U.S. News and World Report has named mediation one of the best careers for 2009, commenting about its potential even in an economic downturn. And while tooting mediation’s horn, they also offer a dose of realism to go with the ranking.
Says U.S. News in Best Careers 2009: Mediator,
“The problem is that there are more mediators than there are mediation jobs. In part, this is because the barriers to entry are so low—most mediators are required only to complete a 30-to-40-hour training course.
The oversupply means that most mediators do not earn a middle-class income for one to five years. And even to do that, a mediator must embrace marketing by establishing a niche—disputes among postal workers, people of different races, parents and teens, or even participants in the online world “Second Life.” Until mediators develop a reputation, they must schmooze with potential referral sources, write articles or give talks on mediation, perhaps blog or create a YouTube video, and certainly find well-connected champions willing to recommend them. Ironically, success may be more likely in a slow economy as people and businesses seek lower-cost alternatives to attorneys to solve their disputes.
If you have the gift for establishing trust, generating creative solutions, calming angry disputants, and staying calm amid ambiguity and dissembling, and are willing and able to market yourself, mediation can be a win-win career (emphasis added) for both you and your clients.”
Hat tip to Nan Starr for forwarding me the link.
And hat tips to all of you who wondered about my silence here and checked in with me. The ice storm that devastated southern New Hampshire and left 430,000 without power or phone in sub-zero weather smacked us around, too. We’re still without power a week later and count the little daily blessings that are our neighbors, our electrician, our plumber, our friends, and our community. And a special nod to all those power line workers who left their daily lives in other states to come help us. Happy holidays to you all.
Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MediatorTech.com.
