Making Career Decisions Through Enterprising Ideas Stephen J. Swain, ATP Rural Rehabilitation Specialist Breaking New Ground Outreach Program
Dec 24, 2015
Making Career DecisionsThrough
Enterprising Ideas
Stephen J. Swain, ATPRural Rehabilitation Specialist
Breaking New Ground Outreach Program
Session Overview
• The Professional’s Responsibilities• Career Decision Map• Decision Process– Personal Information– Self-Assessment– Action Plan– Identifying Resources– Alternative Enterprises
The Professional’s Role
• Explain the process
• Assist in the evaluation process
• Provide support during the process
• Accountability – help set a time-table and hold accountable to times – challenge clients answers and provide input
Career Decision Roadmap
Transitions
college, economy, family...
Past Work Experienceskills, abilities, training, interest, & values
CrossroadsChange farming enterprise
expand, new, different...
Continue current farming or
career path
Additional training or
education
Begin career
with new skills
and qualifications
Take part-time job
Begin new enterprise
Lifelong learning
Personal Information• Name:_______________________________ County:_____________
• Address:_____________________________ Phone:_____________
• City:_____________________ State:_____ Zip Code:________
• Social Security Number:___________________________
• Cell Phone:_____________
• E-Mail address:_______________________________________
• Sex: M___ F___ Birthday:_____/_____/____ Veteran: Y__ N____
• Beside yourself, how many wage earners are in you household?_______
• Do you own or rent where you live now? Own____ rent____ other_____
• How many years have you been farming? ________________
Personal Information
• Off-farm work experience:• Employer/Job Title Dates Salary
Duties/Responsibilities • Education and training:• What is the highest grade completed?• List any additional training or education received since
high school:
Personal Information
• Military service (including technical training received) and approximate dates:
• • List any other formal non-farm skill training
(vocational technical school, apprenticeship classes, etc.):
• Leadership skills:• List organizational involvement and indicate
any offices held: (e.g. Farm Bureau, Grange, Extension, 4-H, leadership programs):
Personal Information
Job interests:Circle the jobs that interest you:
___Agribusiness ___Communication and Media ___Construction___Recreation/Forestry ___Health Manufacturing ___Marketing___Personnel Services ___Public Service/Self Employed ___Other
Personal Information
• Explain your disability and its significance in your job search and future employment.
• What types of skills, tools, or resources do you need to accomplish the type of job you are seeking?
Personal Information
Overcoming barriers – what do you think you need help with?___Deciding what to do ___Obtaining job leads___Improving my skills ___Earning my diploma___Dealing with medical problems___Obtaining other training___Improving my job search skills___Overcoming my disability___Securing a job___Other
Personal Information
• Do you have transportation available? Yes ____ No ____
• Involvement with other agencies (Placement, Workforce Development, VR, SS, etc.). Please list.
• Benefits received from other agencies:
Personal InformationCheck any of the following that you need more
information on:___Government programs ___Handling utility bills___Food stamps ___Veteran’s benefits___FHA, VR, or other mortgage information___Social Security benefits___Retirement planning___Investment counseling___Medical counseling ___Stress counseling___Family counseling ___Legal counseling___Other________________________________
Self Assessment
• Agricultural Skills – Grade your proficiency– Farm Management
• Record Keeping – records, budgets, cash flow• Financial Management – profit/loss statement,loan
application, sources of credit• Marketing – store vs. sell, futures marketing,
commodity contracting• Computers – report generation• Labor – payroll, communication,
economical/efficient us of labor• Estate Planning – is there a plan?
