Wednesday, February 01, 2012
What’s it like to be a…..missionary—with an engineering background?
My job title is: Missionary
My actual position is:
Project manager / fundraiser / administrator / teacher
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
From the outside it might look like a desk job with lots of meetings, errands, and time doing strange things. While it is true that most of the work happens behind a desk or at a meeting table, the job is different every day. The goal is to make ministry happen as an engineering-type person. Some days the need is to prepare detailed plans, other days, detailed budgets. I might head out on some days to the projects or to the workshops or a training session. There are enough projects to work on that the ministry activities and special projects kind of average themselves out around the calendar. But the fall is generally the season for starting things and summer gets almost too hot to be outside. One big change over time has been a growing appreciation for the difficulty of doing international ministry. We deal with things the old-timers never considered – anti-terrorism laws, child protection policies, anti-money laundering systems, complex immigration laws, and other such things. Business and legal knowledge is a big part of ministry today.
What other, if any, positions have you held prior to your current job? How did you get to where you are now?
I have been a practicing hospital engineer, product designer, software engineer, business owner, and missionary field director. I got this position by trying to do the right thing when it was time to move on from the previous thing.
What kind of training/education did you have? What would you suggest? What qualifications/skills/attributes make someone successful in this position?
I have a Master’s Degree and a bit more in the field of Biomedical Engineering. I have tried to keep up with continuing education ever since. I wish I had studied a bit more economics, politics, and communication theory as they seem very relevant in today’s world. But I strongly suggest that people study what excites them. Project management requires the ability to see both big picture and details of the goal, plus the skills to keep people and things moving so that the goal is met.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
What’s it like to be a….defense consultant?
My job title is:
Subject Matter Expert (SME) / Consultant - someone who has expertise in a particular area/s pertinent to company projects. For defense/technology companies this can range from politics, transportation, infrastructure, business, communications, military, populations, foreign relations, computer programing, etc.
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
A workday could consist of individual research, writing reports, data analysis, group collaboration and discussion, informal team meetings, or formal company meetings with clients. The annual schedule is dictated by individual project schedules so there can be slower days at the beginning of a project and extremely long and hectic days toward project completion. Doldrums and fast sailing – be ready for both.
What other, if any, positions have you held prior to your current job? How did you get to where you are now?
I was hired by my employer while I was in graduate school. They needed someone to fulfill a specific opening and I met all of the qualifications. Many defense/technical companies send recruiting teams to larger universities.
What kind of training/education did you have? What would you suggest? What qualifications/skills/attributes make someone successful in this position?
My educational background was an MA in European History. I would suggest primary majors in political science, history, engineering, or similar fields that develop strong research, writing, and analytical skills. I must also STRONGLY recommend a secondary major or minor in business or perhaps computer science. These are very practical and marketable skills to possess and highly valued in the private sector. Employers want well-rounded candidates who are really good at something but have basic knowledge of lots of other things.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Fine Art of Small Talk
My typical morning cruise through major media yesterday unearthed a fine article from the Wall Street Journal, The Top Eight Rules of Networking. Both pithy and helpful, this article provides a fine foundation for striking out into productive but often fearful territory. Actually, the fifth tip on Avoiding Being Socially Inept sounds direct and uncomplicated.But for many, honing social skills is a never ending challenging. How actually does one do small talk well?
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Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Grads Delaying Job Searches
The job market is tight. No big story there. What might be different in recent years is how college grads react. Some are enticed by the lure of grad school to delay the inevitable. Some succumb to their worst case scenario—moving home with mom and dad, thus buying more time for what looks to be an extended job search. And then there are others who are deciding to opt out entirely, a group profiled in a recent Wall Street Journal article, Many Grads Delay Job Searches.
So what are grads opting for, if not the work world? Travel or volunteering appear high on the list. Something or anything to sort of ride out the unemployment storm until the return of more prosperous times. There’s a sense of just too much competition out there right now—-which there admittedly is—for way too many jobs. Conducting a job search in this economy just doesn’t seem to make sense. Why bother if it’s hopeless anyway, right?
