Ode to the Tutor

Taking a class is a terribly inefficient way to learn. You learn what the professor wants you to learn rather than what you want to learn. By the time you need to apply the knowledge in the workplace, you'll probably have forgotten it. The class proceeds at the pace the professor chooses, which may well be too fast or slow for you. Besides, unless it's an online course, your body must be in that classroom Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 P.M. In contrast, consider the tutor. You learn precisely what you need, at the pace you need to learn it, with all the feedback you need, at a time convenient for you, in the comfort of your home, and at a cost similar to that of a typical college course.

What can you do today?
Is there anything you need to learn that could make you more successful at work, for example, that computer program? Who could teach it to you one-on-one? Sometimes, even a high school kid can do the job.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/ode-tutor_id1036

How Some Colleges Deceive Students, Parents

As fall begins, two million students and their families start to make one of life’s most critical decisions: picking a college.

Alas some colleges, even some reputable ones, don’t make the process easy.

DECEPTION: BURIED INFORMATION. Some colleges hide such information as their full published cost of attendance or their four-year graduation rate. The unfortunate truth is that the median four-year graduation rate at four-year colleges is just 37 percent. The rate at many colleges, including some well-known public universities is under 10 percent!

SOLUTION: Every college’s 4- and 6-year graduation rate and other key information are at http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator.

DECEPTION: OFFER MAJORS THAT APPEAR TO LEAD TO A COOL CAREER. For example, some colleges offer enticing majors such as journalism, but fail to mention

that may only enter the major after their sophomore year and, even then, competition may prohibit some students from being admitted to the major. Or a college withholds the fact that most of that college’s graduates never earn enough from journalism to even pay back their student loans.

SOLUTION: Contact the college’s career center and ask, “If I am admitted to the college, am I admitted to the major?” Also ask, “What percentage of graduates in (Insert major) are professionally employed within six months of graduation?”

DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS. For example, the University of California trumpets that half its classes have 20 or fewer students. The problem is that few students take those small classes, for example, Advanced Greek. The commonly taken classes typically have 100 to 500 students.

SOLUTION: Don’t sign on the dotted line until you’ve asked students or at least the admissions office, “How many students are in commonly taken classes such as calculus or 20th century literature?”

DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS #2: A college reports a freshman-sophomore return rate of X% of those eligible to return. (emphasis mine) most people don’t notice that italicized phrase, but it’s crucial. The actual rate would be much lower.

SOLUTION: Ask the admissions office for the retention rate for the full cohort of freshmen.

DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS #3: Be wary of colleges that say things like, "Ninety eight percent of qualified pre-med students get into medical school." A college may well only “qualify” those students who are a sure bet for admission, with the vast majority of pre-meds being deemed “unqualified.”

SOLUTION: Ask the program’s department chair: “Of every 100 students who start out pre-med (or pre-law) what percent end up actually attending medical (or law) school?”


DECEPTION: THE GLOSSY BROCHURE: Beware of colleges that have fancy brochures or web pages touting their, say, pre-med program. A slick presentation does not a good department make.

SOLUTION: Sit in on an advanced class in that program. After class, ask the students how they liked the program.

DECEPTION: HIDE BIAS. Some colleges claim to celebrate diversity of ideas, yet most of their classes are biased in one direction, with other ideas presented mainly to be denigrated. The best education fairly examines a wide range of perspectives.

SOLUTION: Before signing on the dotted line, look at the college’s social science syllabi online and see if they’re truly diverse. Or visit the campus bookstore and see what books are assigned.

DECEPTION: THE SCHOLARSHIP SCAM: A college gives you a scholarship. You say, "Wow, I'll go there; they want me." In actuality, most or all freshmen may have received the same scholarship. Many colleges reduce the sticker price of attendance for most students in hopes that students are lured to the college by the "honor" of receiving a scholarship.

SOLUTION: When you receive your financial aid packages, compare the cash dollars you’ll have to come up with and the amount of loan you’ll have to repay. Those are the only numbers that count.

