Category: Career

Technology and digitalization have significantly influenced the careers that people choose. The desire to be relevant and modern has led many to choose professions that integrate with technology. This trend, as a result, has impacted the world of blue-collar jobs as few people are willing to take on such careers. Blue-collar jobs require technical skills and physical manual labor.  

And why is skilled labor called the blue-collar job? In the past, skilled workers used to wear dark clothes, in many cases blue, as dirt picked from their work wouldn’t show as it would on bright uniforms.

Blue-collar jobs are still a necessity though they seem to be unpopular. We still need someone to drive our child to and from school, an electrician to assist with our power needs, a delivery man to deliver our order, as well as a truck driver to move goods from one point to the other. Below are four careers ignored in the career path choices;

School Bus Driver

The image that comes to mind is of a gentle, mature, and resilient driver patiently waiting in the school bus for students to board. This career, though not very popular, has always existed and most likely will always do. A bus driver saves families’ expenses they would h incur as they drop and pick their child from school. More so if these are parents with several children schooling in different institutions. 

School bus drivers have to safely drive in all kinds of weather, traffic while transporting students with differing behaviors. The day of a driver starts with early morning trips, after which he takes another job as he waits for the afternoon trips. Then, during school breaks, the school bus driver takes other jobs.  

School bus drivers have licenses with an (S) to indicate they qualify for the position. Though this job is not so popular, it’s still a career path one can choose. To be a school driver, one has to be conversant with the routes he works at, have strong interpersonal skills, organized and patient. 

A Delivery Man

A delivery person collects and transports different items such as; foodstuffs, medicine, electronics, and equipment safely to their owners. To deliver items, he uses a motorcycle, car, van, or even a truck. 

The delivery man collects the items from the supplier and reviews the purchases to ensure they are complete, in order, and well charged. From here, he transports the orders to the client safely and on time, as deliveries are time-tracked. As he delivers items, he ensures the client is satisfied and signs to authenticate the delivery. 

To work as a delivery person, one has to be a licensed driver or motorcyclist. The delivery man must be conversant with all the routes and locations of the area he works. He as well must be adept in problem-solving skills, people skills, and attentive to details. Working in the postal service, for instance, is demanding since mail has to be delivered. Starting your career as a mailman isn’t complicated, as with a high school diploma, you are set to go. If you are not an office kind of a guy, this should be your kind of job. 

Being a delivery guy is a go-to career; it is very necessary and useful. The COVID pandemic significantly boosted this service as many people preferred to make orders from the safety of their homes to avoid exposure to infections.  

An Electrician 

The mere thought of a novice trying to sort a power issue sends a shiver down the spine. Yes, that’s why, though not a popular career, a professional electrician will always be handy. An electrician repairs, fixes or replaces wiring and electrical fixtures. 

The digital world needs electricity as well. The two go hand in hand, and this has increased the demand for electricians. A failed switch, fluctuating lights, and a piece of overheating electrical equipment will always lead us to an electrician. Electrical services are a must-have in industrial and construction sites where wiring and power connections are needed. As many homes continue to be connected to power, the need to have skilled electricians rise. 

To qualify as an electrician, one has to have at least a high school diploma. Most technical colleges train on electrical skills and give electrical exams which a student must pass. The course includes basic electricity knowledge, circuity, and electrical safety. An electrician gets a license once he passes the electrical exam. On skills, an electrician should be a detail-oriented person, confident, and able to follow instructions. 

A Truck Driver

Nic Allen, the general manager of Training for the Freight Transport Association, is quoted by Transportbusiness.net saying there is a shortfall of employees as the demand for truck drivers is higher than the drivers available in the industry. This concern confirms that truck driving as a career is not very popular. A truck driver transports goods and material things from the supplier to another location. It is an essential service in the industrial and manufacturing world. 

In the supply chain, truck drivers are essential. First, truck drivers transport the raw materials from their source to the manufacturing places. Then, the same drivers will distribute the finished products to different locations. They as well transport products to the coastlines and railway stations for further shipping. 

