Apr 29

Forensic Degree Opportunities Online

Career Management Articles 1 Comment »

An accredited online education in forensics can open a world of opportunities for students interested in this career field. The field of forensics includes specialized areas such as forensic nursing, DNA, chemistry, toxicology, and much more. Students looking to obtain the education necessary to start a career in forensics can do so from the comforts and leisure of home with an online school or college. Students can pursue an associates, bachelors, or masters level degree as well as certificates from a number of online educational institutes.

A certificate in forensics will allow students with prior educational training in the field to further their knowledge and skills. Certificates can be obtained in areas like forensic accounting, investigation, nursing, consulting, and much more. Subjects of study will depend on the specific area of certification but may include computers, math, biology, forensic psychology, and other courses. Those with a degree in the field can increase their career training by enrolling in an accredited online certificate program.

With an accredited online associates degree program students will have the opportunity to learn a variety of subjects including math, physics, psychology, criminal justice, computer science, biology, criminal investigation, and more. Students seeking a degree at this level should expect to spend around two years to complete their studies. With an associates degree in forensics graduates will be able to pursue careers in government agencies, police departments, forensic laboratories, and other agencies. The knowledge and skills obtained will prepare students for employment positions as forensic laboratory technicians, coroner assistants, evidence custodians, and forensic laboratory assistants. An associate’s degree will prepare students to further their education with studies at a bachelor’s degree level.

There are various educational programs that offer forensic training at a bachelor’s degree level. With a degree at this level specific areas of study can be chosen including forensic biology, crime scene investigation, and much more. Students will prepare for a number of career prospects in the field while studying subjects such as biology, organic chemistry, forensic science fundamentals, and physics. Specific coursework will vary depending on the chosen area of specialization. A bachelor’s degree will allow students to pursue careers as DNA database scientists, latent print examiners, crime laboratory technicians, law enforcement officers, and other related professions. With an accredited bachelors degree students can further their education and career opportunities by enrolling in a Master of Science in Forensic Science.

Various accredited schools and colleges offer career training at a master’s degree level in forensics. With a masters level degree students can prepare for careers in cyber crime, criminalistics, molecular biology, and more. An accredited online school will provide students with the skills to obtain careers as medical examiners, crime scene examiners, crime laboratory analysts, and forensic engineers. Curriculum may include the study of forensic psychology, crime scene procedures, chemistry, general sciences, and other relevant coursework. An advanced degree in the field of forensics can provide students with the knowledge to start the career they desire.

Accredited online educational programs allow students to obtain the necessary training to pursue the forensic career of their dreams. With educational options available from a certificate to a masters degree students will find the online career program that’s right for them. By researching the available certificate and degree programs that best fit your needs and interests, and requesting more information you can start the path to an exciting career today.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Tagged with: • • •
Apr 29

Becoming a Contractor Changed My Life Forever

Career Management Articles No Comments »

I started working as a carpenter when I was young and by the time I was 25 years old, had my contractor’s license. I didn’t know if I was ever going to be a building contractor, but my dad told me to give it a shot. He said that I would regret not having it, if the right opportunity ever came along. He was right, but I only realized that years later.

When I worked as a framing carpenter, but there was a limit to how much money I could actually make in one day. If I could build three sets of stairs each day and they paid $65 per set to install, that would only give me $195 for one day’s work.

I didn’t understand this concept until I actually started hiring people to help me work on my projects. It never seemed like I made very much money off of my employees. There were actually times when my employees cost me more money than I made using them.

I eventually figured it out and it wasn’t long, before I was making over $1000 each day as a framing contractor, working for a general contractor. I didn’t make this much money every day, but there were a lot of days, that I made a lot of money, but by God I was working harder than anyone I had working for me. I was also putting in 12 to 16 hours each day.

I thought I was going to have to work every single day in construction for the rest of my life, just to pay my bills and save up a few dollars, so that I could put my kids through college and retire comfortably. When I became a contractor, things changed and pretty soon I was able to start taking days off during the week.

I never could envision taking a day off during the week, but once I started to do this, my life seemed to change for the better. By becoming a contractor, I was able to make more money, take more time off and live a higher quality of life than I ever imagined. If you’re working in the construction industry and you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance that you would like to have a higher quality of life, retire early, put your kids through college or make enough money so that you could take one year off and do whatever you please.