DECEPTION: THE DRUG-DEALER APPROACH TO FINANCIAL AID. A college gives a student a big discount in the first year, but thereafter, knowing the student is hooked, raises the price. A college may even guarantee “the same amount of aid for four years,” but fail to mention that more of the aid will be loan not grant, or that the aid won’t be increased to reflect the inevitable cost increases during the four years. Not to mention what would happen in years five or six?

SOLUTION: Before agreeing to send your child to a college, ask the college's financial aid officer, “If our family’s financial situation stays the same, in years two through four, and if necessary year five, can we count on getting the same percentage of our unmet need met and in the same ratio of grant to loan?” Get it in writing.

DECEPTION: THE WAITLIST SCAM. A college deliberately admits too few students and puts many students on the waitlist. It's human nature to want what you don't yet have, so waitlisted students who are subsequently offered admission are more likely to accept a weak financial aid package. Colleges with insufficient on-campus housing use the same technique, offering admission to waitlisted students who would be willing to live in substandard housing such as a local motel or YMCA.

SOLUTION: Don’t accept a too-low financial aid package. And before signing on the dotted line, ask what housing you will be guaranteed, and for how long. Get it in writing.
We tend to view colleges in awe, as beneficent nonprofit icons. Alas, too many of them act like sleazy businesses. Caveat emptor.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/how-some-colleges-deceive-students-parents_id1233

The Case Against Graduate School

Colleges’ PR flaks relentlessly trumpet that the more education you have, the more money you’ll make.

That’s terribly misleading--it varies so much with the individual. The question is, “Is grad school right for you?”

In my 20 years as a career coach, among my saddest feelings have been hearing the fears of the many people who gave years of their lives and mortgaged their financial futures to get a graduate degree only to still find themselves so poorly employed they’re unable to pay back their backbreaking student loans, let alone earn a decent living.

This article presents arguments against colleges’ propaganda so you can make a more eyes-open decision about whether to go back to school.

Are you considering going back to school for one of these ill-founded reasons:

* You believe you’ll earn more. The past statistics may well not predict the future. Today, ever more people are getting graduate degrees at the same time as employers are practicing disintermediation--shrinking middle management-automating, and offshoring ever more positions that require graduate degrees. Increased supply with decreased demand will mean fewer job openings and lower pay.

* You believe you’ll have a more rewarding career. The three most popular graduate schools are law, medicine, and business school. Yet surveys find that lawyers, on average, are among the unhappy professionals. Why not become a mediator?--law degree not required. Physicians, too, are increasingly unhappy, as their ability to practice is ever more constrained by insurers, more patients are non-compliant or know-it-alls, armed with often misleading internet printouts. Rather than endure the decade of expensive, stressful training (including 100-hour-per-week internships), why not become a physician assistant? You get to do much of what doctors do, with a fraction of the training time. Want to become a business executive? Many MBA holders insist that the main thing they got from MBA program was the piece of paper. Many top execs don’t have an MBA. As you’ll see below, there may be wiser routes to the top.

* To help decide what career to pursue. Most degree programs expose you to only a fraction of the career options. Far better to choose your career using the method outlined in the first part of this series.

* To delay looking for a job. You can land a rewarding job without undue pain. http://martynemko.com/articles/one-week-job-search_id1374 No need to spend years and megabucks to postpone that.

* To permanently avoid looking for a job. Many people go back to school because it’s a socially acceptable way to avoid having to take a job. But is that fair? There only are a limited number of slots in graduate school? Is it fair to take one up when you know, deep down, you probably won’t use the degree? For example, I know of people who went to medical school who have never practiced and instead are permanent stay-at-home parents. Meanwhile, many urban and rural areas are suffering a severe doctor shortage. That means that those med school graduates caused unnecessary illness and even death Yes, I’m trying to invoke guilt.

* To impress friends and family. Can’t you think of less costly and time-consuming ways to do that? How about landing a good job years sooner than if you had gone for a degree?

* To feel legitimate. In many fields, you can more legitimately prepare for your career away from the halls of academe, at what I call You U: a self- and mentor-selected combination of articles, seminars, professional conferences, the Internet, and on-the-job training. Don’t commit years of your life and lots of money just to create the illusion of legitimacy — sometimes what a degree mainly provides.

