Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
My roundup of convention ideas is here.
A big event at many conventions I attend is the portfolio review. Artists bring their portfolios for professionals to review, get commentary on, etc. It's a classic part of many anime cons, and a nice way to give people a professional boost.
So why not take it further?
I talk to a lot of people who are very, very sure of what they can't do in their careers.
They can't be writers. They can't be artists. They can't be travel agents. They have a giant list of can'ts. It's often larger than their cans.
When I talk to such people, I also learned very quickly that the majority of them really have little or no awareness of the career they've given up on. They hear something, read something, or make an assumption, and then kill off their career plans right there.
The only way for you to decide you can't do something is to know how it's actually done.
Continuing my series on Stereotype-fu, let's take a look at another way to deal with stereotypes in the job and career.
I should note that I'm talking about the more innocent (or stupid) ones – not the nasty, negative stereotypes that we all know a bit to well – those that judge people by ethnicity, or gender, region of borth etc. Those are areas outside the scope of what I'm discussing.
So when you're afraid you're being affected by stereotypes in your workplace, on an interview, etc. another tool is a sense of humor.