Marty Nemko's Blog, page 413

The Elitist Common Core Standards

The Common Core is the new K-12 curriculum that the Obama Administration is pressuring all states to adopt.

I have a deep concern about it, and it's not the absurd arguments of the Religious Right.

The problem with the Common Core is--in the name of high standards--forcing all students to learn arcana that is utterly useless.  Only the out-of-touch PhD.-riddled committee could have mandated it.

I make this argument more powerfully with specifics in an op-ed published today in The Daily Caller.

What I Know and Don't Know About Career Counseling: One coach's candid reflections.

My latest PsychologyToday.com article is, What I Know and Don't Know About Career Counseling: One coach's candid reflections.

Whether you're interested in your own growth or are a counselor or coach, I hope you'll find it helpful.

On Time: Tips for people who are bad at time management

Today, my PsychologyToday.com article is On Time: Tips for people who are bad at time management.

I'm honored that Psychology Today selected it for inclusion on its list of Essential Reads. 

WHY You Eat Too Much...And What Can Help

Diets don't work, nor does telling yourself to have more willpower.

You may lose more weight by following one or more of the tips in my
 PsychologyToday.com article today: WHY You Eat Too Much...And What Can Help.

You and Money: It's Not As Complicated As You May Think

My article today on PsychologyToday.com is You and Money: It's not as complicated as you may think.

Are You Overlooking a Key to Your Career Contentment?

My PsychologyToday.com article today: Are You Overlooking a Key to Your Career Contentment?

In it, I offer 11 such keys.

Six Ways Teachers Can Meet Bright and Gifted Students' Needs in a Regular Class

I have a special place in my heart for bright and gifted kids. They have great potential to abet humankind but policies in many of today's elementary schools make it difficult to  provide them even with an appropriate-level education.

In a small attempt to help, I've created this seven-minute video of tips teachers can use to meet bright and gifted kids' needs in a regular class. It's below.

As always, I welcome your comments.

Under-the-Radar Careers

I've written lately about the likely accelerating reduction of good jobs because of automating/roboticization combined with the ever higher cost of hiring an American. And then there's offshoring: Are American workers so wonderful as to justify paying them four times as much as an Asian?

There's even an oversupply in supposed hot careers, for example, in science, technology, engineering, and math majors (STEM). Evidence:THIS  and THIS and THIS and THIS. Too, there's an oversupply of lawyers. Evidence: THIS and THIS and THIS and THIS.

Long-term, there may no way to avoid the accelerating decline in good jobs but at least over the next decade or two, one way to cope is to consider under-the-radar careers. Here are some that score high, overall, across these factors:
Most practitioners feel like they're doing something importantl.Good projected job marketMost practitioners earn a middle-class incomeLittle risk of offshoring or automating the job.Not requiring inordinate education Before dismissing these careers, do remember that status is often the enemy of contentment. There are many unhappy lawyers, doctors, and executives even in vaunted nonprofits. A more likely path to contentment may be an under-the-radar career, where, because of less competition, you're more likely to find a job with the attributes that usually end up being central to career contentment: job security, a decent boss, ethical work, reasonable learning opportunities and a moderate commute.

Of course, the following list is just a sampling, as much to encourage you to think beyond the obvious as to consider these particular careers. 

The first seven were listed in a Business Insider article, 18 High-Paying Careers Youve Probably Never Heard Of.

Air-traffic controller. Yes, high stress but good job market--almost all grads of training programs get hired and six-figure income is common. INFO.

Surveyor. Their job is to use GPS and other tools to identify the boundaries not just of homes but, for example, of highways, airports, mines, and underwater property.  INFO.

Unexploded ordnance technician.  A career for people who would love a job blowing things up. And training is short. INFO

Court stenographer. Despite the presence of translation software, the job market for stenographers remains good. They're used not only in courtrooms but in captioning, for example, for the deaf. Three-year training. INFO

Anesthesiology assistant.  Pre-, post, and intraoperatively, you work alongside and/or under an anesthesiologist. It usually requires a pre-med bachelor's and a two-year masters. But after that, you'll be in demand for a six-figure job. INFO. Parallel position: radiologist assistant: INFO

Audiologist. Three-year doctorate and then you're in demand for a good-income career helping people hear better using ever improved hearing-aids. INFO.

Embalmer. You prepare dead bodies for viewing at a funeral. Not for everyone but, for the right person,  it can be a career to die for. INFO

The next six careers were listed in another Business Insider article:  40 High-Paying Jobs That Don't Require a Bachelor's Degree.

Purchasing Agent . Buy machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies for an organization to use or resell. INFO

Power plant operator. You control the systems that distribute electric power. INFO

Transportation, storage, and distribution manager. You plan, direct, or coordinate distribution of products in warehouses, trucks, etc. INFO

Here are some other under-the-radar careers I've recommended to various clients:

Academic adviser: You help college students choose courses, majors and keep them on track. A college campus is one of the more pleasant places to work. INFO

Haircutter. This career always scores near the top of job-satisfaction surveys thanks to high success rate, pleasant environment, and regular customers with whom you get to chat. INFO

Optometrist. Also high success rate, a six-figure income, and prestige. Training is long: 4 years post- bachelors. Programs exist that let you earn both your bachelor's and Doctor of Optometry degree in seven years. INFO


Condominium association manager. You hire contractors, supervise maintenance, and collect bills. INFO

Elevator Installer and Repairer. You may work on escalators and moving walkways as well as elevators. INFO

Wastewater plant worker. Most people are turned off by the concept but the few wastewater workers I've spoken with like their jobs and demand is high for a variety of positions, from plumber to planner to project manager. INFO and INFO

Clergyperson. Unmitigated do-gooding in this varied career: ministering to the troubled, performing ceremonies, sermonizing, and planning the congregation's future. INFO

You're Invited to a Free Performance of a Show I'm Doing with Jeffrie Givens: "Retard!"

Jeffrie Givens was called "Retard!" by kids and retarded by teachers. She's come a long way.

You are invited to a special performance of the show that tells her story, "Retard!" "

In it, I interview her and accompany her on the piano.

It is the reinvented version of her previous show, Big, Black, and Shy.

It will be at my home in Oakland, CA on Sunday May 4 at 2 PM. It will conclude at around 3:30.

We did our first performance of it last month in San Francisco and the audience truly loved it.

This performance will be free but my living room holds only 22 people. So, if you want to attend, you might want to email me soon, letting me know the number of seats you want. My email address is mnemko@comcast.net.

Transcript: "Work with Marty Nemko:" OVERsupply of STEM majors, attorneys

A reader asked for a written transcript of one of my radio shows. I had it made. HERE is the link

On that show, I first documented the oversupply of STEM graduates and of lawyers. I then talked about some under-the-radar careers, and then did Three-Minute Workovers on callers.