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If You Love to Work With Your Hands, These Are the Jobs For You

Some people simply can’t do the kind of work that keeps you chained to a desk, staring at a computer screen for hours on end, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There so many proud and reputable professions out there that are based entirely on working with your hands, and you should explore these if you’re looking for a career move that will satisfy your needs. Here are just five of the best jobs that will allow you to work with your hands each day.

Baking and Cooking

Baking and cooking jobs are relatively easy to come by if you’re willing to start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder over a period of years. It’s a surprising lucrative career once it starts to take off and you move into higher positions too. And you’ll most definitely be working with your hands every day of the week.

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Electrical Maintenance

In order to do this job, you will first need to attain the correct levels of training. Electrical maintenance is not for everyone but if you enjoy learning new things and want to carry out a highly skilled job using your hands, it’s definitely a career path that’s worth considering. It’s also a very well paid job to take up; experienced electricians can earn a lot of money and they’re always in demand. If you’re starting out, you’ll probably begin in electrical maintenance before eventually moving on up.

Construction Labouring

The construction industry is always looking for new labourers to come on board and work hard on all kinds of building projects. As a result, good labourer jobs are pretty easy to come by, and there is plenty of choice out there. At tiring work that can put a strain on the body but if you’re up for that, this could be the career that you’re best suited to.

Carpentry

Carpentry is one of the oldest and most highly regarded professions in human history. It’s thanks to carpenters that we’ve had furniture and all kinds of other items that have motored human progress through the ages. These days, carpenters are as in demand as ever as people look for unique and highly crafted furniture for their homes. Carpenters can also do work on repairing furniture that’s broken or damaged in some way.

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Welding

Welding is similar to carpentry, except you just switch wood for metal. It’s all about creating metal items by securely joining together multiple pieces of metal. It’s a precise task and requires a very steady hand for the best outcome. It can be a rewarding job too though, because you see the product of your labour right in front of you as soon as you lift up that welding mask and take a closer look at what you’ve done.

It might take some new training and a new interest, but there is nothing stopping you from switching to one these careers and fulfilling your dream to do a hands-on job each day.

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Best Paid Jobs for People with a Biomedical Engineering Degree

If you have always been interested in science and would like to put your biology and chemistry skills into good use, helping people in the future, you can look for career prospects with great work-life balance, and job satisfaction. If you are qualified, and focused on one particular area, you will be able to secure a high starting salary, stable job security, and a rewarding career. Find out more about the best paid biomedical engineering jobs below.

General Biomedical Engineer

“NIAID Vaccine Research Center Lab” by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0

If you are qualified, you can become a biomedical engineer with a starting salary of around $70,000. You might be working for a research hospital, dealing with patients who have rare diseases, provided that you have acls certification. You will need a bachelor or masters degree in biological engineering, and a traditional degree, in chemistry, or mechanical engineering. You will never get bored, and might even change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people suffering from a certain condition.

Microbiologist

150616-N-PO203-107 WASHINGTON, (June 16, 2015) Naomi Delgado Cruz, a mechanical engineering senior at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, and physics major Derick Buckles, from Morgan State University, participate in a 10-week summer research program at the Naval Research Laboratory for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI). This year, 26 students were selected through a competitive application process to conduct work on research projects currently underway at the Navy’s corporate lab. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

“150616-N-PO203-107” by Office of Naval Research is licensed under CC BY 2.0

If you love research, you can start your career in microbiology. Many people with a degree in biomedical engineering spend a few years in this field, so they can understand the different aspects of health care and patients’ needs. You will need to learn more about the disease before you are able to design a cure or a treatment. You might be able to take part in a large-scale study, and transfer your research skills to your future career.

Drug Developer

If you secure a job at a large pharmaceutical company’s research center, you can get a highly paid job working in a team discovering new drugs that will help people with rare or little known conditions. You will need advanced research skills, as well as strong knowledge of evidence based approach, administering trials, and ethics. Drug development is a popular option for biomedical engineering graduates, as it allows them to learn from more experienced team members, and get recognition for inventions and patented drugs.

