SUMMER CAREER TUNE-UP From Career Expert Joyce Schwarz

ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR SUMMER CAREER TUNE-UP?

By Joyce Schwarz, career strategist, public speaker, author and marketing and branding expert, for more information on this article or any of my services, please contact me at joycecom@aol.com, or call me directly at 310-822-3119. For a free excerpt of my book "SUCCESSFUL RECAREERING" please put a note in the subject line-- free excerpt.

Most of us get our cars tuned-up every 30,000 miles or so -- or at least once a year. Yet many of us fail to tune-up our careers until they are stalled or worse! A good auto tune-up insures that your car continues to run smoothly, that it's getting good gas mileage and checks to prevent severe potential damage to the engine and other components.

So why not a Summer Career Tune-Up -- it's about time! Don't wait until your career stalls or crashes! Be prepared for an unexpected emergency. And enjoy the ride more along the way to success.

People always say it's the journey, not the destination that matters! Well, I truly feel that most of us spend more time planning our summer vacations than we do our careers. And that you probably would not get in your car to head off to trip to the Grand Canyon without a map or without consulting an online service like Mapquest for directions or asking the AAA to diagram a route for your journey. Even if you have a new GPS system in your car, I bet you'll want a paper map also. A back-up plan is always valuable.

What can you do to Tune-Up Your Career? And who do you need to help you do so? Alas, there is no way to plug your career into an auto-check robotic system like they do with your car at the mechanic these days. Nope, we're not robots -- at least not yet! But here are 4 steps you can follow to check up on your career and be tuned up and ready to go zooming ahead.

1) Make sure you have 3 months savings in the bank or at ready access that will cover your monthly expenditures. Even if you have disability insurance (which many people don't) you'll need to be prepared for any emergency. Summer is a great time to supplement that account with a little extra income. Consider having a yard sale. Clean out the books on your shelves and sell them on Amazon.com. Or check in your closets to see if there is outdated clothing or even in your living room and home office to see what you can sell on eBay!

Even a few extra hundreds of dollars will start that account growing again. Planning on using any extra money for vacation? Consider swapping houses or bartering for your vacation plans. Personally, I use Itex -- which is a national barter system and I've registered with Homeexchange.com to exchange my condo with houses in other glamorous parts of the world. Watch for airline deals-- I just got a $38. each way ticket to Guatamala for my holiday by acting quickly when I saw note come up on an online travel board.

2) Recharge your batteries. Just like your car may need battery recharging -- or maybe even a new battery, you need to take some time off to play and have fun! Can't afford a vacation -- set up an outdoor beach at home. Bring in some sand from the local nursery, paint up an old swing set. Add a water-slide or an above-ground pool and a brightly colored beach umbrella. Most of this stuff goes on sale after July 4th so it's a good time to get stuff at 1/2price. Can't afford it. Check Craig's list or register on one of the services that offers FREE STUFF online. Many people are using these services to recycle stuff they no longer want especially if they are moving or just bought new stuff. And surprisingly all they want is for you to haul their old stuff away!

3) Armchair travel to a new career. Always wondered what it would be like to pilot your own sailboat? Or what about becoming a mountain climber. The answers are as near as your public library which allow you to take out all kinds of adventure books, CDs and even audio books on these topics. Many libraries even circulate magazines on special interests if you can't afford the $5.95 to buy a new copy of SAILING magazine. Ahoy mate....your library card is your ticket to adventure

4) Test drive a new career. Summer is the perfect time to 'test-drive' a new career. More and more companies are giving employees Friday afternoons off and many teachers now take their summers off instead of teaching summer school. So if you're one of these fortunate people, you may be able to use your free time to test drive your new career. I've even had clients who have used their 2 weeks vacation to test-drive a new job. Temp jobs and freelance services like elance.com allow more flexibility for you to try out a new career or job without jeopardizing what you have.

For more tips and some mini-case histories on how my clients at Successful Recareering use summer to tune up their careers contact me at joyceschwarz@gmail.com. Tune in to my latest podcast on Lisa.fm.

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY BY GOING GREEN IN YOUR CAREER!

Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day, and more than 500 million people in 175 countries will observe the day by going green and following new eco-guidelines. But what if you could go green every day of your life and really save the earth! As a career strategist who also works as a high tech consultant launching new products and services and has a background in marketing and advertising, it's been my pleasure to work with many eco-friendly companies and organizations.

