of Communications I just had a conversation with a client, Nancy, who tells me there is tension between her and her boss. When she took the job, the boss told her she was hard to work for. Nancy only talks to her boss when something goes wrong. She makes stuff up in her head like: I am not doing a good job. My boss does not like me. They are setting me up to let me go. Is any of this stuff true? I do not know…and neither does Nancy. Treatment #3 Just like with Mary in the 1st example, Nancy needs to manage the communication. Right now, Nancy and her boss only communicate when something goes wrong. What we decided to do was pick a time on Fridays for Nancy and her boss to discuss the following week’s schedule. Nancy needs to talk to her boss onher terms.She needs to manage the communication to find out what her boss really thinks. By the way, her boss is very moody and even knows it. Managing communication is better than to have communication happen to you. Conclusion You may have noticed that all 3 examples I gave were women. Are men immune from the disorder? HECK NO! We will not admit it, but we make stuff up as much as our female counterparts. Do you make stuff up in your head? If you have read this far, I’m sure you do. Do you recognize yourself in any of these examples? Which of the treatments might work for you? Please share this post on your favorite social media platform to help others. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

5-Part Millionaire Mindset Success Formula - Part 4

5-Part Millionaire Mindset Success Formula - Part 4 Photo credit: Elias Ruiz Monserrat via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND The 5-Part Millionaire Success Formula is a series of posts about  my entrepreneurial journey and the lessons Ive learned along the way.  I hope you get some insights from these series of posts that will help you in your own journey. Today well focus on the power of your life story (through retelling a version of mine). What got me thinking about this topic was this weeks recognition as a Top 100 Career Blog website by Feedspot (#44 on the list). And it got me thinking about this writing and entrepreneurial journey Ive been on. So today I thought Id walk through some of the steps that have made this happen so you can see what happens behind the scenes. Writing has never been something Ive always wanted to do.  There are plenty of writers out there who love to write.  They are the ones who want to be published and are writing the next best fiction novel. Thats not me. Writing was more a way to express myself and the thoughts I want to share.  Growing up (and still to this day) Ive always enjoyed sharing my two cents about nearly any topic.  A good discussion (or argumentdepending on your perspective) was my go to method of communication.  Sometimes it annoyed and frustrated people.  But it was how I ended up constantly learning and growing.  I needed to experience something and talk it through to really understand a concept.  I had this physicality (had to move) to my thinking.  I loved playing off other ideas.  Whether from books or other people.  Brainstorming (talking things through with myself or others) was my go to method of figuring things out. My first real job was a paper route. My first route was for the Tri Valley Herald.  A daily newspaper that I delivered in my neighborhood.  I had to get up at 5:30 every morning to deliver the paper.  At that early age (I think I was in my early teens) that was just too early to wake up. So I replaced that route with a new one the Tri Valley News.  This was the free-ish paper that was by the same company but delivered 3 days a week.  And customers could pay for the paper, but it was optional. In that job I learned to run a small business as a contractor. Id buy the papers, put in the inserts (ads) and deliver them.  Then once a month Id go collect.  My sales pitch was weak.  Basically stated, Im here to collect for the Tri Valley News.  Told them the price.  Sometimes theyd pay straight away.  Others would say no.  And the third category asked, Did I order that?  I would tell them, No, it is a voluntary paper.  Some would pay me some would not.  The ones who paid me without asking if they subscribed would sometimes pay because they thought it was the Herald that they did pay for.  At the time wed deliver to people who got the Herald too.  Later they excluded those people from my route. That exposure was my first the writing business, subscriptions, and entrepreneurship. I remember my favorite part was one of the year end events the newspaper company held for the paperboys.  You got tickets for the number of papers you sold and could get prizes based on your performance.  I think I got a Swiss Army Knife as one of my prizes.  Which was pretty cool for a kid. Intro to Writing. My next experience with writing was 11th grade in school. It was the first year computerized scheduling of classes was instituted. I was a computer nerd, loved my computer classes.  But this thing sucked. I was trying to get into college.  So classes that met my college requirements were important.  But even though I gave my selections in advance, I did not get the courses I wanted or needed. So instead of my college prep English courses, I got Journalism and Mystery. It is funny though.  Those two courses were very helpful later in life. In Journalism I liked to do the editing.  