When a truck driver collects goods and materials, he verifies the accuracy of the load, ensures the records are in order, and delivers them as instructed. The driver is responsible for the truck and has to regularly check its mechanical operation and weigh the load on the weighbridges.  

A qualified truck driver should have a Driver’s Certificate of Professional Competence and Heavy Goods Vehicles driver’s license. Skills required in this field are mechanical knowledge, attention to detail, focus, and endurance since the job involves long-distance and overnight journeys. 

 The above blue-collar fields represent many others that are not popular career paths as white-collar jobs are preferred. But as the article has stipulated, these skilled professionals are still a necessity. Compared to white-collar jobs, blue-collar jobs are easier to get. Blue-collar professionals have the option of starting their businesses that in turn creates employment. However, they do not appeal to the masses as they require technical skills and physical manual labor. It is time to draw attention to this area to alleviate the levels of unemployment in the market.

STEM careers include everything involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With such skill involved, it’s understandable that many of those careers provide a high salary. Which are the most lucrative, though? If you have a STEM-focused mind and want to enter a role that’ll give you a comfortable (and even luxurious) life, here are ten STEM careers with lucrative salaries.

1. Data Analyst

Average Salary Per Year – $71K

Data analysts collect and analyze data to help a business grow and make the right decisions. Data analyzing is a skill that most businesses require, which means there are plenty of different settings for those wishing to pursue this career, including finance and marketing.

Who would make a great data analyst?

To thrive in this role, you must have great attention to detail and excellent mathematical skills. It’s also recommended that you pursue a master’s degree. An online master’s in statistics (requiring no GRE) provides analytical skills that are necessary to succeed as a data analyst while also being able to study from home.

2. Civil Engineer

Average Salary Per Year – $86K

Civil engineers focus on the designing and building of infrastructure, which includes bridges, buildings, water systems, and roads. They also ensure quality maintenance.

Who would make a great civil engineer?

Civil engineering requires excellent communication, technical skills, and critical thinking. You also need to be highly organized and able to work as a team, as projects are worked on by many. If you’re interested in becoming a civil engineer, expect to spend at least four years in higher education attaining your bachelor’s.

3. Environmental Scientist

Average Salary Per Year – $70K

Environmental scientists use their specialized knowledge to identify and solve environmental damage. There’s a lot of variety within this career depending on expertise, but most spend their time conducting research and devising ways to solve environmental issues.

Who would make a great environmental scientist?

It’s not just the technical skills needed for great environmental scientists – it is also a true passion for the environment. The best environmental scientists would be those who are highly analytical, organized, innovative, and care deeply about the earth.

4. Nurse Practitioner

Average Salary Per Year – $109K

Nurse practitioners have more responsibilities than registered nurses, as they can perform physical exams, prescribe medication, and diagnose illnesses. They work in a range of settings, including clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, and schools.

Who would make a great nurse practitioner?

On top of deep knowledge of medicine and treatments, great nurse practitioners are those who have genuine empathy and can communicate well. It’s not just about providing treatment – it’s also about being caring and comforting while you do so.

5. Software Developer

Average Salary Per Year – $105K

Software development is a particularly lucrative career, and it’s not hard to see why. The role is to design, maintain, test, and create software systems, which is something that many businesses seek out.

Who would make a great software developer?

To succeed as a software developer, you must have extensive knowledge of coding as well as high levels of organization, problem-solving skills, and accuracy. While some people imagine software developers as alone, they often interact with multiple people in one day, so excellent communication skills are also essential.

6. IT Manager

Average Salary Per Year – $84K

Information technology managers help companies with their computer needs. As they are in charge of the IT team, they are responsible for organizing the IT department and the maintenance of the business’s computer systems.

Who would make a great IT manager?

Not only do IT managers need to be tech-savvy, great with computers, and effective communicators, but they also need to be stellar leaders, as they are responsible for managing the entire IT department in a company. That is what makes this career more lucrative than others.

