THE 10 BEST CAREERS FOR THE FUTURE

The world’s marketplace is a drastically different place than it was just a few decades ago. Finding employment that is going to be profitable now and in the future can be a challenge. This is a challenge that is faced by many young individuals who are trying to decide what field of study they should take in order to put themselves in the best position for future financial success. The following is a list of 10 fields that have the potential to grow and provide suitable employment now and in the future.

Best Careers for the Future:

Sustainability:

Everyday the environment is faced with very serious challenges. Questions exist as to whether or not the environment will be able to stand up to the onslaught of attacks that it is undergoing. Individuals who study sustainability will focus their studies on the environment. They will get environmental degrees, and they will finish school having the mindset of finding practical solutions to the problems facing the environment. The study course that individuals who get a degree in sustainability take will include understanding business, science, and the law. Additional emphasis is put on ways to manage resources and ethics. Individuals who choose to study in this field are setting themselves up to work in an area that will experience growth for decades to come.

Public Health Sector:

The public health sector will constantly need well-trained doctors, nurses, and technicians. There are multiple factors that indicate that the public health sector will grow over the next few decades. One factor is the rise in population. The second factor is the ever present threat of global epidemics.

Individuals who choose to get into the public health field will be able to work in a wide variety of settings. They can work in a lab and study public health from a statistical angle. They can work with lawmakers and try to form policies designed to protect public health. They can work with hospitals and directly interact with patients. Or they can work in conjunction with nonprofit organizations providing low cost and free healthcare to individuals in their community and around the world.

Robotics:

It is estimated that between 2012 in 2020 robotics will be responsible for between 2 million to 3.5 million new jobs. Robotics is influencing every aspect of modern life. Anesthesia Bots, for example, are being used to assist with surgery. Oceanographers are also using robotics to allow them to map the watery depths where humans currently cannot travel. As space travel continues to become more and more important, robotics are being included in things such as surveying the surface of foreign planets and engaging in exploratory missions. Individuals who work in robotics will likely study things like mechanical, electrical, and software engineering.

Business Analytics:

As long as there are businesses, business analytics will be an important job. It is estimated that over the next few years business analytics will see a sizable increase in demand. Business analytics is basically a business major. Individuals who are involved with business analytics will study things like computer software, math, statistics, and they will work to have strong communication skills.

Petroleum Engineering:

In recent years, advances in technology have made it possible for oil companies to retrieve oil from shale formations that just a decade ago could not be tapped. Because of this, there has been a sharp increase in the need for petroleum engineers. This increase is exacerbated by the fact that more than half of the current petroleum engineers working plan to retire within 10 years.

Petroleum engineering brings with it salaries that start in excess of $100,000 annually. Individuals who graduate with a degree in petroleum engineering will be able to work as either drilling engineers, production engineers, or reservoir engineers.

Biomedical Engineering:

This is a field of study that is of interest to individuals who are interested in the correlation between life that exists on the planet and science. They study living organisms, and then they see how some of the principles behind their movement and their existence can be used to improve things, like engineering and medicine. They are at the forefront of creating lifesaving apparatuses such as artificial organs. A good example of this is the artificial kidney which since its creation has improved the lives of more than 2 million individuals. It is estimated that between the years 2010 in 2020 this field will see a 62 percent growth in jobs.

Biometrics:

Biometrics in the field that teaches individuals how to make devices that recognize living organisms. A good example of this is the facial recognition system. It is believed that over the next few years biometrics and biometric readers will replace conventional forms of identification. They will also replace many of the passwords that individuals use on their electronic devices. Examples of this can be seen by smartphones, smart devices, and laptops that allow their owners to login using their fingerprint as a password as opposed to typing in a password manually.

According to the New York-based transparency market research, it is estimated that by the year 2018, biometrics are going to see growth by more than $360 million. Individuals who get a degree in biometrics can work as security consultants and intelligence analysts. They can also work in the design of the different biometric systems that are used by security agencies.

Forensic Science:

Forensic scientists are always going to be needed, especially when it comes to using some of the modern technology that has been designed to investigate crimes. Forensic scientists use technology as a way to help them better examine and better understand evidence that is produced in cases. Students who choose to study forensic science would expect to spend a good portion of their university time learning math, science, and also understanding how the criminal justice system works.

Computer Game Design:

Computer video game design is a field that is expected to continue to grow over the next few decades. Designers must understand complex mathematics, animation, audio, and programming. Video game and computer game design is not just for entertainment. These games are also used as a way to train firefighters, military personnel, and other first-responders on how to react during an emergency.

It is estimated by the year 2017, the video game market is going to reach $82 billion. This means that this is an area where the potential for growth is unlimited.