* To impress employers. In many fields, your boss is likely to be more impressed with a well designed You U education than with a diploma that both of you know doesn’t mean you’re career competent. Imagine, for example, that you were an employer considering two job applicants. One had an MBA and the other wrote this application letter:

Dear Ms. Hirer,

I imagine you’re tempted to toss this application because I don’t have the required MBA. But having heard from many people that their MBA learning wasn’t worth the time and money, I decided to prioritize substance over form and spent the last two years working at the elbow of outstanding project managers, and reading and taking workshops from some of America’s most effective managers. I believe that focusing on the steak rather than the sizzle and learning as a self-starter rather than a classroom student, demonstrates abilities important in a leader. But now comes the moment of truth: will you interview me?

Sincerely,

Joel JobSeeker

Mightn’t you interview this candidate? Even prefer him over the MBA holder? When, in workshops, I ask that question of employers, most say yes. So, attending You U rather than State U let alone Private U, may increase your employment prospects.

Let’s say that despite all the above, you still think it would be wise to go to graduate school. Might any of these arguments convince you it’s worth waiting a while?

- A few years in the work world may help you figure out what career and graduate program is right for you.

- You’ll have some real-world experience to hang your grad school learning onto.

- Real-world experience may get you into a more prestigious graduate school.

-A break from school will reenergize you when facing more 60 more units from Professor Hassenpfeffer.

- And who knows? Maybe your real-world stint will make you realize you don’t need grad school at all.



http://www.martynemko.com/articles/case-against-graduate-school_id1528

Choice Careers for Liberal Arts Graduates

After I graduated from college with a liberal arts degree, I felt like an imposter—“I don’t know anything. Why should anyone want to hire me?

But now, having been career counselor to 2,400 people, I know that many wonderful options exist for liberal arts graduates. Of course, one career seeker’s ambrosia is another’s hemlock, but here are quick hits on careers that many liberal arts graduates find rewarding.

Student affairs administrator. This career has nothing to do with steamy dorm room flings. Student affairs administrators coordinate the non-academic part of student life: from orientation to graduation. They may supervise fraternities, coordinate residence hall programs and intramural sports. College campuses are great places to work: beautiful, stimulating, plus, the workload usually lightens dramatically between semesters and during the summers. For more info: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators: www.naspa.org

Grant proposal writer. These practical dreamers convince government agencies and foundations to bankroll their ideas for improving the world. It’s a great career for creative types who want to make a difference. For more info: The Grantmanship Center: www.tgci.com

Political campaign manager. Everyone who runs for office, from school board member to president of the United States needs a campaign manager. They research opinions and voting patterns, help develop the candidate’s themes, plan fundraisers, coordinate direct mail and Web site, hire staff, train volunteers, excite the media, and even help design the campaign button. It’s an exciting job: You’re in charge of a winner-take all contest that can make a difference. For more info: Catherine Shaw’s book, The Campaign Manager.

Journalist. The pen indeed is mightier than the sword, especially now. The media has enormous influence over how we think, act, and who we vote for. The job market is tough but if you write well and quickly and have a nose for digging up information, you should be able to land a job, at least in a small-circulation print or Web publication. To build chances for obtaining a better paying job, consider specializing in an area likely to remain of compelling interest, for example: education, China, ethnic issues, terrorism, the environment, the Middle East, health, or technology. For more info: Society of Professional Journalists: www.spj.org.

Mediator. A landlord refuses to return a tenant’s security deposit. A divorcing couple is fighting over who should get what. An employee is claiming racial discrimination, which her boss vehemently denies. To avoid expensive litigation, ever more disputants are turning to mediators. For more info: www.mediate.com.

Fundraiser. These are of three types. Cultivators stage events such as galas and celebrity auctions to warm up potential donors and bring in a few bucks. Prospect researchers create dossiers of warmed-up fat cats, which harvesters then use in building a relationship with them so they fork over ever larger donations. For more info: Association of Fundraising Professionals: www.afpnet.org.

