Read the empowering career story of this soon-to-be MBA grad as he searches for his next career and job move. Also included are the suggestions and resources from the Quintessential Careers team -- for this job-seeker and any other job-seeker facing a similar situation.

by Sean Rowland, as told to Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.

Sean Rowland

Sean Rowland believes he can attain his "pie-in-the-sky" ambitions and attributes much of his confidence to the MBA program he is about to complete and the specialized skills he's developed.

"My luckiest break has been getting accepted into an MBA program," he says. "I am hoping my real 'luckiest break' results from my grad-school efforts." At the time of his interview for this story, Sean expected to finish his MBA in six months to a year, depending on the electives he takes.

His seven-year career before he entered the MBA program involved trial and error, self-discovery, and learning what he was not suited for.

"As an undergraduate, I was under the assumption that as long as I graduated with a degree in business, that would be enough for me to get out in the workplace, work hard, and explore my options," the Atlanta-based MBA student says. "I think I also believed that somewhere along the line, either the company I worked for or an individual I worked with, would bestow some guidance or career advice. However, when it comes to career direction, I was never steered or guided in any direction by anyone but myself."

Sean, 27, notes that if he could do things over, he would have selected a specialization as an undergrad student. "Graduating with a business-administration degree from a great school didn't seem to qualify me for any positions besides sales," he observes. That situation inspires the career advice he offers others: "Have some sort of specialized skill that you can bring to the table of an employer. Even if it is something you don't see doing in the long term, it may be what you need to get into the company or industry you want to."

The Fort Lauderdale-born Sean was also frustrated that "as a younger worker, it seems that so many companies are looking for experience in this or that. The fact that you haven't participated in one activity in the past disqualifies you from attempting it. I don't understand that logic," he says.

The turning point in career occurred when he realized that "sales was not the career path I wanted to follow, but that was the only path available. Although the skills I learned were invaluable, at a certain point, every day seemed to be the same, just different faces. After a couple years in sales, I had faced just about every type of challenge I could, and I was no longer learning. This is what led me to start over by enrolling in the MBA program," he says.

"My first job was as a management trainee," Sean recalls, "and six months later, as a store manager for Hollister Co., a sister company of Abercrombie & Fitch. Next I got into outside sales, working for a vendor in the new-construction industry. Then when I began graduate school, I was looking for a more stable schedule and something that would allow me enough time to concentrate my efforts on school."

Thus, Sean had a short-lived experience at a government agency that, he says, "ended up conflicting with my goals and everything I was learning in business school."

Through attending conferences, seminars, additional courses, and through networking, he's now taking some time to develop the specialized skills (such as Web site development) he realized he needed. Calling the retail sector "still a strong suit of mine," Sean says, "I am also working part-time as a consultant for a friend's new retail business. It gives me an opportunity to utilize some of the tools I have learned in my classes." He also has maintained a 3.8 GPA as an MBA student, an achievement he calls his proudest accomplishments and "a personal victory for me."

A Personal Glimpse LATEST BOOK READ The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama FAVORITE BOOK Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived by Shames and Barton INTERESTS/ HOBBIES Volunteer work, environmental concerns, reading, mountain biking, running FAVORITE TV SHOW Sunday Morning FAVORITE FOOD Cheeseburger FAVORITE WEBSITE Patagonia.com FAVORITE MAGAZINE Rolling Stone BIGGEST THRILL Bridge Jumping PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY "What would you want people to say if they had to sum up your life in 10 minutes?"

Change and adaptability to it have been strong themes in his career -- even in childhood. "As a child, my ambitions and dreams were all over the place and constantly changing," he recalls. "The two occupations that I clearly remember were to become a professional athlete, and Plan B was to become a fireman -- it seemed noble and would allow me to challenge myself."

Sean adds that "the biggest influence in my life has been my parents, in molding the person that I am today and the work ethic they instilled in me."

"Up to this point, the only thing that has gotten me this far is my ability to adapt to different environments and different types of people," he says. For example, he notes, "the jobs I have had up to this point were with vastly different people, different business cultures, and in different industries. My job as a store manager put me in a scenario where I was in charge of hiring and managing 50+ high school/college students. It was a setting where much was expected, but having a good time and creating a fun environment was also a requirement. When I made my move to government, I was one of the youngest in a building of 1,000+ employees, and there was the bureaucracy and regulation that would be expected. Although I eventually left that position, I was able to adapt successfully. It just came down to whether or not it was something I was willing to do. At this point in my life, I would have to say no."

Certainly the theme of less-than-fabulous bosses has recurred in Sean's career and informed his direction for the future. In his adult life, he says he's never had a boss he'd consider to be his "best."

"At the age of 27, since entering the full-time workforce after college, I haven't been blessed with a good one," he says. "The best boss I ever had was my grocery-store manager when I was a bag boy at the age of 13. She was fair, positive, and acknowledged hard work from her subordinates."

On the flip side, in one position, he says, "I was 'lucky enough' to have a 'yes' woman for a boss. She would say exactly what you wanted to hear to appease and avoid conflict. However, when it came down to following up, she would back-pedal and try to justify her prior oversights. The hostility it created throughout the office was like nothing I could have imagined. It also fell all the way down the hierarchy. She would take advantage of her employees and diminish their efforts to satisfy her bosses, whether because of budget cuts or just to make herself shine."

