 December
16, 2003
Happy Holidays!
Welcome again and a Happy Holiday Season from
The Letter, a career management newsletter published
by the Alternative FUTURES Press in Berkeley,
Calif. We hope you enjoyed the last Letter with
the timely article about How
to Get Your Career Unstuck. This edition of
The Letter offers lots of additional information
and commentary, plus another article especially
appropriate for the holiday season entitled Real
Work - The 5 Secrets of Finding Career and Life
Fulfillment.
Enjoy.
News
from The Front Line
Top Jobs in 2004
Everyone
always has an opinion about this topic but these
excerpts from SmartMoney.com make a lot of sense.
1. Sales - The No. 1 job category on
Monster.com is sales. "Companies need to
hire sales people as a precursor to growth,"
says Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor. Only then
will they be ready to capitalize once their
customers start spending again.
2. Financial Planners - In just six years,
the first of America's 77 million boomers will
reach retirement age - and they're going to
need an army of financial planners to help clean
up their portfolios. Otherwise, they'll be pushing
paper from 9 to 5 rather than swinging a golf
club.
3. Health Care - You've heard it before:
America is aging quickly. Even if you don't
have a medical degree, there are plenty of jobs
in this field. Health-care companies ranging
from insurers to drug manufacturers need accountants,
customer-service reps, marketing folks and others.
The government should also have spots to fill
as it reconfigures the Medicare program.
4. International Business - Corporate
America has a global reach, and people who can
speak a second language and who have a deep
understanding of a foreign culture are in high
demand. Companies are looking for everything
from factory managers to government liaisons.
The ideal candidates are second-generation Americans
and workers with international experience.
The
U-Haul Economic Indicator
The
cost of renting a 26-foot U- Haul moving truck
for a one-way trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
is $1,080. The same move in the opposite direction
costs only $133. To economist Brian Wesbury,
the difference in cost is an accurate snapshot
of the economic climate in California: People
are moving out of the state as opportunity diminishes
and few want to move in.
Talk about a dramatic economic indicator!
Driving
the Recovery
By Charles Kroupa, AIP, Special to The Letter
I've
come across a number of articles recently that
indicate in the forthcoming economic expansion
China will dominate in manufacturing; India,
and perhaps the Philippines, in services; and
India in electronic-technology research and
development.
The rites of passage through most recessions
are characterized by firms restructuring and
merging - followed by rehiring. This time we
have gone global. We're outsourcing and offshoring;
and rehiring where labor is cheap.
What will be the engine of the U.S. economic
recovery? It looks like anti-terrorism technology,
biotechnology, genomics and nanotechnology;
followed by inventions now unknown. I hope Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Co. have the foresight
and fortitude to promote their genesis in the
Silicon Valley and Bay Area.
Inspiration
Things
do not change.......We change.
~
Henry David Thoreau
Some men see things as they are and ask why.
Others dream things that never were and ask why
not.
~
George Bernard Shaw
Feature
Article
Real
Work
-
The 5 Secrets of Finding Career & Life Fulfillment
By Clay Parsons
The purpose of life is to uncover the gifts
that you were born with. The meaning of life
is to share those gifts with others.
Have you ever met anyone who really loved their
work, not just superficially, but deep down
to the core of their being? Have you ever known
someone who smiled all the time, had lots of
energy, and never seemed to complain about anything?
If you can't remember anyone like that there
is a very good reason. There are very few people
who are happy with their work and it shows.
Most of us began our careers almost by accident
and we are not doing something that we enjoy.
We may have become good at it but it takes so
much energy to perform that by the weekend we
have nothing left for spouse and family. We
may have made a lot of money but the truth is
we would rather do something else - anything
else. We are on a fast track towards burnout,
desperately waiting and planning for our retirement
while in the process of losing our health. By
the time we reach the golden age of 65 we are
a basket case. Does this script sound familiar?
Does it have to be this way?
We can do it a different way, a more effective
way, but first we need to learn how to take
real control of our lives.
Click
here to read the article
Clay
Parsons Speaks to CINA Meeting
On Saturday, Dec. 6, Clay gave a talk entitled
"Make the Right Career Choices in a Time
of Uncertainty" to the Chinese Information
and Networking Association (CINA) at the Fenwick
and West Conference Center in Mountain View, Calif.
CINA members from all over the Bay Area attended.
New
Career Milestones
Examples of what Parsons' clients at Alternative FUTURES' are doing
Michel S. is now following his dream and working
full time as a musician. An accomplished classical
guitarist, lute player and composer he will soon
release two new CD albums. His web site address
is www.EnchantingGuitar.com
Pay him a visit.
After a long job search Greg P. has a new position
with a high tech French company. He will help
them implement their learning content management
system. They are planning to send Greg to Paris
for training. Congratulations and Bon Chance!
Until
next time,
Clay
Parsons, MA, MLA Alternative
FUTURES Press
2034 Blake Street
Suite 6
Berkeley, CA 94704
Tel:
(510) 287-5664
Fax: (510) 548-9921
www.alternativefutures.com
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