Future Hot Careers

Don't Make These 8 Mistakes When Negotiating Salary

2014-01-15T17:51:00.002-08:00

Everyone loves getting a job offer, but few job seekers like negotiating salary. The process is fraught with worries that you'll ask for a number that's too low or too high, that the employer will try to lowball you in their offer or that you won't even know how to evaluate their offer effectively. But salary negotiation doesn't have to be so tricky. Avoid these eight mistakes and you'll be significantly better off than most salary negotiators.

1. Being unprepared. At some point, nearly every employer will ask what salary range you're looking for and this could happen as soon as their very first phone call to you. You want to be prepared for this in advance, because if you're caught off-guard, you risk low-balling yourself or otherwise saying something that will harm you in negotiations later. Be sure to do your homework ahead of time so that you're ready with an answer when the question comes up.

2. Letting the employer base their offer on your past salary history. Your salary history is no one's business and employers are perfectly capable of figuring out what your work would be worth to them without needing to know what you've been paid previously. To avoid having future offers tied to past ones, consider declining to discuss your previous salary altogether. If you can't do that, try pointing out that you took a lower salary previously because you were working for a mission you cared about, or learning new skills that would make you more marketable in the future or whatever other context you can provide. Instead, keep the focus on what you want to earn now and why you think you're worth that. But if you ignore this piece of advice, don't make the next mistake on our list.

3. Lying about your past salary. Job seekers sometimes claim that they're currently earning more than they really are, figuring that will help them get a higher offer from a new employer. But this can backfire because plenty of employers verify salary history, either by asking to see a recent pay stub or W-2, or by checking with the previous employer directly. And even worse, it's common to do this after you've already accepted a job offer, which means that you risk having the offer pulled over the lie, even after you've already accepted it and resigned your previous job.

4. Not verifying your research. While online salary sites can seem like the most obvious way to figure out what to ask for, the reality is that these sites are often unreliable, partly because the job titles they list often represent vastly different scopes of responsibility – and besides, salary can vary widely by geography. Professional associations in your industry might do more reliable salary surveys, but an even better option is to talk to people in your field and bounce figures off of them.

5. Giving a salary range when you'll be disappointed if you're offered the lowest end of it. If you give a wide range like "$40,000 to $55,000," don't be surprised if you're offered $40,000, because that's what you told the employer you'd accept. Instead, choose your range carefully, realizing that the employer may only focus on the lower end of it. (This isn't too different from candidates who focus only on the high end of a range given by an employer and are then disappointed when they're offered the lower end of it.)

6. Playing games. While job search experts used to advise absolutely refusing to name a salary figure first, even if pressed, that advice often doesn't work today and can hurt your chances. If an employer is asking you directly what salary range you're looking for and you categorically refuse to answer, the employer is likely to just move on the next candidate, someone who might be willing to have a more open conversation.

7. Worrying that if you negotiate, the employer will pull the offer entirely. As long as you're pleasant and professional and aren't adversarial in your manner, a reasonable employer isn't going to pull your offer just because you try to negotiate. That's not to say that there aren't unreasonable employers out there who do pull offers, but it's rare and the sign of such a dysfunctional employer that you're typically better off not working with them. Sane employers understand that people negotiate.

8. Not considering factors other than salary. Obviously everyone has a bottom-line number that they won't go below, but it's a mistake not to factor in things other than salary. A generous retirement or health care contribution might mean that less of your paycheck needs to go to savings or health insurance. Conversely, a job where you'll be miserable might not be worth even a significant bump in salary.

Students find future options at career fair

2014-01-15T17:51:00.001-08:00

The college and career fair at Yerington High School last Friday involving students from YHS, Yerington Intermediate School and Smith Valley was bigger than last year and organizers hope to grow it even more, possibly moving it from the practice gym into the main YHS gym.

Also going on last week was a College and Career Week for seventh and eighth grade students. The goal was to expose and inspire students about various careers "while giving them tools to be successful in their educational journey," said Jessica Angle, the GEAR-UP coordinator for Yerington and Silver Stage schools.

She said an example of this was hosting guest presenters from University of Nevada, Reno, who provided a scholarship workshop for students.

Debbie Rife, graduation coach for Yerington and Silver Stage high schools, also was pleased with the expanded college and career fair and hopes to see it grow more. There, the students could interact with the variety of educational/vocational offerings, including cosmetology, and local and out-of-town businesses.

The college and career fair featured about 30 booths, encompassing about four colleges at UNR and from other colleges, including from as far away as Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and College of Siskyous in Weed, Calif.

Angle said students, to help prepare for College and Career Week, filled out career interest inventory surveys that provided organizers information on career clusters. That information helped them choose the guest career professional speakers/presenters for the career cluster workshop sessions.

She said there also were grade-specific presentations about college preparation from college representatives given in the YIS gym on Friday.

Wild West Chevrolet was on hand to introduce its apprenticeship program to junior and senior students, Rife noted.

Angle said a financial education day was provided, giving students a fictitious career, salary, spouse and debt.

Some of those comments, she said, included "I don't want to be an adult, it's tough" and "Now I understand why my parents are stressed out."

A mock legislative session also was conducted last week in which Assemblyman Tom Grady of Yerington and State Sen. James Settelmeyer of Minden helped students understand the legislative process. Angle said students wrote and presented bills on topics such as the Affordable Care Act, cell phone usage in schools, immigration reform and gun control laws.

