Connect with us

News

Discover your story with Career Craft

Published

on

0254579_04_1.jpeg

Did you know that best-selling crime author John Grisham was once a lawyer?

He wrote The Rainmaker between meetings and court hearings, and then The Firm, A Time to Kill and a whole host of other law-related crime books which became Hollywood blockbusters.

It makes sense that he wrote about what he knew, what fascinated him, what he cared about. And yet, his extreme success did not come from his legal training or even his ability to fight for justice for his clients. It came from his capacity to weave a narrative and to write so articulately - the law simply fuelled his inspiration.

Choosing a career can be tough and terrifying work. The pressure to get it right, to discover your gifts, to judge the jobs-market, to make money, to do what you enjoy; even Grisham would struggle to tie all these plot lines together.

The tools we used to choose careers 30 years ago, before constant technological innovation, offshoring, global dependencies, mass migration, remote working and a whole host of other features of the modern world existed, cannot be applied to today.

As a career coach, I would argue that there is no “safe” job anymore and there is no “perfect” career for anyone. Yet there is a direction that may suit a person more than another, a field that might allow for someone to play to their gifts, to make the best contribution they can make. That direction does not have an end-point, and the journey of career exploration is a constant state of learning, course correcting and acquiring different experiences and skills that allow for a unique offering to the world.

I work together with my clients to help them find this direction, to discern whether Due West would be more compatible with who they are than North, not to help them know whether they’ll hit America or the Spice Islands – the adventure is their own. The tools we use to orient the process are coaching and psychometrics; they tell us about the Strengths, Higher purpose, Interests, Non-negotiables and Environmental needs of a person – about their SHINE.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had studied to become an engineer. He used engineering principles and thought processes to create the Kindle and the Amazon platform. In 2009 he gave a talk to engineering students at Princeton and he told them to try to figure out what they were interested in, not what they thought would make them money. “It’s very difficult to chase after a wave,” he said. "What’s better is to place yourself in the middle of something you genuinely love and wait for the wave to come find you."

If you or someone you know is at school or has recently finished and is trying to navigate their career journey, I am a chartered work and organisational psychologist and have been working with career seekers for over a decade. I’m based locally in Killarney so please reach out for a confidential chat www.careercraft.ie.

Advertisement

News

Community College TY students become qualified baristas

School Dayz Transition Year students at Killarney Community College spent last Tuesday learning the skills to become baristas. They completed a full-day training course and are now qualified to make […]

Published

on

School Dayz

Transition Year students at Killarney Community College spent last Tuesday learning the skills to become baristas.

They completed a full-day training course and are now qualified to make coffee, which could make them very employable in local cafes and restaurants this summer.
Their teachers, who are described as the school’s “resident coffee experts,” were impressed with the students’ hard work and enjoyed the lattes, cappuccinos, and Americanos the students made throughout the day.
In addition to their barista training, the TY students also took a trip to Mallow. There, they learned about the rules of the road, practiced the driver theory test, and many got behind the wheel of a car for the first time. They also learned about the dangers of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Continue Reading

News

Rising stars Amano and Lillie Foley to share stage in ANAM

Two of Killarney’s rising musical talents, Amano and Lillie Foley, are set to perform their first ever joint headline concert at the ANAM Cultural Centre. Singer-songwriter and sean nós singer […]

Published

on

Two of Killarney’s rising musical talents, Amano and Lillie Foley, are set to perform their first ever joint headline concert at the ANAM Cultural Centre.

Singer-songwriter and sean nós singer Amano will bring her ‘Mythilligocial Meitheal Tour’ home for a special live performance of both her contemporary and traditional music.

Joining her on the night is local rising star Lillie Foley, making it a special event to celebrate two young Killarney songwriters making their mark on the Irish music scene. The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office.

Amano, described by Hot Press in 2024 as an “idiosyncratic talent” is comfortable performing in both English and Irish, draws influences from alt-folk, R&B, and traditional sean-nós singing.

Her project THREAD was nominated for Irish language Album and Song of the year at the Gradaim Nós in 2024.

Her recent singles, ‘Burn’ and ‘The Birthing House’, have received airplay on RTÉ Radio 1, Radio Kerry, and Raidió na Life.

Lillie Foley, a 22-year-old singer who recently graduated from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance with a BA in Voice, has released two debut singles in 2025, ‘Someday’ and ‘That’s Life’, which blend pop, soul, and folk genres.

The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office.

The concert will take place on May 23, at the ANAM Cultural Centre in Killarney, starting at 7:00pm. Tickets are available from €15 plus a booking fee on Ticketpass.org.

Continue Reading

Last News

Sport