Over the Labor Day weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting down with bloggers Rhonda and Sheree Washington. Twin filmmakers and Travelers based in South Carolina, we spent a majority of our time talking about their exciting and relatively new mentorship program- Take A Leap Career Mentoring Program, which gives support to professionals navigating the murky waters of transitioning careers.
I am fascinated by this program on many levels. For starters, I know too well what it's like to feel stuck in a job I loathed, yearning for the opportunity to break into another field, follow another path. I am also curious because I'm relatively new at running my own business. I've made lots of mistakes and am still trying to figure things out.
While relaxing alfresco with green juice, Rhonda and Sharee, answered some of the burning questions I had about the Take A Leap Career Mentoring Program so I can share them with you. I've heard from a hand full of you who are interested in switching to careers focused around travel, international non-profit management, diplomatic work and teaching abroad. This post is for you.
S: How did the mentorship program come about?
R&S: Take A Leap Career Mentoring Program came about after we realized that transitioning to a new career requires a mentor. Our mentor is a film producer and having her in our corner stepped up our professionalism in Film, webshow development, and blogging. This mentoring program provides a platform for mentors and mentees to meet, and with our love of travel, we have incorporated an optional international retreat. The first international retreat will be January 17-20, 2014 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The program fee is $149 for mentees and mentors. The mentees experience in a foreign country relates to being outside of their comfort zone, which is needed in transitioning into a new career.
S: How does the program work?
R&S: The Mentees complete an application at the website
www.weconnectedprod.wix.com/takealeap at a of cost of $50 for 1st year of mentorship and a $30 renewal fee each year of additional participation. Mentees are adults seeking to find their purposeful career. We identify a seasoned professional mentor/career coaches that correlates with the mentees new career aspiration. The mentees and mentors must communicate at least once a month via email, phone call, Skype, and/or in-person. mentees must also complete journal assignments, forum discussions, and financial/career planning tools. The optional international retreat is a weekend intensive seminar in which we facilitate with concentration on the career and financial planning aspects of transitioning to a new career. There are no fees to be a mentor.
S: How do you go about matching your mentors with the program participants?
R&S: We post the Take A Leap Career Mentoring Program link on our Take A Leap blog, twitter, Facebook, and email. Mentees contact us via social media, email, and/or phone call. Once they have submitted the application and paid the $50 fee, we find mentors through our personal and social media contacts. The mentor and mentees are provided each others contact information.
S: What words of advice do you have for twenty and thirty something's looking to switch careers?
R&S: Don't let fear of failure keep them from pursing their passion and purpose. They may encounter naysayers, but keep being positive. Network with people and join an organization in the new career field. In regard to having a mentor, take heed of their advice in opportunities and avoiding pitfalls. Final advice would be is to have Spiritual Faith.
S: What is your most memorable success story from your program?
R&S: The Take A Leap Career Mentoring Program is fairly new. The most memorable success was receiving an application less than 24 hrs after launching the program on June 15, 2013.
S: If someone is interested in being mentored through your program, how should they contact you to sign-up?
There you have it. If you're interested in mentoring or being a mentee, take a leap, know your happiness and self-fulfillment are vital to living a healthy and balanced life and contact Rhonda and Sharee.
