While many people assumed the space race would end with the fall of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago, the prevalence of engineering programs in universities across the nation have indicated that the space dream is alive and well for many students. Aerospace engineering degrees do not necessarily indicate a foray into NASA or anything relatively akin to space travel, but many aerospace engineers do participate in studies and research that have to do with space. Additionally, modern technology has bred new aerospace engineers that have less to do with space and more to do with the most modern advances in aircraft for the military. Aerospace engineers are in essence suited for multiple types of future career choices and are easily expendable to work in different environments that have to do with aircrafts.
Not every aerospace engineer becomes a rocket scientist, but many do go on to design aircraft for the Air Force and other military units. The new technological advances have allowed aerospace engineers to work with the most up-to-date technology and design more intricate designs that can fit our countries’ needs in times of war. Despite the waning popularity of the space program, aerospace engineers have managed to sustain job prospects due to the ever-increasing popularity of aircraft. While the recession has impacted many commercial airlines, military aircrafts remain a constant need for our nation and the most innovative technologies that aerospace engineers can design are those which are made from their expertise in the field.
Many aspects of aircrafts involve complicated computations that only aerospace engineers would have the knowledge to perform. As a result, many of these engineers work in highly developed companies that pride themselves on creating the best possible aircrafts for a variety of uses. These careers have become more commonplace than the pop culture reference to the rocket scientists which so many of us associate with aerospace engineering students. However, as the space industry takes an uncertain hiatus from its constant exploration into the unknown, aerospace engineering employees will continue to have a set career path as technology continues to advance and military and commercial aircraft become ever-more advanced. Aerospace engineering continues to be a major part of pop culture sci-fi movies and television shows, indicating that our culture is obsessed with the prospect of advancing our aircraft to the state of space flight or at least to the more modern notion of aircrafts in the aeronautical sense.
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Have you ever noticed just how little actually gets done in the average office? It’s like the people in charge are looking for ways to create an office culture that is chocked-full of turtles who accomplish far less than their wolf counterparts. What follows is a list of things management can do to create a low-performing team that stays out of the way and accomplishes just the bare minimum to scrape by with their jobs and a paycheck.
1. Create a culture of cronyism. Many managers do this and don’t even realize it. They surround themselves with old college buddies, their nephews, or other people who don’t belong in the office in the first place. These people are treated leniently and are generally given titles and perks that other, harder-working people are not. This is a great way to lower morale and decrease productivity.
2. Manage with apathy. So many people work hard all the way up to management, and then think that they have paid their dues and no longer have to do anything. When this occurs, there is always a reason or excuse as to why the boss is running late, or is gone completely. When this type of manager returns from his or her unexplained hiatus, he or she rules with an iron fist, wondering why things aren’t running smoothly. After a day or two, it’s back to the same old disappearing manager act.
3. Overload your hard workers. Rather than getting those who underperform their peers to work harder, keep distributing the work load to those who actually perform. Why would you want the guy who takes three days to finish something on the task when someone else will get it done in three hours? Just give all of the important work to the ones who perform. Let the lazy employees get all the easy tasks. This will certainly ensure that everyone decreases their productivity over time.
4. Reward employees based on time accrued rather than merit. Nothing says “you don’t really matter” to employees better than rewarding people for putting in time and paying their dues. It doesn’t really matter if they’ve done a good job. Simply pay them according to how long they’ve been willing to put up with their chosen profession, rather than what they’ve actually contributed.
Of course, there are many more things management can do to create a more apathetic office culture, but these are the main four. If used all together, these can create an entire enclave of turtle employees who bear the weight of all their combined office inequities. Implement these policies and watch your productivity go down the toilet.
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One of the unwritten rules of social conduct is that you should never engage people in conversations related to the topics of politics or religion. Some people, however, fail to realize just why we don’t bring these topics up with others, especially in the workplace. These topics can be particularly divisive and can create many problems within an office culture.
Other uncomfortable topics of discussion have to do with finances and business ventures. Oftentimes a co-worker will attempt to engage you in a conversation related to his or her home business. None of these topics are appropriate for the workplace, end of story. What follows is a list of a few tips for dealing with uncomfortable office talk.
Avoid those trying to initiate the discussion.
If at all possible, avoid the people who are trying to discuss divisive issues such as politics or religion. Perhaps these people congregate in a certain part of the office or have lunch together. Do your best to avoid these people when they are discussing these matters, and maintain a professional demeanor around them, avoiding rudeness or confrontation.
Don’t get involved.
If you absolutely cannot avoid being around these people, make sure you don’t encourage their behavior. As the saying goes, silence is golden. After a while, they may begin to get the message loud and clear without you having said anything at all.
Politely excuse yourself.
Again, if you happen to find yourself in a situation where being in contact with these people is unavoidable and you are uncomfortable, politely excuse yourself. If someone wishes to confront you or questions why you are leaving, explain why in a neutral manner. Letting them know that you don’t think it’s appropriate, whether you agree or not, is the main reason for not engaging in the conversation.
Change the subject.
Maybe you really do like the people, but don’t like discussing these sorts of matters at work. Make a joke or try and change the subject. Doing this a few times will let them know that you certainly want to be part of a conversation with them, but on another, less controversial topic.
Notify a supervisor.
If you feel that the conversations are inappropriate and are beginning to feel alienated or harassed, it is time to let someone else know. Many offices and companies forbid discussions related to politics and religion, and trying to drum up business at work is certainly a conflict of interest.
