Happy New Year! As we begin 2009, I wish you all the best in your career or job search. 

This month, I’m going to challenge you to answer the question, “Is your career a noun or a verb? Tonight, while channel surfing, I caught the “Forbes Celebrity 100” for 2008.

The show not only boasted how much money each celebrity earned, but the individual sources of income. Did you know that Brad Pitt can command between $500,000 and $1M for a 30 second commercial job in Japan? Not bad work, if you can get it! Almost each one of the celebs had multiple revenue streams to put them in the top earning category. Granted, all of these wealthy persons have agents, managers, lawyers, publicists and personal assistants to help them navigate their careers. However, it is clear that they all view their careers as a verb and not a noun. Their careers are vibrant, dynamic, exciting and evolving.  The “ultra-famous” understand how to leverage one career component to enter or expand into a new one. For example from commercials, to television, to film, to voice-over and product endorsements.  

One certainty about celebrity is that it may not last forever. We’ve seen that proven all too many times. Even for everyday people, there is no guarantee for success longevity. We might take example from the “Celebrity Rich and Famous” and transform our careers from a noun, to a verb. 

I’ve selected my path as a Career Counselor to help create some examples of the difference between a career as a noun or as a verb. Think of these in terms of things, places, thoughts, beliefs and actions. 

Noun: “I’m a Career Counselor.”

Verb:  “ I help people find their passion and make it happen.” 

Noun: “My budget is for one professional conference per year.”

Verb:  “I’m creating the resources to attend every key conference in my profession this year.” 

Noun:  “My degree is in Professional Counseling.”

Verb:  “My degree in Professional Counseling helped me open doors to coaching, writing, publishing, presenting, and speaking.” 

Noun:  Counselor: adviser

Verb:   Teaching, consulting, challenging, motivating, researching, promoting, networking, innovating, communicating, guiding, instructing, recommending, steering, leading, directing, urging and informing.

Noun: “English is my native language.”

Verb:  “I’ve just enrolled in a Spanish language class to become bilingual.” 

Other active, growth potential strategies to enhance your career/job search: 

• Join a Community Service organization, with an eye on a leadership role.

• Volunteer to become a mentor, through a learning institution.

• Get involved in workplace committees, outside of your day-to-day responsibilities.

• Write articles for professional publications/websites in your field.

• Submit a proposal to speak or present a workshop/seminar at a conference/convention related to your profession.

• Attend local professional networking events: breakfast, luncheons, dinners, mixers and roundtables.

• Take continuing education classes, online or on-site.

• Do research in your field and make it available to your colleagues.

• Write a book about a topic related to your profession.

• Use your network to help a local charity raise funds.

• Make the time to supervise an intern breaking into your field.

• Go on a “Quiet Retreat.”

• Create, design and execute a seminar or workshop related to your profession.

• Do blogging on sites related to your field of work.

• Propose to go on local talk-radio with a relevant, timely topic.

• Make friends with someone in the media.

• Surround yourself with a circle of “positive attitude.”

• Turn off the Blackberry and meet with a friend/colleague in-person.

• Study yoga and or meditation.

• Make time to be creative.

• Live with gratitude.

• Give back.

In reality, the only place “career” is a noun is in the dictionary. Our careers should be active, dynamic, evolving, challenging and leveraged as much as possible. So, in closing I ask again, is your career a noun or a verb?  Let’s make that significant transition in 2009 and beyond! 

“Life does not happen to us, it happens from us.” -Mike Wickett 

Paul Carpino, M.A. is a career counselor at UNLV and in private practice. His new, innovative career guide is “Now, Launch Your Career”- Find Your Path: Personal Career Advice from the World’s Top Professionals. It is available at: www.iUniverse.com