Well, here’s the deal. Traveling and volunteering, all well and good but potentially unproductive over time. Because the job search just might be as or more challenging upon your return. So while doing one or both, sift through all those new experiences to extract developing skills and abilities which will convey meaning to future employers. Keeping the future in mind while enjoying the present will decrease the possibility of eventually returning to your childhood bedroom.
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
What’s it like to be a…..Systems Architect/Sr Consulting Engineer?
My company job title is: Systems Architect/Sr Consulting Engineer
Current project or contract role: Lead Systems Engineer (architect & design), Information Assurance (security) Engineer, Control Account Manager (cost and schedule)
What does a normal day look like?
My current contract means that the majority of my work is paid for through a Government or Commercial contract for services or for development of a system. System development goes through software development lifecycle phases. So I play different roles depending what phase the system is currently in. For example, the requirements definition phase requires that I work on system requirements, performance requirements, security requirements, etc. In the design phase, I have to establish design goals, evaluate development methods and procedures, create architecture diagrams, define software packages, etc. In the build phase, I review development components and update architectural views. During integration and testing, I review documentation products for technical content, update systems documents, evaluate test results.
Is it consistent throughout the year?
There are variations which include management work to review technical personnel for promotions and salary raises. I sometimes have to work on new proposals to acquire additional system development contracts or evaluate the proposals that other organizations have prepared. We often meet with our customers to go over the planning for new tasks within existing contracts or to review problems and technical solutions.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
What’s it like to be a…Small Business Owner?
My job title is: President of a small business with 25 employees.
My actual position is—Small Business Owner, Troubleshooter, Salesperson, Personnel Manager, Financial Planner.
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
Arrive at 7:00 or 8:00, do what is necessary to solve any problems, plan for a future with fewer problems. Some weeks are 30-40 hours, some weeks are 40-50 hours.
What other positions have you held prior to your current job?
School teacher, college professor.
How did you get to where you are now?
Networking led to an offer to buy into a niche educational business.
What kind of training/education did you have?
Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate. I also audited about six college business courses (including management and basic accounting) before taking over the business.
What qualifications/skills/attributes make someone successful in this position?
Common sense, intelligence, honesty, commitment, organizational skills, follow-through, a bit of tech savvy.
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What’s it like to be a…..Special Education Pre-School Teacher?
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
I teach 8 preschoolers, aged 2-5, all with disabilities. They have a variety of disabilities, including autism, physical disabilities, speech impairment, genetic disorders, Down syndrome and others. The children come for half the day and participate in typical preschool activities, with some adaptations as needed. Each child has an IEP (Individualized Education Program), which the parents and I develop, to address problems in areas of development (social skills, communication skills, cognitive skills, gross and fine motor skills and adaptive skills). We work on their delays at school and then I do home visits in the afternoon, coaching parents and working with the children. Our classroom also has speech therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other specialists also working with the children. I have two assistants that help to carry out the program.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What’s it like to be a….TV News Reporter?
My job title is: Senior Reporter
My actual position is (if this differs from job title): Sometimes I shoot and edit video
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
A typical day starts at nine AM with an editorial meeting. We decide who is covering what, and we go out and get those stories. It hasn’t changed a lot in the last 30 years, except that now we email back photos and notes to update our website.
What other, if any, positions have you held prior to your current job? How did you get to where you are now?
My first job out of college was in radio news.
What kind of training/education did you have? What would you suggest? What qualifications/skills/attributes make someone successful in this position?
A college education is essential, along with curiosity and willingness to learn new technologies.
What are the rewards in your position? Challenges? What makes a good day for you?
It’s rewarding to tell human stories that people respond to. A good day is finding compelling characters that make the news stories come alive.
What trends or changes do you foresee in the next 5-10 years?
Reporters will shoot and edit more of their own stories and file them on the web as well as on TV.
How could a person find out more about your field?
http://www.rtnda.org;www.poynter.org
When you were growing up, did you have any interests that you have built into your work?
I was interested in the world about me.
What obstacles have you overcome to get to where you are today?
