Search

Search the web for the best solution!

Make Money!

How to get a great high paying job,
Or improve the one you have.
By Stephen Knilans


These days, it seems like the unions or the government are always trying to increase the pay for a given job, while decreasing the need to work. Frankly that isn.t the way to go about it at all. Eventually the business may become unprofitable and cease to exist, it may get automated, or it may simply increase the cost of living leading to inflation. After all, if you are flipping burgers you are a part of the cost of the product and as hamburgers get more expensive, more people will stay home or simply eat something else.

If you write a program, you help to cut costs elsewhere, and people will buy to save money. That explains why hamburger flippers should make less than a programmer in a nutshell. Simple, huh? Of course, if the hamburger flipper branched out, and became a world famous chef, they could author cookbooks, attend events work at a posh restaurant or hotel, and make a lot of money.

This document will be an attempt to tell you how to easily change careers, or stay in the career you are in, and make more money. You can do this by simply ferreting out ways to enhance what you do, work in a more profitable area, or switching careers.

Remember that there are only about nine things determining value, and what someone will pay:

  1. Efficiency . If you work with less, or do things faster, people will be willing to pay more.
  2. Simplicity . The easier it is to do everything you need, the more they are likely to pay.
  3. Quality - People will just pay more for a quality product.
  4. Cooperation . The more cooperative you appear, the more they are likely to pay.
  5. Reputation - The better your reputation, the more likely you are to be paid well.
  6. Prestige - Ironically, some people will pay more just for prestige. Gucci gets more for its products than samsonite, even though the fabric looks ugly, just because of prestige. Rolex gets more for their watches than Tag Heuer(another high quality Swiss Watch company) primarily because of prestige.
  7. Affordability . People are more likely to pay a million dollars for something that saves them $333,333+/year* then they are to pay for something that is just nice to have.
  8. Fit - The better your products fit with what they already have, and your company fits with theirs, the more they may pay. This includes culture, language, methods, etc...
  9. Rarity - As with everything else, if it is rare, and they need it, they are willing to pay more.
* At least in the US most companies try to justify the cost of non consumable assets over a 3 year span.

The Career Choice

A career must be chosen based on YOUR likes, dislikes, and desires. After all, if you are not gregarious and friendly, with a good reputation and a desire to be around people, you probably shouldn.t try being a salesperson. If you are not a problem solver with a willingness to work long hours, and an ability to explain and understand things well, you should probably not bother being a programmer.

Look carefully at the job you are interested about. Read trade magazines and books, and possibly ask others already in the field about it. If THEY aren.t happy, you may not be either. Look at everything with the desire to talk yourself OUT of the job. If you can.t come up with enough things to make it clearly the job you want to do, then you should probably look at another career. Don.t forget to look at similar jobs though.

The SKILLS

Sadly, too many people apply for jobs they are not skilled for. I hope you will not make that mistake. You should always try to determine what skills are needed, and acquire them. NEVER rely simply on school to teach you about the career. You should look at books, periodicals, and talk to others in the career, as well.

Don.t forget that those books and periodicals can provide you help. If you are a cook, find nice famous recipes, give them a twist, and try out the result on some friends. A lot of good cooks started out just that way, just as many programmers have.

Proof As more people lie to get jobs, more employers will demand proof. Who knows where it will end. Of course, there are places willing to provide proof for a fee. HERE are some types of proof you should think about providing.

  1. Real Experience . Have you done this before for a legitimate enterprise? If you are in college, and just starting out, ask about working on a project with someone, or as an assistant. You may even consider working for free. If you can get a good referral, it could easily double your starting pay.
  2. References - Are others willing to commend you? If the person happens to be someone, at the new job, that used to work with you on a previous job, you are far more likely to get hired. Yet another reason to not burn bridges
  3. Affiliations `- Do you belong to relevant organizations?
  4. Reputation - Do you have a good reputation?
  5. Certification - Do you have certifications? ALSO, don't fall for third party certifications. If you work with VB and SQL server, for example, Microsofts certifications are probably best. If you want to work with networking/security, an MCSE could help. If you want to be a programmer, an MCSD would be better.
  6. Education - Do you have formal education? Bear in mind that Education is a door opener. References and past experience are always going to be considered.
  7. Licenses - If this is a business that can have a trade license(contractor, taxi cab driver, exterminator, etc.), do you?
  8. Professional Associations - Are you associated with any trade associations.
  9. Union Membership . Some companies require union affiliation.

Lying

No job search information can be truly complete without talking about lying. One bit of advice......DON'T DO IT! Not only is it unethical, and a problem, but it can get you in a LOT of trouble. Employers could sue in various situations. ALSO, the U.S. provides for the immediate dismissal of ANYONE that is found to have lied on their resume.

I guess I should thank the liars. One of my tasks at my current employer is interviewing candidates. I laughed at the prospect earlier, figuring that it was relatively simple, and I would sound stupid. I actually APOLOGIZE to some candidates about the stupid questions I ask. I can tell that some just think it is all a joke. STILL, 80%-90% FAIL, and one person that passed said she was "sweating bullets". I ask questions that a person should learn within 2 weeks of starting a course on SQL, and find people claiming over 5 years experience that just have no idea what to do. One person I said was a good hire left the client saying "Are you SURE? His resume says he only has 2 years experience!". Apparently, he is doing fine, and the customer is happy. If nothing else, it is job security for me.

Copyright (c) 2004 Stephen C Knilans All Rights Reserved

<%resources%>