Careers in Renewable Energy – Book Review



I just finished reading “Careers In Renewable Energy: Get A Green Energy Job” by Gregory McNamee. I’ve read almost every book that comes out on the topic of green jobs. I can say with conviction, that this is one of the best books available in the green career genre.

We all hear about green jobs, but most people have no idea how to go about getting one. In this book the author will provide you with a roadmap to get involved in a career that makes a difference. All of the major components of renewable energy are covered, from solar, wind, and hydrogen. I really like this because a lot of other books that I read just focus on solar power.

The best part of the book for me is the focus on college students and how they can begin preparing for a green career. The author outlines specific courses to take and different ways that students can strengthen their skill sets to be prepared to land a job in the renewable energy sector. The author also dives into many of the available resources on the Internet that can help, including the best jobsites to search for green jobs. This was very helpful because most students use the Internet these days to search for jobs.

My one criticism of the book is that the author almost completely ignores current workers. I think it would have been helpful if he had a chapter devoted to career changers and how one can transition into a career in renewable energy.
In closing, I would recommend this book to every college student that is looking to obtain a meaningful career upon graduation.

Get Ahead By Going Abroad — A Woman’s Guide To Fast-Track Career Success (Book Review)



Could Rhonda Byrne be wrong? Could there really be another Secret? According to C. Perry Yeatman and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, the authors of Get Ahead By Going Abroad: A Woman’s Guide To Fast-Track Career Success, there is indeed another secret: working abroad gets you up the career ladder faster — especially if you are a woman struggling to break through the proverbial glass ceiling at home.

Perry and Stacie are living testimony to the power of working abroad. Perry was a 25 year-old account executive making US$25,000 a year when she moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Singapore to accept her first job overseas. Ten years later, with additional stints in Moscow and London, Perry catapulted to earning US$500,000 per year and found herself touring exotic cities with global CEOs and former heads of state like Margaret Thatcher. Today, Perry is one of the top fifty executives at Kraft Foods, the second-largest food and beverage company in the world.

Stacie moved to Hong Kong the day after her wedding, at age twenty-seven. She took up a vice-president position at Burson-Marsteller — a leading global PR firm. Upon her return to Washington, D.C. only three years later, Stacie became a global managing director. By the age of 34, she was named a partner in WPP, parent company to Burson-Marsteller, and ranked in the top 1 percent of the largest communications conglomerate in the world. Today, Stacie is a successful author and a sought-after speaker and consultant.

But it is not just Perry and Stacie who have shot ahead by going abroad. To prove their theory, the authors conducted a global online survey of more than 200 women who had spent significant time abroad. A convincing 85 percent agreed that going overseas had accelerated their careers. Now that is a figure not to be scoffed at.

As a former expat in Indonesia and Mexico, I loved reading Get Ahead By Going Abroad because it took me up close and personal with Perry, Stacie and other similarly successful expat women — who share insights never normally offered to anyone outside their trusted inner circles. I also enjoyed the fact that the book is written differently from your standard how-to fare: it intersperses advice, checklists and get-ahead tools with loads of quotes from the 40 women the authors interviewed in-depth to make their material real.

Whilst aimed at the niche female market, this book is a must-have for anyone wanting to: land an international assignment; negotiate the best possible contract; know what to expect when they arrive; and strategically transition themselves into a premium position upon repatriation.

If you fancy a stab at accelerated success, doused with the excitement of living in a foreign land, Get Ahead By Going Abroad is definitely one of those books you should Google today.

Copyright belongs to Andrea Martins.

Reprints welcomed.

First published by The Telegraph (UK) online on 14 May 2008.

University Devry’s Online Bachelor Degree Programs Review



University Devry is a brick & mortal university founded on 1931 as a film and radio repair teaching establishment. Today, it has become one of the top ranking and the largest university that run for profit in United States. The degree programs offered by the university cover almost every career fields. In conjunction with the growth of online education, University Devry has followed the technology trend to offer online degree programs for students who prefer to earn their degree through online media. Here we will review the major online bachelor degree programs offered by University Devry.

