Helping Us Help You find a Wierd Job

by Ed Teja

Adventure/travel jobs are, in one respect at least, just like any other job — you have to go after them in a professional manner. Yes people do luck into them. I’ve met people who were backpacking through Venezuela and got jobs as tour guides on the Orinoco. But I know people who were “lucky” enough to get a job with Apple when it was two guys in a garage too. It happens but only fools count on it. You need to make your own luck.

Job seeking starts with basics
Some folks try to get information, about getting out in the adventure world, but their questions show me that they clearly aren’t thinking about how the process works. Often these inquiries are frustrating because they illustrate that people are starting off on the wrong foot.

I want to use a couple of real examples to show what I mean by this. In the first example the job seeker isn’t asking a question that we can help much with.

“I would like to work on a mega yacht. Can you help me about that?”

What can we say that would be of value to this person?

It is a basic tenant of job hunting that you research the job you want, but pursuing a “job on a yacht” is something like pursuing a job in medicine. Do you intend to be a doctor, nurse, administrator, drug salesmen…In this case, what do they want to do on a mega yacht? Is he or she a cook, golfing pro, diving instructor, or just someone who wants to work on a yacht?

There is nothing wrong with that last (not knowing what they want), but before they start looking they need to get an understanding of what the various jobs on a yacht are, and what life aboard is really like. My suggestion for those of you in that boat (pun intended) is to read Crewing Aboard a Superyacht, from virtual cover to virtual cover. It will save you time and missteps. And if it makes you decide that the yachting life isn’t right for you, then you have only saved yourself more time and trouble.

The second kind of inquiry that frustrates us, is of this form:

“I have come to learn that from time to time you provide some people with employment in traveling related jobs. In this connection I like to inform you that I am a professional xxxx in xxxx.

“Now I wish to work in your traveling agency please let me have the complete rules and regulation for employment in your company.”

The major thing wrong with this inquiry is that the person hasn’t really looked at the web site. We aren’t a traveling agency, and we don’t provide employment. He or she has wasted time (theirs and ours) and energy (ditto). No harm done, I suppose, but it is frustrating. And it doesn’t give me hope that this person is on the right track to finding a good job. So this is a corollary to our first problem. This person knows what he/she wants, but isn’t researching the targets. It would be like sending a resume to Tropical Lines (a merchant shipping company) if you want to work on a mega yacht or cruise ship. It hasn’t hurt you any, but it hasn’t done anything for your cause either.

We are glad to help anyone find what they are looking for in the adventure/travel weird job world. We do ask that you think a little more specifically about what you are looking for so that our efforts can be specific and directed. Then you can follow up and get that dream job. They are out there, and they CAN change your life.

The Ocean Talks to Those Who Listen

A new finding documented by the Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES) in a study funded by the NASA-Ocean Physics Program indicates world climate can be affected by the “Indo-Pacific Warm Pool,” a pool of water located in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, due to large variations in precipitation and evaporation that affect ocean salinity and temperature which, in turn, affects climate.

Columbia, MD (PRWEB) December 20, 2005 -- From the beginning of time, the ocean has always intrigued humankind. It has given birth to life, inspired music, stimulated the creativity of artists and photographers, prompted sailors to bring home stories of monsters from its depths, and affected people's senses. The list goes on. But did you know the ocean can talk? The ocean speaks to us in many ways and, most recently, has revealed a hidden secret to researchers about the water cycle and how it can affect climate variability -- a new finding documented by the Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES) in a study funded by the NASA-Ocean Physics Program.

Ultimately, the global water cycle is central to life on the Earth. Most of us can recall, as early as grade school, our teachers showing us drawings of the water cycle. We would follow the arrows on the diagrams not realizing the significance -- the sun heats the water and turns it into vapor. This vapor then goes up into the sky where it cools off and condenses back into liquid, forming clouds and precipitation. After that the water soaks into the land as groundwater or runs over the soil and collects in water bodies, some of which drain into the ocean. The ocean, which is the storehouse of the world's water, is merely one part of the water cycle. It is as simple as that — or so it was thought.

Recently, the ocean revealed another very important role that affects the water cycle and climate variability around the world. CRCES scientists have unlocked a hidden mystery of the ocean. No, they did not discover Atlantis, sea monsters, or mermaids. Rather CRCES researchers have discovered something immensely more important; they have produced ground breaking results by using satellite data and a mathematical-computer model of the world's oceans.

