an in development web magazine about careers, their success and failure. Looking for contributors.

1. January 16, 2010
The eZine about careers the economy and what we can do about it
By Ylem Publishing
Accentuate The Positive: A Stimulus For Your Career
by
Kelly Harrigan
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
I’m making
this my
Multitasking in an Unstable Economy career.
by
Kassandra Moore-Bishop
The Difference Between a Career and a Job
by
Charles Wright
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2. Multitasking in an Unstable Economy
by
Kassandra Moore-Bishop
Then, the recession hit. My husband has had
his pay slashed and raising a family on one income is
not as easy as it once was. The stock market plunged
and we began to see hardships. Now would be a good
time for me to return to work. There was one prob-
lem however. I do not have a degree. Now there are
more experienced people applying for positions that I
once would have held. Not only that, I cannot even
make the same amount of money I did when I left the
workforce. Me going back to work would actually
COST us money. Daycare is not cheap, and I would
M any people today are having difficulty
finding a job as many workers have
been laid off, let go, or have to work
for less. The younger generation of college stu-
dents and recent graduates are among those
not be able to make enough to even offset the cost.
The number of older students in college is on
the rise, in my opinion. I am amazed at how many
people are going back to school in their later years.
Many of them have been laid off and need the extra
who are having the most difficult time. The boost of an advanced degree to get working again.
more experienced and higher qualified people Other people are like me; they started a family and
who have been let go or laid off are now vying put education on the back burner. I have at least five
for the same jobs that were once reserved for mothers in each of my current classes over the age of
students and those just entering the world of ca- 30. I am sure many of these women are facing hard-
reers. ships similar to mine, and, they may have gotten by
When I entered the workforce, within on one income before, but now they are needing to
the last decade, I did not have trouble finding a pitch in to help their families.
job appropriate for a student. I have held cleri- So, what is the lesson to my story? The
cal positions, worked in restaurants, passed out younger generation, along with those looking for jobs
flyers, all the typical jobs a student might do. in this unstable economy can no longer get by with-
For the first few years of college I was able to out an education. The days of getting a high school
work and go to school. Granted, I went to school diploma and then finding a decent job are in the days
part-time, thus adding years to my expected of Yore. A college degree is becoming a necessity. As
graduation date. At the time however, I was able the economy weakens and jobs become scarcer, the
to get by with this arrangement. competition will only get thicker. In fact, today most
However, I got married and started a colleges are pushing their students to get a master’s
family while still working on my degree. My degree. Many people now have Bachelor’s degrees,
husband and I made the decision a few years and as the competition grows, your resume needs to
ago that I would stay home with our son and grow along with it.
continue to work on my degree. At the time, this
seemed to be the most beneficial option for all of
us.
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3. Accentuate The Positive: A Stimulus For Your Career
By
Kelly Harrigan
Link to: Bureau of labor Statistics data
W ith the government response being
crystal ball central planning which has
never been shown to offer the explosive
growth of an unfettered free-market, experts pre-
Positive #3: If you are performing temp or
contract work, you are in luck. You have a foot in
the door when others do not. You are poised to
dict continuing high unemployment, new waves of jump. Even if a permanent position does not open
foreclosures, ever increasing ghost storefronts, up in that particular business, you are still em-
and possibly a soon slip into hyperinflation. Thus ployed (which is often more attractive to hiring
was the sad state of the economy for the final managers) and have built a strong resume chock
month of 2009. As we begin a new year and look full of accomplishments and a bulging rolodex full
back on what has been a very tough financial out- of contacts who may be able to recommend you to
look for far too many American families, with someone who is hiring.
double digit unemployment, a national foreclosure
crisis, and the grim reality of “change” coming in Positive #4: If you have been laid off, while
the form of record-setting deficit spending and it may not feel like it, you also have an up-
eagerly look to the fresh start of 2010, let’s focus side. Unemployment benefits have been ex-
on some positives to be found in this less-than- tended. Training is available. While you are
delightful job market. searching for work, you have unexpected time to
go back to school to finish that degree, explore
Positive #1: If you are enjoying a fair turning a favorite hobby into a new career, hit the
amount of security at work, you have much for gym, read up on subjects of professional interest
which to be thankful. Don’t let the stress of know- to increase your value to a potential employer,
ing that many people, including your boss, may be and most importantly, reconnect with family and
watching you with greater scrutiny these days friends who may be able to help you identify and
wondering whether you will present them with an land your next position.
opportunity to freshen the roster. Fact is, know-
ing others would love to have your job can keep Positive #5: Times of challenge can often
you on your toes. It can encourage you to push cause us to reevaluate and re-prioritize. Am I liv-
yourself to even greater achievement…and that’s ing to work or working to live? Have I been tak-
a positive for both you personally, and for your ing my job for granted and slacking off or am I
company which stands to benefit from your suc- still bringing my “A” game to this company? Are
cess. This truly is a win-win situation whereby there ways to operate more efficiently or effec-
you can strengthen your own position as you tively? Is now the time to go for it and work for
strengthen the company’s bottom line. myself? Challenge can breed creativity, endur-
ance, renewed appreciation…it can also reveal
Positive #2: If you are feeling a bit on edge character, commitment, and true friendships.
