The Education Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Right’

A competent career counselor doesn’t come cheap, but the results can sometimes change your life for the better. If you’re unhappy in your career or don’t feel fulfilled or challenged in your current position, a career counselor might be an investment that yields a very high return. Part of achieving success in your career comes from finding the right niche. Just because you’re unhappy or not accomplishing enough in your current job or career, doesn’t mean you won’t do leagues superior and be much happier at a different company or in a different profession.

If any of the following situations sounds like your individualized diary, then a career counselor might be healthy to help:

You fell into your job rather than choosing your career. Perhaps you never had a definite career plan and came crossways an opportunity that seemed right at the time. Now, years later, you realize you’ve gone as far as you can in your current position or you’re in the wrong profession altogether.
You’ve hit the huge 4-0 and are ready for a change, but you have no intent how to go about making it happen. You don’t know how to oppose a new career or what opportunities are acquirable now that you’re 40-something.
You don’t feel like speaking about your day at the office once you leave it. You come home from work and can’t bring yourself to relive your day by telling your spouse about it. Your response to, “How was your day?” is, “I don’t want to speak about it.”
You constantly find yourself looking for a new job. You feel so dissatisfied with where you are in your career that you keep searching for something new. You can barely last one or two years at a job before you’re once again scanning the employment ads on a consistent basis.
You sense that you need a change, but it’s a vague feeling with no real direction. You know you want to do something else, but you don’t know what. You’re not sure what opportunities are acquirable for someone with your background and interests.
You feel trapped in your job by financial or family obligations. You wake up each morning and your first thought is how many hours you have until you can come home from work. But you feel like you have no options because you have commitments to fulfill and expenses to pay.

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You state you want to attend design school, but you’re having trouble choosing a major. Don’t worry. With a tiny information from a few reliable sources, you can be well on your way to finding a design program that will play a pivotal role in your success. Let’s begin with BLS.gov.

The Agency of Labor Statistics has a few facts and figures for you to mull over. “Design” is a broad field that includes everything from architects and personal artists to graphic and industrial designers. Designers hold more than 600,000 jobs and salaries range from ,330 on the low end up to 7,120 on the high end. Most designers have a bachelor’s degree or higher in areas ranging from fine arts to structure to personal science.

The top careers in design (when it comes to earnings) include architecture, personal software and systems design, and commercial and industrial design. This doesn’t mean interior designers, graphic designers, and other related fields offer very tiny pay. It just means that technology-related design careers are in higher demand and most of these careers require advanced degrees and certification.

For architects, most employers like a master of architecture. Architects must be licensed in the says where they practice. The average mean remuneration for architects is ,760. Commercial and industrial designers acquire an average of ,000 per year and employer’s like a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited program in industrial design, structure or engineering.

According to Design-schools.us, personal software and systems designers must have a bachelor’s degree or higher in personal science or software engineering for entry into this competitive field. Most employers like a master’s degree. This elite class of designers averages ,370-5,750+ per year.

To begin a career in design, you should select a program offered through an accredited art and design school, technical school or college or university. If you would like to work in the field or other position while working on completing your degree, an online design program might be the ideal route. Top online design schools will offer most of the same majors and curriculum as top traditional design programs. So, when searching for a design school, compare the curriculum, admission requirements, and accreditation to traditional schools. All school websites (whether online or on-campus) offer curriculum, admission requirements, and accreditation information on their official website.

Most art and design schools have accredited by The National Association of Schools of Art and Design. To date, this U.S. Department of Education recognized bureau accredits 300 postsecondary programs with programs in art and design. In addition, The Council for Interior Design accredits more than 150 interior programs that lead to a bachelor’s or master’s degree. A number of regional agencies are also recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. These include:

-Middle Says Association of Colleges and Schools

-New England Association of Schools and Colleges

-North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

-Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

-Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

-Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Admission stipulations might vary slightly, but standard admission stipulations include test scores, transcripts from all schools attended, statement of purpose or essay, suggestion letters, and if applicable, samples of your work.

For more information about design schools and careers in design, visit:

Design Schools – Information about design schools, curriculums, and program info

Design School Careers – Job descriptions, salary ranges, outlooks and more to help you select a career path.