Cyber Security:

Every single year there is a new major attack on the major computer systems around the world. For this reason, governments and large companies are aggressively doing whatever they can to protect their computer systems. It is estimated that over the next two years, between 2014 and 2016, the Pentagon is going to hire more than 4,000 individuals who are experts in cyber security. In addition to jobs with the government, individuals who understand cyber security will find jobs at healthcare firms, energy firms, and any form of security firm. Students who work in cyber security, are required to understand how to “lift the hood” of computer programs and understand how and why certain computer programs operate in order to understand potential weaknesses.

Source :http://www.collegerank.net

Career Planning: An Activity for Job-Seekers of All Ages

Career planning is not an activity that should be done once -- in high school or college -- and then left behind as we move forward in our jobs and careers. Rather, career planning is an activity that is best done on a regular basis -- especially given the data that the average worker will change careers (not jobs) multiple times over his or her lifetime. And it's never too soon or too late to start your career planning.

Career planning is not a hard activity, not something to be dreaded or put off, but rather an activity that should be liberating and fulfilling, providing goals to achieve in your current career or plans for beginning a transition to a new career. Career planning should be a rewarding and positive experience.

Here, then, are 10 tips to help you achieve successful career planning.

1. Make Career Planning an Annual Event:

Many of us have physicals, visit the eye doctor and dentist, and do a myriad of other things on an annual basis, so why not career planning? Find a day or weekend once a year -- more often if you feel the need or if you're planning a major career change -- and schedule a retreat for yourself. Try to block out all distractions so that you have the time to truly focus on your career -- what you really want out of your career, out of your life.

By making career planning an annual event, you will feel more secure in your career choice and direction -- and you'll be better prepared for the many uncertainties and difficulties that lie ahead in all of our jobs and career.

2. Map Your Path Since Last Career Planning:

One of your first activities whenever you take on career planning is spending time mapping out your job and career path since the last time you did any sort of career planning. While you should not dwell on your past, taking the time to review and reflect on the path -- whether straight and narrow or one filled with any curves and dead-ends -- will help you plan for the future.

Once you've mapped your past, take the time to reflect on your course -- and note why it looks the way it does. Are you happy with your path? Could you have done things better? What might you have done differently? What can you do differently in the future?

3. Reflect on Your Likes and Dislikes, Needs and Wants:

Change is a factor of life; everybody changes, as do our likes and dislikes. Something we loved doing two years ago may now give us displeasure. So always take time to reflect on the things in your life -- not just in your job -- that you feel most strongly about.

Make a two-column list of your major likes and dislikes. Then use this list to examine your current job and career path. If your job and career still fall mostly in the like column, then you know you are still on the right path; however, if your job activities fall mostly in the dislike column, now is the time to begin examining new jobs and new careers.

Finally, take the time to really think about what it is you want or need from your work, from your career. Are you looking to make a difference in the world? To be famous? To become financially independent? To effect change? Take the time to understand the motives that drive your sense of success and happiness.

4. Examine Your Pastimes and Hobbies:

Career planning provides a great time to also examine the activities you like doing when you're not working. It may sound a bit odd, to examine non-work activities when doing career planning, but it's not. Many times your hobbies and leisurely pursuits can give you great insight into future career paths.

Think you can't make a hobby into a career? People do it all the time. The great painter Paul Gauguin was a successful business person who painted on the side. It actually wasn't until he was encouraged by an artist he admired to continue painting that he finally took a serious look at his hobby and decided he should change careers. He was good at business, but his love was painting.

5. Make Note of Your Past Accomplishments:

Most people don't keep a very good record of work accomplishments and then struggle with creating a powerful resume when it's time to search for a new job. Making note of your past accomplishments -- keeping a record of them -- is not only useful for building your resume, it's also useful for career planning.

Sometimes reviewing your past accomplishments will reveal forgotten successes, one or more which may trigger researching and planning a career shift so that you can be in a job that allows you to accomplish the types of things that make you most happy and proud.

For more about accomplishments, read: Tracking and Leveraging Accomplishments.

6. Look Beyond Your Current Job for Transferable Skills:

Some workers get so wrapped up in their job titles that they don't see any other career possibilities for themselves. Every job requires a certain set of skills, and it's much better to categorize yourself in terms of these skill sets than be so myopic as to focus just on job titles.

For example, one job-seeker who was trying to accomplish career planning found herself stuck because she identified herself as a reporter. But once she looked beyond her job title, she could see that she had this strong collection of transferable skills -- such as writing, editing, researching, investigating, interviewing, juggling multiple tasks, meeting goals and deadlines, and managing time and information -- skills that could easily be applied to a wide variety of jobs in many different careers.

