Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to speak a bit about an unselfish profession. A profession which is also a task: Physical Therapy (also known as: Physiotherapy).
I'm going to emphasize the basic points you need to know about this career:
1. Who is suitable for this profession?
2. What is the training track required for this career?
3. What are the main advantages of this profession?
4. What are the main disadvantages of this career?
Who is suitable for this profession?
In my opinion, a small fraction of society can to well with this profession. this profession requires a few basic characteristics which without even one of them, the person might not survive in the field:
1. Ability to experience pain and suffering of others - physical therapists don't work usually with very healthy people. This demands resilience from the therapist in order to put up with the daily routine.
2. Good manual skills - physical therapists work with their hands, thus they need a decent level of manual skills for performing the actual therapy. For example: Lifting a limb in order to demonstrate a move.
3. Ability to work as self employed - much of the job market in this field is based on independent service to people in their homes. For this to occur, the therapist must be able to run small practice including the basic running of a business (bookkeeping, service support, marketing etc.).
What is the training track required for this career?
Prepare your butt for a 4 year academic track! If you've thought it's a piece of cake to become a physical therapist, you've got it all wrong. the studies combine theory and practice as you should be trained both on the scientific (medicine) and on the practical (performance) side. The studies take a bout 30 hours a week and some work at home. Thus, it's not a track for easy life seekers.
What are the main advantages of this profession?
I'll tell you a little secret: most people do nothing significant in their jobs. They do absolutely nothing contributing to humanity or society. They do nothing fulfilling or reassuring. They do the same again and again, for months and years.
This can't be said about physical therapists. These people help people every day, all day. There's nothing unnecessary or pretending about their work. There's nothing done for the looks of it or for the impression.
By this I rest my case.
What are the main disadvantages of this career?
As in every career, if you're not suitable for this kind of work, you'll suffer and suffer big time! Do not choose these career without a proper career advice. I dare you!
Moreover, this profession is for people who love people, not for people who love money. Do not go for this career path because you hear of good wages in this field.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Optometry - I Can't See You..
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to say a few words about an absolutely crucial profession for human survival: optometry. Most of you have been a few times in glasses shop so you have already encountered optometrists before. So I'm going to detail a bit about:
1. Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
2. Where do optometrists work?
3. How much do they earn?
4. Who is suitable for this career?
Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
Well, the jobs optometrists do consist of:
1. Performing eye checks - yes, this is the main job of optometrists. If you can't imagine yourself look at people's eyes for long hours - this career is not for you.
2. Defining the needs of clients of glasses and lenses - as physicians prescribe medications, optometrists prescribe glasses and lenses.
3. guiding opticians (optometry technicians) what are the components needed for a pair of glasses or lenses.
Where do optometrists work?
So where can you find the creatures named "Optometrists" ?
1. Glasses shops - you know, optometrists prescribe glasses, and as such they can be found primarily in glasses shops.
2. Medical practices in hospitals and community clinics - where they perform eye tests for patients.
3. Academy - where they perform academic research concerning the multiple aspects of optometry.
How much do they earn?
If an optometrist starts a new business, then the income may be very little or very high. As an employee, the wages most of time are around the average at most of the cases and in most countries. This isn't a profession for making millions but for making a reasonable living.
Its advantage is its relative occupational security and comfortable working environment. The work is in indoors environment and in relax atmosphere. The field is relatively recession proof so layoffs aren't common.
Who is suitable for this career
I can portrait a few traits of a suitable person for this career:
1. Treatment oriented person - suitable for giving treatment to people.
2. Not a gold digger - suitable for making an average living and being content with it.
3. Routine seeker - suitable for a routine and uneventful work environment.
4. Suitable for long studies - not everyone can do well with 4 years of full time studies.
1. Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
2. Where do optometrists work?
3. How much do they earn?
4. Who is suitable for this career?
Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
Well, the jobs optometrists do consist of:
1. Performing eye checks - yes, this is the main job of optometrists. If you can't imagine yourself look at people's eyes for long hours - this career is not for you.
2. Defining the needs of clients of glasses and lenses - as physicians prescribe medications, optometrists prescribe glasses and lenses.
3. guiding opticians (optometry technicians) what are the components needed for a pair of glasses or lenses.
Where do optometrists work?
So where can you find the creatures named "Optometrists" ?
1. Glasses shops - you know, optometrists prescribe glasses, and as such they can be found primarily in glasses shops.
2. Medical practices in hospitals and community clinics - where they perform eye tests for patients.
3. Academy - where they perform academic research concerning the multiple aspects of optometry.
How much do they earn?
If an optometrist starts a new business, then the income may be very little or very high. As an employee, the wages most of time are around the average at most of the cases and in most countries. This isn't a profession for making millions but for making a reasonable living.
Its advantage is its relative occupational security and comfortable working environment. The work is in indoors environment and in relax atmosphere. The field is relatively recession proof so layoffs aren't common.
Who is suitable for this career
I can portrait a few traits of a suitable person for this career:
1. Treatment oriented person - suitable for giving treatment to people.
2. Not a gold digger - suitable for making an average living and being content with it.
3. Routine seeker - suitable for a routine and uneventful work environment.
4. Suitable for long studies - not everyone can do well with 4 years of full time studies.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Dental Hygenist - Open Your Mouth Now!
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to elaborate a bit about one of the most demanded professions in most countries: the female oriented field of dental hygiene. This profession which looks simple at first glance, requires prolonged training and years of experience and unsurprisingly demands a lot of manpower. I'm going to answer a few questions:
1. What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
2. Is this a feminine field?
3. What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
4. What is the proper training for this career?
What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
1. Performing a basic scrutiny to the patient's mouth and observing basic problems.
2. Observing basic gum issues.
3. Basic instruction for quitting smoking.
4. Instruction for mouth issue prevention by proper nutrition.
5. Tooth scaling removal.
6. Polishing the teeth using Fluoride.
7. Removing stitches (after mouth surgery).
Is this a feminine field?
Well, if 90% - 98% female employees in this field implies it is, so it is. Traditionally, para-medical professions have been identified with females in the last 100 years or so. So I guess that if you are male and don't see yourself in a feminine field, you better skip this article..
On the other hand, even if you are male and find this field as attractive to you, maybe you'll be able to overcome the gender issue in order to enjoy the benefits of the profession.
What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
It's hard to find an unemployed dental hygienist because of a few reasons:
1. There's always a demand for this service, as people tend to have tooth problems.
2. This profession needs a prolonged training. You can't work without a license and you can't have a license without a 3-4 years studies & training period.
3. It's not a million dollar career: you can make a decent living but generally not more. Thus the masses aren't attracted to this field.
What is the proper training for this career?
Generally speaking, dental hygienists need to study 3-4 years in order to get a degree and a license of a professional in this field. The academic and professional tracks reach about 2000 hours of study and practice. The profession is taught in universities and academic colleges, which means that you need to meet the admission criteria of academic institutions.
1. What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
2. Is this a feminine field?
3. What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
4. What is the proper training for this career?
What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
1. Performing a basic scrutiny to the patient's mouth and observing basic problems.
2. Observing basic gum issues.
3. Basic instruction for quitting smoking.
4. Instruction for mouth issue prevention by proper nutrition.
5. Tooth scaling removal.
6. Polishing the teeth using Fluoride.
7. Removing stitches (after mouth surgery).
Is this a feminine field?
Well, if 90% - 98% female employees in this field implies it is, so it is. Traditionally, para-medical professions have been identified with females in the last 100 years or so. So I guess that if you are male and don't see yourself in a feminine field, you better skip this article..
On the other hand, even if you are male and find this field as attractive to you, maybe you'll be able to overcome the gender issue in order to enjoy the benefits of the profession.
What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
It's hard to find an unemployed dental hygienist because of a few reasons:
1. There's always a demand for this service, as people tend to have tooth problems.
2. This profession needs a prolonged training. You can't work without a license and you can't have a license without a 3-4 years studies & training period.
3. It's not a million dollar career: you can make a decent living but generally not more. Thus the masses aren't attracted to this field.
What is the proper training for this career?
Generally speaking, dental hygienists need to study 3-4 years in order to get a degree and a license of a professional in this field. The academic and professional tracks reach about 2000 hours of study and practice. The profession is taught in universities and academic colleges, which means that you need to meet the admission criteria of academic institutions.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Technical Support Representative - What is it All About?
"This is Brad, technical representative. How can I help you?". We all know this phrase, whether we hear it on the phone, on email or on a chat. Most of the time we hear it when we contact a phone or an Internet company, but also a credit or insurance company. With your permission folks, I'll elaborate a bit on the technical support world of the Internet and phone industries.
I'll try to answer the following question:
1. What does a technical support representative do?
2. What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
3. Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
4. Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
What does a technical support representative do
Putting it simple, a technical support representative is responsible to maintain a technical service. As simple as that. Whether it's the Internet service we all have to make us browser the web, the cell phone we use every day or the hosting service for our site or blog. Even a slight technical problem may cause our site, phone or web browsing stop functioning and our day get spoilt.
Technically, the technical support representative is responsible for the following:
1. Understanding the problem which the user is facing.
2. Figuring out how to fix the mentioned problem.
3. Going step by step with the user to solve the problem.
4. Transferring a report to the superiors for statistical analysis and archiving.
What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
Most people think that technical support representative don't have many promotion prospects. This belief isn't necessarily true. Let's have a look at some of the promotion prospects for them:
1. Team leader - running a group of technical support representatives, usually of 5-10 people.
2. Technical support engineer - with a degree in the respective technical field (electronics, software etc.), the representative can work as an engineer for supporting customers i.e understanding a technical system and advising the customers about the proper use of them.
3. Running an independent technical laboratory - many niches of technical support enable their employees to run their own businesses. For example, a representative in the cellular industry may open a small business dealing with fixing and modifying cell phones.
Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
"In the eyes of the beholder" - if you have support & advice for others, you may find your home at this field. For people who are suitable for this niche, giving guidance and help to other people in fields they master can be definitely fulfilling.
But the issue is that people tend to get into this field because they have no other alternatives. Many employees in the field come from technical backgrounds (engineers, technicians) with no job prospects in their professions. This leads to unsuitable technical representatives who tend to burn out relatively fast.
Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
I can count 2 main reasons:
1. The meager payout - most technical support jobs offer wages about 1/2 as high as engineering jobs. This figure leads to unserious regards for this profession. Employees just can't relate to their jobs very seriously when they earn 1/3 to 1/2 the sum the engineers at the same company earn.
2. Lack of compatibility - most technical support representatives don't have the tendency for giving assistance and advice. They're just not for this sort of a job. They're mostly technical nerds having to put up with this kind of a job because they have no other option.
I'll try to answer the following question:
1. What does a technical support representative do?
2. What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
3. Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
4. Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
What does a technical support representative do
Putting it simple, a technical support representative is responsible to maintain a technical service. As simple as that. Whether it's the Internet service we all have to make us browser the web, the cell phone we use every day or the hosting service for our site or blog. Even a slight technical problem may cause our site, phone or web browsing stop functioning and our day get spoilt.
Technically, the technical support representative is responsible for the following:
1. Understanding the problem which the user is facing.
2. Figuring out how to fix the mentioned problem.
3. Going step by step with the user to solve the problem.
4. Transferring a report to the superiors for statistical analysis and archiving.
What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
Most people think that technical support representative don't have many promotion prospects. This belief isn't necessarily true. Let's have a look at some of the promotion prospects for them:
1. Team leader - running a group of technical support representatives, usually of 5-10 people.
2. Technical support engineer - with a degree in the respective technical field (electronics, software etc.), the representative can work as an engineer for supporting customers i.e understanding a technical system and advising the customers about the proper use of them.
3. Running an independent technical laboratory - many niches of technical support enable their employees to run their own businesses. For example, a representative in the cellular industry may open a small business dealing with fixing and modifying cell phones.
Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
"In the eyes of the beholder" - if you have support & advice for others, you may find your home at this field. For people who are suitable for this niche, giving guidance and help to other people in fields they master can be definitely fulfilling.
But the issue is that people tend to get into this field because they have no other alternatives. Many employees in the field come from technical backgrounds (engineers, technicians) with no job prospects in their professions. This leads to unsuitable technical representatives who tend to burn out relatively fast.
Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
I can count 2 main reasons:
1. The meager payout - most technical support jobs offer wages about 1/2 as high as engineering jobs. This figure leads to unserious regards for this profession. Employees just can't relate to their jobs very seriously when they earn 1/3 to 1/2 the sum the engineers at the same company earn.
2. Lack of compatibility - most technical support representatives don't have the tendency for giving assistance and advice. They're just not for this sort of a job. They're mostly technical nerds having to put up with this kind of a job because they have no other option.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Love or Money - How to Choose a Career?
Ladies and gentlemen, Nice to have you here again! This week I'm going to express my thoughts about how should people choose their careers: by what they love or by what should give them them a decent standard of living. This is the main question young people ask themselves in the western world. This is the question most of young people in the developing world don't ask themselves because they don't have the luxury of choosing their career. I'll discuss the following questions:
1. Who needs to ask this question?
2. The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects.
3. The advantages of choosing a career by your passion.
4. What do I really think about the issue?
Who needs to ask this question?
Do you have to ask yourself this question? it depends on another basic question: do you really care what you actually do at work? If you don't really care, it's quite obvious that you should choose a career by the vocational prospects it should give you. By "Vocational Prospects" I refer to the difficulty of finding a job, the wages level it gives on average and the work environment (physical condition, stress level and human quality) it offers.
