Never look for a job; build a career

A career, as does a journey, needs a destination – and a plan for getting there – to be satisfying. Read this article to discover how to keep your skills up to date and take control of your own career destiny.

In this time of fast-changing workplace, employees need the skills and competencies to ensure future success, and to manage new work and life realities. Organizations need flexible employees, who can effectively manage change and adapt to new organizational directions. The key to achieving these goals, for both the individual and the organization, is a career plan. It is, perhaps, the most important document you will ever write.

Knowing what you want is the key to getting it. So start by asking yourself some tough, fundamental questions, and answering them honestly.

1. What is important to me and what am I getting today?
2. What do I like about my current position?
3. What do I dislike about my current role?
4. What career development opportunities are there in my current organization?
5. What types of organizations need what I can offer, and how to qualify for suitable learning and work opportunities?

Try another proven method for two weeks on daily basis, by writing down a statement about something you really enjoy in your job. For example: “I enjoy arranging with international suppliers for buying raw materials”, or “I enjoy talking to customers on the phone”.

After that, you will have a clearer picture of what parts of your current job you really enjoy. It may help guide you to determine your goal.

Once you get associated with a goal in common with another business or a type of skill you really enjoy, you will be surprised how quickly time will pass and you will no longer ponder what job track to take - whether technical, managerial, or sales, that best suits you.

Remember that a managerial track will require leadership skills plus some good training in business, the law, or accounting. A sales position will require very strong people skills.

Of course upgrading a specific skill can be as simple as getting a friend to show you how, or as complicated as taking a number of courses.

The earlier you start planningFeature Articles, the easier it will be to get what you want.
To your future success!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eng. Muath Daraghmeh is the webmaster of http://www.provenEbiz.com
Visit the site to discover the *best rated* work from home – Internet Business Opportunities --Author blog: http://provenebiz.blogspot.com

Closing the Gap on Your Career Goals

If you still picture a steady progression up the ladder when
you think of your career goals, it is time to shift your thinking. For most people, climbing the career ladder is no longer an option. The working world has changed so dramatically that linear career paths rarely exist, except as historical symbols.

But, without those trusty rungs to show the way, how do you figure out the next step in your career? How do you determine if you need to go to business school or graduate school? How do you identify your next job?

You could employ the dartboard method, or a Magic 8 Ball. Or, instead of struggling to find the next rung on that mythical ladder, you could identify your long-term career goals, and then focus on closing the gap between today and your future
goals. By focusing on the long-term, and the skills and experiences you need to gain, you will increase your options and give yourself flexibility to operate in today's chaotic
working world.

To determine your career plan, first write down your long-term goal. Then, do a Career Gap Analysis, by following these four steps:

Step One
Divide a blank sheet of paper into three columns. At the top of the left column, write: "Current Skills and Experiences." At the top of the middle column, write: "The Gap." Finally,
at the top of the column on the right, write "Future Needs."

Step Two
In the right column, Future Needs, list the skills, education, abilities, and experiences you will need to be successful in the future you envisioned when determining your long-term goals. For example, if your future goal is to start your own business, you will need the following: knowledge of how to write a business plan, basic accounting or financial analysis skills, the ability to manage a group of people, experience in writing new business proposals, and marketing skills.

Step Three
In the first column, Current Skills and Experiences,list all of the skills, education, abilities, and experiences you currently have to offer. When making your list, be
comprehensive. Include what you have learned through volunteer experiences, hobbies,and seminars.

Step Four
In the middle column, The Gap, list the education, skills, or experiences you need to close the gap between where you are now and where you plan to be in the future.

Now that you have identified your long-term goals and the elements in the gap, instead of focusing on the title or hierarchy of your next job, focus on the skills and experiences you will gain to close the gap. For example, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you may look for a job that will strengthen your planning skills. You may consider anopportunity to work more closely with the marketing or sales department. Or, you may look for a specific type of leadership experience in your next job.

Don't overlook opportunities within your current organization. If your goal is to strengthen your skills -- instead of to climb that mythical ladder -- you may find a lot more options internally than in an outside organization. As a known quantity,
your current organization is more likely to risk letting you experiment with a new field of expertise. So, a lateral move within your organization could give you the opportunity
to gain new skills and experiences.

To close the gap, you can also look for experiences outside of your job. Build your entrepreneurial skills by take a workshop on business plans at your local Small Business Development
Center. Volunteer to manage the financials for a small non-profit organization. Or, take some business classes at your local college or university.

