From all the jokes about engineers, you would think that it is a boring, static field. Nothing could be further from the truth. The old stereotypes of engineers only hold for parts of the field. As a matter of fact, there are engineering jobs In almost any sector of society. From audio production to building design, from car manufactured to management, an engineering job search will reveal many different interesting positions. And the career is not without rewards. Engineering jobs are some of the best paid professions out there. Engineers can make upwards of 100K a year if they are in right firm.
Although a lot of artists go into graphic design to pay the bills, engineering jobs are increasingly popular with creative types. Engineering drawing, after all, is a great way to make money. At the job they will also develop some artistic design skills. I know a lot of artists who love doing this kind of stuff. They get to look at components and see how they all fit together in to the whole. They also develop a better idea of the different structures that go into buildings, cars, and other man-made mechanical things. And don't forget, working in an engineering firm is a lot better than waiting tables or serving coffee. While you are getting your artistic portfolio together, you might as well make some money!
For people who are less structurally minded, there are still engineering jobs that are absolutely fascinating. Audio engineering is one of the most popular fields for people who are into playing music but not sure of their ability to make it a career. Audio engineers handle every aspect of acoustics. Some of them design rooms and studios to get the best sound, others work in the studios, tweaking the sound to get just the right effects for a particular band. Many of these folks are the people behind the biggest names in music. Without audio engineers, rock superstars would never be able to get just the right feel to a song.
Of course, there are also great engineering jobs in management. Engineers are notoriously difficult people to work with, and a good manager can really make a name for himself very quickly while overseeing engineers. You don't need to have very much special technical knowledge for these engineering jobs, but they are every bit as lucrative and as important as other jobs in the field.
Letter Of Recommendation
When you are looking for a job, you need to have a great cover letter and a resume to get your foot in the door for the interview that you want. However, many people forget something that is just as important and possibly a little harder to get. If you have a letter of recommendation, you are going to have a leg up on the competition. Some people have one, and some others have two or three of them. These are great testimonials to how you are on the job and what type of person you are all around.
A good letter of recommendation will come from a former employer. You can ask for one of these as long as you are leaving the job on good terms. If you were fired for theft or for slacking off on the job, your boss is not going to want to give you a letter of recommendation. However, as long as your employment period was good, you should be able to get something from your boss. You may have to ask for it, as many times they will not offer, but will be happy to do so if you were to ask.
If you are looking for your first job, you will obviously not be getting a letter of recommendation from a previous employer. This is where you have to be creative. If you have ever done some babysitting, or have donated your time for the community, you can ask for a character reference letter of recommendation. Though these do not reflect how you might be on the job, they can show many things about your character and what type of person you are. This can be just as valuable as a letter from an employer.
If you get a letter of recommendation from a few different people, you can use them all, or perhaps pick the best one or two to show to potential employers. You should never present your letter of recommendation at the interview, but you should make note that you have one at the bottom of your resume. I personally have never been asked to produce one, even though I have had them in my possession. Have them with you, but don’t be surprised if you don’t have the chance to show it off. You should always have it with you though, just incase.
Working Abroad
Overseas work is something that I tried out on a whim when I was graduating from college. I had never pictured spending my life working abroad. I had pretty conventional dreams actually. Although I talked a pretty counterculture talk, in the long run I intended to settle down. I wanted a wife, dog, three kids, and a white picket fence. I would build a wooden deck in the backyard and host barbecue parties.
Working abroad was a way to put this off for a few years. I was actually in a volunteer abroad program. They gave me a small living stipend, with room and board in exchange for international human rights work. It was a really rewarding program. Until you have seen how the other half live, you can't possibly understand this world. My work abroad really taught me the startling inequalities that exist, and the need to establish a more just and equitable world.
The weird thing was how addictive the whole experience was. Once you get a taste for working abroad, sometimes it never goes away. When I started my work abroad, I was surprised at how many older people were on the same volunteer program that I was. Literally half of us were over the age of 40, and about 10 people in a program of 60 were over the age of 55. Soon, however, I understood why. There is a thrill in traveling that is beyond anything else in the world.