I was analytical so that was up my alley.  I didnt like the reporter piece since I was pretty introverted and not someone who like to ask people questions. I did learn about the Inverted Pyramid.  Putting the most important information first and being able to cut an article to make it whatever length you needed without losing the essence of the story. In Mystery I was exposed to some great writers.  I remember Edgar Allen Poes, The Telltale Heart.  And the teacher made that story come alive with her reading of it. After graduating from Dublin High School I went off to Cal State Hayward.  It was a local college that allowed me to stay at home and also work in a restaurant to pay for my part of college. Writing Badly. In that first year I took the entry level writing course, a undergraduate requirement.  That was a shock to my system. Every single writing assignment I got between a C and an F on and had to rewrite. I had been an A writer in high school.  How could I suck so badly? What I found out was I was writing the standard boring 5 paragraph essay version Id learned in high school.  And to be honest, in my school there were not a lot of A students.  So my work probably looked like A work by comparison to others. But looking back at my college papers a decade later.  They really work bad. That was an eye opening and humbling experience. My next step in writing was the following summer. I had decided I wanted to transfer to U. C. Davis as my way of moving out on my own and also to go to a school my parents had both attended. The only problem was that I didnt have my English and Foreign Language requirements met from high school. Learning to Think and to Write. So that summer I took Intensive Spanish and Comparative Literature. Comparative Literature was a course I thrived on.  I got an A in that course and loved it. What it taught me is something Ive used through life and in my blog writing. Along with my courses in Logic and Public Speaking, they all laid my foundation for critical thinking and writing. Comparative Literature had you read two stories typically ancient literature and then find a common theme to compare or contrast. For me it was great as coming up with new content was hard for me but editing it down or finding the sections of text that made my point and then tying them together with a transitory sentence was a piece of cake for me. So that helped me get into U. C. Davis. Losing MyselfWriting as Therapy. Moving to U. C. Davis was a rough time as it was my first time living on my own.  Growing up my brother and I shared a room and a bunk bed.  Going to college I lost the one person I would share my thoughts with every night. In college I had a roommate and that helped somewhat.  But when youre dealing with a lot of life transitions and trying to figure out who you are and where youre headed, it can be tough.  And it was for me. I struggled through my courses in math and computer science.  And the writing was on the wall that I wasnt going to be able to graduate with a Computer Science degree as originally planned. During that time I I had a lot of dark thoughts, I wrote much of that down.  Kind of as therapy.  And as my own way of figuring me out.  Yes, thoughts of suicide bounced back and forth through my brain as I thought of myself as a failure and a loser. My dad helped pull me out of that funk when I came home that following summer and told him I couldnt go on and wanted to change majors. He was very understanding and together we discussed my options.  I settled on Economics because it seemed like something that connected with me.  And I could still complete it in four years (that was something that was important to me both financially and as a point of my personal pride in finishing something on time). So that was it for writing and I went on and graduated from U. C. Davis with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics and a Statistics minor. Learning about Business. Entering the work world I started with a temp job Id worked the summer before at ATT in Pleasanton, California.  There I spent time doing research and data entry.  The Baby Bells had just been broken up and I was doing the work to detail what phone contracts needed to be assigned to which entity (or something like that). It was the start of a future telecom career. I then went into residential real estate sales.  Working for Tri Valley Brokers, a local real estate company.  I didnt sell anything.  Kind of sucked at sales.  And after draining my minimal bank account, got a temp job elsewhere. In the temp job interview they asked if I knew Lotus 1-2-3.  At the temp agency Id done a brief overview of the software and knew that pressing / would get me all the commands.  And given my extensive computer programming experience I figured I could figure out the rest.  So I said Yes! and was soon working for a small healthcare consulting company. There I learned to prepare financial forecasts, set up partnerships, and learn about business. Not much writing happened but I grew my knowledge of the business world. Then moved into Commercial Property Management and then Cell Site Development in the Telecom Industry. Where I came back to writing was about 10 years ago.  I became interested in business improvement.  