Self Assessment
• Crop Production– Plant Nutrition and Growth – soil analysis,
cropping system– Fertilization – selection of system– Preparation – method of ground
preparation: no-till, ridge-till, conventional– Diseases and Pests – identification, control
methods– Planting and Harvesting – equipment, field
loss, maturity
Self Assessment
• Livestock Production– Production and management systems –
pasture, confinement, organic,– Feeding – feed ingredients, complete,
pelletted, micro-packs, wheat, corn, milo, dried distillers grain
– Housing and Handling – system, age of facilities, ventilation control
– Disease and Pests – identification, treatment
Self Assessment
• Agricultural Mechanics– Agricultural Equipment Maintenance– Small Engines– Buildings– Concrete– Electricity– Hand Tools–Miscellaneous Tools
Financial Analysis
• Sales and Inventory values• Variable costs to each enterprise• Fixed costs to each enterprise• Cash flow projections• Outstanding loans and obligations• What would happen if changes were
made?
Career Awareness
• Background:– Father’s occupation– Father’s highest level of education–Mother’s occupation–Mother’s highest level of education– Number of moves your family made– Types of communities in which you
lived.___Rural ___Suburban ___Metropolitan
Career Awareness
• Accomplishments:– High School and College (academic or
extra-curricular)– Other Training Accomplishments
(academic or extra-curricular)– Volunteer Accomplishments–Work Accomplishments– Other Accomplishments
Career Awareness
• Activities:– High School and College (academic or
extra-curricular)– Other Training Activities (academic or
extra-curricular) – Volunteer Activities–Work Related Activities– Any Other Areas (hobbies, recreation,
clubs, etc
Career Awareness
• Skills:– Used in High School and College
Accomplishments– Used in Other Training Accomplishments– Used in Volunteer Accomplishments– Used in Work Related Accomplishments– Used in Other Areas (hobbies,
recreation, clubs)– Used in Past Work Experiences
Self Assessment
• Transferrable Skills– Leadership– Organization– Sales and Marketing– Decision-making– Self directed – will work independently– Teamwork– Take responsibility
Career Awareness
• Interests: Likes/Dislikes of Accomplishments– School Accomplishments – Likes/Dislikes– Other Training Accomplishments
–Likes/Dislikes – Volunteer Accomplishments –
Likes/Dislikes–Work Related Accomplishments –
Likes/Dislikes– Any Other Areas – Likes/Dislikes
Career Awareness• Values – List/Rank Top 5 in Importance– Such as: dependability, trustworthy,
independence, rural setting, remain on farm
• Review and List Top 5 Skills• Review and List the Top 5 Likes and
Dislikes
• What do you want to do?
Career Action Plan• Rank 5 most important factors
related to the job.
• Challenge• Opportunity for advancement• Training program• Salary• Security• Initial job assignment
Career Action Plan
• Hours per week• Size of the company• Type of industry• Independence of action• Travel• Educational opportunity
Career Action Plan
• Prestige• Work Environment• Co-Workers • Type of boss• Frequency of moves• Job location• Seeing results of job• Others
Career Action Plan
• 5 Most Important Non-Job Factors– Climate– Proximity– Cultural activities– Recreational activities– Spouse’s career opportunity– Type of community
Career Action Plan
– Commuting distance– Frequency of moves– Cost of living– Adult education activities– Public schools– Other (list)
Career Action Plan
• Describe your ideal non-job environment
• Your ideal job and ideal non-job environment make up your desired lifestyle.
From here, you can make more intelligent decisions for where you want to go and how to get there.
Family Resources
• Is there effective communication?• Does the family work and play together?• Is positive self-esteem encouraged?• Is there pride in the family and priority for family
activities?• Does the family act as a support network?• Is there a willingness to accept temporary help
from outsiders?• Is there flexibility in family roles?• How are the problem-solving skills of the family?
