Issue 1: Should I change careers?
More people than ever want to change careers-and for wrong reasons. These include hating what they do, wanting to make more money or wanting to be in the hottest job out there because they think offers will roll in and alas, they'll have security.

The career most people wanted to switch to this year was financial planner. Partly, because it's rated as one of the best overall jobs, with demand for financial planners predicted to grow and decent pay. But neither are good enough reasons to become one.

Other jobs people were most interested in were nurses or psychologists. Mostly because they've heard opportunities are growing and some people say they want to help others. Commendable, but still, not good enough reasons to start over.

The other profession I'm asked about most is an author. I've lost count of the times someone said, "I could write a book about my experiences" or "my life" and they think they can make good money. Realistically, 1) most people can't write well. 2) It's extremely difficult to get a book published. 3) Most publishers won't think your life is very interesting. 4) If you're lucky enough to get your book published, unless it's a mega-best seller, you won't make much money.

The right reasons to change careers: because you want to use your best skills, be challenged and work in an industry you care about and matches your values-and get paid well to do it.

So you need to look beyond what "you've heard" and look deeply inside yourself to figure out what your best skills are, what challenges you and what you care about most. Then, look at the problems the world needs solving. Where do your talents and what's needed meet? That's your next career.

Issue 2. How to deal with a bad or abusive boss.
You're not alone if you've got a boss who crosses the line of common decency. One who rants and raves, humiliates you, lies or threatens. Ninety percent of the workforce has been subjected to boss abuse at some time, says Harvey Hornstein, author of Brutal Bosses and Their Prey (Riverhead Books).

Most people suffer in silence, unwilling to confront an abusive boss. It's understandable. You feel vulnerable. You need your job and your boss has the power to take it away.

Being treated like a second-class citizen is devastating. "At the core of all oppressive behavior is a negation of another person's social worth," says Hornstein. And at work, where you're constrained to do anything about it, the effects of abuse are multiplied.

First evaluate whether your boss is a lunatic or just tough. Then decide if your situation is affecting your health, well being, health or productivity. Symptoms of people who have been victims of boss abuse, says Hornstein, include depression, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, dermatological reactions and lack of sleep.

When you go to work, you have an opportunity to contribute your skills, knowledge and worth. It's not unreasonable to want to be confirmed for that. And as Hornstein says, "Passing through an employer's gates complicates but does not alter the importance of mutual respect and justice in human affairs."

Find the appropriate words to assert yourself at work. And if need be, find a company where human relations is not irrelevant to the business, but is a core value.

© by Andrea Kay