These experiences may be the driving force behind Sean's eventual ambition to work in organizational development, "ideally," he says, "focused on how the internal employee experience could be enhanced, and how changes could be made to positively impact the community or region -- depending on size and resources."

Despite spending time on a career path that didn't fit him, Sean has no regrets. "The mistakes I have made have caused me to have the drive and determination that I currently do. If it were not for my mistakes, I wouldn't have done the self-evaluation that I have and realized I haven't been doing what I am supposed to be doing in terms of work."

Sean explains that his self-evaluation springs from personal writing: "My goals, the traits I would like in a job or company. I have also done many assessments over the last year, personality, Myers-Briggs, creativity, problem solving, job skills, interpersonal skills, you name it. I have also been trying to expose myself to many different things, whether it be what I read, the people I would typically associate with, whatever, just something to provide me a different perspective," he says.

Closely related to Sean's ongoing self-evaluation is his foray into writing a book. "Right now it is anything that comes to mind, and I am sure it will have to be structured and cleaned up later," he says. "The common theme so far is what I have learned in school, how it applies to me and what I see and read, and how it stands up to the seven years of work experience I have gained up to this point in my career. I also question the focus and techniques of many U.S. companies today, large and small that are hurting and wonder why. It seems like many aren't willing to make the commitment required to differentiate themselves or ensure their survival." Sean isn't sure whether he'll do anything with the book. "The purpose is more for self-evaluation and psychological cleansing than anything else. That being said, I feel like there must be many in my situation feeling the same way."

As he contemplates his post-MBA career, he says, "I would like to put my business skills, customer-service mindset, and 'out of the box' thinking to use to produce visible results for humanitarian purposes, both socially and environmentally. He has some dream employers in mind, but says, "I am trying to keep my options and my mind open. I will say that the organization must be a 'big picture' one -- what I mean is one that has vision beyond quarterly results, does things that mesh with the mission and values of the company, and is willing to take a look at the impact it is making or has the opportunity to make in the context of competition, society, and the environment."

As for personal life, Sean considers himself lucky to still be single and unentangled with family obligations. "I am thankful for that currently because I don't know if I could [blend family and career] right now, while job searching, studying, trying to broaden my skillset, and move in a whole new career direction.

Coming full circle to his "pie-in-the-sky" ambitions, Sean says, "I have come to believe that 'pie in the sky' for me is realistic. It may take longer than I'd like, but I'll get there. It is a matter of getting on board at the right organization and surrounding yourself with the right people, who are willing to support and give the autonomy necessary to thrive."

Suggestions and Resources for Sean and Others in Similar Situations

We suggest that Sean:

• Continue his self-evaluation but begin to take it to the next level by matching all the characteristics he is learning about himself to jobs and companies. He might want to use our Guide to Researching Companies, Industries, Countries. Since he has definite ideas on the kind of organizational culture he seeks, he may want to check out our article, Uncovering a Company's Corporate Culture is a Critical Task for Job-Seekers. Finally, he may want to conduct a Workplace Values Assessment to ensure that any organization he's considering is a good match for his values.
• Consider an MBA internship. Since Sean is in an exploratory phase as he approaches graduation, he may want to consider the relatively new concept of the MBA internship, which one survey has shown to be highly valued by employers. An internship would also give Sean the opportunity to try out an MBA-level job. Learn more.
• Develop a strategic action plan for pursuing his post-MBA job and career. Sean has a comfortable amount of lead time before graduation, but especially in a weak economy, he'll want to start planning now exactly how he'll pursue his career. He may find our article, Developing a Strategic Vision for Your Career Plan helpful. He'll want to plan on the macro, big-picture level, as well as on the nitty-gritty level of fine-tuning his resume and other job-search materials. For that micro-level planning, he might refer to our article, For Job-Hunting Success, Develop a Comprehensive Job-Search Plan.
• Build his online presence. Especially since Sean is learning Web-site development, he should consider creating a personal site that could house a career portfolio, including his resume. It's increasingly important that employers be able to find him on the Web. He should also consider joining some business-oriented social-media venues, such as LinkedIn. He may want to review our articles, Making Social Networking Technology Work for You: A Recruiter's Perspective, Taking Networking to the Next Level: Getting Your Name Out There, and Web 2.0 Dominates Trends in Internet Job-Hunting: A Quintessential Careers Annual Report 2008.
• Build his brand. Personal branding goes hand in hand with visibility, and it lays the groundwork for an online presence. Some branding resources include our Career Branding Tutorial and our articles, Building Your Brand: Tactics for Successful Career Branding and A Dozen Things You Must Know About Communicating Your Career Brand.
• Use MBA-appropriate resources to find a job. As he gets closer to graduation, Sean will want to step up his job-hunting. Although networking will likely be his most effective approach, he should check out MBA-specific job boards. He should also seek out recruiters who specialize in MBAs. He can find more information and leads to recruiters in our Recruiter/Headhunter Resources, Directories & Associations.