Research and Development

If you would like to learn more about the industry and get experience in research, you might apply for a job in a large company’s research and development department. You can find a job in any industry; fertilizer or pesticide manufacturers, medical device companies, and health and beauty giants. You can gain experience as a researcher and project manager in any field and later utilize your biomedical engineering knowledge. You can work on your own on developing new projects, and if you have additional qualifications, such as project management, you can find your future career in any industry.

Investing long years in a biomedical engineering qualification is rewarding, no matter which field you are looking for work in. You need to remember that starting in a research team as a newly qualified engineer might be a good option if you don’t have the confidence yet to work on your initiative. You will also need to improve your research and project management skills before you can manage different developments, but as a qualified biomedical engineer, you are going to be paid a high salary, gain recognition, and have the satisfaction of helping people and making thousands’ lives better through your skills and knowledge.

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Dangerous Jobs For Thrillseekers

What do you look for in a job? Flexible hours, good salary, light workload? Or maybe you’re after something a bit more exciting. Maybe you’re looking for a job that will keep you on your toes. There are some jobs out there that do exactly that. They aren’t the kind of jobs that involve sitting around in an office all day. Some of these jobs can land you in real danger every single day, but you’ll get paid a good salary in return. If that sounds like a good deal to you, here are some of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

Fisherman

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Fishing doesn’t seem that dangerous, it’s just a load of guys sitting around waiting for a bite. It might be like that when you go fishing in a river, but commercial sea fishing is a different game. It’s so dangerous that there’s even a TV show about the guys that head out to sea to catch all of the fish that we eat. The weather out there gets pretty crazy and it’s so easy for you to be thrown from the ship in a storm. Once that happens, you don’t stand much chance of surviving. There’s also loads of heavy machinery around that can easily cause injury. It’s a tough life living out there, but there’s lots of excitement to be had if you’re up to it.

Construction

Pexels

There are a million ways that you can get hurt on a construction site and it’s made all the more dangerous when people ignore health and safety regulations. If people are operating heavy machinery like cranes without a rig mat from somewhere like http://northernmat.ca/products/rig-mats/, you risk the whole thing toppling and landing on the workers below. There’s the risk of electric shocks, burns from all the nasty chemicals floating around, falling hazards, injuries from heavy lifting. Those are just a few of the plentiful ways that you could do yourself some serious damage on a building site.

Garbage Men

Pixabay

There can’t be that much danger in being a garbage man surely? You just chuck the garbage in the back of the truck and go on your way. What you’ve got to remember though is that there is a lot of heavy crushing machinery back there and if you ever get caught up in it, you’re in big trouble. On top of that, you never know what you’re going to come across in the trash. There could be all sorts of dangerous chemicals or other things lurking in there.

Roofer

Flickr

This is a pretty obvious one. When roofers are up there fixing the roof of your house, they risk falling down and injuring themselves. But that isn’t very likely actually. Roofers know the dangers of falling and they take measures to avoid it. The sun is actually a far bigger problem for roofers who might not always realize the danger. Being so high up, especially in the summer, means you’re getting blasted with the sun all the time. It’s very easy to get sunstroke while you’re up there and make yourself incredibly ill.

If you think you could handle these jobs, they pay you well for the danger they put you in.

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Money Talks: 10 High Paying Career Choices To Consider After College

https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-close-up-corporate-fashion-556963/

When you’ve spent a lot of time in school, studying hard, working hard, and spending a lot of money for the privilege, you often want to make sure that you can come out on top. After all, we go to college to get a good job.

Although the social side of things, and life experience is definitely a big draw, the bottom line is, we’re there to learn and prepare ourselves to embark on a chosen career path. And it can cost a lot to do it too.

So when you leave college with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debts, you often want to ensure that you can embark on a career path that’s going to pay you well.

Of course, it’s not always possible to leave college and start earning a great salary right away. But that’s okay. As long as you can pay your rent and start making payments towards your student loans, you’re on the right path. But, you also need that reassurance that your job is going to pay well, even if it takes a few years.