For more about transferable skills, read: Transferable Skills.

7. Review Career and Job Trends:

Everyone makes his or her own job and career opportunities, so that even if your career is shrinking, if you have excellent skills and know how to market yourself, you should be able to find a new job. However, having information about career trends is vital to long-term career planning success.

A career path that is expanding today could easily shrink tomorrow -- or next year. It's important to see where job growth is expected, especially in the career fields that most interest you. Besides knowledge of these trends, the other advantage of conducting this research is the power it gives you to adjust and strengthen your position, your unique selling proposition. One of the keys to job and career success is having a unique set of accomplishments, skills, and education that make you better than all others in your career.

For more about researching careers, review our Career Research Checklist.

8. Set Career and Job Goals:

Develop a roadmap for your job and career success. Can you be successful in your career without setting goals? Of course. Can you be even more successful through goal-setting? Most research says yes.

A major component of career planning is setting short-term (in the coming year) and long-term (beyond a year) career and job goals. Once you initiate this process, another component of career planning becomes reviewing and adjusting those goals as your career plans progress or change - and developing new goals once you accomplish your previous goals.

9. Explore New Education/Training Opportunities:

It's somewhat of a cliche, but information really does lead to power and success. Never pass up chances to learn and grow more as a person and as a worker; part of career planning is going beyond passive acceptance of training opportunities to finding new ones that will help enhance or further your career.

Take the time to contemplate what types of educational experiences will help you achieve your career goals. Look within your company, your professional association, your local universities and community colleges, as well as online distance learning programs, to find potential career-enhancing opportunities -- and then find a way achieve them.

10. Research Further Career/Job Advancement Opportunities:

One of the really fun outcomes of career planning is picturing yourself in the future. Where will you be in a year? In five years? A key component to developing multiple scenarios of that future is researching career paths.

Of course, if you're in what you consider a dead-end job, this activity becomes even more essential to you, but all job-seekers should take the time to research various career paths -- and then develop scenarios for seeing one or more of these visions become reality. Look within your current employer and current career field, but again, as with all aspects of career planning, do not be afraid to look beyond to other possible careers.

Source : http://www.quintcareers.com/career_planning_tips.html

15 Interviewing Tips That Convert to Job Offers

One of the philosophies that our recruiters adhere to is that if, as a candidate, you’re going to attend an interview, you might as well perform at 110% during the meeting. Regardless of the individuals whom you’re interviewing with or the level of job you’re pursuing, the recruiting team at KAS Placement has formulated 15 interviewing tips that, when implemented, should convert to a job offer.

1. Come across in the interview as someone who wants to be there. Someone who is confident that you are the right person for the position and as someone candid and fully invested in the conversation.

2. Go into the interview with an end-goal of getting the job offer. That’s all you need to focus on. Many times, when we take a moment to envision success and the rewards it brings, we are a lot more likely to do well.

3. Talk in terms of what the interviewer wants. Too often, we think only about what we want and don’t realize that the best way to get what we want is to meet the needs of the interviewer, and only then expect the interviewer to give us what we want, not the other way around.

4. Know where you want to be in 1, 3, and 5 years. To achieve maximum career results, we have to set firm goals and relentless pursue them. Be specific:

In 1 year, I want to be heavily contributing to a company’s bottom line and want to be a stand-out sales representative at a firm that rewards hard work, has a competitive product, and is full of intelligent, engaging people.

By the end of year 2, I would like to be responsible for mentoring other people in the office and want to be recognized as a leader amongst my peers.

Within 5 years, I would like to be a manager and consistently upgrading those under me and creating a sense of optimism and hard work in my subordinates.

5. Regardless of position, interviewers are going to hire people who are self-confident, optimistic, energetic, passionate and engaging people.

6. Learn how to focus. Through concentration a person is able to collect his or her mental and physical energies into the interview. This is as opposed to the individual who lets his or her brain wander from topic to topic. When your brain is 100% engaged, you can’t be nervous or self-critical – both of which severely hurt your ability to persuade a hiring manager or recruitment professional.

7. People want to hire leaders and leaders are described as those who are problem solvers, who are selfless, who put the company first, who want to grow others, who are team players, and who are able to predict everyday hurdles and overcome them.

8. Interviewers are just as prone to feeling badly about rejection as the interviewee is. Show the interviewer that you care and you’re more than 50% there.

9. In a job interview setting when an employer is making a decision about competency and fit within an organization, the most successful candidates displayed consistent vocal tone and maintained fluid body movements.

10. When giving answers, don’t second guess yourself. Rather, explain things in a thorough, honest and positive manner. It’s the best we can do. We can’t control what an interviewer does, but we can control how we act.