When I was working abroad, I was living in quite spartan accommodations in a village in the middle of Africa. There are plenty of other work abroad programs, however. One of the more popular ways to travel and live abroad is to teach English as a second language. There are many countries that will hire you to teach ESL classes abroad with few qualifications. This can be a great way to spend a few years checking out the world and deciding what you want to do.
Just be aware that working abroad is not for people who can't stand to make sacrifices. Unless you are a CEO working for a professional company, you will have to face all the travails that a foreigner faces working abroad. You'll meet people who don't speak your language, occasionally be discriminated against, and frequently feel disoriented. Nonetheless, it is worth it in the long run. You will have the adventure of a lifetime.
Five tips to making your waitress job worth all of the hard work!
Almost every woman has held a waitress job at some point in their life. Waitressing is a popular choice with high school and college students, as night shifts accommodate a changing school schedule and provide a way to make some good money in tips, given the right situation. However, many girls and women go into a waitress job thinking that there's nothing to it and tips should flow plentifully and regularly into their pocket. Here, we offer five tips that will stand you in good stead in this stressful and fast-moving environment. These tips are geared towards you learning what you need to do to make the most of your hard work and maximize your income.
1.Good service, along with a personable appearance and friendly attitude are paramount in this business. When you go out to dinner, you do not want to be greeted with a waitress who meanders over to your table in her own good time and shows up chewing gum, scratching her head and eventually noticing you. You're paying a good price for the privilege of having a meal served to you without you having to coordinate the effort. Waitress jobs are easily filled with another person if you do not fulfill the wishes of the customers. If your customers have to remind you to bring bread, water or the salad dressing they requested on the side, you're not doing your job. If you neglect to refill water glasses and coffee cups, you communicate your lack of attention to the customer's needs. Diners want to just sit and kick back, conversing with their dinner partners and have everything they want anticipated by you. To the degree that you fulfill their needs, so does the tip go.
2.If this is your first waitress job, you'll want to quickly get up to speed on memorizing orders and paying strict attention to details. Your employer may start you out with a group of tables, called your 'station', with mostly tables for two, instead of stations of tables for six or more. This is good for both you and the employer. It gives you a chance to ease into the routine, learn dishes and prices and work with the procedures established by the restaurateur. What you should learn first and quickly is to be sure all of your tables are pristine in cleanliness and supplied with table settings and condiments before your guests are seated. Learn to spot who was seated first and serve your guests in that order. When you take a person's order, try to make some association that helps you to remember that the woman ordered the chef's salad and the man ordered the steak. If they order a bottle of wine, bring water and then follow up with bread and the wine. Meanwhile, you've put in your salad order and must time the delivery of the steak, hot off the grill, to coincide with the salad. This takes practice, but it will soon become second nature. Some diners may become offended if you put the wrong dish in front of them. They don't want to be distracted from their conversation by straightening you out on what belongs to whom.
3. In addition to a professional attitude with the customers, your new employer will have his or her eye peeled to see if you are punctual and reliable. Restaurant shift workers are more than ready to go home when their shift is finished. If you show up late, you'll lose points with both your employer and your fellow workers. If you call in sick at the last minute, you'll definitely jeopardize your waitress job position in a hurry. You'll foster resentment from the coworker called in on their day off because you couldn't make it, for whatever reason. You must also be careful to treat every customer with the same level of service, regardless of whether they are fussy, rude and don't ever leave a tip. It's just part of the waitress job.
4. To succeed in your waitress job, you must also interface with coworkers in an efficient manner, showing teamwork in performing tasks such as making coffee, cutting bread or attending to a table while another waitress is on break.
5. 'Getting to know you' well describes this final waitress job tip. Once you've successfully demonstrated these skills, you'll find that customers begin to ask for a table in your station. This means they enjoy your service and these satisfied customers greet you like a friend they can rely on for professional, courteous and personal service.
Once you've mastered your waitress job duties, able to anticipate customer requests and work well with coworkers, your position is fairly secure. You know the preferences of regular customers and can field the occasional rude ones with grace. You'll also find your income will increase accordingly.
