Early Career: 20s-30sAnn Brody2019-01-14T15:46:18-06:00

Early Career

young male early career development

Tom – Mid 20s

What happens when you reach a turning point in your career? What if you have been in a field for ten years and feel an urge to change? Tom reached that stage at the tender age of 25. He started as a child actor, received a degree in drama and worked in the theater as an adult. Then he realized he needed a change. Tom wanted to use his creativity, but he also wanted to move into a field that had more practical promise.

Tom took the Highlands Ability Battery, included in the Career Jumpstart coaching package, and he wasn’t advised to be an accountant. Instead, he found out that he was in the right arena, but that he wasn’t using all of his abilities to best advantage. He discovered that he had the ability to solve problems in a well thought-out, logical manner and that he had an innate sense of how relationships work in the real world. These abilities, along with musical abilities, an eye for detail and a high vocabulary, all pointed to the role of a person who wants to write and direct productions rather than act in them.

Determined to put this knowledge to use, Tom applied to several film schools, was accepted by the University of Southern California, and has received a Master of Fine Arts degree in film production. Tom has found an agent and written a screenplay which is being considered by a major film company.

“The HAB isn’t something you can bluff your way through. It’s measurable and to me the objectivity of it makes it very powerful. The depth that the Highlands provides is extraordinary.”

midlife transition, work-life balance, career strategies for older workers, work satisfaction

Mark – Mid 30s

Two years ago, Mark found himself in a dilemma familiar to many people in today’s work world. He was working for an international computer company. After 10 years with this company, he began to question whether his personal goals and the goals of the company were in sync.

Mark signed up for the Career Jumpstart coaching program, including the Highlands Ability Battery and three additional hours of coaching, and discovered that “I was doing the right kind of work, but in the wrong environment for me. My innate abilities revolve around creative problem solving, strategic thinking, and written and verbal communications. I’m a big extrovert and I place a very high value on building long term, added-value relationships. I really like creative approaches to solving problems.”

Mark is now with another high tech company in sales, but he feels the fit is much more in line with his vision of himself and his career goals. “We are a younger, entrepreneurial company. I am able to structure programs and solutions for my clients using my innate creative skills. My clients are happy, and I get to play from my strengths.”

“I put all this time into getting a degree in a career field and then realized it’s not what I want to do. That’s a hard place to be. Then I took the Highlands and it gave me reassurance that I had all these other options to choose from.”

midlife transition, work-life balance, career strategies for older workers, work satisfaction

Laura – Mid 30s

Three years ago Laura, then 29, worked at Fortune 500 account for an international ad agency– and she was “miserable.”

“Advertising agency work was interesting, fast paced and lucrative. But the more I moved up in the hierarchy, the less I liked it. The research and problem solving used my abilities, but I just couldn’t stand the politics.”

“My view of careers was very limited. People in my family were lawyers, doctors, accountants and a few musicians. I signed up for the Career Jumpstart coaching package, including the Highlands Ability Battery and three additional hours of coaching, because I knew I wanted something different but didn’t have a clue about how to get there. I was dead stuck.”

“The first thing coaching did was give me incentive to think long and hard about what I really wanted to do. I have always loved history and research. My true passion is genealogy– the study of a person’s origins. I had traced my family’s and other relatives’ roots for years. It had never crossed my mind that I could combine these interests and fascinations into a career.”

“I volunteered to teach a weekend workshop on genealogy. A participant in the workshop came from the Disney Institute. She told me that Disney had been thinking of offering genealogy programs at its new resort. We set up a meeting and within a matter of weeks, Disney offered me a position as the Managing Instructor.”

“I cannot tell you what it is like to be here! Everyone here loves her work, whether the work is teaching culinary arts, rock climbing or storytelling. It is a very supportive and stimulating setting.”

