Mindset

Want a career in food?  Food safety is a growing field and one where you can make a real difference.  Take Barbara Kowalcyk. The tragedy that thrust Barbara into the food safety arena was chronicled in the 2009 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Food, Inc.  

In 2001, her two-year-old son, Kevin died after eating tainted hamburger and since them Barbara has made it her job to save others from foodborne illness co-founding CFI to help America find science-based solutions to the food challenges of the 21st Century.

Barbara has provided scientific input to national and international government bodies, served on multiple national advisory committees, and received public recognition for her efforts to improve food safety. 

Hear more of Barbara's inspiring story LIVE on my SIRIUSXM show tomorrow (June 24) at 4p East/1p West SIRIUSXM 110.  Read below for her advice on careers in food safety and how you can make a living making a difference!  

• Is food safety a growing field? In general, we are facing a public health capacity crisis in the United States and globally – and, as a public health issue, food safety is no exception.  Emerging infectious diseases and food contamination – as well as the sustainability of agriculture and the safety of our water – are growing and difficult challenges.  In fact, most experts agree that zoonotic diseases – human diseases that originate in animals – will be the big health challenge for the 21st Century.  Given the global nature of our food supply and our increasingly limited resources, it is clear that, going forward, we will need a more holistic and sustainable risk-based approach to food and food safety that focuses on prevention and integrates human, animal and environmental health.  Unfortunately, we do not have enough trained people to effectively and efficiently develop and implement such a system.  With the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010, the workforce crisis will only get worse as governmental agencies and food producers across this country struggle to find qualified people to implement the new laws and regulations.  So, yes, food safety is a growing field.  

• What do you enjoy most about working in this area? I have always had a keen interest in public health.  Before I became involved in food safety, I spent nearly 10 years working in clinical research as a biostatistician.  During that time, I contributed significantly to identifying new treatment options for health issues that greatly impact people’s lives – most notably schizophrenia.  Even though my interest in food safety was born out of my family’s tragedy, I am still driven mainly by my interest in public health and knowing that every day I am making a difference.  As CEO of a national non-profit, I wear many different hats – strategic planner, scientist, researcher, educator, advocate, policy expert, writer, counselor, fundraiser, bookkeeper and travel agent.  While I enjoy the diversity of these tasks, what I enjoy most is translating science into action – whether I am talking about the importance of using a meat thermometer or by meeting with government officials to discuss the development of new public policies – so that the food on our plates is safer for us to eat.

• What's most challenging about it?  I am one of those people who loves challenges, so what I enjoy the most is probably the most challenging.  I have a master’s degree in statistics, and I am currently finishing up my doctorate in Environmental Health with a specialization in Molecular Epidemiology.  I am a data person.  While I understand the scientific process, I am not a bench scientist – but a lot of food safety is rooted in bench science.  So, the challenge for me is translating that bench science into terms that non-scientists can understand and that motivates them to change their attitudes and behaviors towards food safety.  Scientists and data people are, by nature, not the best storytellers, but that’s what is needed in order to translate science into action.  Of course, the business-side of running a non-profit is also very challenging.  I always have to be thinking two steps ahead about what we are going to do and how we are going to fund it – not an easy task in the current economic climate!

• How would you recommend someone who wanted a career change get started in this field? There are several different career paths that someone could pursue within food safety – working in government, industry, academia and NGO’s.  Most will require an advanced training in public health, microbiology or food science.  To figure out which path is best for you, I would recommend speaking with food safety professionals, taking a class in one of those areas and reading scientific journals as well as more popular literature on the subject.  There are several programs that are specifically designed for working people who want to pursue a career in food safety.  The University of Minnesota School of Public Health is recognized as one of the leaders in training public health professionals for careers in food safety.  Every May/June, they offer a three-week Summer Public Health Institute (http://www.sph.umn.edu/ce/institute/) which is specifically designed for working professionals.  Students can take just a day of classes or, by taking online classes and attending two Summer Public Health Institutes, earn a master’s of public health through University of Minnesota’s Executive Program in Public Health Practice. The Summer Public Health Institute offers a number of excellent courses in food safety from different perspectives and would provide insights as to which career path might be best for you.   Similarly, Michigan State University offers an online program where students can earn a Certificate or Masters of Science in Food Safety (http://www.online.foodsafety.msu.edu/). 

Many thanks to Barbara for sharing her advice and making it her mission to inform and educate about the dangers of foodborne illness.  What an inspiring example of a person who is "being the change they want to see in the world." To find out more and support her cause visit http://www.foodborneillness.org/.

If you have questions for Barbara or want to get advice on your own career dilemma, call into my show at 866-675-6675 - Making a Living with Maggie, Fridays 4p East/1pm West SiriusXM 110. 

Bill Handel is known throughout Southern California for stimulating talk radio. When I made a return appearance on his show recently, he didn't disappoint.  

Being a bit of a "realist", Bill had tough questions for me including:

• Where are the jobs really? 
• What do you do when an employer wants experience and all you have is education?
• How do you stand out when resumes all look the same?
• Doesn't it take years to change careers? 

These are difficult challenges but I was more than happy to share real answers. Employers are posting job opening and opportunities for exciting new careers exist now.  But rather than focusing on "landing another job", I was emphatic with Bill and his listeners that it's not enough.  

To succeed today, you've got to follow your heart to the paycheck.  To do that means targeting your job search with soul search first.  Getting clear on what you WANT to do, what you're GOOD at, and how you WANT to put your skills to good use is not a nice to have, it's a career survival strategy! Whatever career you go into is going to be demanding and you will need genuine enthusiasm to keep pace.  