Advice I’d Give My Child. Try to sell your liberal arts degree as a plus: it taught you the crucial job skills of thinking, writing, and oral communication. Sometimes, as with you, it’s true.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/choice-careers-for-liberal-arts-graduates_id1304

Career Planning Clues from the State of the Union Address

President Bush’s State of the Union address, like previous ones, contained a laundry list of initiatives. Historically, some never come to pass and others take a year or more until jobs are created. But if you’re planning ahead, you might want to consider areas that Bush touts for growth:

--- Bush said, “I propose to train 70,000 high school teachers, to lead advanced-placement courses in math and science…(and) bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms.” News You Can Use: In my practice, I see many unhappy scientists. Typically, they’re frustrated that they must serve as mere cogs in a wheel. Such people might want to consider teaching, where they run their own show. Tip: In 47 states and in the District of Columbia, you can be certified to teach in the public schools without the long, university-based, often low-value teacher preparation programs dispensed by professors who are long on theory and short on practicalities such as how to control an unruly class. For more info, visit the National Center for Education Information: http://www.ncei.com/Alt-Teacher-Cert.htm.

--- Bush said, “This year we will add resources to encourage young people to stay in school.” He cited gang prevention as a particular priority. News You Can Use: The National Youth Gang Center’s site (www.iir.com/nygc/default.htm) lists gang prevention organizations. Even if jobs aren’t immediately available at an organization, try to develop a relationship with key people there so when jobs do come available, you have an inside track.

--- Citing the need to become independent of Middle East oil, Bush announced “the Advanced Energy Initiative — a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy…zero-emission coal-fired plants; revolutionary solar and wind technologies; and clean, safe nuclear energy.” News You Can Use: For the foreseeable future, solar and wind will provide only a small percentage of U.S. energy, so nuclear and coal holds the greatest short- and intermediate-term promise of providing jobs. Skip Bowman, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute said, “The industry anticipates building 12 to 15 new nuclear plants by 2015.” Jim Davis, NEI’s Director of Operations, adds this clue: “The first group of plants will be concentrated in the Southeast and in the middle of the country.” Carol Berrigan, NEI’s Director of Industry Initiatives adds, “The combination of our aging workforce and increased plant builds will mean significant hiring,” for example, “architects and engineers to build new plants or work for utilities in construction, operation, and maintenance or for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Stable, well-paying jobs should be available for graduates of any of the 23 nuclear engineer bachelor’s programs for tradespeople such as electricians and welders, and for jobs for people completing two-year degrees in nuclear technology.” For additional career information, including a list of training programs and internships: see NEI’s site: www.nei.org. and American Nuclear Society’s site: www.ans.org. Not withstanding the recent coal mine disasters, Luke Popovich, spokesperson for the National Mining Association, said, “The coal industry is clearly in resurgence. Clean coal technologies will reduce emissions by at least 90% compared with plants built in the ‘60s. The U.S. has the world’s largest coal reserves, so we needn’t import. As a result, 2006 is expected to be a record year for coal and ever cleaner coal will mean an ever larger share of the energy market. So, we need many mining engineers and metallurgists, plus environmental engineers to help meet clean air standards.” For information on jobs in the coal industry: http://www.infomine.com/careers/positions.

--- Bush said, “We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars and pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We will also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn but from wood chips, stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years.” News You Can Use: Most hiring will be for electrical engineers, chemists, and software engineers (to design the chips governing the battery’s use). Major players in the effort to create better batteries are outside the U.S.: Panasonic and NEC-Lamilion. However, last month, Glenview Illinois-based, Johnson Controls announced it will join the fray. Hydrogen (and fuel-cell) powered cars are still in very early stages of development. Sites listing who’s doing what in that field: www.evworld.com and www.h2cars.biz. Lyonsdale Biomass and International Paper are involved in developing the use of wood chips for ethanol, which many observers believe is a more likely near- to mid-term source of ethanol than stalks or switch grass. The push for ethanol use may create jobs in companies that manufacture farm equipment such as Deere, Agco, and Gehl, all of whose stock prices rose significantly today after Bush’s address. For other possible hirers in the hybrid/electric car space, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s CARFreedom Web site: www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels.
--- Bush said, “I propose to double the Federal commitment to the most critical basic research programs in…nanotechnology, supercomputing.” News You Can Use: Most of the research jobs go to PhDs in physics, applied mathematics, and some in engineering. In the past decade, conventional wisdom has been that most physical phenomena have already been understood and that the future of science is in the biosciences. As a result, there is a relative shortage of physicists. For the person contemplating a science degree, this might be the time to pursue a PhD in physics or applied mathematics. For information on nanotechnology jobs, careers, and training: www.workingin-nanotechnology.com. For information on the supercomputing industry and jobs: www.supercomputingonline.com.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/career-planning-clues-from-state-union-address_id1296

