Should Money Be The Deciding Factor in Choosing your Career?

Upon entering college, I had one objective in mind; to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in business so that I could get a job that would pay me well. In retrospect, wanting a good paying job was not a bad objective at all. However, I soon realized that there was more to performing an effective job search than just one’s projected income.

 According to research by MSNBC, less than half of all Americans are satisfied with their current jobs. Americans’ dissatisfaction in their jobs have extended to various types of people across the country, regardless of factors such as age and income. However, the inclination is strongest among workers who are less than 25 years old. Could it be because most young workers are after a similar objective? Could it be because of the money? There may be many reasons for such a high dissatisfaction rate. However, one thing that is very important is choosing a career that will not only benefit you financially, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Discover your passions and the various other elements that make you happy, and strive to acquire a career for that reason, first. It is true, money makes the world go around, but happiness is key to a man’s long term success. 

Keisha Francis

Career Educator

What Computers Can (and Can't) Do

How will changes in technology affect jobs in the future? Continued from previous post

Researchers at MIT published an excellent paper analyzing job skills and the possibility that they could be augmented or replaced by computing technology. They divide tasks into two main categories, analytic and manual. Within those categories, tasks can be considered routine or non-routine.  This is shown below:

The researchers analyzed data from 1960-1998 and found that the key determinant of whether a skill could be replaced by technology was not white collar vs. blue collar; the key is whether or not a task is routine. This has played out in the legal world; technology has largely replaced legal research by professionals such as lawyers and paralegals due to cheaper costs. This somewhat defies the conventional wisdom that more education necessarily leads to better job security and white collar workers have more secure jobs than blue collar workers.

Applying these findings to potential careers and jobs is somewhat speculative but worthwhile. The safest jobs are non-routine manual tasks. This category includes jobs like janitor and bus driver, but also includes surgeons. Another key determinant of whether a job can be “replaced” by computers is the “trust” or “people” factor. For example, most people trust an ATM to dispense cash as well as a bank teller, but what a robot surgeon? There’s also tastes and preferences; online learning could replace classroom learning, but most people respond more positively in a classroom with a teacher.


In addition to replacing jobs, technology can also complement workers to the point of increasing total employment in an industry. Beyond obvious fields such as IT professionals, this includes more conventional jobs such as doctors, managers, and even entertainers.

Ask yourself, can computers (or robots, which are computers) replace the job I’m aiming for? Will technology make it easier or harder for me to find an opening in that position. Even if the answer is yes or maybe, it probably shouldn’t affect your career decision. Still, understanding what may happen in the future of an industry can only help you understand it better.

Landon J. Latham

Career Educator

How Can Pinterest Interest Your Future Employers?

Are you an addict of Pinterest? Are you looking for a job? If so, have you ever thought of using Pinterest to enhance your job search efforts?

In a recent article, “Using Pinterest as a Job-Search and Branding Tool,” it states that Pinterest is a great way to market yourself to future employers, especially if you are an art, graphic design, marketing, or other heavily visual major.

Tips on how to market yourself by using Pinterest:

• Create a resume board where you pin pictures related to your schooling and experiences. (Pin pictures of organizations you have interned for and student organizations and activities you have been involved in.)
• Create a portfolio board where you pin examples of the work you have created.
• Pin a copy of your resume.
• Create boards that are related to your interest to give more insight about you.
• Place your Pinterest URL on your job-search materials, including resumes, cover letters, e-mail signatures, profiles on LinkedIn, and more. *Make sure you use your actual name as your Pinterest page name so people can easily find you through a search.
• Make sure you provide a description of each picture you pin so the employers know what they are looking at.
• Keep your Pinterest clean and professional!

Now that you know how to interest employers by using Pinterest… Get to pinning!

Sharol Miller

Career Educator

Stay Positive With Your Job Search

If you follow the career services' social media, you may have read this article already.  It’s called “Tips for Staying Positive In a Job Search” found on http://blog.resumebear.com. As I read this article, I was able to relate.  I am a senior graduating in just a couple weeks, so I know more than anyone just how tough and emotionally draining the job search can be. I’ve gone through many ups and downs, but staying positive is the key.

Some of my favorite tips from the article are as follows:

Stay away from whiners and complainers

You are probably already on edge and emotional.  If you are surrounded by people that constantly whine and complain, they are only going to bring you down further.  Find people who push you and energize you!

Do Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins.  Endorphins make you happy.  Take a quick walk, go to the RAC, dance or whatever else it may be.  This will help from keeping you down and will motivate you on your job hunt.

Change your attitude by looking at the positives
Ask yourself: What went well today? What are the three best things I did in that interview? These questions will help you keep the right attitude.  Things are always going to go wrong with every situation, but it’s how you look at the situation that really matters. Attitude is everything!