By understanding the tight working schedule and family commitment for today’s working individuals, University Devry opens most of their class-based degree programs to online students so that they can pursue their degree from anywhere and at anytime that fit the best to their schedule. Most of online bachelor degree programs offered by University Devry are focus on technology-based and career-oriented which will prepare students to earn their related career degree to compete in the constant changing working environment of today’s businesses and industries.

University Devry offers 5 online bachelor degree programs for online students and each bachelor degree programs have various concentrations for students to choose one that best fit their needs. The bachelor online degree programs offers are:

[1] Business Administration Degrees

The online bachelor degrees in business administration have 12 concentrations for you to choose from. These concentrations are: Accounting, Business Information Systems, Finance, Health Services Management, Hospitality Management, Human Resource Management, Operations Management, Project Management, Sales & Marketing, Security Management, Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship and Technical Communication. The business administration degrees prepare the students for the required credential to increase their competitive edge in making a success in their career.

[2] Computer Information Systems

University Devry offers career-oriented computer information systems degrees for online students. Among the concentrations that designed specially to help their students meet their career goal are: Business/Management, Computer Forensics, Database Management, Information Systems Security, Systems Analysis and Integration, Web Development and Administration.

[3] Game & Simulation Programming

Gaming and software simulation industries are in the rapid grow trend, the market is in highly demand for graduates in this major. If you choose to pursue online bachelor degree majoring in game & simulation programming, you can even select to master in one of the programming languages such as C++ and C#, artificial intelligence, industry-standard software packages, game engine development, and much more so that you can be expert in an area of your interest.

[4] Network and Communications Management

In today’s modem businesses, nearly every business depends on network. This career fields require experts to effectively manage the network and communication infrastructure. Hence there are huge career opportunities for those who are interested in this career field. University Devry offers the online option on bachelor degree in Network and Communication Management to prepare students with the necessary skills and knowledge to success in this career field.

[5] Technical Management

If you are interested to start your career in the fastest growing field of Criminal Justice and Healthcare Industries, then you might want to consider the online bachelor degree in technical management. The degree has two specializations for your choose from. You can choose to major in either Criminal Justice or Health Information Management depends on your area of interest.

Summary

The online bachelor degree programs offered by University Devry which focus on technology-based and career-oriented prepare the online students with the required skills and knowledge for their selected career field.

Questions to Ask During a Performance Review – Make a Great Impression



Many people fear their performance review at their job so much that they forget to ask questions during it. They just sit there and listen to what their boss has to say about them. You really should be asking questions though. There are a number of questions that you should try to fit into the review at some point. Not only will this make for a better review next year, it also will give you some points in your boss’s book. It shows your boss that you actually care about your job to the point where you are asking how you can improve. The first question to ask is what you should continue doing. You want to make sure you and your boss are on the same page as to the areas in which you are excelling.

You also want to ask what you should stop doing, as well as what you should start doing. These three are the most important questions to ask but they often are overlooked because many people do not realize that a performance review is the time and place for questions. You also should ask a question related to promotions. You want to word this so you are asking what criteria you need to meet in order to be considered for a promotion. This way you are not telling your boss that you think you deserve one, but instead are asking how you can make it happen.

You also should ask whether there is any training you can do throughout the following year to better yourself and the company. This training could be internal or external, depending on the size of the business. Many larger companies provide all the training employees could need while smaller ones have employees go to a different location. Find out what you can do because it shows your boss that you are devoted to the job. It also is a good idea to ask your boss to whom you should look as a role model within the company. Ask if there is an employee who really stands out.

During a performance review, it also is a good idea to ask questions pertaining to your position. For example, if you are in a technical position, ask if there are any new technologies that you could learn to better the company. This shows your boss that you also are interested in the success of the company, not just your personal success. A performance review is a great place to ask questions, so it helps to have some questions in mind before you get started in the review.

How To Excel In Your Performance Review



Performance reviews can make or break your career – and failing to prepare properly for yours can negatively impact your professional life.