Home Schooling

Public schools are evermore focused on the needs of the poor and low-achieving. So, middle-income parents, especially in mixed socioeconomic areas, and especially if their children are bright, are realizing that their children's needs are unlikely to be well met in the public schools. One parent told me, "I thought that one of the main benefits of paying taxes was public education. Well, I can't get that benefit without risking my child's future." So parents in droves are home-schooling their children. In just 20 years, the number of American home-schooled has gone from 300,000 to 2 million(!), and growing. It's tough to beat the combination of one-on-one instruction aimed at a child's personal interests, from someone who loves him. And home schooling's growth rate will accelerate even faster as more compelling online courses and edutainment come available (For example, see StarPeace at www.montecristogames.com). But home schooling is a daunting task.

How can you capitalize careerwise? Train parents to home school better. Or provide one-on-one small-group tutoring in math and science, which are generally poorly taught by home schooling parents. Offer that tutoring in-person, by phone, or via Internet instant messaging. Or create activities that bring homeschoolers together -- physical education, field trips, sports and music activities. About.com's homeschooling portal: http://homeschooling.about.com .

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

E-Commerce

Yes, some people will always love the idea of touching and feeling items before buying them, but ever more people and businesses will gladly trade that away for the pleasure of not having to traipse around hoping to find what they need. People appreciate the greater selection and price comparison available on the Net. Many people also don't like dealing with salespeople. With a bricks-and-mortar vendor, the salesperson you happen to get can be good, bad, or indifferent, whereas on a company's Web site, you always get the best information available.

Many vendors also prefer selling on the Web. There's no cost of a bricks-and-mortar store, no shoplifting, it's easy to track and market to customers, and the e-store can be open 24/7 at no additional cost.

The things that have heretofore inhibited e-commerce are rapidly being fixed -- slow-loading catalog pages, an inadequate site search function, weak presale advice, cumbersome checkout procedure, dicey customer service. With these weaknesses mitigated, the percentage of transactions on the Net will skyrocket.

Career implications: E-commerce will put many salespeople, distributors, and bricks-and-mortar businesses out of business. Work for a category-leading company with a serious commitment to e-commerce, for example, the leading broker of elder housing. The Internet also will affect the priests of professional expertise: lawyers, librarians, and doctors, as people expect instant information with the click of a hyperlink. No matter what your field, to maximize chances of survival, one of your first questions should be: "How should I use the Internet?"

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Convergence

All media -- TV, Internet, stereo, VCR, computer -- will soon reduce to one box, enabling you to interact with galaxies of information and entertainment material. Time magazine predicted: "All content -- movies, music, shows, books, data, magazines, recipes, and home videos -- will be instantly available anywhere on demand."

Convergence will allow for such goodies as contextual shopping. You'll watch a Madonna concert (which of course, would begin whenever you want). You want to see what she looks like from behind. No problem, one click. Then you decide you like her shoes. One click and you've ordered it, so-called T-commerce. Before turning off your box, you'll be alerted to upcoming attractions based on your past selections.

I believe the killer app will be immersion. Combine the convergence and virtual reality trends, and I predict that millions of people will spend their evenings, not watching sitcoms, but experiencing amazing things in 3D: You'll virtually be flying the Mars Explorer, performing open-heart surgery, exploring the Amazon jungle, batting against Roger Clemens, climbing Mount Everest.

