Career Placement Test

Posts Tagged ‘Choice’

I’ll never forget Ken, a third generation Canadian I met at university in Vancouver.  He had just graduated with a BSc, and was enrolled in a Masterís program for Pestology.  British Columbia is full of bugs threatening various kinds of natural resources, and Ken was going to specialize in destroying those bugs.  However, he was first going to treat himself.

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As a dutiful son of Asian parents, Ken was brought up to respect and obey his elders.  Family honor is a primary value among Asian communities, so Ken had dutifully taken math and sciences through high school and university.  But he harbored a secret passion for art.

Growing up on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, his home had been situated next to a sign shop, and Ken spent many happy hours of his youth helping the proprietor draw and paint signs with vivid and wonderful colors.   Although he found some opportunities to draw, this artistic side of Ken was neglected as he nurtured the social side of his self and worked hard to meet the expectations of his parents and community.

But, after entering grad school, Ken decided he was entitled to finally indulge his strong desire to learn more about art, and so he took an evening art class.  That was it!  He was hooked.  He dropped his Pestology program, and focused on art.  Finally, he was working with passion using his natural talents and motivations.  He quickly completed a degree in Arts & Culture and went on to become an internationally renowned artist.

His story is particularly poignant to me not only because I knew him way back when, but because Iíll never forget the double-take I did when I saw four large billboard banners hanging on the outside wall of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography some years ago.

His exhibition paired life-size studio portraits of individuals and families of various ethnic backgrounds with bold-colored, corporate style logos of their names on enamel and plexiglass.  They appeared as huge signs.  And the text with the photos raised questions of identity, gender, race and class.  They took me right back to the long and heated discussions I often heard at university on those issues.  A review our local paper at the time slammed the exhibit for its ìpolitically correct tone.î

But Ken succeeded in doing what artists are suppose to doóget the public talking and debating about what is often taken for granted in everyday discourse and behavior. Art is suppose to foster strong opinions on both sides of a question!  I can just imagine how pleased and happy he wouldíve been to see his ideas bandied about in a nationally recognized newspaper.

The point is that Ken had traded in his can do skills for his passion.  And he was making his mark.  For me, to see his art hanging on huge signs on the outside walls of a national gallery was like a loud shout of joy declaring Kenís love of life!  It was a validation of his passion and purpose.  What I saw was a triumph of natural talents and significance over the safety Ken couldíve had by sticking to a career as a pestologist using his can do skills.

That is not to say he may not have destroyed bugs in B.C. that deserved it, and gone on to make a contribution there of significant economic impact, using his can do skills.  But I canít help but think that the world would be a poorer place if Ken had not honored his authentic self and nurtured his talents and motivations through his passion for art.

This is a core principle that I stick to when working with individuals :

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When your work utilizes your natural talents and motivations, when your daily grind is helping to create what really matters to you in life, then you are in your right work.  There is a flow to it, an innate satisfaction abounds from it, and you derive genuine joy from what you do, a joy that is clearly evident to others.

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What is Child Psychology?

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Child Psychology</a> is the treatment of children with psychological disorders using the most up-to-date studies and knowledge. Preparation for a position in Child Psychology includes training in evaluation processes and/or accumulation of data in clinical settings in support or supervision of licensed social workers. Training includes dealing with issues children face in emotional development, drug and/or alcohol use and family problems. Although there are many spectrums of Child Psychology, the general focus is on childhood development.

Education

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Psychology Schools</a> The area of interest within a career of Child Psychology determines the level of education needed and the setting in which a child psychologist may be employed.
Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology provides the education and training for various entry level positions in the workforce. Behavior analyst, case workers, counselor aide/assistant, and drug/substance abuse counselor are some of the better known positions one may find appealing. Interesting, but highly overlooked, positions one may attain with a bachelor’s degree in this field are probation or parole officer for juvenile offenders, corrections officer, residential youth counselor, group home coordinator, or mental retardation unit manager.

Master’s and PhD Degree

To specialize and treat children you must have either a master’s or doctorate degree in <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.psychologyschoolsu.com/careers/what-is-child-psychology.php”>
Child Psychology</a>. Having a master’s (Education Specialist in some states) degree qualifies the holder to counsel children within a school setting and through government agencies, such as children and family services. A PhD is needed for a private therapeutic practice, consultation with child study teams for student learning disability evaluations, evaluations of patients in hospitals, juvenile and family court systems, and to supervise and direct counselors.