10 High-Paying Flexible Jobs

2014-01-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

At the top of the heap we have senior IT project managers, who bring in about $99,100 a year, on average. Exactly half (50%) of these professionals (those with at least a bachelor's and 5 to 8 years experience) say they're able to do their job from home all or most of the time. The average across all jobs and industries for workers with at least a bachelor's is 9.4%.

A senior project manager in IT is responsible for developing a detailed project plan for IT services and products, and identifying critical paths, Bardaro says. "They must match detailed customer requirements with constraints and assumptions of the IT team in order to establish project deliverables," she says. And they can easily do the job remotely.

"The IT industry pays well and typically grants the ability to work from home to its seasoned workers," she says. "Many of the tasks completed by these jobs can be done via technology (phone, computer, e-mail, web chats, etc.) and require a sharp focus and sometimes odd hours, all three of which sum up to a perfect job for telecommuting."

Business development directors hold the No. 2 spot on our list of high-paying flexible jobs. Payscale data shows they make $96,700 a year, on average, and 50% say they're able to telecommute most or all the time.

"Schedule flexibility is important to employees as they are comforted by the knowledge that they can easily change their schedule and time-off," Bardaro says. "This knowledge will incent workers to be productive as they know they have some level of control in their schedule. This is especially key for families who might need to take time off to align with school breaks or stay home with a sick child."

Third we have field sales engineers. Fourty percent of them, who rake in about $79,500 a year, on average, say they're always or mostly able to telecommute.

Rounding out the top five are IT network engineers and management consultants, who make $68,600 a year and $91,300 a year, respectively. Both of these jobs are considered highly flexible by Payscale, because of the percentage of workers who said they can do their job from home. One-third (33.3%) of IT network engineers and 30.4% of management consultants say they can telecommute most or all the time.

"Overall, the top job family for telecommuting opportunities is IT," Bardaro notes. "Jobs in this field have two main wins that make telecommuting work: First, they require very little person-to-person contact and second, much of what they need to do is heads down technology work with limited distractions and thus telecommuting is very efficient for them. Besides IT, the other jobs where telecommuting is relatively more common are inside sales jobs due to the fact that the bulk of their work is done over the phone."

The highest-paying job on the list is software architect. Professionals in this field with at least a bachelor's degree and 5 to 8 years of experience earn $100,500 a year, on average. A quarter of them (25%) say they can work from home all or most of the time.

"A software architect is a higher level developer responsible for designing and often implementing code that deals with the underlying architecture of the technology platform," Bardaro explains. "Oftentimes they are more of a decision maker about design choices and deal with higher level designs and plans, rather than lower level technical bug fixes. Similar to standard software developers, their work requires limited in-person contact and often requires them to be heavily immersed in code. However, since they often play a leadership-type role, they will regularly need to meet with stakeholders and thus they tend to work from home less." Additionally, she says, some software architects are responsible for hardware architecture in addition to code architecture and will have to travel to office sites, data centers and disaster recovery sites to work on the hardware. Due to the training and responsibilities they have, they are compensated quite well. "In a sense, without an effective architecture the technical product could crash down."

Bardaro says professionals value flexibility for two main reasons. "One, it offers better work-life balance and two, it is a benefit many companies offer in lieu of salary increases in today's tight-fisted world. Given that wages are fairly stagnant, offering the ability to telecommute is a way that firms can reward top employees without dipping into budgets. Additionally, today's technology makes it easier to stay virtually connected.

She says employers often benefit from this perk, too. "Flexible schedule tend to make workers more productive," she says. "An office environment can be distracting–and working from home shuts out all office chatter, drama and distractions, and provides workers with the ability to hunker down and focus solely on their work tasks."

One key thing to mention, however, is that the ability to work from home "is a privilege and often only granted to experienced or seasoned workers," she adds. "This is driven by the fact that a worker will need to prove themselves trustworthy in a work environment before they are trusted to work well with no supervision. Often times, the best way to convince employers that you can work from home is to be an all-star at the office and show you have the ability to succeed with limited supervision."

Finding a path: Area students take part in Career Expo

2014-01-14T15:56:00.001-08:00

Although the halls of Lakeshore Technical College were bare of college students last week, the classrooms were alive with the sound of high school students as sophomores forge paths toward careers after graduation.

Approximately 1,000 sophomores from area highs schools participated in a two-day Career Expo at Lakeshore Technical College. The two-day career exploration program was separated into three sections aimed at helping students find a career path suited to their interests.

"Today is a day that opens their horizons to look at many different facets of possible career choices," Karen Szyman, executive director of The Chamber of Manitowoc County, said. "Hopefully it will get them on the path of thinking and choosing classes that are associated with those careers."

The first section, a traditional career expo, allowed students to interact with 22 different business leaders in the community to discuss employment opportunities. Business leaders discussed skills needed for specific jobs and highlighted lesser-known careers students might be interested in.

"I think they look at a nursing home and think, 'I'd have to be a nurse,'" said Tracy Miller, human resources director at Shady Lane Nursing Care Center. "I have to convince them there are many other areas. There are more things happening behind the scenes than just caring for the residents."

Variety of ambitions

Some students, such as sophomore Vanessa Bautista of Two Rivers, focused on a career, such as health care, while others, such as Autumn Conjurski, were not so sure.

"I would like to help people. I just have an interest in that," Bautista said. "I'd always wanted to be a doctor to help people who were injured."

Conjurski, also of Two Rivers, said she was considering a career in graphic design, but was looking at other options, too.

"I plan to help other people with my disability, autism, or be an animator or video game designer," she said. "My brother plays a lot of video games and always asks me to make something. I always say, 'sure, whenever I get the right skills to do it.'"

