July 30th, 2010

Most of us go to college, not to learn, but to achieve a higher level of education that will hopefully lead to a well-rounded future career, complete with a high salary. This dream of an idealistic future came crashing down for many recent graduates as they now realized the economy has affected them in more ways than they would have thought.  Many are now stuck living back with their parents at the age of 22, with a college degree that is virtually useless, working in the retail or restaurant industry while they hope for a better future.  College loans begin to pile up and they look at their diploma in despair, wondering if their life would have been better had they not gone to college and racked up enormous sums of debt, instead opting to begin their career at 18.  It certainly makes sense to many of us recent grads who look at retail managers who easily make close to three figures as the result of only five years of work in the industry.

Putting all those gloomy thoughts aside, we are left to ponder over our future career salaries.  When we eventually find our spot in a stable career, will we still have the ideal salary we worked so hard for?  What will all this work eventually be worth?  At this point, many salaries have remained frozen, as have most potential job openings.  Most companies are too afraid to hire recent grads, and instead choose to hire more experienced workers who have been laid off from other companies.  However, their salaries have been frozen for several years, resulting in a backlash from many workers who are angry with the turn the economy has taken.  We are still waiting for it to turn back in our favor.  The economy is difficult to understand, but from the way I see it, the fact that the banks needed a helping hand was the first sign of trouble.  Major companies saw the mass lay-offs that were happening and froze their assets immediately, including employees’ pay raises.  From this point on, many of us in college knew we were doomed for the next few years.

However, hope is not lost.  The economy is slowly finding its footing, and rather than end on a dark note, we are ending on one that is highly optimistic.  Career salaries are beginning to come back into existence and raises are slowly beginning to take effect again.  Many of us in the oil and gas industry only recently experienced this type of freeze-out (which many be unlikely to quell, especially at BP), but for those of us in different industries, it looks like the storm has passed over.  Salaries will undoubtedly continue to rise as most economists predict and we will hopefully see a decrease in the unemployment rate and a rise in career opportunities for recent graduates.  For the next year, however, many of us are still left living in our parents’ basements, wondering where we went wrong in the education-based plan for college.  Just don’t give up hope – salaries will rise again and jobs will open up!

July 30th, 2010

All photography students want to end up as famous as Ansel Adams, but fame is only one aspect of photography.  Contrary to what most budding photographers believe, photography has been in existence for nearly two hundred years.  While obviously there have been many technological advances, this is not a new art form, and many artists have been able to play around with different forms and different mediums.  We have now moved on from just the simple camera to cameras in our phones, our iPods/iPads, and anything else with a technological edge to it.  Photography is now the layman’s art form, as simply logging into your Facebook account will show you; I myself have at least thirty friends who consider themselves photographers on Facebook, taking “artsy” pictures of railyards and sunsets.

However, it takes more than simple “edgy” scenes to stand out in the photography world.  Because this form of art requires little actual art skill, especially when compared to painting or sculpting, everyone now thinks they are a photographer.  In this modern world of photographers, we are left to wonder how photographs and their “artists” make a difference in our world – both artistic and realistic.

Photojournalists are the best example of photographers who have made a difference in our world.  Many of them have risked life and limb to be able to report to us from the frontlines of battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, photographing many of the worst scenes our country has ever witnessed.  This in turn takes us back a few more years, to the Gulf War, and the realization that the Middle East and Africa are not as stable as we thought they were.  Kevin Carter brought many of the impoverished realities to light in 1994 after his photograph of a starving Sudanese baby next to a vulture hit newsstands around the world.  This photograph revealed to what extent photojournalists distanced themselves from their subject – Carter left right after taking the photograph and did not find out what happened to the child.  He received worldwide criticism for this move, although it made many of us question whether photographers abroad were doing more harm than good.

