What Does A Stockbroker Do?

A stockbroker acts as a medium between sellers of stocks and buyers of it. With a stockbroker’s knowledge in finance, economics and other related factors, a stockbroker is able to advise and sell stocks that are up on the market, more than that, a stockbroker sees to it that the trade between buyer and seller goes smoothly as much as possible and at the same time, since stockbroker pay is commission based, a stockbroker would sell as much as he could.

Stockbrokers come with a complete portfolio of stocks that are up for sale and they know everything about these stocks as well as have good ideas of how the values of these stocks would behave. If not for this type of service, it might take years for someone who is interested in stocks to cross paths with someone that holds it.

With the advancement of technology, stockbrokers nowadays are able to work through the internet just as if they were selling face to face. There are now online brokerage firms that could give information and trade stocks with very low costs and would do it accurately and much more convenient on behalf of those who are trading stocks.

What Are The Job Requirements?

Basically, there are actually no specific educational requirements in being a stockbroker however; employers nowadays would look for people who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. What employers are after is how teachable a person is and if his character is right for the job.

While education is not actually a pre-requisite, there are some things that an aspiring stockbroker can learn for him to be competent in his field. Some ideal college courses could be finance, marketing, mathematics or economics since these courses would most likely have a curriculum that would give an aspiring stockbroker a well rounded understanding of how things are in the field.

For a stockbroker to be competent, he also needs to have the character right for the job. A stockbroker should have excellent communication skills for him to be able to sell stocks. One also must be always updated with stocks and how external factors around may be affecting stocks. Since this job has a lot to deal with numbers, a stockbroker should have good mathematical skills. If a stockbroker should lack in any requirements, some training is provided by the company which could really enhance a stockbroker’s skills.

Job Outlook

The demand for stockbrokers would depend heavily on how much people are getting into stock exchange and the number of people who would get into stock exchange would depend heavily on the economy. With how the economy is behaving lately, it can be said that the number of stockbrokers would just grow at the same rate of most other jobs in the market.

With a lot of people qualified for the job, this also poses up some competition. Those who have good educational backgrounds, good training and have the skills necessary, although they would be great prospects in the job market, would still have to prove themselves in competition with other people who are also qualified for the position.

Salary Expectation

Some stock brokers are salary based however, most of them would prefer to have commission based pay since this would generally give them more money. A stockbroker’s pay, when commission based would only depend on how much stock one is able to sell. Firms can give up to 10% commission plus benefits to stockbrokers.

What Does The Job Of A Pharmacist Involve?

Pharmacists, or chemists s they are sometimes called, research, develop and use knowledge of chemicals to create, develop or enhance something. One of the main concepts in their job is to make processes that as much as possible would save energy and would lessen pollution. pharmacists are mostly found in research and development firms while a lot of them also work in quality control and production of chemical plants. pharmacists can specialize in a lot of areas including organic, inorganic, analytical, medical, physical, material and macromolecular pharmacy.

Organic pharmacists study the pharmacy of organic compounds, inorganic pharmacists study compounds other than carbon, analytical pharmacists scrutinize and identify what makes up a substance in order to identify the nature of that given substance, medical pharmacists use their knowledge on pharmacy to contribute to medicine and materials pharmacists research and develop chemicals that would replace existing ones that are being used or create new ones pharmacists, because of their knowledge on pharmacy, have a very profound impact on society.

Pharmacists think of and develop the materials that make up a lot of things we use and consume everyday. Because of their great contribution to society, pharmacists have always been in demand.

Pharmacy also makes a good background if one would plan to pursue further studies such as medicine, dentistry and biochemical engineering.

Job Requirements

The minimum requirements for someone who would like to work as a pharmacist is a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy although some advanced positions would require at least a master’s degree or even a PhD. In some places, one would be required to pass a licensure exam. Those who would really want to pursue a career in pharmacy should have a good background on other sciences and mathematics since the nature of the job involves a lot of those.