7. Dentist

Average Salary Per Year – $169K

Dentists don’t just examine teeth – they perform surgeries, diagnose oral diseases, take x-rays, and advise patients on optimal oral health. It’s a challenging role and one that requires a lot of knowledge. For this, they earn an extremely high wage.

Who would make a great dentist?

Dentistry requires a hard-working, intelligent person who has a passion for helping people. You’d also need to be willing to put many years into the study, as dentists typically spend around eight years in higher education before becoming qualified.

8. Web Developer

Average Salary Per Year – $74K

Website developers design, build and maintain websites for clients and businesses. Many web developers work freelance for several different clients, while some work for a specific company. 

Who would make a great web developer?

To become a successful web developer, you’d need a great handle on code as well as a keen eye for design. It’s crucial to be organized and self-disciplined, too, especially if you’re a freelance web developer.

9. Psychologist

Average Salary Per Year – $77K

Psychologists take up a part of healthcare that revolves around mental health. They assess, diagnose, and treat mental health patients with a wide range of problems, from depression to eating disorders.

Who would make a great psychologist?

Many psychologists hold a doctorate, so someone willing to learn is required to become a great psychologist. It’s also crucial to be empathetic, patient, and organized in this line of work, as no two days are ever the same, and sometimes a patient or general situation might be challenging to handle. 

10. Biochemist

Average Salary Per Year – £94K

Biochemists use their knowledge of biological processes to aid healthcare. For example, a biochemist might study the cell development of cancer cells to understand them better for treatments. Due to this, they play a pivotal role in the development of medicine and healthcare research.  

Who would make a great biochemist?

To become a biochemist, you must be analytical, have excellent mathematical skills, and maintain a high level of accuracy. Due to the nature of the role, biochemists have little room for errors, so perseverance and organization are also crucial.

By choosing to study one of these ten STEM careers, you’ll end up with a satisfying and lucrative career.

If you work with SQL Server then your role will invariably require you to fall back on a plethora of different skills in order to fulfill your responsibilities effectively.

Of course with such a variety of requirements on the table, knowing which areas to focus your attention on, and how to make improvements, is not always easy.

To help you out, here are a few ways you can build upon your existing abilities and foster new strengths as you progress your career in SQL Server administration.

Pay attention to server performance for troubleshooting & optimization insights

Hiccups in SQL Server performance can leave many database admins scratching their heads, and yet your troubleshooting tasks will become much more manageable if you are attuned to the advantages of persistent monitoring.

Tracking everything from storage usage and CPU load to TempDB status and the deployment of SQL integration services will give you a clearer idea of the moment to moment health of a server instance, as well as providing clues and evidence of issues that need addressing before they have had the opportunity to spiral out of control.

Embrace interdepartmental communication & listen to feedback

If your main job involves keeping SQL Server infrastructure up and running, then it is easy to be blinded to what is going on in the rest of the organization, when in fact you could actually benefit significantly from communicating with colleagues in other departments and being receptive to the input they provide.

Communication skills are worth working on if you are a database administrator, not only because it will provide you with the means to make meaningful improvements that are appreciated elsewhere in a company, but also because it can turn what is potentially a very solitary job into one that involves much-needed human interactions. And of course if you are improving your communication skills, these are entirely transferable to other roles further down the line, in a way that SQL-specific experience is not.

Use project management tools to your advantage

Having a structure or framework to use as the underpinning of your daily workload is sensible in many professional contexts, and is definitely something from which an SQL Server specialist can benefit.

In this case you do not need to rely on improving your timekeeping and deadline-hitting skills through sheer willpower alone, but can instead make ameliorations with the help of a wide range of tools designed to help you manage projects and track progress over time.

Using the best platforms for project management is also beneficial in other areas, allowing you to collaborate and communicate with other colleagues who may be involved in whatever you are working on.

Learn from the mistakes of others

When a database admin makes a mistake, the ramifications can be immediate and significant, so even if you might be able to learn valuable lessons from your foibles, it is better to find out about potential pitfalls by speaking with those who have already fallen into them.

Connecting with DBAs who have more experience than you, and can provide informative and instructive details about the snafus they have encountered in the past and how to overcome them, will keep you in the loop on common conundrums in the safest possible way.