U.S. Department of Labor Agency of Labor Statistics – http://www.bls.gov/k12/music05.htm

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By Dian L. Chu, EconForecast

China has been ranked as the top growing country among the G20 since 2001 and is expected to retain that title for at least another five years (See Growth Chart). However, the news coming out of China for the past three months has not been good. It is looking more and more that it is not a question of if China is a bubble and going to burst, but when.

The country has major infrastructure issues, troubling population dynamics, poorly aligned employment outcomes, inflation problems, a real estate bubble, an opaque and potentially insolvent banking system (had mark-to-market bookkeeping been applied), geo-political problems with North Korea and Taiwan, and an underperforming stock market in 2010 (see stock comparison chart).

Smart Money Rushing Out

While the hot money is flooding into China, the smart local money is doing everything they can to get their money outside of China, which partly explains why Shanghai SE Composite has underperformed other markets for the past year or so (see Comparison Chart).

The many issues of China could conspire to become the biggest train wreck inactivity to happen, and potentially dwarf any tiny budget problems in Europe by a bourgeois of ten.

Big Trouble In Huge China

China has a population related societal structural problem. The nation has tried to utilize the vast manpower to its advantage over the last two decades building a powerhouse manufacturing economy through the availability of low cost workers, which supplied the world with lower cost goods.

Nevertheless, the harsh reality is that the nation’s infrastructure, calibre jobs, food, and overall resources are too scarce to support such mass population, while achieving the government`s goal of a smooth transition to a developed middle class to sustain an internal demand model going forward.

If you think having riots in Greece over the pension retirement age being raised is bad, just move till riots breaking out in Beijing and other cities over a 90 cent bowl of noodle soup now costing four dollars due to food shortages, and a runaway inflation problem. 

Loose Lending = Non-performing Projects

This is only reinforced by some of the news events taking place over the last three months. Let`s begin with the raising of banks reserve stipulations by the central bank, which is the sixth such increase in 2010. 

These measures are meant to curb the excess lending which has fueled much of the overbuilding and real estate speculation occurred over the past two years as China`s central bank initially wanted to avert a recession by artificially creating demand for workers and construction projects to replace lagging demand from the developed economies.

The problem is that too much lending has occurred, and bad lending at that. Because of the cheap acquirable credit, now you have cement companies and manufacturing firms getting bank loans to invest in endeavors such as real estate, which is outside of their core expertise and competency.

Real Estate Misery Adores Company – China & Spain

                                                     
The result is a bunch of excess inventory and poorly thought-out construction projects which have no means of recouping the initial investment needed to repay the bank loans.

This practice is similar to Spain`s situation now where they have entire uninhabited building complexes that have yet to be marked to market, and will probably finally be demolished. But at least in Spain, even though it was a construction boom, it was engineered by developers in Spain, and not by some manufacturing outfits like those in China.

So, multiply the bad business project bourgeois by ten and you get an understanding of the magnitude of bad loans on the books of Chinese banks. The problem is being further exacerbated by the practice similar to Spain`s of banks making additional loans to the businesses just so that they can then turnaround and pay back the interest owed on the original loans.

The only way this would work out is if these projects magically develop revenue streams. Unfortunately, in the case of Spain, a 20% unemployment rate, coupled with a still overvalued housing market in which prices still need to come down significantly, would recommend that by the time the Spanish economy recovers enough to support the excess inventory, the forsaken projects are run down and uninhabitable.

A similar scenario could play out in China as well.

True Smart Money Wary of the Write-off Domino 

Furthermore, China`s practice of overbuilding at the height of real estate valuations makes even haircuts on loan write-offs an untenable practice for banks, and by further throwing good money after bad, the eventual mark- to-market effect could be catastrophic for Chinese Banks.

This is the main reason all the major Chinese banks have gone to the market in 2010 to raise more capital before investors wise up to the underlying deficits these banks face, as these bad loans eventually would need to be written off the books.

Victor Shih, a Northwestern University professor estimates that Chinese local governments borrowed some 11.4 trillion renminbi at the end of 2009, and that local government financing loans to be roughly one-third of China’s 2009 GDP. 