To be an effective pharmacists, one must always be on the go; meaning that on should always be in the mood to discover new things. Being open minded is also very important as when pharmacists would discover some new things; these could be either desirable or undesirable. Deep analytical skills and manual dexterity for handling laboratory apparatus should also be developed when wanting to become a pharmacist. Good knowledge in handling computers is also a key advantage.

Job Outlook

There were about 84,000 pharmacists in the United States in 2006. Because of the rise of technology as well as the rise in demand of better materials and breakthroughs that can be brought about by chemistry, this number is expected to rise. The demand for more pharmacists would most likely be in the research and development part. While that part would seem promising, all other areas of chemistry are also expected to grow just as fast as other occupations until 2016.

Expected Salary

The salary of pharmacists would very depending on what field of chemistry they are specializing on. Those working at testing laboratories would earn around $46,000. Those working for pharmaceutical manufacturing would earn around $57,000 while those who work for basic chemical manufacturing would earn a little above average at $62,300.

Those working for the federal executive branch are some of the highest paid pharmacist which would earn around $89,000. Depending on the company where the pharmacist would be working in, a pharmacist is generally entitled to a lot of benefits.

Nature Of The Job

The main tasks of mechanical engineers would involve researching, testing developing, designing, testing and manufacturing engines, machines, tools and a lot of other mechanical devices and systems. Mechanical engineers are able to work on power-generating devices such as internal combustion engines, steam turbines and electric generators. They are also expected to be able to work on power-consuming devices such as air conditioning, refrigeration, industrial production equipment, elevators, escalators, handling systems and robots in general.

Other types of engineers could also work alongside mechanical engineers to make a wide variety of other things. Computers are heavily needed by mechanical engineers because of a lot of reasons. First is that computers aid them in designing and another is that computers help them compute a lot of things which they would be using in their jobs.

Mechanical engineers can be found in a lot of industries and the tasks which they are asked to do would vary depending on what and where they are working. An automotive company for example could hire mechanical engineers for the design and production of automobiles while a manufacturing company could also hire mechanical engineers for the maintenance and operation of their machinery.

Day To Day Tasks Of A Mechanical Engineer

While the work of mechanical engineers may vary depending on what they are tasked to do and where they are working, generally, they would still apply the basic engineering principles which would be planning, designing, organizing and testing. This process is applied virtually on any job that a mechanical engineer is assigned to do.

For mechanical engineers that are assigned for maintenance, they would have to watch how machines work and make sure that those machines are working at optimum capacity. As for those assigned in manufacturing of machines, they would constantly have to do a lot of research and testing in order for them to come up with a lot of new innovations.

Some mechanical engineers work independently, most commonly with other mechanical engineers for research and development of products that they themselves would like to discover.

Opportunities

In 2002, there were about 215,000 mechanical engineers in the country. Most of them would be working in manufacturing plants while some of them would be working on electronic products, computer manufacturing, transportation equipment, and manufacturing metal products.

The outlook for mechanical engineers for the future is unknown, while some trends are showing that there may be more opportunities for aspiring mechanical engineers in the future. This is because the rapid growth of technology especially for computers can open up a lot of opportunities. Some examples of these technologies which would open up new opportunities are nanotechnology, the growth of computers and the advancement of gadgets which are very visible nowadays.

However, since other fields of engineering would already be qualified to do the jobs of mechanical engineers, this could be a threat as positions which were mainly for mechanical engineers before can be filled by engineers with other specialties.

Expected Salary

Some of the lowest earning mechanical engineers have been said to earn around $41,500 while some of the highest paid mechanical engineers can earn over $93,400. With that given data, mean earnings for mechanical engineers are about $65,200 for those who work at engineering services, instruments manufacturing for several purposes and aerospace products manufacturing. Those who are working for the federal government earn above average at about $72,500 annually.

You spend your childhood entranced by dinosaur bones and everything that was prehistoric and died several million years ago. You gazed longingly at the collections of dinosaur bones in your favorite museum and begged your parents for your very own ancient arrow head when you visited ancient Native American burial grounds.