Fighting fatigue with covering the same stories over and over.
What was your first job like after college?
It was a radio news reporting and anchoring job and a lot of fun.
How do your beliefs and values or worldview perspectives impact what you do at work?
The most impactful video news stories aim for the heart to inform the mind.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
What’s it like to be a…..Christian high school principal?
If you have had this position for a while, how have things changed?What does my normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year?
When school is in session, late August to early June, I am in the office well before 6:00 a.m., at school or school-related meetings during the day, at home for supper between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., and then back at school for the evening until 9:30 -ish p.m.
When school is in session, early morning time until about 7:15 a.m. is a wonderful and necessary planning time. It is during this time I do short-term and long-term planning and take care of lots of correspondence. Teachers and students begin filling the hallways around 7:15 a.m., and from that time until 4:00 p.m. I am “on” for running the high school.
Being “on” means being available to students and teachers throughout the school day using a “managing by walking around” style. This walking around involves answering and responding to a myriad of situations, questions, phone calls, and e-mails, and being available to students, parents, alumni and teachers who stop in throughout school day. It also means being a presence and observing the daily flow and interaction of a dynamic Christian community. Education is touching and influencing lives and this can only be done by “being there.”
I am home to have supper with my wife from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., and then I’m back again for the evening, which includes parent meetings, board meetings, and supervision of student and athletic activities. Over time supervision of activities becomes more like “I really want to be there to support and encourage students and coaches and parents- it’s our ministry, I don’t want to miss out.”
During the summertime, I maintain school office hours from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., except for those times when I’m on vacation. I am allocated five weeks of vacation out of 52 weeks each year. Summer is filled with planning and preparation for the new year.
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
What’s it like to be an….architect/business professor?
My job title is: architect/business professor
My actual position is: founder/principal architect/former partner of AMDG architects, currently associate professor of business at Calvin College
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
Architect: Meetings with staff, consulting engineers, clients, code officials, doing architectural design, project management (tasks, budgets, schedules), reviewing construction drawings, managing the business side, personnel reviews and training, marketing and going after new projects; pretty well consistent through the year now that there are concrete admixtures which allow pouring concrete in the winter in Michigan. We’ve grown from one person (myself doing everything) to 15+ staff. It has become more management and less doing the project drawings myself which are now done mostly by other staff. The move toward more computer design for the conceptual design process and construction drawings has meant technological changes, and design/build approach continues to grow vs. the more traditional approach with having an architect provide drawings and then bidding it out to several contractors.
Professor: Teaching methods are changing somewhat to better adapt to the students’ expectations and learning styles, much more experiential and discussion vs. straight lecture.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What’s it like to be a….Social Work Professor?
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
My day is varied and includes preparation and teaching of classes to social work majors, participation in departmental and college wide committee work, and academic advising.
What other, if any, positions have you held prior to your current job? How did you get to where you are now?
My background in social work is also varied. I worked full time while working toward my Master’s Degree in Social Work:
I worked as a career counselor at a technical college, working with young people completing certificate programs to write resumes and cover letters, prepare for interviews, and search for jobs.
In addition to this I worked briefly at a pre-natal clinic for low-income mothers in Irvington, NJ. I worked directly with the pregnant mothers and the medical professionals to connect the women and their families to needed resources including housing, food stamps, Medicaid, and where necessary, substance abuse treatment.
After this I worked in Newark, NJ as a supervisor with the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program (CASA). This is an organization that works with the courts to help oversee cases of child abuse and neglect and to advocate for the children and families in order for the children to move toward permanency, either back at home with their parents or toward adoptive families.
My most recent work, prior to teaching, was working with homeless women and children and in the development of low-income housing, including permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, housing for persons with AIDS (HOPWA), senior housing, and housing for people with disabilities. Most of this work was done with Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ and also in Grand Rapids with Genesis Non Profit Housing Corporation.
I got to where I am now by always learning that regardless of what job I found myself doing at any given time, that there were valuable lessons, skills, and abilities to learn which could be transfered to my next position.
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Friday, May 08, 2009
What’s it like to be a….Physician’s Assistant?