Wrapping up

Clearly your own skills and experience will need to feed into any decisions you make about improving your abilities as an SQL Server professional, but the most important facet for individuals regardless of their abilities is to see this specialism as an ongoing journey of knowledge acquisition, rather than something with a fixed endpoint.

Modern technology and constant connectivity allow many workers to carry out their work tasks from any location, as long as there’s an internet connection. In recent years, an increasing number of forward-thinking companies have started to embrace the idea of allowing employees to work from home for all or part of the workweek. The COVID-19 pandemic took things to the next level, forcing many employees to work from home and arguably fast-forwarding a process that may otherwise have taken a lot longer. 

The pandemic has shown many businesses that were hesitant about their employees working from home that working remotely is in fact an effective solution. When employees are working from home they spend less time commuting, have a better work-life balance and it has been shown that they are typically much more productive. Countless tasks such as business invoicing, payroll, marketing, accounting, customer service, account management, and a range of other tasks can easily be completed at home. Working from home is becoming a popular choice in a range of different industries and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

Continue reading to learn why working from home is here to stay and why that’s a positive! 

Improved Work-Life Balance

Working from home allows your employees more flexibility with their schedule. In many remote jobs, employees can structure their day in a way that suits their lifestyle so long as they get their work completed. With this flexibility people have more time to spend with friends, family, doing, chores and exercising creating a much better work-life balance. 

No Commuter Stress

When you are working from home, you can avoid spending time stuck in traffic or on public transport every morning. If you bike or walk to work, you can still get out for your morning exercise but instead of finishing at the office, you can come home and have breakfast with the kids before logging on to work. Avoiding the stress of commuting in the morning, not only allows employees to save time but it helps to start their day on a positive stress-free note too. 

Embracing Location Independence

Just because you are “working from home” doesn’t mean you need to be at home. Many remote workers are choosing to spend their workdays moving from one cafe to the next, at a coworking space or in a public library. This flexibility also allows you to take your work with you if you need to take the kids somewhere or you are looking after a friend or relative. Having this level of flexibility is just another reason why working from home will be here to stay for the foreseeable future. 

More Productive Workforce

Employees that have a better work-life balance have been shown to be more content and therefore more productive in their work. When people have more free time to spend with family and friends and to pursue their passions and interests, they tend to be more focused when they are at work. Conversely, employees who spend all of their time at work are often distracted, thinking of all the things they are missing out on and their mental health can start to suffer as a result. 

Expect Remote Working To Become The Norm Moving Forward

The work from home concept has taken off in a big way because of the impacts of COVID-19 and it’s not going anywhere soon. Not only does this way of working benefit employees but companies can have a fortune in overheads and expensive office rents when their employees are working from home. With so much to be gained from working from home, we can expect it to not only continue but potentially become the norm moving forward.

Apple sold its first product in 1976, and it was a basic computer named Apple I. Today they have various products ranging from iPod to Macbook, but their marketing strategy remains the same. When Apple launched the iPod, the ad read “1000 songs in your pocket”. Today, the advertisement for the Apple watch reads “40 million songs in your pocket”. 

The same marketing strategy for two different products at different times suggests how strong the brand vision is. Apple is known today as the company that endorses innovation. The company has produced devices with varied services and innovated explicitly through the years with the changing market trends while increasing their sales year after year. It is a product of a clear brand vision and has a strategically planned roadmap.

What is the one document that will help a Project Manager, the CEO, the whole team when they get stuck on a project? It is the Business Roadmap.

A business roadmap is a document with all the key events and timelines laid out strategically. This document helps all teams and employees be on the same page and plan out events in a well-calculated way. Also, there’s no need for you to spend a cent, since there are many business roadmap software free to use. When implemented wisely, it will bring in high profits and excellent investments to the business. 

Many companies have benefited from having an efficient roadmap. This article talks about everything needed to build and work with a business roadmap.

What Are Some Of The Common Problems Businesses Face?

