CHANGES IN OCCUPATION

Sometimes our professions or jobs cause problems that affect not only our working hours but our personal lives. The need to consider a career change is often manifested in job burnout and job stress. To find a cure for a work-related problem, you need to identify the symptoms and the cause. Here are only some of the possible signs or causes: Overwork: working late or on weekends, taking work home, postponing vacations Rumors or reports of impending layoffs or reassignments Recognition that youre in the wrong career Conflict with your boss or co-workers Continuing lack of interest in your work Reluctance to face the new workday

Factors to Consider in a Career Change If these symptoms, signs or causes become severe enough, you have probably reached a Turning Point in your life and may need to consider a career change. Some professions law, surgery, journalism, industrial management are especially subject to job stress and a desire for career change. A career change should not be made lightly, impulsively or without careful consideration of eight separate factors which have been identified by the Highlands Company as vital to your choice of careers:

Your hard-wired or natural abilities Your skills Your personal style (how you relate to others) Your interests Your values Your goals Your family background Where You are in your Career Development cycle

Highlands has perfected a process which will help you integrate all these factors into one strong and positive Personal Vision. Beginning with the Highlands Ability Battery and ending in a two-hour live consultation with a Certified Highlands Affiliate, we can help you through a career change that will bring fulfillment and satisfaction.

This refers to the aggregate distribution of occupations in society, classified according to skill level, economic function, or social status. The occupational structure is shaped by various factors: the structure of the economy (the relative weight of different industries); technology and bureaucracy (the distribution of technological skills and administrative responsibility); the labourmarket (which determines the pay and conditions attached to occupations); and by status and

prestige (influenced by occupational closure, life-style, and social values). It is difficult to attach causal primacy to any one of these factors; moreover, their role in shaping the occupational structure changes over time, as society changes. For example, during the early phase of European industrialization, the dominance of manufacturing made for a preponderance of manual occupations, while in recent times the shrinking of this sector, together with the growth in services, has made for an expansion of white-collar occupations. The distinction between manual and nonmanual occupations has also become blurred. The occupational structure is described and analysed by means of various classificatory schemes, which group similar occupations together according to specific criteria such as skill, employment status, or function. Such classifications are also used as a basis for the empirical analysis of economic and social class. Since the early 1950s, successive governments have implemented various schemes, under planning, to alleviate poverty, that have met with partial success. Programmes like Food for work and National Rural Employment Programme have attempted to use the unemployed to generate productive assets and build rural infrastructure. In August 2005, the Indian parliament passed the Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, the largest programme of this type, in terms of cost and coverage, which promises 100 days of minimum wage employment to every rural household in 200 of India's 600 districts. The question of whether economic reforms have reduced poverty or not has fuelled debates without generating any clear cut answers and has also put political pressure on further economic reforms, especially those involving downsizing of labour and cutting down agricultural subsidiary . wiki India's labor force exhibits extremes ranging from large numbers of illiterate workers unaccustomed to machinery or routine, to a sizable pool of highly educated scientists, technicians, and engineers, capable of working anywhere in the world. A substantial number of skilled people have left India to work abroad; the country has suffered a brain drain since independence. Nonetheless, many remain in India working alongside a trained industrial and commercial work force. Administrative skills, particularly necessary in large projects or programs, are in short supply, however. In the mid-1990s, salaries for top administrators and technical staff rose sharply, partly in response to the arrival of foreign companies in India. http://countrystudies.us/india/95.htm Occupation in Indian village reflects the base of the socio-economic culture prevalent in rural areas of the country. The main occupation types in Indian villages comprise of agriculture, fishing, weaving, cottage industry, handicrafts etc. Since the ancient period, Indian villagers have been involved in various occupations out of which, agriculture is the principal one. Apart from agriculture, the villagers are also involved in other occupations like fishing, farming, cottage industry, pottery, business, various small, medium or large scale industries, carpentry, etc. In the contemporary period, the evolution and advancement in different industrial and technological sectors in India have opened new job opportunities for the Indian villagers. Traditional Occupation in Indian Villages Agriculture remains the principal occupation in Indian village society from the ancient period. The climatic conditions in most parts of India are suitable for agricultural activities and hence, India has become one of the leading producers of agricultural products in the world. In the changing time agriculture has been replaced by other occupations in different parts of India in the contemporary period. In the villages of hilly areas, the principal occupations include agriculture