If that sounds like a good plan to you, here are ten career choices to consider when you want to earn well.

Lawyer

One of the strongest options that’s always going to be available to you, is the career of a lawyer. Now, you are going to need to go to law school, pass the bar and become a certified lawyer for this to happen. And that comes at a cost. But the salary that you can earn at the end of this will be worthwhile. On average, lawyers will earn over six figures. So this will ensure that you’re earning well, pretty much from the start of your career.

Financier

As you may have guessed, money talks. And when you want to earn money, you work in money. There are a wealth of financial careers that you could consider here. These banking, finance, and accountancy careers https://www.allaboutcareers.com/careers/industry/banking-finance-accountancy are just a few examples of what you could do. Of all, hedge fund managers often earn the most, even into seven figures.

Engineer

Next up, why not think about becoming an engineer? Engineers can work across a wide range of disciplines, all of which tend to pay well. Just take a look at the highest paying engineering jobs here https://typesofengineeringdegrees.org/highest-paid-engineering-jobs/ for some background on which to choose. As the source suggests, petroleum engineers are the highest paid of all, but chemical engineering, nuclear engineering, computer engineering careers are all well-paying too.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/ballpen-blur-close-up-computer-461077/

Marketing Director

Marketing is another field that you can often always guarantee yourself a solid salary. Although your hours can be long, and you will need to work up the ranks to this position, the financial reward is always worth it. As a director, either in-house or working for an agency, you could find that your earnings will top six figures. Salaries can range from $70,000-$165,000, and higher in New York City.

IT Manager

In today’s modern world, working in the technological and digital world’s is always going to be a smart and profitable idea. As this is where the world is going. While there are different IT career paths that you could consider following, aiming for management is always your best bet at earning well. Again, this is another career path that you’re going to need to work your way up in. But the starting salaries aren’t shabby either, with many beginning at around the $50,000 mark, going on to reach six figures at the management levels.

Actuary

A career as an actuary can often prove quite interesting, as well as profitable. Just as long as you have an interest in figures and statistics. Actuaries calculate financial risks. And while the job does seem quite intense itself, the financial benefits reflect the requirements of the job. It’s a fast-growing industry, and salaries can average just shy of the six-figure mark. Although your starting salary is likely to be around $55,000, they can go up to $180,000.

Architect

If numbers aren’t your thing, don’t worry. You can still earn a great wage as a creative or more technical person. The career path of an architect is a testament to that. Architects earn, on average, around $80,000 per year. So if you love to be creative, and have a passion for design and property, getting into architecture could be the perfect way for you to combine your interests and ensure that you’re going to earn well.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-close-up-depth-of-field-device-407237/

Property Developer

Or maybe you like the idea of working in property, but you’re not too creative? If you have an eye for business and making money, then property development could be the perfect fit for you. Property developers can earn around the six-figure mark as an average. But, of course, if you’re self-employed, your earnings can be uncapped. You may even want to utilize resources such as http://rumahdijual.com/malang/rumah-malang-jawa-timur as your career goes on to develop. Expanding internationally is a great way to ensure that you can maximize your earnings in property development.

Doctor

Doubling back to a more classic high-paying career choice now, let’s talk about becoming a doctor. The medical school fees are often too off-putting for many people, but a career in medicine will definitely be both high-paying and rewarding. Base pay for doctors such as family practitioners is often around the $180,000 mark, meaning that you’re going to be well paid pretty much when you first start out (and can say goodbye to those student loans pretty quickly too).

Entrepreneur

And finally, if you want to take control of your earnings and ensure that you can pave your own way when it comes to your salary, you should think about becoming an entrepreneur. As a businessperson, you control your own work and the money you make. So if you have a brain for business and a passionate business idea, start out on your own path and earn your own way.

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What’s Wrong with a Blue-Collar Career? Nothing!