11. Adapt to the interviewer’s style; don’t ever expect an interviewer do adapt to your personality. Some interviewers will just want the answers and that’s what you should give them. Others will want to have a casual conversation, so schoomze with them.

12. Never take the way an interviewer conducts an interview personally. Rather, consider it to be their sense of interviewing style and have faith that the interviewer is smart enough to pass you through to the next round

13. People like to hear their names. It’s like music to our ears. We come across as more assertive and personalized when we address people by their first names.

14. Thank the interviewer for their time. Too often, we think about how important our time is, but don’t realize that everyone thinks that way. Always make sure to follow up with an email thanking the person and including notes on some of the takeaways and thoughts you have from the interview.

15. People love sincere compliments. Find something that you like about the firm.

In the End

Accomplished interviewers are never satisfied with their current knowledge and continually seek every opportunity available to gain new, pertinent knowledge. They understand that the secret of success is to try to always improve yourself no matter where you are or what your current position is and future aspirations are.

 Source :http://www.forbes.com

10 Simple Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

As a small business, you may think it's impossible to get the word out about what you do. That's no excuse. And you don't need fads or gimmicks. Follow the proven, timeless tips and techniques of these entrepreneurs to help get the word out about your business and watch it grow.

1. Give Your Stuff Away

Ari Fleischer and Aly Moler of Frozen Pints have grown their craft beer ice cream business by leaps and bounds by attending craft beer shows and farmers markets to do one thing--give their product away. Once customers taste this unexpected combination (which happens to be delicious) for free, they line up at their local store to buy it or even request that the store carry it.

2. Attend Networking Events

Desiree Scales of Bella Web Design is a master networker.  She attends and presents at almost every event in town. Her contribution to the overall community makes her one of the first people that come to mind when anyone looks for an expert in her area of concentration: small business websites and drip marketing.

3. ...Or, Create Your Own Event

If you don't like the events you are attending, invent your own! Darrah Brustein has created one of the most successful networking events in Atlanta: Atlanta Under 40. The event, which Darrah created to connect with other young entrepreneurs in her city, is now being franchised to other cities.

4. Volunteer to Lead an Organization

The secret to getting the most out of a group or organization is not just to attend but to lead. Take Lisa Calhoun of Write2Market. She served as the president ofEntrepreneurs' Organization, allowing her to rub elbows and connect with the brightest minds of the fastest growing companies in the Atlanta market.

5. Start a Podcast

Todd Schnick of Dreamland Interactive is the first person I saw create his own podcast--he interviews other business owners.  People love to tell their story, and by highlighting them on a podcast you make an instant and meaningful connection. It's also a great way to get an education on a topic you are interested in.

6. Be Helpful

Most small business owners struggle to get their finances in line, especially when they move from an Excel spreadsheet to something as sophisticated as QuickBooks. Cathy Iconis of Iconis Group hosts a Quickbook Chat on Twitter every Thursday night at 7:00 EST to answer small business owners' questions--and potentially find some clients.

7. Send a Weekly E-mail

If you want to stay in relationship with your customers, there is nothing simpler than creating a weekly e-mail that provides something of value. Rick Houcek of Soar With Eagles sends one out every Monday that he calls the 2-Minute Monday Motivator. I look forward to getting it every week and often forward his advice to others.

8. Support a Cause

Mary Hester of LAN Systems throws an annual cookout with purpose every Earth Day. Party-goers are encouraged to bring their "e-waste"--old computer monitors and CPUs. At their most recent event they collected more than two tons of IT equipment, keeping it out of the landfills and creating goodwill with their customers, current and potential.

9. Sponsor an Organization

Many local organizations are not that expensive to sponsor for a year if you consider the  so-called per meeting cost. If your product or service is a good fit with their audience, you will get exposure every time the organization sends out an e-mail and a mention every time they meet. Attendees always remember and appreciate companies who sponsor their favorite organizations.

10. Create a Cool Giveaway

When thinking through what your company will  give away make sure it's somethingthey won't want to throw away or easily lose in their desk or bag (think pen).

Source:http://www.inc.com

Six Tips for Money-Making Hobbies

Whether you knit, or write, or make photographs, or grow a vegetable garden, or tinker with cars, or build web sites, or collect ancient coins — you can make money from your hobby.

I’m not saying it’s possible to get rich by playing your violin at weddings, or by weaving baskets from pine needles, but earning money from a hobby is a nice way to get paid for doing something you would do anyhow.

This article is the first in a series that will explore how to turn a hobby into a source of side income. In the weeks and months ahead, I’ll describe general best practices, discuss potential pitfalls, and provide case studies culled from my friends, and from the stories of readers like you. (If you’d like to share your experience, please drop me a line.)