Four-in-10 graduate jobs 'reserved for student interns'

2014-01-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

Researchers also found that the average graduate starting salary would be frozen at £29,000 for an "unprecedented" fifth year in a row.

The findings are set to fuel the row over internships following claims that they are being monopolised by students from wealthy backgrounds with well-connected parents.

Nick Clegg warned that children of senior executives should not be allowed to use their privileged position to secure internships at top companies as part of a drive to boost levels of social mobility.

The study, by High Fliers Research, which was based on a survey of 100 leading employers, suggested companies were preparing to counter the concerns by creating more internships.

Collectively, they are making a record 11,819 paid placements available in the current academic year, it was claimed.

It comes on top of a total rise in the number of graduate job vacancies, with 18,264 being advertised for students finishing degrees this year – up 8.7 per cent in 12 months and the highest number since 2007.

But the study said: "Although the total number of graduate vacancies is set to increase sharply in 2014, recruiters have confirmed that 37 per cent of this year's entry-level positions will be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations – either through paid internships, vacation work or industrial placements – and therefore are not open to other students from the 'Class of 2014'."

It added: "Over half the recruiters who took part in the research repeated their warnings that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations' graduate programmes."

The study was based on a survey of top private and public sector employers including Apple, the Army, Barclays, BP, Centrica, Goldman Sachs, Google, McDonald's, Network Rail, the NHS and Tesco.

The biggest single graduate recruiter will be Teach First, the state-funded charity that places top graduates in tough inner-city schools, with 1,550 vacancies. This is followed by PricewaterhouseCoopers with 1,200 and Deloitte with 1,000.

Martin Birchall, the High Fliers' managing director, said: "This very significant increase in graduate vacancies at Britain's top employers means the job prospects for graduates leaving university this year are the best they've been since the start of the recession seven years ago."

David Willetts, the Universities Minister, said: "The substantial rise in the number of graduate vacancies demonstrates that confidence in the UK economy is growing and businesses really value the skills the UK's first-rate graduates can bring to their companies.

"A degree is still one of the best routes to a good job and a rewarding career."

IT career planning – Time, Talent and Treasury

2014-01-14T15:48:00.001-08:00

As the Christmas season ends along with another year, this seems to be a perfect time to refocus our Time, Talent and Treasury. Thinking specifically of our IT professional career, with time slipping quickly and limited treasury, planning to develop our talents requires careful thought.

Needless to say our talents require development through training and practice. If New Year's resolutions are your thing, you may well be considering using some of that precious time and treasury to develop your talents. A New Year's Resolution is well and good but before jumping into the fray stop and consider your goals: financial, personal and professional.

Promotions and money are typical goals but consider some of your personal and professional career anchors: organizational security/geography; independence/autonomy; technical expertise/people management; challenge/routine and always work/life balance. There are no correct answers just choices that are right for your health and happiness.

Many years ago my first year political science prof passed on a tip he received. Yes he said, I can see by the looks on your faces you are wondering what can I do with a poli-sci degree. Well, you can look around and see the job openings, pick a career, study and work hard for three or four years. You'll graduate and likely find yourself unemployed as the openings have been filled. So consider what you like to do as you might as well be unemployed at something you like as unemployed at something you don't. I actually changed schools 18 months later.

Armed with a renewed sense of you, consider the IT work you enjoy best and where your interests lead. They will likely be mixed with some technical, some process and even some management. Yes it is important to line them up with your company opportunities but don't let corporate goals completely overshadow what keeps you excited. When your interests and company needs align you have a perfect match which is a matter of degree and rarely a home run. There is nothing wrong with a single base hit.

And you're not alone. Professional IT societies likely CIPS, PMI, IEEE, ACM, ICCP to name a few, present opportunities for you to connect with your peers and discuss continuing education opportunities and plans. As a long-time CIPS member and currently on the board of ICCP, professional careers are their focus. Presentations and speakers at gatherings and conferences are intended to provide IT professionals education and exposure to a broad range of interests.

As a shameless plug for ICCP, I can attest to the hard work by IT professionals and academics in developing assessments which provide detailed results of knowledge and experience for the subject of each assessment. Most people tend to focus on the single mark but the best lies in the second or third level outline results which you can use to direct your efforts for study and review. Additionally academics are increasingly using aggregate results for review and course planning.

It's a New Year and now is the best time to think about and plan your career development and direction for 2014. So go ahead and make a New Year's resolution for your professional Time Talent and Treasury in 2014 – Happy New Year!

SFUSD takes a look at jobs for students in 2025

2014-01-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

How are current and future trends shaping the world into which San Francisco Unified School District students will graduate over the next 10 years? What knowledge, skills, values and experiences will the SFUSD graduate need to thrive in the San Francisco of tomorrow?

Right now, we are asking community members, parents, students and educators to help us re-imagine public education for a new generation. And we want to hear from you.

I know you see it happening: San Francisco is experiencing rapid growth and change. Those of us who work in and support public education know that the quality of our education system will play a huge role in nurturing the soul of The City and in defining the future of San Francisco.

Public-Education Vision 2025

The time is right to create a transformative and comprehensive new vision for our students — and for the adults who will educate, mentor and employ them in the San Francisco of 2025.

For the past several years, we have been focusing on three ambitious goals (engage high-achieving and joyful learners, make social justice a reality, and keep our promises to students and families) with clear strategies for achieving those goals.

Now, our San Francisco Public Education Vision 2025 process will build off our priorities and help propel us toward even better schools in the future.