On the other hand, if you have a dream of what you would like to do in your career, you shouldn't really ask yourself this question, but you should make modification to the dream to meet reality. For example, if you have a dream to be a painter, you should consider going for a career in architecture or in interior design. By this way, you would satisfy both your desires and your pocket.
The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects
A famous criminal attorney once said: "I've never had a dirty conscience because I've never had one". The most profitable decision you could make is choosing a career by the job prospects it gives: the ability to find a job, the wage level you could get, the work environment it could give you and the vocational security. I've never met a person who made a career decision solely based on the job prospects complaining about his/her fate.
On the other hand, not everyone can be so benefit oriented: people usually have tendencies, likes and dislikes and other aspirations. It's good to choose a career by its job prospects but only if you don't really have a conscience regarding the issue.
The advantages of choosing a career by your passion
Donald Trump is really for this attitude: he believes that in order to be successful in a career, one must be in love with it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a great success throughout a 30 year career. If people dislike what thy do on a daily basis, they would suffer from an early burnout and a sharp decline in productivity and eventually quit their career.
So as Trump puts it, you should first get along well with a career and then think of its job prospects.
What do I really think about the issue?
There are 3 possibilities:
1. You don't care about what you do at work - in this case you should choose a career by its prospects.
2. You have a dream - in this case you should choose a career as close to your dream which can provide for you.
3. You care about what you do t work and also care about the job prospects - hopefully for you would find a career interesting and also beneficial.
1. Who needs to ask this question?
2. The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects.
3. The advantages of choosing a career by your passion.
4. What do I really think about the issue?
Who needs to ask this question?
Do you have to ask yourself this question? it depends on another basic question: do you really care what you actually do at work? If you don't really care, it's quite obvious that you should choose a career by the vocational prospects it should give you. By "Vocational Prospects" I refer to the difficulty of finding a job, the wages level it gives on average and the work environment (physical condition, stress level and human quality) it offers.
On the other hand, if you have a dream of what you would like to do in your career, you shouldn't really ask yourself this question, but you should make modification to the dream to meet reality. For example, if you have a dream to be a painter, you should consider going for a career in architecture or in interior design. By this way, you would satisfy both your desires and your pocket.
The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects
A famous criminal attorney once said: "I've never had a dirty conscience because I've never had one". The most profitable decision you could make is choosing a career by the job prospects it gives: the ability to find a job, the wage level you could get, the work environment it could give you and the vocational security. I've never met a person who made a career decision solely based on the job prospects complaining about his/her fate.
On the other hand, not everyone can be so benefit oriented: people usually have tendencies, likes and dislikes and other aspirations. It's good to choose a career by its job prospects but only if you don't really have a conscience regarding the issue.
The advantages of choosing a career by your passion
Donald Trump is really for this attitude: he believes that in order to be successful in a career, one must be in love with it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a great success throughout a 30 year career. If people dislike what thy do on a daily basis, they would suffer from an early burnout and a sharp decline in productivity and eventually quit their career.
So as Trump puts it, you should first get along well with a career and then think of its job prospects.
What do I really think about the issue?
There are 3 possibilities:
1. You don't care about what you do at work - in this case you should choose a career by its prospects.
2. You have a dream - in this case you should choose a career as close to your dream which can provide for you.
3. You care about what you do t work and also care about the job prospects - hopefully for you would find a career interesting and also beneficial.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
NBA? DBA!
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to tell you a bit about a profession that has been gaining influence and might in the last 2 decades: the database administrator. I'm going to elaborate a bit about the following points:
1. What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
2. What benefits can this profession give its occupants?
3. What are the drawbacks of this profession?
4. How can you become a database administrator?
What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
Database - is a virtual set of tables. As simple as that. Imagine a set of thousands of tables packed together and placed on a computer: this is a database. Why is this so important? because any website you visit stores its data on a database. For example: when you log in to Facebook, all the data on your personal account are originally stored on a database, and when you log in, the data gets imported from the database into your personal account so you can view it.
A database administrator is the professional responsible to develop and maintain databases: create new databases, securing them from viruses and other threats, help staff use them adequately or even performing data retrieval for other people in the organization.
What benefits can this profession gives its occupants?
1. Relatively high occupational security - because this position gives a wide knowledge of the organization's inner data (including confidential data) which makes the organization think again and again before sacking such an employee. In addition, this isn't a research & development job (i.e it doesn't involve directly in product development) thus the employer always needs the employee for maintenance of the information assets.
2. Not a small screw in the machine - everybody knows the database administrator. Everybody needs the database administrator. This is because everybody needs data thus everybody needs the DBA. Kapish?
What are the drawbacks of this profession?
1. Most people don't dream often of a day in front of a computer. Such a job is commonly perceived as geeky and boring. Women seldom get attracted to such a career because they're inclined to interpersonal jobs like healthcare or teaching positions. Thus, most people aren't inclined to computer oriented careers.
2. There aren't relatively many positions of database administrators. They get hired to deal with large database and most businesses don't need large databases. In contrast, for every little aspect in a software there's a need of a programmer or for every small issue in a local network, there's a need of a system administrator.
How can you become a database administrator?
As in every computing profession, there are 2 main tracks to follow: the academic and the non-academic.
1. Academic - study 3-4 years of computing related degree (mainly Computer Science or Information Systems) and then start as a apprentice in the databases field. Advantage: getting great learning skills which would be beneficial in the day to day demanding routine. Disadvantage: long and hard studies and sometimes also expensive.
2. Non academic - study a certification course (like: SQL Server Database Administrator or Oracle DBA) and then start as a newbie in the industry. Advantage: short studies (not more than a year). Disadvantage: weak learning skills and non existent theoretical background.
1. What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
2. What benefits can this profession give its occupants?
3. What are the drawbacks of this profession?
4. How can you become a database administrator?
What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
Database - is a virtual set of tables. As simple as that. Imagine a set of thousands of tables packed together and placed on a computer: this is a database. Why is this so important? because any website you visit stores its data on a database. For example: when you log in to Facebook, all the data on your personal account are originally stored on a database, and when you log in, the data gets imported from the database into your personal account so you can view it.
A database administrator is the professional responsible to develop and maintain databases: create new databases, securing them from viruses and other threats, help staff use them adequately or even performing data retrieval for other people in the organization.
What benefits can this profession gives its occupants?
1. Relatively high occupational security - because this position gives a wide knowledge of the organization's inner data (including confidential data) which makes the organization think again and again before sacking such an employee. In addition, this isn't a research & development job (i.e it doesn't involve directly in product development) thus the employer always needs the employee for maintenance of the information assets.
2. Not a small screw in the machine - everybody knows the database administrator. Everybody needs the database administrator. This is because everybody needs data thus everybody needs the DBA. Kapish?
What are the drawbacks of this profession?
1. Most people don't dream often of a day in front of a computer. Such a job is commonly perceived as geeky and boring. Women seldom get attracted to such a career because they're inclined to interpersonal jobs like healthcare or teaching positions. Thus, most people aren't inclined to computer oriented careers.
2. There aren't relatively many positions of database administrators. They get hired to deal with large database and most businesses don't need large databases. In contrast, for every little aspect in a software there's a need of a programmer or for every small issue in a local network, there's a need of a system administrator.
How can you become a database administrator?
As in every computing profession, there are 2 main tracks to follow: the academic and the non-academic.
1. Academic - study 3-4 years of computing related degree (mainly Computer Science or Information Systems) and then start as a apprentice in the databases field. Advantage: getting great learning skills which would be beneficial in the day to day demanding routine. Disadvantage: long and hard studies and sometimes also expensive.
2. Non academic - study a certification course (like: SQL Server Database Administrator or Oracle DBA) and then start as a newbie in the industry. Advantage: short studies (not more than a year). Disadvantage: weak learning skills and non existent theoretical background.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Webmaster - The Master of the Web
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to write a bit about some sort of a guy. We know him as a "Webmaster", think he's a fat lifeless geek who does something with our website or websites we try (in vain) to work with. So I'm going to elaborate a bit about this newly created profession. I'm going to refer to a few questions:
1. What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
2. What are the qualifications for being a webmaster.
3. What are the advantages of this job.
4. What are the disadvantages of this job?
5. Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
A "Webmaster" in its basic meaning is a person managing a website. As simple as that. But if we wish to elaborate a bit, we could say that the webmaster's job consists of:
1. Build websites, including picking up the technology for them and entering contents to them. Nowadays most of the websites are built on site "baking" platforms (such as: Joomla, Wordpress, Blogspot) and the webmaster should be familiar with working with them.
2. SEO - search engine optimization i.e. promoting the website to appear as high as possible on Google and other search results, as this is the main source of traffic for the website.
3. Serving customer support both to the owner of the website and its visitors, in order to improve its quality and answer questions regarding its use.
4. Security - forming a security policy for the website ensuring its survival and smooth running. Preventing hackers and viruses harm the website.
What are the qualifications for being a webmaster?
There are 2 main approaches for this question:
1. Study a BSc degree in Computer Science or in Information Systems for 3-4 years and then start working as a junior webmaster or a junior web developer. The advantage: improved learning capabilities and work discipline.
2. Study a short Webmaster course (3-4 month) and find an employer willing to hire you as an apprentice. The advantage: a short training track. The disadvantage: limited learning capabilities and not mentally prepared for this kind of work.
"Learning capabilities" - in computing, a professional is demanded to keep learning new material almost on a daily basis, as the computing field is infinite in size and challenges always pop up. Thus improved learning capabilities are an asset for long time work in the field.
"Mentally prepared" - Computing work require sharp capabilities like: long time concentration, perseverance in solving problems, working in teams or well organized work abilities.
What are the advantages of this job?
1. Playing your computer and your Internet for 45 hours a week on duty - bookkeeping? sales job? teaching? Playing!
This is a job in which you live online: get new content every day, look at other sites in order to improve your sites, watch Youtube video for getting ideas for your sites.
2. Young atmosphere - in this job you always feels young, whether it's because the majority of people are young (till 30 years old) or whether it's because the creative nature of this position.
3. Combining technical and visual skills - in this position you are both a programmer (a technical occupation) and a designer (a visual occupation), which is a rare combination between 2 almost opposite field.
4. Money money money - this is definitely a rewarding job, as in most countries the wages are about 50% higher than the average, which is a tempting figure to people suitable for such career.
What are the disadvantages of this job?
1. Not everyone is a geek - you know, there are people in this world, unnecessarily stupid or lazy, who would climb the walls if needed to work 45 hours a week in front of a laptop. Computing work still isn't appealing to most of the population thus such a career wouldn't be as popular as a law or finance career.
2. Age bias - this filed is relatively a young one, as the internet began its evolution in the mid 90's, so the average employee age is about 33-35 which means that 40+ year old employees might be a little old right now for this field.
3. Always learning - keep learning new ideas and notions is absolutely fabulous but not for everyone. Most people would put up perfectly with a routine job with no novelty and no new ideas every now and then. Thus most people would find it hard to deal with the rapid evolution of the internet world.
Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
As in every case - this career path would be great for people who are attracted to its advantages and not discouraged by its disadvantages. Anyway, I can recommend that you take a career counselling in order to check your tendencies and capabilities thoroughly and not choose a career based on the decisions of your peers.
1. What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
2. What are the qualifications for being a webmaster.
3. What are the advantages of this job.
4. What are the disadvantages of this job?
5. Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
A "Webmaster" in its basic meaning is a person managing a website. As simple as that. But if we wish to elaborate a bit, we could say that the webmaster's job consists of:
1. Build websites, including picking up the technology for them and entering contents to them. Nowadays most of the websites are built on site "baking" platforms (such as: Joomla, Wordpress, Blogspot) and the webmaster should be familiar with working with them.
2. SEO - search engine optimization i.e. promoting the website to appear as high as possible on Google and other search results, as this is the main source of traffic for the website.
3. Serving customer support both to the owner of the website and its visitors, in order to improve its quality and answer questions regarding its use.
4. Security - forming a security policy for the website ensuring its survival and smooth running. Preventing hackers and viruses harm the website.
What are the qualifications for being a webmaster?
There are 2 main approaches for this question:
1. Study a BSc degree in Computer Science or in Information Systems for 3-4 years and then start working as a junior webmaster or a junior web developer. The advantage: improved learning capabilities and work discipline.
2. Study a short Webmaster course (3-4 month) and find an employer willing to hire you as an apprentice. The advantage: a short training track. The disadvantage: limited learning capabilities and not mentally prepared for this kind of work.
"Learning capabilities" - in computing, a professional is demanded to keep learning new material almost on a daily basis, as the computing field is infinite in size and challenges always pop up. Thus improved learning capabilities are an asset for long time work in the field.
"Mentally prepared" - Computing work require sharp capabilities like: long time concentration, perseverance in solving problems, working in teams or well organized work abilities.
What are the advantages of this job?
1. Playing your computer and your Internet for 45 hours a week on duty - bookkeeping? sales job? teaching? Playing!
This is a job in which you live online: get new content every day, look at other sites in order to improve your sites, watch Youtube video for getting ideas for your sites.
2. Young atmosphere - in this job you always feels young, whether it's because the majority of people are young (till 30 years old) or whether it's because the creative nature of this position.
3. Combining technical and visual skills - in this position you are both a programmer (a technical occupation) and a designer (a visual occupation), which is a rare combination between 2 almost opposite field.