First, by way of introduction, here are some ground-rules for making money from hobbies.

1.Focus on something you love:
Pursue something you’re passionate about. Choose a hobby that you enjoy, and find a way to make money from it. Don’t choose a hobby simply because it might make money and then dive into it with that aim in mind. You should be doing this hobby because you love it; any side-income should be secondary.

I love to write. I was struggling with debt. I began to read personal finance books, and then to summarize what I’d learned for my personal web site. From this, Get Rich Slowly was born. Now I make over a thousand dollars a month writing about personal finance. But I didn’t start this for the money — I started this because I was passionate about the subject.

Keep it fun. Don’t let it become a chore.

2.Be creative:
If you’re interested in making money from a hobby but don’t know where to start, think outside the box. What skills do you have that others don’t? Define the term “hobby” broadly. Find something that you can do that most others cannot, something for which other people might be willing to pay.

At my day job, I have a customer whose wife loves to cook. She turned this hobby into a part-time job as a personal chef. She prepares meals in advance for wealthy clients. She spends a few hours a day preparing a week-long menu for people who pay her handsomely for her time.

I have a friend who likes to travel. One day he discovered that he could subsidize his journeys by writing about the places he visited, and by taking photographs. Now every couple of years he takes an all expense paid vacation. He’s doing something he’d do anyhow, and it doesn’t cost him a dime.

3.Don’t force it:
Your hobby will not make you rich. In most cases, it won’t even net you enough to allow you to quit your day job. It’s quite possible, however, to earn enough money to make the hobby self-sustaining, to keep yourself in new tools and equipment.

My brother builds speakers and works with audio equipment as a hobby. He makes some money at it. (“Spending money,” he says.) Jeff notes, “It’s not hard to make money from a hobby. What’s difficult is trying to turn it into an actual business. Moving from a hobby to a business is a pain-in-the-ass.”

Often when you try to take your hobby to the next level, the joy goes out of it. Suddenly the extra income just isn’t worth it. When I tried to turn my computer-building hobby into a business, I hated it. There’s a balance to be achieved, and if you can find it, you can have a fun while earning extra income.

4.Don’t underestimate your ability:
It’s easy to discount your abilities. When you truly love something, your prolonged experience can give you skills and knowledge that you don’t appreciate.

For example, I have a love for early 20th-century American pop culture. My brain is filled with facts and anecdotes about once-famous recording artists. I sometimes find myself under the impression that everybodyknows who Billy Murray was, or is familiar with the song “Ukulele Lady”. But this isn’t common knowledge — it’s specialized.

The same concept holds true for you and your hobby. Know a lot about Napoleonic warfare? Start a blog about Admiral Nelson. Spend time tinkering with bicycles? Open a small-scale bike repair service. Not everybody knows what you know. Don’t sell yourself short.

5.Market yourself:
This can be difficult. In order to actually earn income, you need customers. But just as most people have a tendency to underestimate their abilities, they also tend be uncomfortable with self-promotion.

There’s no shame in mentioning your money-making hobby to friends, family, and neighbors. You needn’t be pushy. Just mention it at natural points in the conversation. If you’ve decided to do some woodworking for cash, mention this when your uncle mentions he wants to buy a new bookshelf.

Marketing can be subtle, but it’s an absolute necessity if you hope to earn money from your hobby. People need to know you’re available before they can hire you.

6.Hone your skill:
Practice, practice, practice. The more time and energy you’re willing to devote to your hobby, the better you will become. The better you become, the more likely that you’ll be able to earn money from it.

Photography is a terrific example. If you’re willing to make a hundred images a day, you can improve your skills quickly, especially if you teach yourself about composition. You may never become a professional photographer this way, but you can develop your skill to the point where you can sell images to stock photo agencies, or enter (and win) photography contests.

Some people are born with natural talent. Most of us have to work at it.

Conclusion
Why should you care about making money from hobbies? Remember: the wealth equation has two sides. You accumulate wealth by reducing expenses and by increasing income. Often we only focus only on our careers when it comes to “increasing income”. But there are other ways to make money. One of the best is to harness a hobby.

This is an especially good technique if you’re stuck in a low-wage job. And sometimes a person can turn a money-making hobby into a career. Who doesn’t want a job doing something he loves?

Future articles in this series will cover topics such as:

• Making money from photography
• Using the web to make money from a hobby
• Making the leap to full-time
• Creating web sites about your hobby
• Teaching your hobby (thanks, Donna!)
• And, of course, plenty of anecdotes from people who have turned their hobbies into money-making ventures

Source : http://www.getrichslowly.org

Career Planning Tips

Building a Career

Today, and more than ever, most people are responsible for building their own careers.