We're doing this to increase coherence between these existing goals by placing them in the context of a longer-range vision for public education in San Francisco. We are clarifying the requirements of a premier public school system of the future — one that links student learning with the imperatives of life in a global society.

We have begun working with a broad cross-section of the community to develop a vision in which innovation, community, family, leadership and social justice are seamlessly integrated into the experience of public education in our city.

Co-Constructing the Vision

Vision 2025 began with an exploration of the social, political, technological and economic forces shaping The City over the next decade. We examined the types of jobs most likely to dominate the Bay Area landscape 10 years from now — many of which, if recent history is any indicator, we can hardly begin to imagine. We then turned to our current students, teachers, parents and outside experts with ties to San Francisco to define the qualities, knowledge and skills that will be most valuable for the SFUSD graduate of the future.

From that, we will create our vision and a financial plan to make it happen. We will define opportunities for investment partners, both traditional and new, to help us make our vision for SFUSD graduates a reality. We will identify clear ways to align the use of public and private dollars to build and maintain the premier school system of the future. In the meantime, we will continue our commitment to building a culture that values accountability for results, reflection and improvement.

Green Career Fair to provide networking opportunities

2014-01-12T14:46:00.001-08:00

The Green Career Fair will be held in partnership with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Reed Exhibitions during the Seventh World Future Energy Summit from January 20-22.

The summit will be co-located with the second edition of the International Water Summit and the inaugural EcoWaste exhibition, also hosted by Masdar, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

As businesses around the world realise that sustainable practices are vital to remaining competitive, it is expected that the fair will be a valuable opportunity for recruiters to highlight job opportunities at their companies and provide career guidance in the advanced energy and sustainability industry.

The Green Career Fair aims to provide cost-effective and convenient ways to create social and professional networking opportunities.

Besides meeting up with potential employers, professionals will be able to attend workshops on renewable energy career topics and make use of a Career Advice Desk to get tips from HR professionals on site.

The Fair will also include features such as career opportunity booths and interview areas.

Masdar Institute Dean of students Dr Behjat al-Yousuf said: "Platforms such as the Green Career Fair offer emerging clean energy professionals the right channel for their professional development through engaging with industries in the field to discuss future trends in clean energy capacity building."

He said mandated to focus on human capital building and knowledge development, Masdar Institute contributes to nurturing a talent base that generates IPs and patents, most suitable to the industry.

"We hope WFES 2014 will serve as the right forum for leading clean energy corporate brands to identify and select the right professional skills to ensure industry growth," he said.

Investments in renewable energy are one of the key potential catalysts for job growth in the sector. There is an expected growth in demand for architects, engineers, urban planners and environmental experts specialised in building sustainable cities and communities, smart power grids, wind farms, solar power plants, hydroelectric plants, and energy efficient transportation systems, as governments adopt sustainability in their economic development plans.

Building sustainable communities across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is of vital economic and strategic importance for future sustainability. here is an increasing need for youth to develop careers in renewable energy sectors.

The U S Green Building Council stated recently that "green construction" employed more than 1mn people from 2000 to 2008. That number is expected to rise to 3.3mn by 2013 and job growth will multiply globally.

The China Council of International Co-operation on Environment and Development estimates that by 2016 the green job sector could employ 9.5mn people in the country.

The UN report "Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-CarbonWorld" predicts that the deployment of new energy technologies and investments could see the green job sector employ 20mn additional people by 2030.

According to findings of the World Future Energy Summit Insight Report 2013, "Realising the Promise of Solar Industry Development in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena)", if the region is going to build a solid industrial base in renewables, it is going to have to nurture entrepreneurs that will innovate and create jobs for the growing population of young people.

Eden Energy Group chief commercial officer Basim Saleh; Microsol director J Vishwanathan; and Acwa Power president and chief executive officer Paddy Padmanathan – three entrepreneurs who have worked in Middle East North Africa – were asked how clean energy would help in creating new jobs and opportunities for fresh graduates.

"It is a proven fact that renewables, with particular reference to distributed generation, create the maximum local jobs per megawatt. This was proven even in high-cost countries such as Germany and Japan. The same is relevant to Mena," Vishwanathan said.

Padmanathan said: "Different technologies will create different types of jobs in different numbers, in manufacturing, construction and operation and maintenance."

WFES Show director Naji el-Haddad said: "The Green Career Fair will be filled with people who work directly or indirectly in renewable energy industries and who acknowledge the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy as central elements of any green economy strategy. This is the perfect setting for companies and candidates to come together and explore ways of working together."

Soon, law to expose stores for violation

The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning will soon start revealing, through its website, the names of stores and restaurants violating the food law once it is approved by the Cabinet and referred to the Advisory Council, local daily Al-Arab has

reported.

Last month, the Advisory Council reviewed a draft law to amend certain provisions of the law No. 1990 concerning the organisation of monitoring food and referred it to the Public Services and Utilities Committee for further study.

According to the report, the law for monitoring food items for human consumption will be issued soon and include a special clause for disclosure of the name of any offending establishment once the violation is proved.

This is in addition to other punishments under the fifth section of the existing law.

History group meeting on Jan 8

Qatar Natural History Group (QNHG) will hold its monthly meeting at the Doha English Speaking School on January 8 , at 7pm.

Dr Hubert Bari, director, Qatar Pearl and Jewellery Museum, QMA, will give a talk entitled "Pearls III".

New members are welcome to join. QNHG membership facilitates participation in archaeological and geological field trips. Further details of the talk and a map of the venue can be found in the Monthly Talks section on www.qnhg.org

Falcon yard opens in Al Ghashimiya

Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani, the chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opened on Friday the Al Ghashimiya falcon yard which is the largest in the country.