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Artists around the world have experienced the equivalence of “writer’s block” within their own discipline, as they strive to develop images and ways to become innovative. Photography is no different from other artistic disciplines and involves searching long and hard for the right image to deliver the message you wish it to. Photography jobs range from anything from gallery work (for the established photographer) to photojournalistic work, and making a name for yourself in any type of photography realm has become increasingly difficult for budding photographers.
Learning how to develop your photographic skills early on is a way to make yourself stand out from the rest of photographers. Before you even think about the subjects you will be photographing, try to understand the deeper realm of photography, that which emanates from the lighting and shading which demonstrate the art of a true photographer. Once you get a firm grasp on your strengths and weakness in the mechanics of photography, you can begin to develop other talents within the field. However, understanding the importance of lighting, positioning, and everything else that goes into photography is a valuable asset within any photography job.
Once you get a proper understanding of the mechanics, you can begin to delve into the wide range of subjects that you can photograph. Whether you have a pension for the dramatic, and enjoy the photojournalistic effects of recent events or whether you enjoy the simplicity of nature, there will be career opportunities in both fields. However, displaying your creativity is one vital requirement that potential employers will look for. No one wants a photographer who takes a snapshot of a sunflower with the same technique as an amateur photographer; they could just get their ten-year old child for this task if they did not want creativity or skill. Instead, you need to prove to potential employers that you have a deep understanding of nature and your photograph is expected to reveal this through the mechanics, placement, setting, background, etc.
Photography jobs are typically regarded as a career choice that is not as “stable” as a business degree would place students, but job openings have increased in volume as our society has advanced in technology. Cameras have evolved to a new realm and can now capture vast phenomenon around the world, such as lightening storms and satellite movements. This has opened up an even greater array of positions for photographers, although they first need to conquer the early stages of photography and display their inner creativity through the processes.
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Artists around the world have experienced the equivalence of “writer’s block” within their own discipline, as they strive to develop images and ways to become innovative. Photography is no different from other artistic disciplines and involves searching long and hard for the right image to deliver the message you wish it to. Photography jobs range from anything from gallery work (for the established photographer) to photojournalistic work, and making a name for yourself in any type of photography realm has become increasingly difficult for budding photographers.
Learning how to develop your photographic skills early on is a way to make yourself stand out from the rest of photographers. Before you even think about the subjects you will be photographing, try to understand the deeper realm of photography, that which emanates from the lighting and shading which demonstrate the art of a true photographer. Once you get a firm grasp on your strengths and weakness in the mechanics of photography, you can begin to develop other talents within the field. However, understanding the importance of lighting, positioning, and everything else that goes into photography is a valuable asset within any photography job.
Once you get a proper understanding of the mechanics, you can begin to delve into the wide range of subjects that you can photograph. Whether you have a pension for the dramatic, and enjoy the photojournalistic effects of recent events or whether you enjoy the simplicity of nature, there will be career opportunities in both fields. However, displaying your creativity is one vital requirement that potential employers will look for. No one wants a photographer who takes a snapshot of a sunflower with the same technique as an amateur photographer; they could just get their ten-year old child for this task if they did not want creativity or skill. Instead, you need to prove to potential employers that you have a deep understanding of nature and your photograph is expected to reveal this through the mechanics, placement, setting, background, etc.
Photography jobs are typically regarded as a career choice that is not as “stable” as a business degree would place students, but job openings have increased in volume as our society has advanced in technology. Cameras have evolved to a new realm and can now capture vast phenomenon around the world, such as lightening storms and satellite movements. This has opened up an even greater array of positions for photographers, although they first need to conquer the early stages of photography and display their inner creativity through the processes.
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With the influx of job-seekers out there in recent months, many companies have been forced to appeal to a wide variety of people through attention-seeking methods that make their ads appear more like a spectacle than anything. Career descriptions that seem too good to be true are typically not¬ true. It is important to research into any company before you apply and interview for the company, especially if they pride themselves on their “fun environment” and “Fortune 500 companies”. These are some buzz words to keep on the look-out for, since many companies hide their pyramid schemes in interviews that do not really mention what the job is about.
It has become increasingly difficult to weed out “fake” career descriptions from those that are real careers, resulting in an interesting dilemma for job seekers. While many job seekers know what type of career they want to go into, many others are still unsure of their future and therefore look at any job they are qualified for, simply to have a job. This has led to a new type of career description in these ads which simply request a bachelor’s degree or a few years of work experience. Vague descriptions such as these are typically too good to be true, although they attract thousands of applicants in big cities (there are many unemployed recent graduates).
Most job searching sites do a good job at weeding out the scam type of job opportunities, but many of these companies pride themselves on the ability to not be “scam” related but they are purposely vague about the description of their company to raise their appeal. It is a tough industry out there and job seekers no longer care what job they get as long as they receive a job and companies have profited off of this mindset. Pyramid scheme companies which list their career descriptions as making fast money with little work are very appealing to the out of work political science student, but these jobs only set you back several months and are typically a blow to your self-esteem. With a college degree do you really want to go door-to-door selling cable plans?
Career descriptions on job or company sites are the way in which many of us receive a stable career which we have been searching for. Companies that list actual qualities of the type of work and experience which are needed are typically legal and legitimate. Simply performing your own research on a company is a good way to discover what type of work they do and whether they are the right fit for you. It is essential to research a company before an interview anyway, so you might as well get a jump start on the process and begin your research before you apply. Limiting yourself to vague career descriptions on sites like Craigslist is not the most efficient use of your time in searching for a job but can actually set you back in looking for a job. Therefore, look at any outlet for the job market you can find, including larger company websites; limiting yourself by a few career descriptions is a far cry from an effective job search.
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