Is that executive, college degree required, corner office position the only goal for a career? The answer is  a resounding “NO!” Though I’ve always known it, that fact was reinforced for me by a segment in the CBS show, “Sunday”, that I watched this morning.

Sure, those white-collar positions are important, but definitely not the only thing when it comes to careers. Unfortunately, too many think that only white-collar jobs and careers are important, and look down on blue-collar careers, and the people who have them.

Let’s take a look: White Collar Careers

Sure, those with white-collar careers are important. They make plans, meet with other high level decision makers on projects, decipher all the paperwork involved, and keep tabs on the corporate finances and business dealings.

But, they come at a price, and not all are high paying.

They often require a college degree, which can mean tons of student loan debt and years of school, which leads to the next fact. That college degree doesn’t automatically guarantee a high paying job. Some white-collar jobs start at minimum wage and one must stay there a good long time before they see a meaningful rise in pay. And, given how easily companies, especially large ones, will lay off workers, that can take a while with lot’s of derailment along the way.

But even if you get the high paying job, it can often come with a lot of stress in the forms of long hours, difficult bosses and co-workers, and company rules that oftentimes don’t make sense.

That’s not to say that the white-collar career path is not worthwhile, but, like anything else, there are pitfalls, and, if one is not cut out for this path, they’ll likely have problems.

Also, many white-collar positions, particularly lower level ones, can be, and often are, outsourced or automated.

And for those of you who think you’ll never have to get dirty in a white-collar job, that’s not always the case, depending on the field you’re in and company you work for.

Let’s take a look: Blue Collar Careers

Blue collar careers will more likely involve working with one’s hands and involve more physical work. And it can also mean getting dirty, and, if outside, as in construction work, it means working in all types or weather and temperatures. However, it’s not always the case, depending on the field you’re in and the company you work for. But, overall, you’ll be more likely to be working physically.

Many think that blue-collar work is automatically low-paying. Not always true, in fact, it can be very high paying. Mechanics, plumbers, and electricians often do very well, especially once they reach “Journeyman” level and above. Next time you call a plumber, or electrician, or take your car to the mechanic, and you gasp at the bill, you’ll see what the labor cost is. Oftentimes it’s the lion’s share of the bill, and that will tell you that the plumber, electrician, and mechanic make quite a bit more than minimum wage.

Getting prepared for a blue-collar career also often involves furthering one’s education, but trade schools and vocational schools are often cheaper than formal college. However, you’ll still have to study hard.

Another advantage, because of how people think of blue-collar vs white-collar careers, many blue-collar careers go begging, as do openings in trade and vocational schools and programs.

And, there’s another fact that can be really great. It’s that it’s really hard to outsource or automate most blue-collar jobs, and in many disaster situations, the blue-collar worker can often still find work. Puerto Rico, Florida, and Houston are all in need of builders, electricians, plumbers, and others in related trades for rebuilding. They’re not in need of executives, accountants, and sales managers.

And, you can’t outsource plumbers or delivery drivers. And it’ll be a very long time before these positions can be automated.

Final word: We Need Both

So, next time you’re wondering, take a look at your city or town, all the buildings, infrastructure, and the physical things you see being done every day. Yes, the executives were needed to make the plans and get the deals done, and the attorneys were needed to make sure everything was legal and spelled out.

But, it was the blue-collar workers, the builders, welders, electricians, plumbers, drivers, machine operators, food preparers and servers, and others, who all combined to make those plans reality.

So whatever career path you choose, know that it is important, worthwhile, and contributes to the well-being of society.

Good luck!

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Dream Big: How To Make A Name For Yourself As An Actor

As children, a lot of people have big dreams. However, as we get older, these dreams are shoved out of the way by ‘adult’ aspirations. We don’t believe that certain roles have the potential for success, such as roles in the performing arts sector. However, just because the percentage of people who make it as actors, singers, and dancers is lower than the success rates of other career paths, does that mean that you should give up on your dreams of being an actor.

 

The fact is that you will spend the majority of your time on this earth at work, which is why doing a job that you love is so important. Are you keen to pursue a career as an actor? Then have a read of the tips below to make a name for yourself as an actor.