The opening was attended by the owner and director of the yard, Nassir Khalifa al-Kuwari, and a group of falcon enthusiasts from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim has said in a release to daily Arrayah that he was pleased with the opening of the yard which will serve persons who are fond of falcons and hunting in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

He added that this is the third falcon yard in Qatar which reflected "our concern for preserving the Qatar and Gulf heritage of sports of our fathers and grandfathers."

Nassir Khalifa al-Kuwari stated that the falcon yard would serve the need for bringing falcons from abroad during the hunting season and that the yard is able to keep 600 falcons. It has a height of 9m, a length of 45m and a width of 30m. The yard cost QR1.2mn.

According to al-Kuwari, owners of falcons keep the birds in the yards from January and to the end of September. The hunting season starts in October.

6 High-Paying Jobs Of The Future

2014-01-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

We've all heard this question. And, in all likelihood, chances are that you probably dabbled with the idea of becoming an astronaut or a superhero as a kid. In high school, you may have been dead-set on becoming president. Of course, by the time college graduation rolls around, many of us have moved on to more realistic career goals.

But with our hyper-connected world moving a mile a minute these days, the tried-and-true professions that everyone pursues today could quickly become a thing of the past.

So what does the future hold? Ever heard of ethical hacking? Yeah, neither had we. We spoke to Thomas Frey, author of "Communicating With the Future," to suss out the six quickly growing power professions of the future that you should know about. Now tell us again: What do you want to be when you grow up?

1. Logistician

When you go to the store, you know exactly where to find that toothpaste, oatmeal, and dish soap. But how did it get there? For that, you'd have to consult a logistician. These professionals use complex computer software to track the movements of goods and products — and brainstorm ways to make the process smoother and more efficient. Some logisticians even work with government agencies to help clean up natural disasters.

Why it's a job of the future

Given the current global economy, companies are looking to streamline production and cut costs — and they're hiring logisticians to do it. The Labor Department predicts a 26% job growth in this field by 2020, and with a median salary of $71,910, logisticians have it pretty good.

According to Frey, logisticians are in a "gear-shifting" profession. "Their position is changing drastically," Frey says, explaining that he expects these professionals to soon move beyond physical goods into the more technologically advanced defense world to work on things like pilot-less drones, as well as public projects, such as driverless cars.

2. Ethical Hacker

How can a hacker be ethical? It turns out that many companies hire these experts to purposefully hack systems in order to pinpoint problems in security measures before their less-ethical counterparts get the chance. You can even become a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), a professional who's tasked with network policy creation, intrusion detection, and virus creation.

Why it's a job of the future

With a median salary of $92,200 per year, these moral intruders can lead a very comfortable life. But some worry that ethical hackers have the potential to go "rogue" and take their considerable skills over to the dark side, which may be why the job isn't yet mainstream. Frey says that in order for ethical hackers to ever be widely accepted, we need to officially distinguish between what is and isn't ethical.

For instance, does an ethical hacker have the right to distribute information that he accesses through his position? "This [privacy vs. transparency] debate won't go away anytime soon," Frey adds. "We need to establish ground rules."

3. Actuary

Can you predict risk — down to the number? An actuary can. These business professionals use math and statistics to analyze the financial consequences of risk for insurance companies, banks, consulting firms, and the government.

Why it's a job of the future

Actuaries earn a national median salary of $87,650 — and the Labor Department predicts that it will only get better for them, with a 27% predicted job growth in the next seven years. The skills of an actuary "can go in a lot of different directions," Frey says. Although insurance companies typically utilize actuaries, Frey predicts that these pros will make their way into the medical industry. "The healthcare world is ready for a lot of big changes," Frey says. "They just don't see it yet."

4. Food Chemist

How do you make the perfect cupcake? Ask a food chemist. These gurus are tasked with developing and improving the taste and texture of food — and just about everything else that makes things a bit more delicious.

Why it's a job of the future

"[Food chemist jobs] will go wildly crazy in the future," says Frey. And he attributes it all to 3-D printers, which Frey predicts will cook our food in the future: Just insert the ingredient "cartridges" into a printer, and dinner is served — thanks to the food chemists who figured out how to blend and change flavors for the cartridges. In fact, Frey points out that NASA has already implemented a study to see how 3-D food printers would fare on space missions.

Incidentally, all of that chemical prowess pays off for these professionals: The ballpark salary for a food chemist with a PhD ranges between $50,000 and $100,000. And given our penchant for fashionable diets and trendy foods, the future for food chemistry looks bright. "Our wacky diets are like fashion of the week," Frey says, "which leads to new markets and demand."

5. Epidemiologist

By now, you may know that the avian flu originated from birds, but who knew it first? An epidemiologist. These disease wizards work to uncover the cause of various ailments and illnesses, review sterilization techniques and procedures, brainstorm improvements on treatments, and create protocol for containing diseases and infections in hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and research labs. Plus, you don't even necessarily need a medical degree — this job calls for a master's in public health.

Why it's a job of the future

By 2020, the Bureau Labor of Statistics envisions a whopping 35.8% job growth for epidemiologists, who make a median salary of $64,220 — thanks to the fact that the government is hiring more of these professionals to analyze the best preventive healthcare measures and new legislation that is improving medical record-keeping.

As technology progresses, Frey believes that the field will further benefit from "the internet of things," a term that refers to the way our world is becoming integrated with the internet. Take smart dust, a coating that can be used on tunnels and airplanes to detect changes in temperature and airborne chemicals. In the future, Frey says that it's likely that smart dust, which contains a microscopic sensor, could be modified for use in humans to help epidemiologists pinpoint precursors to various diseases.

