Career Choices, What Could You Be? Assuming the economy is good, you can always find a job, but can you find a career? A career can give you a long term set of goals and contacts that allow one to gain knowledge, skill and higher income. Not everyone should be a doctor, rock star or lawyer. After all, any society needs a lot more diverse talents than those three to keep things running smoothly. One of the most important decisions you'll ever make is the choice of a career. Below are several short descriptions of careers that only begin to scratch the surface of the thousands of career choices out in the business world. The three listed below bring up the kind of questions that you need to ask about any career choice. What's it‘s Like to be a Teacher "Junior high and high school students are a little like raging hormones with feet," says Samantha Brick, 26, who teaches 13- to 15-year-olds and coaches cheerleading at Schubert Elementary School in Northwest Chicago. Kindergarten and elementary school children (ages 5-13) aren't yet plagued by hormones, but they've got their own set of concerns. "Some are very needy and some so grown up," explains Brick. Patience is key to being a teacher, as are dedication, stamina and a passion for learning. And no teaching degree prepares you for students who fall asleep in class. "You have to be very flexible," says Iris Davis, a music teacher for kindergarten through fifth graders at Tanglewood and Wedgewood elementary schools in Baton Rouge, La. "You can't expect everyone to learn in the same way. Some children learn by hearing, others by seeing; others have learning disabilities." Elementary school teachers almost always instruct one class of children in several subjects, although in some schools, two or more teachers work in teams. Alternatively, one instructor teaches a special subject -- usually music, art, reading, science, math or physical education -- to a variety of classes. Secondary (high school) teachers almost always specialize in a specific subject. Teaching has the alluring reputation of short hours and three months off in the summer. But don't be fooled. "We're always tired," says Brick. "School is out for the day, but then we have to prepare classes and take work home. Grading papers is fun only for about the first semester." And because teachers' salaries in general aren't high, many teachers end up working another job during those summer months. Some schools, like Brick's, alternate three months of school time with one month off. For all its drawbacks, though, teaching can be highly rewarding, since in your own small way you'll play a key role in the development of the next generation. Is Teaching for you? 1. Will you be able to hold your temper and keep your wits about you when your students are going berserk? 2. Are you prepared for the frustration of not being able to meet each and every child's specific needs? 3. Are you ready to be your students' parent, friend, police officer and nursemaid, in addition to being their teacher? What it's Like to be An ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Could you dream up a marketing campaign that uses Helen Hunt's popularity to sell, say paper clips? If so, you might have what it takes to get ahead in advertising. "When you're a little kid, you think advertising is all about writing jingles," says Jennifer Pike, 25, an account executive with Leo Burnett USA in Chicago. "But it's a great way to get acquainted with the business world. You learn about a completely new business every few years when you change accounts." Ad executives -- usually known as account executives -- typically manage one or more client accounts for an agency. Account execs advocate for their clients with all the members of their agency's team: media planners (the people who decide where the ads will appear and what they will cost) and buyers, creatives (writers, graphic designers) and market researchers. Pike spends about 60% of her time on strategy to help her client, Smuckers, figure out the best way to sell more jam. She also manages and executes ad campaigns. "You're like the conductor of an orchestra," explains Kristen Weaver, 29, account supervisor at the Elgin DDB agency in Seattle. "Conductors have to be big-picture creative problem solvers, but also very organized and detail oriented." Weaver's clients include Nordstrom and Stimsom Lane Wineries. The field is highly competitive. Entry-level account coordinators and assistant account executives are expected to pay their dues by getting to the office before everyone else and staying after the rest of the company has gone home. Job responsibilities include anything from photocopying to client billing, forecasting an agency's income to analyzing competitive activity. The work becomes more strategic with experience. Is ADVERTISING for you? 1. Are you a highly organized strategic thinker? 2. Do you thrive when selling something or persuading someone? 3. Can you get creative people and business types to work together under tight deadlines and budgets? What it's Like to be An EVENT PLANNER "Event planning can be glamorous and lots of fun. But when things go wrong, you have to take responsibility," says Meghan Norton, 33, owner of Distinctive! event planning in Bellevue, Wash. "Every client freaks out. Some on the night before the event, some the night of and others sometime after." Only in the past decade has event planning become recognized as a "real" profession that requires lots of expertise, training and education. Event planners come up with the ideas and coordinate the logistics for a wide variety of events. Many work for small independent firms, others for hotels and resort areas. Meeting planners specialize in corporate meetings, and tend to work for larger companies. In this profession, expect long hours and low pay when you start. The pay increases after some years, but the hours stay long. That's because the planning happens during the day, and the event is usually at night or on a weekend. You'll need to be a leader, very organized and good at keeping track of the details. There are constant deadlines, and it's a challenge to work with many different personalities who are often under stress -- everyone from CEOs to caterers and lighting designers. If you want to have your own business in event planning, add marketing and general business skills to your list of requirements for success. On the plus side, "there is a lot of creativity and vision involved. Every meeting and event is different," says Julie Cronin, 26, conference coordinator for the Wilton, Conn.-based Deloitte & Touche LLP, one of the six biggest accounting firms in the U.S. She handles site selection, food and beverages, audio-visual and production planning for hundreds of meetings a year, all over the world. Is Event Planning for You? 1. You'll be the planner, not the guest. Can you curtail your partying when you're working? 2. Something always goes wrong at a big event. Will you be able to graciously take the blame when that happens? 3. Are you ready to work long hours -- including evenings and weekends -- for low pay? When choosing any career, try to see if the type of work and skills involved in the career are something you would like to do or you can imagine yourself as doing. You can get further career advice from your local library, the job service dept. of any public university or college or on the internet. For example, if you like to help and care for others, then maybe Nursing would be a good choice. If you like to write and debate, maybe you should go into a law related profession. Do you like the outdoors? Maybe forestry or agriculture are good careers to explore. The possibilities a almost endless. You can get further career advice from your local library, the job service dept. of any public university or college or on the internet.

We hope you found this article helpful.

Search for more job/career guide articles related to:
"Career Choices, What Could You Be?"

Bookmark this Page!