Salary and Employment Outlook

Government agencies predict the necessity for Child Psychologists will increase at above average rates for the next five to six years. With government requirements and standards regarding the well being of children changing frequently as well as mental health awareness growing fast, the need for child psychologists will greatly increase. Starting salaries for someone entering the career path with a bachelor’s degree usually ranges from $22,000 to $32,000 depending on the position and its requirements. Once finishing graduate school, people usually start with a salary of $45,000 – $55,000, again determined by the career and job description. If one attains a doctorate degree, their salary could reach three figures after obtaining experience, especially if they open their own practice.

Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Imagine my surprise Wednesday (3-5-08) when I discovered that Warren Buffett, who has played second fiddle to Bill Gates as the world’s richest man for several years, is now the wealthiest billionaire in the world with a net worth of $62 billion.

For the uninitiated, a billion dollars is a million dollars 1,000 times. At $62 billion, you could also say that Buffett is worth a million dollars 62,000 times. Gates slipped to No. 3 at $58 billion on the just released 2008 list by Forbes magazine.

Equally surprising to me was the fact that, after reading The Tao of Warren Buffett, I discovered that Buffett had some very valuable information on what students should know when selecting their first job after graduating.

“Managing your career is like investingthe degree of difficulty does not count,” said Buffett. “So you can save yourself money and pain by getting on the right train.”

According to Buffett, one not only needs to learn what kind of business to invest in but what kind of business to work in.

If one goes to work for a company with poor long-term economics, then he (or she) can never expect to do really well because the company does not do well. Salaries will be below average and raises will be few and far between, and there is greater risk of losing your job because management will always be under pressure to cut costs.

But if you go to work for a company that has great long-term economics working in its favor, then the company will be awash in cash. This means higher salaries and tons of raises and promotions for a job well done. Plus there will be plenty of room for advancement as management looks for ways to spend all that free cash.

In short, Buffett says you want to work for a company that has high margins (of profit) and makes lots of money. And you want to stay away from businesses that have low margins and lose money.

One is a first-class train ride to Easy Street; the other is a long, slow, hard freight-train ride to nowhere in Siberia.

A good example of a company with high margins, no debt and billions in cash reserve is Microsoft.

The next step to getting on with your career is to also work for a company that allows you to do what you love doing.

“There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want,” says Buffett. “Take a job that you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you do not like because you think that it will look good on your resume. Isn’t that a little like saving up sex for your old age?”

It is not hard to figure out why Buffett is a very smart person. He did not become the wealthiest man in the world by being stupid. It takes no talent to lose money; it takes a lot of talent to make a lot of money.

According to Buffett, spending a life getting up and going to a job that you hate, with people you do not respect, leads to frustration and discontent, which you bring home with you from work and share with your family, which makes them unhappy as well. This, of course, makes for a lousy life for everyone you love, including yourself.

When you find a job you love, going to work puts a smile on your face, which you can take home with you at the end of the day to share with your loved ones.

If you are worried about money, remember that the people who love what they are doing are the ones who rise to the top of their fields and end up making the most money. Do what you love, says Buffett, and the money will come.

(Editor;s Note: The Tao of Warren Buffett is written by Mary Buffett (Warren’s daughter-in-law) and David Clark, both of whom were the best-selling authors of Buffettology.

Graphic design designers all over the world suffer from a common dilemma of whether they should work on freelance projects or as an employee or both. While it can be a tough call to pick one out of the given options, the good news is that you don’t have to & all three are feasible. You just have to decide & pick the best fit depending on your own needs. The decision to work on freelance projects is more of a personal choice than a career decision. It requires a lot of confidence in your abilities. The confidence that your designs are superior and that nobody else can match them & the skills that you possess are on par with ever growing industry standards. Many graphic design designers also manage other full time or part time jobs and to them these freelance design projects are just a gig for some extra cash.

If you are one of those people who were not able to get that dream job of a graphic designer or have lost their jobs due to recession, then undertaking freelance design projects can give you the opportunity to build your portfolio, since freelancers get to work on wide-variety of design projects. Several graphic design designers grab this opportunity to brand themselves and gain exposure which can eventually help them to get a good employment opportunity. For some freelancers, working for few hours a day as per their own convenience is the career they would eventually want to have. But it’s not an easy road to travel. Full time freelancers should be mentally prepared for some insecurity in the beginning. Have a look at few issues that would help you in judging a freelancers life.

