Jobs, Education and the Future #11

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What do we do with the new college graduates that have great expectations of finding their first jobs after they graduate this spring. We preach to the younger generation, get a good education, and then we fail to provide that opportunity when the time comes. We must become more responsible to our youth, and not indulge in unnecessary wars and investments abroad. The investments, we make today, must be in the generations to come, to safeguard the future of us all. Therefore, we ask the question;

Has the Job picture improved lately?

Down-side……………………..

Nokia will be cutting its workforce by roughly 4,000 employees by the end of 2012.

The majority of job cuts will be in the company’s home country Finland, as well as Denmark and the UK. Discussions with employee representatives started today, Nokia says.

On March 31, 2011, Nokia says it employed a total of 130,951 people (of which 5,642 were employed by NAVTEQ and 66,229 were employed by Nokia Siemens Networks).

Nokia employs about 12,000 people in Finland alone – 1,400 jobs will be cut in Finland. All employees affected by the reduction plans can opt to remain on the Nokia payroll through the end of 2011. The company says it expects cuts to occur in phases until the end of next year, linked to the roll-out of its planned product and services portfolio. Nokia aims to reduce its Devices & Services operating expenses by 1 billion euros for the full year 2013 in comparison to the full year 2010, as previously announced.

Panasonic said, it would be cutting another 17,000 jobs, or five percent of its workforce over the next two years in trying to remain profitable against growing pressure from Chinese and Korean competitors. The current workforce is 367,000, and the cuts would bring this figure to 350,000. The new announcement comes on top of nearly 18,000 job cuts made over the past business year, and will thus bring the total number of job cuts to 35,000.

Globally, while the growth in Europe and U.S. remained sluggish, the industry was steady, driven by the emerging countries like China and India. The domestic market continued to be strong until last November due to a last-minute rush before the revision of the ‘eco-point’ system, the Japanese government’s economic stimulus program. However, in addition to sluggish demand since December, the devastation brought by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 significantly impacted the world economy and fiscal 2011 ended without seeing the road to recovery.

There is hope, providing we make the right decisions about our choices in career select!

Up-side……………………….

Sales and marketing are up well over 200 percent – why? Does this imply more sales opportunities and thus that IT sector spend is increasing?

IT sector spend is increasing and should continue to increase through the end of 2011. Recently in an  IT Executive Outlook Survey of IT decision makers, it was found that nearly 50 percent expect their IT budgets to increase in 2011 compared to 2010.

Demand for systems engineering and support continues to be hot .What does that have to say about the market?

It tells us that hiring and project initiatives are robust and firms aren’t necessarily letting the economic downturn prevent them from moving forward implementing new programs. Systems Engineers typically work on large, complex projects and coordinate efforts of lower-level engineers which again points to robust growth. Large projects could include some of the hot topics in IT such as ERP and Cloud implementation projects or those of a similar vein that impact the entire enterprise.

Job openings are now higher than in August – the high point for 2010 – and are quadruple the total of March 09 – so is the IT job market truly back? Is further expansion ahead?

The first quarter of 2011 results, IT unemployment rate was reported at 4.7 percent a Year-On-Year decrease of 1.4 percent, which would show a tightening of the IT job market and an increase in demand for skilled IT workers. Although the IT unemployment rate will most likely remain extremely low throughout 2011 we could see an ebb and flow as uncertainty permeates the market place and firms continue to hire with caution.

Also found was that IT budgets for companies in the Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail and IT industries are significantly more likely to increase in 2011.

“Waiting to get back to lecturing the next generation of College students;”  Hotdogfish

Whose Right! Call this a Cease Fire.

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Is this evidence of a cease fire working, when the guns are not silent!

A brief cease-fire between Thailand and Cambodia has broken down, shattering hopes for a quick end to the border conflict as the two sides exchanged fire for an eighth day and the death toll rose to 16.

Field commanders agreed to the truce in a meeting at the disputed border on Thursday. But Cambodian Colonel Suos Sothea said the Thai army fired artillery shells into Cambodia again on Friday and small arms fire crackled anew around the Ta Krabey temple, which lies in a disputed zone along the frontier. “We cannot trust the Thais,” he said. “Yesterday they said they’d stop fighting and now they are attacking us again.”

Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said there had been light clashes late on Thursday as well as early on Friday. He blamed Cambodia for breaking the deal, saying its “local units might not agree to the talks as easily as their commanders did.”

The director of Phanom Dongrak hospital, about 20 km from the border, confirmed one Thai soldier was killed late on Thursday, bringing the total dead to 16.

It is reported from Korat, Thailand, near the border with Cambodia that “Thais are beefing up their presence, but Cambodians are doing the same as well. “More and more people in Thailand, are starting to believe that there are political motives behind these clashes. “Cambodia has used these clashes as a political tool for internal politics.”

Thailand and Cambodia regularly accuse each other of starting border fighting. The Thai-Cambodia border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

A malignant cancer is festering  between the two countries over land near a different temple erupted into four days of fighting in February, leaving at least 10 people dead and prompting a UN appeal for a lasting ceasefire.”It is a very similar situation to other times we’ve seen such skirmishes. It’s very difficult to tell who fired first on these occasions. “The Thais say that the Cambodians came too close to the disputed border … in Surin, the Cambodians say that Thai soldiers actually crept across that  disputed border into Cambodian territory.”