By using a Career Gap Analysis, you can create your own unique, flexible career plan and banish the career ladder to the pages of historyScience Articles, where it belongs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shannon Bradford is a writer and coach, teaching people how to master their brains to succeed in their careers and businesses. She is the author of Brain Power (John Wiley & Sons, 2002). Learn more about how to master your brain for career success at http://www.mindcapital.com or e-mail Shannon at shannon@mindcapital.com

Discover Hidden Gems of Online Education

With the dawning of the Internet the traditional campus education will be soon a thing of the past. The online education will replace it instead and will become a dominant educational tool for people of all ages. Why so? This article will give you a detailed answer.

The World Wide Web is embracing all spheres of human life at a phenomenal rate. Ticket reservation, e-mail correspondence and online shopping have become an inherent part of our life. Sure enough, the education field was not left out of the loop…

In fact, according to CCA consulting, nearly 50% of all higher education institutions are currently engaged in some types of online learning. This percentage promises to rise drastically very soon, since the benefits of online education are vivid and speak for themselves.

* High Quality Education

The outstanding feature of online education is that it can rank on a par with traditional campus education, since the online instructors have the same qualifications and demands to the students.

On top of that, online educators come with practical knowledge and may be from various parts of the world. This allows students to be exposed to the knowledge that can’t be learned in books and see how class concepts are applied in real business situations.

* Who Pays The Piper Calls The Tune

Another bulky advantage of online education is that it is “student centred.” This means that once you pick up some online course, you become your own master in terms of studying, having the unlimited choice of:

1. time and duration of your studies: since course materials are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, you can download them any time you want. Moreover, you can plan your schedule so that to be able to fulfill all your tasks apart from studying, such as work, child care;
2. way to study: this means that you can choose your own pace, methods and your own degree of intensity that work best for you;
3. place of studies: all you need to start studying online is a computer with an access to the Internet. That is all that matters. Where you are going to study is solely your choice. Thus, you can study at home, work, on a street or wherever your imagination drags you;
4. special subjects you want to pay special attention to and feel interested in.

Such freedom is a significant part of online education. At university you are restricted to certain rules that don’t register with you, but online education is custom, thus more pleasant and resulting.

* Cost and Money Savings

Your satisfaction may be even more warmed up by the fact that online education is quite often cheaper than traditional campus education. Truth to be told, online education saves you quite a fortune.

First of all, you are saved from travel expenses, or paying for hotel rooms you will need to stay during all years of your campus education. Moreover, with online education you can print items as needed when provided with handouts and readings online. The result is the reduced expenses for the cost and time associated with never-ending copying, collating, and distributing these materials.

* Equality with Other Students

Another benefit of learning online is that it provides the learners with the reinforced feel of equality.

Participating online is much more intimidating than in a classroom. All online students have equal opportunities to “speak up” by posting messages without typical distractions such as seating arrangements, volume of student voices, and gender and race biases.

Shy and anxious students feel more comfortable expressing ideas and backing up facts when posting online instead of speaking in a lecture room. Students can also think longer about what they want to say and add their comments when ready. In a traditional class room, the conversation could have gone way past the point where the student wants to comment.

* Vast an Unlimited Resources

Since there are no geographical borders in online education, students can find diversity of course materials that may not be available to them during traditional education. Internet links can take you to other web-sites, databases, libraries, agencies, special archives and much more.

It should be also mentioned that with technology it is much easier to learn. Course materials include resources with a variety of perspectives in any number of media types-photos, audio, texts – thus enhancing the quality and the interest factor of your course. This is especially true for professional training such as medical billing training or purchasing training.

* Unlimited Access to Teachers

Online environment makes your instructors more approachable. Thus, whenever you have a question to specify or want to get a sound piece of advice, you can contact with your online instructor either via e-mail or in chat boards whenever it is convenient for you without waiting for office hours. In his return, the teacher will try to respond as soon as possible. This option for communication provides enhanced contact between instructors and students.

Taking everything into accountPsychology Articles, we can see that online education is undoubtedly the best option for those who wish to get qualitative and appropriate education which will easily fit in in their hectic lifestyles. If things keep on developing at the same rate online education promises to deliver even greater benefits in the future.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Correli is a staff writer for http://www.go2essay.com She specializes in writing History, Literature and English essays and book reports, as well as admission essays, personal statements and letters of recommendation.

Education Department Backs Down: Gates Speaks Up

We’ve seen over and over again that the current political atmosphere is one of accountability and transparency: this is just as apparent in Education as it is in the debate over the appropriation of earmarked funds. As a result of the push towards a measurable pedagogic system, the Department of Education increased the qualifying questions on its annual survey of colleges. However, by attempting to gather more comprehensive information on student performance at specific colleges, it seems that the Department of Education has ruffled a few feathers.

Because the pointed questions brought on such an enormous backlash, Grover Whitehurst, (director of the Ed. Dept’s Institute of Education Sciences) said that the Department will likely edit the survey, and will probably remove a question that asks whether colleges used specific student-learning assessments and, if they did, to provide access to the results.

