Taking Control of Your Career, I Know You Want Too - Book Review

Indeed, I suppose everyone is concerned with their career, and we all realize that there are choices we make now which will have drastic effects on the rest of our lives later. If you make all the right moves, you will move quickly to the top, of course you need the savvy and skills to stay there, and you'll need the leadership talents to do it right, once you do achieve such lofty heights. Thus, career planning is paramount.

If you wish to advance in your career, if you want to find the right job and keep it in a solid industry you will need to do a little bit of research, study, and get the correct information. Not long ago, I was discussing this with a friend and I recommended a very good book for her to read. It's one I could just as well have recommended to you as well. In fact, let me do that now - the name of the book is:

"What Next?: The Complete Guide to Taking Control of Your Working Life," by Barbara Moses, published by Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd, England; (2003), 336 pp, ISBN: 978-075136-4460.

If you want upward mobility in your career then this is the book to read, and there are chapters on getting the right job, surviving in the workplace, and seizing opportunity. Also, you'll learn how to be the best boss with the best leadership schools in this fast pace world of ours. Why is that important you ask? Well, once you get to the management level, you are in charge and you can make or break the company and your team. For instance let me give you a recent example, no not in the book, but it made me recall the advice I learned in this book;

An interesting article in Government Executive, an insider US government publication with an online newsletter; "Executive Coach; BP's Tony Hayward: Worst Leader of the Year," by Scott Eblin and it was essentially about the reality of taking your career to the next level, written on June 9, 2010. The article had this quote, but I recommend that you do go find this article online and read the whole thing to form your own opinion;

"I'll acknowledge that it's just too easy to nominate BP CEO Tony Hayward as the worst leader of the year. Granted, he's got some stiff competition, but he deserves every inch of the big target on his back. Like a lot of people, I've got a crick in my neck from shaking my head after all of the stupid things he's said and feckless things he's done."

Had Tony Hayward read this book by Barbara Moses, I just bet he'd have been able to handle the onslaught of negative media which has taken 10s of billions of dollars from the BP market cap after this spill. If you plan your career from the start, from the time you get out of college and get that first big break, until you one day become the boss, then you'll need this book.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes it's hard to write 20,000 articles; http://www.bloggingcontent.net/

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.

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Are Taking Plumbing Courses A Good Idea?

The increase in plumbing courses being offered in various countries around the world has mirrored the drastic decline in global employment. Plumbing has always been considered a valuable skill to learn. Almost everyone has a faulty sink, a leaking faucet or a clogged drain. Although not as glamorous as other career opportunities, professional plumbers enjoy a straightforward approach to obtaining income.

The rise of unemployment has seen white collar workers switching to blue-collar jobs. Plumbing proves to be the easiest to learn and earn a living from. However, as with most blue collar work, plumbing is a skill, better learned not in the classroom but with hands on experience. Although plumbing courses provide a degree of certification, and most are taught with hands on instructors, a graduate of such course would still be poor competition for an experienced plumber who may not hold a degree or certification, but lays claim to hundred of reliable references.

Many families, even neighborhoods have their own go-to plumber, someone who meets their needs, and someone whom they trust to help them with their pipe problems. Most often, the plumber's trade is passed down from father to son, thus ensuring a certain amount of monopoly within the neighborhood. Thus, a graduate of a such a course may not find it easy to obtain employment easily. With no employment in which to apply their recently acquired skills, those skills deteriorate, making them a less than attractive option.

Taking plumbing courses, free or paid for is always a good idea. Many countries offer free vocational courses to stem the rise of unemployment. It is always to one's advantage to learn how much he or she can. However, pinning your hopes of obtaining steady income on such a course may prove hazardous. Without references and experience, you would just be another guy with a piece of paper saying you graduated from something. If you do avail of a plumbing course, be sure to hone your skills immediately after. Doing work, free or discounted at first, for family and friends will help you gain experience while increasing the number of potential clients you may have. If you perform a good job, word will spread and you will have a better chance of obtaining employment.

Plumbing courses are a good option, a good secondary course, but if you really want to pursue a career in this field, it is simply a start; you will still need to go out and obtain experience, cultivate relationships and hope that word will spread about your skills as a plumber.

James Copper writes articles about new career skills reviews, feedback and their training courses.

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