This is the blog to watch if you’re looking to change careers or are just starting to consider what your career options will be. The best careers are chosen based a variety of factors including prestige, pay, and job security. Fundraiser Personally, this is my nightmare job. But many people enjoy being a development director. Most of what a development director does is developing relationships with donors and ensuring that their donors have a ‘vested interest’ in the organization for which they work. Development directors also need to develop campaigns, host events and “sell” the organization’s mission and vision to … Continue reading →

If you’re following this series we’ve been talking about careers that are on the rise, pay well, and give a high level of job satisfaction. Today we’ll talk about a few more on our list. Editor Being an editor is a great job because if you have the vision, you have the opportunity to see your work in headlines. However, editing is a demanding job requiring that you have great writing skills, excellent people skills and a blend of diplomacy and aggressiveness for dealing with both publishers and writers. You also have to understand how the publishing business works and … Continue reading →

A couple of days ago, I started a series on great careers as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. The rankings are based on preparation necessary, resiliancy to outsourcing, potential job market among a few other factors. While I would still argue that the best job is the one you love to get up and go to in the morning, these are definitely some fields that you should be watching if you’re just starting out or thinking of changing careers. Curriculum Specialist Surprisingly this is one of the fastest growing jobs around. Your job is to help a district … Continue reading →

Personally, I am of the persuasion that I’d much rather enjoy my job than look at it as a tool for status or a means to get rich. My husband coaches preschoolers–which is his ideal job–and he loves it. While he is pretty well paid, he enjoys it and consequently never comes home stressed or goes to work dreading it. To me, that’s worth a million. However, this list of best careers (put together by U.S. World & News Report) considers several criteria including training necessary for field, job market outlook, resistance to off shoring, pay, job satisfaction, and perceived … Continue reading →

I think it’s always prudent to watch trends. It helps you see where something is going, (or not going) and it helps you predict possible patterns. I think it’s even more important to watch trends in your career. It’s the difference between advancing through your career and possibly stagnating in a career. So with that said, here are just a few trends to keep watching. The Rise of the Blue Collars Blue collar jobs are getting more and more respect and even college graduates might want to consider getting trade skills that are marketable once they finish college. Several things … Continue reading →

Networking, simply defined is the art of building alliances. The goal is not to try to get as many business cards as possible in your rolodex but to build some sort of relationship with those whom you meet. Make a good impression and a lasting impression, and your job search might be just a little easier. Why Make a Point to Network? Everyone agrees that times are tougher and that getting your foot in the door is harder. In a survey of hundreds of businesses it was noted that in recent years, most new hires knew someone. Sending out cold … Continue reading →

No–there’s no misprint in the title. If you are just starting out in your career or starting a new career, you should still apply for jobs that you’re not entirely qualified for; within reason of course. Networking Sometimes, making a successful career for yourself is all about networking. If a job is in your desired field but you don’t quite have the full four years of experiences, go ahead and apply. The contacts you make may be beneficial to you later–when you do have four or more years of experience. Interviewing Skills In certain careers, it is very common that … Continue reading →

I know that many people, when considering returning to school to update skills, look into four year universities. I’m sure that the idea behind this is the university offers courses that have been designed for specific subject matters, such as English Lit or Special Education. Yet I think that we sometimes overlook smaller community colleges. These campuses offer great classes in a diverse range of coursework. The classes cost less, and if you are considering going back for skill related learning only, and not for a graduate degree, chances are a community college campus could meet your needs just as … Continue reading →

The thought of going back to school can be difficult for someone who has been out of school for a while, and almost painful for those of us with a child or two. Life is tough enough when you work, have a family and have to also clean the house, do the laundry and cook dinner each night. Just the idea of adding one more piece to our already overfilled life can be daunting at best. If you are really interested in going back to school but you just don’t know how you would fit it in your already hectic … Continue reading →

Sometimes during the job hunt you might come across a fantastic position that offers excellent pay, great benefits and the type of work that you would absolutely love to do but that is located, well, much further from home than you first anticipated. Relocating can be the best thing that has ever happened to you or the worse, depending upon your specific situation. If you are young and single, moving from one town to the next can be as easy as changing your shoes. If you have a family, and particularly if you have a family and live near extended … Continue reading →