Since this point, photographers reporting for news organizations have managed to change their image in the international spotlight and now report on the atrocities that are occurring within other countries in an effort to garner worldwide support to combat the epidemics.  Photojournalists in Iraq, for instance, base their careers on revealing to the world the hardships our soldiers have to undergo in this foreign nation, as well as the hardships ordinary Iraqi citizens have been forced to endure.  Many of these accounts are a wake-up call for leaders around the world, and are no longer the critical eye they once were. 

July 30th, 2010

We have all been upset by the lasting consequences of the recession this year.  Many of us have not received the bonuses we were entitled to, and even more of us no longer have a career in which to receive bonuses because of the layoffs that have occurred.  Career salaries in general have taken a drastic turn, which has not helped the unemployment rate at all.  While we are not nearly in as big of a problem as we were in during the Great Depression, many of us are still unemployed, and those of us who are, are barely making enough of a salary to get by.  Therefore, the question remains: what will happen with our career salaries in the coming years?

Career salaries will hopefully begin to look a little better as the economy rights itself.  Many of us already feel like the economy is back up and running since there are no longer “doomsday” news reports of the bank crashes and stock crashes, but the unemployment rate is still higher than ever.  Foreclosures are still occurring every week, and the unemployed are running out of government funds to get by.  Our salaries have not seen any noticeable increase (unless of course you work for an oil company), and many of us are concerned that we will not be able to pay off the student loans we worked so hard to start to pay off.  How will we pay off college (which was supposed to earn us a high paying job) if salaries are less than the salary of a retail store manager?

The recession has brought down the average career salary considerably, but we also have to keep in mind, that many of these averages are computed because of the new jobs that have also sprung up.  You will not be paid as much your first year and people who have been in the company for ten years – this has made a big difference in computing the statistics for career salaries.  While we continuously hear about the many jobs that have been lost over the past months, we rarely hear about the new jobs that have sprouted up.  However, new companies are gaining their footing in the economy and therefore have produced many new jobs, increasing the average career salary nationwide.

While the recession has been a dark point in our economy’s history, there are many clear signs that the economy is getting back on the right track, and with this shift, career salaries will also shift and produce higher wages for everyone!

July 30th, 2010

Only two years ago, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City signed an executive order that required every city agency that dealt with the public to “provide interpreters, translated documents, and other language help to people who spoke little or no English.”  While this order was set into place not only to provide more interpreter jobs to a highly trained niche, but also to prevent the waste of time and money caused by miscommunication, the program has instead fallen into disarray.  Government workers today in the city still fail to offer interpreters and rarely offer forms in multiple languages, a clear violation of the executive order that was meant to make the city more accessible and inclusive. 

Interpreters have always been sought after – by the government, multi-national organizations, and non-profit organizations as well.  There are very few of us who have that part of the brain that allows us the ability to learn another language fluently.  As a result, interpreters are typically few and far between, although this is no excuse for the lack of government accountability in NYC.  With lawsuits pending and interpreters nowhere to be found, we have to ask what happened with the executive order that was meant to bring the city to a new level of diversity? 

The New York Times chronicles one agency in particular, The Human Resources Administration, which is a “virtual lifeline” to millions of New Yorkers who need the organization for cash assistance, food stamps, and other government care.  Some might maintain that because of its size, it is difficult to staff government agencies full of interpreters, especially in such a diverse city such as NYC – dozens of interpreters may be needed to keep up with the continuous influx of immigrants.  However, many immigrants are being denied their benefits solely because they cannot understand their caseworkers and the forms they have to fill out, immigrants who speak common languages such as English and Korean.  Other agencies are now completely disregarding the mayor’s order and inform their clients that they have to provide their own interpreters, regardless of the cost.

In a city of so many immigrants, it is amazing any of them receive the benefits they are entitled to without the assistance of interpreters readily available.  One of the major set-backs in the mayor’s order was the fact that he did not set aside any extra money to ensure that language services were made available for the clients of these agencies.  Many staffers now do interpretation jobs on the side through their various non-profit organizations to ensure that their clients receive the aid they need to survive.  While the order was set into place with good intentions by the NYC government, it has yet to come to fruition, despite the prevalence of interpreter jobs in the city. 