6. Front-End Engineer

When you click a button on your favorite website, it brings you to another page. Simple, right? Well, someone has to program that button to do what you're expecting, which is anything but simple. Front-end engineers —also called front-end web developers — create what you see online everyday. In addition to all of the coding that's required for the gig, front-end developers must also have ideas and insights about what will work best for a user.

Why it's a job of the future

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 22% job growth in this field by 2020, which is greater than the 14% expected growth for software developers. And with a median salary of $81,670, web developers have the means to make their lives beautiful, too — not just their websites. This is a "super-critical position," Frey says, adding that the way companies interact with online customers can determine future success. And who will they hire to make their websites more intuitive and effective? Front-end engineers, of course.

15 High Paying Salary Heavens For Software Engineers

2014-01-10T14:29:00.001-08:00

1. Juniper

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Juniper Networks is network equipment manufacturer that specializes in designing high-performance internet protocol network products and services. Formed in 1996 by Pradeep Sindhu, this corporate biggie offers a staggering average base salary of approximately $159,990 ( 99.09 lakh) to its software engineers, which the highest in the list.

2. LinkedIn

Established in December 2002, LinkedIn is a social networking website for professionals. Spread in over 200 countries and with more than 200 million users, this prestigious organization has presently emerged as a top notch professional networking site. Also the pay packages offered by this networking giant are truly a class apart. The average salary offered to the engineers of this organization is approximately $136,427 ( 84.50 lakh).

Excellent work culture, good working environment, great opportunities to learn and grow, are some of the pros of working in this company.

As per the employees, great work-life balance and exposure to latest technologies are some of the pros, while too much politics and bureaucracy at managerial level are some of the cons of being associated this firm.

4. Google

Founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google Inc. is an American multinational organization that specializes in internet-related products and services such as cloud computing, software and online advertising technologies, and more. This esteemed organization offers an average base salary of roughly around $127,143 ( 78.75 lakh) to its software engineers.

Awesome work culture and the opportunity to serve one of the greatest contributors to the modern world are some of the perks of working in this prestigious organization.

3. Yahoo

With a median wage that is in the range of $130,312 (equivalent to 80.71 lakh), Yahoo has garnered the 3rd slot in the list.

As per the employees, the work culture at this prestigious organization is the best and an example to the rest. Good work-life balance and opportunities to share space with some of the brightest minds on the planet are some of the other advantages of working in this firm.

6. Apple

Based in Cupertino, California, Apple Inc. is a multinational organization that designs, develops and sells personal computers, computer software and other consumer electronic goods. With a worldwide presence and a total workforce of approximately 80,000 as of 2013, this prestigious organization has presently emerged as a leader in its class and is one of the most admired software organizations of the world. The employees of this firm draw an average salary of approximately $124,630, which is equivalent to 77.19 lakh.

As per the employees, this is one of the best IT firm that offers top notch employee benefits that many can only dream of.

5. Twitter

Twitter Inc. is a social networking and micro-blogging service provider based in San Francisco. This is one of the fastest growing IT firm in the world and offers an average base salary of around $124,863 ( 77.33 lakh) to its software engineers.

Hefty pay, pleasant working environment, opportunities to work and interact with the brightest minds in the world is some of the perks of working in this networking firm.

8. Walmart

Walmart, the biggest private employer and one of the largest retailers in the world, is second to none when it comes to the pay packages offered to its tech employees. The software engineers in the firm take home a healthy salary that is roughly around $122,110 ( 75.63 lakh).

Job security and good growth opportunities are a few pros, while the difficulties to strike ideal work-life balance are some of the cons of being employed in this firm.

7. Oracle

Oracle Corporation is a California based multinational computer technology organization that specializes in developing enterprise software products and computer hardware systems. It is slotted 7th on the list and is presently offering an average base salary of approximately $122,905 (equivalent to 76.12 lakh) to its software engineers.

Awesome employee benefits, and great opportunities to learn and grow, are some of the perks of working in this software organization.

10. Integral

Slotted at the 10th position is the IT application provider, Integral. The software engineers at this firm draw a pay package that is in the range of $117,927, which is equivalent to 73.04 lakh.

As per the employees, Integral is a great place to learn about the latest technology, concepts and business domain, and in the process become an expert in it. Great flexibility and good compensation packages are some of the pros of being associated with firm.

9. Facebook

Formed by Mark Zuckerberg and four other, Facebook is one of the leading IT firm in terms of the offered pay packages. The engineers of this networking giant draw an average median wage of approximately $121,507, which is equivalent to 75.25 lakh.

Opportunities to work with some of the smartest minds in the planet and ever evolving work environment that is fun to be associated with, are some of the major pros of working in this organization.

14. Amazon

12. Nvidia

Established in 1993, Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. This company that specializes in the manufacturing of graphics processing units (GPUs) and provides parallel processing capabilities to researchers and scientists from around the globe, is offering pay cheques that are worth $115,649 ( 71.63 lakh) for lure proficient talent in the software world.

As per the employees, though hectic schedules are a concern, opportunities to learn and work with cutting edge technologies makes it a highly satisfying company to work.

11. Arista

Arista, the computer networking company based in California, is presently offering an annual wage that is approximately $116,067 ( 71.89) to its software engineers.

As per the employees, great quality of work, good culture, friendly senior management, emphasis on work-life balance and growth opportunities are some of the advantages of working in this firm.

