Career Workshops

My career (transition) workshop is a group of 8 people, and we meet every Monday evening for two and a half hours.  That is quite a time commitment, at least for me, and we also have homework to complete in between.  It has just been a phenomenal experience!  I've met people I never would have met otherwise, and I've learned so much about myself...

A greatly simplified explanation of the process is that we have been working steadily using a variety of methods to identify our skills, our passions and our talents. After that we brainstorm and come up with three potential new careers that match up with what we have learned.  I sort of cheated on that part, because when I entered the program I had the tiny house idea in my head already.  (My other idea is construction related.)  I remember telling my coach when she passed out the list of careers that matched me, "I am pretty sure that my career doesn't exist on any list anywhere yet.  It's probably something that I am going to make up."  She was completed unfazed by that - in fact, she encouraged it.  She said when she started her business of coaching people through career transitions that nobody was doing that at the time, either.  So - onward! 

But what the workshops have done for me is to validate that I do indeed have the skills and talents for a career involving tiny houses, and that those skills and talents are somewhat unique. That sort of surprised me, because I thought everyone could do the things that I can do - I really didn't think they were unusual. The workshops have also given me the foundation to see how I can turn the tiny house into a life style and an occupation.  It's so exciting!  

I went to college to be in the legal field, and I've done very well in legal. But I am ready to try something new.  My coach tells me that being an engineer would have been ideal for me, but when I was choosing what to pursue in college, nobody ever uttered the word "engineering" to me, and I don't recall taking any type of assessments to see what I would be naturally good at.  (And I cannot see myself going back to school...)

After we identify potential careers, we research people and companies in that/those field(s) and then contact them.  We aren't necessarily contacting them to be employed by them, but more to gain knowledge about the field.  I chose to first contact Jay Shafer, the Founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.  You really can't say "tiny house" without saying "Jay Shafer."  More to come!