I’m not retired I haven’t put all of my kids through college yet but my life as a contractor has allowed me to take enough time off, to write a couple of books and build some great websites. In other words, I got to do what I really wanted to do and you can too.

I’m not saying that contracting will affect your life the same as it affected my life, but if you’re willing to give it a shot, I wish you the best of luck and more success than any other contractor before you.

Tagged with: • • •
Apr 28

Property Management Career – How to success

Career Management Articles No Comments »

Are you by chance a career in property management? Wait, this article is for you.

Management has a very long way. Retail Management and sports executives are aware of the areas of career management, which are quite popular. There are, however, another branch of management known as a nice property. Some people take it like a fish in water. These are the peoplewho have a definite aptitude for managing a property. As with any other career, there are certain pre-requisites, certain qualities that are essential to posses to make a success of this career. For an aspirant to this branch of career, if you have a thorough knowledge of the skills required to manage property and also exactly what duties are involved in such a career, your choice of a career in this management of property would definitely prove correct.

First, let's see, what makes a good manager characterized as a great manager. First, you must feel for the leadership, because leaders are essentially the leader. He belongs to the category of people to lead others and not as people follow the leader. A great manager is a great motivator. He knows how to get the best employees. He also knows the importance of job satisfaction for employees. Completely sure of the basic skills of a large twoManagers are leadership and motivation.

In addition to these, as regards the management of the property, then you must also have the people skills-oriented, in other words, public relations skills. They are required to work with tenants as Property Manager on the day after day. You will be in the case of contact problems. Solve their problems is an essential part of a process of property managers. Need a Property Manager is not only the interaction with tenants,but also with employees, maintenance workers and, last but not least, with the owners. Good communication skills will be in good stead this.

A hotel manager is fully responsible for the management of the business establishment or building without a hitch. Have you visited to get to maintenance problems as quickly as possible by employees. Will also be presented in advertising and empty apartments in the building. Your task will beall the applications process and track credit checks.

Tagged with: • • •
Apr 27

Restaurant Management – Online Career Prospects

Career Management Articles No Comments »

At some point everyone has gone to a restaurant that had lousy food, horrible service, and an uncomfortable environment. Most individuals remember a bad restaurant and will never go back. When a person has a good experience at a restaurant its remembered and they tell their friends about it. However, in these scenarios no one usually thinks about who makes it a good experience. The men and women who make this happen are the managers and team leaders at your favorite restaurants. Many accredited online schools offer degree distinctions in restaurant management for the interested individual.

Let’s look at what restaurant managers’ duties are to gain a better understanding of what a career is like within the field. An individual who works in this capacity is in charge of the day-to-day functions and operations of a restaurant. A restaurant in regards to this career is any establishment that prepares and serves food and beverages to consumers. In a management position a professional will oversee all activities in the kitchen, dining room, and banquet room if applicable. Other responsibilities include establishing a positive relationship with costumers, creating an appealing menu with a lot of options, recording and ordering inventory and making sure the restaurant is maintained and sanitary. Another aspect of the job is functioning as the restaurants human resource department, which includes hiring, training, conducting staff evaluations, and firing staff if necessary.

Prospective students to this industry will learn the ins and outs of the above responsibilities through numerous courses, which all can be taken online through a number of different degree programs. Students who earn a degree in this field can work in virtually any restaurant. Career prospects include a wide range of places that prospective students may not have considered a possibility. With a variety of concentrations available for study students can train be a manager in a restaurant, become a hospitality manager, and work in restaurant destinations under travel and tourism.

Professional restaurant managers typically work around 50 hours a week or more to perform all of their duties. Career prospects in the field usually require certain qualities in a prospective manager that help a student in their pursuit to become a professional within the industry. These qualities are a good checklist for prospective students interested in earning an education in the field. Students should have great communication skills that enable them to motivate their employees to work at their best and in a team. An eye for operation standards is a must. Meaning you must be able to pay close attention to the seating limits, how the restaurant is laid out for safety codes, and one of the most important things not being shy about enforcing the drinking age if the establishment serves alcohol.

Administrative duties also come with the job and being able to perform these duties on top of your other responsibilities is highly beneficial for you as the manager as well as your team of employees. These duties include maintaining employee records, payroll, filling out paperwork for licensing laws, preparing taxes correctly, and adhering to social security laws. Career prospects will require students to have all of these qualities whether an individual works for a resort, a local restaurant, a corporate lounge, or other establishment.