For those concerned that a career change will take too long....in almost ten years of helping people change careers I have found the path is made of latent talents and interests.  Career possibilities and ideas that clients have been harboring for YEARS and even implementing for YEARS on the side or for friends, turn out to be their dreams jobs. They just needed to formalize them.  Chances are you may already be doing what you love to do, you're just not getting paid for it (YET). 

LISTEN IN to my stimulating career conversation with Bill and weigh in below with your thoughts and ideas. What do you think is the best way to land a job in this economy? 

Careers nowadays not only keep us busy around the clock, but they seem to require continuous effort to sustain. We get the sense that we can't get a break from it-and to break from it, even temporarily, even for a day, could cost us.  

There's a lot of job-gripping going on, perhaps, and we need to know when we've got our job in a stranglehold, or when it's got US in one.  To help you get out of the work stranglehold...

LISTEN TO MY RECENT PODCAST BELOW

3 Proven Steps to Working Smarter, Not Harder 

(sponsored by the Villanova Alumni Association) 

-Learn to spot the tell-tale signs that you're working too hard

-Hear my 3 step process for aligning your work and your priority

-Get answers to other job-related questions related to career change!

Download the presentation, listen in and share your comments below on ways you're working smarter, not harder (or want to)! 

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"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang  

(Photo courtesy of Ultrashock.)

For those of you following me on Facebook and Twitter, you know that I recently traveled to Africa for vacation (view photos.) What you may not know was that I also learned a very important life lesson…

It was beautiful and sunny in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.  For days I had been contemplating doing a 425 meter zipline across the mighty Zambezi river gorge.

The thought of hanging from a harness on a rope strung from one side of the gorge to the other was frightening but also exhilarating.  I spoke with everyone about it, even my Facebook friends. Had they done it before?  What was it like? Were they glad they did it?  They all loved the experience!  Being in Africa made me want to push my boundaries and be more adventurous.  Yet still I was scared.

Why would I intentionally go off the side of cliff? Is this something a sane person does?  I had my concerns.  Yet still I mulled over the idea until the day came for the zipline excursion.  It was fun to be part of the brave group that said yes to adventure despite the dangers.  I felt cool.  I confidently went through the steps from putting on the harness to marching up to the gorge’s edge.

All of the sudden, fear took hold.  

I stopped and said to the guide, "This is a good idea, right?" fully expecting "yeah it's cool" in return.  But what I heard instead was a life lesson...

"It's good in life to conquer your fears” he said. 

I did a doubletake. He was right.  I stepped up to the edge and took a deep breath.  I let go and zipped through breathtaking scenery.  I didn't feel scared, I felt serene and as if the only things that existed were me and that gorge.  It was peaceful.  I was peaceful.  

When I arrived on the other side of the gorge, I had not only changed countries (Victoria Falls spans Zambia and Zimbabwe), I had changed perspective.

Fear wasn't going to stop me from having beautiful, exhilarating experiences. It is good in life to conquer your fears.  

I share this story because making a career change or going after your ideal career can be just as scary. You may be at the edge ready to make a leap but stopped in your tracks because of fear.

Take it from me and let these words ring as true in your ears as they did in mine that day, “It’s good in life to conquer your fears.” Say it out loud and really feel the power.

I did it and you can too. Share your fears and how you’ve conquered them (or would like to).  I’d love to hear your stories!

Over the weekend, I visited the Museum of Modern Art.  My husband took me to see Monet's water lily paintings.  Though we had talked about it for months, it took a rainy Sunday (and the fact that the exhibit would soon end) to make the trip.  I was interested in going though I can't say I was overwhelmed with excitement.

Once I got there things changed.  

Surrounded by a room full of wall-sized water lilies was awe-inspiring.  And I got to see in person THE painting that got me into my own impressionist landscapes (see photo.)  It was an amazing experience!  

I remember being 16 when my art teacher instructed us to find a style that we liked and paint an ordinary teacup that way.  I took the assignment literally and put a teacup right on top of one of those water lilies. Today I still paint from time to time and have several paintings on display in my own gallery (my apartment).  Maybe I'm not Monet but I find my attitude and aptitude for creative ideas improve when I paint.

I also learned the inside scoop on Monet's approach.  I was amazed at how much time and effort he put into each painting and into the gardens that inspired his work.  It was relayed by the museum curator that Monet had several paintings going at one time and would add layers upon layers of paint to get the desired image.  He would "water and tend to each painting just as he did his garden."  

In hearing this I realized how our careers can be like a work of art.  With each new experience, new skill, new idea, new connection, new decision, we can add another layer to the canvas of our career path.  We can adjust and change our images and by doing so create who we want to be in the work world.  

As he got older, Monet enjoyed the fact that his art would outlast him.  It was his way of leaving a legacy. With our work in whatever field, we too can leave a legacy.  By mentoring younger workers, by offering to help out a coworker who's overwhelmed, or by just having fun and being pleasant to be around, we can be remembered.  And even in today's fast-paced world, we can make sure that the products, services and ideas we create are designed to be sustainable. 

To create a work of art with your career, you don't need to become a Monet overnight.  Emerson said it best; "Every artist was at once an amateur."  But you do need to get started.  You need to invest the time and energy in "watering" and "tending to" the different facets that make you the productive and inspired individual you can be. 

Maybe you've thought of your career this way.  Maybe you see yourself as an artist crafting your career each day.  If so, I'd love to hear your comments and perspective below.  On the other hand, perhaps you don't feel much like an artist.  I'd love to hear from you too.  Because even if you don't feel you have talent, I can see it in you.  Contact me and we will uncover your strengths!  

With spring soon upon us, it's the perfect time to turn your career into a work of art.