Photo from Pixabay

 

Understand the importance of experience

 

In almost every career sector, experience is vital, and it’s no different with acting. If you want to make a success of yourself as an actor, it could be worth taking the time to gain the experience that you need to do so. One of the best ways to gain this experience is by choosing to attend drama school, to learn about all of the best acting techniques there are. Just like any profession, acting is a career that takes skill and experience. As well as gaining experience and vital skills at acting school, it’s also vital that you gain as much amateur experience as possible. Take part in local productions and student’s films – take every opportunity that comes your way.

 

Get head shots

 

When it comes to making a success of a career as an actor, the more professional you can be, the better. That’s why having a professional portfolio which includes professional head shots is so important. The fact is that like in any profession when it comes to how you present yourself ahead of auditions, professionalism is vital. Whether you’ve found an audition on a specialist site like AuditionsHQ.com or have been asked to audition for a role by someone who you know, it doesn’t matter, a professional portfolio of work and head shots is vital. Don’t skimp on your head shots, ensure that you have professional ones to place in your portfolio.

 

Never give up

 

It’s easy to give up on your dreams when things are not going well, however, if you are serious about being successful, it is vital that you never give up. You may have bad days, and times when no matter what you do, you can’t seem to catch a break, but that doesn’t mean that you should give up. If you are serious about making a career out of acting or any performance art, it is vital that you have the mindset to stay strong, no matter what happens, and never give up.

 

The fact is, if you want to make a name for yourself as an actor, it is vital that you dream big. You need to be willing to put yourself out there and work as hard as possible, to attempt to ensure that you are as successful as possible. It won’t always be easy, but if you are smart about things, your hard work will pay off.

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Career Choices For Detail-Orientated People

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Do you find yourself focusing on the small things?

 

Do you have the motivation to pick up discrepancies, the kind that other people might miss?

 

Do you delight in the fine print, able to identify issues before they happen?

 

If you can answer a resounding “yes” to all of the above, then chances are you’re a detail-orientated person. This has its frustrations, there’s no doubt. When you’re always noticing small details, then you can be distracted from everything else. While everyone else is delighting in the latest hit TV show episode, you’re finding yourself puzzling over a small plot hole that the writers left unanswered. It can even be irritating that other people don’t quite have the same level of focus to the small-scale that you do.

 

However, on the whole, being detail-orientated is a blessing rather than a curse. When it comes to choosing career options, your detail-hungry brain is always going to be seen as an asset by employers. That means you’re going to be able to pick and choose the industries you want to work in – but which might be the best suited to your personality?

 

Option 1: Medical Coder

 

A biller/coder in the medical field is responsible for compiling invoices and dealing with insurance details. On the surface, it sounds like basic-level accounting stuff – but you couldn’t be more wrong.

 

The reason that a biller/coder needs to be able to focus on details is the sheer amount of data they need to process. If a patient is admitted to the ER, then has a scan, then moves to a ward for treatment – that’s three different departments you’re going to need to pull information from. You then have to compile it along with the required legislation; and there’s no room for errors. It’s perfect for someone like you, who focuses on the small details that others might miss.

 

Option 2: Project Management

 

Project management is a task that many people would feel they can turn their hands to, but for those who do it as a profession, it’s an entirely different world. Pro project managers have to be able to identify problems before they happen; liaise with different teams of people; and see how to bring them all together.

 

The smallest slip, and you can doom a project. But you’re a details person – there’s no way you’re going to be making any slips. It’s high pressure, but it’s high reward too.

 

Option 3: Mental Health Counselling

 

This one might sound a little out of left field – but it makes more sense if you think of mental health treatment as a science rather than an art. Identifying the source of someone’s issues requires a lot of focus on their past; being able to remember small details; extrapolate meaning from off-handed comments that they might not even have realized were relevant to their current situation. If you’re able to focus on the details with ease, then this is a job you might just be perfect for.

 

While there’s plenty of job opportunities for those who thrive on details, the above three might be the best possible fits you can imagine.

