What is a career?

What does it really mean to make a career? Is it to advance within the company's hierarchy? To earn a lot of money? To create something of value? Perhaps to get more responsibility? Or just feel that you like your job? There are as many answers as there are people with jobs.

At Wikipedia the definition of a career is:

"A career is mostly seen as a course of successive situations that make up a person's occupation. One can have a sporting career or a musical career without being a professional athlete or musician, but most frequently "career" in the 20th century referenced the series of jobs or positions by which one earned one's money. A person's worth is often measured by the career success or failings"

I believe that we nowadays have a broader interpretation of the concept. One can advance both horizontally as well as vertically within an organization. Even if the desire to make a career often is seen as something evident it is more about the importance of the work enhancing life, it should be self-developing and not the least a pleasure! It is also about reaching a balance between the professional life and the personal life.

Personally I see my career as a journey where the goal is to:

• Reach my full potential


• Continously develop my competence


• Grasp all opportunities and make the best out of them


• Reach my goals


• Feel that I am having fun along the way

THIS is what a successful career is for me!

What does career mean to you? Please write and share!

It doesn't get any easier...

Easy peasy:



A bit of wisdom found on the Internet. Liberating in all its simplicity.

Spacewalk for Christer Fuglesang

Christer Fuglesang is the first Swedish austronaut and he's currently circling around the globe far far above us in space on the International Space Station. This is Fuglesangs second trip, the first one being in December 2006.

Back then I was really hooked to the whole thing. I was constantly logged into the NASA webtv-site and could both hear and see live what they were up to. The most interesting part was when Christer Fuglesang went on his spacewalks and I could actually hear his com-radio as he completed his mission (he even threw in some Swedish probably as a treat to us fellow countrymen :)). Who could have believed even ten years ago that this would be possible?

Well, if you missed it in 2006, you will get another chance. Tonight, that is Thursday at 23.13 (Swedish time) Fuglesang will commence his 6 hours and 30 m minute spacewalk. I don't know about you but I will certainly see some of it!

* NASA TV

* Fuglesang on Twitter

* Fuglesang - official website

PmPrepCast

I have as of today watched the first 36 episodes of the PMPrepCast (the video podcast helping me for the PMP exam). The nice green color represents finished episodes, and though it might not be easy to see, it also states that I have successfully managed to keep my deadline of watching all the episodes on the first page in August. Phew! Just made it.

36 down, 81 to go! :)

Funny Friday

Here's a friday treat for all the gamers out there, well and everyone else btw. Enjoy!

Scholarships for unemployed Project Managers

ESI International has started a scholarship fond aimed at unemployed Project Managers in the EES countries. The fund contains over 3 million Swedish crowns and applications are to be sent in between 1st of September until December 31 (or until the fund is emptied).

The aim of the scholarship is to cover the larger part of the cost for up to 3 educational courses for the successfull candidates, thus improving their chances to receive employment.

More information can be found at the Swedish PMI Chapter, and at the ESI webpage. (Unfortunately all the information is in Swedish, but I will try to dig up some english pages)

PMP Study Materials

Ok, so I have decided to pass the PMP exam. Easy? Not exactly. The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions to be answered over a 4 hour period. The topics covers a wide range of subjects from the PMBok Guide (shown to the left below), i.e the Project Management Framework in use here. The book itself is, sorry to say it, a snooze. There is no way any sane person can honestly say that they have read it from cover to cover without their eyes drooping. This is a wellknown fact within the pmp community. Instead, the PmBok Guide should be seen as a reference book which you continuously come back to during your studies.

Hence, I need to look elsewhere for material which will make me PMP-exam ready. I have settled for three additional study resources:

* "The PMP Exam - How to Pass on your first Try" - by Andy Crowe. The book is really intuitive and easy to read and understand. The author guides you through the heavy material and gives valuable tips for the actual exam. I can higly recommend it! It also comes with a 2 week trial for a website which offers online preparation exams.

* "The PMPrepCast" - by Cornelius Fichtner. This is a Video Podcast with over 30 hours of material. For me this is a lifesaver on my 3 hour daily commute. I have to date gone through almost 30 episodes and can only give it two thumbs up! Cornelius also hosts a very popular Project Management Podcast which also is very educational for Project Management Professionals.

* "PMP Exam Prep" - by Rita Mulcahy. I haven't bought this book yet, but from what others have said, this is also a must have when it comes to the preparation materials. I will have to get back to you on that one. But I intend to order it any day now from Amazon.

The PMP Exam requires a lot of studying...