Whether you are just starting, or you have several years of experience, these paragraphs might help you advance your career.

The 9 most important career planning tips is listed below:

1. Never Stop Learning

Life-long learning is your keyword.

The world is constantly changing, and everybody is looking for new ways of doing business.

If you have decided that your current skills are good enough, you have also decided that your current job is good enough.

But if you want a career in the future, you should add regular updates to your skills and knowledge.

2. Ask, Listen And Learn

A good listener can learn a lot.

Listen to your co-workers, your boss, and your superiors. You can learn a lot from their experience.

Ask about issues that interest you, and listen to what they say. Let them tell you about how things work, and what you could have done better.

Most people will love to be your free tutor.

3. Fulfill Your Current Job

Your current job might be best place to start your career.

It is often very little that separates successful people from the average. But nothing comes free.

If you do your job well and fulfill your responsibilities, this is often the best way to start a new career.

Talk to your supervisor about things you can do. Suggest improvements. Offer your help when help is needed. In return ask for help to build a better career. It is often possible - right inside your own organization - especially if you have proved to be a valued employee.

4. Build Your Network

Your next career step might arise from your contact network.

Did you know that more than 50% of all jobs are obtained from contact networks?

If you have a good contact network, it  is also a good place to discover future careers, to explore new trends, and to learn about new  opportunities.

Spend some time building new contacts, and don't forget to maintain the ones you already have.

One of the best ways to get serious information from your network is to regularly ask your contacts how they are, what they do, and what is new about their careers.

5. Identify Your Current Job

Your current job should be identified, not assumed.

Make sure you don't work with tasks you assume are important. This is waste of time and talent.

When you start in a new job, talk to your superior about your priorities. If you're not sure about what is most important, then ask him. And ask him again. Often you will be surprised about the differences between what you assume, and what is really important.

6. Identify Your Next Job

Your dream job must be identified.

Before you start planning your future career, be sure you have identified your dream job.

In your dream job, you will be doing all the things you enjoy, and none of the things you don't enjoy. What kind of job would that be?

Do you like or dislike having responsibility for other employees. Do you like to work with technology or with people? Do you want to run your own business? Do you want to be an artist, a designer or a skilled engineer? A manager?

Before building your future career your goal must be identified.

7. Prepare Yourself

Your dream might show up tomorrow. Be prepared.

Don't wait a second. Update your CV now, and continue to update it regularly.

Tomorrow your dream job may show up right before your nose. Prepare for it with a professional CV and be ready to describe yourself as a valuable object to anyone that will try to recruit you.

If you don't know how to write a CV, or how to describe yourself, start learning it now.

8. Pick The Right Tools

Pick the tools you can handle.

You can build your future career using a lot of different tools. Studying at W3Schools is easy. Taking a full master degree is more complicated.

You can add a lot to your career by studying books and tutorials (like the one you find at W3Schools). Doing short time courses with certification tests might add valuable weight to your CV. And don't forget: Your current job is often the most valuable source of building new skills.

Don't pick a tool that is too heavy for you to handle!  

9. Realize Your Dreams

Put your dreams into action.

Don't let a busy job kill your dreams. If you have higher goals, put them into action now.

If you have plans about taking more education, getting a better job, starting your own company or something else, you should not use your daily job as a "waiting station". Your daily job will get more and more busy, you will be caught up in the rat race, and you will burn up your energy.

Source : http://www.w3schools.com

Career Tips For Something

However, I think I would have also wanted something more to specific to apply to my day-to-day life. In the spirit of sharing more practical advice based on what I’ve learned throughout my career, here is my best advice to my 20-something self:

1.Always show gratitude: If someone has done you a good turn, take a moment to express genuine gratitude by mail, email, text, or a few words and smile. It’s a gracious way to live. As old-fashioned as it seems, mailing a hand-written card to a potential employer or dinner party host leaves a lasting impression.

2.Remember: Whether you’re riding high on good fortune or you’re wallowing in the dumps of tough times, things move on and so will you. Be grateful when things are good. And be grateful for the things that are good when other things are crumbling around you.

3.Never expect someone else to advocate for your best interest or to navigate major life decisions: While there are people who will want to help you, you know yourself and what you need best. Take whatever time you need to research, learn and to create your best options. From great options, make good decisions.

4.Maintain your professional reputation: Avoid burning bridges with those you’ve worked with. If anything, invest a little time to continue cultivating your past relationships with colleagues. You never know when you might cross paths again in business.

5.Every night, think of three positive things from the day :– no matter how minor. This is another way experiencing gratitude, but it’s more introspective. Gratitude has been documented to generate success in individuals.