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Beat The Commute – How To Work From Home More Often

Most full-time workers hate their morning commute. It takes too long. It’s stressful. There is never anywhere to park. These are just some of the complaints from commuters who have to drive to work. There are, of course, many more. What if you could eliminate the commute from your day? Would it make any difference? The technology exists for many workers to work from home. Is it something you would consider?

 

Why Would You Want To Work From Home?

The average commute in the US is over four hours per week. In other countries, it can be much higher. These are the hours of your life when you can achieve little else. You have to focus on the road, even if the traffic is stationary. Worst of all, you’re not getting paid for those hours, yet you have to sacrifice them to get to work.

 

The cost of commuting, even by car, is much higher than you would think too. The fuel costs can be very high if you have long distances and lots of stops and starts. There is wear and tear on the car too. The cost to the environment can be quite substantial too. It’s not just the exhaust fumes you might worry about. The particles in the air from brake pads and tires are now known to be causing ill health for those that live close to main roads.

Image credit

 

Parking’s not a lot of fun either. It costs a lot to leave your car in a garage all day, and the time taken to find a spot is more time you lose from your day. Then, of course, are all the accidents that occur during the morning and evening commutes. According to this car accident lawyer, the losses you might experience from a typical crash could extend far beyond a couple of days wages.

 

Would My Boss Approve?

More and more big businesses are keen to be seen as supporting the varied lifestyles of employees. This can include workers with school-aged children and those that have additional needs in the workplace. If working at home means you are more productive, then why wouldn’t your boss agree? Take the commute out of your day, and you’re likely to be less stressed, less tired, and less likely to start the working day late!

 

Not all bosses are happy to let the employees work remotely. There is a trust issue there. You might need to prove yourself first. Why not ask to take a single day working from home? You’ll have a chance to get a feel for it as well as proving to your boss that you are productive.

Image credit

 

Some managers firmly believe that face-to-face meetings work best for team collaborations. It’s worth proposing video conferencing as an option here. It is also possible to stay logged on to a video call all day so your boss can see you are at the computer and working. This might feel like an invasion of privacy, though, especially as you are in your home. However, you might prefer it like this as you can still feel like you’re part of the office culture. Of course, cloud-based collaborative working will confirm you’re online, and your colleagues will see your input as it happens.

 

How Do I Set Up My Home For Working?

The most important thing you need is a high-speed internet connection and a good computer. This is often all a remote office worker needs. The rest will depend on your home lifestyle. If you live alone, you might be happy sitting on the sofa working. Of course, an appropriate desk and chair are less likely to cause back pain, neck pain, and postural problems!

 

A dedicated home office is ideal if you have a family at home with you. It gives you a separate environment for work to your home life. It will also be quieter, and you can work undisturbed while your family gets on with things elsewhere in the house. If you have to handle hard copies of documents, it’s essential you have a fireproof lockable cabinet to keep these things private and protected.

Image credit

 

Many people like working from home because they can enjoy TV in their lunch breaks and the chance to catch up with housework and cooking. However, it can be really easy to let your work life and home life leak into each other. This isn’t always a good idea and can lead to stress and even overworking.

 

Ideally, you should have a cut-off point or set hours for working that are similar to what you would have in the office. Yes, you should definitely get up, shower, and dress every day for work. It just puts you in a better. More professional mind-set for the job. Why not try a fifteen-minute walking commute around the block each day? It’s good exercise and is a healthy approach to working from home.

 

How Often Should I Work From Home?

Many freelancers and self-employed people work only from home. If you have a job, then you might only be able to work from home once or twice a week. The choice is down to you and your boss. Sometimes it’s nice to head back into the office for some company. Life at home can get quite hectic when you have to work there as well!

Image credit

 

Working from home should be beneficial to you and your employer. It shouldn’t just be about saving costs and time. You should feel less stressed and more productive, and that should be evident in your work. How many days a week will this be true? Every day can be different. The number of days you choose to work from home might vary from week to week.