Start your education today by utilizing your managerial skills to establish a career. Search out accredited online degree programs that will adequately prepare you for the work needed to become a restaurant manager.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Tagged with: • • • •
Apr 27

HR Field Guide – 5 Tips For Getting the Most Out of Your Workforce Performance Management System

Career Management Articles No Comments »

Introduction

Workforce performance management (WPM) systems enable organizations to automate and optimize their performance processes and align employee development and goals with corporate objectives. Organizations that have invested in WPM systems cite a number of significant benefits, including: Establishing clear performance expectations for the workforce Standardizing performance processes and practices across the entire organization Aligning employee goals with the strategies and objectives of the organization Facilitating communication of goals, strategies, and core values Ensuring that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner Establishing clearly defined and dynamic career development plans – which can be linked to learning and training – leveraging competencies Supporting pay-for-performance initiatives (when linked with compensation) Enabling objective, company-wide workforce measurement, reporting, and analysis, including regulatory compliance reporting and auditing Here are five critical steps to ensure that you get the most out of your WPM investments.

Tip #1: Calibrate Performance Ratings Across The Organization

Ratings Distribution Management (RDM), also called ratings calibration, provides the ability to calibrate ratings to ensure that the dissemination of performance scores is more consistent across an organization. In a typical diverse, global organization, performance rating scales differ from division to division. RDM ensures that employees are rated consistently and fairly across the entire organization, and as a result, incentives and rewards can be applied more appropriately. RDM also eliminates the age-old problem of managers rating all of their direct employees as 4s or 5s on a five-point scale (often to get a bigger chunk of the bonus pool). It “forces” managers to make oftentimes difficult decisions about the performance of their directs. The resulting ratings calibration typically resembles a bell curve (e.g., few 1s & 2s, many 3s, few 4s & 5s). Key questions to consider when deploying RDM are:

Are the WPM system and associated RDM functionality flexible enough to support different ratings scales and models? For example, different divisions or geographies may have unique ways of managing their performance processes.
Does the WPM system mandate the use of RDM functionality? Ideally, the functionally should be optionally enabled with a simple configuration switch, since the concept of ratings calibration is controversial to some organizations.

Tip #2: Link Performance Processes to Career Development And Learning Management

While the output of the WPM process is a finalized performance review between a manager and his/her direct report, the process also identifies employee skill, competency, and behavior gaps. Along with other forms of self-assessment, as well as 360 feedback (if used within the organization), a clear picture of employee gaps emerge. With this picture in hand, employees are better able to build career development plans that focus on improvement in their current role, better prepare them for a future role of interest, or both. The importance of career development cannot be underestimated. According to a December 2008 survey of global HR leaders conducted by Softscape, fully 97% of HR leaders believe that a systematic career development process positively impacts employee retention and engagement. HR leaders also believe that providing career advancement opportunities as well as dedicated career development planning to employees are the two most important mechanisms for retaining high performers. The final step in the career development planning process is to select educational and training activities as developmental goals in the WPM system to improve skills, competencies, and behaviors. Indeed, many organizations are moving closer to linking career development and learning management. In fact, nearly two-thirds of organizations have tied or plan to tie employee career development planning to learning management in order to facilitate training and course work. A few key questions to consider when linking these various talent management functions are:

Can an employee create a new development plan directly within the performance review process, or, jump directly into his/her existing plan to amend it?
Does the career development process stand on its own as a separate process to enable off-performance review cycle planning?
Is the transition between WPM, career development, and learning management processes seamless to users (e.g., same user interface, look and feel, does not give the user the impression of a disconnected process)?
Is systems integration effort and cost required to tie all these talent functions together, or do the functions all reside on a common technology platform that natively connects them out of the box?
Can you easily run cross-functional reports to identify the impact of career development and learning on employee performance?

