CAREERS NOW 06-01-08

Back To Basics in Career Choice?

DEAR JOYCE: I've always worried about the loss of manufacturing capacity in this country, from the viewpoint of national defense if nothing else. Now I read that old-time industries - such as steel makers, mining and agriculture - are making a comeback as the rest of the world rushes to catch up to our living standards and wants to buy from us. That's good. But what does it mean career wise for my daughter who had planned to study computer technology? Is that still a good choice? - H.H.

Yes. Although consolidations and slowdowns are negatively impacting segments of the economy - technology, finance and service sectors, for instance - that for more than 30 years have been lauded as the thriving places to be, those aren't likely the biggest career threats to U.S. technology workers. The more likely threats are the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries and the visa programs that bring in cheap labor. Google for "The H-1B Game" by the editor of the HPC Wire.

Get the whole perspective of what some observers believe is happening to the high-demand fields over the next 30 years or so in a recent Los Angeles Times article; Google for"Suddenly, a bright future for old-economy companies."

The article says that "Steel makers, railroads, mining concerns and agriculture, long considered part of a fading past, suddenly have bright futures."

The Times article also attributes a colorful quote to Don Basse, president of AgResource Co., a Chicago agricultural forecasting firm, who summed up the back-to-the-future trend concisely: "The tech industry offered us things to occupy our minds and entertain us. But we're moving back to a world of stuff, whether that's vegetable oil or copper or zinc or cotton. Stuff that you can hold in your hand and drop on your foot."

Remember that even if the nation does substantially reverse gears to favor goods over services, someone will have to use technology services to keep track of all the business processes required to produce goods.

DEAR JOYCE: A college student, I've been writing a personal blog for almost a year but I'd like to make a career out of it for a company. Do companies hire blogging experts? - M.J.R.

A few of the big ones do - about 60 of the country's 500 largest corporations are reported to have chief blogging officers who serve as their corporation's brand voice, either in title or function. Some are full- time jobs; others are second hats, such as that worn by CEO Jonathan Schwartz on Sun Microsystems' Jonathan's Blog.

Depending on whether the blogging gig is an add-on to another responsibility or primary, college majors could vary, from engineering and marketing, to communications and accounting.

DEAR JOYCE: I've been told that becoming a volunteer board member of a nonprofit organization is a smart career step, both for one's resume and networking opportunities. True? What's the entry door? - P.T.

True. Start small and work up to bigger boards. Here's a recipe: First you catch the fever to put your arms around causes on which you're happy to spend time and money. Second, create a volunteer resume to highlight what you offer nonprofit boards - fundraising, database management, publicity, membership service, and other basic organizational needs; circulate it among your personal network. Third, post your volunteer profile on social online media such as boardnetusa.org, a site for professionals who want to join nonprofit boards that seek members.

DEAR JOYCE: My husband's hours have been cut (he's an auto mechanic at a dealership) and I haven't worked outside the home since our oldest child was born. The money issue is getting to us. We received an e-mail about a business we can do at home that requires less than $5,000 capital to start. Please use the enclosed link to view the opportunity. Is this a scam? - V.N.

I have no knowledge of the specific home business you're considering but many of them are reruns of pyramid schemes tricked out for the Internet. I notice that the pitch is written in the huckster school of long-winded sales letters - dozens of pages of breathless copy filled with unsupported promises. That alone would warn me off. Just because you want the pitch to be true doesn't mean that it is.

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