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Amazon, the largest online retailer in the world, is the next company in focus in the list. With pay packages that is in the range of $110,907 ( 68.69 lakh), the Seattle based multinational electronic commerce company is slotted at the 14th position, which is one position higher compared to the previous year.

Good employee benefits, huge pay packages, pleasant working environment, friendly superiors and amazing campus are some of the pros, while the hectic work schedule is a drawback of working in this firm.

13. eBay

eBay is the first entry in the list which experienced a slump in the rankings compared to the previous year. Though the overall salary saw a jump by around $11,889, the company plummeted five positions to reach the 13th position in the list.

This San Jose based American multinational internet corporation is presently offering pay packages that are in the range of $114,720, which is equivalent 71.05 lakh to its software engineers.

Some of the pros of working in this firm includes good working environment, great opportunities for growth, friendly co-workers and steady learning curve.

Bangalore: Aspiring to reap in the sweet financial rewards for your hard work at a tech major? Opt to be associated with these IT companies that are offering the biggest pay-cheques for software engineers, as listed Glassdoor.

15. Hewlett-Packard (HP)

HP, the world's leading PC manufacturer, needs no special introduction. It has jumped 7 places compared to previous year to garner the 15th slot in the list. And the conglomerate is presently offering pay packages that is roughly in the range of $110,506, which is equivalent to 68.44 lakh for software engineers.

HP is known for its peaceful work environment and good work-life balance. As per the employees, it is a great place to work and the benefits are on par with the industry. 46 percent of the employees even revealed that they would recommend this company to their friends.

Birmingham's 25 best careers for high pay and strong job growth

2014-01-09T17:17:00.002-08:00

In this week's edition, our weekly List ranked the 50 highest paying jobs in Birmingham – you can see a preview of that List here.

Considering it's the new year – a time when many people contemplate a career change – we decided to crunch some data to determine which career fields in Birmingham are both high paying and offer strong growth potential between now and 2020.

To do that, we used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine the highest paying jobs by average annual salary and the best fields for job growth, which were calculated based on percentage growth expected from 2012 to 2020.

In case you were wondering, the highest-paying job is psychiatrist ($240,210), while the best field for job growth is physician assistant (38.4 percent growth).

After compiling those numbers, we used a weighted formula (which puts a little extra emphasis on job growth) to determine Birmingham's top career field, which are highlighted in the slideshow on the right.

Greensource: It pays – literally – to ‘go green’ as you consider career options now, in future

2014-01-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school in rural Alabama, I thought that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I had everything figured out. I was going to go to college, major in nutrition, go to medical school and become a doctor.

Upon arriving at college, I was bombarded by new career options; job opportunities that were completely foreign to me. I changed my major twice while in college (most students change majors four times), and I am very happy with my education and career choices.

This makes me wonder about all the high school and college students who don't know about these opportunities. I only discovered "green-collar" jobs my senior year of college by reading an article online, and now my job is to connect high school students with green careers.

You may be asking……what exactly is a green job?

A green job is any position in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, installation and maintenance, as well as scientific and technical, administrative, and service-related activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality (International Labor Organization).

And why should you care about green jobs?

Well, there are a lot of reasons to consider a green job. In a time when good jobs are hard to find, green jobs are and will continue to be plentiful. Also, green jobs pay up to 20 percent more than other jobs, and becoming trained in a green-collar vocation provides advantages over those people who are already in the workforce.

Green jobs are often found close to home. Green jobs are for everyone Finally, green jobs help to protect and improve our environment.

Even if you're not interested in installing solar panels or becoming an environmental educator, knowing what "green" is and using it to your advantage when applying for a job is a worthwhile plan. Whether you are straight out of school, middle-aged or looking for a new career, you should plan to stay on top of "green" trends and opportunities. You could be a plumber working in the community and still need to know how to save homeowners money on materials or energy conservation, or how to save a business money with a conservation plan if you repair and install sprinklers systems.

Whatever you decide to do regarding employment, re-employment, training or education, now is the time. Green opportunities are out there in Kentucky. You can get involved in the "green economy" and be proactive to make sure you're not left behind saying, "I wish I had known about that" or "I didn't know that job existed."

How Congress Is Screwing Up the Economic Future of Young People

2014-01-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

Before Christmas 2013, the House GOP refused to continue an extension of federal unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. House Democrats wanted an extension while GOP members rebuked the notion citing American workers using it as a financial crutch. But with American workers, especially young workers, recovering from the ravages of the Great Recession, the GOP's solution for those who can't find jobs -- to just go get jobs -- is not only tone deaf but detrimental to the economic future of this country.

Unemployment rolls have dropped from over 10 percent to seven percent with new jobs appearing monthly, the GDP is growing, all is right with the world, right? Nope, not for young people.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in a report in 2013 warned that unemployment is likely to stay above 7.5 percent through 2014. And it would be the sixth consecutive year with unemployment that high, "the longest such period in the past 70 years." So while there is growth, the economy is not producing jobs fast enough to absorb the millions still looking for work. The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee report warns of the dangers of this type of long-term unemployment including "lost wages, declining labor force participation, less consumption and a smaller tax base." All this is terrible for American workers and the economy but if you are a young worker who never even got out the door to establish a career, it's an even worse future.

