How do you measure your net worth? Is it by your bank account, your investments, your car, your house or your possessions? Those are the traditional measures, and many people starting out in their careers tend to think of themselves as having a long way to go before reaching financial security. It is especially hard to think of yourself as having established any form of wealth if you are carrying student loans or other debt.

Before the recent economic crisis struck, most Americans spent beyond their means, buoyed by what is called "the wealth effect." People spent because they knew they had secure assets - homes and 401k accounts - assets that they thought would inevitably grow in value and protect them in the future.

Given today’s realities, very few people can feel comfortable or believe that they are secure and of relative wealth. The harsh reality is that homes and 401k accounts have failed to maintain their value and can no longer be looked at as security for the future.

A recent TIME magazine article offered the headline: "Jobs Are the New Assets." What the article highlighted is the view that "human capital" is your most important and enduring source of security. It is what you know and what you can do - your education and your training - that provides you with security. It is your earning power that determines your financial worth. The stream of money you obtain from employment is your most important asset.

In times of economic growth, we tend to think that it is land, machinery, infrastructure and capital investment that keeps the economy growing. Economists will tell you, however, that in a modern industrialized society, 75% or more of the economy is based on human capital. It wasn’t the bankers on Wall Street that made the economy grow during the last few decades. And it wasn’t just the advances in technology. What makes the economy grow are productivity gains resulting from a skilled and educated workforce - a workforce comprised of individuals who are devoted to their work and who find meaning and satisfaction in their vocational accomplishments.

If you are out of work today, it is obvious that you appreciate the significance of work relative not just to your financial security, but also relative to your sense of self and your sense of purpose in life. If you have been laid off or cannot find that first job, you know full well how important work is.

I like to tell people: "you are not qualified to be permanently unemployed ... I promise you will find the perfect job if you do the work."

What the current crisis tells us is that we all have to re-think what we want out of life. We all have to re-think the question, "what type of work am I willing to do?" This does not mean that you should abandon the quest to obtain work that is personally satisfying, that makes the best use of your skills and that satisfies your work interests and values.

What it means is that we cannot take our careers for granted and fail to pay attention to what is happening in the world around us. Your best insurance policy against unemployment is to keep yourself well informed.

What it also means is that whether you are working or whether you are seeking, now is the time to engage the process of self-assessment. In the same way that you might look at your bank account or your investment portfolio, you need to be constantly aware of your skills, your interests, your expertise and your motivations. You need to know what is important to you in life and in your career. Knowing that is what is going to keep you on the ball.

If you are young and starting out, and even if you are burdened by educational debt, you need to understand that it’s not what you own or drive or have in the bank that will make you secure over the long run. What will make you rich is what you know and what you can do, and finding an environment where you can apply the knowledge and skills you are most motivated to use.

The Career Services Office of the College of Engineering and Computer Science will be observing summer break. This is the last Career Update for this semester. If there are any urgent career issues I will send out a message. Regular Career Update newsletters will resume in September.

As an academic year employee, I will be out for most of the summer with a few exceptions. Next week I have been called to jury duty so I am uncertain about my schedule until I have fulfilled my obligation.

I also plan to conduct the career and intern job seeking workshop on May 27th. Depending on my jury duty schedule I will try to add drop in hours before the end of May.

During the summer I plan to work on my new book, The Ultimate Career Planning Manual for the Serious Job Seeker and it will be available chapter by chapter online at seriousjobseeker.com. I now have five chapters posted and I expect to post the next eleven chapters over the summer. It is a new exciting, interactive career planning manual that I hope you will find helpful as you seek your destiny.

All Web services of the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences Career Services Office will continue with job postings and resume posting updated and available 24x7.