July 30th, 2010

Paralegal career information is constantly changing within the legal world.  Paralegals are now considered as having anywhere from secretary status to near-lawyer status, depending on the law firm and lawyers who work with them.  As a result, the qualifications for paralegals vary according to the city, type of law practiced, and lawyers who hire paralegals.  However, the most vital qualifications for most employers are a college degree, or equivalent work experience; additionally, knowledge of a foreign language is helpful for many lawyers who work in immigration law or international law.  There is no need for lawyers to learn a second language if they can simply count on paralegals to relay information to them!

Paralegals typically handle much of the grunt work that lawyers are too busy to sift through or work which does not need a “JD” to complete.  As a result, once again depending on what type of lawyer you work with, you can have mountains of work a day or simply a manageable stream of work.  Entering the paralegal world typically requires some understanding of the basics of law, maybe a background in criminal justice or past experience working with a lawyer.  While many assume that ‘paralegal’ is just a fancy word for legal secretary, the underlying truth is that paralegals are responsible for the bulk of work for most law firms.  The ability to easily sift through important court documents, lawyer schedules, and revise important documents are only a small part of the life of a paralegal.  They have to be ready to go to court on a moment’s notice and to ensure that each lawyer has the necessary paperwork for their cases.

Other paralegals must be highly trained in legal memorandums and can easily handle the stress of an impending deadline along with increasing volumes of work that seem to pour in endlessly.  Despite the possible stress that a paralegal career entails, many people have found the fast-paced atmosphere to be soothing and well worth it.  Not every person can begin a career as a paralegal, but it offers quite an insight into the legal world and can leave you with plenty of resources should you choose to continue a career in law.  Paralegals are truly the brick and mortar that hold much of the legal world together and while some lawyers take advantage of their paralegals, most recognize the important role they serve in the criminal justice system. 

June 20th, 2010

Real estate was heavily hit by the downturn the economy experienced two years ago, and while it is slowly getting back on its feet, certain parts of the country are still struggling to keep the real estate market alive and running.  California is one area of the country that has little hope of joining the rest of the real estate community as its prices have skyrocketed and many people are settling for prices that are vastly undervalued simply to get rid of their houses.  It remains one of the most difficult states to get started in real estate.  However, despite bleak economic outlooks, the rest of the country has managed to keep their real estate markets competitive. 

It is no secret that some parts of the country have a large disparity in real estate prices from other parts, largely due to the cost of living in these locations.  Surprisingly, Chicago has retained a relatively low cost of living, especially when compared to cities like New York.  As a result, getting started in a real estate career in the city seems more fulfilling than others, as you are able to sell much more of a home for a lower price.  Moving from a real estate position somewhere in the southern U.S. to a New England location has the opposite affect for many real estate careers; most people do not know how to sell a tiny apartment in New York for the price of a luxurious 4-bedroom house in Georgia, and as a result, the real estate market in cities like New York is full of real estate agents who know how to use the market to their advantage.

Understanding the price fluctuations in the real estate market is one way to better prepare yourself for this type of “culture shock” if you intend to transfer during your career.  However, getting started in one community and remaining there for several years is the best way to boost your sales and future career.  The real estate market is a tricky thing to master, but once you have gained experience within your own community, you will learn how much of a social endeavor the market is, and how important it is to attract customers through your personality.  Homes never sell themselves, and in the real estate market (regardless of the economic forecast), real estate agents are the bait for unassuming customers. 

Even with the recession, real estate careers are still booming and continue to attract bright, new individuals to join major firms.  Most firms want employees who have graduated with a four-year degree, but similar experience in the real estate world can substitute for a lack of degree.  Many students continue to keep a future in real estate in mind as graduation gets closer and job prospects look slim.  Real estate careers are by no means a sign that you failed in earning a degree, but instead can indicate and lead to great success within the field!

