From Charity to Social Media

From Charity to Social Media Success Story > From: Job To: Freelance From Charity to Social Media “My gut was telling me that it was time to leave.” * From Charity to Social Media Daisy Cartlidge Brown enjoyed her work. But whenher priorities changed, she knew it was time to make a move. Here's how she transitionedto a careerthat fits flexibly around her family life, and learned that earning well doesn't have to come with a hefty commute. What work were you doing previously? I worked at a large UK charity in London in their partnerships team. I'd worked my way up from Corporate Fundraising Assistant to Partnerships Manager, looking after the charity's biggest multi-million partnership. What are you doing now? I'm a freelance social media manager and strategist. How did you feel in your work before you decided to make the change? I loved my eight years at the charity and was surrounded by a fantastic team who made the job so much fun. I got involved in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and it was very fulfilling, but by the time I was wrapping up to go on my maternity leave, I felt the need for a change. Why did you change? There were numerous reasons to be honest. We'd moved away from London during my maternity leave to be closer to family; although my husband still works in the city, it was going to be time consuming and expensive for me to also commute. I looked at returning to the job on a three-day-a-week basis with one day working from home, but it just wasn't going to work for either the charity or me. So, I decided that it was the best time to leave and to try something new that would be more flexible around my baby girl. When was the moment you decided to make the change? A few weeks before I was due to return my job. My gut was telling me that it was time to leave and I felt so excited at the thought of working for myself. It felt really right. How did you choose your new career? During my maternity leave I started helping my mum with her floristry business by running her Facebook page and blog. I also taught my dad how to use Instagram for his design business and updated the blog and Facebook for our local village pub whilst it was going through renovations. I've always had a passion for social media â€" I have my own personal blog and I'm addicted to Instagram â€" but didn't know whether I could make the move to do it professionally. After doing these pieces of work during my maternity leave I saw the difference that it made and it gave me so much confidence. I was also keen to do something which used the knowledge I've gained in my career so far. In my previous charity job I worked on large marketing campaigns and so have a lot of understanding in this area, which is so useful for social media management. Are you happy with the change? It's early days (I only set up as a sole trader a few months ago), but so far, I'm loving it. I'm working flexibly around my baby girl; it gives me a great balance of looking after her, and also feeling fulfilled by work. I have a renewed motivation for working, which I think is because I'm working for myself. What do you miss and what don't you miss? I feel like I'm in the honeymoon period at the moment â€" it's all very new and so I'm not missing much about my previous job! I guess the biggest thing is the social aspect â€" I used to love catching up with colleagues and working in a team. Then again, my priorities have changed so much that this doesn't feel as important to me anymore. I think I will miss having set holidays, as I know that I'll find it hard to take proper time off, and being paid for sick days. I also miss my full-time salary! I don't miss the commute, or battling with internal politics to get things done. I also don't miss the 9â€"5 routine. Working flexibly is so much easier for me now I have a baby. How did you go about making the shift? It was agreed that I wouldn't return to my current job a few weeks before my maternity leave ended, which gave me time to properly start looking at going freelance and getting myself set up. My head had mentally moved into that space through doing work for my parents' businesses, so I felt ready to make the move. At the time I was keeping my options open and also looking at other part-time jobs, but by chance, my husband saw that a local company was looking for someone to run their social media. I went for a meeting with them, we got on well and I sent them a proposal. After a week of waiting they came back to say they were happy to get started. It all fell into place very quickly. How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible? I managed my maternity pay so that I was bringing in money every month up until the end of my year off, which helped a lot towards the end. Luckily my first client was secured quickly, and so it's now just a case of getting used to a part-time salary, which my husband and I were planning for anyway. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Moving out of my comfort zone from a job I knew very well to a whole new career. Luckily, because I was on maternity leave, I'd created distance between myself and my job, so it didn't feel as scary making the move. If I'd have been working full-time and trying to change my career I think it would have been a very different story. There's also a lot to learn with working for yourself and running your own business! What help did you get? Support from my family has been invaluable, especially as my parents work for themselves too. I've also had a huge amount of help from Facebook Groups â€" my favourites are the Social Media Managers Hub, Being Freelance and the Doing it for the Kids community. They're filled with good advice and are a great space to ask questions. What resources would you recommend to others? I purchased the Social Media Manager's Tool Kit last week, which was created by Laura Moore and Laura Davis. It's packed full of resources and is so helpful. I've read some good books too â€" The Freelance Mum, by Annie Ridout; The Successful Mumpreneur by Debbie Gilbert; and The Working Woman's Handbook, by Phoebe Lovatt. What have you learnt in the process? So much about running my own business, and also how many people are freelancing and working flexibly! In my 9â€"5 job I got caught up in that world; it's been eye opening to find that I don't have to be tied to that lifestyle. I can still earn good money without doing the daily commute and working five days a week. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Read books and join Facebook groups â€" they're so inspiring and really give you the confidence to give it a go. They also have so much practical advice, which is important when you're setting up on your own. To find out more about Daisy's services, visit www.daisycartlidgebrown.com. What lessons could you take from Daisy's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Technical Writing Resume

Technical Writing ResumeTechnical writing resumes are so very different from standard resumes and cover letters. The format of a technical resume is much different than the format of a standard resume, and the content of a technical resume is also different. The purpose of a technical resume is to highlight the technical skills necessary for the job.Before you begin, take a look at this basic outline and think about what you want to get out of your resume. This can help make it easier to write the details for your resume and in the end it will be much easier to actually get your job interview. When your outline is in place, you'll be able to build on that. You'll know what you're looking for and that will help you narrow down your search and find exactly what you need.Technical writing resumes are pretty straightforward in most areas. However, they do require some extra detail to give a good impression. It's not enough to just list all the work experience you have and what you've don e, you must find more information that really shows you have the necessary knowledge and skills needed for the job.A technical writer must know how to read between the lines to figure out who the top person for the job is. If they can't read between the lines and they don't know how to read between the lines, it makes it very difficult to write the technical details for the job. They need to know how to write the business details without going off into the weeds.You may think that you don't need to have formal training to write a writing resume. While it may be true that you don't need formal training, having a college degree is a definite advantage. The employer may hire someone with a college degree because they know they can trust them and feel comfortable with their knowledge of the job and the specific area in which they are going to be working.Technical writing resumes may also include an area where they have worked. You may want to include this information and others that sho w your writing skills and some other types of employment that show what kind of person you are. People do a lot of things for their living; you just may not be a very talented writer.Also, remember that you don't have to get a sample writing resume. You can easily get one and you can actually make your own. There are many resources that will give you samples, but you may want to consider making your own because you can tweak the resume even more. You can always put a heading under each section of the resume where you include information that will help you understand what the job requires.You can include an area of expertise if you think you're qualified for the job, but most of the time you just want to list the necessary things that the job requires. If you put the amount of time you've spent studying the technical skill you think is needed, then it makes it easier for the hiring officer to know how much experience you have. If you only have a college degree, then it makes it much easier to convince the hiring officer that you've been able to learn these skills, but you've been applying them for some time.