Family Resources
Assessing Farm Resources
• Resource Inventory– Capital Resources – accumulated goods
and assets devoted to the production of other goods• Earning capacity• Debt ratio• Cash flow
– Labor and Management Resources
Resource Inventory
Resource
Size (Building/equip.) Amount/No. Value Comments
Cropland Row crops Small grains Pasture Other Livestock Cattle Swine Sheep Other Buildings Livestock Machinery Other Machinery Trucks Tractors Implements Other Labor Family Other Capital Earning capacity Debt ratio Cash flow Other Miscellaneous
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses
You Other 1 Other 2 Needed
SkillsStrength
Weakness
Strength
Weakness
Strength
Weakness
Crop management
Livestock management
Marketing
Purchasing
Mechanical ability Building construction skills
Personnel management
Financial management
Securing resources
Physical endurance
Emotional endurance
Decision making
Accepting risks
Others
Labor Resource RequirementsLabor Resource Allocation by Use Month of the Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
HOURS NEEDED TO COMPLETE TASK
Cropland
Corn
Soybeans
Wheat
Other
Cropland (Total)
Livestock
Cattle
Swine
Other Livestock (Total) Enterprise Totals (Cropland + Livestock
LABOR HOURS AVAILABLE
Month of the Year
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Full-time Labor
Person 1
Person 2
Part-time Labor
Person 1
Person 2
Available Labor (Total of Part and Full)
Excess or Deficit Labor (Subtract available labor from enterprise labor requirements)
Assessing Farm Resources
• Sources of budget information:– Agricultural Marketing Resource Center:
http://www.agmrc.org/• Business Development<Enterprise
Budgeting Tools• Crop Conversion Calculator (link is on above
web site): http://www.tritrainingcenter.org/code/farmselect/
Assessing Farm Resources Exercise
• Client: – 40 year old male, single, teenage son
lives nearby but near college age– Back impairment, limited to lifting 20 lb.– Background in field crops and livestock–Wants to purchase 10 acres to raise and
sell organic produce
Assessing Farm Resources Exercise
• What are the potential labor and volume needs to earn $20,000 per year over production costs?
• How much of each product does he raise?
Alternative Enterprises
• Field crops• Fish and Game• Forest Products• Poultry• Fruits• Horticulture/Nursery• Livestock and Animals• Service and Recreation (Agri-Tourism)
•
Alternative Enterprises
• Resource Information:– National Sustainable Agriculture
Information Service: http://attra.ncat.org– Agricultural Marketing Resource Center:
http://www.agmrc.org– Small Farms Alternative Enterprises:
http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/planning_and_management/budgets.html
Alternative Enterprises
• Missouri Alternatives Center: http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/
• National Agriculture Library: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/altlist.shtml
• Enterprising Ideas for Farmers, Ranchers, and Rural Families with Physical Disabilities
Enterprising Ideas for Farmers, Ranchers, and
Rural Families with Physical Disabilities
• Bed and Breakfast• Dog training• Horse breeding and training• Insurance agency• Real estate sales and appraisal• Wood and metal shop
Enterprising Ideas
• Bee production equipment• Cabinet Making and Woodworking• Small engine repair service• Soil fertility consulting• Seed corn dealership• Grain marketing, commodity brokerage• Llamas• Organic produce
Enterprising Ideas
• Maple syrup food products• Mobile concession stand• Farm drainage and backhoe service• Fish farm and hatchery• Animal cages• Feed supply store • Handmade crafts• Farm implement assembly
Case Study
• Client is 35 years old, married with two children
• Post-traumatic stress syndrome• Lives in a modular home on about 1
acre bordering on a woods with a small stream running behind the house
• Has chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, hogs
• Wants to farm on a larger scale
Case Study
• VR authorization to develop a business plan to farm
• Client visit– Learn about family, what he wants to do– Present VR small business enterprise
program and the required business plan and cash flow
– Learn where the land to farm is coming from
– Learn all the livestock he wants to raise
Case Study
• Client visit– Learn what he knows about livestock
production– Run some rough financial projections on
cattle and hog production– Learn how he intends to market the
livestock– Project volume sales for desired income– Leave instructions for information needed
for the business plan and cash flow
Case Study
• Communicate by e-mail and telephone• Client decides that he cannot deal with the
stress of marketing and handling the number of dollars required for the projected farming operation
• Changes the farming operation to contract livestock production
• Still cannot handle the stress from the dollar amounts
Case Study
• Third business plan and cash flow–Wildlife control business• Fewer dollars involved – less stress• Has always hunted and trapped• Had some of the equipment already
for the business• Authorized and funded by VR• Business started and operating
Questions