Now that you are grown up, it is easy to understand your chosen career path when you think of your childhood days. You went to school for many years and now you are an archeologist who spends his days digging up ancient artifacts and bones in some of the most remote locations of the world.

To sum it up, you help the world piece the history together. There are so many things we have learned from archeology expeditions that help us shape what we believe the world was millions of years ago. All thanks to the work of dedicated professionals who devote their lives to studying the past. Their study of the past helps us create a better future.

Man would not have known about dinosaurs had it not been for archeologists who dug up the artifacts of that period including the bones to show what they looked like millions of years ago. Also, if it was not for archeologists on their constant quests for artifacts, we never would have learned about the lives of the Ancient Egyptians and the people who died in Pompeii.

Archeologists are vital to the future of our world, but do not receive the proper amount of credit. They have been instrumental in the formation of the United States as well. They helped piece together the history of the Native Americans and helped find Native American artifacts like weaponry that help explain where some of our current weapons originated from.

Just imagine what we would not know if archeologists did not spend their time researching and creating our history. We would be a world who thinks it started after Christopher Columbus sailed to America. Well, maybe not. But out world history view would definitely be limited.

So, you may not know an actual archeologist personally, but than them each time you visit a museum, watch a historical documentary or learn something about the history of the United States. They were the ones who helped do the research and find out the truth behind the mysteries in life.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in artifact searching, find a college that offers a good program in archeology. There are several across the country that will help you learn about the past and learn the tools to becoming one yourself. These programs can be quite demanding and you must be able to handle the dangers and challenges that come along with this sort of career to be successful.

Imagine walking across the desert and finding ancient scribes that were written millions of years ago. That dream could definitely be a reality if you pursue a career in artifact finding and archeology.

What Does A Graphic Designer Do?

Graphic designers, with their exceptional creativity, create ads, logos, web pages, illustrations and a lot of visual material of which their clients would have them do. These talented professionals could either work alone or in groups in order to generate the most interesting and the most attractive images possible. Their clients can either be magazines, companies who would place ads, billboards and virtually anybody who would need to use graphics.

Aside from being creative, graphic designers too should have exceptional technical knowledge as the job would require the knowledge on how to use a lot of different instruments such as computers, cameras, and a lot of other gadgets. For those who work alone or are self employed, which would consist 25% of all graphic designers, excellent communication and business skills are very essential.

The duties of a graphic designer would depend on their job descriptions and on their specializations. Work can change daily or week per week depending on the demands. Some would only specialize in one area of graphic design such as web page design, advertisements, logos and illustrations.

Job Outlook

This job is quite competitive since a lot of people are attracted to this career. Fortunately, with competition comes a lot of opportunities. Those who can really produce good images have good prospects in this industry.

Nowadays, there is a constant increase for ads as seen on how ads would be changing every once in a while, how many web pages are added to the world wide web everyday and how much businesses would need new logos. This increase is also compensated by more people who are qualified to be graphic artists thus, those who are into this profession have more opportunities now.

With a larger demand for people who can produce images with very high quality, there is a suspected increase in demand for graphic designers until 2016. Those who are exceptionally competent as well as have good knowledge in web design and advertising in this industry have the best prospects.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degrees are some of the most basic requirements for those who would want a graphic designing career. Ideal majors that would really help one prepare for this career are computer science, information technology, information management and fine arts for some. While education is required, training is also a good advantage.

A graphic designer should also be master in using photo developing software such as photoshop as the job itself would depend on this. For a potential graphic designer to have something to show, one must complete his own portfolio of which than graphic designer can show to his clients later on.

For a graphic designer to be effective in his job, one must be exceptionally creative. The one that produces the best ads would make the most money. Since this job is also business oriented, organizational and communication skills are also very important. Graphic designers should also be able to know what kind of illustrations would fit a customer’s needs.

