New High Demand for Career Skills
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The days when you could find thousands of jobs involving semi-skilled or unskilled work have gone. Automation has replaced human labour and taken always great slices of activity which once involved mundane, routine tasks. Information technology is also beginning to take over in some areas of skilled and professional work, such as quality control and printing, design and administration. Transferable or portable skills - skills which can be adapted and shaped to meet the requirements of several different types of job - are becoming increasingly important.
If your skills have become outdated in a shrinking market, you must be prepared to retrain if you are to succeed in finding new employment. Progress will not stand still simply to accommodate your need for a job, and there is no Divine Right to employment if you are not prepared to put some effort into it.
You may feel you are too old to learn new tricks. The simple truth is that thousands of people are ding exactly this throughout the country, and the opportunities for retaining or catching up with lost education are expanding all the time. Don’t be put off by your age or use this as an excuse: you are never too old to learn - it might just take you a little longer.
Deciding to knuckle down to update or expand your skills is largely a matter of adopting the right attitude, but deciding precisely what skills should be updated or expanded has to be researched very thoroughly, and has a crucial part to play in your campaign to find the right job.
If you know your hopes of getting back into your old type of employment are slim, this is the time to begin putting your future into sharper focus and to start planning with a clearer understanding of what you are trying to achieve. To do this you will need to build on your past.
Finding the time to do it all - career, family, continue education? Having trouble jugging? Some problems in this area that people face are very similar to those of the beginning juggler. According to The Instant Jugglers’ Manual, (c)1993 Infinite Illusions/Lofty Pursuits, four common problems are handling two areas of focus at the same time, moving forward while you try to juggle instead of standing still, not being able to juggle in a third area of focus, and keeping all three areas from bumping into each other or overlapping. So let’s take a look at some solutions to these problems.
Two at Once
To juggle two objects, you first toss one into the air to about eye level, then toss number two. The same with life. Pick any two areas of focus, and only try to tackle one at a time to establish goals and a system for it in your life. Then work in the second area. And just as juggling wouldn’t work if the wrist puts too much or too little force into the toss, causing one or both objects to go too high or too low, the same can happen in life. If established goals are too high or low, not compatible with one another and your lifestyle, that juggling act doesn’t stand much chance.
For instance, if fictitious person, John Wentworth, wants to complete a doctoral program, yet only earns minimum wage, he may need financial assistance with his continued education to balance the act. Otherwise, John could have to work over time and take on a second job to fill gaps and pay bills. He may miss out on valuable family time with his wife and young son and become stressed out and exhausted. Not to mention his grades could take a dive! Student loans, grants and work-study could be some possible solutions in this case.
Where is juggling help? Instead of The Instant Jugglers’ Manual, there are many resources available to help with juggling career, family and education. Local colleges are a good place to start.
Not Being Able To Juggle In A Third
Ready to add a third factor into the equation? Concentrate on throwing ball number #3 and do not even try to catch ball #2, advises The Instant Jugglers’ Manual. Or once you have two areas of focus pretty much underway, say your career and family, add the third – education.
Get help planning your education into the mix with resources. Head to your local educational center or public libraries for help. Don’t get left dropping – or not juggling – the ball.
Javascript Programmer - Is It Your Perfect Career?
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JavaScript is a development of the Java programming language. Small Java programs called scripts can be incorporated within the HTML of a web page to allow even Joe Soap’s homepage to exhibit dynamic effects that Joe would never have dreamed of 10 years ago.
There are thousands of Java Scripts freely available for downloading. These range from Drop Down menus to Snow Effects, from Mouse-over Effects to Digital Real-Time Clocks.
Java Scripts are useful for introducing limited animation to your web pages without the download times associated with Macromedia Flash animations. Your page tracking and Google Adsense tracking also use Java Scripts.
People see JavaScript programming as a new and highly paid career. Universities supply the courses because the demand is there and it’s a good way for the university to make money. As these qualified programmers come onto the jobs market, the number of programmers is going to exceed the number of vacancies and salaries will fall.
When companies can outsource their programming needs to low cost countries like India and China, they are unlikely to want very many highly paid programmers on their rolls.
If you do learn JavaScript you can earn money on one of the freelancing sites, by bidding on various projects. Be aware that you will not be able to compete on price with programmers from India or China, so compete on quality and completion times. The reputation you establish early on will stay with you for a long time, so make sure it is an impeccable one.
The latest version of Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system blocks JavaScript by default, because this is seen as a possible source of security breaches. Most users have no idea how to allow JavaScript to run on the web pages they view.
JavaScript does have some disadvantages. It works differently on different browsers and it increases the download time of your pages.
Against these disadvantages are its advantages. There are sites where you can download scripts for free and many sites where you can learn at least the rudiments of JavaScript programming without paying a cent.
Check out http://www.java-programming-today.info for more information.
Spring is traditionally a time for new beginnings and as we start to springclean our homes, some of us may be considering springcleaning our careers.
Why are so many of us unhappy at work? There are probably as many reasons as there are unhappy people, but there are a few underlying factors which influence many of us. Think back to your school days and the careers advice you were given by teachers, advisors and your parents. Just how useful was it?
My own memories are of a half hour session with a teacher at the age of 14, when I said I wanted to be a nurse, because it was the first thing that came into my head, influenced by my parents’ opinions. When I was 18, I had another half hour session with the same teacher, who expected me still to be planning a career in nursing. What was your experience?
