What Color Is Your Parachute 2018 by Richard N. Bolles copy

examinations as, say, medicine or law. Otherwise, somebody has figured
out a way around the rules. You want to find out who these people are, and
go talk to them, to find out how they did it.
So, in your informational interviewing, you press deeper; you search for
exceptions:
“Yes, but do you know of anyone in this field who got into it without
that master’s degree, and ten years’ experience?”
“And where might I find him or her?”
“And if you don’t know of any such person, who do you think might
know?”
But in the end, maybe—just maybe—you can’t find any exceptions. It’s
not that they aren’t out there; it’s just that you don’t know how to find
them. So, what do you do when everyone tells you that such-and-such a
career takes years to prepare for, and you can’t find anyone who took a
shortcut? What then?
Good news. Every professional specialty has one or more shadow
professions, which require much less training. For example, instead of
becoming a doctor, you can go into paramedical work; instead of
becoming a lawyer, you can go into paralegal work; instead of becoming a
licensed career counselor, you can become a career coach. There is always
a way to get close, at least, to what you dream of.
Third, You Need to Find Out What Kinds of
Organizations Have Such Jobs
Before you think of individual places where you might like to work, it is
helpful to stop and think of all the kinds of places where one might get
hired, so you can be sure you’re casting the widest net possible.
Let’s take an example. Suppose in your new career you want to be a
teacher. You must then ask yourself: “What kinds of places hire teachers?”
You might answer, “Just schools”—and finding that schools in your
geographical area have no openings, you might say, “Well, there are no
jobs for people in this career.”
But wait a minute! There are countless other kinds of organizations and
agencies out there, besides schools, that employ teachers. For example,