A Corporate Brand Wont Shield Your Personal Brand Anymore - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

A Corporate Brand Wont Shield Your Personal Brand Anymore - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Thesis There is an ongoing shift from people being eclipsed by corporate entities, to people becoming the shield, point-of-contact and spokesperson for the company. No person or company is safe anymore, but instead of separating both brands, they have collided into one transparent mirror of information flow and retrieval. This happens for a few reasons. One, there is no such thing as long-term employment or work/life balance anymore. Two, some personal brands are more recognized than their corporate affiliations. Three, there is friction and constant struggles between companies and employees on the social media front (i.e. blogging, podcasting, social networks). A lot of people arent familiar with products or companies, so they are forced to rely on people to cross the association bridge. This tends to happen with B2B companies, where products arent sold to the end user (lack of touch). The rise of the individual After Bill Gates left Microsoft, there was a lot of discussion about what it meant for the company, its future and that of Bill. Even in the year 2040, everyone will still connect Bill Gates to Microsofts brand. This association will never break because Bill built the company, he was the leading spokesman and hes the innovator that passed through the press like wind through a field. Is the Bill Gates brand stronger than that of Microsofts? This is debatable because, in terms of net worth, the company is worth more than the person. Are more people familiar with Microsoft or Bill? Id answer the ladder and say both equally, even though we clearly see Microsofts brand everywhere, Bills sits right by it. Even though Bill left, the press will still follow his every move, and that of Microsofts leadership in Ballmer. Bill can no longer protect Microsoft, which once was a baby, which he grew into a man/woman. Bills brand grew out of the company and products, which he helped create, therefore this is correlation between his growth and that of his company. Next up, yes you guessed it; Donald Trump. I consider Donalds brand stronger than any of his properties because people are paying for his name and not the other way around. This works with Oprah and many Hollywood A-Listers. My thesis really comes to life, not as much with the billion dollar enterprises, but more with the solotrepreneurs and small businesses, where there is certainly no hiding because there are few if any people to hide behind. Examples I welcome your opinions on this because this is surely from my perspective and my view of the world. These examples are of people and companies you are probably familiar with. The point of this discussion to to show you that individuals are gaining the public eye, just as much as companies. People are transferable and companies arent, unless they are purchased or merged. One brand is stronger than the next based on audience size, reputation, perception, money, etc. EMC Dan Schawbel: EMC was founded in 1979 and I was born in 1983, so it has 4 years on me! But in all seriousness, a million more people know about EMC than they know of me. EMC is older and with brands such as Joe Tucci, David Donatelli and others attached to it, its hard for someone like me to compete, so instead the corporate name helps me. It doesnt shield me, but the credibility gives me some lift. CrossTech Media Chris Brogan: Go to their website and look who they are promoting; yes its Chris Brogan. When people are established and have followers, companies pursue them, especially the smaller ones. They are clearly using Brogan as a channel, as an expert and as a brand to boost theirs. I certainly dont blame them! Forrester Research Jeremiah Owyang: We all know Jeremiah for his outstanding blog efforts BUT its hard to compete with Forrester, one of the leading research companies. The reason is simple: Forrester has been around for a lot longer and is in many more spaces than social computer, which he covers. Edelman Steve Rubel: Richard Edelman has really built a mega PR corporation. Steve Rubel is certainly a highlight of the company, especially as one of the fathers of blogging BUT the Edelman brand is extremely strong, part because of the talent, the clients and the trust and respect in the brand. Steve benefits from being a SVP of Edelman and visa versa but Edelman is still stronger. Ogilvy Rohit Bhargava: In the social media world, Rohit commands authority and respect, but when you place his brand next to Ogilvys its hard to compete. Ogilvy an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency founded in 1948. Rohit has a book, a blog, speaking arrangements and marketing expertise, but Ogilvys founder is more well known as well as some of his colleagues who arent as visible with social media. crayon Joseph Jaffe: He created the company and their clients are many that he has built relationships for years. Joseph has also attracted a lot of press attention. Overtime, this might even out, especially because other personal brands, such as Greg Verdino are on-board. Basically, they are all consultants under a corporate brand name. FutureWorks PR Brian Solis: He has even admitted that he gets most of his business from his personal blog. He promotes it on the front page of FutureWorks and his name has carried further than his company. Although more personal brands are attached to Brians company, people know Brian and then find out he has a company. Shift Communications = Todd Defren: This one is tricky. Todd is a thought leader, as PR crosses new media and his blog is directly linked from the corporate website. From the web observers point-of-view, it