Why is your career so important? 

As humans, we are meant to grow.

Your career is one of your greatest financial and personal growth vehicles. If strategized well, it can make the difference between an impactful and deeply fulfilled life or one of mediocrity, depression, and continuous challenges. How do you start? Become the Driver and not the Passenger of your career.

My story.

I started Career5 for 2 personal reasons:

1) A unique educational perspective. My sister and I were the first people to graduate from college in our family, so navigating through my college and career growth had been a bit of a challenge and I wanted to make that easier for others. I also married into a family of Ivy League graduates which showed me how many doors could be opened in that world versus just having a state college degree...though, ultimately, success is determined by one's drive, not degree.

2) A life-changing event. My husband sadly ended his life after his company went bankrupt and he lost his purpose in his work and life, leaving my five-year-old son without a father, and me, a widow at the age of 35. And, strangely, when this happened, so many people came forward to share similar stories of their loved ones. It really shows how important our work can feel to us, especially since we spend the majority of our day working. Suicide is on the rise for the younger and older population, but especially for men. Without purpose, life can feel meaningless. I want you to find meaning in whatever work you do.

Your work is not your life...your job is not who you are. However, your work can- if unchecked, cause significant undue stress to you and your loved ones.  This is where I find that humans often stay in a significantly bad situation far too long because they are too afraid to make the change needed to get out of it.

But, with a little bravery and some professional career help, your career can actually be a fantastic personal and financial growth vehicle on this journey of your career and life, often bringing in far more resources than you could imagine (salary, paid education, financial acumen, etc.). You'd be surprised how much you can apply leadership, financial, and agile operations frameworks to your family life.  I know a couple that lean-six-sigma'd their household to get it running like a well-oiled machine with 4 kids while they worked in leadership roles.

If you fail or stumble upon a career hiccup, which you most likely will at some point in your life, you will find a new place to start over.  You will find a new role. It happens. I truly believe we grow from hardships, and when one door closes, another always opens. I have seen that time and time again after working with 1,000+ people to help them move forward in their careers.

If your work is taking over your personal happiness, your life, your relationships... find another job/path/career. Life is too short.

Think like a consultant at work from this point forward.

We have a choice every day to let happenstance take over our work and home lives or to drive it with meaning and intention. Being the driver of your career means treating it like a business and using a consultative mindset... be more than just a person who gets a paycheck every week- be a consultant who thinks of ways to grow companies and is paid fairly for that with a value-based salary.

In exchange, this experience helps grow your abilities, proven track record, salary, and ultimately your career. That's when true synergy happens. That's when any job aligned with your top strengths is your "dream job". So from this point forward, think of your career as "YOU, Inc.", give it a mission, and take on an intrapreneur mindset.

Find a meaningful philosophy and positive mindset to navigate through this life.

We live in a world full of information and constant stimuli, making it difficult to focus and actualize goals that are truly important in our lives and just simply enjoy the now.  Career5's research has shown that creating focus (daily journaling, meditation, exercising, etc.) combined with a leadership mindset can make a huge difference in sifting through what life throws at you daily. We are big fans of Stoicism. Stoicism provided a framework for dealing with the stresses of daily life for Marcus Aurelius, one of the great leaders of the Roman Empire. There are hardships in life and stoicism acknowledges that and creates a framework to move through it.

Used today, it is designed to make us more resilient, happier, more virtuous, and wiser–and as a result, better people, parents, and professionals.  According to Ryan Holiday's Daily Stoic blog, stoicism has been practiced by some of history’s greatest leaders (kings, presidents, artists, writers, and entrepreneurs. Frederick the Great, Montaigne, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Theodore Roosevelt, General James Mattis, Admiral James Stockdale, etc.). Its teachings are incorporated into the Career5 framework.

Invest in Career5 as part of your career growth strategy. The ROI is priceless.

Simply put...we have a framework to make all of this easier for you. Let us guide you step-by-step through your career growth, job searches, and salary negotiations with our programs so you can focus, instead, on effectively landing the best offers and making a positive impact in your life and the lives of others. All packages were built to have a 2X-10X ROI when investing in our services through better salaries, expedited job searches, and faster career growth.

Life is short. Don't wait another day to make the changes needed to have the life you want.

You have nothing to lose by investing in your growth and taking the chance to become the absolute best version of yourself.... and everything to lose by doing nothing. All you have to do is believe in yourself and be you in the process. You've got this! We're here for you!

I wish you the best,

Aimee Marcelo
Career5 Founder