Career Exploration

-The concentration I am most interested in right now is business management.

-3 possible careers I could have with this concentration are Sales Management, Commercial Banking, and Production Management.

Sales Management: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/41-1011.00

1.) In Sales Management the average person needs to provide customer service by greeting customers and responding to questions and complaints. You also would need to assign employees to specific duties, supervise employees, keep records of purchases and sales, enforce safety and health rules, hire and train employees and much more.

2.) The education in most Sales Management is an associate's or bachelor's degree. However, depending on the company, many may only require a high-school diploma. Job training can take anywhere from a few months to a year.

3.) The employment outlook for this career for the next 5-10 years is slower than average at about 3%-6%. There are not many factors that will affect the demand for this career as long as business keep opening and the economy is functioning.

4.) The average starting salary is $35,000 annually.

5.) Three things that concern me about this occupation are...

- Some companies only require a high school diploma. I am planning on having a bachelor's degree in business from the prestigious Colorado State University.

-The employment is slower than average.

-The salary is not as high as other managing jobs.

Commercial Banking: Financial Manager http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/11-3031.02

1.) When working in Commercial Banking you establish relationships with customers, examine and evaluate loan applications, oversee the flow of cash and financial instruments, recruit staff members, network within communities to attract new businesses, establish procedures, review collection reports to determine the status of collections, and much more.

2.) Financial Managers are required to a have a four year bachelor's degree. They usually need several years of job experience as well as on-the-job training.

3.) The growth is form 7%-13% in the next 5-10 years which is fairly average and during a recession this career could decrease in demand.

4.) The average annual starting salary is $99,000.

5.) Three things that concern me about this occupation are...

- Job security and possible firing during a recession.

- Too much responsibility; one mistake can mess up a lot.

- Dealing with upset customers and employees too often.

Production Management: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/51-1011.00

1.) Some things you might do in Production Management are enforcing safety and sanitation regulations, direct and coordinate activities of employees, read and analyze charts, plan and establish work schedules, inspect materials and products, demonstrate equipment operations, interpret blueprints, job orders, and much more.

2.) Most people in Production Management are not required to have a Bachelor's degree but vocational schools or Associate's degrees are usually required. Usually one to two years of training is required for this profession.

3.) The employment outlook for Production Management is not looking good; -3% to -9% in the next 5-10 years. It is declining slowly and most likely due to one person managing multiple companies.

4.) The average starting salary for Production Management is $50,400 annual.

5.) Three things that concern me about this occupation are...

- Getting a job in the first place. The growth is declining and may not be a good field to go in to.

- Enforcing safety and sanitation regulations does not seem like something I would want to do.

- I am not exactly sure how to interpret most blueprints and that could be difficult.

Business Publication Assignment #2- Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_13434425

Shopping during the holidays is something everyone knows about, but what about hiring extra workers during this time? The Denver Post had a recent article about hiring’s during the holidays being cut back. Forty percent of retailers are planning on cutting back there hiring’s this Christmas, Hanukah, etc… season. They are not expecting as many sales this year nor are they ordering as much inventory. This article was interesting because I usually do not think about people trying to get jobs during the holidays. I always think about all the spending but many people need to earn more to do any spending at all. I hope people who are truly in need of a job this winter break can find one.

Business Publication Assignment #2- The Australlian

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,26079523-5018019,00.html

As a coffee drinker myself, I have never been a fan of Starbucks and its over-priced mediocre coffee. The article I read from the Australian explains that Starbucks has been facing a large drop in sales and has been closing hundreds of stores. McDonald’s has a billboard that says, “Four bucks is dumb,” mocking Starbucks’ high prices causing it to loose some of its consumers. However, after cutting back costs, firing employees, and closing stores, Starbucks is back on top and their shares have doubled this year. I found this article interesting because I wasn’t exactly sure how a major corporation like Starbucks works and how they can recover just by closing stores.

Career Fair Assignment

-The two companies I visited at the career fair were Verizon Wireless and Kohl's.

-The two questions I asked were...

1.)What kind of internships do you offer and what are the qualifications you need to apply?

2.) What is the best part of your job and working for your company?

The responses I got from Verizon Wireless were...

1.) Yes, we offer internships every summer that go from the beginning of June until early August. We begin reviewing applications in March and April and will decide who will get the internships a few weeks later. The only requirement is you must be a full time college student and have good grades.

2.) The best part of my job is working in Human Resources and getting to support all our employees from beginning to end. I get to watch them develop from the first day being very nervous to a few years later managing stores and being very professional in their career.

The responses I got from Kohl's were...

1.) Yes we offer 2 internships. One is a 10 week program from Jun 7th-Aug 14th, 2010. The other is a 15 week internship from Aug-Oct of 2010. You must be anticipating graduation in 2010 or 2011 and be pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business or a related field. You also must have strong analytical, leadership, and communication skills.

-The hardest part about attending the Career Fair was choosing who to talk to and how to go about it. Almost all of the people were very friendly and open to talking but it takes a bit of courage to walk up and introduce yourself.

- If I could do anything differently next time I go to the career fair it would be dressing nicer, and preparing a better resume.

-All of the recruiters recommended getting internships during college while still keeping up with school work and I took this advice very seriously.

Business Publication Assignment #1-BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8256412.stm

Another article I read was titled "Japan Airlines to cut 6,800 Job" about a Japanese airline company firing many of its employees. The airline was suffering greatly with profit and was looking to become better fuel-efficient and focus more on business customers. Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Air France are all looking to invest in Japan Airlines and to expand to Asia. The rest of the article explanied that the International Air Transport Association is increasing its expected losses from 9 billion to 11 billion. This article was interesting to me because in the recession we are experiencing in the US, I rarely think about foreign countries and the impact the recession has around the world. When US air travel decreases, it seems that all over the world it decreeses causing job losses not only in the US but places like Japan as well.

Business Publication Assignment #1-Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/14/multitouch-screens-enterprise-technology-cio-network-intelligence.html

The article I read was called The Death Of Business Intelligence, written by Dan Woods. This article was made to inform businessmen and entrepreneurs about the rapid increase in technology and the new and improved multi-touch screens. These screens are very expensive and not many businesses can afford them yet. Woods spoke of CNN anchor John King and how he used these screens while revolutionizing the way presentations and politics talk shows are made. During the 2008 presidential elections I remember watching Mr. King maneuver these screens and provide instant answers about the current polls. Most businesses are still recording data over months at a time and looking information up through websites and other sources. With these multi-touch screens, information can be found immediately and someone like John Woods can do an entire politics presentation without any help backstage. This article was very interesting especially because I remember watching John King do this during the Obama-Mccain election. Forbes.com was very helpful and a great site to find business articles.