Coryan Update #2

In my first update, I mentioned a website that I am developing, Listonga.com. The concept is for a website that gathers a vast variety of lists on nearly every topic and makes them available all on one site. Eventually visitors will be able to leave comments about lists, add lists, and maybe even discuss topics from the lists on a bulletin board. I want the site to be a place for learning, fun, and research. Topics will include everything from sports to self-help. The site will be supported by advertising revenue.

I recently started work on the Listonga website and it's starting to take shape. I began by developing a mockup of the homepage using Microsoft Publisher. I saved the file as a JPEG which allowed me to use it as a template while creating the page in Abobe Dreamweaver. I still have a lot to learn about web development and the studying at Lynda.com continues. I have also applied at a local community college where I hope to take a class or two in web development.

I've decided to let the UTurnAhead blog readers follow my site creation process, but I am not promoting the site until it is fully functional. If you'd like to follow the progress, simply go to www.listonga.com and see the site in progress. As you will notice, there is a lot of work to be done. The logo is complete and the site is beginning to take shape. The goal is to have it ready for promotion on January 1, 2008. I also have a goal of having 100 lists on the site by that date. By the way, if you have a list idea or a comment on the site, feel free to email me at coryan@inbox.com.

I hope that you will drop by Listonga.com every week or so to see my progress. It could be interesting to have a first hand glimpse of a website in development.

Career Change and the Support of My Wife

Changing your career may bring excitement and anticipation, but does it do the same for your spouse? What does he or she think about the idea of you leaving your current employment to step out into an untested career? What about the risk of lost income, new work pressures and your family's security.

I am blessed to have a spouse who supports my career change. But she doesn't do it without consideration of all of the above factors. She wants me to be happy in my career and supports my desire to do something different. She also recognizes the challenges that will come with making this change and has stated her willingness to endure.

So what is the key to this support? Well, selecting the right partner has a lot to do with it. But we also communicate openly and honestly about our lives, goals and desires. We are, in fact, partners in our "family corporation". And as partners, we must value the leadership, knowledge and skills that each of us bring to the family. So she understands what I need in a career and supports those changes with the understanding that I must also maintain a minimum income and my new career must benefit the family relationships, and not distract from them.

The support of a spouse is critical to any career change. Without that support, you are battling more than just the market. You are putting relationships and family at risk. With the support of your spouse, you have a partner and an investor in your success. Someone who can help you reach your goals and, someday, celebrate that new career with you.

Self-Employment Assessment Tools Online

A few posts back, I talked about pros and cons of employment versus self-employment. Changing careers can be moving to another company or starting your own company. Starting your own business is not for everyone. Too often is it touted as the “American Dream”, but working at a fulfilling job can also be the answer to a dream.

So, how do you know if you are the type of person that has the entrepreneurial drive? Can you be happy working for someone else, or would you be most satisfied creating your own company? Well, it may not be the perfect answer, but there are some assessment tools that examine your potential as a future business owner.

Monster.com has a 16 question quiz on whether or not you are ready to be self-employed. The quiz, Is Self-Employment for You?, examines your attitudes as well as some practical considerations. Simply check yes to each of the sixteen statements that apply to you. After the five minutes or so that it takes you to complete the assessment, you will receive some advice on your suitability and readiness for self-employment. This test was designed by Pat Boer, a career counselor who has extensive experience in the area of midlife career changes.

Another tool that I particularly like is the Entrepreneurial Self Assessment found on the Business Development Bank of Canada website. This assessment tool will take about fifteen minutes to complete. There are fifty questions about you and how you like to work. This is followed by four demographic questions. After completing the test, your answers are compared to those of Canadian entrepreneurs from a variety of businesses. Unlike the Monster.com tool, you will not find advice at this site. Instead, you get an idea if you have the same motivations, attitudes and perceptions as the typical Canadian entrepreneurs (who I don’t believe is all that different than U.S. entrepreneurs). This test is a more scientific assessment of your self-employment match.

If you try either of these tools, I would love to hear about your experience. Please leave a comment or send me an email at Coryan@inbox.com. I am curious what others think of tools that assess one’s readiness to work for themselves.