In fact, I've been a keynote speaker for the American Assn of Caves & Caverns National Convention, served as a marketing and public relations advisor for luxury-eco fashion designer Linda Loudermilk, and have worked with such nonprofits as ECO, THE TREE PEOPLE, SAVE THE BAY, SIERRA CLUB and worked promoting economic development, tourism and outdoor adventures for the State of Hawaii, the State of Alaska, Camp Colorado's campaign, Government of American Samoa and promotional campaigns for Fiji, Nuevo Vallarta (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico), government of Brazil, Government of Bermuda and numerous hotel chains including Disneyland Hotel, Sheraton Hotels, Marriott Corp and more.

During my 20 years experience as a career strategist, I've advised geologists who wanted to be Broadway stars, lawyers who wanted to be zoologists and more than 5,000 other clients who chose careers in more than 75 different categories ranging from astronomers to zookeepers. So it comes naturally to look at what's happening in the eco-career environment and what multiple sources of income you can create if you want to go green with your business and career! For more information, contact me at recareering@aol.com. Joyce Schwarz,

TOP ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS:

What are the top environmental careers? You may not even have to go back to school to help combat climate changes. Here are three careers that you may not have thought of before:

1) Environmental Engineer: If you're already an engineer in another field -- say an automotive engineer or an aeronautical engineer or maybe you do engineering for a high tech corporation, you may be able to get your company to agree to name you their 'green guru' so that you can set up guidelines for sustainability for your firm and you can use your scientific and techno background to determine if production or services are eco-friendly. Who knows you may be able to get your firm to start a new windmill farm to produce all the energy you need for the next decade. If you want to get into the field you'll need at least a two year degree. Plus you'll want to read up on eco-opportunities and even take a seminar or workshop on how to 'go green'.

2) Park Ranger: Yes, there are still plenty of opportunities in this field. The Park Service always needs veterans in the areas of geology, architecture, design and hospitality to delve into the next era of what's called eco-tourism. Innovative park rangers work with communities to develop environmental impact studies and next-gen eco-education for people of all ages. Can you imagine how rewarding it might be to set up the first Butterfly sanctuary in your state? You'll need a high school education and check with your local Park service for other requirements.

3) Eco-Tour Leader: Are you already an eco-expert? Did you go green years ago? If so you may be able to become an eco-tour leader both in your community and across the country and around the world. Eco-tourism is one of the most exciting opportuntiies for vacations and touring. You may be able to tie in with your local travel agent and offer eco-weekend retreats if you still want to keep your day job. Or if you're yearning to explore new lands, check with some of the major tour companies to see if they need an eco-expert who wants to add a 'green' side to their tours. Who knows next year at this time, you may be leading an eco-tour into the Amazon Rain Forest, helping to provide needed income for local inhabitants while minimizing tourist footprints with eco-friendly vacations that help don't hinder the environment!

Eco-careers are just one of the paths you can take in the new area of the new responsible workplace where sustainability and social entrepreneurism highlight the path to success. For more information about careers and multiple sources of income that can help make your dreams come true, contact me directly at joyceschwarz@gmail.com. And listen to my podcasts on www.lisa.fm.

WELCOME TO SUCCESSFUL RECAREERING AS FEATURED ON LISA.FM RADIO

Welcome, let me intro myself, I'm Joyce Schwarz and the author of several books including "SUCCESSFUL RECAREERING: WHEN JUST ANOTHER JOB IS NOT ENOUGH". As noted in the headline to this blog post, I'm pleased to be a 'featured' pal on the Lisa.FM radio network premiering worldwide at www.lisa.fm.

"Get a life, not just a Job" is the guiding philiosophy I'll be sharing with you in these posts and in my podcasts and interviews on this new radio network. And heads-up, those audiotapes you see in the pix on the right -- don't worry they are in the process of going digital so that they can be featured in podcasts and interviews-2-go that you can enjoy on your PC, laptop or even download to your MP3 player or mobile phone. So whether you're just launching your own business or heading for your 25th anniversary corporate pin, or just quit --or yes, were fired, you'll find info that will help you create the life that you want. Don't worry, we'll also show you how to finance that life through various income streams that evolve from what I call your ideal income pie!

Wondering where to start? You're not starting over, you're starting better. Confused as to what you really want to do? Not sure you want another job? Afraid you won't ever get another paycheck. Too old for the marketplace? Too young to have the experience they demand for your dream job? Just heading for graduation, stay tuned, we'll show you how to start your career, change jobs or careers or launch your own business. Plus, we'll include insider secrets and interviews people who know the secret of getting a life, not just another job. If you want to receive a free chapter of "SUCCESSFUL RECAREERING" that delves into the mystery of how you can GET A LIFE, NOT JUST A JOB...email me at joyceschwarz@gmail.com. AND stay tuned for upcoming interviews and podcasts from Lisa Osborne, the host of the new Lisa.FM network! js