Celebrating 5 years of A Top Career

We are delighted to be celebrating 5 years of A Top Career.  In 2014, our founder, Edythe Richards, launched our website, with the help of David from Edit Bits. Edythe’s vision was to help mid-life career changers find and sustain meaningful employment. David’s was to make technology less scary. Have we succeeded? We’ll let you be the judge.

Today, Edythe shares her 5 biggest lessons in the hopes that it will inspire you.

Don’t follow the money. You may have heard that being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. It isn’t. It will be years – if ever – that you can earn a sustainable income by going out on your own. I learned that I had to be realistic, and worrying about money wasn’t helping anything. The more I focused on helping people and the less I focused on money, the more successful I became. In short, I didn’t need to quit my day-job, but I did need to love my life. Doing impactful work (regardless of what I was being paid) is a huge part of that.

Your mindset controls everything. When I got laid off, I realized how easily my mind influences my body, which influences the people around me, which translates into behavior and overall performance. My mindset mattered because it determined everything I did. I controlled whether I sat in front of the TV with a bag of chips, whether I went for a swim, or if I went to a networking event and chose to talk to people there. Cheesy as it sounds, Henry Ford was right: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

You’ll never achieve anything in your comfort zone. Your own secure little house is familiar, restful, and probably saturated with fun and productivity. When you leave, it’s risky and – gasp – uncomfortable. I thought about my business idea for many years before actually getting a license. I failed. I mourned. I learned. I saw myself in a different way. I got new skills and increased clarity and focus. I got better. And I’m still pushing myself out of that comfort zone. It’s already taken me places I never thought I could go.

Select your partners carefully. Working in a partnership presents special challenges – especially when you’ve never met in person! David and I each have our own skillsets that complement each other, but along the way, we found we needed to flex to each other’s work styles. We agreed on how our partnership would work in advance, and we committed our agreement to writing. The most important element? We trust each other and we’re comfortable with each other on a professional level.

You know nothing – and that’s ok. I know next to nothing about conventional business practices. I vacillate between Imposter Syndrome and MENSA candidate. Entrepreneurship’s overwhelming, but so is life. I took a whack at both – what else could I do? I didn’t let not knowing stop me.

Celebrating 5 years of A Top Career

A Top Career actually started as a simple WordPress blog. Over the years, our followers grew as we refined the technology and images, learned how to optimize keywords (SEO), and honed to a crisper, more impactful writing style.

Here are 5 of our favorite blog posts from the last 5 years:

  • 5 Questions To Help Clarify Your Career Path. There are many great careers in the world, but there are fewer great jobs that are right for you. Surprisingly, many adults don’t know what they want to be. These 5 questions will shed some light on your indecision.
  • In Praise of the Extravert. Myers-Briggs Extraverts have been getting a bad rep for years. They may come across as loud, obnoxious, or more domineering than their Introverted counterparts. On the other hand, some aren’t the life of the party at all. Read on for reasons to celebrate yours – and other’s – Extraverted-ness.
  • 8 Success Stories to Inspire Job Seekers. Learn from the experts! These 8 real people share their stories of how they went from unemployed to landing their dream jobs.
  • 10 Horror Movie Clichés Job Seekers Should Avoid. This is, without a doubt, Edythe’s favorite article that she’s written. Irony aside, it has some good tips for navigating today’s job market with ease.
  • How My Layoff Became My Success. What happens when the career counselor has to look for a job? Edythe’s most shared article provides a valuable perspective for anyone who has been let go from a job.

Celebrating 5 years of A Top Career

In 2015, we got on the podcast bandwagon. We now have 3 shows available on iTunes and Spreaker, new episodes of MBTI® Question Corner every week, and a new series: The Emotionally Intelligent Job Seeker in pre-production.

Check out our 5 most popular podcast episodes:

  • 5 Simple Ways Introverts Can Engage With Extraverts. The more we’re aware of our personality traits and what we need to be successful, the better we’ll be able to engage with others who are different. Tune in for strategies that Introverted Types can use at work and at play.
  • INTJ: MBTI® for Mid-Life Career Changers. Our INTJ “troll-ers” have given lots of good feedback on this one – and they’re a hard bunch to please!
  • Why Did My Myers-Briggs Type Change? Carl Jung said personality type is inborn, but we can learn adaptive behaviors and traits that directly contradict the description of their Myers-Briggs type. Edythe shares her take on the nature vs nurture “Type” debate.
  • Why Do Opposites Attract? If you’re in a relationship with your opposite, you know all about the communication challenges and other obstacles you’ve had to overcome. Though there may be a scientific reason that opposites attract, Edythe explains it from a “Type” perspective.
  • How ENFPs Can Boost Assertiveness. ENFPs: admit it – you’re people pleasers! Learn to say “no” with Edythe’s handy tips.

Celebrating 5 years of A Top Career

Other noteworthy accomplishments include Edythe’s interviews on several prominent podcasts and radio shows.

Here are 5 you should listen to now:

  1. “Why it Works.” Tune in as Edythe shares her insights on the Myers-Briggs with host Joe Kwon, the Connection Counselor. Listen to Joe’s series on iTunes or visit his website.
  2. Pathways to a Green Job. A longtime advocate for environmental awareness and sustainability, Edythe breaks down “Green Jobs” for a layperson.
  3. Valentine’s Day video podcast. Whether you’re single and looking for love, or in a committed relationship, this interview with Fairfax County, Virginia’s own Dennis Price will answer, “Can the Myers-Briggs predict relationship success?”
  4. Staying Nimble for Career Success. Why are some personality types better suited to entrepreneurship than others? Edythe explores this and similar questions in Dan Smolen’s interview.
  5. Episode 24. In this final episode of The Journey Forward podcast series, Edythe reviews the factors that led to her being offered high-quality positions that were a best fit for her background. We hope it inspires you on your career journey.

Celebrating 5 years of A Top Career

To celebrate the completion of 5 years in business, we’re offering all of our newsletter subscribers a 50% discount on all services through March, 2019. This includes career counseling, resume writing, and all career assessments (Myers-Briggs, Strong Interest Inventory, DiSC, and Emotional Intelligence). If you’re not a subscriber, this is your chance to sign up now.

A HUGE thank you to all of our subscribers and clients. We couldn’t have done this without your support!