would appear that Todd is the company, yet there are many other employees that work there, therefore this is more based on my experience. Twist Image Mitch Joel: Mitch is the president of the company and the chief blogger. His reputation and credibility position his company as high tech. Both his network and appearance in the press (namely Canadian) make him the spirit IN FRONT OF the corporate brand. LinkedIn Mario Sundar: I like Mario, but professional networking (online) is synonymous with LinkedIn. It is so dominant that Bill Gates is a member and that the company has over 22 million users, at a value of $1 billion dollars. Mario is a community evangelist and blogger, but people are more familiar with LinkedIn than him. Jibber Jobber = Jason Alba: Im not too sure how successful Jibber Jobber is, but I do know that Jason is the key to its success. He is Jibber Jobber and in some ways, Jibber Jobber screams Jasons name. They are both focused on professional networking. Geoff Livingston = Livingston Communications: Geoff is his company. He uses his last name as part of the corporate brand name. Squidoo Seth Godin: This one is easy. If Squidoo wasnt connect with Godins brand, it would probably be a bust. People trust Godin, therefore they trust what he produces. Godin is more well-known than Squidoo as well. Microsoft Fast Company Robert Scoble: If Robert filmed employees at a different corporation, other than Microsoft, he would not be as famous as he is today. Although Scoble has an extreme reach and influence in the blogosphere, Fast Company has a larger circulation. Key take-aways When you are first starting out, your brand will need support from a larger corporate entity if you choose the corporate route. Otherwise, you will become the corporate brand if you are an entrepreneur. In both situations you are the CEO, HR Exec, Communications Exec, Chief Marketing Officer and head consultant for the brand called you. If you choose to remain silent online, then the corporate brand you work for will support you for the duration of when you work there. The key is to build your brand within the company and outside, to protect yourself and to become a transferable property for another company or opportunity. Years ago, the route to super stardom was the climb the corporate ladder and become Your Name, CEO, Fortune 500 Company Name, then either retire or break off and start a company, write a book, etc. These days, although you cant graduate from school and be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you can choose a different path. You can break away, start a company, fail, start a company, fail, then succeed. You can build the blueprints for a business while having a full-time job. Its really up to you. What I want you to get out of this post is that no company is going to protect you. In each example I gave above, the individual has established themself, in order to protect their brand and position themself as a value-add for any company. Based on this method, they will succeed. Final thoughts 1) Companies need to permit employees to share their voice online. 2) People need consume all benefits from working at a company because, lets face it, you can be laid off tomorrow. 3) If you are first starting off, a well-known corporate brand may protect you. 4) If youre in a small business, then you need to protect the corporate brand. 5) Companies are losing control and the power is going to the people. 6) In order to understand a company, people will look to employees for the final word. 7) A single employee or customer can hurt a brands reputation instantly.

How Americas Female Veterans Are Getting Help When Re-entering the Workforce

How Americas Female Veterans Are Getting Help When Re-entering the Workforce Today there are more women than ever before serving in Americas armed forces. These include women who fill frontline duties in combat zones, to those who serve in support capabilities. While some barriers remain, the reality is that Americas military has become increasingly more integrated â€" even compared to its recent past. However, one question remains top of mind for these heroes. What will life after their time in the military look like? For some, a career in the armed forces is the goal, while for others they fully expect to re-enter the workforce after their commitment to their country has come to an end. Transition to Civilian Life and Work In some instances, the transition back into the workforce is rather straightforward as they can leverage the skills and experience gained while in uniform. For others, the transition is not as easy. This could include dealing with physical and emotional wounds from serving in a combat zone or it could be a skills mismatch which makes it difficult to translate their military experience into a civilian role. But this doesnt mean they are alone. In fact, many individuals and organizations are helping Americas female veterans get the help they need when re-entering the workforce. This includes a move by a group of female veterans in Southern California to create a mentorship group of veterans for veterans. Help and Coaching Available These efforts can help female veterans to not only navigate the transition back to civilian life, by explaining the labyrinth of services, and red tape, on offer by the Department of Defense, and the Veterans Administration; but also to provide one-on-one coaching for challenges which are specific to their experience. For some veterans, this means leveraging their experience in uniform to get a lucrative position with a military contractor. In fact, this is often seen as the easiest way to find full-time employment once they have been separated from service. This is especially true for those veterans who have security approvals as this will allow them to more