Salary Expectation

The average salary of a graphics designer would be at around $46,000, most of these graphic designers who would be working for newspapers, magazines and book publishing companies. The federal government is known to pay for the highest wages that would reach up to around $62,000.

What Are Flight Attendants In Charge Of?

First of all, flight attendants exist because airlines are required by law to hire them. While their primary duty is to make sure that safety rules and regulations are followed, they are also in charge of making the flight more comfortable and enjoyable for passengers.

Flight attendants make sure that safety rules and regulations are followed through some procedures. First, they would educate the passengers on things that are not allowed to be done and what to do in case of emergencies such as water landing or when the plane is short of oxygen. Then, they would tell passengers if something wrong is being done and correct them.

Flight attendants are also the ones to call if ever passengers would need anything from food to anything else the airline can offer to its passengers. They are also the ones to ask if ever passengers have any questions. Because the job itself would deal with being exposed to a lot of people, excellent communication skills as well as patience is necessary in order to become effective in this profession.

Working Conditions

Since airlines operate all year round and around the clock, flight attendants may work any time of the day, on weekends and on holidays. While the minimum working hours per day would be 12 hours most of the time, some airlines would implement a minimum of 14 hours a day. Flight attendants who cater to international flights are the ones more likely to be exposed to this shift since international flight would naturally take very long hours.

While this is a lot of work, it is justly compensated through generous salaries and benefits which is sure to be enjoyed by the flight attendants.

Because this work would require a lot of travel, flight attendants should be flexible, reliant, and willing to relocate. A flight attendant would constantly be exposed to different people and different places with that, the ones mentioned above are necessary in order to become effective in this job.

Job Qualifications

Generally, a high school diploma is the main requirement in order to be qualified in this job however; more airlines have been requiring college diplomas lately. It would also be an advantage if an applicant has experience in dealing with the public. Those who speak two or more languages also have and edge as this would be desirable for airlines since they can use these types of flight attendants for international flights.

Airlines also have physical standards for flight attendants. First, they have to be tall enough to reach the cabin. Males would also need a clean haircut, would have to be clean shaven, and must have no visible tattoos and piercings. Generally, all flight attendants have to look better than average.

Job Outlook And Salary

Employment of flight attendants is seen to be increasing at a constant rate until around 2016. Competition is expected to be tighter as more and more people are getting qualified for this position.

Flight attendants are expected to earn anywhere between $23,000 and $95,000 with the average earnings being in $43,400. Generally, flight attendants are also given a generous number of benefits. When they would be required to stay in a foreign place, their hotel expenses would be shouldered by the airline. They are also given generous meal allowances.

The Job Of An Executive Chef

Executive chefs can be found in hotels, cruise ships, resorts and restaurants. Of all the people working in the kitchen, the highest authority belongs to the executive chef, this hierarchy can be compared to how a chief executive officer is in a corporation. While all the subordinates would just prepare the food, which would take them the whole day, the executive chef would just come in when it is almost meal time to start cooking what has been prepared.

Executive chefs are commonly found in restaurants and in most cases, they themselves own the restaurants. They are also hired by large organizations such as government offices, for rich people and others similar.

While this job is considerably attractive, very few people are qualified for this position. If working for an organization, one would still have to work up through the ranks in order to land at this position. That is also the reason why most executive chefs have their own restaurants.

Job Requirements

In order to become an executive chef, graduation from a competitive school, having the right certifications and having a lot of experience are the main ingredients. While that is so, one would still have to start on entry level kitchen positions in order to arrive at that level. For some chefs, they would work for a short amount of time in a kitchen and when they get the needed experience, they would then start their own restaurants.

While that is the case, having a restaurant business has its ups and downs. Some restaurants can be up at this moment and down the next moment. Because this is so, chefs who have their own restaurants commonly have good educational backgrounds on business or management. While a good background in business is commonly needed for those who would start up their own restaurants, this is recommended for most chefs no matter where they may be working.

Executive chefs should also have the character needed for them to be in position. The basic skills would be excellent cooking skills as well as organizational skills. Exceptional creativity is needed as the executive chef is what gives the food in an institute its attitude.