 

Beating the commute is certainly something most of us wish we could do. Working from home might be just one answer to the problem. Moving closer to your office, or taking a job closer to home could change your commute dramatically. Would you prefer to work from home more often?

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A Life Filled With Love: The Options Of Working With Children

Children are a gift. They’re the future generation, and as adults, we have the opportunity to guide them in the right direction. It’s an amazing feeling and one that manifests in most of our lives when we have children.

But, there’s no reason that those of us who don’t have kids around the place can’t enjoy the experience too. It may be that you don’t have a desire to have children, or that it’s not happened just yet. Whatever the reason, it’s possible to make a difference to future generations without a child of your own. There are plenty of career options out there which involve working with youngsters. As well as being some of the most satisfying jobs available, these are an amazing way to make a difference. To prove the point, we’re going to take a look at some of the top contenders.

Social work

If you want to dedicate your life to the cause, it’s worth looking into social work. If you go down this route, you’ll be working closely with troubled children. You’ll work with kids in their family homes, and those who have been removed from their parent’s care. It can be a harrowing job at times, but satisfaction doesn’t get much better than this. This is a fantastic option if you want to work in close collaboration with many kids. Often, you’ll become the only stable in these children’s lives. As such, it’s crucial you know that this is a job you can stick at.

It’s also important to note that you can’t jump straight into social work. You will need to either do on the job training, or look into something like these msw online programs. This amount of responsibility does require high levels of qualification. But, that might not be a bad thing. During your training, you’ll get a good idea of whether the job suits.

Foster care

If you want to care for kids, but don’t want to give up your job to do so, consider foster care. As a carer, you’ll offer your home to children in care while their social workers seek to find them a family. While all care centers have different foster requirements, the majority are keen for volunteers. To ensure you’re a good fit, you will probably need to attend a day course and undergo extensive checks.

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And, it’s important to consider whether you’re mentally prepared for a role like this. These children, some of them troubled, are going to come into your home, heart, and life. You need to ensure that you have what it takes to care for them. While not a full-time job, foster placements can really take it out of you if you aren’t prepared.

That said, this can be an amazing experience. Better than helping children is the opportunity to let them into your home. Yours may well be the first loving home these kids ever experience. Few others jobs offer the chance to make such a huge difference.

Childminding

If you have time to dedicate to the cause, childminding may be worth some consideration. Within this job role, you’ll be taking care of children, either throughout the day or for a few hours at a time. Most parents who use such services do so because of their work commitments, so the times of care will vary.

To become a childminder you’ll need to complete a short course, and get yourself registered. If you want people to put their trust in you, you need to ensure you have a seal of approval! It’s also worth completing a first aid course so that you have the know how if you need it.

Much like with foster care, children will likely come to your home for the duration of your time together. But, you’ll get the relief of knowing that their parents will pick them up at the end of the day. Bear in mind that, while the other jobs mentioned allow you to work with kids of all ages, childminding puts you with children younger than school age. If you think you’d be comfortable with younger kids, give it a go. If not, this may not be the job for you.

Schools

Teaching requires extensive studying, which you may not want to undertake. But, that’s not the only school job available. You could opt for a teaching assistant position. This would involve working in the classroom, but with much less pressure. You’ll be there to help the kids, rather than teach them. And, their teacher will always be there to take over if need be. This can be a nice way to build relationships with the students. The teacher isn’t always the most popular person, but teaching assistants go down much better.

Or, if you’re looking for something with less commitment, you could work in the school kitchen. You don’t need to be a top chef to do this, as the meals are all pre-prepared elsewhere. For the most part, you’ll be a friendly face while the kids get their dinner. Bear in mind, though, that your interaction with the children would be minimal. If you want to build close relationships, this may not be the best option.

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Creche/Preschool

If you want the chance to work with younger kids, it’s worth considering a creche or preschool instead. The work and age group involved won’t be dissimilar to those in childminding, but there’s less pressure here. For one, the care won’t fall on you. In most cases, there will be at least two supervisors a class. Plus, you won’t have to take work home with you.