All companies face some common problems that can be solved only by spending time with it, and visualizing. Following are some of these issues:

1. Lack Of Business Process Management (BPM): Companies largely need the BPM system to grow and enter new markets. They also help in optimizing and automating business processes. A failed BPM system can result in an ineffective communication within the company and, eventually, a decrease in profitability. 

2. Lack Of Direction/Vision: Businesses grow exponentially when they go hand-in-hand with market growth. To sustain the business in this market in the long run, even billion-dollar companies need to constantly adapt and evolve with the growing demands with keeping the ultimate brand vision in mind. A lack of vision can also lead to a failure in keeping up with market transformations. In this case, you begin to lose your company/market fit.
   
3. Failing To Define & Sell On The Unique Competitive Advantage: If your business has not identified what skills and resources it possesses by which it can sell some products and services at lower prices and to a larger consumer base, you miss out on a lot of sales. 

Competitive advantage has the potential to make your brand more desirable. 

Importance Of A Business Roadmap

Airbnb’s former head of global hospitality built a document and called it “The infamous paper to take over the world.” It was a business roadmap. And today, Airbnb is one the best in their industry. A good business roadmap can help your business achieve goals more efficiently, just like Airbnb did.

What All Does A Business Product Roadmap Have?

1. Depending on the company and the product, the roadmap can have a few technical information and features.
   
2. The roadmap needs to have a vision about how the product will evolve with the market growth. Markets grow constantly and you will need to have a strategy of how your products will be in demand.
   
3. Besides an alignment tool, the roadmap should also consist of all the decided timelines. It will help everyone on the team be driven and focused.
   
4. The roadmap should have an answer to all the “why’s” behind decisions around the product. Why do you need to attract a certain audience? Why do you need to allocate resources from this source? 

How To Build A Business Roadmap?

No matter what others tell you, building a business roadmap is not a very daunting task. Only the first step is a little challenging, and you can keep updating certain parts of the roadmap as you advance through the journey. 

1. Write down your ultimate vision that you are trying to achieve with your product. You do not need to write what the product is or what the fine details are. Remember, it is a guide to where you want to go, not how to reach.

2. Calculate and analyze the company to market fit. Are the chances of this fit increasing or decreasing in the coming times? A perfect Product/Market fit will compound itself over time. In simple words: Product/market fit is when people sell for you.

3. Your business roadmap should prioritize the goal of the business before the features of individual products. You can build these features with time, but remember the goal is your foundation.

4. Now, decide on an ETA for this roadmap. You don’t have to mark a specific date, but be clear about the approximate time. The ETA gives a sense of time to other team members, which will keep them driven through the entire course of the project.
   
5. The last thing you need to talk about in the roadmap is possible risks and mitigation. Let us say one of your products does not do well for any reason; how can you fix it and achieve your goal in the decided ETA? In this part, you do not have to talk about what you will do but how you will complete the objective. It can be paying more attention to the brand’s social media presence or thinking of new ways to hold conversations with customers. Along with the right framework product prioritization in a business roadmap can help determine how you’re going to get down to it

How Can A Business Roadmap Help Overcome Business Problems?

A great business roadmap is also an efficient coordination and alignment tool. Here are some ways in which the roadmap will help.

1. Product managers and Project managers can both benefit from having a roadmap. The roadmap will help in business process management as a great tool.
   
2. The roadmap also works as an amazing tool for communication between various teams in the company. The roadmap will be a single reference point to everyone so that the goals are clear and common. It will ideally also compromise each department’s contribution towards the goal.
   
3. Having a roadmap also negates the possibility of uncertainty in the timelines of individual products and projects. Clarity arising from this will lead to increased productivity and innovation.
   
4. A well-planned roadmap can also help you find investors in your business. Because a good roadmap has all the key milestones and dates lined up, you can plan when to find the investor in your journey.
   
5. Developing and updating the plan over time. Since there is such deeper coordination and communication between teams with the help of a roadmap, it will also help other departments know about the company’s accomplishments and advancements. It will make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Conclusion

The benefits of having a great roadmap are varied. It will also reflect directly on the overall sales of the company and the leads that your focused and driven employees will bring with them. As Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Wishing great success with building the best roadmap and for your venture!