at work these days and have been hearing whis-
pers on the plant floor, you still have much for So, as we begin anew with 2010 and put 2009 in
which to be thankful. First, you are still em- the books, let’s remember that the future isn’t
ployed. Second, your fate has not been sealed and written yet. Like any other time in history it will
you have an opportunity to influence events. Seize have challenges to be sure, but to each of those
the power! This is the time to inject some direc- challenges there are concrete answers – opportu-
tion into these hushed conversations. Remind oth- nities to shine if we are willing to seize them. Will
ers who may also be fearful of the future that you we look for opportunity? Will we be prepared
are all in it together and, with that mindset, can mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritu-
tackle the problem together. At an appropriate ally? Will we let the future write us or will we
time and place, let management know you are not write it?
ready to fold and go quietly into the night. Ask
where the challenges lie – the areas of greatest
risk to continued profitability – then brain-
storm. Can hours be juggled, cycle times cut
down, errors minimized, etc. Determine what it
will take to keep jobs and then implement the
plan. It’s been said many times, but bears repeat-
ing – there is nothing American ingenuity and
hard work can’t overcome when we free our
minds and roll up our sleeves.
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4. The Difference Between a Career and a Job
by
Charles Wright
E ssentially, there is piecework
and there are the professions.
Those of us who have gone into
other endeavors, educated or not, appear
to be regarded as non-persons or feudal
thought that it would be rather easily dis-
cerned when I started writing this article;
nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, there are many instances where
the lines between them are blurred. Like
serfs. Archaic is the best word that I can so many other things, upon closer exami-
think of to describe the traditional defini- nation, there are striking similarities.
tion of a career and, while it may have That begs the question as to how they are
served a purpose at one time, it is defi- similar and it what ways they are dissimi-
nitely time to update these definitions and lar from one another.
very possibly our thought processes re- In consulting both Oxford’s American
garding them. Dictionary and Webster’s Collegiate Dic-
While a job may serve a purpose, the tionary, I found that a job is first and
great majority of us either are training foremost listed as a piece of work, par-
and studying for a career or has done so ticularly one done for profit. Secondly,
already. Given the fact that any career they define a job as a paid position or a
path is going to include a number of tasks place of work. Nowhere in these defini-
or jobs that need to be performed on a tions is there any mention of specialized
regular basis and, odds are that any ca- training or a time frame under which this
reer is going to feel like a job, or to put it work is to take place. It would almost Advertise
better, work, it is a position from which seem as though performing one act such
an individual has the ability to advance
themselves. Jobs are essential to get
as delivering a pizza, working as an in-
tern or virtually any other position where
your prod-
through the lean times when the economy
is in a downturn, although anyone who is
you are required to leave your domicile
and be present at a specified location uct or ser-
fortunate enough to have the education or would qualify as a job. Basically, it is a
training to pursue a career, should do so task, preferably one performed for profit. vice here
for themselves and their family. If you So, what is a career?
have a gift, training or education in a By the same token, utilizing the very for very
given field, then share it with the world. same reference books, I looked up the
Job agencies exist for a reason. Yes, definition of a career. A career is defined competitive
they are there to make a profit, but they as advancing through life particularly in
can only do so by finding qualified indi- regard to a profession. In addition, it is rates. Con-
viduals to fill openings. While these tem- regarded as a profession or occupation
porary jobs may only last a short time,
some people have secured lasting posi-
that an individual is able to advance in
over a period of time. There are obvious tact our
tions with companies. As a result, they differences here, in that, while there ap-
have either managed to revive their ca- pears to be no training required perform- Sales Dept.
reer or found a new one in a related field. ing a job and it appears to be singular,
Most importantly, temporary jobs allow i.e., delivering a pizza, a profession is life- by clicking
people the opportunity to earn the money long and requires a great deal of educa-
necessary to pay their bills and, at the
same time, it bolsters their self-esteem.
tion. the Adver-
Historically, there have been rela-
So, what is the point of all of this? Es- tively few “professions”, although there tise link
sentially, if any individual has gone are a number of skilled trades that people
through training for or received an edu-
cation in a given field, they should pursue
devote their lives to and that require ei-
ther an apprenticeship or some form of below.
their career goals no matter what shape higher education. For example, an indi-
the economy is in at the present time. If vidual who is educated as an attorney or
there are no positions available in a given a physician is regarded as a professional
field at the present time, then accept a and, despite the fact that it may require
temporary job and keep looking. At one just as much training or college, an artist,
time every person out there had a career carpenter, engineer, machinist, merchant,
goal, they wanted to make a contribution nurse or plumber is not even given con-
of some sort. Remember, jobs come and sideration. In addition, having attained
go, although you are the only person who the necessary education, many skilled
can make your career goals a reality. In tradesmen spend the rest of their working
the present economic climate, with so years plying their craft.
many people having lost their livelihoods, After taking the time to look at what
the subjects of careers and jobs have be- traditionally defines a job as opposed to a
come the topic of everyday conversation, career, we are still left in somewhat of a
although relatively few individuals seem quandary. First of all, the traditional
to differentiate between them. Is there a definition does not make any allowance
difference between a career and a job for craftsmen or tradesmen of any sort. It
and, if so, what is it? is almost as if they did not exist.
It is rather complex, the difference
between careers and jobs and, while I
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