A little Bit on Career Counseling....and a bit on Iowa: a true story

Some years ago, 1981 or so, I owned a small computer store in Minneapolis. Those were the days of the TI994a, and the introduction of the Apple II etc, when prices and models were changing daily...Very stressful times indeed, and I was hoping to sell my business and find something else...but what?

A friend of mine, Mike Wraneshay, who then worked at Minnesota Federal, knew a psychologist, Tom Vessey, who was also by the way the team psychologist for the Minnesota Vikings, and was just creating his practice in the IDS building downtown...and suggested I contact him...and I did...Our family had a long tradition of never seeking anything but tax or religious advice, so this was reaching up....but my experience was to be a key moment for me.

After taking a couple of tests, we met for a follow up interview in his office...He explained to me that yes these tests might have been taken earlier in life, but in addition to the resulting score, it takes a session reviewing what the test means for the person that can make the difference...

The first thing he asked me to do was imagine the job that I was seeking....what did it look like? He then suggested that there was an old Testament text that described a tree in a courtyard that grew and flourished with the seasons over a long time...and that the atmosphere of nurture and growth was what I should look for....

Then he asked about "Where"...where do you want to work...I replied that I had a job interview in Iowa...Iowa City at an ag firm as an underwriter of loans....and also one in Madison, Wisconsin for a stockbroker....After a long pause, Tom said, "Imagine that you are visiting in a coffee shop in Iowa with the locals....what will you be talking about?"

After a pause, I replied, " I can't imagine what we would have in common at all." "Yes" he said....and I said"I think I will cancel the appointment."

We then went over my appointment in Madison, Wisconsin, and then to one also in Chicago for the stockbroker position. One of the flags in my profile was an index called the "sensitivity index".....It was quite high, and he pointed it out at the onset.

"Some folks call this the sensitivity index, but it really is the "creativity index". Your employer knows that you have this, and they are expecting that you will bring it to the table on the job....so when and if you are asked the tough questions in the job interview, be prepared to respond with that creativity. Then we reviewed the profile of the guy that was interviewing me and what I could expect.

Yes I went on to a short career with E.F. Hutton, but more importantly, I found a fun hobby that has grown over the years with new technical strategies and new instructors via web based learning...

And so when you might ask what my best investment was? It was the $250 or so that I spent for the services of Tom Vessey......what a wonderful bargain.