Shih reckons the most likely scenario over the next few years is that there would be increases of non-performing loans ratio from local governments. This would require a big scale of recapitalization of the Chinese banking system, which would eat up a big share of China’s foreign exchange reserves and possibly slow down growth.

I do believe Beijing is quite capable of  a few bailouts and surviving a widespread banking crisis, but this most definitely will not bode well for the financial markets.  That’s most likely why you see insiders removing capital from direct exposure to the inevitable re-pricing that will happen throughout Chinese markets from real estate to the stock market. 

This can be seen at this primeval stage by the underperformance of the Chinese stock market compared to other global markets. Remember, foreigners can't invest directly in these markets, so these capital outflows are truly the smart money.

Logistic Gridlock Crimping the Middle Class

Next let`s look at the current news regarding a severe cutback in vehicle registrations in Beijing to 240,000 in 2011 from 700,000 registered in 2010 by the municipal government. Other big cities in China are bound to follow. This is most likely related to the reported 9-day traffic wad on the Beijing-Tibet expressway in August, and other extended traffic jams throughout China in 2010.

China is trying to build infrastructure projects after the fact; whereas with proper central planning these should have been established far ahead of the big transition from a rural, agricultural based populous to that of a modern, big city based business and manufacturing concentration.

Simply put, it is impossible for all the Chinese citizens who want and can afford vehicles to be healthy to own and utilize this form of transport without a total breakdown in the transportation system. We are seeing the primeval stages of complete and counterproductive gridlock in the transportation system of China, and it is only going to get worse over the next decade.

No Jobs for College Grads

For all the speak about how China graduates more engineers apiece year, and other college educated young people who have strong backgrounds in the hard sciences than most developed nations combined, this is actually another sign of problems to come over the next decade in China.

China`s wealth and emergence into the second largest business economy hasn`t been built around the need for these types of mind and skill set. So literally you have a big mismatch between the types of acquirable jobs in China, that are supported by the heavy manufacturing and construction intensive focus of the past twenty years, to that of the recently educated pool of graduates who have grown in sizable numbers over the past five years.

The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

This results in a big human quality class that China is currently wasting, as most of the newly educated workforce is working in jobs which require tiny or no advanced education at the university level. So you have highly educated university graduates in areas like engineering and bookkeeping working low level service and income jobs that pay less than many manufacturing jobs.

In short, there are too many highly educated Chinese citizens graduating apiece year for the number of jobs acquirable needing their skill set because China`s economic model isn`t built around these type of jobs. This type of misaligned employment outcomes never ends well; it usually manifests itself in increased civil and social unrest.

8% Inflation in 2011

The next major challenge for China is a skyrocketing inflation, which at its root is the fact that there are too many people chasing too few resources. This fundamental flaw in population dynamics underpins many of the problems that China faces going forward.

Current CPI data for November illustrates the inflation problem in China with a reading of 5.1% from a year ago comparison, this is up from a 4.4% reading for the previous month. Couple this with the latest 4% hike in fuel prices in China because of rising oil prices, you could expect future CPI and PPI reports to reflect even higher rates of inflation.

For now, most of the year over year spike has revolved around higher food prices as energy has mainly been flat for 2010 thanks mostly to government subsidies. Now that energy prices have entered the picture, China will begin to experience even more inflation pressures in 2011. 

Furthermore, with the undervalued yuan pegged to the dollar, it is only getting worse for China in 2011 due to Fed’s QE2 pressures on the dollar.  The real inflation rate for Chinese citizens for 2011 will probably approach 8% next year.

An Asian Contagion by China?

This escalating inflation concern is further compounded by Beijing’s lack of decisive action to combat the problem by delaying a much needed currency appreciation, and hiking interest rates in a timely fashion. There is no getting around the fact that these two things need to occur as soon as possible.

By the time the Chinese government is forced to implement these tightening tools, the alteration to the economy is most likely already done. The longer China delays the inevitable serious tightening measures, the harder the economic crash that will occur in the aftermath of these policy changes. And it is unlikely to end well. The resultant impact will probably take the rest of the Asian economies down with it – an Asian Contagion scenario.