Specifically, their research has shown that the amount of precipitation falling into the oceans and the evaporation rate of ocean water, affects the amount of dissolved salt (salinity) in the water. Water with more salinity is heavier than water with less salinity. And these salinity differences affect the direction and strength of ocean currents. Salinity also affects ocean temperature. Some areas may have more precipitation than evaporation which causes less salinity in the water. In other areas, salinity is increased because of less precipitation than evaporation. The combination of salinity and temperature of the water play an important role in climate variability. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent in the “Indo-Pacific Warm Pool” which is located in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean (see www.crces.org for a movie of the Warm Pool), where the surface water is some of the warmest and freshest on the Earth. For the first time, CRCES researchers have verified through ship-based observations of salinity and a mathematical-computer model of the world oceans that changes in precipitation and evaporation in this part of the world directly affect ocean salinity and temperature, influencing climate.

Consequently, the research on the Warm Pool is producing exciting results and a greater understanding of how ocean-atmosphere interaction in this area affects worldwide climate. Understanding the physics of the Warm Pool is vitally important because this research may increase predictability of floods and droughts. Indeed, the ocean is talking, and it is up to us to listen; it can help us in improving our lives!

For further information, please refer to the following journal articles at www.crces.org:

* “The Response of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to Interannual Variations in Net Atmospheric Freshwater,” by Boyin Huang and Vikram Mehta, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans in April 2005.

* “Response of the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool to Interannual Variations in Net Atmospheric Freshwater,” by Boyin Huang and Vikram Mehta, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, June 2004.

* “Oceanic Response to Idealized Net Atmospheric Freshwater in the Pacific at the Decadal Timescale,” by Boyin Huang, Vikram Mehta, and Niklas Schneider, published in the Journal of Physical Oceanography, TBD 2005.

About The Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES):
CRES is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization located in Columbia, Maryland. Since its inception in 2002, CRCES’s mission is towards an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to research in the science of slow variability within the Earth System components and in societal adaptation to this slow variability necessary for socio-economic and political stability of the global society in the 21st century. More information about CRCES’s research is available at www.crces.org.

Science queries:Dr. Vikam Mehta, Executive Director
The Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES)
410-992-5300, x14
www.crces.org

General queries:
Ms. Janet Wood, Chief Administrative Officer
The Center for Research on the Changing Earth System (CRCES)
410-992-5300, x13
www.crces.org

High Hiring Season Approaches for Job Seekers who are Prepared

Set aside the eggnog and be ready for employers ready to interview and hire new talent. Take advantage of pent up hiring demand.

(PRWEB) January 2, 2006 -- Contrary to common belief, now is the time to begin conducting a job search. Those people seeking new employment should consider this season a golden opportunity to experience success in the job market.

In keeping with a seasonal pattern, the number of job applicants is at its lowest point during the last two months of the year, and it's especially low in December. "Holiday celebrations will ease competition in the job market, keeping hobby job seekers and those less determined busy," says Bill Potter, Director of www.betterjobsearch.com, a national employment site.

Experts say that low competition, however, is not the only reason why job seekers are more likely than ever to break through in December. Employers who place job ads in the low season, always have a serious reason to do so. "If a company needs someone to replace a secretary retiring next April, it isn't going to search in December, when people are more likely to sing carols than read job ads," Potter said. "The openings in December are all emergency openings, whereas during the rest of the year, it's hard to judge advertisers' seriousness by merely reading an ad."

Tim McCoy of River Oaks Resume Service in Chicago points out another common reason for companies to advertise openings in the low season. "Companies entering a new fiscal year on January 1 may have positions newly budgeted, and you can be sure that many of them will still be looking for appropriate candidates in the hope that they can find someone before the end of the year." McCoy said. "Such companies are now more likely then at any other time to reward a person's determination and availability."

Job columnist Thomas Kane also mentions that the low season in job searching coincides with the end of fourth quarter, which is typically a slower time for many companies. "Job seekers who begin the initial screening process in December are at a distinct advantage, and have a much greater chance of beginning the new year with a brand new position," Kane said. "If you put off your search until after the new year, the averages suggest that it could easily be anywhere between April and June before you've found employment."

For those, who haven't located "The Big Job" this year, there is a great month ahead.