Tip #3: Enable Pay-For-Performance To Build A Merit-Based Culture

Programs that align employees’ compensation – merit increases, bonuses, long-term incentives – to their performance have proven to be very effective in driving actual performance. Often called pay-for-performance (P4P), the concept is to build a culture of top performers by aligning goals, performance, and rewards across an entire organization. Motivating, rewarding, and retaining top performers is a key business objective for any company that seeks to successfully maintain or exceed growth expectations. Best-in-class organizations focus on a performance-driven rewards system that compensates individual contributors directly proportionate to what they achieve and what they contribute to the bottom-line. The challenge lies in effectively aligning employee goals with organizational objectives, automating WPM processes, and linking them with complex compensation policies or time-based incentive plans at an enterprise level. P4P and merit-based pay programs – especially those that relate to executives – have received renewed interest lately due to emerging legislative and regulatory compliance pressures stemming from the global financial system crisis. Yet only 36% of organizations have made significant technology investments to automate and improve P4P processes. Clearly, there is an opportunity to both espouse the virtues of a merit-based culture while at the same time working toward becoming compliant as new regulations are put into effect. The latter issue will be particularly important for publically-traded companies. Ideally, a single, centralized HR platform that natively connects all of the required components for P4P is required because it facilitates cross-functional reporting and eliminates the technical challenge and cost of integrating and managing disparate systems. The required pre-integrated components for P4P are:

Workforce Performance Management: Automates and optimizes performance processes and aligns employee development and goals with corporate objectives. WPM enables organizations to plan employee efforts in support of organizational goals and strategic initiatives, and to evaluate outcomes, performance, and core competencies.
Compensation Planning: Simplifies planning, modeling, budgeting, and analysis of compensation policies. Compensation Planning enables organizations to develop and apply consistent compensation plans to all employees.
Incentive Compensation: Motivates employees and manages financial rewards within an organization. Incentive Compensation streamlines incentive policy administration and provides long-term planning for both market- and performance-based plans, as well as variable pay flexibility for individuals, teams, sales, or executives.
Reporting and Auditing: Provides accessible and secure cross-functional compliance reports and audit trails of all transactions related to compensation and performance. Reporting and Auditing aggregates key information to facilitate timely decision making.

Tip #4: Drive Continuous Improvement By Leveraging Workforce Analytics

Traditional transactional reporting and spreadsheet-based tools have been available to HR for many years. Often inflexible, difficult to use, and inaccessible, these tools nevertheless are what HR professionals currently rely on for critical workforce metrics (e.g., employee retention, time-to-hire). But they can hardly be classified as strategic. And given the global economic conditions, HR leaders are under increasing pressure to consistently measure and communicate the impact of their HR programs, especially to secure funding for strategic initiatives. Unfortunately, transactional reporting tools provide little help. Strategic workforce analytics, on the other hand, provide more meaningful methods for measuring HR efficiency and effectiveness. New, pre-integrated technologies have emerged that enable HR professionals to focus more on analysis, insight, and action rather than on data collection and manipulation. For example, what HR leader would not like to know the true impact of learning and training programs on employee performance, or the effect of employee engagement programs on workforce productivity? Part of the challenge facing HR leaders is the fact that data is spread out in various silos across the organization and there is no common employee system of record. A single, fully-connected HR platform that covers the gamut of talent functions including WPM can alleviate some of the problems, since the data is all in one place. And with a robust analytic and reporting function, along with pre-defined metrics, previously unavailable insight can be gained. A few key questions to consider when evaluating approaches to workforce analytics are:

Does the WPM system leverage a robust and industry standard analytics engine which provides interactive graphical displays of all data?
Does the WPM system abstract the complexity out of the analytics engine so that non-technical users can conduct their own analyses via an intuitive, web-based interface?
Is there an ability to compare and relate deep analytical views beyond the WPM system – in other words, across the entire talent management platform – to glean insight into more strategic HR metrics such as the impact of training on employee performance?
Does the analytics system reduce administrative overhead by leveraging the same comprehensive security access rights and rules as the WPM system so that security policies only have to be established once?

Tip #5: Configure, Don’t Customize

The elements of a WPM system must be fully configurable to suit each organization’s unique needs. The sections of a performance management form, such as goals, competencies, and development activities, as well as the number of steps in the process (i.e., workflow), must be selectable by the organization, division, or even geography. Configuration includes which actions can be performed at each step of the process, security controls over who can read or edit the form, and the text of automatic e-mail notification messages. It is important to delineate between configuration and customization because different platforms and technologies tend to favor one approach over the other.