4. Money money money - this is definitely a rewarding job, as in most countries the wages are about 50% higher than the average, which is a tempting figure to people suitable for such career.
What are the disadvantages of this job?
1. Not everyone is a geek - you know, there are people in this world, unnecessarily stupid or lazy, who would climb the walls if needed to work 45 hours a week in front of a laptop. Computing work still isn't appealing to most of the population thus such a career wouldn't be as popular as a law or finance career.
2. Age bias - this filed is relatively a young one, as the internet began its evolution in the mid 90's, so the average employee age is about 33-35 which means that 40+ year old employees might be a little old right now for this field.
3. Always learning - keep learning new ideas and notions is absolutely fabulous but not for everyone. Most people would put up perfectly with a routine job with no novelty and no new ideas every now and then. Thus most people would find it hard to deal with the rapid evolution of the internet world.
Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
As in every case - this career path would be great for people who are attracted to its advantages and not discouraged by its disadvantages. Anyway, I can recommend that you take a career counselling in order to check your tendencies and capabilities thoroughly and not choose a career based on the decisions of your peers.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Graphic Design Career - What It All About?
Ladies and gentlemen, this week we're going to have a little discussion about a not-so-well-known profession which millions of people around the world make a living from and which deserves our attention when approaching a debate about career choice.
I'm going to discuss a few points in this article:
1. What does this profession consist of?
2. What are the advantages of this profession?
3. What are the disadvantages of this profession?
4. Who should consider this as a career?
What does this profession consist of:
Graphic design is actually the visual expression of ideas and values i.e. putting what a company, an organization or an individual wish to express into a visible implementation. The graphical design field consists of 2 main sub-fields:
1. Imprint design - this is the graphics put on a paper: logos, advertisments, symbols, banners, or page layouts. This refers to how should these objectives look in order to promote the idea they stand for. Who would buy a car of a brand that its advertisments look ugly or obsolete?
2. Online design - this is the graphics put on Internet pages, where the appeal to the eye is crucial to the very survival of a site due to the sharp competition between websites and the fact that a website must make its visitors come back again and again.
What are the advantages of this profession?
As it sounds, this career may offer a few advantages for people who are suitable for using them wisely:
1. Independence oriented - working as a graphic designer is perfectly suitable working as a freelancer or other form of self employment, as it technically based on your wits and a laptop. You don't have to rent a workshop or an office as you can perfectly work from your room at home. Even if you work for a company on a regular basis, it seems plausible for you to do most of the work from home.
2. Age bias proof - working as a graphic designer doesn't seem to be much influenced by the "40 years old crisis", as professions based on the esthetics world tend to be exempt from an age bias due to the fact that the requirements for these professions develop slowly along the years so 50 years old designer are commonly better than 35 years old ones.
3. Creativity - yes, this job is not as ordinary and routine as working as a bookkeeper or a post office clerk. Here you need to come up now and then with new ideas of how o present things to your customers. You can't do the same every week and every month. The ability to come up with new ideas on a regular basis is creativity.
4. Possible short training time - alongside 4 year academic tracks, a designer may get the basic training needed for the job market by attending a short term course of a couple of month. It's true that such short training courses wouldn't make the next Picasso, but still it might train a person well enough in order to start working at the field.
What are the disadvantages of this profession?
Ironically, the advantages of this career yield its disadvantages:
1. Most work is as self employed 1 person team. For some it's a great advantage but for most it's a disaster. Wake up when you want? Come up with new ideas? Working alone? dealing with customers? I bet at least 80% of people would freak out in such an environment.
2. Short training time also means: almost everyone can enter this field as its entrance barriers are quite low. This means that never can occur a state of manpower shortage in this field, which mean that you'll never find employment easily and your life will probably not be a garden of roses.
3. Income - this career isn't basically for very ambitious people financially as it seldom offers wages higher than the average and in many cases designers struggle to pay the bills. Therefore, you should think carefully whether you're willing to put up with this side effect.
Who should consider this as a career?
The answer for this is extremely obvious - people who like the advantages of this career path and can put up with its disadvantages. Every career path can be great for the suitable person or horrible for the unsuitable one. There's no good or bad answer for this. But do yourself a favor - think if you see yourself in this career for at least 20 years. A career choice is not for 5 years, but for decades.
Civil Engineering - Should It Intersest You?
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my article about the important field of Civil Engineering. In this article I'll answer a few principle questions:
1. What is actually "Civil Engineering"?
2. What are the advatntages of this career?
3. What are th disadvantages of this career?
4. Who is this career suitable for?
5. What are the requirements for acquiring this career?
What is actually "Civil Engineering"
This term refers to the world of construction: buildings, roads, bridges, railways or tunnels.
Civil engineer is a professional for designing construction, i.e. how should a structure be built physically, taking into account the physics of materials involved in construction. The engineer is responsible that a building would be built stable and strong enough to make it resistant to many challenges: winds, earthquake, storms, material aging impact or weight burdens.
The unique side of civil engineering is that most of the work gets done outdoors in construction or paving sites, as the engineer is responsible to supervise the construction works, in order to make sure that the actual work gets performed by the plans and by the regulations.
What are the advatntages of this career?
1. Working outdoors - many people aren't keen on working indoors, mainly in front of computers. Civil Engineering is the main alternative (among technical fields) for working mainly outdoors: in construction sites, paving or excavation sites.
2. Working with people - unlike most engineering jobs which deal mainly with tools, materials and computers, Civil Engineering deals mainly with managing projects and people, as the main focus is on the human factor and not on the technical factor.
3. No age bias - technical fields are infamous for having a sharp age bias, as mature workers (mainly 45 years old and above) find difficulties in finding proper employment. Civil Engineering, as being management oriented, is somewhat different in this aspect and engineers generally can find employment till retirement age.
4. Self employment prospects - in nowadays' unstable job market, being able to be a freelancer or an entrepreneur can be a career saver. If you don't get what I say, ask an unemployed electrical or mechanical engineer aged 45 or more and you'll get a straight answer.
What are th disadvantages of this career
1. Medium occupational stability - the construction & infrastructure fields is the most dependant on the Supply and demand curve, thus it may have periods of high demand for workers and periods of low demand. This means that civil engineers may work 40 years in the field but out of these years they may be unemployed for 5-10 years.
2. High level of responsibility - civil engineers are liable both for their signatures and for the implementation of proper construction at field. No other kind of engineers have such level of liability.
3. Long hours - civil engineers work relatively long hours, as they work at least 50 hours a week. This is caused by the fact they work outdoors and they commute many times to long locations. Additionally, the peaks of workloads cause frequent weekly long hours of work.
Who is this career suitable for
1. Outdoors people - people who prefer to work outdoors: travel a lot, meeting a lot of people and staying long hours on open space. People who would be bored to death staying in an office running computers and telephones.
2. Amateurs of unorthodox life - people who strive for a lot of changes and a lot of challenges. People who the term "9 to 5" makes them feel bored and frustrated. people who the term "computer" reminds them of the term "geek". People who don't care working sometimes 12 hours a day.
3. Entrepreneurs by nature - people who need desperately the option of starting their own business, should it be a freelancing service or projects initiation. People who wouldn't stay in careers which let them be only employed and not employers.
What are the requirements for acquiring this career?
1. Academic track - 4 years of BSc studies in Civil Engineering in an accredited university. This track requires good capabilities in mathematics and physics and motivation to put in about 40 hours a week in studying.
2. Attraction - due to the fact that Civil Engineering is a demanding career, I wouldn't recommend it to people without a basic attraction to the its characteristics: mainly working outdoors, managing and dealing with people and long working hours.
1. What is actually "Civil Engineering"?
2. What are the advatntages of this career?
3. What are th disadvantages of this career?
4. Who is this career suitable for?
5. What are the requirements for acquiring this career?
What is actually "Civil Engineering"
This term refers to the world of construction: buildings, roads, bridges, railways or tunnels.
Civil engineer is a professional for designing construction, i.e. how should a structure be built physically, taking into account the physics of materials involved in construction. The engineer is responsible that a building would be built stable and strong enough to make it resistant to many challenges: winds, earthquake, storms, material aging impact or weight burdens.
The unique side of civil engineering is that most of the work gets done outdoors in construction or paving sites, as the engineer is responsible to supervise the construction works, in order to make sure that the actual work gets performed by the plans and by the regulations.
What are the advatntages of this career?
1. Working outdoors - many people aren't keen on working indoors, mainly in front of computers. Civil Engineering is the main alternative (among technical fields) for working mainly outdoors: in construction sites, paving or excavation sites.
2. Working with people - unlike most engineering jobs which deal mainly with tools, materials and computers, Civil Engineering deals mainly with managing projects and people, as the main focus is on the human factor and not on the technical factor.
3. No age bias - technical fields are infamous for having a sharp age bias, as mature workers (mainly 45 years old and above) find difficulties in finding proper employment. Civil Engineering, as being management oriented, is somewhat different in this aspect and engineers generally can find employment till retirement age.
4. Self employment prospects - in nowadays' unstable job market, being able to be a freelancer or an entrepreneur can be a career saver. If you don't get what I say, ask an unemployed electrical or mechanical engineer aged 45 or more and you'll get a straight answer.
What are th disadvantages of this career
1. Medium occupational stability - the construction & infrastructure fields is the most dependant on the Supply and demand curve, thus it may have periods of high demand for workers and periods of low demand. This means that civil engineers may work 40 years in the field but out of these years they may be unemployed for 5-10 years.
2. High level of responsibility - civil engineers are liable both for their signatures and for the implementation of proper construction at field. No other kind of engineers have such level of liability.
3. Long hours - civil engineers work relatively long hours, as they work at least 50 hours a week. This is caused by the fact they work outdoors and they commute many times to long locations. Additionally, the peaks of workloads cause frequent weekly long hours of work.
Who is this career suitable for
1. Outdoors people - people who prefer to work outdoors: travel a lot, meeting a lot of people and staying long hours on open space. People who would be bored to death staying in an office running computers and telephones.
2. Amateurs of unorthodox life - people who strive for a lot of changes and a lot of challenges. People who the term "9 to 5" makes them feel bored and frustrated. people who the term "computer" reminds them of the term "geek". People who don't care working sometimes 12 hours a day.
3. Entrepreneurs by nature - people who need desperately the option of starting their own business, should it be a freelancing service or projects initiation. People who wouldn't stay in careers which let them be only employed and not employers.
What are the requirements for acquiring this career?
1. Academic track - 4 years of BSc studies in Civil Engineering in an accredited university. This track requires good capabilities in mathematics and physics and motivation to put in about 40 hours a week in studying.
2. Attraction - due to the fact that Civil Engineering is a demanding career, I wouldn't recommend it to people without a basic attraction to the its characteristics: mainly working outdoors, managing and dealing with people and long working hours.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Architecture - Nice to Meet You!
Ladies and Gentlemen , this week I'm going to discuss with you a popular yet prestigious career - Architecture. I'm going to elaborate a bit about the following aspects:
1. What do actually architects do ?
2. What does it take to be an architect?
3. What are advantages of a career in architecture?
4. What are the disadvantages of a career in architecture?
What do actually architects do
So what does it actually mean "to be an architect":
1. Realizing the customer's requirements in a professional design i.e the customer details the requirements or the vision for the house or flat to be built, and the architect translates those requirements to a thorough set of designs and specifications.
2. Inventing the creative idea of a structure (a house, a chapel, a mall, a school etc.). By that I refer to the esthetic realization of a structure: taking the requirements for a structure and adding creativity and esthetics to it in order to make the structure qualitative for a decent use and not only a bunch of blocks structured together.
3. Supervising the implementation of the design at the construction site - making sure that the design actually gets implemented physically at the construction process, which means that the architect needs to make sure that the construction manager doesn't defy the design and the construction license given to the project.
What does it take to be an architect?
So, what does it take to be a good architect, one that survives in this career for decades without being totally burnt-out and contemplating about a career change every other week? In my opinion, a proper architect should have the following:
1. A genuine attraction to the construction industry i.e. a person that while walking the street, can't help himself looking on new buildings or on special structures. A person that given the choice to watch an architecture show or a comedy show, would choose the first one.
2. A clear tendency to the design and esthetics world. One can't be an architect with a mind of an accountant. It takes a certain personality to fit this niche, as most people wouldn't find special interest in how a building is built or how the interior of an apartment is designed.
3. Capability and desire to study long years of undergraduate studies (about 5 years) and then start working in relatively low wages compare to engineering fields. This career is for long range runners and not for sprinters. An architect reaches maturity after about 20 years of work, but then he/she may work until the age of 70 (at least).
What are advantages of a career in architecture?
1. Independent work - architecture is one of the most independent and self reliant careers. The architect can be self employed more or less from the beginning of the career, a fact which is very rare in academic (including technical) professions.
2. Combination between art and practice - this is one of the few careers that makes profit from art. Making a living out of painting or sculpture is usually difficult, while practicing architecture opens a variety of job prospects and sometimes a fine level of wages.
3. Relevant to other occupational fields - architecture has much in common with neighboring such as: interior design and product design. This means that the architect may widen the career by moving partially to engage in such fields, which increases the job security and earning prospects.
What are the disadvantages of a career in architecture?
1. This is a field either you're very good at or you hardly survive. No middle way. The talent needed for it combined with the long years of experience needed to become really professional as an architect take a heavy toll which few people can bear. Thus this career is for people who "were born architects", somewhat like a career in medicine.