Parents often influence their children by trying to live their own dreams through their offspring, especially if their kids have similar talents to their own. This might work if the children share their parents’ dreams, but that isn’t always the case. Another common scenario occurs when parents are concerned for their children’s financial security and encourage them to “do something sensible”, by getting a job in an area where there will always be a demand, or where jobs are still considered “for life”. It can be difficult to go against parents’ wishes, especially if they have provided support, either financial or in the form of board and lodging, whilst you were at college. Some families have strong traditions in a particular field – everyone in our family does medicine or teaching, for example. Did you feel pushed into a career by your family?
How can a 14 year old, or an 18 year old for that matter, know what he or she wants to do for the next 50 years? In fact, how can anyone know they want to follow a particular career, if they’ve never tried it? The answer, of course, is that they can’t be sure – at least not one hundred percent sure. So, whether you are just starting out or contemplating a career change, it’s a good idea to try out your new job before committing yourself to years of training.
Obviously, it isn’t always possible to try out exactly what you’d be doing. No-one is going to let you perform surgery or defend an alleged bank robber if you haven’t got the training and experience. So you must do the next best thing. This will vary according to the career in question, but the aim is to find out as much as you possibly can before signing up for an expensive course of study.
There are several things you can do: first of all, read everything you can find about the job, including careers leaflets, books and relevant websites. If after this you are still interested, two of the most important steps you can take are: getting as close to the job as possible and talking to people already doing it.
Work experience and work shadowing are usually only offered to students, but that is no reason to reject the possibility if you are older. Contact the HR department of a company which specialises in the area which interests you and explain that you are planning a career change and would like to find out more about the job. Ask if it is possible to spend some time with them gaining experience or shadowing a professional. Alternatively, ask if it would be possible to meet someone doing the job or if the company has open days.
In some cases, if you have experience, say in administration or computing, it might be worth considering applying for a temporary job within the organisation to help you reach a decision. This will at least give you an insider’s view of the career, even if you can’t experience it first hand. In other situations, volunteering would be a good way to find out what a job involves, for example if you want to be a surgeon, working on a hospital ward as a volunteer will give you an insight into medicine and bring you into contact with doctors and medical students. If you are able to volunteer over a reasonable amount of time – it doesn’t have to be a full-time commitment, just a regular one – you will get to know people and, in the example above, you may eventually be able to observe an operation.
No-one can ever guarantee that a career choice will be the right one and you mustn’t forget that your interests will change over time. So be prepared to change careers at some stage. However, if you do your research thoroughly, you will have a much greater chance of finding a job you really enjoy.
The Ever Changing Workplace : Preperation for Your Career in this Rapidly Changing World
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The forces of technology and globalization are rapidly changing the nature of work. Savvy jobseekers know that they need to prepare for these predicted workplace developments.
In the changing job market you must both anticipate changes as well as prepare in an organized yet flexible manner.
Flexibility , training , education and most important preparation with all of these factors as well as psychological preparation of yourself and your mindset .
What are these changes that are occurring for you to constantly observe and anticipate in your ongoing preparation in this ever changing employment market ?
1) Technology will continue to advance and will affect how, when and where business is done; the pace of work: and how people communicate.
2) The global economy will continue to result in some jobs being outsourced to other countries and will lead to more mergers, and management changes. Resourcefulness, adaptability, and efficiency will be essential for workers to succeed.
3) International time differences will demand flexible hours and possibly extra hours to communicate to conduct business.
4) A complex and diverse workforce will require workers to be flexible, respect differences, and work together to increase productivity.
5) Workers can expect to change jobs about ten times during their working career.
Managing one’s career is a must.
6) Small businesses will prosper, and home based businesses and services will multiply. Entrepreneurial skills and attitudes will be important.
7) The fastest growing occupations are computers , preventive health care , and other health and human services , such as registered nursing , social work , police work and after September 12 security .
Most of the fastest-growing occupations will require specific post-secondary education, on-the-job training, or a bachelor’s degree. Education and training will be especially critical.-
To gain a competitive edge, today’s job seekers must know about changes like these and demonstrate a positive attitude that shows that they are ready, willing, and able to take on these challenges.
There are nine success strategies to follow to help you achieve your full career potential. These success strategies profoundly affect career success at every step/
1) Positive thinking and behavior
2 ) Visualizations
3 ) Positive self talk
4) Affirmation self-talk
5) Dynamic goal setting
6 ) Positive action
7) Assertive behavior
8) Self-esteem builders
9) Proactive habits
These nine success strategies and behaviors are major career enhancers that help transform goals into realizations. Pay close attention to any that are new ideas for you. They provide wide-ranging benefits; you can use them to
- Create and sustain your inner drive
- Increase your confidence
- generate mental and physical energy
- Guide you toward your goals
- Improve your performance
It is shocking but true: The most qualified person is not always the one who gets the job or promotion.
The person hired is the one whom the employer perceives to be the most qualified. Your experience, skills, resumes, and more - your entire job search package – are greatly enhanced when you practice these key job search success strategies.
The employment scene is changing worldwide in a major ongoing way.
Prepare for your employment career with both analytical skills as well as psychological prepeartion thoroughly .