Three Careers

Meeting, Convention and Event Planners

Meeting, convention and event planners areresponsible for coordinating all aspects of professional meetings and events such as choosing locations for meetings, taking care of transportation, and arranging other details. They are dealing with clients on a regular basis that is why they need to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to understand clients’ needs and provide an efficient customer-service. They also are supposed to have good organizational and problem-solving skills and be able to work under pressure.

Due to the diversity of events and meetings, few types of specialists that are dealing with event planning may be distinguished. They are association planners who organize professional associations’ annual conferences; corporate planners who manage different business meetings; government meeting planners who are responsible for organizing government officials meetings; convention service managers; and, finally, event planners who deal with more casual events such as weddings or large parties.

Usually, meeting, convention, and event managers work in offices, but during meetings or other events, they are on-site in order to ensure everything is going smoothly. A job of a planner is fast-paced and, therefore, very demanding. They may have to deal with few events at the same time, and sometimes, they may have to work during the holidays or weekends. Event planners work full-time, which often means irregular hours.

Undoubtedly, it is one of the most interesting jobs as it presupposes meeting new people. Besides, if done properly, it provides a great deal of recognition and self-amusement. On the other hand, it may be rather stressful due to different problems or accidents that occur occasionally, for example, transportation problems or catering delays. In such cases, an event planner is the one that takes all the responsibility and improves the situation immediately.

A special education is not mandatory in this field, but a bachelor’s degree or related experience is preferred. Many specialists have undergraduate majors in marketing, communications, public relations or hospitality management. It must be said that students who have hospitality management degree may have greater job opportunities and prospects than those from other disciplines. Due to the constant growth of the popularity of this job, many college and universities are offering now the training courses in event planning.

Meeting, convention and event planners may undergo the voluntary certification in order to enhance their career prospects. For example, such organizations as The Convention Industry Council and The Society of Government meeting Professionals offer credentials of the Certified Meeting Professional in the field of convention and meeting planning. They are not required, but they are widely recognized in the industry.

Nowadays, about 72, 000 specialists are employed in the industry of meeting and event planning. Most of planners work for private companies while some of them are self-employed. They are mostly employed in the industries of business, professional, labor and political organizations. A great growth is expected in the industry till the 2020 year. Moreover, it is predicted that 45, 000 jobs will be opened till this time. It must be said, that the industry depends on the economy of the country since when the economic situation is unfortunate, companies prefer to cut the expenses related to the meetings planning.

The median annual wage of event planning specialists is estimated to be about $46,000, while a wage per hour is about $22. It must be taken into the consideration that the median wage depends on the specificity of the work. Therefore, according to the official statistics the most successful event planners earned more than $76,000 per year in 2010, while the less successful earned about $27, 000.

To conclude, the exploration provided me with the deeper insight into the job of an event planner. It would be interesting to know more about how to plan some special events and arrange all details.

Human Resources Manager

Human resources manager coordinates the administrative functions of a particular organization or company and is responsible for identifying vacancies, interviewing and selecting applicants, and, finally, recruiting stuff. In order to successfully perform his duties, a human resources manager is supposed to have good managerial and organizational skills, decision-making skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills.

Human resources manager is a link between a company’s leadership and its employees; therefore, a person entitled to this position handles all questions concerning employee services and resolves any kind of work-related problems or misunderstanding. A human resources manager also provides current and prospective employees with general information concerning company’s policies, job duties and responsibilities, wages, employees’ services, and promotion opportunities. He may also deal with other organizational policies, such as equal employment opportunity or program of loyalty for the employees that demonstrate the best work performance. However, in big companies, such responsibilities are shared between several managers when one manager is in charge of training and development, and another one deals with compensation and benefits program.

The following types of human resources managers can be distinguished: labor relations manager, payroll manager and recruiting manager. Labor relations manager, also called employee relations manager, deals with employment policies in the company. He is responsible for covering such issues as benefits and bonuses, wages, employees’ complaints and grievance procedures. Payroll managers have to ensure that all the payroll procedures are administered properly and on time. Recruiting or staffing manager usually supervises a team of recruiters in a large company and develops a recruitment strategy that would help to optimize the distribution of the workflow in the company and use the employees’ skills and qualifications in the most efficient way.