According to career experts, preparation is the key to get a more favorable outcome from your performance review.

Recap Your Professional Accomplishments for the Year

You need to have the necessary documents to support your accomplishments, as your managers are probably too busy to remember the achievements of each team member. Having a list of your achievements along with the necessary documentation makes it easier for you and your manager to go through your strengths and weaknesses.

Before the review, companies usually provide a form to their employees to list their goals and achievements to make the appraisal task easier for managers. As a part of your career goals, you may also write where you see yourself the next year or how you intend to go about reaching your goals. This creates a positive impression about you and tells your employer how serious you are about your career.

During your review, you can discuss your career strategy in more detail.

Let Your Boss Know Your Expectations

Many employees perceive performance reviews as a time to find out where they stand in the company and how they have performed in the last year. Contrary to popular belief, the performance review is a time when both you and your manager openly communicate with each other and tackle issues that may have hampered your performance. In addition, it gives you an opportunity to tell your boss what you expect from the company.

In other words, you directly or indirectly “coach” your boss to create a win-win situation for both of you. For instance, if you feel that you would like to enhance your public speaking skills, you may ask your boss for help or to send you to a public speaking course.

If your boss feels that such skills are crucial for the kind of job you have, he may make sure that you get the best possible training. It is entirely up to you to get the most out of your performance review.

Don’t Run Away From Problems

It is likely that you belong to a team that may not have lived up to all of the expectations of the company. You may have lost a prestigious project due to lack of team effort or some unavoidable circumstances. The key here is to bring up the issue yourself and discuss how such situations can be handled in the future, and what role you will play to ensure that you are successful the next time around.

Performance reviews can be stressful for everyone involved – but by being prepared, open and honest, you will ensure that the next year you will meet your career goals, and then some!

Careers at Dell



If you thrive on innovation, growth and success, then a career at Dell might be just for you. Dell satisfies a wide variety of career desires by offering opportunities in IT, Customer Service, Business, Sales, and Engineering. IT positions stem from database management, analysis, software and engineering, and enable IT professionals to apply their expertise in software development, forensics, security analysis, database management, and engineering. Perhaps you are excited about improving people’s lives through technology, and if so, Dell can help you develop a rewarding sales career. Dell offers positions in retail, inside/outside sales, professional and managerial services and more. For the business professional, opportunities can be found as financial analysts, project managers, trainers, consultants, and global online professionals.

Dell provides a rich environment of continuous education, by providing on the job training, mentoring, networking, and company sponsored learning programs designed to help employees reach their career goals. While internal programs keep team managers and members in communication with each other regarding job expectations, Dell’s devotion to its managing staff is supported by the professional development courses designed to advance their managers into key leadership roles in the company.

Applying for a position at Dell is easy. The company has its own job search engine that is broken down by geography and job types. After identifying the desired position, an applicant creates a personal account and profile that remains in the Dell system, but that can be updated at any time. Applicants are then given a pre-screening questionnaire, which helps recruiters match skill sets to current and future positions. From there, an applicant may upload a resume and request notifications when positions of interest become available. Perhaps the most advantageous application method is attendance at one of Dell’s company events detailed on their website. These events are perfect opportunities for hopefuls to shake hands with Dell representatives, ask questions about desired positions, and most importantly, put a face to a resume. The smart applicant will treat the event as their first interview, dress the part, and really sell themselves into their desired position.

While no one source can determine what a company will pay its future employees, it seems that software engineers’ salaries average from $54,000. to $97,000. depending upon experience level, and those engineers heading departments can easily make a six figure income. Sources, such as Glassdoor.com, who have analyzed figures from similar companies, put a marketing managers’ salary at an average of $99,000. Even if your initial salary falls short of these estimates, new recruits should remember that the career enhancement training, mentoring and education offered by Dell, place them on a company sponsored career track for success. Before applying for a new career at Dell first see how much you can improve your pay by upgrading your skills with an Online IT Degree that you can earn from home.

