Category: Your Career (Page 50 of 62)

      Unemployment Lowest Since April 2009

      February 4, 2011 /

      Jobs Ahead

      Although economists predicted that the unemployment rate would increase to 9.5 percent, the unemployment rate went in the other direction, dropping 9 percent last month from 9.4 percent in December. Many would consider this good news, but a number of skeptical analysts don’t see it this way. The government reported that 36,000 new jobs were created last month—the fewest in four months. And analysts say this might not be a sign that that economic recovery is picking up pace.

      Jim O’Sullivan, chief economist at MF Global, said that the market is discounting the big drop in the unemployment rate. “The information value of this report is limited because it was obviously affected by the weather,” he said.

      The unemployment rate fell despite the small number of new jobs because some people who are out of work gave up looking for a new job, Mr. O’Sullivan said.

      Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers, said: “It’s extremely difficult to see beyond the snow to understand today’s data.”

      Fortunately, during a recent speech the National Press Club, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed expects the economy to improve this year and inflation to remain low.

      Your Business, Your Career, Your Compensation, Your Workplace

      Liberal Arts Degrees: Choosing a College and Career

      January 31, 2011 /

      Vassar College

      A liberal arts degree is such a versatile degree, that it can prepare you for dozens of distinct careers from archaeologist to legislative researcher to United Nations staff. It may be difficult to believe, but this unique degree is nothing new and it has never really been considered an “experimental” or “alternative” degree. Liberal arts study has been around since ancient Greek and Roman times, but liberal arts colleges didn’t begin to multiply in North America until the early 1800s. In medieval European Universities, liberal arts covered seven subject areas including arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, grammar, logic, music, and rhetoric.

      Today, there are more than 200 liberal arts colleges across the United States. These liberal arts degree programs promote the study of history, languages, literature, mathematics, philosophy, and science—subjects that form the basis of a general or “liberal” education. Many institutions describe the liberal arts curriculum as the study of three main branches of knowledge including: the social sciences, humanities (literature, language, philosophy, the fine arts, and history), and the physical and biological sciences. In addition to studying the three main branches of knowledge, liberal arts colleges allow students to focus on a particular major. Typical liberal arts majors include:

      • Biology
      • Chemistry
      • History
      • Languages (French, German, Russian, Spanish)
      • Liberal Studies
      • Literature or other Humanities
      • Philosophy
      • Physics
      • Psychology
      • Social Sciences
      • Sociology

      While the liberal arts curriculum is basically the same at all liberal arts colleges, these unique colleges come in all shapes and sizes. Liberal arts colleges may be secular, religiously affiliated, gender-specific, public or private, urban, rural, residential, independent or part of a larger college or university.

      Job Interview

      Graduates with a liberal arts degree are an attractive option for employers mainly employers feel that liberal arts graduates have developed the skills necessary to deal with today’s evolving career world. Employers also see a liberal arts graduate as an individual that has demonstrated the ability to learn and become successful in today’s working world. Liberal arts graduates have proven that they have the ability to uncover problems, find solutions, and implement them.

      Although liberal arts degrees have benefits on a personal, community, and career level, this type of degree also has benefits on a financial level. Liberal arts graduates entering professional fields can expect starting salaries ranging from $38,620 (anthropologists and archaeologists) up to $80,560 (political scientists). Earnings increase significantly with  master of liberal arts degree (MLA).

      If you are interested in obtaining a liberal arts degree, you should start by contacting one of the top schools for liberal arts. The following colleges ranked high on U.S. News & World Report’s National Liberal Arts Rankings for 2011.

      For more information about the top liberal arts colleges and universities in the United States, visit U.S. News & World Report rankings for 2011 at http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/liberal-arts-rankings.

      Jobs for Liberal Arts Graduates

      • Account executive trainee
      • Administrative assistant
      • Affirmative action officer
      • Anthropologist
      • Archeologist
      • Benefits manager
      • Caseworker
      • Caseworker
      • Choreographer
      • City manager
      • College recruiting specialist
      • Compensation manager
      • Compliance officer
      • Congressional relations officer
      • Congressional staff member
      • Consul
      • Copywriter
      • Cultural affairs officer
      • Customer relations officer
      • Customs agent
      • Customs inspector
      • Dancer
      • Economic development coordinator
      • Employee relations officer
      • Employment interviewer
      • Exporter
      • Foreign language teacher
      • Foreign service
      • Fund raising/development
      • Geographer
      • Historian
      • Immigration agent
      • Importer
      • Intelligence officer
      • Interpreter/translator
      • Investigator
      • Job analyst
      • Labor relations manager
      • Labor relations researcher
      • Legislative analyst
      • Legislative assistant (federal, state & local)
      • Legislative researcher
      • Lobbyist
      • Media buyer
      • Organizational development specialist
      • Personnel generalist recruiter
      • Politician
      • Press relations officer
      • Producer
      • Program analyst
      • Program information officer
      • Promoter
      • Public affairs officer
      • Public relations officer
      • Publicity assistant
      • Recruiter
      • Research assistant
      • Researcher
      • Researcher
      • Sales promoter
      • Sociologist
      • Speechwriter   
      • Stage manager
      • Training & education supervisor
      • Training specialist
      • Travel agent
      • United Nations staff

      Your Career

      Should You Go to Work Sick?