June 2nd, 2010

Criminal justice careers and careers in psychology have become closely related over the past few years, unfortunately, as crimes grow more grotesque by the year.  Many criminologists are troubled by the rise in the number of crimes that are psychologically related, sometimes leading to a new reliance on the insanity plea at criminal hearings.  This has begun to affect careers in psychology, as psychologists have become a more important part of the criminal justice system and are necessary in determining a defendant’s guilt or innocence (by reason of insanity). 

Psychology is a field that has never been meant for the weak-hearted.  There are a great many psychological ailments that only truly dedicated students of psychology can bear to tackle.  Hearing so much information from clients regarding depression, horrible stories of abuse, and unexplainable psychological illnesses like schizophrenia is enough to drive anybody crazy.  It is thus apparent to many psychologists why some criminals act in the ways that they do.  For most average citizens, however, a mother who drowns her children because “demons told her to” appears to be more of a contrived lie than an actual psychological ailment.  Enter advancements in criminal justice and psychology.

Criminals now have the option of pleading insanity, although it remains extremely difficult to prove, and many times can earn the defendant more years in a mental institute than they would have received in prison.  Therefore, most attorneys advise their clients not to plead insanity, but to simply state their guilt.  However, psychologists are continuously brought into court rooms to testify as to whether a specific defendant may have a psychological problem.  Understanding a problem in such a short period of time is virtually impossible, making it almost an undesirable occupation for some psychologists to be faced with.  Many psychology careers never cross paths with criminals, which appears to be the best course of action for most psychologists. 

Some psychologists base their career on dealing with the criminal justice system and work for courts to help prove the innocence of people with damaged psychoses’.  This is a far road away from the career of a typical psychologist, who we most often associate with a long red couch and glasses, the room set for the patient to lie down and reveal their inhibitions.  Psychology has come a long way from this one stereotypical image we hold in our minds, but psychologists remain an important part of their own industry as well as criminal justice.  Combining the two has helped many criminals receive the help they need and has helped free many innocent people at the same time. 

May 17th, 2010

Psychology and psychotherapy have come a long way since the early days of Freud and Pavlov’s early experiments.  Since this point in time, we have been introduced to new psychology methods, as well as a new understanding of the human brain and emotions.  In an uncertain economic world, it is comforting for psychology students to know that despite appearances, psychology is an ever-changing discipline that will consistently offer career opportunities to graduating students. 

Psychology has quickly overtaken psychiatry as a leading contender in the study of mental functions and behavior.  Many people have now chosen to wean themselves away from mood-altering drugs and instead to work through their problems with the help of a psychologist.  It additionally seems like the modern world has brought with it a slew of new emotional issues, ranging from anxiety to schizophrenia, many common in more people than you would think.  While new drug prescriptions offer a “quick fix” for many psychological problems, most will not dissipate completely without the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist who can help the patient get inside the root of the problem. 

While advances in technology have meant big waves throughout our civilization, they have also brought with them new forms of stress, deadlines, and anxiety. More people than ever before now have psychologists in order to deal with problems they cannot discuss with those close to them.  This trend does not appear to be dissipating anytime soon, and therefore psychology careers remain safe from the results of the recession.  The era has passed when most people assumed psychologists were simply set on “making up” illnesses, rather than treating emotional problems, and people now trust psychologists explicitly to get them through difficult times in life.  Many of us do not know what we would do without our weekly or monthly visit to the psychologist, something that has become almost as routine as a doctor’s visit.

Additionally, the field of psychology has changed so that nearly everybody feels comfortable talking to a psychologist: it is no longer perceived as an “elitist” fad.  While some forms of psychology may be more “New Age” than others, the abundance of career choices is the direct result of the new popularity the discipline has encountered over the past year.  Many people still base their faith in psychiatrists and the ability of prescription drugs to handle their problems, but psychologists have become the top alternative to this type of treatment, and can help many more people who do not wish to treat their symptoms with drugs. 