Ties between the neighbours have been strained since Preah Vihear was granted  UN World Heritage status in July 2008.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6sq km surrounding area. Observers say the temple dispute has been used as a rallying point to stir nationalist sentiment in Thailand and Cambodia. “There are many parts of this border … that are disputed between the two countries,”. “They have fought over [the ancient Preah Vihear Temple] so many times, or at least the land surrounding that temple. “What we saw in February, when many people were also forced to flee their  homes, they went to temporary evacuation centres inside schools, inside community buildings, and they stayed there for many days – weeks in some cases. “Certainly it’ll be the same case on the Cambodian side as well.

“This is Thailand (TIT), as usual its the other side that started the fight. “The whole world is wrong, and I am right” is a conservative statement, at the least. Just another case for the current Thai Government to stay in power, sometimes I wonder, whats the difference between these Thais and the dictators in the Middle East? Delaying elections, fighting on the border, closing down Radio Stations that oppose them, sactioning the Internet and not allowing freedom of press! So, whats next?”

Hotdogfish!

Related Articles

• BBC News – Thailand and Cambodia agree truce after border clashes (phumkhmer.wordpress.com)

Jobs, Education and the Future #10

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Getting started in building a career is what you make of it!

Are you confused about what to do “when you grow up?” Perhaps that’s because choosing a career isn’t so easy … not if you do it the right way. Some people seem to fall into the right career, but for most of us, finding something fulfilling to do with our lives takes quite a bit of effort. First you have to learn about yourself. That’s the only way to find out what careers are suitable for someone with your personality, values, interests and abilities. Then you have to learn about the occupations you are considering. An occupation that seems suitable for you based on your characteristics may have some features you find unappealing, such as a poor employment outlook. If you’re thinking that this seems like a lot of work, imagine how it will feel to spend at least eight hours seven days a week doing work you don’t enjoy.

While planning your career, don’t forget to start from your last career plan and spend some time jotting down your career reviews. If your career growth has lots of ups and downs, sit back and analyze your history and plan ahead. Past mistakes can guide you towards a better future. If you are content with your career growth, then continue along the path or find a significant way to grow further.

While planning your career, don’t forget about your likes and dislikes, since your likes two years ago may have changed. Take time to reflect on the new developments in your personal life, not just on the job front.Make two separate rows of likes and dislikes, and then use this list to analyze your current job path. If you feel your current job falls under the like column, then you can consider yourself lucky as you are on the right path. If it falls into the dislike category, then you need to examine your career and your available options. Career planning also gives you time to think about your hobbies and pastimes. It may sound bizarre, but sometimes these passions and hobbies give you insight into what you like doing on the job.

After your re-think about your plan and strategy and what is good and what is not so good, try to explore other avenues of building yourself, that career you have been dreaming about. Remember what your friends are doing may not be whats right for you. This comes down to individual choices, and you have to make that decision, only for you.

Your exploration should include:

• Reading job descriptions to learn required skills, and competencies
• Identifying education paths
• Talking with employers in the field
• Talking with people already working in the field
• Learning about the typical work environment in your chosen field
• Learning about related jobs
• Reviewing compensation and advancement opportunities
• Gauging the future

In the end when you make that final decision, it will be yours and no-one elses, and your career is 100% in your hands. Do not be afraid when you are just starting out to test the waters, gain valuable experience in everything you undertake. This will lead you to that career decision that is right for you, and your happiness and success will depend upon your commitments.

Hotdogfish”

Related Articles

• How does job description differ from job specifications (wiki.answers.com)

Jobs, Education and The Future #9

In has been a week or two since my last Post about “Jobs, Education and the Future”. In this part of the world universities and Schools are on Summer Break. The USA is just coming up to the Graduation period and the world will receive a few hundred thousand  new Job applicants. Beginners in a world of hard times, National and International jobs are limited, and more than likely there will be a large number of these new Graduates left out in the cold. This is the reality of what our Economies have become.  The USA is deeply in debt, as well as many countries in the EU. While we stress upon the younger generation to get the best possible education that they can, the opportunities are limited. This is the main reason that the Junior and Senior Students should spend an enormous amount of time with his/her  Councilors. They need to have clear ideas and a well constructed job search plan in place before they Graduate.

Your plan should include:

• Start with a job-related Career Goals plan that will be the focus of your job hunt.
• Think about the skills and experiences you have and the types of jobs that match. Use the Skills Profiler to identify your skills and the Occupation Profile to finding matching jobs. If needed, update your job goal(s) with what you learn about your skills and matching occupations.
• Think about what you will need when you find jobs you want to apply for. Will they ask you to fill out a job application? Have your job application information ready. Will they ask for a resume and cover letter? Create or update your resume and cover letters to highlight what that employer is looking for. Use a Resume Tutorial to find detailed information about resumes and cover letters.
• Learn about the employers you want to work for. Try networking with people in the field for information about employers. An Employer Locater is a good starting point to locate employers near you. You will need to contact each employer to see if they are hiring.
• Identify good places to search for jobs.
• Keep track of your money. Budgeting while job searching will help you to organize and prioritize your life while in transition.
• Think long term. Expect to be job searching for 1-4 months, depending on the type of job you are looking for. Make a budget for the next few months.
• Use or increase your professional skills while job searching. Sign up with temp agencies for short-term jobs in your field. Volunteer for a nonprofit agency or school in a position that uses your professional and technical skills. Even if you don’t get paid, it will look great on your resume and you can use these new clients as references.

“When we search for that first job, and get that first interview, we must be confident, prepared and ready to Start.” Hotdogfish!

Related Articles

• Having Trouble Landing Your First Job? Talk to the pros! (newswire.ca)
• Career Advice for Those With Vanishing Professions (wisebread.com)