This holiday season, I’m grateful for being a career development professional – I bet you are too. In addition to guiding people in how to choose a career path and strengthen career well-being,

1. We get to work with like-minded people who share our values and interests in teaching skills and helping others find success in their lifelong career journey. We have a shared mission. Together we create a support system for our students and clients, and for one another. (Blog photo: Myself, Dr. Larry Jones, and Jared Meitler of Kansas State University Career Services, Oct. 2022 in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon)

2. Our work makes a difference. People need career counseling now more than ever.  Epidemics of loneliness, anxiety and trauma in a strong (relative to the world) but volatile economy and labor market, make it critical to support resilience, adaptability and human connection.

3. Simpler, smaller interventions matter. We don’t need to solve all the world’s problems to make a big impact. When you help just one person be seen, through self-reflection and talking with them about their dreams and needs – that makes a difference. Give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished, small and big wins.

I have one last bit of gratitude for being CEO of Career Key, where our company vision is career well-being for all. I’m grateful for our partners and my coworkers, consultants, and contractors that enable our success. And that we are a family-owned business independent of private equity or venture capital. We have more freedom to get creative, move quickly, and do good things. 

Speaking of good things, I’ll end with an Anne Lamott TEDTalk quote to guide us through the holidays,

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… Including you.”