Technical competence will always be an issue, of course, especially given the quickening pace of technological change in all sectors of society. We live in an increasingly wired world and that will be reflected in our career paths. The computer network and web metaphor are becoming manifest in living reality. Long career trajectories are being replaced by a series of lateral or completely non-linear career "vectors." The simple will inevitably give way to the complex. The microscopic details of our careers and our lives, therefore, may lose a certain amount of originality and uniqueness under the pervasive influence of technology.
In my case, I see high tech replacing many of my job functions and rendering them irrelevant. While there will always be a need for art and design, much of the craft is being relegated to secondary consideration. It is becoming automated and "clipped" (as in "clip art") out of existence. This is a direct threat to my livelihood. While I am in no danger of losing my job to a computer any time soon, there seems to be a general degradation of professional standards from both inside and outside my field.
I theorize that more organizations than ever before place a low premium on design as mere surface detail. Though they appreciate good design when they see it, administrators and executives seem more willing to satisfice--to settle for something less customized to their needs, especially if there are resources to be saved. In other words, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? Design. Not only do I see less aesthetic appreciation overall, I also see less critical discernment. Driven by pixels instead of ink, standards are being watered down to nothing. Craft is all but dead. In other words, design is becoming less of a profession and more of a "start up" career. Now, thanks to technology, ANYONE can be a designer. Indeed, our mass media is flush with the DIY concept. Being an "amateur" means being driven by the love of the thing. The hard fact is that you cannot fight love.
I saw the writing on the wall a few years ago when I was an art director at an ad agency. I saw what was valued and it was not craft. It seemed to me that change was inevitable and I had better be prepared when it hit. So, I enrolled in the MPA program. I have looked at other other successful examples in my chosen field--nonprofit management. Now, as Mintrom suggests, I must "model my career" consciously. That means spelling out goals and planning my career path.
CAREER GOALS
Choosing goals for my career change means I have to consider not just the "what?", but also the "how?" and the "when?" The idea is to create a model on which to base rational decision making about my direction. So here goes:
- Develop a Case for transference of Skills: By the end of my Capstone project, I must be able to make a case that many of the skills I already use daily will help to make me an effective administrator. This means making the most of my strengths and opportunities with an eye toward my weaknesses. That brings me to my next goal.
- Manage My Weaknesses: By the time I begin to search actively for another job, I will need to find ways to change what I can change about myself that will help to make me a better candidate. That especially means fine tuning my listening and speaking skills and trying to become a more effective communicator. It also means becoming more empathetic and less impulsive. I see commitment to a cause serving other people and their needs as a means to that end.
- Gain More Volunteer and Team Experience: Serving on committees and teams has helped me gain a greater sense of my purpose at New Hanover Regional Medical Center and at UNCW. I feel that based on my own experience and the advice of my models that more commitment will benefit my career in ways that I cannot foresee. Thus, it is a goal to expand my roles after the completion of my studies and to involve my family in as much as I can. I am a role model now too.
- Expand My Technical Repetoire: If I am to make myself even more marketable, I must continue my recent experiments in distributed computer networking, learn new applications such as Donor 2, Drupal and HTML, master ones I already know such as SPSS and Excel. By the time I am ready to change careers, I must become a font of technical knowledge that will help me to help others.
- Increase Management Roles: I need to expand my responsibilities in order to gain more experience working directly with people in a supervisory role. I have some experience doing this, but I need more to help round out my skills.
- Seek a Balance: I want to establish more of a balance between my family and personal life and my career. Upon graduation, I want to try to make up for lost time and recommit to being a better husband, father and friend to those that I love. Refocusing my attention on them and their needs will help reestablish the balance that has been missing for so long. Whatever aspect of nonprofit management I go into, the position had better take into account that family comes first with me.
- Find a Cause: Whatever opportunity comes my way, the cause must be just and it must be of a strong benefit to my community. I cannot picture myself just being in something for the paycheck anymore. I need something more substantial to satisfy my needs. I expect market-based compensation, of course. However, I must set an example for others to follow, whether it be in resource development or in some other key role aimed at producing social goods. When that opportunity comes along, I will know what it is. Better yet, I may just have to go out and make it.
- Continuing Education: I will continue to take tutorials and in-service trainings to help expand my skills. Furthermore, I will decide whether further certification from professional organizations would be of practical value. I cannot make that decision, however, until I know more about my career's new direction.
- Reflect, Reflect, Reflect: In order to keep track of my goals and maintain perspective, I will continue my blogs on my progress and my life. Not only will this be a record for me to refer to, but for others who may be attempting to change careers as well. The challenge will be to keep it interesting and fresh. I don't want to wind up with a bad case of blog rot. Weekly entries will suffice.
THE FUTURE
It is supposed to be simple to project out five years where I will be, but not so for me. I have some idea of the areas of nonprofit management I will want to focus my efforts, but I am not entirely certain where this is leading. I am definitely interested in playing a key role in resource development. This is an area in which I am deeply committed to helping to make a difference. Where that might be is difficult to say. Most of the advice I have gotten is to try to start out at a small agency, possibly as a volunteer on a board, and to gain more experience in fundraising that way. The other possibility is to accept a lesser role in a larger organization, such as the New Hanover Health Network where I am now. I could also try to seek a position at UNCW or a large foundation.
At any rate, at the five year mark, I expect to be in a supervisory position at a small to medium sized nonprofit. I think I could make good use of my skills in an arts agency or organization, given my fine art undergraduate degree. However, I would definitely not restrict myself to that part of the job market. I am also quite interested in technology, healthcare and emergency management positions. Perhaps, I could start out in an analyst position and move up that way. Ten years out becomes pretty fuzzy. However, I think it is fair to say that I expect to be running an agency or organization in ten years. I fully believe that the combination of my MPA and a possible future certification will round out my qualifications to handle executive responsibilities. Once I decide where my best opportunities lie, I will follow Yogi Berra's sage advice: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
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