The document discusses the difficult transition from school to work and provides advice on navigating career changes. It recommends that individuals 1) take inventory of their skills, experiences, and goals, 2) brainstorm all possibilities and fears, 3) seek insight from contemplation and talking to others, and 4) rely on community and support. While the transition is difficult, having a supportive community can help overcome fears and focus on learning to find the right fit. There are no simple solutions, as each person's circumstances and challenges differ, but taking responsibility and finding help from others is key to successfully navigating life transitions.

1. Dynamic, compassionate, people-oriented corporate HR executive and higher education administrator
Say
• Loves job at a top university with a wonderful culture
• Enjoys consulting for large corporations
• Has been lucky
• The transition from school to work is one of terrible angst, calling for self definition,
sacrifice, and opening to possibility
• It’s a critical time to invent yourself and stretch
• It’s so hard, I know. I can’t imagine what it’s like without resources.
• From the discomfort, tension, and angst, you change the way they look at the
world and who you are as a person.
• Getting out of being stuck or in stasis in a time that calls for dynamism and risk is
hard. Sometimes it takes hitting bottom. Everyone just has to find a way.
• After that, I say the goal is to “sink in elegantly” into the new place
• The tools for doing this are 1) an inventory of skills, experiences, hopes, dreams,
resources
• A brainstorm of all possibilities and fears
• Seeking insight through contemplation and reaching out to others
• Having others – a community and supporters is totally key
• One only gets real clarity by engaging with others
• Only through interaction can humans make the future
• Alone without insight there is no growth, just the anxiety and tension
• People + insight helps the person transitioning to overcome ego and fear to learn
and focus
• Describes the way her daughter made a difficult decision, took a silent retreat
and figured out an atypical option to advocate for
• Says the “sad cases” who languish have some serious emotional and
psychological blocks (paranoia, depression) or are immature and lack
perspective
• Says there is no silver bullet – following a preset cookie cutter path does not work
Think
• This transition is the individual’s
responsibility
• But some are luckier than
others
• It’s very difficult so some have
much more than others, but
even for those in more
challenging circumstances,
they must take full
responsibility and find
someone to help them
• Thinks people can change
• The primary problem of the
school-to-work transition is
emotional and
developmental
• There are enough
opportunities for everyone
• People who flourish take total
responsibility, but also have a
community and support
• If it’s not working out in a first
job or career, in most cases it
will not work, although there
are exceptions

2. Do
• Resolves conflicts at a top university
• Provides training to corporate clients
• Learns from her mistakes
• Works very hard
• Seeks highest opportunities – all “name brand” institutions for school and work
• Will not stay where it’s not right – has crafted a very unique career path, has
multiple graduate degrees which enabled that path
• Works hard to get people to the next level
• Continually seeks and gives advice and perspective
• Reaches out to others
• Experiences mild depression and angst, and sometimes is apathetic about it
• But she also approaches these states very energetically to “solve the problem”
• Meditates and prays
• Expects people to take responsibility
Feel
• Values people and status
• Values learning
• Values success
• Feels compassion for people
in transition
• Feels a very strong urge to
push people forward, to get
everyone on to their next step
• Feels that taking the next step
from wherever you are is the
most important thing there is
• Trusts in the community
• Trusts it will work out
• Believes there are many leaps
of faith on the way to the right
fit
• Believes the right fit is very
important – and one must not
just only find, but also
mold/create the
environment/opportunity
• Loves advising, training and
talking to people at every
level, supporting through
organizational or personal
change

3. PROBLEM STATEMENT:
• An ambitious college administrator and corporate trainer needs to guide those in career transition to reach out to
community, develop insight, and courageously pursue novel career opportunities that fit.
NOTE: The job seekers must also internalize critical rules of work so that their insights are realistic.