Career Basics Course: Week 5, Day 24

"The more you know, the more you can create. There's no end to imagination in the kitchen.” ~ Julia Child

[Current favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes: Bon Appétit and browneyedbaker

*my mom has a wonderful oatmeal raisin recipe.

Decide When To Work For Free

Working for free should not be your first resort. It can feel like progress -- it comes with structure and responsibility, and you may learn something -- but it also costs you more than just money, It costs you time and mental space, and most importantly it can change your perception of the value your skills have in the market.

It's a big decision. When you have all of this free time during a transition it can feel like your time us cheap and abundant. It isn't. There is endless work to do in pursuing lines of inquiry, in learning new skills, and in any of the 50 ways that call to you most. The reason we fall back on free labor is that it echoes the rhythm of life that feels good -- structured work. If you feel yourself pulled that way, consider taking a stepped approach to changing your rhythm.

This is not to say that you should never work for free. The typographer, graphic designer and lettering artist Jessica Hishe create a flow chart entitled Should I Work for Free? that she made a print for a few years ago and I to it often. ... It's sarcastic and warm and yet it holds a great deal of truth even for those of us looking for a job.

The Exercise

If you have the privilege and the ability, there are certain times that working for free is worth considering. Before you decide to go down this path consider the following advice, which originally appeared in my first book, Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money, and Community in a Changing World

1. Who are you going to be around? Will the position give you access to a whole new world of contacts or will you be spending your days with people you already know??If the job you are taking involves getting out of the cubicle you may be better off. Whether it’s representing the company at a trade-show, helping coordinate an annual charity ball, or attending a conference, the ideal unpaid position should enable you to either get a broad survey of your industry’s social landscape, or build one or two solid friendships with people already firmly established in your field.
2. Will you be able to teach yourself what you need to learn? Every job involves learning on the go. As a volunteer, you should know what you want to learn from this experience and drive your own education. If, for example, having access to the company’s internal workings will allow you to learn something valuable, then working for free can be highly valuable. Organizations like?Catchafire?can help you find a volunteer opportunity that’s a perfect fit.
3. What is your exit plan? “I hope they will hire me after my internship” doesn’t count as a career plan. Do you want to be introduced to a key player at a partner organization, or do you want to make contacts or find funding? If you know what you want at the outset of your unpaid position you can work towards it right away.

• For a lighter interpretation of how to answer this question check out?Jessica Hische’s flowchart?on when to work for free.
• Whatever decision you make, be sure to consider the answers in relation to every question when you??Decide How Much You Need to Make

Note: Volunteering is different from working for free. Remember, just because a business may not make money, that doesn't mean it is non-profit. Volunteering should be reserved for nonprofit organizations and causes. The motivation and the opportunities can still be judged by the factors above, but these can be overridden at any time by your desire to make a difference.

Note: This is either ...

• Way 47, if you reference the 2018 version of the book, which I have, or,
• I'm going to recommend that you look at?Way 47?in?50 Ways to Get a Job: An Unconventional Guide to Finding Work on Your Terms

For me, ... first, if you're a high school, college/university student, or recent graduate and you've been offered an unpaid internship; decline this. If you're working for someone, you should be paid fairly and equitably. For stronger opinions on this, talk to Jeffrey Moss at Parker Dewey ...

For me, ... academic course work -- for which you receive credit as part of your degree program -- that offers real-world, in-the-field, service and experiential learning is different; when in these experiences, be sure that you're building your network and developing relationships with your peers and those with whom you are learning and working with ...

For me, ... Dev's points sound a clarion bell; during earlier transitions -- to feel good and provide structure, I would regularly "work for free...." -- over the years, I've become more discipline in my approach ... here are some of the rules that I'm working with these days ...

1. Know when I'm auditioning for a part - Actors regularly audition for roles; that's part of the process. Artists might submit proposals; architects and builders/designers might do the same. NOW, I'm crystal clear -- and label as such in a spreadsheet -- and I give myself a deadline that's bounded by a date or an amount of hours, generally about 10 these days. At which time, I'm looking to be hired into a project or receive a NO. One of the most important lessons that I've learned from a Dale Carnegie Training course that Dr. Michael Horan CPA, Ed.D recommended to me is that sometimes we want to "be liked" and avoid getting a "NO" from someone. The NO, however, is where we learn. We can move on, or we can address the issues or concerns that the hiring individual/company might have.
2. Social Entrepreneurial Ventures - Happy to work with a friend or colleague on what matters to them.
3. Younger folks, those young at heart and anyone in a career transition - I feel and obligation and a shared responsibility to gift back to others what has been given to be across the years; I've been "blessed," as my grandmother might say.

What I am, however, is keenly aware of the dangers the Dev asks us to be mindful and to guard against. And because I've spent hundreds of hours not being careful about this previously, I would invite you to reach out if you would like to talk this through and learn how to initiate small steps toward turning this around.

Much peace.

Gerald Doyle

A Happy Thursday (now Friday)?-- Winding down, Week 5, Day 24.?

As I mentioned last week, we have welcomed two individuals who will continue throughout the remaining 6 weeks of Career Basics Course as Contributing Respondents. They are:

• Caila Howell?... a business/digital marketing professional and education advocate. We're delighted that Caila has joined us in this journey.
• Kathleen O'Brien 欧凯林?... a mission-motivated, people-oriented and a collaborator between and among cultures. We're delighted that Kathleen has joined us in this journey.

Thanks for accompanying us on this journey. All the best to the you and your family as we begin the weekend.

All the very best to everyone. Much peace.

Gerald and?Al Nunez

P.S. Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate.

P.P.S. Looking forward to learning about favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.

P.P.P.S. Al - I've done my strength training for today.