      January 29, 2011 /

      Sick at Work

      If you’re sick (and contagious) and come Monday morning you ask yourself “should I go to work sick?” the answer should always be “no.” Unfortunately, a shocking 72 percent of workers go to work when they’re sick and 53 percent of employees say they have gotten sick from a sick co-worker. Only 12 percent of respondents to the CareerBuilder survey stated that they became ill from sitting next to a sick person on public transportation during their commute.

      Besides the fact that this is one of the most irresponsible things a worker can do concerning others’ health, it is one of the most irresponsible things he can do concerning his own health. In a recent OC Register article, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources offered her opinion about workers that show up to work sick.

      “It’s important for employees to take care of their health and the health of others by staying at home if they aren’t feeling well,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Even if workers feel pressure to be at the office, they should talk to their managers about staying home if they are sick, or ask about other options such as working remotely. Most employers are flexible and understand that employees are more productive if they are feeling their best.”

      Many employers offer paid sick days, so use them if you need to. If you are fresh out of sick days and you feel you absolutely must go to work, there are a number of steps you can take to minimize the chances of infecting your co-workers. However, Haefner still says, “if you are sick, stay home,” or just try telecommuting for the day.

       If you must go to work sick, you should:

      -Work in an isolated area so you don’t spread your sickness.
      -Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
      -Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day.

      If you are around sick people at work, you should:

      -Avoid shaking hands with people.
      -Regularly clean your keyboard, phone, desk, etc.
      -Skip meetings where you know attendees are sick.
      -Use hand sanitizer often.
      -Wash your hands often.

      To review the CareerBuilder survey, click here.

      Your Business, Your Career, Your Workplace

      Physician Assistant Jobs on the Rise

      January 26, 2011 /

      Physician_Assistant_Usethisone

      Physician assistants are in high demand and the trend is expected to continue through 2018. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for physician assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations—to the tune of 39 percent from 2008-2018. The healthcare industry is experiencing tremendous growth overall, accounting for 26 percent of all new jobs created in the U.S. today. But like many other occupations in the healthcare industry, such as registered nurses and occupational therapists, physician assistants are right at the top of the list for job growth. 

       Physician assistant jobs are also ranked high on the pay scale—even for first-year graduates. Although income varies by specialty, location, years of experience, and geographical location, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants’ 2008 Census Report, median income for first-year graduates was an impressive $74,470. A recent Forbes article discussing the ‘best master’s degrees for jobs’ told the story of one graduate who switched careers in 2006, graduated from a two-year physician assistant master’s program at Duke University in 2008, and found a job as a physician assistant that paid more than triple his old salary as a teacher.

       Shane Tysinger graduated in 2008, in the middle of a recession, but says there were jobs everywhere for students in his graduating class. Today he works in an Eden, N.C. clinic that focuses on family medicine. His salary has more than tripled from his days as a teacher. “I found the career I was meant to do,” says Tysinger.

      In May 2008, the median annual wage for physician assistants was $81,320. The middle 50 percent earned between $68,210 and $97,070 and the lowest 10 percent earned less than $51,360. The top ten percent earned $110,240 per year.

      To become a physician assistant, you must complete a training program at an accredited school of allied health, academic health center, medical school, or four-year college. A few accredited training programs are available at community colleges, through the military, and at hospitals. As of 2008, there were 142 education programs for physician assistants accredited or provisionally accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. Eighty percent of these programs offered a master’s degree, 21 offered a bachelor’s degree, three awarded associate degrees, and five awarded a certificate.

      According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

      All States and the District of Columbia have legislation governing the practice of physician assistants. All jurisdictions require physician assistants to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and open only to graduates of accredited PA education programs.

      100 hours of continuing medical education every two years is mandatory in order to order to remain certified, plus successful completion of a re-certification examination every six years. 

      Your Career, Your Compensation, Your Education

      Green Jobs Growing

      January 19, 2011 /

      Green Jobs_II

      The Bureau of Labor Statistics has two definitions for green jobs. A green job is one that produces goods or provides services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. Green jobs are also jobs in which workers’ duties involve making their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources. Green jobs can be found in industry sectors such as construction, natural resources and mining, public transportation, trade, transportation and utilities, manufacturing, public administration, education and health services, information, and professional and business services.

      The number of establishments in these sectors is close to 2.2 million, which means, the number of opportunities for aspiring green collar workers is promising. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, which discusses a study by Next 10, a San Mateo, Calif.-based independent research organization, the opportunities for green jobs are greatest in certain parts of California.

      The strongest growth in green jobs has been in the San Francisco Bay area, with 109% growth since 1995, the study said. The region is home to 28% of the jobs in the sector. Second in that statistic is the Sacramento area, where green jobs grew by 103%. In Los Angeles, green employment is up by just 20% since 1995, but it still comprises 23% of the sector’s jobs in the state.

      As of 2010, there were more than 890,000 green jobs across the U.S. By 2015, this figure is expected to grow to nearly 1.4 million. This growth represents a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 9.2% between 2010-2015. It is important to note that these figures do not include the renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries, which represented 9 million jobs and $1,045 billion in U.S. revenue in 2007. The renewable energy industry grew three times as fast as the U.S. economy with 25%+ annual revenue growth in the solar thermal, photovoltaic, biodiesel, and ethanol sectors.

       If you are interested in a green collar job, read How to Land a Green Collar Job: 15 ways to rev up for a job that’s good for the environment, fills your wallet, and makes a difference by The American Solar Energy Society.

      Your Business, Your Career

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