2. Long and bothersome studies - 5 years of study heavy in hands on technical training (about 45 hours combined a week at class + at home) are not for everyone. Thus you need to be sure that you're capable of putting in such workload for a long period of time.
3. Low wages compared to other academic technical fields, at least in the first 4-5 years. The learning curve in architecture is slower than in other technical fields thus the wages tend to grow up slowly in the first years of the career.
1. What do actually architects do ?
2. What does it take to be an architect?
3. What are advantages of a career in architecture?
4. What are the disadvantages of a career in architecture?
What do actually architects do
So what does it actually mean "to be an architect":
1. Realizing the customer's requirements in a professional design i.e the customer details the requirements or the vision for the house or flat to be built, and the architect translates those requirements to a thorough set of designs and specifications.
2. Inventing the creative idea of a structure (a house, a chapel, a mall, a school etc.). By that I refer to the esthetic realization of a structure: taking the requirements for a structure and adding creativity and esthetics to it in order to make the structure qualitative for a decent use and not only a bunch of blocks structured together.
3. Supervising the implementation of the design at the construction site - making sure that the design actually gets implemented physically at the construction process, which means that the architect needs to make sure that the construction manager doesn't defy the design and the construction license given to the project.
What does it take to be an architect?
So, what does it take to be a good architect, one that survives in this career for decades without being totally burnt-out and contemplating about a career change every other week? In my opinion, a proper architect should have the following:
1. A genuine attraction to the construction industry i.e. a person that while walking the street, can't help himself looking on new buildings or on special structures. A person that given the choice to watch an architecture show or a comedy show, would choose the first one.
2. A clear tendency to the design and esthetics world. One can't be an architect with a mind of an accountant. It takes a certain personality to fit this niche, as most people wouldn't find special interest in how a building is built or how the interior of an apartment is designed.
3. Capability and desire to study long years of undergraduate studies (about 5 years) and then start working in relatively low wages compare to engineering fields. This career is for long range runners and not for sprinters. An architect reaches maturity after about 20 years of work, but then he/she may work until the age of 70 (at least).
What are advantages of a career in architecture?
1. Independent work - architecture is one of the most independent and self reliant careers. The architect can be self employed more or less from the beginning of the career, a fact which is very rare in academic (including technical) professions.
2. Combination between art and practice - this is one of the few careers that makes profit from art. Making a living out of painting or sculpture is usually difficult, while practicing architecture opens a variety of job prospects and sometimes a fine level of wages.
3. Relevant to other occupational fields - architecture has much in common with neighboring such as: interior design and product design. This means that the architect may widen the career by moving partially to engage in such fields, which increases the job security and earning prospects.
What are the disadvantages of a career in architecture?
1. This is a field either you're very good at or you hardly survive. No middle way. The talent needed for it combined with the long years of experience needed to become really professional as an architect take a heavy toll which few people can bear. Thus this career is for people who "were born architects", somewhat like a career in medicine.
2. Long and bothersome studies - 5 years of study heavy in hands on technical training (about 45 hours combined a week at class + at home) are not for everyone. Thus you need to be sure that you're capable of putting in such workload for a long period of time.
3. Low wages compared to other academic technical fields, at least in the first 4-5 years. The learning curve in architecture is slower than in other technical fields thus the wages tend to grow up slowly in the first years of the career.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Why Study Computer Science?
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my weekly article. This time I'm going to think again about the career choice I took and answer a few questions:
1. What is actually Computer Science?
2. Why most young people refrain from taking this academic track?
3. What makes young people take this track anyway?
4. What are the main advantages of this career?
5. What are the main disadvantages of this career?
What is actually Computer Science
This term itself is problematic because the field doesn't deal with computers as objects and is not a standard exact science. Let's put it clear: a science deals with theory while engineering deals with finding practical solutions. So by this definition Computer Science is mostly an engineering. Moreover, This field deals with the principles and methods of software development and not with the structure of computer. So The proper name for this field would be "Software Engineering", as it has been started to be called.
So studying Computer Science you will be educated about the several aspects of the software world: algorithms, data structures , operating systems , logics , machine languages, modern languages and software engineering courses. This academic track should teach you the proper state of mind for engaging in software development. After graduation you should be ready to deal by yourself with extensive self learning of languages ,development environments and algorithms.
Why most young people refrain from taking this academic track
1. Women - constitute a minority among Computer Science student (about 20%). This may be attributed the general reluctance of women from technical career. In addition, the field's image as a masculine one deters many women from entering it.
2. Geek oriented - this filed is widely perceived as suitable mainly for socially inept males, who can't deal with interpersonal jobs and retreat to a solitary career. Many prospect students ditch this career path due to this problematic issue.
3. Offshoring - it's widely perceived that software jobs have been leaking to developing countries like India, thus the future of professionals in the software industry seems blurred.
4. Age bias - it's widely believed that software professionals work till the age of 40, then they're usually fired without being able to find any further employment.
5. Boredom - the field is depicted in public as extremely boring and as one that people engage in just for the good wages it brings.
What makes young people take this track anyway?
1. The mouse generation effect - most of the 1990's born generation has been raised as computer and cellphone addicts. They have known these instrument as their best friend from age 4-5 and have spent thousands of hours using them. Thus a certain percentage of them view the possibility of computing as a career as a natural career path.
2. The big money - many young people are attracted to this field due to the relatively high salaries it offers. Software engineers in the US might earn $100,000 a year after 5-10 years of experience as the average annual salary is about $45,000, which means that good professionals in the software industry earn about 2 times the average salary.
3. High job prospects - young people who tend to study technical courses are often attracted to the high number of jobs the software industry offers compared to other technical field like: Construction, Mechanical or chemical engineering fields.
4. Entrepreneurship prospects - the software industry is perceived as offering wide prospects of working as a self employed professional or as an entrepreneur. We all have been hearing about the success story of Facebook or Twitter which were initiated basically by a single person and have become world wide phenomena.
What are the main advantages of this career
1. Prestigous - no matter where you go, being computer programmer is highly respectable, sometimes one of the most respected careers: North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America or India. Being respectable and engaging in a well respected career is important to many people.
2. Twenty years of grace - software professionals enjoy a steady prospects of employment for about 20 years after graduation, as most Computer Science graduates enter the job market at about 23 years of age. It's rare to see a software professional unemployed for long periods of time, at least until the age of 45.
3. Self employment prospects - It's feasible to work as a freelancer or as an entrepreneur, a luxury a few academic occupations enjoy. For people who can't find proper employment or wish to be their own bosses, this feature is highly important.
4. Work from everywhere - this field lets you work from every place on this planet almost without any significance to your physical location. This enables the possibilities to work for a remote client without leaving your room.
What are the main disadvantages of this career?
1. All day in front of the computer - there are people who are suitable for such a daily routine but many would get frustrated from sitting 45 hours a week in front of a small screen. So taking this aspect into consideration would be prudent.
2. Limited social interaction - again, there are people who would crave such working conditions and people that would climb the walls after a month in this atmosphere. Though software professionals interact during work, interpersonal relations surely can't be defined as the title of this career.
3. Age bias - in this field 40 years old worker is considered quite old, though the average age in the industry has increased during the last 2 decades, due to the fact that the field got popular mainly since the 1990's, so obviously the average age can't be over 35 years of age.
Summary
In this article I've shared with you my understanding of the various aspects of choosing Computer Science as a career: its advantages, disadvantages and why people opt for or refrain from this field.
You're more than welcome to comment this article with your insights.
1. What is actually Computer Science?
2. Why most young people refrain from taking this academic track?
3. What makes young people take this track anyway?
4. What are the main advantages of this career?
5. What are the main disadvantages of this career?
What is actually Computer Science
This term itself is problematic because the field doesn't deal with computers as objects and is not a standard exact science. Let's put it clear: a science deals with theory while engineering deals with finding practical solutions. So by this definition Computer Science is mostly an engineering. Moreover, This field deals with the principles and methods of software development and not with the structure of computer. So The proper name for this field would be "Software Engineering", as it has been started to be called.
So studying Computer Science you will be educated about the several aspects of the software world: algorithms, data structures , operating systems , logics , machine languages, modern languages and software engineering courses. This academic track should teach you the proper state of mind for engaging in software development. After graduation you should be ready to deal by yourself with extensive self learning of languages ,development environments and algorithms.
Why most young people refrain from taking this academic track
1. Women - constitute a minority among Computer Science student (about 20%). This may be attributed the general reluctance of women from technical career. In addition, the field's image as a masculine one deters many women from entering it.
2. Geek oriented - this filed is widely perceived as suitable mainly for socially inept males, who can't deal with interpersonal jobs and retreat to a solitary career. Many prospect students ditch this career path due to this problematic issue.
3. Offshoring - it's widely perceived that software jobs have been leaking to developing countries like India, thus the future of professionals in the software industry seems blurred.
4. Age bias - it's widely believed that software professionals work till the age of 40, then they're usually fired without being able to find any further employment.
5. Boredom - the field is depicted in public as extremely boring and as one that people engage in just for the good wages it brings.
What makes young people take this track anyway?
1. The mouse generation effect - most of the 1990's born generation has been raised as computer and cellphone addicts. They have known these instrument as their best friend from age 4-5 and have spent thousands of hours using them. Thus a certain percentage of them view the possibility of computing as a career as a natural career path.
2. The big money - many young people are attracted to this field due to the relatively high salaries it offers. Software engineers in the US might earn $100,000 a year after 5-10 years of experience as the average annual salary is about $45,000, which means that good professionals in the software industry earn about 2 times the average salary.
3. High job prospects - young people who tend to study technical courses are often attracted to the high number of jobs the software industry offers compared to other technical field like: Construction, Mechanical or chemical engineering fields.
4. Entrepreneurship prospects - the software industry is perceived as offering wide prospects of working as a self employed professional or as an entrepreneur. We all have been hearing about the success story of Facebook or Twitter which were initiated basically by a single person and have become world wide phenomena.
What are the main advantages of this career
1. Prestigous - no matter where you go, being computer programmer is highly respectable, sometimes one of the most respected careers: North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America or India. Being respectable and engaging in a well respected career is important to many people.
2. Twenty years of grace - software professionals enjoy a steady prospects of employment for about 20 years after graduation, as most Computer Science graduates enter the job market at about 23 years of age. It's rare to see a software professional unemployed for long periods of time, at least until the age of 45.
3. Self employment prospects - It's feasible to work as a freelancer or as an entrepreneur, a luxury a few academic occupations enjoy. For people who can't find proper employment or wish to be their own bosses, this feature is highly important.
4. Work from everywhere - this field lets you work from every place on this planet almost without any significance to your physical location. This enables the possibilities to work for a remote client without leaving your room.
What are the main disadvantages of this career?
1. All day in front of the computer - there are people who are suitable for such a daily routine but many would get frustrated from sitting 45 hours a week in front of a small screen. So taking this aspect into consideration would be prudent.
2. Limited social interaction - again, there are people who would crave such working conditions and people that would climb the walls after a month in this atmosphere. Though software professionals interact during work, interpersonal relations surely can't be defined as the title of this career.
3. Age bias - in this field 40 years old worker is considered quite old, though the average age in the industry has increased during the last 2 decades, due to the fact that the field got popular mainly since the 1990's, so obviously the average age can't be over 35 years of age.
Summary
In this article I've shared with you my understanding of the various aspects of choosing Computer Science as a career: its advantages, disadvantages and why people opt for or refrain from this field.
You're more than welcome to comment this article with your insights.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Best Career Paths for the Coming 10 Years
Ladies and gentlemen, it's high time we talked a bit about the most recommended careers for the next 10 years and maybe for the next decades.
It's commonly believed that it's hard to guess the future, but most of the job market experts tend to agree about a few career paths that should give good prospects for work.
But wait a minute - you must bear in mind that in order to succeed in a career, you must fit that career. If you're restless you'll never do well in the software industry.
If you don't do well with people, you'll never get along in a medical career. If you can't express yourself well, you better avoid law school or a journalism career.
Furthermore, you should bear in mind that prediction may fail, and careers which have strong job prospects may let you down due to global changes or economic crisis.
Finally, take into consideration that these predictions have been concluded about the job market n the USA. Other western markets may differ a bit in their predictions, and non-western
market may differ significantly from these predictions.
So let's have a look at the top recommended career for young people nowadays:
1. Denstist / Debtal Hygienist - remember to go to the dentist every 6 months for a a routine check and teeth polishing? If not - please do.
Anyway, these professional can sleep very peacfully at night, due to the fact that no human being can sleep peacefully without any teeth..
A dentist has to put up with long studies of 6 years and an hygenist has to deal with about 3 years of study.
Pros: work everywhere and always.
Cons: look at people mouths' all day long?
2. Registered Nurse (RN) - People nowadays live longer. 100 years ago the life expectancy of people in the US was less than 60 years. Nowadays - 80 years.
Someone has to treat physically old & sick people, and these are the nurses. They are the professionals maintaining the hosptital departments on daily basis.
Pros: contribution to society and steady emplyoment.
Cons: hard work that you must be suitable to.
3. Computer network professionals - right now you're surfing the web. The network giving you this service needs frequent maintenance: servers, communication lines and gateways tend to fall apart.
These professionals work aroung the clock in order to keep the communication infrastructure steady and functioning.