6.Exude confidence: You only have one body. So be comfortable in it. Confidence in yourself will spur confidence others will have in you. Don’t have the confidence? “Fake it ‘til you make it,” as they say.

7.Surround yourself with people who nurture you and encourage you: This is true in both your professional and personal life. Anyone else can be a distraction at best and an energy drain at worst.

8.Be generous with yourself: I don’t mean that you should go on a buying spree. Be more practical than that. For example, make your bed in the morning as a small comfort for when you’re tired after a long day. You will feel a little more cared for. In addition to investing in as much as you can in your 401(k), set aside savings for the opportunity to advance your education. Even if you don’t end up going back to school (graduate school or otherwise), you will have a safety net if the economy goes south. Spend 150 minutes a week on yourself by incorporating cardiovascular activity. If you don’t have your health, everything else falls away pretty quickly.

9.Understand that job interviews are a two-way street: View them as career interviews. The company is as much of a candidate for you as you are for them. After all, if you’re going to be spending 40+ hours per week somewhere, it’s important to be fully informed about how much they will enable your career growth. I always ask job candidates if they have any questions for me. What you ask is sometimes as important as what you’re answering.

10.Mistakes can be gifts: Whether a learning experience, a happy accident, or a humbling experience, mistakes can serve us well. Don’t be afraid to make them. Just try not to make the same one twice.

 Source: http://www.forbes.com/

I Need a Career

Some of us are lucky enough to get employed at an ideal company right after college. These lucky few will move up the corporate ladder with a combination of hard work, positive work environment, progressive learning, and time. But for the rest of us, we may find ourselves stuck in a first or second job, and we still have to establish the right career footing in our late twenties. It can be a career dead end unless you change jobs now.

Here are ten signs that your career is going nowhere and it’s time to find a new job.

1. You’re not learning new things

It’s been two years or more since you joined the company and you find yourself doing the same things repeatedly. Sometimes you feel like working in an assembly line. You’ve asked your employer for new responsibilities or new projects, but he turned it down. It’s time to change jobs.

A career is the sum of the experiences, skills, and knowledge that you’ve earned from work. This sum makes you more competent and earns you more authority or expertise on your field. If you’re not learning new things over the course of time, you’re not moving your career.

It doesn’t have to be a promotion or a departmental change. In most cases, a lateral project is all you need to expand your knowledge. For instance, if you’re a sales executive assigned to conduct personal pitches to clients in your designated territory, you can suggest to adapt an online newsletter to reach out to your customers. This way, you’ll learn a new thing aside from the sales skills that you’ve developed through time: online marketing. Think of a lateral project that can help you perform better and preferably involving people from other departments to expand your knowledge. If the current work environment prevents you from doing these things, it’s time to move out.

2. You’re not earning more

If your salary is stuck where it was a couple of years ago, you’re not having a career but just a job. Businesses are designed to earn more profits every year, and they usually do or they risk folding up. Chances are, if your employer is not raising your pay scale, the company is either losing business or it doesn’t care much about sharing its profits. Both reasons should compel you to look for a better job.

Moreover, earning more doesn’t always mean in cash, especially if the company is short of it. Many startups offer stocks as part of the compensation package. The idea of your income being tied with your company’s potential income is good enough reason to stick to your job. Otherwise, it’s best to look for an employer who is willing to give you a chance to earn more.

3. You need more challenge

It’s a career killer: when you’re bored with your job. It’s no secret that career achievers have one thing in common: passion to conquer a challenge. It’s the thing that will make you work harder, excel, innovate, and be creative. But without a challenging task, it’s hard to outperform yourself on the next round and your career will likely stagnate. It’s time to look for a challenging job.

In fact, we measure the most successful people not by how much they earn, but by the challenge that they have overcome. Steve Jobs is credited for making mobile phones smart and cool. Neil Armstrong is hailed as the first man on the moon. We know Christopher Columbus to have discovered America for Europeans. We don’t really care how much they had earned, but just how much they had accomplished.

Similarly, you need a challenge to measure your own career success. The challenge can be short-term like closing a new client (instead of simply maintaining accounts) or long-term such as outsourcing non-core services to streamline the business.

4. You’re done with your boss

If you believe your boss is behaving unfairly towards you, not just once or a few times, but for the longest time, it may be out of character and not of work-related stress. A boss who keeps on discrediting you or stop short of crediting your achievements can ruin your long-term plans. Unless the human resources department can work a way out for you, it’s time to shift to a new job with a positive work environment.