As performance-based education is still the exception rather than the rule, it is not surprising that a request for this type of “proprietary” information was received so critically.

In a separate story that places just as much, if not more emphasis on performance-based education, Bill Gates told congress that the education system of the united states still needs to address fundamental problems in k-12 education. In an effort to double the high school graduation rate, Gates is offering incentives for students to study math and science. In a much quoted sound bite, Gates stated: “We cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in math, science, and engineering.” Gates also noted two interesting things:

* About 30% of 9th graders do not graduate high school on time

* Microsoft has been unable to fill about 3,000 tech related jobs in the USA due to a shortage of Workers

The adjective “lackluster” that Gates applied to the countries public schools, sounds a great deal like Mike Bloomberg’s Wall Street Journal editorial from December 14th, “Flabby, Inefficient, Outdated”.

Increasingly, performance markers are being sought and implemented in public education; these top news stories testify to that. (http://www.innovationads.com/pr)

-SourcesAssociated Press; “Gates Voices Concerns about U.S. Education”; The New York Times, March 8, 2007

Field, Kelly; “Education Department Backs Away From Plan to Request Large Amount of New Data from Colleges;” The Chronicle of Higher Education; March 8thFree Articles, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patrick Sutton is an experienced content writer for Innovation Ads and the companies various websites. He holds his M.A. in Spanish Literature and taught high school Spanish and English prior to working at Innovation Ads.

Accelerated Learning and Webucation

Many people have previously referred to any form of continuing education via the web as e-education or education (eed u k' shun), however, the new term webucation just might catch on. Regardless of what you call it, accelerated learning and continuing education via the scope of the internet makes good sense for a great many people.

Webucation is a relatively new word, coined from the combination of the words web and education. Many people have previously referred to any form of continuing education via the web as e-education or education (eed u k' shun), however, the new term webucation just may catch on. Regardless of what you call it, accelerated learning and continuing education via the scope of the internet makes good sense for a great many people.

Why the need? People are finally starting to realize that their high school education or even 4-year college degree is simply not sufficient anymore to prepare them for beneficial employment in the fast-changing world in which we live. Employers are looking for specific skills and the ability to quickly adapt to changes in the workplace. Those persons who can meet these employer needs are challenged with the opportunity to grow with their company through both existing and coming tumultuous times. Those who do not embrace change, new technology and employer needs will simply be left behind. The need for continuing education and learning faster has never been more relevant or important than it is right now.

Obviously, the workplace in our economy is the motivator for the realization of these facts, but exactly who is actually driving this? It appears that it is the college-educated professional who is realizing her need for updated, improved or new skills relevant to their workplace experiences and requirements. Change is accelerating around us, creating both exciting opportunity and dire dread for many people. Those who embrace change and seek to fortify or improve upon their skill-sets through webucation will certainly experience less stress and greater fulfillment than those who simply watch as all of this change happens around them. The less-educated generally miss the fact that it is their lack of currently relevant, specific skills in a changing market than is hindering them.

Accelerated learning, or learning for profit as I like to prefer to call it, is the skill most often lacking in both the college educated and lesser educated individuals. The books, programs, courses, CD's and other educational materials are out there for the taking, or learning in this case. For those who have assessed their current position and future prospects for continued employability, typically familiarize themselves with these learning resources and will often select one or more in an effort to improve their skills. What is missing from the equation is the speed at which they learn this new material. The faster you can learn a new skill and apply it to your profession, the quicker you will begin to improve your financial position.

Learning faster then, is not an option, but mandatory in order to get ahead.

All is not lost for persons without a college education, for there are many examples of intelligent people without degrees who are extremely successful. Do not, however, make the mistake of equating the lack of a formal degree with a lack of education. Most entrepreneurs have a great deal of education, usually achieved through self-motivation, perseverance, tenacity and a sense of drive and ambition. They make it a point to become experts in their field of endeavor. These self-taught individuals have a real sense of urgency and insatiably seek out the knowledge needed for their success.

Whether or not you have a college degree, a high school diploma or a self-education, the need for learning faster, that is, learning for profit, will become more evident as you proceed in life. Embrace webucation as an exciting concept and available resource that is growing quickly around you. There are no excuses for not learning. There are abundant means to get ahead, but you must act quickly and persevere in your education first.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Sitter is the author of the popular, award-winning e-book, Learning For Profit. Designed for busy people, his new book teaches simple, step-by-step accelerated learning skills, demonstrating exactly how to learn anything faster than ever before. Learning For Profit is currently available at the author’s web site http://www.learningforprofit.com and from numerous online book merchants. Mr. Sitter, having expertise in sales, marketing and personal development, is a frequent contributor to several publications.