Career skills. Учебное пособие

МИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И НАУКИ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ БЮДЖЕТНОЕ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ

ВЫСШЕГО ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ

«ЛИПЕЦКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»

Т. Ю. Рязанцева Н. В. Барышев Ю. Н. Савельев Т. А. Шумилова

CAREER SKILLS

Учебное пособие

Липецк Липецкий государственный технический университет

2013

3

CHAPTER 1

THINKING ABOUT WORK

KEY TERMS

full time

technology

economics

identity

job

career

OBJECTIVES

In this chapter you will learn about

the variety of jobs available

places people work

times people work

changes in the work world

reasons people have for working

Have you thought about what you are going to do after you graduate from high school, or college, or trade school? Do you have any plans?

Many young people are unsure about future in the working world. They know they want to be on their own. They want to earn their own money and live as adults live. But when it comes to what they want to "be," they're confused and uncertain.

They may say, "Oh, I'll get a job somewhere. I'll just take whatever comes along." And once in a while one of them is really lucky and stumbles into a wonderful job.

But many of them are not so lucky. They find themselves doing work they hate for employers they don't like, eight hours a day, five days a week. They come home tired and grouchy and mad at the world.

Did you know that most people spend an average of 40 years in the work force? That's a long, long time to spend doing "whatever comes along."

4

A person's life is full of things he or she can't control. No one asked you when you wanted to be born, or where, or to which parents. You can't change the weather or the fact that you need to eat to stay alive.

But you do have something to say about how you spend your work life. You don't have to just take whatever comes along. You can find work you're happy with.

The World of Work

Work can be done by just about everybody. And there is probably a job somewhere to suit almost everyone. Let’s take a quick look at the world of work.

Kinds of Jobs

The kinds of jobs available are almost countless. As you walk or drive down a street, look around you. Everything that meets your eye, from the stones under your feet to the clouds in the sky, is linked to some kind of job. For example, is there a billboard beside the road? How many jobs do you think have to do with a billboard? Here are some.

Landlord. Owns the property the bill board is standing on and collects rent.

Designer or architect. Drew up the plans for the billboard's construction.

Carpenter. Followed the designer's plans to make the billboard.

Electrician. Installed lights so the billboard can be seen at night.

Advertising salesperson. Sold the space on the billboard to a manufacturer.

Advertising artist. Designed the picture appearing on the billboard advertisement.

Advertising writer. Wrote the words appearing on the billboard advertisement.

Sign painter. Took the design from the advertising artist and writer and painted it on the billboard.

So far our list names eight jobs directly connected with the billboard. How many other jobs can you think of that might, be linked to the billboard? What about the manufacturer? If there were no products to advertise, there would be no need for

5

billboard at all. Suppose the ad on the billboard was for chewing gum. What different kinds of jobs do you think are linked to a stick of chewing gum?

Places to work

Have you thought about the places people work? Work is done in many different settings or locations. Some jobs, such as teaching skiing and forestry, are done outside. Librarians and dentists do their jobs indoors. Other jobs, such as those done on a submarine or space, are performed in very tight quarters. Still other jobs require workers to go deep into mines or to climb mountains to study glaciers. Firefighters, police officers, and many construction workers find themselves in spots that can be dangerous.

Many things can affect a work setting. A writer works alone and a tour guide works with people. Assemblers remain in one spot to do their jobs, while flight attendants must travel from city to city. A person may choose to work for a large company or to operate his or her own small business.

Some jobs offer a combination of settings. An airline pilot must stay in a cockpit while flying the plane but has a chance to see a different city or country after the flight is over.

Times to Work

Every hour of the day and night, someone somewhere is working. Sometimes a business must run 24 hours a day because of the type of service it offers. A hospital, for example, must be open and have a medical team available to treat emergencies at all times. Big hotels are staffed around the clock for travelers who come and go both day and night.

Other work is done at all times because of the work load. Some factories must work 24 hours to keep up with the demand for their product.

Other work is done according to the seasons, or whether it is day or night. Outdoor construction, for example, must be done during the warm months in northern states. Ski patrols, on the other hand, work only in the winter. Beach lifeguards are

6

usually limited to daylight hours. Workers who clean office buildings do most of their work in the late afternoon and evening.

Work times also vary as to the number of hours put in. Most people work full time, which usually means about forty hours a week. The hours are usually broken up into eight hours a day, five days a week.