The best part about this work is that you normally do your training on the job. So, if this sounds like the ideal option for you, you can easily get stuck straight in. Another benefit to this option is that the hours are a stable nine to five, fitting in with those busy parents. So, you can be sure you’ll be earning a set amount each month.

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Putting One Foot In Front Of The Other At Work

When you start a job in a new company, you generally begin with a fresh outlook and an excitement that this job could be it – the one that changes your life. It very well could be. You could start a role and feel like this is the place you were always meant to be and there is a very clear-cut path to the top of the food chain. However, if the job you have begun doesn’t end up that way, and you cannot see how you can progress within your career, then you have a lot of soul-searching to do. Hating your job can mean you spend day in and day out wishing for something bigger and better, but without being able to see what comes next, it can be very difficult to decide on how you handle your next steps.

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You have a number of choices ahead of you when you aren’t happy within your job. You can choose to stay put, stall and be unhappy. You can choose to risk it all and leave your job before you have any other options. You can choose to job hunt and try to balance interviewing with other firms with your current hours. Lastly, you could choose to better in your job by studying up to the next level. Half the problem with those who hate their jobs is that they’ve taken a role that was never meant for them in the first place. Those working in secretarial work may have preferred to be in management or leading a team to success with a project, but never got that far. Those working in the bottom rungs of healthcare may have been desperate to do an online RN MSN course but never got around to it. Working in a job that makes you unhappy as it isn’t your dream job isn’t easy, but there are ways around it. You just have to want to chase those options. There are some steps you can take to leave your current role and scramble up the ladder to success elsewhere, but before you do that you have to have a plan. You need to plan your next career move and this can take some time and thinking.

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Putting one foot in front of the other at work is not easy. You firstly have to be in a position where you make or break: make it work and air your concerns about your job to your management team, or break away and try something new, effectively starting all over again. No one wants to do that. But how can you plan your next career move? How can you put it out there that you want more, even if that means staying where you are and working on it getting better? We’ve got a five-step plan to help you figure out what you should do next, so the next time you panic about whether you should move forward in your career, you can come back to this post and know you have a solid plan ahead.

Plan Your Day. Before you know whether you want to leave your job, you have to understand what you want to leave your job for. Don’t look at the big picture to start with, look at the smaller one. If the fact is you don’t like the job you are in, work out WHY you don’t like it. Is it the hours? The people? The workplace? The actual role? The way you handle your next move in your career is going to depend on any one of those options. Practice planning out the ideal day at work, and be realistic about it. Think about what you want from your career and go from there.

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Find Your Happy. Being exhausted and overworked can make you feel miserable. This then taints anything that makes you exhausted and can bring on feelings of resentment toward your job. Find things in your work that make you happy. Do you manage projects through to completion, giving you a sense of achievement? Does your commute make you unhappy? Find out what makes you happy and work on those areas. If you can’t find anything, it’s a sure sign you need to make a move.

Find The Sadness. Work out the things you dislike about your day and try to change those. If you are stuck with a team you don’t enjoy the company of, ask to be transferred to a different department to work on other skills. If your commute is getting you down, discuss the possibility of working from home. The only way you will be able to get your boss understanding why you’re unhappy is to talk about it.

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Plan Your Decade. That awful question about where you see yourself in five years crops up a lot in job interviews, and if you can think further enough ahead you should be able to see what you want for yourself in the future. If you cannot see a time where you are going to be happy in the job you currently are in, you need to take steps now and move on. You don’t want to be sat at the same desk for 10 years only to decide that you made a huge mistake.

Make Your Move. Life is a game of chess, and making the moves you make can see you back to the start, or checkmating the King. Once you’ve decided exactly what it is you want from life, you can make your move across the board and start doing what you want to do. Feeling stuck in a job doesn’t mean you have to stay with it, so make your move early enough and do something you truly want to do.

Having a plan for your career isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably the smartest thing you can do. Don’t waste your time on unhappiness – find your happy and make it your life.

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