May 11th, 2010

It's moving day and you have a limited amount of space in mom's SUV. You know your dorm room is small and you can't bring everything from home, so now you have to determine which items you need the most. It's important that you consider what will enable you to live comfortably, and what you can afford to live without so that you won't suffer from clutter issues.

The one item that you absolutely cannot leave home without is your computer – whether it's a laptop or desktop. Your computer will not only enable you to complete your class work, but it will enable you to remain connected to home by using e-mail, Facebook or Skype. The best way to overcome those initial feelings of homesickness is to communicate consistently with your friends and family. Your computer will also allow you to entertain yourself when you're not partying or studying. Additional dorm room materials you'll need are sheets, toiletries, shower shoes for the community shower and clothes hangers. Of course, having sufficient clothing is essential, but first consider where you're moving. If your college is far away from home in a different climate, choose your wardrobe accordingly. For example, a student moving from Buffalo, New York to attend the University of Miami probably shouldn't load up on winter coats and accessories. Be sure to bring enough clothing to last through a semester. It wouldn't hurt to bring laundry detergent – you don't want to acquire any new nicknames from your roommates and friends. But if you do happen to forget an important item like detergent, you'll need to have the money to compensate. Before leaving, have all of your financial ducks in a row. Have money in your bank account and a debit card on hand. Make sure it's accompanied in your wallet by your driver's license (or ID) and social security card.

By now the SUV is probably filled to capacity, which makes the process of elimination easier. Don't feel bad about bringing tons of things like clothes and towels and leaving behind your TV and video game consol. It's college – you'll be spending your free time exploring campus bars, frequenting parties and striking out with opposite sex. Anything that comes on TV these days can be viewed on your computer, and most dormitories have lounges with at least one TV. Also, you won't have to bring furniture of any kind; dorms typically provide a bed, desk and dresser at the very least. The absence of these items will make moving easier. The quicker you're situated, the quicker you can assimilate into campus life and start enjoying your college experience.

May 10th, 2010

Before choosing a career, or even picking a major, it is important that you know and understand your personality and how it can relate to your occupation. You can do this by taking career assessments, which can give you valuable insight into your strengths, interests, and preferences. If you are curious as to how your personality traits could translate to an occupation, try taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or Holland Self-Directed Search.

The Holland Self-Directed Search was developed by John Holland, who believed that one's vocation was an expression of their personality. Believing that one's personality was largely influenced by their interests, he came up with six occupational types based on them; Artistic, Social, Realistic, Investigative, Enterprising, and Conventional. The inventory results contain a Holland code, consisting of a combination of three letters. Each letter represents one of the six occupational types and appear in descending order of interests. The combination of the codes can be used to describe up to 720 different personality types. An individual's personal code is then matched to a corresponding list of occupations they are likely to be interested in. This assessment can not only help you understand more about yourself, but also help you see how your skills and interests can relate to a career path.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can help to assess your personality type and is useful in exploring career options. In career counseling, it can help someone determine what their best environmental fit would be at work. The assessment is separated into four categories; favorite world, information, decisions, and structure. The favorite world category contains questions about whether or not you prefer to focus on your inner world or the outer world around you, or rather, if you are extroverted or introverted. The information category contains questions about whether you prefer to focus on basic information or to interpret it, or rather, if you sense things or rely on your intuition. The decision category contains questions about whether you prefer to make decisions based on logic or emotion, or rather, if you base your choices on what you think or feel. The structure category contains questions about whether you prefer to immediately make decisions or stay open to other options, or rather, if you tend to judge the outside world or perceive it. Your personality type is then determined by the interactions among these preferences. This results in an individual being classified as one of 16 personality types, each expressed in a four letter code. The results can indicate suitable occupations and workplace characteristics that you would be the most successful in as well as find the most satisfying.