Thus there's a need of many professionals in this field.
Pros: a. work with people and computers alike. b. relatively stable employment.
Cons: need to be a good service provider.
4. Physician - "Doctor, I'm sick, help me!". No life without doctors. The long years of studies and the hard mental appects of the medical world prevent many people from joining the field.
This makes sure every physician always has a plenty of vocational prospects, both as an employed professional or as a self employed professional.
Pros: a. The most prestigious career. b. always employed. c. always earns well. d. high contribution to society.
Cons: a. a very long trainig. b. mentally difficult - blood, sweat and tears are the daily routine.
5. Software Engineer/Developer - these are Computer Science graduates who develop and improve software (programms, applications, websites, operation systems etc.) for you to use when you use
the computer. A computer without software is like a body without a soul. Thus this witty and creative profession need a flow of well trained and highly experienced professionals.
Pros: a. highly employable (when you're young). b. very challanging intellectually. c. various career path available. d. easy to be self employed. e. very high wages (compared to the general job market).
Cons: a. very difficult studies, as Computer Science is one of the most challanging academic tracks. b. working mainly with computer for long hours. c. unstable job market. d. age bias - difficult to get employed after you're 45.
6. Physical Therapist / Occupational Therapist - These are professional who engage in rehabilatory medicine i.e taking a disabled person and making him be capeable of improved physical functioning.
They treat accident victims, born disabled people and injured athletes. These professions require high patience for people and high level of empathy.
Pros: a. Mentally very fulfilling. b. Stable job market. c. potential of being self-employed.
Cons: a. Requires high levels of patience and empathy around people. b. Sometimes requires physical effort. c. Requires putting up with human suffering.
7. Civil Engineering - these are the professionals designing buldings, roads, piplines, sewage infractures, bridges, railways and supervise their construction.
This career is both technical and outdoors, as the engineers work mainly on site.
Pros: a. Being an engineer without being indoors all day long. b. Focusing on managing people and materials. c. Potential of being self employed. d. Wages above the average.
Cons: a. Not everyone is for working outdoors. b. Medium demand throughout recessions. c. Not stress-proof.
8. Actuary - These professionals are expert to risk taking, especially in the insurance & banking industries. They make for their employers/clients statistical calculation
dealing eith the risk these clients take. For example: they advice how much insurance policy should cost or should a person be insured at all.
Pros: A good demand for workers in comparison to the number of people studying it. b. Very interesting to realistic oriented people. c. Potential of being self employed. d. Good pay.
Cons: a. Long years of study (5-6 years). b. Can be very boring for non-realistic people.
Summary - as you've noticed, the job market tends clearly toward the medical or realistic professions. It's important to be suitable for a career in order to succeed
but it's also important that the career will be stable and rewarding materially. Good Luck!
16 Types Test and Your Career Choice
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my new article "16 Types Test and Your Career Choice". In the last article I wrote about the necessity of psychological tests in the course of career counselling. These tests use to classify people to several personality type and by that advice them about their career. Today I'm going to present you one of the most popular psychological test, which is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
This test examines 4 traits at a person and decides between 2 options for each trait: 1. Extraversion (E) - Introversion (I)
Extrovert are people who are action and people's oriented. They prefer to act straight away instead of thinking and planning. They know a little about many topics but none in depth. They prefer many superficial relationships rather than a few deep relationships. They get reassured by the presence and opinions of other people.
Introverts are thinking and ideas people. They tend to deepen into a few areas of speciality and don't scatter on many topics. They tend to have a few deep relationships and don't make many acquaintances. They get reassurance by spending time alone and contemplating.
2. Sensing (S) - Intuition (N)
Sensing people look superficially at data: if you told them about an article on the paper, they wouldn't (for example) suspect that the article may promote political agenda. When reading a post on the internet, they wouldn't bother to find out who published that information. If you told them something about yourself, they wouldn't contemplate why you told them that. They concentrate on the present with little contemplation on the future.
Intuitive people tend to link between ideas and produce a new idea. They tend to be suspicious about facts and dive inside the data in order to find the truth. They contemplate on new possibilities and idea and don't concentrate on the present. They manage well with theories and abstract ideas.
3. Thinking (T) - Feeling (F)
Thinking people make decisions based on facts and rules. They don't involve deep emotions in their decision making. They concentrate on getting maximal benefit in their decisions.
Feeling people make decisions based on emotions and feelings. They involve their feelings in their decision making. They concentrate on the human factor of the decisions.
4. Judging (J) - Perception (P)
Judging people tend to use their judging trait (thinking or feeling) much more than their perception trait (sensing or intuition). Perceiving people tend to use their perception trait (sensing or intuition) more than their judging trait (thinking or feeling).
Now, please go and test yourselves here: http://16typequiz.com/quiz.html
What are the main career paths for each personality type:
ISTJ (duty fullfillers) careers: Business Executives Accountants Detectives Lawyers Medical Doctors / Dentists Computer Programmers Military Leaders
ESTJ (guardians) careers:
Military leaders
Business Administrators and Managers
Police / Detective work
Judges
Financial Officers
Teachers
Sales Representatives
ISFJ (nurturer) careers:
Interior Decorators
Designers
Nurses
Administrators and Managers
Administrative Assistants
Child Care / Early Childhood Development
Social Work / Counselors
Paralegals
Clergy / Religious Workers
Office Managers
Shopkeepers
Bookkeepers
Home Economics
ESFJ (caregivers) careers: Home Economics Nursing Teaching Administrators Child Care Family Practice Physician Clergy or other religious work Office Managers Counselors / Social Work Bookkeeping / Accounting Administrative Assistants
ISTP (mechanics) careers: Police and Detective Work Forensic Pathologists Computer Programmers, System Analysts Engineers Carpenters Mechanics Pilots, Drivers, Motorcyclists Athletes Entrepreneurs
ESTP (doers) careers: Sales Representatives Marketing Personnel Police / Detective Work Paramedic / Emergency Medical Technician PC Technicians or Network Cablers Computer Technical Support Entrepreneurs Athlete
ISFP (artists) careers: Artist Musician / Composer Designer Child Care / Early Childhood Development Social Worker / Counselor Teacher Psychologist Veterinarian Forest Ranger Pediatrician
ESFP (performers) careers: Artists, Performers and Actors Sales Representatives Counselors / Social Work Child Care Fashion Designers Interior Decorators Consultants Photographers
INTJ (scientists) careers: Scientists Engineers Professors Medical Doctor Corporate Strategists Business Administrators Military Leaders Lawyers Computer Programmers
ENTJ (executives) careers: Corporate Executive Officer Entrepreneur Computer Consultant Lawyer Judge Business Administrators University Professors and Administrators
INTP (thinkers) careers: Scientists Photographers Strategic Planners Mathematicians University Professors Computer Programmers Technical Writers Engineers Lawyers Forensic Research
ENTP (visionaries) careers: Lawyers Psychologists Entrepreneurs Actors Sales personnel Computer Programmer
INFJ (protectors) careers: Clergy / Religious Work Teachers Medical Doctors Alternative Health Care Practitioners Psychologists Social Workers Musicians
ENFJ (givers) careers: Psychologist Social Worker Teacher Clergy Sales people Human Resources Politicians
INFP (idealists) careers: Writers Social Workers Teachers Psychologists Musicians Clergy
ENFP (inspirers) careers: Psychologist Entrepreneur Actor Teacher Politician Writer Television Reporter Computer Programmer Engineer
Summary - I've posted here the option of getting career advice by a very simple and prompt measure: the 16-Type test. I'd be happy to hear your reviews about this test an its reliability.
This test examines 4 traits at a person and decides between 2 options for each trait: 1. Extraversion (E) - Introversion (I)
Extrovert are people who are action and people's oriented. They prefer to act straight away instead of thinking and planning. They know a little about many topics but none in depth. They prefer many superficial relationships rather than a few deep relationships. They get reassured by the presence and opinions of other people.
Introverts are thinking and ideas people. They tend to deepen into a few areas of speciality and don't scatter on many topics. They tend to have a few deep relationships and don't make many acquaintances. They get reassurance by spending time alone and contemplating.
2. Sensing (S) - Intuition (N)
Sensing people look superficially at data: if you told them about an article on the paper, they wouldn't (for example) suspect that the article may promote political agenda. When reading a post on the internet, they wouldn't bother to find out who published that information. If you told them something about yourself, they wouldn't contemplate why you told them that. They concentrate on the present with little contemplation on the future.
Intuitive people tend to link between ideas and produce a new idea. They tend to be suspicious about facts and dive inside the data in order to find the truth. They contemplate on new possibilities and idea and don't concentrate on the present. They manage well with theories and abstract ideas.
3. Thinking (T) - Feeling (F)
Thinking people make decisions based on facts and rules. They don't involve deep emotions in their decision making. They concentrate on getting maximal benefit in their decisions.
Feeling people make decisions based on emotions and feelings. They involve their feelings in their decision making. They concentrate on the human factor of the decisions.
4. Judging (J) - Perception (P)
Judging people tend to use their judging trait (thinking or feeling) much more than their perception trait (sensing or intuition). Perceiving people tend to use their perception trait (sensing or intuition) more than their judging trait (thinking or feeling).
Now, please go and test yourselves here: http://16typequiz.com/quiz.html
What are the main career paths for each personality type:
ISTJ (duty fullfillers) careers: Business Executives Accountants Detectives Lawyers Medical Doctors / Dentists Computer Programmers Military Leaders
ESTJ (guardians) careers:
Military leaders
Business Administrators and Managers
Police / Detective work
Judges
Financial Officers
Teachers
Sales Representatives
ISFJ (nurturer) careers:
Interior Decorators
Designers
Nurses
Administrators and Managers
Administrative Assistants
Child Care / Early Childhood Development
Social Work / Counselors
Paralegals
Clergy / Religious Workers
Office Managers
Shopkeepers
Bookkeepers
Home Economics
ESFJ (caregivers) careers: Home Economics Nursing Teaching Administrators Child Care Family Practice Physician Clergy or other religious work Office Managers Counselors / Social Work Bookkeeping / Accounting Administrative Assistants
ISTP (mechanics) careers: Police and Detective Work Forensic Pathologists Computer Programmers, System Analysts Engineers Carpenters Mechanics Pilots, Drivers, Motorcyclists Athletes Entrepreneurs
ESTP (doers) careers: Sales Representatives Marketing Personnel Police / Detective Work Paramedic / Emergency Medical Technician PC Technicians or Network Cablers Computer Technical Support Entrepreneurs Athlete
ISFP (artists) careers: Artist Musician / Composer Designer Child Care / Early Childhood Development Social Worker / Counselor Teacher Psychologist Veterinarian Forest Ranger Pediatrician
ESFP (performers) careers: Artists, Performers and Actors Sales Representatives Counselors / Social Work Child Care Fashion Designers Interior Decorators Consultants Photographers
INTJ (scientists) careers: Scientists Engineers Professors Medical Doctor Corporate Strategists Business Administrators Military Leaders Lawyers Computer Programmers
ENTJ (executives) careers: Corporate Executive Officer Entrepreneur Computer Consultant Lawyer Judge Business Administrators University Professors and Administrators
INTP (thinkers) careers: Scientists Photographers Strategic Planners Mathematicians University Professors Computer Programmers Technical Writers Engineers Lawyers Forensic Research
ENTP (visionaries) careers: Lawyers Psychologists Entrepreneurs Actors Sales personnel Computer Programmer
INFJ (protectors) careers: Clergy / Religious Work Teachers Medical Doctors Alternative Health Care Practitioners Psychologists Social Workers Musicians
ENFJ (givers) careers: Psychologist Social Worker Teacher Clergy Sales people Human Resources Politicians
INFP (idealists) careers: Writers Social Workers Teachers Psychologists Musicians Clergy
ENFP (inspirers) careers: Psychologist Entrepreneur Actor Teacher Politician Writer Television Reporter Computer Programmer Engineer
Summary - I've posted here the option of getting career advice by a very simple and prompt measure: the 16-Type test. I'd be happy to hear your reviews about this test an its reliability.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Why Do Most People Regret Their Career Choices?
Hi folks, today I'm going to deliberate the issue most of us stumple on quite frequently along our career: We're not satisfied with it! We get up at the morning, brush our teeth, drink coffee and maybe have a quick breakfast, and then - we move reluctantly towards our car or bus for another day of not-so-bad-not-so-good work.
So how many people are actually satisfied with their career? In other words: out of 100 workers, how many would tell you they wouldn't change their profession or job? Recent article have shown an astonishing figure: only 10% of the people in western societies are fully satisfied with their career. The vast majority would change either their profession or workng place.
Now, wait a minute: if almost everyone is unsatisfied with their careers, we must ask ourselves what's going wrong with people's career choice? How come almost every young man or woman take a choice which after a few years would become a source of exasperation for them?
I'll tell what I think and you will challange me if you don't agree:
1. Peer & family pressure - I'm sure most of you have noticed that young people tend to pick up careers common in their surroundings, whether their families or communties. Very often one can stumple on an attourney whose father or uncle is also an attourney. We all have met families of police officers where the grandfather, the father and the son all wear blue uniforms from their early 20s.
Well, this is a terrific source of troubles, as people who go into an unsuitable careers for them tend to have major difficulties in running those careers. Suitability to one's career is not less important than the suitability to one's spouse.
