The New Power Jobs
by Heather Boerner, for Yahoo! HotJobs
White-hot jobs are opening up in the power sector.
"These aren't just hot jobs, they're sizzling jobs," said Christine Real de Azua, spokeswoman for the American Wind Energy Association. Wind energy grew by 45 percent last year. "We need every type of job candidate."
URL : http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-the_new_power_jobs-449
Indeed, with oil topping $100 per barrel, expect power industry jobs to explode in the next 10 years -- and not just in petroleum or the electric company. Want to repair wind turbines, manage a nuclear reactor or install solar panels? The jobs await.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and energy leaders reveal what fields are expected to grow, and they are listed below with projected growth levels through 2016, salary data, and what you need to get a related job.
Engineers: 11 percent projected growth$44,790-$145,600 annually, depending on specialty
"We're experiencing a comeback in 'dirty jobs,'" said Chris McCormick, partner and head of the energy division of venture capital firm Landmark Ventures. "While a few years ago, what we wanted were the 'clean' jobs in computer engineering, now we're back to the types of engineers who get their hands dirty with chemistry and broad-application engineering."
Chemical engineers who work with biofuels, electrical engineers who design power plants, mechanical engineers who find better ways to capture air and wind energy, and nuclear engineers who make plants run more efficiently will all be in high demand -- with salaries to match. While some engineers, like chemical engineers, may need a PhD to do their jobs, most others, like environmental engineers, only require a bachelor's degree in physics or engineering, according to the BLS.
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators: 11 percent projected growth$35,590-$75,240 annually
"When I got out of college, people told me, 'Go do other things.' The conventional wisdom was that nuclear power was going to go away," said Carol Berrigan, senior director for industry infrastructure at the Nuclear Energy Institute. "But now, with some regulatory changes, we have something like nine applications out there for 16 new nuclear power plants in the next few years."
Which jobs will grow fastest? Think Homer Simpson, but with more computer knowledge and less buffoonery. On top of the billions of dollars the industry is spending on new construction, the field's employees are aging: In the next 10 years, half of all nuclear reactor operators are expected to retire. You don't need to have an engineering degree for these jobs, but you should expect extensive on-the-job training and classroom instruction as well as licensing exams, according to the BLS.
Industrial Machinery Mechanic9 percent projected growth$42,350 median annual income
Someone's got to install the solar panels and repair wind turbines, and industrial machinery mechanics are often the ones who get the jobs. In solar, Tioga Energy's Executive Vice President Preston Roper said the biggest demand is for solar installers.
Both Roper and Real de Azua said local community colleges are the places to go to get the training necessary for the jobs. Many are offering specialized training in solar or wind repair work.
Skilled Trade WorkersElectricians: 7 percent projected growth$44,780 median annual income
Line Workers: 7 percent projected growth$52,570 median annual income
Welders: 5 percent projected growth$32,270 median annual income
These workers repair the lines that bring power to your home and build and repair power plant structures. Want one of these jobs? Usually you don't need post-high school education, but you will need an apprenticeship through a union or other skilled trade group. The programs usually take about four years.
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Youngsters adept at multi-tasking: Survey
24 Jul 2007, 0031 hrs IST, Rashmee Roshan Lall,TNN
LONDON: In a survey covering 16 countries, it was found that Indian, Brazilian and Chinese young people displayed the maximum interest in the ‘cool digital circuits' of today's communications industry.
But the study underlined the futility of asking today's young people about technology as a separate entity in their lives. Almost all youth, almost everywhere, were found to regard technology as an organic part of life in the 21st century. Analysts said the findings showed that talking to young people about the role of technology in their lifestyle would be like talking to kids in the 1980s about the role the park swing or the telephone played in their social lives — it's invisible.
Unsurprisingly, young people were found to multi-task to a greater extent than adults, who are generally still doing only one thing at a time but able to deal with more simultaneous stimuli coming at them. The study, titled "Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground", was launched by MTV to understand the changing preoccupations of its core market — youth everywhere. On Monday, Bill Roedy, vice-chairman of MTV Networks said: "Digital technology is impacting every aspect of content creation across Nickelodeon and MTV channels."
Added Chris Dobson of Microsoft, which participated in the study, "Digital communications from IM, SMS, social networking to email have all revolutionised how young people communicate with their peers. We wanted to understand more deeply how young people interact with these technologies and consequently what this means."
The study used both qualitative and quantitative methodology to talk to 18,000 "tech-embracing" children and young people in 16 countries — UK, Germany, Holland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Youngsters_adept_at_multi-tasking_Survey/articleshow/2228475.cms
