You, Your Job, Your Money

I'm quite fortunate. I have a job that I love and work with people that know just how to make my day. While it's not all fun and games the work that we do helps a lot of people and I'm glad to be a part of it.

That being said, my job would suck if I was just in it for the money.

There would be no compass, no guiding force to my life other than looking forward to payday and attempting to fill the void in between.

If that describes you, well I'm sorry my friend but it's time to look for a new job. You're not doing yourself any favors and you're not doing your boss any favors, no matter how much they feel they may need you.

So whats the first step?

Well the resume of course. Having a good resume that describes your experience, education and protrays you as an individual confident in their abilities is equivalent to holding the golden ticket to Wonka's factory.

If you take a look at your resume and it doesn't sell yourself to the point where you'd hire yourself, well then thats a problem. Most employers only ever see your resume before they schedule the interview. Your resume is a representation of you so it has to say, "This is me. Here's what I can do. You'd be stupid not to hire me."

Resume Writing services cost money and you know how I feel about that. But never fear! Where there is Google, there is a way.

Resume Resource provides numerous examples for all different types of resumes for all different types of candidates. Use the resources they provide to be of a guideline to writing your own.

Now with your resume in hand, lets go get a job! First place to look...? Well, you could thumb through the paper, check out CareerBuilder or Monster or if you're in El Paso ElPasoHelpWanted.Com. If you have had more success with physical jobsearching than stick to visiting different establishments, speaking with HR, or calling for availability.

If you are having no success on your own a staffing or recruiting firm should be able to help. Keep in mind though that this should be a free service to the jobseeker. Thats a good gauge to determine how profitable and how successful the company truly is.

Hang in there! Don't get discouraged and don't get desperate! If you're applying for a sought-after position it can get a little lengthy and may get you down. Just stick to your guns and continue to utilize the tools and resources you possess to land yourself in a position most suited for you.

Salaries...

I'm currently enrolled at the El Paso Community College. I will have graduated with my degree in Electrical Engineering in the Spring of 2010 and hopefully start at the University of Texas at El Paso that summer or fall. I've got a general understanding of what I will be making once I finish my bachelors degree courses, but I'm wondering if I should then continue on my education to a Master's degree. Of course I would like to be settled into a company that generally appreciates the contributions that I make to the company before I go back to school again.

So my ultimate goal today is to get a general idea of the payscale difference between an undergraduate with a Bachelors degree and a graduate with a master's degree. Luckily I know that there are a great deal of helpful websites out there that can provide this information for me. The main driving goal in this experiment is to determine my savings budget for each scenario. I'm concerned that I should start saving for retirement, but I can't anticipate my savings contributions based on the salary I am currently making. Planning for your future involves research and goal setting, so this is something that I feel will provide a good gauge for me to begin my goal planning.

Payscale.com: Provides a helpful graphing utility to see the various levels of certification, experience and industries and compare the information. Here is one of the graphs:

Median Salary by Years Experience - Degree: Electrical Engineer (United States)

Compare your salary: Get a free Salary Report

This particular graph is by years of experience. I hope to have the opportunity to obtain some experience while I am still in school, but on the chance that doesn't play out for me, its nice to know what individuals that lack experience are making and the goals for which I would like to set for myself while I'm employed.

Engineersalary.com: Had an indepth view of the different routes that one could take and the payscale difference. Salaries in 2007 for new grads: B.S.E.E. received starting offers averaging $57,830; M.S.E.E. grads averaged $69,180; and new Ph.D.'s averaged $86,440. Advanced degrees are in the high demand by both Fortune 500s and start-ups. This information will definitely come in handy when I am deciding what direction I want to take my professional and educational futures.

While this last website was specific for my degree plan, you can find the payscale for your field of interest online easily enough. Payscale.com is not limited to just engineering. The more you know, the more you can plan for.

And its never to early to be thinking about retirement!