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Take This Job & Love It!
Congratulations! You are well on your way to an exciting new adventure. While
going back to school requires good planning and time management, advanced schooling
is an important ingredient to career success. Take a moment to consider
the following statistics published by the Economic and Labor Market Information
Bureau of New Hampshire Employment Security for Employment Projections, 1996-2006.
They will validate your decision to seek further schooling:
Computer-related jobs hold four of the five fastest growing occupations
Four of the ten fastest growing jobs relate to health services and in-home
care
Systems analysts will both add large numbers of new jobs and grow at a high
rate
Jobs that require a Bachelor's degree or a Bachelor's plus some work experience
will register the most growth
Jobs that require work experience or on-the-job training will be the slowest
growing from 1996-2006
Planning your career begins with the identification of your short-term
and long-term goals including the quality of life you seek, the amount of money
you desire and/or need, your preferred location for both working and living
and the distance you are willing to commute to work. As you envision
your journey to your ideal job, your answers to the following questions can
help you develop your own travel guide. For instance, as a motivated
and productive employee, would you be working alone or with others? Would
you be located in an office or outdoors? Would you be using computers
to perform your job or as a resource tool? Does your ideal job build
on the skills and knowledge you already have or will it require a change in
direction?
Technology has changed the way work is performed and, as a result, many businesses
compete in a global economy. Their survival is dependent upon how well
their employees understand the world in which they compete. Not only
do businesses want highly skilled workers, they also want employees who can
think, who can utilize resources to solve problems, who can work as cooperative
team members, who understand the importance of doing it right the first time
and who put customers first! Your career plan is a work in progress and
will need to be updated on a regular basis. As with any journey, you
will need to consult your travel guide and ask if you are where you intended. If
not, there is always the opportunity to change your guide and there are many
people who are willing to help. The Office of Employment Security is
a good place to start; your local library or school career center is another. Perhaps
your school has a school-to-work coordinator who can give you a list of contact
names for your ideal position. For career exploration, you might want
to consider an industry tour, informational interview and/or job shadow. If
you know what you want to do, some companies offer paid/unpaid internships
where you actually perform job-related tasks. Most businesses have a
human resources manager who, along with school-to-work coordinators and career
counselors, are usually the contact persons for these experiences.
In today's very hectic world, staying on track may be a challenge. The
goal is to keep on moving forward even if it means you can take only one course
per semester. Always allow time to reflect on what you are learning so
that it doesn't become "another thing I have to do!" Enjoy your progress;
be proud of what you are achieving. We are usually our own best cheerleader
and, without a doubt, personal motivation and desire will keep you on track.
As the work environment changes and evolves, so must you! Be open to
new ideas, to new experiences, to looking at things in a different way. To
succeed today and tomorrow, you will need both skills and a positive attitude
to attain success for success is doing what you enjoy and doing it well. Please
know that we support you in your journey.
Contributed by Marsha Miller, Regional Director, Western NH School-to-Work
Partnership
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