Career Guide

GETTING STARTED

The Global Network

As business opportunities and production become increasingly global, employers need people who can connect with customers, suppliers and business partners in other cultures. There are hundreds of different careers that could be a match for your skills and knowledge. For example, you might be the human resources specialist, sourcing talent for a work team for an international project. You could be a scientist dealing with global warming, or a lawyer concerned with the drafting of environmental legislation. Or you might be an accountant working on the budget to implement environmental standards at a factory.

Information Technology

The lifeline of the global economy is information technology businesses connected to one another through computers and telecommunications. Direct interaction with people from other cultures will be a lot more frequent, regardless of your job. Some of your colleagues and clients could be working in different time zones, on different continents, speaking and writing in different languages, and facing day-to-day problems. Respect and tolerance are the new basics for everyone.

When computers first appeared in offices in the early 1980s, employers expected them to speed up work a little and simplify basic tasks. Instead computers are changing the way people work, the jobs they do and what goals their bosses expect them to achieve. If you're interested in a career in business, finance and administration, chances are you'll spend a lot of your time in an office. You're going to find it isn't enough just to have some computer skills and an ability to answer the telephone. There's an exciting revolution going on in the office, and no one knows when it's going to end. But what's increasingly clear is that the office worker of the future must have the skills to handle change, challenges, responsibilities and teamwork.

The Office Revolution

Until computers, most businesses had a chain of command where everyone had specific jobs. The boss set the goals of the business and directed the managers. The managers hired and fired people, and directed the flow of information about business transactions like contracts, accounts, sales and payroll. The office personnel - receptionists, clerks and secretaries - handled the data, typed the letters, maintained the files and kept the books.

The arrival of computers changed everything. People working with computers could take on new and different tasks. For example, a person with no training in keeping a company's financial books could now use special software and perform the job of bookkeeper. Or someone with no experience in graphic design could produce brochures and audio-visual presentations using page-layout software.

The result of this revolution has been a new kind of employee power! Instead of being slotted into jobs with one set of skills, employees now could do a lot more. Bosses realized that they didn't need so many managers when employees could handle the work themselves.

Managers still exist in corporations, but now they serve as resource people, facilitators and problem solvers - jobs that let them exercise their strong people and managerial skills. Secretaries and clerks have also taken on new roles, providing a wide range of support services for a team of coworkers. And some employees can now even spend most of their work time at home, connected to the office through computers.

What skills will you need in this new business world? Higher education is a must so that you can develop computer know-how, good interpersonal skills, an ability to communicate well and a capacity for independent thought and action. The big plus? More responsibility to prove your worth, and more freedom than ever to create a working situation that fits you best.

Career Checkup

It's a good idea to spend some time thinking about your future. You should ask yourself questions like - what do I like doing now? What are my favorite courses in school? And what do I want to do after I finish school? Remember, everything you enjoy doing right now, in school and in your spare time, could help you to plan for your career. So take a few minutes to get an idea of what's important to you. Then continue reading to find out how you can better plan for your future career.