2. Choosing a career too early - it's hard to believe that a 20 years old man or woman can effectively choose a career at an age which in this generation is still highly immature. Look at that this way: a person in western societies spends 40-50 hours a week at work, usually much more than with the spouse.
Would you recommend a 18-21 years old person to get married? most of you wouldn't. So why do you think it's recommended to choose a career at such an age?
3. Overlooking the job & wage prospects of a career - it's true that the job market sees changes in demand for different occupations, but along decades more or less the same professionals enjoy high demand and high wages. It's widely believed that High-Tech (software & electronics) professionals and medical (doctors, nurses etc.) professionals enjoy prosperous job market along decades, while humanities graduates enjoy a medium job market. This figure most probably is not going to change from now to about year 2040.
Many young people overlook the consequences of their career choices in this matter.
4. Unawareness of one's true personality - Let me tell you about my old friend Jenny. When she was 20 years old, she began studying Library studies and worked as a library clerk in a college library. Throughout her studies, she began feeling an uneasy sensation of shame: most of her friends went to Engineering school as she was preparing herself for a career as a clerk.
Jenny was unaware of her level of ambition and caused herself a waste of time studying for a career which basically couldn't be fulfilling for her mentally.
5. Thinking only about the money - as Madonna's song says: "We live in a material world". Today's young people tend to choose their career solely by the average annual revenue it might give them. As choosing a career solely by interest while overlooking its job & wage prospects is ridiculous in my view, making decisions solely based on the material aspect is very problematic. Why? because a person engaging in an unsuitable career may retire after a couple of years from the career because of early burnout and opt for another career. 6. Not going through a professional diagnosis procedure - A professional career consultant has the full capacity of making a career choice from an irritating task to a straight forward one. Simple psychological test like the 4-type test or Holland test can give you a narrow range of recommended careers and moreover, a list of unrecommended careers. So guess how many people out of 100 go through career diagnosis? You've guessed it right: less than 20%. Summary - I've said enough. Now it's you - tell me what do you think, either by email (at the title of the blog) or by a comment. Cheers!
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Home Business - Who Should Give It a Try?
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to discuss with you a relatively new field of employment - home business. By this term I refer to a small business run from home. This implies a business without a dedicated place (shop, office, workshop) being maintained for and generally without inventory being held for.
In this article I'll elaborate a bit on the following points:
1. What are the main business types relevant to a home business?
2. Advantages of running a home business.
3. Disadvantages of running a home business.
4. How to start a home business?
What are the main business types relevant to a home business?
1. Marketing - due to the fact that most marketing campaign are carried out by phone or internet, there is a wide variety of marketing activities relevant to working at home. Examples to marketing businesses:
a. Virtual store - selling products online, as 10% of all commerce in the US gets performed through the internet. The most prominent virtual store platform in recent years has been Ebay, where hundreds of thousands of merchants find work, many times in success.
b. Telemarketing - selling products of businesses online. As it sounds, it's a great prospect of working at home, as its only infrastructure is a phone line. The idea is that a business pays the marketer based on successes.
c. Affiliate marketing - promoting products online and getting paid by successes. This is done by advertising products on sites and forums and promoting them by this. The most prominent affiliate platform nowadays is Google Adsense.
2. Organizational home businesses
a. Event organization - help people run a party or a meeting at their garden or at at a club. Most people who need to run such events have no clue about this and get panicked. This opens a wide prospect of employment for people with some organizational experience and motivation of working independantly.
b. Home arrangements - People nowadays tend to work long hours and need assistance in every aspects of their housekeeping. Thus house cleaning, closet arrangement or handymen services can be very lucrative. Such businesses can be suitable to hard working people with some experience in such work.
c. Cooking - Many people just don't seems to have time for decent cooking. Thus it's feasible to offer them cooking services, from sandwich breakfasts to familial dinners. People who wish to engage in such businesses, need to have cooking experience and devotion to such kind of a business.
3. Personal services businesses
a. Information retrieval - many organizations need casual internet searching services, where experienced information specialists search the web for business, scientific or social information. For example, engineering company would sometimes save engineer working hours invested in web search and give it to information specialist who are often more web savvy.
b. Virtual Assistant - some business people hire assistants for limited tasks such as: typing, phone call answering or web searching. This kind of work lets the service provider work without any importance to physical location, and a wider range of service providers to the buyer.
Advantages of running a home business
Well, if you're over 18 years old and need me to tell you - I'm very sorry for you. Anyway, I see a few main advantages to be your own boss and do it from the comfort of your home:
1. You don't have to maintain a place - you don't need a shop or an office let alone not a workshop. Your business is located at home and this saves you a fortune and increases drastically the survival prospects of your business.
2. You don't need inventory - this means that you don't hold stocks of merchandise that you don't need to purchase beforehand and sell. This feature gives you 2 advantages: First, you don't need initial investment in order to form the business. Second, the survival prospects of your business go up significantly.
3. Less commuting - while working from home, you travel much less (on average) than a person working otherwise. The reason for this is obvious: you basically don't get out of home. The average worker commutes hundreds of hours a year, which the home worker spares.
Disadvantages of running a home business
1. Lack of social interaction - in many home businesses most of the work is done with a computer under little social interaction. This can bring to feelings of social isolation and estrangement. As the human being a social creature, a home business owner should find complementary means of social interaction.
2. Limited range of business fields - most businesses can't be implemented at home due a need of space for serving people or storing stocks. The range of businesses relevant to an apartment is restricted to those who don't need a large space.
3. Can't attract customers by location - a shop or an office attract customers by the fact that they're located on a street and people go by them and are exposed to the services they offer. A home business is basically invisible to the public because no one can see it. Thus such a business needs to find complementary means of advertising itself.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Online Merchant - Another Option in Life
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to present you a new profession that might be appealing to you. These profession employed over 1 million people across the world and is expected to grow in the coming decades. I'm going to relate to a few questions:
1. What is required from an online merchant?
2. What are the advantages and benefits of such work?
3. Who may be suitable for this kind of work?
4. Some statistics about this field.
What is required from an online merchant?
Working as an online merchant, marketing goods online, sounds fun and easy but actually it's a profession to learn through the years. The main abilities required from an online merchant:
1. Learning all the time - marketing online is a rapid developing field which evolves steadily in many directions and new niches. Being able to keep abreast with these fast changes is crucial for a successful online merchant.
2. Passion for the sale - an online merchant should wake up at the morning with the thought "what am I going to sell today". Without this passion, you'll never last in this field.
3. Perseverance - like in every business, the online merchant must have the ability to wait even years till the income becomes significant. This is not a field for people who seek a quick way for getting rich. The process of becoming a seasoned online merchant is tedious and frustrating, so you better take this point into account.
What are the advantages and benefits of such work?
Well, It's obvious, isn't it?
1. Totally independent - no boss, no colleagues, no office politics. Just you - an army of 1 person.
2. No need for a location - no need for a shop or a workshop.
3. No need for merchandize - you buy your stock when you receive orders from clients.
4. No risk of getting fired - you may earn a little but you can't be fired.
5. No age bias - the term "age 40+" doesn't apply to this kind of a job.
6. No boredom - you always learn new things and new techniques.
Who may be suitable for this kind of work?
When I think of this question, I can depict an online merchant as:
1. Merchant - likes and good at selling things. Even on the Internet, a sale is a sale. Merchandise is merchandise.
2. Likes working with computers - isn't selling online involving computers?..
3. Patient - success in sales requires time and experience. It's not a piece of cake.
4. Little talent for sales - as in every career, talent can be useful..
Some statistics about this field:
So let's have a look at main statistical figures:
1. In the USA alone, there are about 90,000 online stores making at least $1000 a month. out of these, about 55,00 stores make at least $2000 a month.
2. In the USA, the average annual income for a full time job online merchant stand at about $65,000. The hourly income is about $30.
3. The most successful niches in the USA involve the financial world: loans, insurance, credit cards, debt solutions etc.
4. About 10% of all shopping done in the USA - is done online!
1. What is required from an online merchant?
2. What are the advantages and benefits of such work?
3. Who may be suitable for this kind of work?
4. Some statistics about this field.
What is required from an online merchant?
Working as an online merchant, marketing goods online, sounds fun and easy but actually it's a profession to learn through the years. The main abilities required from an online merchant:
1. Learning all the time - marketing online is a rapid developing field which evolves steadily in many directions and new niches. Being able to keep abreast with these fast changes is crucial for a successful online merchant.
2. Passion for the sale - an online merchant should wake up at the morning with the thought "what am I going to sell today". Without this passion, you'll never last in this field.
3. Perseverance - like in every business, the online merchant must have the ability to wait even years till the income becomes significant. This is not a field for people who seek a quick way for getting rich. The process of becoming a seasoned online merchant is tedious and frustrating, so you better take this point into account.
What are the advantages and benefits of such work?
Well, It's obvious, isn't it?
1. Totally independent - no boss, no colleagues, no office politics. Just you - an army of 1 person.
2. No need for a location - no need for a shop or a workshop.
3. No need for merchandize - you buy your stock when you receive orders from clients.
4. No risk of getting fired - you may earn a little but you can't be fired.
5. No age bias - the term "age 40+" doesn't apply to this kind of a job.
6. No boredom - you always learn new things and new techniques.
Who may be suitable for this kind of work?
When I think of this question, I can depict an online merchant as:
1. Merchant - likes and good at selling things. Even on the Internet, a sale is a sale. Merchandise is merchandise.
2. Likes working with computers - isn't selling online involving computers?..
3. Patient - success in sales requires time and experience. It's not a piece of cake.
4. Little talent for sales - as in every career, talent can be useful..
Some statistics about this field:
So let's have a look at main statistical figures:
1. In the USA alone, there are about 90,000 online stores making at least $1000 a month. out of these, about 55,00 stores make at least $2000 a month.
2. In the USA, the average annual income for a full time job online merchant stand at about $65,000. The hourly income is about $30.
3. The most successful niches in the USA involve the financial world: loans, insurance, credit cards, debt solutions etc.
4. About 10% of all shopping done in the USA - is done online!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Physical Therapy - Do Something For Others for a Change
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to speak a bit about an unselfish profession. A profession which is also a task: Physical Therapy (also known as: Physiotherapy).
I'm going to emphasize the basic points you need to know about this career:
1. Who is suitable for this profession?
2. What is the training track required for this career?
3. What are the main advantages of this profession?
4. What are the main disadvantages of this career?
Who is suitable for this profession?
In my opinion, a small fraction of society can to well with this profession. this profession requires a few basic characteristics which without even one of them, the person might not survive in the field:
1. Ability to experience pain and suffering of others - physical therapists don't work usually with very healthy people. This demands resilience from the therapist in order to put up with the daily routine.
2. Good manual skills - physical therapists work with their hands, thus they need a decent level of manual skills for performing the actual therapy. For example: Lifting a limb in order to demonstrate a move.
3. Ability to work as self employed - much of the job market in this field is based on independent service to people in their homes. For this to occur, the therapist must be able to run small practice including the basic running of a business (bookkeeping, service support, marketing etc.).
What is the training track required for this career?
Prepare your butt for a 4 year academic track! If you've thought it's a piece of cake to become a physical therapist, you've got it all wrong. the studies combine theory and practice as you should be trained both on the scientific (medicine) and on the practical (performance) side. The studies take a bout 30 hours a week and some work at home. Thus, it's not a track for easy life seekers.
What are the main advantages of this profession?
I'll tell you a little secret: most people do nothing significant in their jobs. They do absolutely nothing contributing to humanity or society. They do nothing fulfilling or reassuring. They do the same again and again, for months and years.
This can't be said about physical therapists. These people help people every day, all day. There's nothing unnecessary or pretending about their work. There's nothing done for the looks of it or for the impression.
By this I rest my case.
What are the main disadvantages of this career?
As in every career, if you're not suitable for this kind of work, you'll suffer and suffer big time! Do not choose these career without a proper career advice. I dare you!
Moreover, this profession is for people who love people, not for people who love money. Do not go for this career path because you hear of good wages in this field.
I'm going to emphasize the basic points you need to know about this career:
1. Who is suitable for this profession?
2. What is the training track required for this career?
3. What are the main advantages of this profession?
4. What are the main disadvantages of this career?
Who is suitable for this profession?
In my opinion, a small fraction of society can to well with this profession. this profession requires a few basic characteristics which without even one of them, the person might not survive in the field:
1. Ability to experience pain and suffering of others - physical therapists don't work usually with very healthy people. This demands resilience from the therapist in order to put up with the daily routine.
2. Good manual skills - physical therapists work with their hands, thus they need a decent level of manual skills for performing the actual therapy. For example: Lifting a limb in order to demonstrate a move.
3. Ability to work as self employed - much of the job market in this field is based on independent service to people in their homes. For this to occur, the therapist must be able to run small practice including the basic running of a business (bookkeeping, service support, marketing etc.).
What is the training track required for this career?
Prepare your butt for a 4 year academic track! If you've thought it's a piece of cake to become a physical therapist, you've got it all wrong. the studies combine theory and practice as you should be trained both on the scientific (medicine) and on the practical (performance) side. The studies take a bout 30 hours a week and some work at home. Thus, it's not a track for easy life seekers.
What are the main advantages of this profession?
I'll tell you a little secret: most people do nothing significant in their jobs. They do absolutely nothing contributing to humanity or society. They do nothing fulfilling or reassuring. They do the same again and again, for months and years.