Devry University Reviews Online – What You Want to Know



As one of the best-known degree-granting colleges in North America, DeVry University and Devry University Online provides top quality, job-focused AA, BA, BS, MS,MSC, MA, PHD, Doctoral programs in law, medical studies, finance, psychology and management.

By the way, if you are reading this and are interested in info on Devry university locations, reputation and more, this article gives you some tips on how to find that out and more…More than fifty thousand students are enrolled at its 91 locations in 26 states and Canada, as well as through its online learning program.

This year, DeVry University ushered in positive leadership changes which is propelling the education establishment in an even more positive direction. It announced it has appointed William Minnich as a center dean for the new Daly City location. Prior to joining DeVry in May 2008, Minnich worked with several institutions of higher education. Most recently, as Campus Director for InsideTrack Inc., he managed enrollment and retention services at eight locations for the University of Redlands. As center dean, he is responsible for launching and managing the new Daly City location for DeVry University; including enrollment, academics, marketing, and DeVry offers technology-based, career-oriented degree programs that prepare students for the constantly changing demands of today’s businesses and industries. But that’s just one of the positive changes happening at Devry. The institution is very proactive with regard to meeting the needs of students.

Cognizant of the time, schedule and location constraints faced by adult students, DeVry offers course offerings in exciting, high-growth fields like Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Game & Simulation Programming, Network and Communications Management, and Technical Management in an online format. In particular, business and management is a very popular course of study at Devry University Online – offering what’s often considered the best online education in many subjects – and camp-based Devry University.

When you earn your credentials from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management, you’ll gain the professional reputation and essential skills necessary to advance your career. From practitioner faculty and a curriculum that’s highly responsive to online or classroom/online learning options that fit your life, Keller has graduate management degree programs that give you an superb educational experience, including the skills employers value and the confidence you need to advance in your career and stay ahead of the competition.

DeVry offers an extensive choice of business-related courses, with a pronounced emphasis on systems management, computer science and applied technological skills. With more than a dozen undergraduate majors, several graduate-level degree programs and double-digit graduate certificates available, its degrees come in unique combinations including, full-time, part-time, night and online variants.

Strategic Career Planning



Gone are the days when there were fewer career options and determined career paths. Today, the job scene has evolved tremendously, opening up newer possibilities as never before. And hence strategic career planning is essential to achieve success.

What is strategic career planning? In simple terms it is nothing but evaluating yourself and developing your career path accordingly. Each one of us needs to take some time off and review our career, assess our own goals and steer our career path accordingly.

Strategic career planning can be short term and long term. Short term career planning focuses on the goals you would like to achieve in the next few years. Long term career planning is much more macro in nature and involves the long term goals. However, care should be taken than the short term goals compliment the long term plans. In fact, the long term career plans would provide the framework within which the short term career goals would be set.

But how do you go about planning your career effectively? As you begin your career planning, keep these basic guidelines in mind.

- It is important that you think without any boundaries. Free yourself from all career barriers. These could be personal traits such as hobbies, personal likes and dislikes, family barriers such as family expectations, current living standard or peer and societal pressure. Free your mind from all of these and make an honest evaluation.

- Know your basic traits. Make a list of your general, day-to-day likes and dislikes.

- Now assess your current career responsibilities with this list. Are your duties in sync with your personal nature? If there are more of dislikes than likes, maybe its time you look for an alternate career.

- Identify your dream job. Identify your goals. What do you really want to do? What is the standard of living you are expecting? Is it possible to achieve your needs with the job you would like to pursue? Asses the feasibility of the dream job realistically.

- Analyze your current job honestly. Are you really happy with it? Is it in lines with your strengths? Is this going satisfy your long term goals and dreams?

After assessing your strengths, identifying your goals and your ideal career path, start working towards it. Make a plan to achieve your goals strategically. Are you ready to plunge in the new career path? If not, what needs to be done? Maybe you require an additional qualification or skill. Pursue it.