Changes in the Work World

The world of work is constantly changing. Some businesses fail. New businesses start. Some products catch the public fancy. Others lose favor and disappear. For example, the field of electronics is changing so fast that a product can be out of date before it is in the stores.

While you are considering the type of work you want to do, the work world will be changing. All changes affect jobs. Being aware of the changes can help you choose a job with a more certain future.

Social Changes. Today young married couples are waiting longer to start families. Years ago, men worked to earn the family income, and women managed the home. Now most couples find it necessary for both the man and the woman to work outside the home.

During the last years of the previous century, 12 million married and single women were expected to hold jobs. This means that 70 percent of all women were be working outside the home. Women now make up 50 percent of the work force.

Lots of young female students in high school do not expect that they will still be working at age 35. However, they may find that they cannot leave their jobs. Some experts predict that females will work an average of 35 years and that their pay will be more than what males earn.

Technology. Technology is the use of ideas, processes, tools, and materials to get things done. Consequently, as technology changes, the work world changes. These technological changes may involve either new equipment, new materials, or new methods.

7

New equipment can affect many job areas. During the early part of this century blacksmiths were needed to make and repair metal tools and objects, such as horseshoes. Today there is little need for blacksmiths since cars and tractors have replaced horses and metal tools and objects are now made in large factories.

The space program has brought new materials to the building, clothing, food, and transportation industries. For example, a certain type of coating used on the space shuttle is now used by dentists to repair teeth.

In 1974 a small electronics firm made a personal computer in kit form. This microcomputer has affected our personal lives, created new jobs, and changed industrial systems and processes. It has affected the courses you take, how you enroll in school, and how the school keeps records. The computer is a development that cannot be ignored. Everyone who will work in the years to come needs to know about computers.

Technology also changes methods. It can help make the work place safer, more comfortable, and enjoyable. It can get jobs done faster. For example, workers in the clothing industry used to cut cloth by hand. Now cutters are power driven and computerized to adjust to the thickness of the cloth.

Economic Pressures. In general, economics has to do with money. Many job changes are made for economic reasons. For example, the American auto industry suffered severe economic difficulties in the early 1980s. For a number of reasons, Americans began buying more and more foreign cars. The manufacturers had trouble making enough money to stay in business. As a result, many auto workers lost their jobs.

Sometimes the workers themselves put economic pressures on an industry. They may band together and demand that the company pay them more money. If the company is healthy and can afford to increase pay, the workers may win. But if the company is already in economic trouble, it may have to shut down. In that case workers will be out of both money and jobs.

Economic reasons may force companies to use different methods or materials in making products. Heating fuels are a good example. Because the fuels we

8

commonly use are in limited supply, their price is very high. As a result, the field of solar energy has grown. People are needed to design, build, sell, and install the equipment that makes solar energy usable in homes.

Sometimes costs force companies to move to a less expensive location. They are sometimes forced to take their business to another country where costs are even lower. The clothing industry is a good example. Most of the clothing we buy today is made in the Far East—Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines and China.

REVIEW

What Have You Read?

In this chapter you began thinking about work, jobs, and careers. You learned that people work at many different kinds of jobs, in many different settings, and at different times. You also learned that changes in society, technology, the law, and economic conditions cause the working world to change constantly. You read that people work for many different reasons: money, identity, to feel important, to be useful, and to be with others. You then read that the most successful people do not work at just a series of jobs—they plan ahead and develop a career plan

What Will You Do?

Read the chapter summary above. Now think about the things you can do to learn more about the important ideas in this chapter. What new skills should you develop? Below are some suggestions.

Write

1.A short explanation of what work means to you.

2.A description of what you think an ideal job is. Be sure to tell where you will work and what your hours will be.

9

Speak

1.To your class for two minutes about your thoughts of what work will be like in the year 2020.

2.To your parents about what you've learned in this chapter. Ask them what they would write about the world of work.

What Do You Think?

Think about your feelings and attitude toward the key ideas in this chapter.

Then answer the questions below.

1.What has been your general attitude toward work? If you enjoy working, why do you think this is the case? If you don't enjoy working, why not?

2.How have you or any other members of your family been affected by the rapid changes taking place in the world of work over the past ten years?

3.Have you given much thought to the kind of work you would like to do during your life? If you had to make a choice now, what career would you choose?

10