History Repeats Itself

Eventually central planners and finance ministers around the world might begin to comprehend that policies which lead to bubbles being formed in the first place are counterproductive in the long run. But until that lesson is learned, it seems like we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

Right now, there are more and more signs coming out of China that all is not well with its economy, and the likelihood of a more severe downturn in the future is a distinct possibility, unless its policy makers take decisive and prudent actions to minimize the alteration of a hard landing.    

Dian L. Chu, Dec. 25, 2010 | Mobile Reader, Website | | Facebook | Twitter

Sponsored: Watch, Learn, Market Trend television | Revealing new appearance on China and Japan

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It is usually drummed into high school students that they need to take a great deal of care over their career choices. To a certain extent, this is true – after all, choosing a career that makes you deeply unhappy isn’t going to do much for your health or for those you are supporting. However, it doesn’t really matter whether you find the right career for you immediately after school, or whether it takes a bit more time and experience to rule out those careers that aren’t for you. Here are some tips to ensure you select the right career, preferably sooner rather than later.

Consider what interests you

For some people, the choice of career is an simple call to make. If it isn’t, then sit down and list all the things that interest you. Then think about the sort of environment you would like to work it. You might want to go abroad, for example, or you might abhor the intent of working in an office. Once your list is complete, begin thinking about careers that could be created from it.

Research your potential careers

Once you’ve come up with your ideas, research them. What sort of jobs are available, for example, and what level of pay could you expect. Check on qualifications – if you don’t have what is necessary, then you might need to take some extra courses. Alternatively, if you need, for example, sciences, and are absolutely hopeless at science, then you might need to think again.

Consider the commitment

Think about the level of commitment that your career choices could involve. Becoming a doctor, for example, involves years of study and is not cheap. You need to be really sure that you want to do it before starting your studies. Other careers could be easier to break into and easier to change if you want to. Make sure you are prepared to place in the time and energy that you need to reach your eventual goal.

Talk to a career advisor

Book an appointment with an advisor. They are trained to judge you and decide on the sort of career that would suit both your qualifications and personality. They might even be healthy to come up with some ideas that you haven’t even considered. Finally, they should be healthy to give you some useful leads for ways of getting into the career of your choice.

Don’t follow someone else’s dreams

If your mom has always wanted you to study to be a doctor, but you don’t really want to even if you do have the qualifications, then be honest with her. If you are forced into a career that you don’t really want to do, it can be a very miserable experience. Only you can decide what you really want to do – and if others don’t approve, then that is not your problem.

If it doesn’t suit, give it up

If you enter into a career that you don’t like, then give it up and move on. There is no need to stay somewhere that you hate. Many skills are transferable these days, so there is no need to think of your experience as a waste. Don’t be place off by the fact that you might need to begin again at the bottom – if you are determined, it won’t take you long to get where you want. After all, we spend a great deal of time at work, so the happier you are, the better.

Put some thought into what you want to do and you should be healthy to find your saint career. Just don’t panic if you don’t find it the first time or even the second time round – there is plenty of time yet.

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Step 1

Using a career test to help you sort through the often complicated career choice question is a great start! If you’ve never used one before, they’re quite interesting and even enjoyable. You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised at how much you learn about yourself when you take one.  There are a few different types of tests and the ones that I’ll describe below are acquirable online. All you will need is a personal and world wide web service.

Step 2

Career Builder has a short 24 question career test. Once you take the test, they will ask you for some information about yourself before you get the results. If an advertisement pops up for a college or something of the like, just scroll down to the bottom and click “skip”. If you’re already planning to do a job search, it won’t injured to be signed up to Career Builder anyway. Their website is: http://careerpath.com/career-tests/careertestingcenter.aspx

Step 3

Another option is Career Fitter at http://careerfitter.com/free_test/careerbuilder/index.htm. They are similar to Career Builder because they give you examples of what career would be good for you. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of any ads that pop up and click “skip” or “no thank you”, unless of course one of the ads is something that you’re interested in! Just remember that you don’t have to answer any of the questions on the ads unless you want to!

Step 4

Once you get the results of the tests, you’ll have a superior intent as to which career or careers would work the ideal for you. Happy career and job hunting!