This can't be said about physical therapists. These people help people every day, all day. There's nothing unnecessary or pretending about their work. There's nothing done for the looks of it or for the impression.
By this I rest my case.
What are the main disadvantages of this career?
As in every career, if you're not suitable for this kind of work, you'll suffer and suffer big time! Do not choose these career without a proper career advice. I dare you!
Moreover, this profession is for people who love people, not for people who love money. Do not go for this career path because you hear of good wages in this field.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Optometry - I Can't See You..
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to say a few words about an absolutely crucial profession for human survival: optometry. Most of you have been a few times in glasses shop so you have already encountered optometrists before. So I'm going to detail a bit about:
1. Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
2. Where do optometrists work?
3. How much do they earn?
4. Who is suitable for this career?
Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
Well, the jobs optometrists do consist of:
1. Performing eye checks - yes, this is the main job of optometrists. If you can't imagine yourself look at people's eyes for long hours - this career is not for you.
2. Defining the needs of clients of glasses and lenses - as physicians prescribe medications, optometrists prescribe glasses and lenses.
3. guiding opticians (optometry technicians) what are the components needed for a pair of glasses or lenses.
Where do optometrists work?
So where can you find the creatures named "Optometrists" ?
1. Glasses shops - you know, optometrists prescribe glasses, and as such they can be found primarily in glasses shops.
2. Medical practices in hospitals and community clinics - where they perform eye tests for patients.
3. Academy - where they perform academic research concerning the multiple aspects of optometry.
How much do they earn?
If an optometrist starts a new business, then the income may be very little or very high. As an employee, the wages most of time are around the average at most of the cases and in most countries. This isn't a profession for making millions but for making a reasonable living.
Its advantage is its relative occupational security and comfortable working environment. The work is in indoors environment and in relax atmosphere. The field is relatively recession proof so layoffs aren't common.
Who is suitable for this career
I can portrait a few traits of a suitable person for this career:
1. Treatment oriented person - suitable for giving treatment to people.
2. Not a gold digger - suitable for making an average living and being content with it.
3. Routine seeker - suitable for a routine and uneventful work environment.
4. Suitable for long studies - not everyone can do well with 4 years of full time studies.
1. Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
2. Where do optometrists work?
3. How much do they earn?
4. Who is suitable for this career?
Do optometrists just check your sight and sell glasses and lenses?
Well, the jobs optometrists do consist of:
1. Performing eye checks - yes, this is the main job of optometrists. If you can't imagine yourself look at people's eyes for long hours - this career is not for you.
2. Defining the needs of clients of glasses and lenses - as physicians prescribe medications, optometrists prescribe glasses and lenses.
3. guiding opticians (optometry technicians) what are the components needed for a pair of glasses or lenses.
Where do optometrists work?
So where can you find the creatures named "Optometrists" ?
1. Glasses shops - you know, optometrists prescribe glasses, and as such they can be found primarily in glasses shops.
2. Medical practices in hospitals and community clinics - where they perform eye tests for patients.
3. Academy - where they perform academic research concerning the multiple aspects of optometry.
How much do they earn?
If an optometrist starts a new business, then the income may be very little or very high. As an employee, the wages most of time are around the average at most of the cases and in most countries. This isn't a profession for making millions but for making a reasonable living.
Its advantage is its relative occupational security and comfortable working environment. The work is in indoors environment and in relax atmosphere. The field is relatively recession proof so layoffs aren't common.
Who is suitable for this career
I can portrait a few traits of a suitable person for this career:
1. Treatment oriented person - suitable for giving treatment to people.
2. Not a gold digger - suitable for making an average living and being content with it.
3. Routine seeker - suitable for a routine and uneventful work environment.
4. Suitable for long studies - not everyone can do well with 4 years of full time studies.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Dental Hygenist - Open Your Mouth Now!
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to elaborate a bit about one of the most demanded professions in most countries: the female oriented field of dental hygiene. This profession which looks simple at first glance, requires prolonged training and years of experience and unsurprisingly demands a lot of manpower. I'm going to answer a few questions:
1. What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
2. Is this a feminine field?
3. What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
4. What is the proper training for this career?
What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
1. Performing a basic scrutiny to the patient's mouth and observing basic problems.
2. Observing basic gum issues.
3. Basic instruction for quitting smoking.
4. Instruction for mouth issue prevention by proper nutrition.
5. Tooth scaling removal.
6. Polishing the teeth using Fluoride.
7. Removing stitches (after mouth surgery).
Is this a feminine field?
Well, if 90% - 98% female employees in this field implies it is, so it is. Traditionally, para-medical professions have been identified with females in the last 100 years or so. So I guess that if you are male and don't see yourself in a feminine field, you better skip this article..
On the other hand, even if you are male and find this field as attractive to you, maybe you'll be able to overcome the gender issue in order to enjoy the benefits of the profession.
What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
It's hard to find an unemployed dental hygienist because of a few reasons:
1. There's always a demand for this service, as people tend to have tooth problems.
2. This profession needs a prolonged training. You can't work without a license and you can't have a license without a 3-4 years studies & training period.
3. It's not a million dollar career: you can make a decent living but generally not more. Thus the masses aren't attracted to this field.
What is the proper training for this career?
Generally speaking, dental hygienists need to study 3-4 years in order to get a degree and a license of a professional in this field. The academic and professional tracks reach about 2000 hours of study and practice. The profession is taught in universities and academic colleges, which means that you need to meet the admission criteria of academic institutions.
1. What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
2. Is this a feminine field?
3. What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
4. What is the proper training for this career?
What are the responsibility fields of a dental hygienist?
1. Performing a basic scrutiny to the patient's mouth and observing basic problems.
2. Observing basic gum issues.
3. Basic instruction for quitting smoking.
4. Instruction for mouth issue prevention by proper nutrition.
5. Tooth scaling removal.
6. Polishing the teeth using Fluoride.
7. Removing stitches (after mouth surgery).
Is this a feminine field?
Well, if 90% - 98% female employees in this field implies it is, so it is. Traditionally, para-medical professions have been identified with females in the last 100 years or so. So I guess that if you are male and don't see yourself in a feminine field, you better skip this article..
On the other hand, even if you are male and find this field as attractive to you, maybe you'll be able to overcome the gender issue in order to enjoy the benefits of the profession.
What are the job & wage prospects of this field?
It's hard to find an unemployed dental hygienist because of a few reasons:
1. There's always a demand for this service, as people tend to have tooth problems.
2. This profession needs a prolonged training. You can't work without a license and you can't have a license without a 3-4 years studies & training period.
3. It's not a million dollar career: you can make a decent living but generally not more. Thus the masses aren't attracted to this field.
What is the proper training for this career?
Generally speaking, dental hygienists need to study 3-4 years in order to get a degree and a license of a professional in this field. The academic and professional tracks reach about 2000 hours of study and practice. The profession is taught in universities and academic colleges, which means that you need to meet the admission criteria of academic institutions.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Technical Support Representative - What is it All About?
"This is Brad, technical representative. How can I help you?". We all know this phrase, whether we hear it on the phone, on email or on a chat. Most of the time we hear it when we contact a phone or an Internet company, but also a credit or insurance company. With your permission folks, I'll elaborate a bit on the technical support world of the Internet and phone industries.
I'll try to answer the following question:
1. What does a technical support representative do?
2. What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
3. Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
4. Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
What does a technical support representative do
Putting it simple, a technical support representative is responsible to maintain a technical service. As simple as that. Whether it's the Internet service we all have to make us browser the web, the cell phone we use every day or the hosting service for our site or blog. Even a slight technical problem may cause our site, phone or web browsing stop functioning and our day get spoilt.
Technically, the technical support representative is responsible for the following:
1. Understanding the problem which the user is facing.
2. Figuring out how to fix the mentioned problem.
3. Going step by step with the user to solve the problem.
4. Transferring a report to the superiors for statistical analysis and archiving.
What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
Most people think that technical support representative don't have many promotion prospects. This belief isn't necessarily true. Let's have a look at some of the promotion prospects for them:
1. Team leader - running a group of technical support representatives, usually of 5-10 people.
2. Technical support engineer - with a degree in the respective technical field (electronics, software etc.), the representative can work as an engineer for supporting customers i.e understanding a technical system and advising the customers about the proper use of them.
3. Running an independent technical laboratory - many niches of technical support enable their employees to run their own businesses. For example, a representative in the cellular industry may open a small business dealing with fixing and modifying cell phones.
Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
"In the eyes of the beholder" - if you have support & advice for others, you may find your home at this field. For people who are suitable for this niche, giving guidance and help to other people in fields they master can be definitely fulfilling.
But the issue is that people tend to get into this field because they have no other alternatives. Many employees in the field come from technical backgrounds (engineers, technicians) with no job prospects in their professions. This leads to unsuitable technical representatives who tend to burn out relatively fast.
Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
I can count 2 main reasons:
1. The meager payout - most technical support jobs offer wages about 1/2 as high as engineering jobs. This figure leads to unserious regards for this profession. Employees just can't relate to their jobs very seriously when they earn 1/3 to 1/2 the sum the engineers at the same company earn.
2. Lack of compatibility - most technical support representatives don't have the tendency for giving assistance and advice. They're just not for this sort of a job. They're mostly technical nerds having to put up with this kind of a job because they have no other option.
I'll try to answer the following question:
1. What does a technical support representative do?
2. What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
3. Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
4. Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
What does a technical support representative do
Putting it simple, a technical support representative is responsible to maintain a technical service. As simple as that. Whether it's the Internet service we all have to make us browser the web, the cell phone we use every day or the hosting service for our site or blog. Even a slight technical problem may cause our site, phone or web browsing stop functioning and our day get spoilt.
Technically, the technical support representative is responsible for the following:
1. Understanding the problem which the user is facing.
2. Figuring out how to fix the mentioned problem.
3. Going step by step with the user to solve the problem.
4. Transferring a report to the superiors for statistical analysis and archiving.
What are the promotion prospects of such a professional?
Most people think that technical support representative don't have many promotion prospects. This belief isn't necessarily true. Let's have a look at some of the promotion prospects for them:
1. Team leader - running a group of technical support representatives, usually of 5-10 people.
2. Technical support engineer - with a degree in the respective technical field (electronics, software etc.), the representative can work as an engineer for supporting customers i.e understanding a technical system and advising the customers about the proper use of them.
3. Running an independent technical laboratory - many niches of technical support enable their employees to run their own businesses. For example, a representative in the cellular industry may open a small business dealing with fixing and modifying cell phones.
Does this occupation give professional satisfaction to its members?
"In the eyes of the beholder" - if you have support & advice for others, you may find your home at this field. For people who are suitable for this niche, giving guidance and help to other people in fields they master can be definitely fulfilling.
But the issue is that people tend to get into this field because they have no other alternatives. Many employees in the field come from technical backgrounds (engineers, technicians) with no job prospects in their professions. This leads to unsuitable technical representatives who tend to burn out relatively fast.
Why does this occupation suffers from a high burnout rate?
I can count 2 main reasons:
1. The meager payout - most technical support jobs offer wages about 1/2 as high as engineering jobs. This figure leads to unserious regards for this profession. Employees just can't relate to their jobs very seriously when they earn 1/3 to 1/2 the sum the engineers at the same company earn.
2. Lack of compatibility - most technical support representatives don't have the tendency for giving assistance and advice. They're just not for this sort of a job. They're mostly technical nerds having to put up with this kind of a job because they have no other option.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Love or Money - How to Choose a Career?
Ladies and gentlemen, Nice to have you here again! This week I'm going to express my thoughts about how should people choose their careers: by what they love or by what should give them them a decent standard of living. This is the main question young people ask themselves in the western world. This is the question most of young people in the developing world don't ask themselves because they don't have the luxury of choosing their career. I'll discuss the following questions:
1. Who needs to ask this question?
2. The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects.
3. The advantages of choosing a career by your passion.
4. What do I really think about the issue?
Who needs to ask this question?
Do you have to ask yourself this question? it depends on another basic question: do you really care what you actually do at work? If you don't really care, it's quite obvious that you should choose a career by the vocational prospects it should give you. By "Vocational Prospects" I refer to the difficulty of finding a job, the wages level it gives on average and the work environment (physical condition, stress level and human quality) it offers.
On the other hand, if you have a dream of what you would like to do in your career, you shouldn't really ask yourself this question, but you should make modification to the dream to meet reality. For example, if you have a dream to be a painter, you should consider going for a career in architecture or in interior design. By this way, you would satisfy both your desires and your pocket.
The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects
A famous criminal attorney once said: "I've never had a dirty conscience because I've never had one". The most profitable decision you could make is choosing a career by the job prospects it gives: the ability to find a job, the wage level you could get, the work environment it could give you and the vocational security. I've never met a person who made a career decision solely based on the job prospects complaining about his/her fate.
On the other hand, not everyone can be so benefit oriented: people usually have tendencies, likes and dislikes and other aspirations. It's good to choose a career by its job prospects but only if you don't really have a conscience regarding the issue.
The advantages of choosing a career by your passion
Donald Trump is really for this attitude: he believes that in order to be successful in a career, one must be in love with it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a great success throughout a 30 year career. If people dislike what thy do on a daily basis, they would suffer from an early burnout and a sharp decline in productivity and eventually quit their career.
So as Trump puts it, you should first get along well with a career and then think of its job prospects.
What do I really think about the issue?