and gardening. Agriculture is still the major source of income in the northern and eastern Indian villages. Other occupation in Indian villages includes the priests, carpenters, blacksmiths, barbers, weavers, potters, oil pressers, leatherworkers, sweepers, water bearers, toddy-tappers and many others. Non-Traditional Occupation in Indian Villages However, most of the modern day Indian villages present a different scenario with villagers taking up the non-traditional occupations. They are involved in academics as teachers; truckers, clerks or getting engaged with various cottage industries, regardless of which caste or class they belong to. Different types of occupations are found in the modern Indian villages apart from agriculture or farming or the traditional occupations. The climate and location influence occupation in Indian villages to a large extent. Several villagers in the South Indian states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and others have taken fishing as the main source of income. This is mainly because of the coastal location of the states. Cottage Industry in Indian Villages Another major occupation in Indian villages is the cottage industry. Cottage industry has emerged as a major source of employment in Indian villages over the period of time. Many villagers are occupied in various kinds of art and crafts works. The villagers produce different types of handicrafts products and many of them are earning their livelihoods by marketing them. The occupations like artisan in pottery, wood, cloth, metal and leather have been in existence in Indian villages, since the ancient period and are found even in the modern times. Many Indian villagers are dependent on these occupations to earn their livelihoods. The women in the rural areas, too are actively getting involved in different industries like matchbox and firework industries, Bidi making, agate and slate industries, coffee and tea industries, brick industry, construction industry, electronics industry, spice industries, etc. Among these, the Bidi, slate or brick making industries are the most well spread industries in Indian villages. Apart from these industries, the Indian villagers have also become sweepers and scavengers. Tourism Industry in Indian Villages Tourism sector has emerged as one of the chief occupations in Indian villages, in the contemporary period. Villages in most parts of India are endowed with natural beauty and have a rich tradition and cultural heritage. The rich cultural diversity in the villages attracts many tourists from all over the world every year. This has encouraged many villagers to get involved in various tourism related occupations. The villagers work as tourist guides or run different kinds of business in the famous tourist spots or even provide accommodation facilities to the tourists to earn their livelihoods. Other than the occupations mentioned above, there are several other means of livelihood in rural India such as community, social and personal services; mining and quarrying; real estate; post and telecommunication; health and social work; educational services; public administration and national defence; wholesale and retail trade; utilities supply and other activities. The occupation scenario in Indian villages has changed mainly due to the changing economical

scenario of the villages of India. The invention of new technologies has encouraged the Indian villagers to take up new occupations. Apart from that, decline in the fertility of lands in many villages has also forced many villagers to give up their traditional occupation of agriculture. Many of these villagers have moved to the nearby urban areas in search for alternative occupation and sources of income. The history of Indian villages presents an interesting occupation scenario, which has changed with time. Agriculture and farming were the prominent occupations of the Indian villagers during the ancient period and the other occupations included doing clerical jobs in king`s courts or working as soldiers for the emperors. The Indian villagers remained dependent on agriculture for several centuries till the British period. However, the scenario changed during the British rule with the introduction of several industries. The villagers started to move to the urban areas, leaving their traditional occupation of agriculture. They joined different industrial organisations as workers or labourers and found alternate occupation. However, agriculture is still the principal occupation in most villages in India. In response to recent developments in the labour market, in occupational structure and in occupational practice, many aspects of vocational education and training are subjects of discussion and in transition. The tertiary sector is growing, some occupations are integrating while others are differentiating. New methods of production and organization require new types of employee competencies: problem-solving and social-communicative skills are becoming more and more important. The article focuses on the importance and the possibilities of shaping these developments from a gender perspective. First, the significance of changing qualification requirements is discussed for the technical sector, the service and care sector and the economicadministrative sector. Second, two innovations in vocational education and training are discussed: the recognition of prior learning and the development of flexible, modular educational pathways. Occupational structure has changed significantly over time and further important changes are forecast by the year 1995. A substantial part of the change in occupational structure between 1971 and 1981 can be attributed to the shift in industrial structure. Despite the rising level of civilian employment in recent years, some, mainly blue-collar occupations, continued to fall over the period 1981 to 1987. Others, however, showed significant growth (including professional, associate professional and managerial occupations), caused by both the changing occupational structure within industries and the changing industry mix. Such changes are likely to persist, bolstered by the continued expansion of the economy. The article reviews the possible extent of skill shortages in the nine main occupational groups. Shortages seem likely amongst managers and administrators, professional occupations and associate professional and technical occupations. They also appear to be persisting amongst craft and skilled manual workers despite declining levels of employment in this group. However, skill shortages seem much less likely amongst clerical and secretarial, personal and protective services, sales occupations, plant and machine operatives and other occupations. Life expectancy in Germany has increased considerably during the 20th century. Simultaneously a considerable change in occupational structure has occurred. Keeping the occupational impact on mortality in mind, the question arises as to what extent the mortality decrease can be contributed to changes in occupation. Based on cohort data this question is analysed with the result that a considerable impact on life expectancy is confirmed. The impact of changes in occupational structure on life expectancy is greater for men than for women. This can be

explained by the fact that men benefit from the improvements of general living conditions associated with occupational status, as well as from improved working condition.