Human resources manager is an interesting position which calls for the continual self-development and improvement of the professional skills. In addition, the job gives a great opportunity to meet many interesting people. However, a job of a human resources manager is quite responsible and may presuppose working under a certain deal of pressure. 

To apply for a position of a human resources manager, a person needs at least a four-year bachelor’s degree in human resources or business administration and some background in the organizational development, labor and industrial relations. In addition, some related experience in the field of human resources management is required in order to ensure a candidate is able to manage and lead others. Many higher-level jobs may require a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) or human resources. Applicants for a position of a human resources manager do not need any kind of special certificate or license; however, it can advance an employee’s employment opportunities.

It must be said, wages depend on the position of a manager. Human resources managers that occupy the top position in large companies or supervise a whole department get more than others. An average wage for a human resources manager is about $47 per hour, which makes the annual revenue of $99, 130. Human resources managers work full-time in office buildings or may travel to other locations of the company offices in order to recruit employees. Human resources managers are employed in different industries like government, management of companies and enterprises, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and other professional services.

Presumably, a job of a human resources manager will not lose its positions in the nearest future. Moreover, a tempered growth is expected in the field of human resources management till the 2020 year, and about 26, 900 jobs are expected to be opened during this time. Employment prospects for human resources mangers depend on the staffing needs of individual companies. As long as new companies are set up, they will need specialists in human resources management, which gives good job opportunities for the coming human resources managers.

To my point of view, the job of a human resources manager requires lots of skills and knowledge in different spheres like psychology, federal and local employment law etc. Therefore, opportunities for self-development are not limited to one particular domain, which makes this occupation one of the most prestigious and rewarding.

Forest and Conservation Workers

Forest and conservation workersperform mainly basic manual labor in order to maintain and protect forests and forested areas, wetlands, woodlands. Under the supervision of foresters and conservation technicians, they plant seedling to reforest land, clear away debris from roadsides and camping areas, help prevent forest fires, combat insects by spraying trees with insecticides. In spite of the fact that forest and conservation workers are doing mostly semi-skilled job, they are supposed to have good communication and listening skills as the job presupposes cooperation with others and to be detail-oriented as they must monitor the state of plants and equipment. Besides, people doing such type of job need good physical stamina as the job is physically demanding. Workers have to walk long distances and move heavy lift. In spite of all the inconveniences, many people enjoy doing simple job out in the open air instead of doing routine job in office.

To do such kind of job, applicants typically need only a high school diploma and sometimes some previous work-related experience and skills. No academic education is required as soon as training in a vocational school or with more experienced workers will be sufficient. However, the occupation may require some background knowledge in the engineering or life sciences such as Forest Sciences and Biology, Natural Resources Management or Natural Resources and Conservation. In addition, workers may need a fire protection background to help prevent forest fires.

Nowadays, special training programs such as the Sustainable Forest initiative are available for forest and conservation workers. As it was indicated, there are also some vocational and technical schools and local community colleges that offer special sources in forest management technology. In order to have further career prospects in this field, forest and conservation workers may get an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in forestry.

Typically, forest and conservation workers spend most of their time outdoors working sometimes in remote locations. Usually, they work full-time and have a routine work schedule, but seasonal positions are also available. Nowadays, machines are actively used in this field, which helps optimize the work process and made it easier for employees to perform their duties. Additionally, workers must be familiar with the security and safety measures. For example, when working with chemicals or some kind of operating technical equipment, they are supposed to wear hardhats, safety clothing and protective eyewear.

According to the official statistics, in 2010, there were about 13, 700 workers in the field of forest conservation. They are mainly employed in the field of state government, excluding education and hospitals, and in forestry and logging. Forest and conservation workers are typically employed by state and local governments or may work on the private forest lands. In the nearest future, there are no dramatic changes expected concerning employment of forest and conservation workers. However, heightened demand for American timber and wood pellets may result into the growth of employment in the federally owned forest lands.

The median annual wage of forest and conservation workers was estimated to be about $23, 900 per year while the average hour rate is $11 per hour. The highest rates may be observed in the field of forestry and logging.

To conclude, the job of forest and conservation workers is tough and demanding but useful at the same time. Still, it appeared to be underpaid if comparing to another industries.

Related Free Business Essays