easily apply for Clearance Jobs. However, this is not the only option for veterans seeking to rejoin the workforce. In fact, those in positions such as pilots or the medical field often find their skills are in high demand. While it would appear the transition back to civilian life is easier this can be misleading. Family Considerations In fact, female veterans face not only have the pressure to find employment but rightly or wrongly, they must deal with the needs of their families â€" including a partner who may still be an active duty service member. This could include needing to consider children’s school schedules before deciding to relocate; or even needing to remain near to where their partner is based. In addition, many active duty service members remain in the reserve forces when cycling back to civilian life. As such, they need to find an employer who is willing to work around their reserve schedule. Granted, the law does not allow employers to discriminate against reservist either in hiring or promotion decisions. However, we live in the real world and not in the courtroom and this means that many employers do take these responsibilities into account. Add to this that female veterans also have family commitments, and this can make it harder for them to find meaningful employment in the civilian workforce. Examples of how difficult this transition include Jodie M. Grenier, who went from working with a team of intelligence analysts in the military to waiting tables in civilian life. Help For Female Veterans Despite these issues, several groups are helping. This includes the Center for Women Veterans which offers exit seminar and Final Salute Inc. which provides assistance for homeless female veterans.   Programs like these try to smooth the transition back to civilian life and even offer a lifeline for those who have fallen through the cracks. Even if the support network for female veterans remains incomplete, it is growing due to the work of mentors and organizations who not only understand the challenges but are willing to provide support. Beyond this, the Veterans Administration does provide some support for female veterans and a loose coalition of groups focused solely on female veterans has popped up across the country. One reference point is the directory of resources for female military veterans from Operation We Are Here. Combined there are millions of women who have served or who are currently serving in the armed forces. While the transition back to civilian life is never easy, there are particularly challenging for female veterans. The good news is that they don’t need to go it alone as many are getting help when re-entering the workforce.

Resume Writing Help For Those Who Need a Resume

Resume Writing Help For Those Who Need a ResumeResume writing can be completed at home or in an office setting. It is very important to come up with a well-written resume that tells about your professional achievements and skills that have made you qualified for a particular job. If you need resume writing help, you can find many writers who will do the writing for you for a very low cost.Most of the good writers will charge you little or no cost. If you want to save money, the best thing to do is to get resume writing services that offer freelance writers to do the work. When looking for a good company, it is also important to check its reputation. You can either read reviews online or call their customer service department to check on the reliability of the company.Resume writing services have many benefits. If you are new to the business world and do not have enough experience in business, a writer can help you learn the ropes by helping you create a professional looking resume. A lso, an experienced writer can help you build a good impression on potential employers by offering ideas for customizing the resume according to your needs. Another advantage of hiring a professional is that they can give suggestions for job search strategies and how to land a job.Although most of the companies who offer resume writing services charge a low fee, you will be getting professional help and the finished product for a very low price. Professional writers can handle the resume for a price that is less than $50. They usually use Microsoft Word to make the resume. There are also companies that offer specific software that can be used to make the resume.Writers are not just limited to professional writers. Even students can help you make a resume that is professional in appearance and functionality. They can customize your resume based on your requirements.If you are an employee, you can also get a free resume that can be used by your boss to evaluate your abilities. This fr ee resume should include information that can be used to build a good impression. All you have to do is give your personal details and information that can be used for the purpose of evaluating your skills. However, if your resume is more professional, a supervisor might ask you to give a fee for this kind of personalized service.If you have tried all the methods above but are still unable to write a professional resume, you can opt for the online resume service. The advantage of using this service is that you do not have to attend any professional writing classes. The only thing you need to do is submit your resume to the company and wait for its completion. Depending on the company's requirements, you will be provided with a draft resume that includes the necessary information for your prospective employer to see.Resume writing is one way of marketing yourself as a professional. No matter what your goal is, you can learn how to write a resume that will stand out from the crowd. By using a professional resume writer, you can rest assured that your efforts will bear some fruits.

