Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 2 3 FEMA grants target emergency response ree emergency service departments in Maine received a total of $2.7 million in federal grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Fiscal Year 2022 Assistance to Firefighters Grants were awarded to Stoneham Rescue Service, who received $126,127 to purchase new power cot and lift systems, and Farmington Fire Department, who received $71,429 to purchase a new breathing air compressor and fill station. e Augusta Fire Department received a Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response grant of $2.5 million to hire eight new firefighters. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N University of Maine at Farmington biology professor Timothy Breton re- ceived a National Science Foundation research grant for $551,599 to fund a three-year project for college and early college student research on a new hor- mone system on hormone receptors. PLEASE HELP MAUI T H E M A U I S T R O N G F U N D U S E S 1 0 0 % O F D O N A T I O N S T O M E E T C O M M U N I T Y N E E D S Please support our friends at Hawaii Business Magazine in raising funds to help the survivors of one of the deadliest wildres in U.S. history. Maui Strong is a nonpro t fund that quickly deploys food, medicine, housing and other essentials to the survivors of the devastating wild res on Maui and those le• jobless. To donate, use the QR code below or go to Bit.ly/Maui-strong Maui's 'ohana is grateful for your support! ASK ACE A n s w e r e d b y H o l l y S m e v o g , H M S C a r e e r C o a c h i n g The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Q: I am early on in my career and my job is good. How do I plan for my future professionally to maximize my potential? ACE Advises: You cannot underestimate the value of job satisfaction. If you have it today, that's great! Job satis- faction will fluctuate as you get comfortable with the chal- lenges and learn the ropes. The best practice is to crush it in your job today while regularly setting aside some time in your schedule to imagine your future and take even small actions to create a foundation for growth. Your career possibilities depend first on your knowledge, skills and training. What you can do makes up a big part of your career value. Take stock in what you are good at, but don't stop there. See where your skills overlap your inter- ests and consider what skills you want to improve. Assess- ments support this process. How do we end up following certain paths, sometimes ran- dom, sometimes planned? If you are just joining the job mar- ket and hoping to save money, you might choose a job for the salary even if it's not in the industry you want or using the skills you're most passionate about. When you're planning for the future, take a good look at what is important to you, because your values will be the ultimate driver of the future decisions you will make. People, people, people. Whether you use LinkedIn, get together with people in person, or interact on social media, keep it up. Don't drop the connections you reached out to when you were looking for a job. Put a regular reminder in your calendar to make a note of any new connections, reach out to a few people from the past, and engage with curiosity about others' work. Relationships will matter for opening doors. The secret formula to successful career planning: build- ing skills, assessing your priorities and interacting with peo- ple and businesses. Top that with a positive, growth mind- set, and you are off and running! Holly Smevog, an ACE member, is a career coach with Portland-based HMS Career Coaching. She is past president of the Maine Career Development Association and currently serves on its board. She is also a member of the International Coaching Federation. She can be reached at holly@hmscareercoaching.com C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N

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