Once you are ready to embark on your career path, look for the best offers in that industry. Enroll in online job search sites to find jobs suiting your needs.

Career Clothing for Women – Understanding Business Fashions



Fashions for home or parties are not the same as career clothing for women. Only certain looks are suitable business attire. A few tips will help women understand what clothes are right to wear. Women can also do some personal research to discover the best ways to dress for work.

Career clothing for women is divided into two main categories: business and business casual. Women may feel at a loss when trying to decide what is appropriate to wear for their particular office. The first thing to do is to find out which type of dress code is followed. One can do this very simply by asking at an employment interview. It is a reasonable question to ask.

If the career clothing for women is designated as business casual, there are a few basic tips to follow. First of all, business casual is a specific type of dress code. It does not include the kind of clothing that is worn for lounging around or going to a party. Even though it is not as formal as regular business wear, it is still a set standard of career clothing for women.

For business casual, pants or skirts do not have to be business suit dressy. They can be somewhat casual. They should not be tight, but they should not be baggy either. Solid colors are the best, and flowing skirts are usually not acceptable. Career clothing for women should include skirts that come to the knee when the woman is standing and do not go above the thigh when she sits.

Sweaters are acceptable as career clothing for women as long as they are not sparkly or low-cut. On the other hand, there should be quite a bit of leeway in the patterns and colors of blouses that are worn with solid color pants and skirts. This is where a woman can show her personal style. As long as they present a professional image, they should be fine.

For an office that has a regular business style dress code, the rules are different. Suits are the standard dress even for women. Conservative but fashionable dresses may be worn in such offices as career clothing for women. Some companies prefer their women wear skirt suits, and some do not care whether women wear skirt suits or suits with slacks.

To really know what career clothing for women works best in one’s office, the best thing to do is some research. It is a good idea to buy only the bare minimum when getting a new job at first. After one has a good idea of what is expected, one can buy more.

One can get ideas for the office’s policies on appropriate career clothing for women by watching what others wear. It helps to know who is respected by the management. One can follow the lead of the people who are successful, without copying exactly, for the best results.

Finding the best career clothing for women is essential if one wants to make it in the business world. Up-to-date clothing in work attire is a subtle thing. The best advice is to fit in as much as possible while using blouses and accessories to add a personal touch.

A Comprehensive Pharmacy Review Course Online



It’s a well-known fact that the population is aging and as a result more demands are being put on both the pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies around the country. This is good news for anyone that has considered a career in pharmacy because the job market will remain hot for years to come. And now there is a comprehensive pharmacy review course offered online.

You can find companies that are now offering a home study course that will prepare you for your state pharmacy license examination. That means you can relax knowing you can count on their expertise to provide you with right material so that you can pass your examination with no trouble at all. Of course you need to be as dedicated to the cause as they are.

You need to begin preparing for your exam as early as possible. Preparation times vary between individuals as we all learn differently. In general 200 to 250 hours is recommended to cover all of the material. This comprehensive pharmacy review course requires a great deal of dedication.

The course is priced so that anyone who wishes to further his or her education is not prohibited by the cost. You can have some of the courses for under $1000 and very often you can have your comprehensive pharmacy review course shipped to your home or you can opt for an online course.

The course is made up of different study manuals. The content is be updated regularly so you never have to worry about being out of date. For the best courses they have a success rate of over 98%.

And although it is hopeful you will pass the exam the first time many of the companies have made a commitment to you as a student and so that they will continue to help you for no extra cost, so that you can re-write with confidence.

If you are already licensed as a pharmacist in the US then some companies has a comprehensive pharmacy review course that will prepare you for the FPGEE exam. You will need to have around 250 hours to dedicate to the material in this kind of course so that you are ready to write your FPGee exam, which is currently offered two times a year.

The fee for this course is around a $1000 making it very affordable for the opportunity to further your career as a pharmacist. The course includes updated and the material is updated regularly so no worries about learning updated information.

Thanks to the change in the way we learn and become educated a comprehensive pharmacy review course is readily available online so that you can secure your financial future.