“I am very glad I took the assessment and have recommended it to several people. The one-on-one was excellent and very much appreciated. “

Don Eisenhauer

Ann introduced me to the Five O’Clock Club as well as a battery of personal and professional testing mechanisms. She is a great listener and knows how to pin-point your challenge/problem/frustration. Ann recreates your confidence and sense of direction while looking out more than just 6 months. I often re-read my test scores, our notes together and her lists of readings. I highly recommend Ann Brody. My wife, a college educator, had great success with Ann’s methodologies too.

Don Eisenhauer

Allscripts Outcome Executive Associate

Danielle Henderson

Ann has been an invaluable career coach to me, my husband and one of our closest friends. I’d recommend her and her processes to anyone looking to get some clarity on the next steps in their career. She inspires trust, helps you build confidence that you can make a productive change, and was really a joy to work with in every way. She is also knowledgeable and creative — a great coach!

Danielle Henderson

Account Executive - Veeva Systems

Elizabeth Wiggs Maas

Ann helped me through a very difficult time this past year when I found myself new to Chicago, and without a job. Together we explored my unique strengths and by the end of my sessions with her, I was able to confidently choose a path for myself to follow. I learned things about myself and my skills that I never knew before, and the result was that I ended up taking a chance in my career that has paid off very well. The best part about my work with Ann was getting so much more insight into myself and the way I work – I’d recommend her to anyone who’s feeling unfulfilled in his or her current position!

Elizabeth Wiggs Maas

Marketing at Fairlife, LLC

Dan McMahon

I have worked with Ann on and off for over 5 years. Throughout my relationship with Ann as an independent and objective career advisor, Ann has offered valued advice that has been integral to my ability to navigate the complex corporate world.

I highly recommend Ann to anyone who feels the need to seek advice from an independent objective source on dealing with the issues employees are faced with, which can at times be complex given the current economic environment.

Dan McMahon

Business Growth Advisor at Integrated Growth Advisors

James P. Moorhead

Ann has been a career mentor since 2011, when I took the Highlands testing. I would highly recommend Ann’s services – she provides thoughtful and detailed career guidance, has in-depth experience and background from which to draw advice, and is a steady mentor at each step of the way.

James P. Moorhead

John Briggs

Ann has provided coaching to both of my sons — each at crossroads in their academic and educational choices. One son was midway through college and was second-guessing his choice of major/feild, etc. Ann was able to determine his core strengths and weakenesses, and steered him back to his original plan — and even provided him with a few options he had never considered. My other son, still at the high school level, was wrestling through the choices of majors, and Ann was able to highlight his strengths, giving him confidence that he could be successful regardless of his choice. I’m really glad we involved Ann in this process.

John Briggs

Director, Creative Network at AbbVie

Jon Rappoport

When I first met Ann some years ago, I was quite unsure of myself and frankly, too hard on myself for not having “figured it out.”

With the impact of her invaluable coaching having had a lasting effect on my decisions and successes to this day, Ann helped me to realize the unique and innate potential and purpose within myself. Her warmth, her intelligence, her support and her expertise are a huge part of the trajectory on which I still find myself growing, learning and pursuing the passions which continue to unfold before my eyes.

I will always look back on our time working together with fondness and appreciation, and as life — both personally and professionally — continues to be a revealing journey, I am bolstered by the knowledge that Ann and her talent as a career coach is just a phone call away.

Jon Rappoport

Strategist, Consultant and Chief Fig (Facilitator + Idea Generator)

Marie Theiss

Ann is one of the most intuitive, personable, and balanced professionals I know. I’m so glad to have connected with her. She’s helped me over the years with formulating my business strategy, identifying areas that are important to me and creating a fulfilling professional and personal life. Ann is so intuitive and looks for a holistic approach that satisfies so many angles. She helped me strike a balance between capitalizing on running my business, giving my attention to my philanthropic work, and maintaining a sense of calm during hectic and challenging periods of life. She is a gem, she’s funny and is such a valuable person in my life. I am so proud to recommend her here, and have been doing so to my personal and professional friends.

Marie Theiss

Independent Instructional Designer