•    Full time freelancers have to deal with inconsistent income.
•    Working from home isn’t easy as there can be many distractions. Hence a full time freelancer must be self-motivated.
•    Most freelancers, hoping to go full-time confuse flexible working hours with less number of working hours. In a real world, most freelancers put in more hours than they normally would if they were employees.
•    A freelancer has to deal with several aspects of running a business than just concentrating on his/her core abilities. They have to deal with finances, marketing, customer service, and all other facets of the running a business.

There are both advantages and disadvantages of freelancing. It’s an adventurous ride & you never know what you would get until you dive head first into it.

Product Description
`Managerial and entrepreneurial careers share various characteristics but they also differ from each other. This means that it is important that we improve our understanding of the choices that individuals make with regard to careers in these areas. This research companion provides a rich variety of insights and evidence from a range of perspectives and culture to help with this challenging task.’
– Tony Watson, Nottingham University, UK

`This significant, truly international collection of excellent contributions illuminates key antecedents, and consequences in management and entrepreneurship career choice from different cultural, disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. The various chapters offer a unique opportunity to study career choice in the most comprehensive manner; they provide a unique lens which allows for a view that is cross-level, cross-cultural, cross-national and both theoretically and empirically rigorous. Özbilgin and Malach-Pines deserve praise for this collection, which in my opinion, promises to be a great addition to the career research literature.’
– Yoav Vardi, Tel Aviv University, Israel

`The book is highly recommended to researchers, teachers and students in the fields of management, entrepreneurship, sociology, psychology and human resources.’
– Tsvi Vinig, University of Amsterdam Business School and Science Park Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship, The Netherlands

Although a large and steadily growing research literature attests to an interest in management and entrepreneurship, little research has focused on comparative assessment of the career choices and trajectories of managers and entrepreneurs. This timely book fills the gap by presenting an assessment of early influences on the career choice of managers and entrepreneurs, their attitudes at the start of their careers as students, and in their later employment experiences.

The distinguished group of contributors also examine the influence of an MBA education on the later work and life experiences of managers and entrepreneurs. The extent to which this sought after degree aids achievement of intended careers is investigated, as is the debate on linkages between career choices, cross cultural issues, and international and interdisciplinary perspectives.

This book extends the focus on a significant human experience – the world of work – beyond that offered by traditional vocational choices, highlighting the plurality of perspectives now offered by different cultures globally. As such, it will be of great interest to students, academics and practitioners with an interest in career trajectories within the realms of management and entrepreneurship.

Career Choice in Management and Entrepreneurship: A Research Companion

Every magician knows that there are three tricks that he should never perform in public: predicting catastrophes, letting wild animals free, and making food disappear. Through the years, these three arcane superstitions have become anathema to anyone working in the field of divination.

As it happens, career counsellors have also inherited a deep abhorrence against these three practices. This is why you will seldom hear them recommend anyone to take risks, go for an artistic profession, or choose a path that might lead to unemployment.

Studies have identified a dozen factors that contribute to career success, but so far, nobody has been able to build a convincing model to predict an individual’s future or how much happiness a certain profession will bring him.

Conscious of their inability to foretell the future, most career counsellors have narrowed their purpose. Advice is no longer intended to ensure satisfaction, but to achieve social insertion. Risk is identified as a problem, boredom has become the solution. Sadly, career recommendations based on conventional truth never inspire daring adventurers.

In the year 1820, Bertel Thorvaldsen, an acclaimed romantic sculptor, travelled back from Rome to his native Denmark. Thorvaldsen was then 50 years old and at the pinnacle of his fame. During his stay in Copenhagen, he talked to many aspiring artists, giving them generous advice and encouragement.

One night, when Thorvaldsen returned to his hotel after a reception in his honour, he was told that a boy had been waiting for him all day. Intrigued, Thorvaldsen looked around the hotel hall and found a poorly dressed kid asleep on a chair.

He walked up to the boy, shook his arm gently, and whispered to him “It is late, kid, go home.” Startled, the boy opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. “I was waiting for you, Herr Thorvaldsen, I have been waiting for you all day.”

That must true, thought Thorvaldsen, since the boy looked so exhausted and hungry that he was pitiful to see. “I wanted to ask you for advice on my career,” the kid went on. “I cannot decide whether I should become a novelist or a poet.”