Job Duties:
To work in concert with other test engineers and programmers to test software products, and improve product quality

• Automates test cases using TestComplete
• Modifies automated test cases as product requirements are updated
• Reports bugs using our Tracker program
• Verifies closure of Trackers
• Assists other Software Test Engineers with testing, as needed
• Participates in Product Team meetings
• Participates in Test Team meetings
• Meets with Software Testing Manager, to discuss status

Start Date: Immediate

Minimum Requirements:

• Junior or senior standing with a computer-related major
• Programming experience in an object oriented language (C++, C#, or Java)
• Detail-oriented, self-directed, flexible
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Enjoys working in a team environment

How To Apply:
Send resume to:
Synergex
Attn: Human Resources
2330 Gold Meadow Way
Gold River, CA 95670

Or Fax to:
(916) 635-6549

E-mail:
jobs@synergex.com

The Employment Development Department(EDD) Information Technology(IT) Student Assistant Job Fair is open to all students. All IT Division will participate. Students are encouraged to bring a resume and a complete State application

EDD’s IT Branch is responsible for automation planning, policy, development, maintenance, support, operations, and oversight of automation system within the Department. The Branch provides data processing technical support and services for one of the largest information technology environment in state government including the administration of telecommunication systems such as cabling, voice, and data equipment.

Salary Range: $8.41 - $11.20 per hour

Location: Sacramento

Positions Available in IT Area:

• App Development
• .NET, C#, and COBOL
• Network and Security
• Administrative Support
• System Testing
• Project Management
• IT Governance

How To Apply:
Submit your resume and completed State application in job fair.
The State application can found at: www.spd.ca.gov/jobs/stateapp.htm
The job description can be found at: www.spd.ca.gov/wvpos/more_info.cfm?recno=395200

For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Miles
(916) 654-2997
Elizabeth.Miles@edd.ca.gov

Nehemiah Corporation of America is seeking a Senior Software Developer to design, develop, and implement systems-level software and provide systems support. This position is responsible for conducting hardware and software system analysis and development in order to keep the company’s systems current with changing technologies. Responsible for identifying alternatives to optimize the usage of computer resources.

Job Duties:

• Analyze, design, coordinate and supervise the development of software systems to form a basis for the solution of information processing problems.
• Analyze system specification and translate system requirements to task specifications for other Technology Services staff.
• Test new programs to ensure that logic and syntax are correct, and that program results are accurate; assists other Technology Services staff with programming assignments.
• Apply generally accepted programming standards and techniques to assure efficient program logic and data manipulation.
• Participate in designing, coding, testing, debugging, configuring, and documenting operating systems and software.
• Provide assistance and routine consultation and explanation to users in the development and use of operating systems and software.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university; or two to four years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Software development and implementation experience required.
• Microsoft Certified Application Developer, Microsoft Certified Solution Developer, or equivalent certifications required.
• Working knowledge of Windows Server, Windows desktop, Microsoft SQL Server, My SQL, Visual Studio.NET, ASP.NET, Java, JSP, Servlets, XML, PHP Coldfusion, and Web Services required.

How To Apply:
Please submit resume to us at: www.nehemiahcorp.org

The College of Engineering and Computer Science Needs Your Data

Please report any offers that you have received to ECS Career Services Web site:

http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career - click on the "Just Hired" link.

If you got a student position we need your data.  

If you have graduated in the past few years or if you are graduating this semester we need your data.  

The information you share is used for ABET reports and to help me identify trends in employment and salaries.

I keep your info confidential.  I only report the data!  I use your contact data to confirm and to keep in touch with you.

Employers are hiring from the resumes posted at http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career. If you have not already posted your resume on the ECS Career Services Office Web Site, now is the time!!! Just click on the Post Your Resume button!

Managers from local companies, including HP and Intel report contacting candidates through the system. If you are not on the system they cannot find you.

Students are reporting multiple offers from using a combination of the resume posting service, the JETX job listings, and from Job Fairs.

Employers are able to search your resume now with key words!

I also send resumes out to companies so send me a soft copy in MS Word at: cici@csus.edu