Customization: Making programmatic changes to an application. Customization is a development-centric exercise that extends an application beyond what it was designed to do. Custom code can be useful but also dangerous since it has implications on future upgrades and tends to increase total cost of ownership.
Configuration: Making declarative changes to an application. Configuration entails changing system parameters to affect application change. Configuration is often preferable to customization since it does not jeopardize future upgrades. Advancements in technology have made a pure configuration approach the preferred option for most organizations. Configuration is achieved through parameter-based utilities and wizards that do not require technical programming expertise, thereby providing customers with flexibility and complete control to configure every aspect of the WPM system, including menus, forms, workflows, look-and-feel, and security. The benefits include lower total cost of ownership as well as more seamless future upgrades. A few key questions to consider pertaining to configuration are:

Can non-technical users such as HR administrators leverage configuration tools that do not require technical programming skills or IS/IT involvement?
Do the configuration tools enhance the overall flexibility of the WPM system by providing very granular configuration options, including changes to menus, forms, workflows, look-and-feel, and security?
Do the tools enable rapid deployment of customer-specific requirements and the flexibility to make changes on-the-fly? For example, how easy is it to create a new performance process or adapt an existing one for use in a new division or geography?
Are configurations preserved between WPM system upgrades, thereby reducing the time, effort, and cost of upgrading to new versions?

Conclusion

Your organization has decided to technology-enable your workforce performance management processes, but your journey is just beginning. New business drivers may lead you in one direction, while regulatory compliance issues may mandate another direction. Getting the most out of your investments will take patience and perseverance. The key is to remain flexible and open to the numerous possibilities and benefits that a systematic WPM approach can have on your organization.

To summarize the top five tips for getting the most out of your workforce performance management system:

Calibrate Performance Ratings Across The Organization
Link Performance Processes to Career Development And Learning Management
Enable Pay-For-Performance To Build A Merit-Based Culture
Drive Continuous Improvement By Leveraging Workforce Analytics
Configure, Don’t Customize

Tagged with: • • • •
Apr 27

Computer Science – Online Career Study

Career Management Articles No Comments »

Computers have become an integral part of everyday life that almost every business, organization, and home uses. The way to use a computer is extremely varied leaving the task of creating and maintaining the software up to educated individuals. The specialized knowledge needed to work with computers in this way can be earned through online career study in computer science.

The computer science field is focused on professionals conceiving, creating, and maintaining computer technologies. This overall description of the field can be applied in numerous ways to complete a considerable amount of work. Careers in this field can have individuals working as systems analysts, database administrators, computer scientists, and more. A systems analyst works with current computer systems to maximize their use while integrating new computer capabilities. Professionals perform this task based on the needs of the business they work for. Another possible career for an educated student is a database administrator. A person in this field works with management systems on a computer to make it feasible for large amounts of data to be sorted and accessible on a computer. Professionals work with systems to help them function with as little problems as possible. Online career study can be gained in these areas and more for individuals interested in the field of computer science.

Degree programs through online schools can be gained at the undergraduate level from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree. More specialized study can be earned at the master’s degree and doctorate degree level of education. In most cases students should consider gaining a specialization in the field to make themselves more marketable. A bachelor’s degree is beneficial for students who want to work in a specific area and gain experience before continuing education at the graduate level. Concentrations are also obtainable in a number of areas at the bachelor’s level. It is common for graduate degrees to be more concentrated on one area of the industry. This is the case because many individuals continue education after a few years of experience so they can advance in their career.

Education is highly focused on mathematical ability because of the nature of developing and creating computer programs for a variety of operations. Students will be immersed in the study of algorithms, programming languages, program designs, and the management of databases. Students are able to apply their knowledge to work in computer systems security, database security, emerging media, and more. Undergraduate study focuses on providing students with the necessary knowledge to create programs. Graduate study centers on the ability to perform complex duties directly connected to theory, research, and innovation. Master’s degree holders work in private firms and educational settings. Doctorate degree holders usually take on the role of educator in the field. Students have many options in educational study and career possibilities.

Accredited career study in computer science allows students to prepare for specialized careers and have the necessary knowledge to have flexibility in the industry. Students should consider their options prior to enrolling in an online degree program so they can gain the best possible education in computer science. Doing this ensures a student will reach their personalized career goals.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Tagged with: • • •
Apr 27

Six Tips to Nail Your Interview

Career Management Articles No Comments »

So you have an appointment for an interview. What now? This is one of our most frequently asked questions among our readers. Clients who participate in our job search strategy groups understand exactly what to do in their interviews. Preparing to do well for your interviews starts long before you ever land the first one. You can sign up for our free e-newsletter with helpful tips and information about resumes, job search strategies, interviewing techniques, and salary negotiations on our website.