The American Psychological Association points out that if an employer’s hostile behavior is caused by stress, that behavior can be managed by understanding where he’s coming from. Is he pressured to meet his superiors’ expectations? Is he threatened by your better skills or more advance education? You can improve the situation with some goodwill techniques. Warm up to your boss by showing him you’re a partner in his plan. Give him credit for the department’s achievements. Socialize with him. But if he remains the bad boss that he is even while you try to build goodwill for months now, you deserve a better job. Ask for a transfer; or look for a new employer.

5. You’re done with your hostile co-workers

Every workplace has its cultural quirks. But sometimes, the quirks by co-workers can be counter-productive that it threatens your career mobility. If your employer cannot help you address this problem, it’s time to look for a new job.

Extreme cases like sexual harassment, racial discrimination, or drug and alcohol-related scenarios are addressed by state and federal regulations. However, some hostile work environments are caused by frictions in the nature of work, rather on personalities. For instance, sales people and advertising people are usually at each other’s throat when it comes to giving credit for the company’s record earnings or, worse, losses. If you’re a solitary copywriter working in a roomful of sales officers, you may find it difficult to perform your task. Without an ad team to back your ideas, you’re likely to be relegated to secondary status. Even if you’re in good terms with your co-workers, but they have an undue influence over your work, that’s a hostile environment for your career, at least.

6. Jump a sinking ship

Loyalty only counts so far as the company can earn profits for itself and you. Yes, you should be conscious if the company’s earnings is increasing, plateauing, or sliding steeply. After all, your salary depends on the business. Think like an investor. Get a long-term picture where your company is heading. Is it a sunflower field or a scorched farmland? If you believe the ship is sinking, jump now before it drags you down to the bottom of the sea.

But don’t jump at the first sign of distress. Businesses do falter occasionally and eventually recover their footing. However, a company that’s losing market grip continuously and, worse, management hasn’t shown or inspired a solution to stop the bleeding is a sign that the sinking is for real.

7. You need to adjust to a new life

When you’re single, a hyper-active, fast-paced career that sends you to far-off places or nightly events may be your cup of tea. But now that you have a family, you want to settle down to more predictable working hours and off-days. It can also be the reverse when you’re looking for a more exciting work culture. In both cases, ask your employer for a new position or task to help you adjust to your new life. If the company cannot help you, it’s time to look for a new job that fits your kind of lifestyle.

Sometimes looking for a new job to adjust to your new life means changing states. Some states may have lower paying scale, but they also have lower living costs. If adjusting to a new life means raising a family, you might be interested to know America’s most and least family-friendly cities cited by Forbes.com. New York City is said to be the costliest city for a family, while San Jose in California is the most affordable.

8. Your job doesn’t use your strongest skills

Many people find themselves not doing what they are good at because they simply grabbed the first job opportunity that came their way. It’s a wrong fit at the start, but it should not stay that way. Ask the human resources for a transfer within the company, but if that’s not possible, it’s time to look for a new job that fits your skills.

The best way to excel in career is to tap your best skill. Are you a natural leader back in college but you haven’t been given a chance to head a team, never mind a department? Are you creative but have to stick to templates designed by a management that can’t think out of the box? You may be good at building rapport but you’re not exposed to prospective clients. You should build on your strength and your job should allow you to do that.

9. Get a better offer

Of course changing jobs may be a simple case of getting a better offer. The offer can be higher salary, greater career mobility, better benefits, or an improved work schedule. In any case, if you believe this opportunity comes knocking but once, grab it and it’s time for a new job.

Leaving a job for a better offer doesn’t mean you’re burning bridges behind you. Rather, it’s better to leave in goodwill—with advance warning that you’re leaving or a simple thank-you letter expressing your gratitude for all those years with the company—because you may need your old employer in the future, whether as a prospect, partner, client lead, or whatever. It’s a small world and you should be expanding your network of career people at every chance.

10. Career shift

It’s never too late to shift career gears. If you have the passion for this newfound career, that passion will likely carry you to excel. It’s time to shift jobs.

Martha has been sales pitching enterprise solutions to small- and medium-scale companies. She’s caught in the unenviable position between demanding clients and hardheaded programmers. Until she dipped herself into coding out of frustration to meet client expectations, she didn’t realize she has a knack for this new career. What’s more, she believes she can program better solutions because she has the perspective of both client and programmer.

Career shifting is a milestone and you should think hard before you do it. Still, the only thing worse than shifting careers and regretting it later is not shifting at all when you know your career is heading nowhere.

You should not stop at simply keeping a job when you know you have more to offer, and to get in return. But you need to be proactive and conscious that in career mobility, you have the last say, not your employer, and that can mean looking for a better opportunity, elsewhere.

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Source : http://careers.financesonline.com