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Career Advice for Creative and Unconventional People
Creative people struggle with the stereotype - and sometimes
the fear - of becoming a "starving artist." How
can an individual use their talents to allow creative expression
while supporting themselves financially?
Best-selling career author Carol Eikleberry, Ph.D. has the
answers. She recently brought her high school-age son to Career
Vision for career planning assistance. We had an opportunity
to talk with her about the new edition of her book, The
Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People (Third
Edition), published in February, 2007. Carol is a
licensed psychologist who has worked as a career counselor
for more than 20 years.
In her book, Carol recommends the Ball Aptitude Battery®,
the core assessment developed and used by Career Vision and
the Ball Foundation.
Q. In your consulting practice, what drew you to work
with "Creative and Unconventional People"?
CE: It's the Artistic people types from Holland's Career Theory
who always cruise the self-help section at the book store.
They are the most challenging clients for a career counselor
to help because their interests are hard to match with secure,
well-paying jobs.
If you want to do creative work, you have a more challenging
goal. Creative work tends to be sporadic and it may not pay
well. There is also more competition for positions, but that
fact can motivate you be more skilled and knowledgeable, and
therefore, more competitive.
I had trouble finding my way in my own career. I majored
in English, an impractical and idealistic choice, especially
when I tried teaching and didn't like it. Then I bought a
copy of the book What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical
Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers, worked through
the exercises, and identified counseling and psychology as
a career goal. After earning my doctorate degree at the University
of Washington, I held positions at university counseling centers
and established my own practice in career counseling. I have
a special desire to help people who, like me, don't fit easily
into conventional jobs and work environments.
Q. When there is a mismatch between creative individuals
and their jobs or work environments, what happens? And what
results when there is a good match?
CE: When there is a mismatch, they are like the little swan
in the Hans Christian Andersen story, "The Ugly Duckling."
They find themselves in a workplace that doesn't always recognize
their essence and doesn't value what they have to offer. Depression,
underemployment, marriage and family problems can arise from
this kind of situation. When they choose work that fits their
talents, interests and personalities, they are more likely
to feel happy and successful at their jobs and less likely
to make career changes later in their lives.
Q. If an individual suspects they are creative in some
way and has an artistic career goal in mind, what value does
a comprehensive assessment - including aptitudes - offer?
CE: A good assessment can refine a creative person's focus
or direction. It can help discover a niche within a broader
field. It builds self-confidence and self-efficacy, the belief
that you have the power to accomplish something. Our culture
has gone off the deep end with a subjective approach that
says, "You can be anything you want." It's time
for the pendulum to swing back and acknowledge that we each
have unique talents that make us more well suited for some
occupations than others. Research says that self-assessment
can be inaccurate and misleading, and that girls tend to underestimate
their abilities. Often we don't know what we're good at because
we're too close; we can't see our own talents.
Q. In your book, you specifically recommended the Ball
Aptitude Battery® (BAB) to your readers. Why?
CE: I have known about the Ball Foundation for a long time.
I also read the chapter, "Aptitude Assessment in Career
Counseling" by Nancy E. Ryan Krane and William C. Tirre
[Ball Foundation/Career Vision staff members] in the book,
Career Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research
to Work, edited by Steven D. Brown and Robert W. Lent.
I liked the BAB's validity and reliability, and that the battery
included tests for creativity and spatial abilities. These
measurements are important for creative individuals looking
to identify careers that will use their strengths. For example,
my father was unhappy in his work. He had high spatial and
creativity talents and originally wanted to go into engineering,
but didn't because he was told that the field was closed.
So he went into medicine instead and was frustrated with the
lack of creative outlet.
Here's where to find Carol Eikleberry's book.
Read our Book
Review
© Copyright 2007, Career Vision / Ball Foundation. Article
may be reprinted with permission.
Direction.
Decisions. Satisfaction.
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