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CSI Has Made the Study of Forensics an Exciting Career Opportunity
Forensics is not just one field of study but encompasses several different disciplines. You first decision is to determine which area most interests you. If you would like to work in a crime lab doing analysis of DNA or drug testing, you need a...
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Re-plan Goals Every 6 Months
There was a time when five-year plans were all the rage. But
that was when workers can still count on signing up with a
company for life. In the warp-speed world of technology, five
years is an eternity. So how is one supposed to map out one`s
career when the business landscape is always changing?
Firstly, a plan is useless but planning is still essential.
Instead of a five-year plan, try formulating a five-year vision.
In that way, workers can chart a course they would like to
follow. For example, today I am on the team; in two years, I
would like to be managing it; in three years, I would like to be
relocated to build a new team in a new market; and in five
years, I would like to be coordinating a group of international
teams. Just keep in mind that the course will almost certainly
change.
Secondly, workers should not confine their career projections
within the framework of their current companies as they did
previously. Instead, they should understand that while it is
beneficial to set a goal of being a supervisor in five years,
you might need to move to another company in another country to
achieve it. Construct a portfolio of your achievements and
market yourself by including your personal goals along with your
career goals. It is important to include financial planning, as
one cannot rely on employers` plans to manage one`s money.
Thirdly, workers should identify employment-related
characteristics regardless of other factors. The key to planning
is for workers to upgrade their own skills and stay relevant in
the job market. This applies strongly to the engineering
profession. For the first four to five years, the
engineer`s
plan will be broken into two major periods. The first two years
will be learning key technical training and after that the
engineer will be placed in the field for a couple of years. The
engineer should take advantage of all opportunities to try out
different aspects of engineering during these five years. After
this incubation period, the engineer would need to be flexible
and able to chart his own course, even into overseas countries
with strong career growth opportunity.
Fourthly, workers should make their plans incremental and
somewhat aggressive. This is very much the case in creative
fields such as design and architecture. Creative people are
expected to do rather than wait to be told what to do. But even
the most creative businesses are businesses at heart. So, a
career plan for a designer or decorator should include delving
into the business side of projects.
In general, workers must first decide what specific path they
wish to take, and then proceed down that road ambitiously,
scooping up opportunities when they appear. Long-term plans can
be used as guides, but they become folly if they are followed
rigidly.
Set your goals. Map out a plan. Create a vision. Then six months
later, be ready to rethink those goals.
About the author:
Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering in
Singapore and represents precision metal stamping,
machining and PCB manufacturers from Suwa, also called "The
Oriental Switzerland" in Japan due to its Swiss resemblance for
rich watch-making industry, its mountainous terrain and its
precision component making industry.
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