Job Outlook

It is unclear whether there would be an increase or decrease in the demand for executive chefs. What is certain is that for every major culinary business, there would be at least on executive chef. This is because the food business, although it is a basic need, can also go up and down depending on many things. It is not like how it is in other professions wherein there is a constant rise, the demand for executive chefs would just depend on how the demand for food is.

For those who are really competitive in this field, there is a very positive outlook as there would be many opportunities for chefs whose dishes would really stand out. Those who always have something to present and please their diners have been very successful in this industry.

How Much To Expect

Of all positions in the kitchen, executive chefs are the ones that earn the most. They could earn up to $30 per hour. Those who choose to open their own restaurants generally earn higher than the usual, depending on how successful that restaurant is.

What Are Dental Hygienists In Charge Of?

While they do not actually do what a dentist does, dental hygienists commonly work alongside dentists to allow dentists to become more effective with their jobs. With that, their main tasks would include educating patients about dental health, proper oral hygiene, proper way of cleaning teeth and doing processes that would prevent problems that could happen to a patient. Some other tasks would be taking dental x-rays, removing plaque and stains and root planning.

Generally, dental hygienist have a definite set of tasks that they are only supposed to do however, they are allowed to do some tasks of a dentist in some places. Some of these tasks which would include filling and treating cavities, anaesthetizing, preparing a patient for a dental process, removing stitches and applying metal crowns.

What dental hygienists have that other jobs do not have is flexibility of scheduling as they could work part time in different offices since they might only need to be hired a few days in a week. However, reasonable amounts of full time, weekend and on call jobs are also available.

Job Qualifications

In order for one to be able to pursue a career in being dental hygienists, one is required to have reasonably demanding qualifications such as passing a practical and written tests and graduating from an accredited dental hygiene school. These are the basic requirements to be able to practice dental hygiene anywhere in the US. Most states would also require passing a test regarding the legal aspects of dental hygiene. Some institutes would offer hands-on training programs for hygienists that would qualify those who would be taking it to take the exams required.

For those who are considering what undergraduate course should be taken in order to pursue dental hygiene later on, those that deal with health sciences and mathematics are recommended such as biology and chemistry. Some skills that would make a dental hygienist effective in his or her job are effective communication skills and good manual dexterity as the job requires the handling of a lot of different instruments.

Job Opportunities

The job market for dental hygienists is expected to increase as the years go by as demand for dental care is also increasing. With this, dental hygienists are also expected to take over some tasks that have been done by dentists in the past. In the year 2012, dental hygiene is expected to become one of the fastest growing careers.

As the population is constantly growing, the demand for dental care is also expected to grow even more. This could put dentists in charge of more duties that in turn, would create job opportunities for them to hire dental hygienists as they would have to keep up with this rate of growth.

How Much Are Dental Hygienists Expected To Earn?

Since dental hygienists commonly work part time or contractual, pay is usually counted on a per hour basis

Some of the lowest paid dental hygienists would make around $17 per hour while some of the highest paid ones could make around $40 per hour. On average, a dental hygienist makes anything in between $22 and $33 per hour. The overall median earnings in 2002 were around $27 per hour.

Hygienists employed by the federal government are entitled into excellent benefits while those who are working for private firms may or may not receive benefits.

What Do Computer Programmers Do?

The main functions of computer programmers are to develop instructions through various types of computer languages, decode these, test programs and develop programs. Mainly, these tasks are done to operate various things that have to be done within a company. With the technology industry getting more advanced by the minute, the roles of computer programmers are becoming more complex by the minute as more tasks would be added to their job. However, that can also be a door for ore opportunities.

Computer programmers commonly work with software engineers which would design a program that would be turned into a functioning software by the computer programmer. This process involves a lot of decoding with the use of various computer languages. Since that is so, it would be very advantageous if a computer programmer knows a good variety of languages.