5 Online Jobs for College Students That Pay Well - CareerEnlightenment.com

5 Online Jobs for College Students That Pay Well College life is expensive and as a student, you need to find innovative ways of offsetting your bills. You need money to cater for snacks, your social life, trips, and other expenses. The internet offers great opportunities for college students seeking to make some money. If you have ever searched the phrase “someone to write my paper for me,” you already have an idea about online jobs for college students.This article looks at an array of online jobs for college students that pay well.1. BloggingIf you have a serious hobby or any special skill, it is time to turn it into a money-making venture. Blogging is an easy way to make money and you only need to share fresh and insightful content on a particular subject. As your blog traffic grows, it is easy to make money by selling products, affiliate marketing, ads among other ways.Jim Harmer a blogger wrote an eye-opening article entitled How Bloggers Make Money: Income and stats from 13 full-time bloggers where he describes how blog gers make money and how much to expect.One of his blogs ImprovePhotography.com made $500,000 in one year back in 2014. Jim says “This blog earns 50% from selling photography products, 25% of income is from affiliate sales and the rest comes from events, advertising. With low expenses and no employees, all the profits are mine,” the blogger adds.2. Social Media ManagerJackie Augustus works as a social media manager says this is the best decision she ever made in her life. “I started working as a social media manager in college back in 2014. Today, I have a large clientele base on Facebook and this is now a fulltime job,” she says.The average pay for social media managers is around $50,000 according to Glassdoor, Indeed, and PayScale. You promote products and services and also interact with followers.   You can also manage accounts of public figures and celebrities who require a competent manager to manage their accounts. Starting Pay for a social media manager is about $15-$4 0/hour. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. 3. Digital MarketingIf you are good with words, it is time to put your skills to work through online marketing. You need a platform such as a website, blog, YouTube, or social media account to start selling. Look for products in high demand and contact the company to get the best prices.You need to promote the products or services on your platforms and make a profit. To do this, you need fresh and creative content to attract traffic and convert this into sales.   You should also create sharable promotional content to keep your products visible.4. Freelance WritingAccording to a survey published on Forbes, freelancers make up 35% of the U.S workforce. Freelance writers make up a large percentage of these numbers and you can join the b andwagon and start earning money while at college. Karan, April, and Felicia are examples of people who started out in freelance writing early and have now made this a full-time career.Ramit Sethi a freelance writer and trainer says, “You can earn a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars per month working as a freelance writer,” “It all starts with a few paying clients,” he adds.Writers are in high demand online and you can work in article/feature writing, copy/content writing, blogging, social media content creation, editing and proofreading, assignment writing, academic paper writing among other areas.5. Website DesignIf you have a knack for computers, it is time to branch into web design and carve a niche for yourself. Web designers are in high demand and you can work comfortably from your college room.   Business owners need professionally designed sites to attract traffic and build their brands. Every serious business today requires a website to compete online and i f you are good at web design you will never have to worry about cash to spend in college.You can find the latest freelancing gigs from online platforms such as Thesisgeek.com to start making good money while in college.