As the Director of Operations of RealCom Associates I was responsible for making sure everything was in place and operational to grow the company.  I ended up learning a lot about marketing during that time. And so in my off hours, as LinkedIn came on the scene, I would write answers to questions posted on LinkedIn.  I ended up being one of the Top 100 people answering questions on LinkedIn. I reached #70 on the list before they eventually disbanded that LinkedIn Questions application. Becoming a Blogger. Having that go away, something I used as an outlet for my self expression, I discovered blogging. This was back in 2010.  I got a Blogspot blog going (Nugget Insights) and had several posts on it generally off-the-wall connections that brought typically unconnected concepts together in a new way.  It also uncovered my quirky/different side and laid the foundation for what Im doing today. That then stopped in 2011 (other than one post) as I went through my divorce.  Even though I thought I could compartmentalize emotions, I found I could not get the energy or emotional interest in writing upbeat, positive posts.  So my blog and my writing went dormant. I reemerged in 2014 with a single business post,  How Folding a Shirt Applies to Your Business. Writing that post got me thinking again about starting a business and writing again. That came together in 2015 when I decided to start a side hustle small business consulting business. It was fun as it was an opportunity to personally explore marketing, sales, and business on a part time basis without the pressure of jumping into that as a full time job. My initial foray with the Profit Inspector went nowhere as my $300 per month ad for 3 months in a coupon mailer went nowhere. I then took a course with Troy White that gave me a few other options for marketing my business. But those didnt pan out either.  My marketing just didnt connect with an audience in a way that was going to get them to buy from me right away.  And my marketing didnt have enough of a follow up sequence.  Something you learn early on that it takes repetition, multiple touches, to convert a browser into a buyer. I needed a website. So I decided I needed to get a website put up and do some internet marketing as a way to move the business forward. I then came across Kevin Hogans Internet Marketing Course.  It was really expensive (several thousand dollars) but very thorough. And as a result I got a crash course in website design and marketing. And this resulted in me setting my my site here and starting this blog. Starting the blog and initially blogging a couple times a week, I never thought Id be able to keep going this long. I thought Id run out of ideas. And sometimes Id hit a little writers block.  But then something would get triggered in my head and the words would start flowing out. It has now been over two years since Ive started writing this blog.  Nearly 200 posts. Over that time Ive honed my skills and fine tuned the direction of my business as I discovered resume writing and career coaching as a niche Im good at. This has now resulted in my recent recognition as a Top 100 Career Blog. So whats my point in all this? You never really know where youre headed in life. Follow the breadcrumbs.  Every experience and every skill you pick up has the potential to feed your future success. Enjoy the journey.  It is a necessary part of getting to your destination. Life is short.  Make the most of it. Find your niche.  There is something youre great at.  You probably dont recognize it but those around you do. Ask them or find out by the feedback you get.  By blogging I found what does and does not connect.  It can be measured.  So for an introvert, it is a great way to be supported in your craft. Live with Passion.  Something Tony Robbins always said at  the end of his Personal Power tapes I got back in the early 90s.  Words to live by. Contribute.  Helping others, contributing to the world around you, gives your life purpose. Stay Connected.  Whether with family, friends, or those yet to meet.  Connection is critical to a life well lived.  What is the point of doing fun and exciting things if you have no one to share them with.  So pursue those connections.  And nurture them. Humility.  When you achieve success, dont let it go to your head.  Successful people are still just people.  Theyve just chosen to put intense focus and effort into something and luck started to come their way.  It can all be taken away in a heartbeat.  And if you burn bridges or push people away they wont be there when you need them. Market Yourself.  My mentor Kevin Hogan called it marketing time.  The most  productive hours of your day as a business owner should be focused on marketing.  Marketing builds businesses.  My other mentors, Jay Abraham and Troy White also demonstrated the power of marketing and thinking outside the box.  Whether youre a business owner or employee, you can always, subtly or otherwise, market yourself. That gives you visibility to others and opens up future doors. I hope you got something from the story I shared here about my writing, entrepreneurial journey, and personal growth that you can apply to your situation today.  Would love to hear your feedback too. Other posts in the series: 5-Part Millionaire Mindset Success Formula Part 3 5-Part Millionaire Mindset Success Formula Part 2 5-Part Millionaire Mindset Success Formula Part 1