Seven percent almost sounds great unless you are under 35. Demos completed a report in 2013 which states: The unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds is 16.2 percent, which is double the national average! The unemployment rate for 25-34-year-olds is near 10 percent. All in all, 18-34 year olds make up 45 percent of the nation's unemployed not counting those who are "underemployed" by working low paying or part time jobs. The unemployment/underemployment percentage is even higher if you are a young person of color. The damage of the Great Recession for the next generation is real. According to a Pew Economic Research Center study, more than a third say they have gone back to school because of the bad economy; a quarter of young adults have moved back in with their parents after living on their own to save expenses; nearly a quarter have put off marriage and kids due to this economy.

These statistics reflect the stories I'm all too familiar with of fellow young adults just trying to make it. There are the formerly employed full-time teachers who are now substituting. There are those with masters degrees taking jobs in retail to support their young families which creates an adverse effect of pushing young people with less education out of jobs they would have otherwise taken into jobs with even lower pay and even less mobility or no job at all.

And I've heard from even more young adults when they finally got that prized final interview after surviving on unemployment benefits, that they lost out to an even younger person, because they had "too much experience" usually now read as the employer can't afford to pay you or are biased because you haven't worked (due to the jobless economy) and would prefer to train and pay the less experienced person. In short, the research is clear those experiencing unemployment at an early age have years of lower earnings and an increased likelihood of unemployment ahead of them.

The GOP will point out there are still way too many on the long-term unemployment insurance rolls, yes there is, but let's be clear, dropping them off the rolls does not magically create a job for them overnight. If that was the case they wouldn't be taking long-term unemployment insurance. The argument by the GOP that all workers need is a swift kick in the pants to get back to work would hold more water in the economy of the 1990s, where there were more jobs than there were people. This is a very different economy and policymakers would do well to realize that now. In a very slow-growing economy, hampered by long-term unemployment challenges, the least that could be done is to ensure people are fed and have a roof over their head, instead of making a bad economic situation, worse.

The challenges of long term unemployment and underemployment for the US economy are clearly spelled out by our nation's economists and labor analysts. We cannot have a bright economic future without a robust and diverse economy. Young people certainly won't be able to establish the financial security needed to advance in their careers due to this economy and Congress' poor policy responses to it. Congress needs to extend federal benefits for the long-term jobless and get back to work on job recreation. Otherwise Millennials show more promise to be a generation worse off than better, which isn't a promise of a good economic future for America.

Students will explore career interests

2014-01-06T18:51:00.001-08:00

Career Expo, hosted at Lakeshore Technical College, will be assisting more than 1,000 Manitowoc County high school sophomores in exploring future career interests while promoting the development of our future workforce.

This event is held in cooperation with the Manitowoc County public and private high schools, University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc, Lakeshore Technical College, Lakeland College and Silver Lake College of the Holy Family.

The high school sophomores will be involved in the following events:

• Career Exploration in 16 various Career Clusters

• Career Fair representing area Manitowoc County businesses

• Employability Skills Session

• Career Mapping Session

• Career Activities with their high school guidance counselors

Over 95 volunteers from across Manitowoc County will speak to students about their respective careers and opportunities for the future. The day program includes career presentations, employability workshops and a Career Fair.

At the Career Fair the students will be instructed to interview three representatives from the 22 businesses showcasing their career opportunities. The students will discuss potential careers, skills required in the field and the advantages and disadvantages of the careers.

The third workshop entitled "You, You, You" will focus on employability skills.

2014 Career Expo is being held Thursday and Friday beginning each day at 9 a.m. and concluding at 11:30 a.m.

It will be held at Lakeshore Technical College, 1290 North Ave., Cleveland. Career Expo will host Two Rivers, McKinley, Reedsville, Brillion, Kiel, Lutheran and Valders students on Thursday and Lincoln, Hilbert and Mishicot students on Friday.

Best jobs in the UAE

2014-01-06T01:42:00.000-08:00

We all want the best jobs where salaries are high, where work-life balance is good enough to keep us motivated and, most important of all, where stress is bare minimum.

A recent survey by Bayt.com and YouGov, "Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa" gives a lowdown on what kinds of industries/jobs are perceived to be the best in the country, the ones that meet the above criteria.

The survey highlights that the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry is at the top of the list followed by public sector jobs.

And here's why they believe so. The best salary packages in the UAE are perceived to be in the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry (56 per cent); though government, civil services and utilities are also seen to pay well, according to 30 per cent. Government jobs are also seen as being the best for maintaining a good work-life balance (43 per cent), followed by oil, gas and petrochemicals (33 per cent) and banking and finance (24 per cent).

Oil, gas and petrochemicals offers the best potential for career growth, according to the majority of respondents (44 per cent), with banking and finance coming second (26 per cent). The highest levels of job security are seen to be in the government (42 per cent), though a high degree of security is also perceived to be in oil, gas and petrochemicals (40 per cent) and military, defence, police and security services (20 per cent).

Irrespective of which industry they belong to, a decent number of respondents seem to be content in their professional lives.

In the UAE, 44 per cent of employed respondents are satisfied with the salary package in their current industry, while 47 per cent are satisfied with their ability to maintain a good work-life balance. They are also generally content with the potential for career growth (with 37 per cent being satisfied); job security (46 per cent); working hours (56 per cent); and training and development opportunities (40 per cent). Half - 50 per cent -- are happy with their current work culture, which shows that the UAE's working environment is a happy one.

Respondents also believe that the most stressful industries are construction (30 per cent), banking and finance (23 per cent), advertising, media, PR, market research and publishing (16 per cent), and oil, gas and petrochemicals (16 per cent). Construction is also considered to have the longest working hours by a third of respondents (32 per cent), according to the survey.

Green Career Fair to provide networking opportunities

2014-01-05T15:13:00.000-08:00