I have been a PA for 2.5 years within the media but would really like to move into the legal industry. This is for many reasons including salary, benefits and security of job.

Did you undertake any formal training such as ILEX or the 'Legal Secretaries Diploma' from the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PA's. Which of these would you recommend, and would you advise going to classes over distance learning?

Any other advice regarding becoming a secretary or PA within a law firm would be greatly appreciated.

I would like to give you some positive advice. From my experience, the Diploma course offered by the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs is really good and you will learn the legal knowledge and skills you need to gain employment as a Legal PA. Their qualification is well recognised in the legal profession.

They run an evening class in London which is popular and their tutors are very good, from what I've read of their testimonials. If you would rather study from home then that's a good option to as you will be able to take your time. Its depends on your situation as to what would be best for you.

Although there have been many redundancies in the big law firms, please do not let this put you off. This is due to them making sensible cut backs which they probably could have done with doing before. Hopefully the hype and doom and gloomers of this economic downturn will calm down enough for it to recover in the next year.

The legal profession is an important part of our society and Legal Secretaries will always be needed to help Solicitors. From reading articles and forums, I have noticed that people are changing their career to work in the legal profession as they see it as a safer field to be in. My friend works in a recruitment agency and she said that there is still a high demand for Legal Secretaries even though there are few other jobs available.

If you want to be a Legal PA then go for it! A positive and determined attitude is what is needed to help you achieve your goal. I suggest you contact the Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs and have a chat to them. They are friendly and helpful.

I want to be an Architect, but many people constantly telling me that it is a difficult career choice and the money is very low. I heard that it takes 5 years B.Arch+ 3 masters+1 year doctrine and in 3 years you can get your license. Why they are getting paid so low? Please tell me how much money I can expect as an Architect? If there any Architects or people who know??
I don't want to design people's houses or any buildings and live in apartment whole my life! Thank You.

I will be in my third year of architecture school next Fall. I love it and I never worry about how much I am going to make. I am getting my 4 year degree in a somewhat unorthodox way.

I live in Madison, WI. The technical college (MATC) offers a two year degree as an architectural technician. This degree prepares you to work as an architectural drafter. The program at MATC has a 2+2 transfer agreement with SARUP (School of Architecture and Urban Planning) at UW Milwaukee. I am transferring to UW Milwaukee next Fall.

What is unique about architecture in Wisconsin is that Wisconsin is the only state left in the US that allows a person to possibly become a Wisconsin state licensed architect through work experience only or with any combination or school/experience. 2yr degree +6 years work (roughly, it is actually measured in hours) , 4 yr degree + 4 years work and so on. You don't need a professional degree. I will get to my point soon.

The advantage of taking the 2 year tech program in Madison, Wisconsin is that they prepare you for potentially becoming an architect by teaching the program in a way that will prepare you for taking the professional exam. Since they assume anyone with the potential will eventually become a registered architect in Wisconsin, they base thier curriculum on the professional exam. Basically, the program is a two year primer for the professional exam by teaching you drafting, sketching, specifying materials/systems, estimating, building codes, architectural structures, electrical mechanical systems and how to use different drafting softwares. (by the way the Wisconsin professional exam is almost identical to the National exam).

Now what if you don't want to only be registered in Wisconsin and you want your National professional degree? What I am doing is getting my two year tech. degree at MATC Madison and then transferring to UW Milwaukee to get my 4 year BSAS which will take only 2 more years. Then I will work for 3-4 years and go back for my B ARCH or M ARCH anywhere in the country, take the National exam and go out on my own or partner up (Not in Wisconsin hopefully). So yes roughly 8 years minimum up to 9-10 years possible from start of education to registered professional ready to start your own business anywhere in the country (although it would probably be wise to work under someone for longer). Not too bad.

I feel that having that 2 year technical degree plus the bachelors degree will give me a huge advantage over anyone with a regular 4 year degree when I am looking for an entry level job because I am technically trained and design/theory trained.

I would highly suggest looking for a way to get a technical degree that will transfer fully to a four, five or six year program at another school. The best way is to look for two schools that have a transfer agreement such as MATC Madison and UW Milwaukee. My advice is to look at architecture schools and technical schools and see which of them offer transfer agreements. Madison to Milwaukee is just one. You will go to school for the same amount of time and have a much more varied, useful education.

I will say that in order to transfer to a design school from a technical school takes more work on your part. Not only do I have to do all my technical homework, I have to integrate solid design principles into my technical assignments. What this means is, I do about 25-50% more work in the form of reading, research, drawing, sketching and modeling than my classmates who are not looking to transfer. It will be worth it however.

My advice about the architecture field in general, if you like it, do it. I talk to people very regularly who, instead of doing what they wanted, got thier degree in one of those "secure" fields such as nursing, accounting, biology etc. and they hate thier jobs. Don't be that guy/girl.

The only downside I see with architecture is that the field is very closely tied to the economy. When the economy is bad, people don't build as much. Versus the medical field where people never stop getting sick. So keep that in mind. Also, architecture is one of those fields that can often demand more than an 8 hour workday so be prepared for that as well.