Here are a few guidelines:

1. Your “pitch” (the way you position yourself) must be air tight and is the key to your search. Your two-minute pitch is the verbal presentation of your resume. It includes a summary of what you have to offer that is aligned with the needs of the organization.

2. Prepare for the interview by doing your homework and prepare intelligent questions.

3. Approach the process as if you were a consultant. Do not assume a passive role in the interview. You should be looking for ways to uncover challenges that you can solve.

4. Know how to handle difficult interview questions.

5. Think through possible objections and know how to effectively handle them.

6. Prepare a thoughtful follow up. Thank you notes do not help move you along the process. Write a thank you note for a networking meeting, but not a job interview. Following a job interview, you should write a well-informed follow up letter to address any objections that might have been raised, and drive home with evidence the reasons you are the best candidate.

Tagged with: • • • •
Apr 27

Get In Career Shape

Career Management Articles No Comments »

Research suggests that as many as 8 out of 10 employed adults are in the wrong job or career! They are in poor career-shape or have little or no career-stamina.

If you are one of the 8 or your goal is to shape up, it is important to have a good understanding of some basic career management principles for a healthy career workout and to help you make the best decisions about your career on a day-by-day basis.

Career Fitness Tips

Here are 10 proven tips to maximize your career-workout:

Set Goals You Know You Can Reach. Keep your goals realistic. Unrealistic goals leave many people feeling like a failure even after a career success. Rather than feeling good about what has been accomplished, many feel dissatisfied because they have not yet attained their dream career. To manage your expectations, set reasonable goals that can be worked on and achieved.

Divide your career goals into manageable pieces. Bite off only what you can chew at any given moment. Resist the urge to multi-task when working on your career goals. If you overdo it and push yourself by trying to accomplish everything at once, you will become discouraged and lose your motivation.

Work On Your Goals One At A Time. Prioritize your career goals and then work to achieve the first one. Continue to tackle each subsequent goal by completing it before starting the next one. Before you know it you will have accomplished all of your career objectives.

Make Modest Changes To Your Work Habits. There are a number of “baby steps” you can take to advance your career. Instead of fantasizing about the perfect career, apply creative thinking and implement a few “quick wins” to boost your career.

Develop A Career Roadmap. A career roadmap helps you find the best route or direction to take to achieve your career objectives. List the actions you will take to ensure an interesting, challenging and rewarding career that uses your best strengths and natural talents.

Increase Your Focus. To stay challenged and to progress towards your ultimate career goal, gradually increase the intensity and focus your efforts as you follow your Career Roadmap.

Make It A “Whole-Person” Experience. Your career is more than just one or a series of jobs. A well-rounded career includes a balance of healthy personal relationships, work, and recreation (fun). To avoid boredom, make sure you include others who have a stake in your career and activities you truly enjoy.

Celebrate. Whenever you achieve a goal, do something nice for yourself. Make sure it’s more than just a pat on the back or verbal acknowledgement; make it worthwhile.

Consult A Career Management Specialist. If you’re serious about advancing your career, hire a professional to help you get the most from your career activities and to motivate you to stick with your plans.

Get A Career Fitness Partner. Find a mentor or colleague who is willing to be your career fitness partner. Choose someone who will motivate and challenge you when you want to quit. Or, form a support group with co-workers who share similar career interests.

As you begin to use these tips, they may at first feel burdensome. However, with a little effort and continued use, they will become second nature.

Tagged with:
Apr 27

Computer Science As a Career Today

Career Management Articles 1 Comment »

All over the world, the Information Technology (IT) industry is considered to be one of most lucrative sectors. The potential of the IT industry is highlighted by the fact that many experts and analysts of the industry believe that the ‘IT bubble’ has burst. They are right, albeit, only relatively i.e. if one compares the current status of the IT industry to the time when it was booming.

Today, the IT industry has an influx of youngsters keen to study specifically designed courses. Furthermore, the shortage of qualified computer science professionals in IT industries across the world has resulted in the youth opting for this sector. The high demand for qualified IT professionals has also resulted in them getting paid high salaries. As per estimates of public and private experts, this industry is expected to only grow in the future.