Earn A Living In The Great Outdoors - CareerAlley

Earn A Living In The Great Outdoors - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. More and more people are looking for ways to earn a decent living without having to be tethered to a desk for a minimum of eight hours a day. For many, the idea of having to constantly stare at a screen, try and find some form of comfort on poorly designed office chairs and having to navigate the minefield of office politics just isnt an option. If you are one of these people and if you are reading this then you probably are dont worry just yet because there are plenty of outdoor jobs that can pay a nice sum. Read on to find out what the best paying and most outdoorsy jobs are; hopefully one of them will suit your wants, needs, and desires. Enjoy. A Range Manager Okay, you may not have heard of a Range Manager before because they are often referred to as Range Conservationists, which a much more environmentally-friendly title. To try and give you the briefest of overviews, a range conservationist is a scientist that specializes in the protection of natural landscapes, you know, things like grasslands, wetlands, and forests. The way they protect these places is by working with local ranchers and farmers to develop the best systems of operation possible. This could be rotating the grazing areas, maintaining soil levels through the use of herbicides or ensuring the ground is ideal for revegetation each year. They will also come up with strategies to protect local wildlife from things like wildfire and predators and poachers and all that sort of naughty stuff. So, yeah, everything that is required on this front is part and parcel of the Range Managers role, and for it, they tend to get paid an average salary of $64,000. They also need to get their hands on some seriously tough footwear, thats a fact, which is why we recommend you try them from Steel Blue and just make sure you can hack a life of hiking boots and march about harsh landscapes. If you can, though, and this is all something that interests you, intrigues you, and completely grabs you by the soul and shakes you into submission, then a great place to start is with a degree or qualification in forestry or agriculture and then go from there. A Professional Geographer This will be great news for anyone that studied Geography at college and had to put up with those incessant jokes about how they studied coloring and sticking for three years. It also means that there is actually a direct profession in which you can go into after you get your degree (take that careers advisor). But what does a geographer actually do? Lets start with physical geographers (yup, there is more than one type of geographer), who basically study a specific location. What they study depends on their niche, but it typically falls under things like climate, weather, soil, water or landforms. If none of this interests you too much, dont despair, physical geographers can also study things like animals and plants and rocks and minerals. Of course, this may not take your fancy either (why are you studying Geography again) in which case, why not take a look at what medical geographers and cultural geographers do. To give you a quick brief, the former studies diseases in certain areas and the latter studies the relationship between the different cultural variables. Thats right up our street. So, what do you get in exchange for a life as a geographer? Well, if you have successfully got a degree, then you could be working toward a nice little paycheck of $75,000 and you get to travel. Now that is a cool benefits package. A Landscape Gardener I just broke one of the cardinal sins of landscaping; I called them gardeners and not architects, which they most definitely are. The great thing about this is that there is loads of scope to explore when it comes to this career option. There are private gardens, parks, playgrounds, stately homes, urban spaces, schools, campuses, hotels, residential spots and just about anything else that has outdoor space that needs designing. When it comes to the actual designing, landscape architects have to come up with everything that could possibly need addressing. This could be what tiles a swimming pool uses, where the road goes and what the road is made out of, what trees go where and what outbuildings would add to the whole look and feel. But this isnt all they do. No. As a landscape architect, you could go down the challenging route of restoring historical sites, rebuilding damaged wetlands and streams that have been plugged by human destruction, whether deliberate or not. The big trend at the moment, though, is using their skills and talents to develop environmentally innovative structures. This is becoming the must-do thing in most major cities now, where rooftop gardens want to better harness their ability to capture water from storms and then use it efficiently or develop vertical gardens that can cling to the walls and thus allow bees to be able to pollinate more and pollinate better. All of these things can fall under the bell curve that is a landscape architects responsibility. Of course, there is one thing we should mention, and that is the fact most landscape architects work out of an office of some kind. Were saying this like it is a negative thing, but it could be that you are looking for a hybrid career that offers you the best of both worlds; the chance to work out of an office space while still being able to escape into the outside world, and actually be among nature and know how to better work with it. Basically, dont fret just yet because you will be able to spend a considerable amount of your time in the field, working out exactly what goes where in reality and not just on paper. So, how do you get to be a landscape architect and what does it pay? Well, first things first, you need to get at least a bachelors degree in landscape architecture or have minored in it alongside your architecture studies. It is, however, possible to work your way up the ranks from an intern role, it just requires grit and determination. This effort will be paid handsomely, though, probably to the tune of around $70,000 and upward. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+