Career implications: Work for an artificial intelligence firm, one of the six broadly diversified content companies (Disney, News Corp, Seagram, Sony, Time Warner, and Viacom) or a broadband Internet infrastructure company such as Inktomi (www.inktomi.com). Also pipe owners (for example, AT&T, which has covered both the phone- and cable-based delivery systems) should be big beneficiaries of the convergence movement. See About.com's portal to info on broadband: http://broadband.about.com , NYU offers a program in interactive telecommunications: http://itp.nyu.edu/html/inf_index.html . More of a hands-on type? Design and build those all-in-one media boxes or the new Internet backbones that will be required to handle the increased bandwidth.

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Online Education and Training

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Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the ability to manipulate, molecule by molecule. This will enable the creation of molecule-sized machines. Why would anyone want such a small machine? Well obviously, you'll be able to wear a heckuva powerful computer on your wrist. But more intriguing applications may include cleansers that can remove any stain, insulation that can keep homes at a constant temperature, and true medical miracles. In 2000, Time magazine reported, "A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer would be devastating to any of us, bringing with it the horrors of debilitating chemotherapy and a slim chance of surviving the next five years. Fifteen years from now, however, you might not even bat an eye at the news. Your doctor will simply hand you a capsule packed with millions of nanosensors, each programmed to seek out and kill the cancer cells in your body . . . . And that's not all. One day, autonomous "Nanobots" far smaller than motes of dust will patrol the body, repairing aging organs and fixing genetic damage before it can turn into disease." The U.S. government just funded a $500 million nanotechnology initiative -- See www.nano.gov . It also contains links to other nanotechnology information.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Investment Banker

Business's growth hormone is money. A typical I-banker's assignment is to get money on the best terms. Are you willing to work into the wee hours and do lots of traveling to get a company the best deal on the money? You don't raise the dough by calling a few banks and saying, "Hi, will you lend us some dough?" Here's how investment bankers work: A growing private company needs more money. Should it go public? Issue bonds? Spin off a division? Get bought out? You do complex calculations to help the company come up with an answer. Let's say the company decides to go public and issue stock. You attempt to price it right. Then you hand off the project to a different kind of I-banker -- the salesperson -- who attempts to convince banks, mutual fund, and pension fund managers to buy your stock or bond offering. To sell requires more than a slick tongue, but that helps.

Most I-bankers are first hired with just a bachelor's degree (in any field, as long as it's from a designer-label college at which you got good grades). Your first job is an analyst, a number cruncher. You usually need an MBA before making the big bucks. A couple of years as an I-banking analyst is usually a ticket to top-name MBA programs. But I'm talking full years. In The Fast Track, Mariam Naficy writes, "The amount you'll work in investment banking cannot be overstated. One analyst reported that he bought 50 pairs of underwear because he had no time to do laundry."

In part thanks to movies like The Bonfire of the Vanities, many people believe that investment bankers do absolutely nothing for the world. The reality is that their job is to help companies raise money so that they can bring a better product to market. Even media-reviled investment banker Michael Milken, by raising money for MCI as an investment banker, was key to making the telecommunications industry more competitive, and in turn, lowering all our phone bills. Before deregulation, you were paying 40 cents per long-distance minute. Now, you pay 5 to 10 cents. Thank an investment banker. The most sought-after jobs are at "bulge bracket" firms such as Goldman Sachs, but the fastest-growing segment is mid- to large-sized traditional banks, which are now allowed to participate in investment banking. Careers in Finance: www.careers-in-finance.com/ib.htm . Ohio State U's finance portal: http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/~fin/overview.htm . Mariam Naficy's book, Fast Track.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Artist/Graphic Artist

Get real. If you have visions of hanging out in your loft, splattering paint on some enormous abstract canvas, congratulations -- you have a cool hobby. The Princeton Review profile of artist careers reports that "as a purely self-expressing career, 90 percent of artists make under $1,000 per year on their art." If you expect to make a living as an artist, brand this into your brain: Seventy-five percent of the art available in the United States is produced by the advertising industry. Much of the rest appears on Web sites. And almost all is computer-generated art produced by people with excellent freehand drawing skills enhanced by the computer. You must make good friends with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Pagemaker, and QuarkXPress. The good news is that demand for computer artists is growing. More good news: In production art, degrees don't count; your portfolio does. Send it to art directors at ad agencies or the new design/marketing agencies -- and don't forget the small houses. Oh, one more sad truth: Only a third of people who start a career in graphic arts last five years. About.com's graphic design portal graphicdesign.about.com . American Institute of Graphic Arts: http://www.aiga.org . Graphic Artists Guild: www.gag.org . ACM SigGraph: www.siggraph.org . World Wide Web Artists' Consortium: www.wwwac.org . Long list of artist careers: www.wallkill.k12.nj.us/finearts/artcareers.html .