Out of compassion, Thorvaldsen ordered a glass of warm milk for the boy and listened to his story. It was a heartbreaking tale. With adolescence, the kid had lost the striking voice that had gained him some praise and donations in his home town and had turned into one more unemployed youth on the streets.

“This is why I have thought of becoming a writer,” the boy explained shyly, taking three ruffled pages out of his pocket and handing them over to Thorvaldsen. Strange enough, the idea of asking a sculptor for literary advice seemed to fit the kid’s whole pathetic situation.

Thorvaldsen devoted a few minutes to reading the text and was appalled to see innumerable grammar and spelling mistakes. It was obvious that the boy had no chance of becoming a writer. Even if it was cruel, it was better to tell him the truth, so that he could at least learn a trade.

“What is your name?” he asked, returning the pages. “Hans-Christian,” replied the boy full of hope. “Hans-Christian Andersen.” A silence ensued, as Thorvaldsen searched for the least hurtful way to express his judgement.

He stared at Hans-Christian Andersen for a long while as he remembered his own artistic ambitions as a young man, many years ago, but of course, his own situation had been completely different. Thorvaldsen took in a deep breath and shook his head. “Look, Hans-Christian,” he began, “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

At that moment, Andersen nodded and gave the sculptor a crazy smile. That was what he had been waiting for. He was about to hear the words of encouragement that he needed so badly. He was sure that an artist of the calibre of Thorvaldsen would be immediately able to recognize his talent and point him in the right direction.

“What do you think, Herr Thorvaldsen, should I become a novelist or a poet?” he asked again, this time full of confidence. Fascinated, Thorvaldsen looked at the kid straight in the eye and realized how foolish he had been. “I have no doubt, Hans-Christian,” he answered softly, “that you can become both.”

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living. He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris, and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance, and self-reliance. See John Vespasian’s blog about rational living.

http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com/

College and Career sound like a long way off for the average high school freshman. But the truth is that high school freshmen need to start thinking about their college and career choice within the next year and a half. The old saying that you are in control of your destiny is very true. But in most cases a student’s destiny is on its way to fulfillment by their junior year. That is why it is so important to follow a few simple rules for your education in high school and to start your search for a college and a career early.

One tip to make your entrance into college more successful is to keep your grades up. Not only do you want to have the best grades you can from high school to college, you also want to carry good grades in college. These same good grades in college will be looked at by your future employer as well as perhaps graduate schools. Another wise tip is to visit your career center at your high school often. This is the place to help you identify your interests, evaluate your skills, assess your values and personal characteristics. Most young students do not go into college hunting with a clear defined goal for their college years or for their future career.

Whether you are a high school or college student actively looking at career and job fairs is a great way to get ideas for yourself on what line of study and eventual career path you might be interested in or would like to change to. Most high school and few college students really look at what they want to be doing with their lives past the moment. But it will be well worth your time in the future to visit those career fairs and expos and to talk to experts or employees in a possible field of study for that future career or dream job.

When having to fill out a resume or job application many employers and grad schools like to see some kind of involvement in a sponsored activity or club from the campus. Just joining usually doesn’t cut it today. Grad schools and employers look for involvement such as leadership skills or your ability to work with a team. Both these skills are highly rated as well as being involved in some kind of community service.

You must have computer skills to survive college and your future career. Computers are the way of schools and businesses. There is hardly any college student today that does not own a laptop computer. Many classroom instructions are delivered via the internet as well as some actual classes are given via the internet only. There is no substitution today for good verbal and written skills. Many colleges require freshman to take writing courses to improve their skills. This is a definitively a skill any future employer or graduate school will be looking at, particularly in your resume’s cover letter or personal statement. If you explore all your options early it will remove a lot of stress in the future.

How does one decide one’s career? How does one decide and take a decision that may shape the life excellently or doom it forever? It is not as if nobody has the right or opportunity to choose their own vocations. Circumstances decide the way things will go. But it is true that many people when asked, will say that they would prefer a different job or career of their own taste and liking.

Most people now have a formal education before they step in the real world where each one is to his own. Careers start at a very junior level. There are very few people who actually start at the top. They either inherit or are extremely brilliant. You may consider artists. Art is considered by most of us as a hobby. Very few venture from the beginning to become artists for a living, since it is well known that an artist might take years before his work is recognized and gets some value. Till then they are non-entities and have to depend on some other vocation for their living.