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
I work in a family practice setting so I see patients ranging from infants to the elderly. I work from about 7:45-5:30/6:00 seeing many different cases every day, ranging from the common cold to lacerations to diabetes, etc.
What other, if any, positions have you held prior to your current job? How did you get to where you are now?
None. I got my bachelor’s degree majoring in Spanish and went on to PA school immediately after graduating.
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Monday, May 04, 2009
What’s it like to be an…Assistant Dean of Residence Life?
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
Certain aspects of my job I perform almost daily, while other responsibilities are much more seasonal. Regardless of the time of year, I meet with students and staff each day to work out issues of housing or to discuss a housing policy violation. In addition, I am a liaison to other campus departments (Food service, Building services, Academic Services, and Admissions). I have weekly interactions with these departments and represent the Residence Life Department in those meetings. Finally, I supervise the Knollcrest East Apartments and the Area Coordinator position coordinating various student support and accountability services with the Dean of Students for Judicial Affairs.
In the summer, I help with roommate matching, assist with orientation programs, and prepare for opening the residence halls and apartments to students in the fall. This includes helping with Resident Director and Residence Assistant training. In the fall and winter, I teach a first year experience class, mentor the hall presidents, and review our policies and procedures. In the spring I facilitate the room selection process for returning students in both the residence halls and apartments and help plan summer improvement projects. All in all, it is not a boring job, and no two days are the same.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Job Fair Top 10’s
After today’s visit to a sizeable job fair, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are some things people just must not know—otherwise they would not do them. So to help clear up any ambiguity, here’s today’s list of …..
Top Ten Things People Should Know Before Going To a Job Fair:
• That overly died, permed hair is no longer flattering
• That a royal blue sweater, tan pants (too short), and RED socks don’t match
• That even if the clothes aren’t totally appropriate, everything can benefit from being pressed
• That well fitting pants look better than ones that are too tight across the derriere
• That lip rings are better off left at home
• That posture counts—straight up is better than slumped and shuffling
• That bright and energetic works better than dull-eyed and dour
• That not all recruiters know how to carry on a conversation, so you’d better be ready with some openers and questions
• That going from booth to booth with a friend in tow is not a good idea
• That cell phones should be turned off at the door
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Successful networking example
Despite the urge to babysit Craigslist or other posting boards, the most productive job searches are still those involving personal contact. People who know you can either suggest other contacts or might know of openings where they work.
That approach worked well for a grad who moved to a new city where she didn’t know anyone. What to do? Well, she started by finding a local church, more for worship purposes than any thoughts of networking in mind. But she went beyond that, joined a small group and got to know others who cared about her. A few months later, someone from that group told her about a current opening at a local business. Our alum’s advice for other grads?
“As for finding a job in this economy, I think it’s helpful to inform others of your situation. In my small group, I would share my frustrations and my problems with looking for a job. If there is an open position with any company and you know an insider, it’s really helpful. Or…they could know people who know people, which is what happened to me. I figured out it’s like a connection game.”
Small group not for you? Well, what about joining an organization or volunteering? What about past or present professors? Guest speakers in your classes? Other college alumni? Friends of your family or acquaintances from your internships? Basically, start by brainstorming a list of any and all possible contacts to kick off your own networking process.
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Email Aunt Bonnie with your questions or comments!
Most recent entries
- What’s it like to be a…..missionary—with an engineering background?
- What’s it like to be a….defense consultant?
- The Fine Art of Small Talk
- Grads Delaying Job Searches
- What’s it like to be a…..Systems Architect/Sr Consulting Engineer?
- What’s it like to be a…Small Business Owner?
- What’s it like to be a…..Special Education Pre-School Teacher?
- What’s it like to be a….TV News Reporter?
- What’s it like to be a…..Christian high school principal?
- What’s it like to be an….architect/business professor?
- What’s it like to be a….Social Work Professor?
- What’s it like to be a….Physician’s Assistant?
- What’s it like to be an…Assistant Dean of Residence Life?
- Job Fair Top 10’s
- Successful networking example
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