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Physician

I include this career partly because you'd think I was nuts if I omitted such a prestigious, well-paying profession; but listen to this: There is an oversupply of doctors, especially specialists, in most urban and suburban areas. Many experts believe that demand for doctors, especially specialists, will decrease as HMOs increasingly use nurse practitioners and physician's assistants to lower costs. Even if you can find a job, HMOs severely constrain how physicians can practice medicine: Visits are shorter, and more and more treatments are subject to external scrutiny. Meanwhile, malpractice suits climb. Perhaps the biggest minus is that a physician's life is extraordinarily stressful. Consider the typically six to eight years after college that it takes to prepare to be a physician, the enormous cost of medical school, the fraternity-like hazing called internship, the strain of high-stakes decision-making, having to inform unsuspecting patients of severe illnesses, and the now prohibitive costs of starting your own practice. And there's more. Medicine is changing so rapidly that it's impossible to keep up, so many physicians practice while feeling guilty that because of their own lack of knowledge and HMO constraints, they may not be giving their patients the best possible treatment. Because physicians have ready access to mind-altering drugs, many docs turn to them for stress relief. American Medical Association: www.ama-assn.org . DoctorLink: www.doctorlink.com . Jobs: www.practicelink.com , www.Mddirect.com , and www.mdrsearch.com . Marita Danek's book, Becoming a Physician Robert Marion's book, Learning to Play God: The Coming of Age of a Young Doctor.

For many aspiring physicians, physician's assistant (See profiles) may be a smarter career choice even though it obviously has less prestige and lower income potential. If, however, you want to consider the M.D. route, there are neat niches:

(Neat Niche) University Student Health Service Physician. College student health problems are usually curable, you have no overhead, and you work in a beautiful, stimulating setting.

(Neat Niche): Infectious Diseases. As you're reading this, terrorist groups and governments are refining their ability to create one-of-a-kind mutated viruses to use as bioweapons. Natural selection is creating superbacteria that are resistant to even the most powerful antibacterials. The likelihood of contracting infectious diseases is growing because of easier worldwide travel, more crowded public transit, and increasing sexual promiscuity. I'm not just talking about rare, newly discovered pathogens such as the dreaded West Nile or Hanta viruses. Cases of the formerly thought-of-as-cured tuberculosis are increasing, even here in the U.S. And then there's AIDS: the virus itself, and the myriad opportunistic infections that its victims contract. Infectious disease researchers and practitioners do some of our most important and challenging work. Infectious Diseases Society of America: www.idsociety.org .

(Neat Niche) Occupational Medicine. This niche offers many advantages. Need: On-the-job accidents and job-related illnesses are frequent, with a relative shortage of occupational medicine docs. Compensation: Employers and insurers know that your efforts to prevent on-the-job illnesses and accidents will save them lots of money, so compensation is good. Variety: Internal medicine, psychiatry, surgery, epidemiology, toxicology, forensic medicine, administration, preventive medicine-- occupational medicine encompasses them all. Success rate: You help a high percentage of your patients. Occupational medicine portal: http://gilligan.mc.duke.edu/oem .

(Neat Niche) Hospital Research Director. Many hospitals, even those unaffiliated with universities, conduct research. Research director is a great job for a burned-out doc who'd like to improve the quality of medical care rather than just implementing the status quo. Grant proposal writing skills are key.

(Neat Niche) Cosmetic Surgeon. Newly available techniques are making it evermore likely that you'll delight your patients. Society tends to denigrate cosmetic surgery as a narcissistic luxury, one that objectifies the body rather than focusing on a person's substance. I used to think that way myself. But I've seen so many people's lives be so improved as a result of the surgery, they feel much better about themselves every minute of every day and are even more productive at work. So, I've become a fan. I wonder if cosmetic surgery has done more to improve people's sense of well being than psychotherapy. About.com's plastic surgery portal: http://plasticsurgery.about.com .

