Breaking Out of a Low-Pay Rut--a Day at a Time
Aaron Siegel, 26, is feeling pressured. Not by his wife, boss or parents, but by the increasingly loud voice in his head that asks: “What are you going to do with your life?”
After a brief stint in Hollywood (script classes and a TV internship), the Simi Valley resident saw the screenwriting on the wall: He’d have to settle for non-showbiz work if he wanted to earn a steady income. But even Plan B has fallen flat. Siegel grosses about $18,000 a year as an instructor for developmentally disabled adults. Though he enjoys the work, he said his $10-an-hour pay and the lack of opportunities to be promoted frustrate him.
Siegel and his wife, Jill, hope to start a family soon. He’d like to make enough so that Jill can stay home to rear their children. If he markedly increases his income, Siegel said, he’d also like to open a home for abused children. But that seems a faraway dream. And the couple continue to rely on Jill’s $35,000-a-year schoolteacher salary.
What vocation might enable Siegel to express creativity and help others? He’s not sure. The former psychology major also wonders if he’ll need more schooling to find anything worthwhile. Potential employers in his admittedly scattershot job search tell him that he lacks enough experience for their advertised positions, he said. Maybe a graduate degree would help get him hired. The accruing rejections are weakening his resolve to set and achieve new goals.
For help with this career conundrum, Siegel spoke with motivational consultant Zig Ziglar, who is based in Texas.
Siegel told Ziglar that he’s been taking his recent setbacks hard. He’s also been struggling with his procrastination tendencies, which make him want to put aside job-hunting for another day. This, he said, has prompted his father, Ron, a successful retired physical therapist, to frequently chant the Nike slogan to him: “Just do it.”
“Failures weigh more heavily on me than successes,” Siegel said. “And when I think of obstacles, my enthusiasm seems to wither away.”
Ziglar cut to the chase. Siegel’s negative thoughts--not the rejecting employers--are keeping him from getting a fulfilling job.
“Your fear of loss is greater than your desire for gain,” Ziglar said. “Failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday really did end last night. If I were you, I’d reject the idea that you’ve been rejected. They simply refused to give you an opportunity.”
Siegel could begin to change his mind-set by getting into the habit of reading inspirational books, Ziglar said. Siegel also needs to focus more on his positive attributes and possibilities and much less on his perceived faults.
As for the corporate naysayers who told Siegel he lacked experience, Ziglar advised Siegel to reframe his capabilities the next time he describes himself in a job interview.
“You may be selling yourself short,” Ziglar said. “You’re honest, smart and creative. You’ve had 15 years of being dependable, enthusiastic and reasonably hard-working. Let me suggest that next time you’re interviewed, you say, ‘I’ve got 15 years of these things . . . ‘ and then go right down the list of your positive qualities.”
Ziglar also suggested that Siegel have his skills objectively assessed through testing. This will enable him to further zero in on suitable work.
Once Siegel has identified his strongest skills, he’ll need to determine what he really wants to do, Ziglar said. And so he won’t be overwhelmed by the “thousand-mile journey” of his new career, Siegel could stay focused on its eventual benefits, such as its challenges, fun and rewarding pay, Ziglar said. He should refuse to allow thoughts of failure and doubt to keep him from reaching his goal.
“The benefits will spur you to continue,” Ziglar said. “It’s like going through a tunnel or climbing a mountain.”
Ziglar and other experts had these additional recommendations for Siegel:
* Research, plan and act. Siegel can think of his interviews as research projects, Ziglar said. He can learn from each interaction, improve his presentations, explore corporate cultures and identify the traits and skills employers covet most. This way, Siegel can convert potential rejections into learning and growth opportunities.
Siegel also can hunt for vocational possibilities by perusing four books recommended by career counselor David Helfand, author of “Career Change. They are: Everything You Need to Know to Meet New Challenges and Take Control of Your Career” (VGM Career Horizons, 1999), “Career Opportunities for Writers” by Rosemary Guiley (Facts on File, 1995), “100 Jobs in Words” by Scott Meyer (IDG Books Worldwide, 1997), “Creating Internet Entertainment” by Jeannie Novak and Pete Markiewicz (John Wiley & Sons, 1996) and “Great Jobs for Psychology Majors” by Julie Degalan and Stephen Lambert (VGM Career Horizons, 1994).
Once Siegel has used his research to target a desirable occupation, he can develop a plan of action to get hired, Ziglar said. First, he’ll need to break his overall plan into daily objectives. Then, to build anti-procrastination habits, he’ll need to methodically carry out his objectives each day. Soon he’ll have attained the education and expertise needed for his goal job.
Ziglar told Siegel that this was how he completed his bestseller “See You at the Top” (Pelican Publishing Co., 1982). Ziglar, who said he used to struggle with procrastination himself, devised a plan to complete his 300-page manuscript in 10 months. He wrote a page a day until the book was completed.
* Consider Internet entertainment and PC game development. Siegel has been a passionate comic book collector since he was 8 years old. He also loves playing computer games such as “Final Fantasy VIII” and “Starcraft.”
Combining his great interest in comics and computer games with his training in screenwriting may open many job possibilities, experts say. Siegel could write for online or print computer gaming magazines. If he gains software skills, he could create interactive articles for online publications. These stories combine colorful written text with spoken dialogue and animation, said Dan Newman of Fuel Multimedia Studios (https://www.fuelstudios.com) in Gladwyne, Pa.
Siegel also can look for work as a game scriptwriter or “Webisode” creator for such Internet entertainment companies as Stan Lee Media of Encino. But he’ll first have to learn the nuances of interactive game script-writing, which is far more elaborate than traditional “linear” screenwriting. Dialogue and story lines must be composed for every choice a player may make during game-play, Newman said. And characters’ spoken lines must be briefer than what’s typically written for film and TV.
“The biggest trap writers can fall into is to be too wordy,” said Fred Van Lente, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based writer who wrote the script for “Search for the Golden Dolphin,” an interactive 3-D adventure game. “You have to keep in mind that gamers want to shoot the monster or solve the puzzle. They don’t want to listen to dialogue that goes on and on.”
* Investigate opportunities to work with abused children. Because Siegel expressed an interest in working with abused children, he may want to explore paying and volunteer opportunities in that field. Many nonprofit organizations are looking for compassionate adults to work with children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned.
Finally, Ziglar encouraged Siegel to do as Bing Crosby once suggested in song: “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative.”
“It’s amazing what happens to people who become more positive,” Ziglar said. “Opportunities pop up for them.”
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Time for a Change
Name: Aaron Siegel, 26
Occupation: Instructor for developmentally disabled adults
Desired occupation: Uncertain
Quote: I think Im scared of failure. I see how successful my dad is, and Im afraid to take risks.
Counselors Recommendations
Develop a more positive, goal-oriented approach to career hunting.
Take a skills test.
Set daily achievement objectives.
Meet the Coach
Zig Ziglar is a renowned motivational lecturer and trainer and is the author of 15 books, including “See You at the Top” (Pelican Publishing Co., 1982), which has sold more than 2 million copies.