May times careers are decided by an individuals belief in his/her capability. Bill Gates left Harvard to co-found Microsoft. If he had continued at Harvard, he might not have reached where he is today. He might have gone the conventional way of taking up the best job offering a good salary. Instead he pursued his natural talent in software. I needn’t talk further about him. People actually take up jobs and see how they cope up with the same. It has been seen in many cases, where executives keep on flitting between different jobs and departments and ultimately take up something else which is very
different from what they started with. Its this experimentation which helps them discover their natural talent. People learn about their own temperament with experience. They slowly move towards their goal. Very few are able to transform their avocations into their vocations.

People with determination try and succeed wonderfully in their own interest and work. Kalpana Chawla, the astronaut on the ill fated Columbia, nursed a wish to fly into space and become an astronaut. Scientists like Einstein, Edison with their independent thinking and research reached a position which is unrivaled. Abraham Lincoln chose politics and social work as his line and after numerous failures, became one of the most revered Presidents of the US. Gandhi and Martin Luther King chose the path of social change. They pursued their hearts and achieved their goals.

The opportunity for pursuing one’s natural talent always exists. Its how one recognizes the same and then pursues the instinct that decides one’s fate.

Have you ever wondered why so many people choose accounting as their long term career? What are the greatest benefits of working as an accountant? Let’s discuss in more detail.

Accounting has been proven as a recession proof job because of its nature and importance in a business operation. Every business needs to keep their books either for business management or for tax submission purposes during good or bad times. Therefore, the demand for accounting services is always huge.

Many have also said that accounting is the language of business. What this means is that if you possess certain level of accounting knowledge, it would be much easier to manage a business because figures does not lie.

Thus, you can imagine the importance of keeping your books using the correct accounting methods. That is also why the reward of an accountant is always higher as compared to other professionals.

There are many ways to become an accountant if accounting is your choice career. In order to be a qualified accountant, usually you need to be admitted as a member of the national accountant bodies.

As accounting regulations change frequently, you are also required to update yourself regularly by attending seminars, talks or even short courses so that you can keep in breast of the latest information and changes.

Even though it is a highly rewarded job, please do keep in mind that it is quite a stressful job because there are many rules and regulations to be followed.

As a watchdog of a company, you are normally tasked with the duty so that to ensure that the company comply with the relevant statutory body acts.

Whoa! Your career choice isn’t going as well as you thought.

I mean, you like your job pretty much. But you can’t seem to get ahead. And then there’s that nagging feeling that somehow you missed the mark. You can tell because you feel lousy when you get upon Monday morning.

So what do you do?

Well, let’s take a look at a couple career choice facts. Our careers are certainly something we choose because of our aptitudes and interests. But you must also be prepared to shape your career consistent with the demands of the job marketplace.

If you’re not in tune with the routine as well as the unexpected in the marketplace . . . if you can’t adapt to fluctuations, demands and requirements . . . then you run the risk of being trapped in dead-end or inferior jobs, unrewarding relationships and limited dollar potential.

So how do you avoid that trap? How do you make an intelligent career choice and learn how to take control so that success, money, enjoyment and challenge are an expected part of the future?

Here are 4 steps.

First, you have to revolutionize your thinking about your career choice and specific job search. They exist amidst the frenetic pace of economic change. They’re impacted by the high-tech revolution and other dramatic forces shaping the 21st Century. You have to acknowledge that an employer is subject to the same dynamics.

Secondly, you surface, examine and then believe in your most bankable assets: qualifying experiences, transferable skills, and work-style values and qualities. And these aren’t limited to what you might find on your resume.

Thirdly, identify any concerns, liabilities, problems or areas of resistance that could become a stumbling block for any employer. Be prepared to deal with them professionally and non-defensively.

Fourthly, take the time to explore what you’re worth in the marketplace. Your value to an employer is not going to be based on what you’re used to be paid. Finding out in advance what a particular job is worth in a certain industry or organization gives you a real leg up when it’s time to negotiate.

In the final analysis, the ultimate career choice strategy is to be in control. That means managing your job search like a small business.

If you think of your career as a small business, the source of your income and job satisfaction as well as future growth and advancement, then you’ll want to manage it carefully. Putting ourselves in control is like having a long-term insurance policy for success.