If you become an architect, you will have your own house, you will have the nice cars and you will be able to pay for your childrens' college. It's possible you won't be filthy rich but you will be very comfortable. Every architect I've ever met is.

I am too much confuse to choose career. any body have any advice what should a women with little children can choose as a good career, in which I can work weekends in starting and later I can continue full time in same career.

if you are good with children, you could try working at a daycare or childcare center. That way you can do something you are good at and can enjoy it at the same time.

I have worked in catering and hospitality for almost 8 years. It is all I know how to do. I don't want to do it anymore but have no experience in anything else. I am struggling to find anywhere I can find career advice

With eight years in catering & hospitality, you must have some very valuable transferable skills - cash handling, customer services, problem solving, stock management, stock ordering, stock audit - above all, front-of-house experience in dealing with people, which is one of the most tradeable assets you can have.

My maths tells me you started at 17, which makes me think that you may not have A levels, which could be a problem, as most employers who are looking for any sort of manager want both experience and education. But, often, your knowledge can be more important. Here's what a bartender friend of mine did: worked for no money in a terrible bar for two years, got supervisor experience, learned all he could about the product (booze), did all the health and safety/BFH courses there were, and then started thinking laterally. Now, he's area manager for about 15 Oddbins, all suited and booted, with a company car - and he didn't have a degree either.

If you can't rely on being able to progress in the roll you're currently in, then you have to start looking elsewhere. Make sure you make use of specialist agencies - more often than not, you can take a very short term placement in a particular role and end up getting a full-time job in a different department/position. Never give up hope, though - there is a job that you want/may be interested in out there, just keep looking (I like www.reed.co.uk because it's search engine is really powerful and many hundreds of different agencies post there).

Good luck!

I want to go into medicine (nursing. PA, NP, or maybe MD) but I have not idea where to start or what to do. I am a junior in High school and have really good grades, but I don't know what else to do. I go to a very small HS so we don't have a counsler. I need to know who to talk to to get advice for my career develpoment. Thanks!

Since you don't have a guidance counselor, maybe you can talk to a teacher who you are close to. Otherwise, there are many resources available on the internet.
What I can tell you is a career in medicine is a really good choice. You have to be really good at science though, because you're going to have to take many science classes and labs. You can major in nursing in college and then go back to school to go for your NP license. If you want an MD, you can major in pre-med or pretty much any science. Then after you get your Bachelor's Degree, you can apply for med school and go from there.
Now that you're junior, you should join as many extra-curricular activities as you can and keep your grades up. You should take the PSAT soon, and then sign up for the next SAT or ACT. Take it as many times as you can. Search for schools you are interested in attending now and check their requirements. Then during your senior year you can apply for college.

I'm 18 years old and living in India. I have an interest in electronics (especially cell phones). I don't know anything about programming or developing applications for cell phones however. i'm currently doing engineering. I want some advice on which would be the ideal career for me. one that is related in some manner to cell phones or electronics and that will also provide a good pay. please advice.

Find a professor who can serve as a mentor. However, their industry knowledge is limited since they are teaching and not actually working in the industry.

Until you are certain, I suggest you keep studying engineering. In the meantime, learn how to program. Go find and talk with people who are working on cell phone applications. Don't be shy.

In general, people in India tend to be extremely focussed in their careers. So, it is very important that you find something you enjoy and also something that will be around for the next 50 years.

I have a degree in Business Administration but have no experience. I really am seeking advice as to how I can start a real with opportunities for advancement. What can I do to have a real job with a real salary? For those with careers how did you get it? I will do just about anything.

Start at a job for less than you want to get the foot in the door. Example : bank teller, Assistant manager, Customer Service rep with a store. Get a Xmas job at a retail store. Target , Toys R us just to get money flowing and hopefully use them as a stepping stone to better job.
Also try the job placement office in your old college. May get lucky
good luck.

I am looking for a drop in place ( not online) that you can bring your resume and work experience and have a professional look it over, make revisions, and give help/advice on steps to follow for pursuing a different career path, etc.

I am looking for something anywhere in ny, nj(north), ct, ma, nh, vt and cost is not an issue.

Any ideas?

Try a temp agency like Apple One or something similar. Usually, they have you make one, turn it into them so they can review it before they submit them to businesses who are in need of temps.

I am a high school junior looking for career advice. I am first in my class, and a pretty quick learner. I plan on going to college, but i want to get an idea of possible career choices. Ideally, i would like to do something that plays to my strenghts, which are: I am a good writer, and I love learning history and world languages. I would also like to travel to europe and africa, and get paid exorbinant sums. does anyone have any ideas?

A journalist at large. You are able to travel to Europe, Africa, and most other world areas to do reports, and if you get a major network the pay can be very large.

I've been strongly considering getting involved in a career field involving conservation, trees, nature. I would love to care for trees. This may sound pretty naive, but I have a major fear of heights. I've done some research and it seems that in order to be an arborist it's very necessary to climb trees. I love studying trees, caring for the environment, and being in nature. Is there a field of tree study that doesn't involve the maintenance of trees and where I can still be in the field? Thank you for any advice.

in Ontario the MNR has tree farms where they study tree growth of saplings and other scientific studies contact your local natural resource ministry or state forestry service if they also have such research farms