This is especially true for the developing nations of the world the IT industry is one of the foundations of the economy because of its high growth rate and revenue. Resultantly, the governments of these nations invest huge sums of money to develop all the aspects of this sector, whether it is for making exports easy, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) convenient or encouraging education. This means that the industry not only grows but is also provided with skilled manpower.

What’s more, developed countries are highly dependent on the IT industry. The governments of developed countries have embraced e-governance and business companies rely heavily on e-commerce.

Today, there are many opportunities for a computer science professional in any country, whether developed or developing. The following are some of them:

1. Research:

The industry offers a huge potential for research. New computer science technologies are being launched all the time. The prime example is the speed with which graphics cards and computer paraphernalia become obsolete.

2. Developing Programs, Websites And Backend Setups:

These services are the “creative side” of the IT industry. The demand for these kinds of services is more than ever before. Most of the IT professionals across the world provide these services.

3. Networking:

Networking is a growing field. It is an important facet of computer science. The biggest advantage of the IT industry is the speed and the efficiency with which the work is shared and distributed. Furthermore, there are all types of transactions taking place online these days. These rely on good networking setups.

4. Information System Management:

This type of career role involves a lot of responsibility. It is, however, one of the better paying options for a computer science professional. It does involve management related skills and is not restricted to technical knowledge.

Tagged with: • • •
Apr 27

Valuable Diversions – Financial Freedom and Professional Security Through Career Acts

Career Management Articles No Comments »

A Side Job. Profitable Hobby. Weekend Rock Band. Under the old rules of employment those with multiple sources of income may have been chastised by a spouse, parent, or nosy mother-in-law for “not having a professional focus” , “not being serious about your job” , “not sticking with it”, and “being too distracted”.

This is a new decade and those days are over.

Just as the riskiest financial investment strategy is to have all of your money in one place, the riskiest career management strategy is to have all of your income from one organization- unless you occupy a critical role, possess skills that are difficult to find on the labor market, and work for a company with financial security. There is a small percentage of working adults today in that group – with millions more who want to be a part of it. Heck, I want you to be part of it, enjoying full job security and financial freedom.

I am not advocating for you to add additional dull or stressful career acts. Multiple boring jobs would still result in an unsatisfying career overall (and an anxiety-filled life). You deserve more. I want you to do more of what you love, even if you start small with a profitable hobby, an eBay business, or a side job that starts you in an industry or occupational field you find interesting.

Here are three great reasons why you should consider leveraging your talents to manage your overall career as a portfolio of career acts:

Financial Gain and Security. If you are like most people, your career is your number one asset. And, as any other asset, you’d like to manage it for the maximum return. If you added a second career act (of something you loved doing) that provided an after-tax income of even 12K annually from age 25 through age 50, you would add $300,000 to your lifetime earnings. I know you didn’t need me to do that math, but it is worth the visual – especially when contrasted with the fact that most people have less than $150,000 in their 401Ks upon retirement and the average home is now worth less than $175,000.
Intrinsic Rewards and Fulfillment. The additional benefit (one that neither your house nor your 401K will offer) is that your career can be a source of intrinsic rewards. If you have ever worked on a project you found interesting – really getting into the flow — you know the joy and energy the right career act can give you. While I don’t believe you should work more hours, I do believe you should devote more energy to building desired career acts to achieve greater fulfillment. Career acts also supply a stress-easing sense of security that comes from knowing if one act of your work-life becomes stale or disappears entirely that you have other sources of stimulation and income. Your career becomes more nimble and less stressful as your attention can be redirected positively, for personal and financial gain.
Professional Advancement. Careers are advanced through the acquisition of needed skills and a strong professional network. Multiple career acts can propel a career faster by multiplying the number of skills gained and people in one’s professional network at a faster rate. You don’t need to just believe me though. Published in 2009, researchers from the University of Aberdeen, Drs. Pouliakas, Panos, and Zangelidis, tracked over 5,500 people for almost 15 years, examining their employment patterns. While only 8.5% had a second career, those who did were able to use a second career act to obtain “new skills and expertise and as a stepping stone to a new career“. Many of these people with diverse multiple career acts were able to springboard into entrepreneurial ventures. Having multiple income streams is a very productive way to grow your career.

Having a second or third career act (of something you love to do) makes sense. Have I convinced you yet?

Tagged with: • • • • • • •
Previous Entries
preload preload preload