Types Of Computer Programmers

There are two main types of computer programmers which are application programmers and system programmers. The main role of application programmers is to develop or enhance programs for a specific purpose which is given by a company such as handling financial data. Systems programmers on the other hand would cover a wider scope of tasks. Some of them would include developing computer networking systems. In order for systems programmers to be more effective, they must have good knowledge on computer networking and systems.

A software developer is another type of computer programmer. This type would often work with other specialists to create any program in general which would include games, educational programs and so much more.

Opportunities

Most of the people with computer programming jobs have received at least a bachelor’s degree and around 20% of all of them have completed graduate studies in the field of computer studies. Compared to other professions, computer programming is considered to be growing at a considerably slow pace and is expected to maintain that slow pace in the future. Competitive candidates for employment are also expected to have a lot of needed skills.

Computer programmers have accounted for about 500,000 jobs in 2002. Most of the time, programmers are being employed with the larger percentage belonging to systems design and software publishing. Many firms that do not operate mainly on computer systems such as educational institutes, manufacturing firms, telecommunications offices and much more also open up job opportunities for computer programmers.

Job Qualifications

Since this job heavily requires skill, education is a growing need among those who plan to pursue a career in computer programming. The most qualified applicants would be holding a bachelor’s degree however; some who only hold two year degrees and associate degrees have been reported to enter the industry.

If there is lack of experience in a certain area, graduates of any course can enroll in some institutes that would offer special training on a lot of areas needed for these types of jobs. Although having a bachelor’s degree is basic, what employers actually look for is working experience or expertise.

Computer programming covers a very broad scope of jobs. With that, different skills are needed for different situations. Some of these could be mathematics, engineering, business finance, and a lot more. With more programs that are on the rise and are being used by a lot of different firms right now, a larger demand for skillful applicants is created.

Nature Of The Job

A call center agent works in cyberspace and can perform many duties. A call center agent can be a technical support representative. If this is so, the call center agent would be tasked to assist callers on technical support of which the company hiring the call center is assigned to. Another role that a call center agent could take is to do sales. If this is the job, the call center agent would sell products through phone. In general, call center agents would answer whatever the customer’s needs are through phone.

Because this job has considerably rewarding benefits and minimum educational requirements, a lot of people are attracted to this job. This job is growing fast especially in rural areas and in developing countries. If that is the case, call center agents who work in other places would have to work on different shifts. Some would work during dawn and some would work on typical day schedules. Typically, those who work at graveyard shifts get higher salaries.

While the job of a call center may not be too physically involving, it can be very stressful as one would have to deal with different kinds of people all throughout the job. There is considerably more pressure for those who are working for sales as they would have to meet sales quotas but since this job rewards accordingly, a lot of people are still getting into it especially in developing countries.

Job Requirements

For most call centers, at least a high school diploma is required. Although not really required, a college diploma is a good advantage. What employers would really look for in applicants in excellent communication skills as this is the skill primarily involved in the job. Typically, a master’s degree of a PhD makes an applicant overqualified for this position.

Call center agents would also have to be enduring as they would have to sit long hours on a desk in front of a computer. They also should know how to keep their cool in spite of pressure as this job also has its own pressures.

If any applicant would lack in any of the requirements, most call centers would give out training with the job. This would allow an applicant to learn a lot of fundamental that can be used in the job as a call center agent.

Job Outlook

Call centers have been one of the fastest growing jobs all over the world. This is because they have a lot of slots for applicants and a lot of people are qualified to take those positions. With this, there is expected to be a significant rise in the number of call center agents for the upcoming years to come. It can also be said that this profession is one of the fastest growing jobs nowadays.

This has also been a major investing trend as a lot of call centers are being put up in developing area. With that, more people have job opportunities.

Salary Expectation

Call center agents can earn anywhere from $3,600 to around $15,000 for developing areas. Although this amount is considerably not that big, this is already something for most developing areas. Salary is much higher in developed areas. Aside from that, call center agents are entitled to a lot of benefits that would be given to them by their companies.