Celebrate Small Successes
“Focusing on the small wins gives you the energy and confidence to tackle the bigger challenges that you know still lie ahead.”


Let Yourself Have a Bad Day
Job hunting is an emotional thing.  Everyone has ups and downs, so let yourself be emotional. 


For me, a lot of this has been easier said than done, but everything on this list has helped a ton.  Try it yourself and let us know how it works for you!


Ashley Salim
Career Educator


Photo Credit: Ms. Career Girl

Technology and the Economy (and Jobs)

The world today is one of ever-changing technology. Things like iPads, electric cars, and advanced computing technology have significantly changed the world in only the last few years. How will technology affect the economy and jobs of the future?


The correct answer is that it’s impossible to know, but we can look at what we know to get an idea. One thing we know is that technological innovations are happening faster and faster. From the 1940’s to the 1980’s, computers went from objects so large they required an entire room to be housed to desktop computers such as the early Macintosh. By the 1990’s and 2000’s, the invention of operating systems and wide-spread use of the internet transformed computers. By the 2010’s, people were using iPads and accessing the internet from almost anywhere, wirelessly.


I highlight computers because they have changed the work world more than any other technology in the past few decades. Database software has reduced or eliminated the need for storage of physical files. Word processing and communications software has reduced the need for administrative assistants. Industry-specific technology such as bar code processing has made companies like Wal Mart wildly successful, leaving others behind. 


Asking what will happen in the future is inexact, but interesting to think about. When thinking about careers and what you want to pursue, considering what might happen to that field, how technology might affect its future, can help you foresee opportunities and threats. For example, what if someone decided to open a small business selling beepers in 1997? It probably wouldn’t have worked out.


This is the first in a series of blog posts relating to technological changes and how they affect jobs.  If you’re interested in this topic, I recommend this article by Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman. It was written in 1996 from the prospective of someone living in 2096 reporting on changes in the last century (1996-2096). In the 16 years since it was written, many of the points hold true to what has actually happened.


Landon J. Latham
Career Educator

6 Steps to a More Marketable Linkedin Profile

According to the 6 Steps to a More Marketable Linkedin Profile article by inc.com, Linkedin is arguably the most effective social network for business owners and professionals. Since some Linkedin users may not be getting the full advantage of the emerging social network, the article discusses six steps to tune up your Linkedin profile.

1.      The first step to take in tuning up your Linkedin profile is to consider your goals and market those rather than revising your resume and think about keywords that employers would like to see. Keywords that are relevant and valuable to your respective industry are also significant to incorporate into your Linkedin profile because employers will hopefully see them and be drawn to your devotion to the industry.

2.      Layer any keywords that you use in your profile within your headlines. When employers use Linkedin to search for potential employees, they scan for keywords.

3.      If you have a lot of work experience listed on your Linkedin profile, distinguish which positions are relevant to your current goals and simply just list those. When employers review your profile, they want to be able to skim your profile and come out with a fairly accurate feel of your experience and personality. With various unrelated experiences listed, the employer may get the impression that you are disheveled and have not established concrete goals.

4.      As previously mentioned, experience is very important, but it is beneficial to remain cognizant of the fact that personality should shine through in your Linkedin profile as well. Make the employer want to work with you.

5.      Another central factor on a Linkedin profile is the photo. The photo on your profile serves as your logo and should reflect who you are in a positive way. According to the article, “the best photo strikes a balance between professionalism and approachability, making you look good but also real”.

6.      Lastly, an imperative part of achieving a Linkedin profile that is up to par is getting recommendations. Recommendations give employers the idea that although your profile is essentially you speaking about yourself, others appreciate you as well.

SShayla Frinks

Career Educator

Resume Workshop 101

Over the years, many wise people have said you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When job seeking, this saying is particularly applicable. Constructing an impressive resume in the proper fashion is one of the most valuable things you can learn how to do in life. Below are just a few basic resume tips that are important to remember when building a resume:

· Don't overcrowd your resume. You are not writing a biography on your life, so keep it simple, brief and clean.

· Use a legible font.

· Keep the font color black.

· Keep your resume to one-page if you can.

· Upon gaining more work experience, if you must have a multi-paged resume, print on one-side only.

· Avoid using more than two font sizes on your resume.

· It is unnecessary to include references in your resume-Unless instructed specifically to do so by an employer, do not do it.

· Avoid Spelling Mistaks (ß like that one)-make sure you carefully read every word on your resume and perform spell check on the finished product.

· Have a friend proof read your resume.

· Be honest and expect to be asked about anything you have on your resume.

· If you are having any problems putting your resume together, come to CAREER SERVICES and we'll assist you!


Keisha Francis
Career Educator