Making Career Decisions Through Enterprising Ideas

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Making Career DecisionsThroughEnterprising Ideas

• Stephen J. Swain, ATP
• Rural Rehabilitation Specialist
• Breaking New Ground Outreach Program

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Session Overview

• The Professionals Responsibilities
• Career Decision Map
• Decision Process
• Personal Information
• Self-Assessment
• Action Plan
• Identifying Resources
• Alternative Enterprises

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The Professionals 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

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Career Decision Roadmap
Past Work Experience skills, abilities, training,
interest, values
Transitions college, economy, family...
Change farming enterprise expand, new,
different...
Crossroads
Continue current farming or career path
Additional training or education
Take part-time job
Begin new enterprise
Lifelong learning
Begin career with new skills and
qualifications
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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?
  ________________

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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

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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)

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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Personal Information

• Check any of the following that you need more
  information on
• ___Government programs ___Handling utility bills
• ___Food stamps ___Veterans benefits
• ___FHA, VR, or other mortgage information
• ___Social Security benefits
• ___Retirement planning
• ___Investment counseling
• ___Medical counseling ___Stress counseling
• ___Family counseling ___Legal counseling
• ___Other________________________________

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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?

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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

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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

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Self Assessment

• Agricultural Mechanics
• Agricultural Equipment Maintenance
• Small Engines
• Buildings
• Concrete
• Electricity
• Hand Tools
• Miscellaneous Tools

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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?

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Career Awareness

• Background
• Fathers occupation
• Fathers highest level of education
• Mothers occupation
• Mothers highest level of education
• Number of moves your family made
• Types of communities in which you lived.
• ___Rural ___Suburban ___Metropolitan

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Career Awareness

• Accomplishments
• High School and College (academic or
  extra-curricular)
• Other Training Accomplishments (academic or
  extra-curricular)
• Volunteer Accomplishments
• Work Accomplishments
• Other Accomplishments

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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

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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

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Self Assessment

• Transferrable Skills
• Leadership
• Organization
• Sales and Marketing
• Decision-making
• Self directed will work independently
• Teamwork
• Take responsibility

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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

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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?

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Career Action Plan

• Rank 5 most important factors related to the job.
• Challenge
• Opportunity for advancement
• Training program
• Salary
• Security
• Initial job assignment

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Career Action Plan

• Hours per week
• Size of the company
• Type of industry
• Independence of action
• Travel
• Educational opportunity

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Career Action Plan

• Prestige
• Work Environment
• Co-Workers
• Type of boss
• Frequency of moves
• Job location
• Seeing results of job
• Others

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Career Action Plan

• 5 Most Important Non-Job Factors
• Climate
• Proximity
• Cultural activities
• Recreational activities
• Spouses career opportunity
• Type of community

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Career Action Plan

• Commuting distance
• Frequency of moves
• Cost of living
• Adult education activities
• Public schools
• Other (list)

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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.

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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?

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Family Resources
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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

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Resource Inventory 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        
   
   
         
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Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses
  You   Other 1   Other 2   Needed
Skills Strength 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              
               
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Labor Resource Requirements Labor Resource Requirements Labor Resource Requirements Labor Resource Requirements Labor Resource Requirements Labor Resource Requirements
Labor Resource Allocation by Use Labor Resource Allocation by Use Labor Resource Allocation by Use Labor Resource Allocation by Use                    
            Month of the Year Month of the Year Month of the Year          
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

HOURS NEEDED TO COMPLETE TASK HOURS NEEDED TO COMPLETE TASK HOURS NEEDED TO COMPLETE TASK HOURS NEEDED TO COMPLETE TASK HOURS NEEDED TO COMPLETE TASK                  

Cropland Cropland
Corn                          
Soybeans                          
Wheat                          
Other                          
Cropland (Total)                          

Livestock Livestock
Cattle                          
Swine                          
Other                          
Livestock (Total)                          
Enterprise Totals (Cropland Livestock                          
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LABOR HOURS AVAILABLE LABOR HOURS AVAILABLE LABOR HOURS AVAILABLE LABOR HOURS AVAILABLE LABOR HOURS AVAILABLE
Month of the Year Month of the Year Month of the Year
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

Full-time Labor Full-time Labor Full-time Labor
Person 1                          
Person 2                          

Part-time Labor Part-time Labor 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)                          
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Assessing Farm Resources

• Sources of budget information
• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
  http//www.agmrc.org/
• Business DevelopmentltEnterprise Budgeting Tools
• Crop Conversion Calculator (link is on above web
  site) http//www.tritrainingcenter.org/code/farms
  elect/

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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

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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?

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Alternative Enterprises

• Field crops
• Fish and Game
• Forest Products
• Poultry
• Fruits
• Horticulture/Nursery
• Livestock and Animals
• Service and Recreation (Agri-Tourism)

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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_manage
  ment/budgets.html

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Alternative Enterprises

• Missouri Alternatives Center http//agebb.missour
  i.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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Questions