Choose Your Career

You should consider some interesting facts about nursing assistants if you are thinking of a career as a nursing assistant or know someone who works as a CNA.  A CNA is someone who provides basic care (typically non-medical care) for patients in hospitals, nursing care facilities and home-health settings.  They work closely with nurses and other members of the healthcare team to keep a patient safe and comfortable when they are ill or injured.  There are probably many things you do not know about nursing assistants. 1.    If you think a career as a certified nursing assistant is not an important career; think again.  Nursing assistants are a vital part of the healthcare team for patients and clients in a variety of healthcare settings.  You can make a difference in the lives of patients of all ages when working as a nursing assistant. 2.    There are about 1.5 million jobs in the United States, filled by certified nursing assistants, nursing aides and psychiatry aides.  Enrolling … [Read more...] about 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Nursing Assistants

Nanotechnology? Huh?Have you grown weary of reading all those “hot jobs for 2012 (or whatever)” lists? Is it me or do they always have careers in which I wouldn’t be remotely interested or others I’m convinced someone is making up? A recent Wall Street Journal article, “What Will Be the Hot Jobs of 2018?”by Sue Shellenbarger, discusses some of the hottest careers coming up. Don’t get me wrong, I do think these articles are extremely helpful for young people who are poised to choose a career. They can inform and help students gear their curriculum towards jobs that might actually hire and pay decently in the future. But for an aging worker/sometime job-seeker like me, even the idea of “nanotechnology” as a career makes me cranky. In past posts, I’ve written about some dream jobs, “I Want a TV Job” and careers that might be appealing if I ever decide what I want to do next, “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow … [Read more...] about An “Alternative” Hot Jobs Forecast

Utilize That Fork in the Road to Decide I’ll start with a disclaimer - I’m not a career coach. I’m a psychotherapist and have counseled people about work-related issues, like stress, improving interactions with co-workers, etc. But my experience is in the clinical rather than the business sphere.Having had about a zillion jobs, I am somewhat of an expert on zigzagging career paths. A recent personal “fork in the road” has made me re-evaluate the type of work (besides writing, which I love, but doesn’t pay the bills yet) I might want to do. And since I won’t be able to retire until I’m 92, I’d like to explore some new, interesting work- something more than a paycheck, but maybe less than a “calling.” We’ve all heard career advice that says that you should think about what type of work you would do even if you weren’t getting paid. Starting there, my list would be:* Working around horses (I never did get … [Read more...] about What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?