(Neat Niche) Sports Medicine. As the fitness fad continues, the number of weekend warriors grows, and in turn, the number of injuries. Most of these are fixable, so sports medicine is rewarding. American College of Sports Medicine: www.acsm.org .

(Neat Niche) Infertility Specialist. Women working outside the home are deferring parenthood, sometimes until getting pregnant isn't so easy. Enter the infertility doctor, with an ever-growing array of fixes including in-vitro fertilization, now with egg screening to help ensure normalcy. What's next? Probably sooner than later, to maximize chances of a normal baby, cloning one of the parents. American Society for Reproductive Medicine: www.asrm.com.

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Talk Show Host

I excluded this career from this book's first edition because the odds of making a living at it are small. But so many people see it as their dream career that I decided to include it and simply tell you how to maximize your chances of defying the odds.

Start by thinking about what your unique style would be. Are you a particularly tough interviewer? Someone from the political far right or far left? With encyclopedic knowledge about something? Are you an unusually self-revealing person? You'll probably increase your chances of success by incorporating your unusual characteristics into your talk show. For me, it's that I have the ability to answer practical questions quickly. So my show is heavily call-in and about a practical topic: work. I also like doing interviews in which I don't just ask the questions, but participate in the conversation/debate--I often contribute almost as much content as the guest does. I'm also constitutionally fast. I talk fast; I interrupt. Rather than homogenizing myself into being just another mid-speed-talking host, I allow myself to be my regular, fast self. So, what are your unique attributes and interests? Make those the centerpiece of your radio persona and structure for your talk show.

Then practice interviewing people and taking "call-ins," using that style. Do it at home and record the interviews. Critique yourself mercilessly. Have friends and family critique you too. When you've taped an interview you're proud of, edit it down to three to five minutes of great excerpts and hand-deliver it to the program director of every local radio or TV station. Any station that won't let you see the program director gets a mailed copy and a follow-up phone call two days later.

That's how I got to host my first talk show, and now I'm in my 13th year as producer and host of "Work with Marty Nemko" on a National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco. Radio Online: www.radioonline.org . Talker's Magazine: http://www.talkers.com .


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504

Information Abstractor

Would you enjoy synthesizing articles into a paragraph or two? Can you do it quickly? In an hour, an abstractor must abstract two to three articles. If you can do that, you'll be in demand because of the need to distill that relentless information explosion. Major hirers: Web sites, corporations needing to distill material for scientists and executives, and publishers of research abstracts. You'll be particularly in demand if you have content expertise, in law, medicine, engineering, chemistry, or real estate. To land a job, find the articles you'd like to abstract-- see a directory such as the Ebsco Index and Abstract Directory -- and submit sample abstracts. To get corporate work, send samples to corporate librarians and departments responsible for technical writing. National Federation of Abstracting & Information Services: www.fnais.org .

http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504#tox

Personal Assistant

According to the New York Post, a typical day in the life of Olympia Dukakis's personal assistant consists of rendering a second opinion on a movie contract, dropping off her dry cleaning, picking up her dog's gourmet dog food, and suggesting ideas for marketing Dukakis's new salad dressing. Salaries range from $30,000 to $100,000, plus perks. What sort of perks? Well, this isn't typical, but Carol Burnett gave her assistant a Land Rover for her birthday. Of course, not just celebrities need assistants. These days, just about any busy person could use one. Niches: executives, college presidents, wealthy widows, and your run-of-the-mill busy middle incomer. Sometimes, the job may be more like an office assistant: word-processing a report, coordinating a project, handling the bookkeeping, but Beth Berg makes a good living with none of that. She started "Dial a Wife." She'll plan the meal, wait for the plumber, take Sara (and her friends) to ballet, perhaps plant your herb garden, even do the initial househunting. Sounds like a traditional wife, but she gets paid $40 an hour. Berg's first ad simply said, "Buy time." Personal Assistants International: www.igginc.com/iggi/pai/pai.htm.


http://www.martynemko.com/articles/cool-careers-excerpt_id1504#per