There are 3 possibilities:
1. You don't care about what you do at work - in this case you should choose a career by its prospects.
2. You have a dream - in this case you should choose a career as close to your dream which can provide for you.
3. You care about what you do t work and also care about the job prospects - hopefully for you would find a career interesting and also beneficial.
1. Who needs to ask this question?
2. The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects.
3. The advantages of choosing a career by your passion.
4. What do I really think about the issue?
Who needs to ask this question?
Do you have to ask yourself this question? it depends on another basic question: do you really care what you actually do at work? If you don't really care, it's quite obvious that you should choose a career by the vocational prospects it should give you. By "Vocational Prospects" I refer to the difficulty of finding a job, the wages level it gives on average and the work environment (physical condition, stress level and human quality) it offers.
On the other hand, if you have a dream of what you would like to do in your career, you shouldn't really ask yourself this question, but you should make modification to the dream to meet reality. For example, if you have a dream to be a painter, you should consider going for a career in architecture or in interior design. By this way, you would satisfy both your desires and your pocket.
The advantages of choosing a career by its job prospects
A famous criminal attorney once said: "I've never had a dirty conscience because I've never had one". The most profitable decision you could make is choosing a career by the job prospects it gives: the ability to find a job, the wage level you could get, the work environment it could give you and the vocational security. I've never met a person who made a career decision solely based on the job prospects complaining about his/her fate.
On the other hand, not everyone can be so benefit oriented: people usually have tendencies, likes and dislikes and other aspirations. It's good to choose a career by its job prospects but only if you don't really have a conscience regarding the issue.
The advantages of choosing a career by your passion
Donald Trump is really for this attitude: he believes that in order to be successful in a career, one must be in love with it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a great success throughout a 30 year career. If people dislike what thy do on a daily basis, they would suffer from an early burnout and a sharp decline in productivity and eventually quit their career.
So as Trump puts it, you should first get along well with a career and then think of its job prospects.
What do I really think about the issue?
There are 3 possibilities:
1. You don't care about what you do at work - in this case you should choose a career by its prospects.
2. You have a dream - in this case you should choose a career as close to your dream which can provide for you.
3. You care about what you do t work and also care about the job prospects - hopefully for you would find a career interesting and also beneficial.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
NBA? DBA!
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to tell you a bit about a profession that has been gaining influence and might in the last 2 decades: the database administrator. I'm going to elaborate a bit about the following points:
1. What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
2. What benefits can this profession give its occupants?
3. What are the drawbacks of this profession?
4. How can you become a database administrator?
What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
Database - is a virtual set of tables. As simple as that. Imagine a set of thousands of tables packed together and placed on a computer: this is a database. Why is this so important? because any website you visit stores its data on a database. For example: when you log in to Facebook, all the data on your personal account are originally stored on a database, and when you log in, the data gets imported from the database into your personal account so you can view it.
A database administrator is the professional responsible to develop and maintain databases: create new databases, securing them from viruses and other threats, help staff use them adequately or even performing data retrieval for other people in the organization.
What benefits can this profession gives its occupants?
1. Relatively high occupational security - because this position gives a wide knowledge of the organization's inner data (including confidential data) which makes the organization think again and again before sacking such an employee. In addition, this isn't a research & development job (i.e it doesn't involve directly in product development) thus the employer always needs the employee for maintenance of the information assets.
2. Not a small screw in the machine - everybody knows the database administrator. Everybody needs the database administrator. This is because everybody needs data thus everybody needs the DBA. Kapish?
What are the drawbacks of this profession?
1. Most people don't dream often of a day in front of a computer. Such a job is commonly perceived as geeky and boring. Women seldom get attracted to such a career because they're inclined to interpersonal jobs like healthcare or teaching positions. Thus, most people aren't inclined to computer oriented careers.
2. There aren't relatively many positions of database administrators. They get hired to deal with large database and most businesses don't need large databases. In contrast, for every little aspect in a software there's a need of a programmer or for every small issue in a local network, there's a need of a system administrator.
How can you become a database administrator?
As in every computing profession, there are 2 main tracks to follow: the academic and the non-academic.
1. Academic - study 3-4 years of computing related degree (mainly Computer Science or Information Systems) and then start as a apprentice in the databases field. Advantage: getting great learning skills which would be beneficial in the day to day demanding routine. Disadvantage: long and hard studies and sometimes also expensive.
2. Non academic - study a certification course (like: SQL Server Database Administrator or Oracle DBA) and then start as a newbie in the industry. Advantage: short studies (not more than a year). Disadvantage: weak learning skills and non existent theoretical background.
1. What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
2. What benefits can this profession give its occupants?
3. What are the drawbacks of this profession?
4. How can you become a database administrator?
What is included under this title "Database Administrator"?
Database - is a virtual set of tables. As simple as that. Imagine a set of thousands of tables packed together and placed on a computer: this is a database. Why is this so important? because any website you visit stores its data on a database. For example: when you log in to Facebook, all the data on your personal account are originally stored on a database, and when you log in, the data gets imported from the database into your personal account so you can view it.
A database administrator is the professional responsible to develop and maintain databases: create new databases, securing them from viruses and other threats, help staff use them adequately or even performing data retrieval for other people in the organization.
What benefits can this profession gives its occupants?
1. Relatively high occupational security - because this position gives a wide knowledge of the organization's inner data (including confidential data) which makes the organization think again and again before sacking such an employee. In addition, this isn't a research & development job (i.e it doesn't involve directly in product development) thus the employer always needs the employee for maintenance of the information assets.
2. Not a small screw in the machine - everybody knows the database administrator. Everybody needs the database administrator. This is because everybody needs data thus everybody needs the DBA. Kapish?
What are the drawbacks of this profession?
1. Most people don't dream often of a day in front of a computer. Such a job is commonly perceived as geeky and boring. Women seldom get attracted to such a career because they're inclined to interpersonal jobs like healthcare or teaching positions. Thus, most people aren't inclined to computer oriented careers.
2. There aren't relatively many positions of database administrators. They get hired to deal with large database and most businesses don't need large databases. In contrast, for every little aspect in a software there's a need of a programmer or for every small issue in a local network, there's a need of a system administrator.
How can you become a database administrator?
As in every computing profession, there are 2 main tracks to follow: the academic and the non-academic.
1. Academic - study 3-4 years of computing related degree (mainly Computer Science or Information Systems) and then start as a apprentice in the databases field. Advantage: getting great learning skills which would be beneficial in the day to day demanding routine. Disadvantage: long and hard studies and sometimes also expensive.
2. Non academic - study a certification course (like: SQL Server Database Administrator or Oracle DBA) and then start as a newbie in the industry. Advantage: short studies (not more than a year). Disadvantage: weak learning skills and non existent theoretical background.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Webmaster - The Master of the Web
Ladies and gentlemen, this week I'm going to write a bit about some sort of a guy. We know him as a "Webmaster", think he's a fat lifeless geek who does something with our website or websites we try (in vain) to work with. So I'm going to elaborate a bit about this newly created profession. I'm going to refer to a few questions:
1. What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
2. What are the qualifications for being a webmaster.
3. What are the advantages of this job.
4. What are the disadvantages of this job?
5. Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
A "Webmaster" in its basic meaning is a person managing a website. As simple as that. But if we wish to elaborate a bit, we could say that the webmaster's job consists of:
1. Build websites, including picking up the technology for them and entering contents to them. Nowadays most of the websites are built on site "baking" platforms (such as: Joomla, Wordpress, Blogspot) and the webmaster should be familiar with working with them.
2. SEO - search engine optimization i.e. promoting the website to appear as high as possible on Google and other search results, as this is the main source of traffic for the website.
3. Serving customer support both to the owner of the website and its visitors, in order to improve its quality and answer questions regarding its use.
4. Security - forming a security policy for the website ensuring its survival and smooth running. Preventing hackers and viruses harm the website.
What are the qualifications for being a webmaster?
There are 2 main approaches for this question:
1. Study a BSc degree in Computer Science or in Information Systems for 3-4 years and then start working as a junior webmaster or a junior web developer. The advantage: improved learning capabilities and work discipline.
2. Study a short Webmaster course (3-4 month) and find an employer willing to hire you as an apprentice. The advantage: a short training track. The disadvantage: limited learning capabilities and not mentally prepared for this kind of work.
"Learning capabilities" - in computing, a professional is demanded to keep learning new material almost on a daily basis, as the computing field is infinite in size and challenges always pop up. Thus improved learning capabilities are an asset for long time work in the field.
"Mentally prepared" - Computing work require sharp capabilities like: long time concentration, perseverance in solving problems, working in teams or well organized work abilities.
What are the advantages of this job?
1. Playing your computer and your Internet for 45 hours a week on duty - bookkeeping? sales job? teaching? Playing!
This is a job in which you live online: get new content every day, look at other sites in order to improve your sites, watch Youtube video for getting ideas for your sites.
2. Young atmosphere - in this job you always feels young, whether it's because the majority of people are young (till 30 years old) or whether it's because the creative nature of this position.
3. Combining technical and visual skills - in this position you are both a programmer (a technical occupation) and a designer (a visual occupation), which is a rare combination between 2 almost opposite field.
4. Money money money - this is definitely a rewarding job, as in most countries the wages are about 50% higher than the average, which is a tempting figure to people suitable for such career.
What are the disadvantages of this job?
1. Not everyone is a geek - you know, there are people in this world, unnecessarily stupid or lazy, who would climb the walls if needed to work 45 hours a week in front of a laptop. Computing work still isn't appealing to most of the population thus such a career wouldn't be as popular as a law or finance career.
2. Age bias - this filed is relatively a young one, as the internet began its evolution in the mid 90's, so the average employee age is about 33-35 which means that 40+ year old employees might be a little old right now for this field.
3. Always learning - keep learning new ideas and notions is absolutely fabulous but not for everyone. Most people would put up perfectly with a routine job with no novelty and no new ideas every now and then. Thus most people would find it hard to deal with the rapid evolution of the internet world.
Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
As in every case - this career path would be great for people who are attracted to its advantages and not discouraged by its disadvantages. Anyway, I can recommend that you take a career counselling in order to check your tendencies and capabilities thoroughly and not choose a career based on the decisions of your peers.
1. What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
2. What are the qualifications for being a webmaster.
3. What are the advantages of this job.
4. What are the disadvantages of this job?
5. Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
What is actually a "Webmaster" and what's his daily routine?
A "Webmaster" in its basic meaning is a person managing a website. As simple as that. But if we wish to elaborate a bit, we could say that the webmaster's job consists of:
1. Build websites, including picking up the technology for them and entering contents to them. Nowadays most of the websites are built on site "baking" platforms (such as: Joomla, Wordpress, Blogspot) and the webmaster should be familiar with working with them.
2. SEO - search engine optimization i.e. promoting the website to appear as high as possible on Google and other search results, as this is the main source of traffic for the website.
3. Serving customer support both to the owner of the website and its visitors, in order to improve its quality and answer questions regarding its use.
4. Security - forming a security policy for the website ensuring its survival and smooth running. Preventing hackers and viruses harm the website.
What are the qualifications for being a webmaster?
There are 2 main approaches for this question:
1. Study a BSc degree in Computer Science or in Information Systems for 3-4 years and then start working as a junior webmaster or a junior web developer. The advantage: improved learning capabilities and work discipline.
2. Study a short Webmaster course (3-4 month) and find an employer willing to hire you as an apprentice. The advantage: a short training track. The disadvantage: limited learning capabilities and not mentally prepared for this kind of work.
"Learning capabilities" - in computing, a professional is demanded to keep learning new material almost on a daily basis, as the computing field is infinite in size and challenges always pop up. Thus improved learning capabilities are an asset for long time work in the field.
"Mentally prepared" - Computing work require sharp capabilities like: long time concentration, perseverance in solving problems, working in teams or well organized work abilities.
What are the advantages of this job?
1. Playing your computer and your Internet for 45 hours a week on duty - bookkeeping? sales job? teaching? Playing!
This is a job in which you live online: get new content every day, look at other sites in order to improve your sites, watch Youtube video for getting ideas for your sites.
2. Young atmosphere - in this job you always feels young, whether it's because the majority of people are young (till 30 years old) or whether it's because the creative nature of this position.
3. Combining technical and visual skills - in this position you are both a programmer (a technical occupation) and a designer (a visual occupation), which is a rare combination between 2 almost opposite field.
4. Money money money - this is definitely a rewarding job, as in most countries the wages are about 50% higher than the average, which is a tempting figure to people suitable for such career.
What are the disadvantages of this job?
1. Not everyone is a geek - you know, there are people in this world, unnecessarily stupid or lazy, who would climb the walls if needed to work 45 hours a week in front of a laptop. Computing work still isn't appealing to most of the population thus such a career wouldn't be as popular as a law or finance career.
2. Age bias - this filed is relatively a young one, as the internet began its evolution in the mid 90's, so the average employee age is about 33-35 which means that 40+ year old employees might be a little old right now for this field.
3. Always learning - keep learning new ideas and notions is absolutely fabulous but not for everyone. Most people would put up perfectly with a routine job with no novelty and no new ideas every now and then. Thus most people would find it hard to deal with the rapid evolution of the internet world.
Summary - who should consider this career path seriously?
As in every case - this career path would be great for people who are attracted to its advantages and not discouraged by its disadvantages. Anyway, I can recommend that you take a career counselling in order to check your tendencies and capabilities thoroughly and not choose a career based on the decisions of your peers.
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