Thanks to the advancements in modern technology, more and more people now have the opportunity to work from home or in any location they wish to for as long as they have the means to get connected. However, one of the first casualties in working remotely is creativity and productivity because of the many temptations you are bound to encounter. This article lists down some of the reasons why it is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely.

Motivation

One of the primary reasons why it is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely is that creativity can lead to motivation. For instance, if you feel discouraged or frustrated about a task, doing something creative in your workspace can uplift your mood. This will allow you to focus more on the task at hand, particularly because you get the inspiration or the motivation to keep you moving.

To help you find inspiration to be more creative and productive while working remotely, you can use mental or physical fitness exercises. The reason behind this is that physical fitness can clear your mind, opening up space for creativity to enter your being. In addition to this, you should also consider that mental fitness is just as important. For instance, you can try to meditate because this is a powerful tool in making space for new ideas.

You also have the option to dress for success even if you are working remotely. This will provide additional motivation for you to be productive during the day. This will also help you feel better mentally, allowing you to focus on checking the important tasks on your to-do list. When you are properly dressed, you will be prepared for any impromptu calls with your colleagues or clients.

Better Collaboration

Another reason why it is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely is that it paves the way for better collaboration with you and your teammates even if you are located in different parts of the world. In this case, you can consider the use of Lucid Spark’s creativity and collaboration solution to help you put your and your team’s ideas into action. When you are creative even when it comes to the means of communication that you and your team leverage, you will most likely find solutions even to the most complex tasks that you need to accomplish.

There are instances wherein you need to think beyond email when it comes to communicating with your teammates. This is where you can explore the use of other digital tools that can help replicate an in-person experience. For instance, you can try to use video conferencing tools or screen-sharing apps to ensure that people are on the same page during your meetings.

To help you overcome the challenge brought about by the lack of social interaction when working remotely, you can find a work buddy that you can chat with when you feel the need to talk to someone. You can also try to work in another location, such as a co-working space that will allow you to be with other people for a change. Sometimes, small talks with your colleagues and peers are necessary to get your creativity flowing and boost your productivity.

There is also the option for you to facilitate non-work interactions with your team, creating the time and space for you to simply talk about hobbies and other topics just as you would during break times in a normal office setting. This will help you be alleviated from stress and feel better connected. In this case, you can try to spend a few minutes catching up before or after your video conferences or host a virtual happy hour to build bridges between you and your colleagues.

Work-Life Balance

It is important to stay creative and productive while working remotely because it is the key to a work-life balance. With your creative juices flowing, you will most likely be able to finish any task at hand. In this case, you will have the opportunity to maximize the time that you spend with your family and friends.

Alongside this, when you are productive, you get to finish what you need to accomplish for the day ahead of time. This will give you the flexibility to attend to other things that matter such as fetching your kids from school or cooking for your family. This will also allow you to focus on self-care for your overall well-being.

If you are proactive, then working remotely may just be the means for you to live a healthier and more comfortable life. When you work remotely, you will save a significant amount of time in commuting that you can spend on exercising or joining a fitness club instead. You are also less likely to get sick because you are not picking up on the germs of other people such as your co-workers.

Career Advancement

Creativity and productivity in working from home are the keys to advance in your career. When you are creative in what you do, you will tend to surpass the expectations of your team members, and most importantly, of your superiors. When you are often credited for the work that you do, you are opening doors to advance in your career. In parallel to this, your productivity will not go unnoticed even if you work remotely as long as your output is delivered, perhaps even ahead of time. Just make sure to think of ways on how to stay creative and productive while working remotely.

With the advancements brought about by the internet, there are now several reasons why people opt to work from home or work remotely. However, in doing so, you need to ensure that you maintain your creativity and productivity. This is because when you do, you will be more motivated to work, you will have better collaboration with your team, and you will also achieve the work-life balance that you deserve. In addition to this, creativity and productivity will also pave the way for you to advance in your career.