Outlook 2009

Energy

• Pursuit of alternatives to oil could help stabilize gas prices. There will be 1,000 nuclear plants operating throughout the world by 2025. "Use of natural gas, wind power, and solar energy will also increase, although to a lesser degree." Potential Growth Careers: Nuclear Engineers, Nuclear Reactor Operator Technicians, Radiation Protection Technicians, Other Renewable Energy Workers (including Windsmiths and Photovoltaic Technicians)

-Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies, "Trends Shaping Tomorrow's World-Part One,"

• Access to electricity will reach 83 percent of the world by 2030.Seventy-three percent of the world had electricity in 2000, but sub-Saharan Africa continues to have low rates of electrifica­tion. "Electricity is fundamental to raising living standards and access to the world's products and services." Potential Growth Careers: Electricians, Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Technicians, Power Line Installers

-Andy Hines, "Global Trends in Culture, Infrastructure, and Values,"

• Future cars may not fly in the air, but they might run on  it;. Political instability in oil-producing countries and growing concerns about environmental damage caused by the use of fossil fuel has prompted scientists to seek alternative energy resources. No practical Jetsons-like vehicles are on the horizon, but scientists are in the process of developing compressed-air engines that may even­tually replace gas-powered engines. Potential Growth Careers: Engineers (including Automotive, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineers), Physicists

-Tomorrow in Brief,

• Architects will harness energy from  the movement of crowds.Researchers at MIT have created flooring blocks that cre­ate power when rubbed together by people walking over them.

-World Trends & Forecasts

• Capturing carbon will make coal burning cleaner. This invention is environmentally friendly, but costly. Scientists also have concerns about where the sequestered carbon can be safely stored.

-World Trends & Forecasts

Top Traits of Entrepreneurs

Successful entrepreneurs come from all educational and demo­graphic backgrounds. Some, like Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook while in college, find success early in life, while others work most of their lives in traditional jobs until becoming self-employed and building their businesses. But a new working paper by Chad Moutray of the US Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy has found that entrepreneurs do share a few common educational and professional traits. He gathered data for the paper by tracking personal attributes and college activities of college students who were seniors in 1992-93 and who participat­ed in follow-up surveys in 1994, 1997, and 2003. Here are some of the most interesting characteristics of self-employed people who participated in the survey:

• "The self-employed. . . are less likely to have high concen­trations of education, engineering, math, or science majors. Business and management majors are more likely to work for a for-profit business, with social science and others' majors grav­itating toward self-employment."

• "The self-employed tend to have slightly lower grade point averages (GPAs) than their wage-and-salary peers. Those with higher GPAs are likely to pursue an occupation in the not-for-profit or government sectors."

• "The self-employed, in greater proportion than the popu­lation as a whole, either earn less than $20,000 or $100,000 or more. Such a U-shaped distribution suggests the wide variation of career options and financial pay-outs among the self-employed; some entrepreneurial occupations pay very little while others pay above average."

In addition to the aforementioned traits, successful entrepre­neurs have to be willing to work exceptionally hard. Approximately 62 percent of heads of companies with fewer than 20 employees work significantly more than a standard work­week, according to a recent survey by Staples. Twenty-one per­cent worked 80 or more hours per week.
To read Mr. Moutray s paper, Baccalaureate Education and the Employment Decision: Self-Employment and the Class of 1993, visit www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs333tot.pdf.

(Scripps Howard News Service, March 24, 2008; Small Business Administration)

Upcoming Meetings

• YC WIA Committee: Monday June 8th 9:00am Career Opportunities 372 North St Hyannis
• WIB Planning Evaluation Committee Meeting: Wednesday June 10th 1:30pm WIB Office
• WIB Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday June 11th 8:00am WIB Office
• YC Graduation Rate Committee Meeting: Tuesday June 16th 10:00am WIB Office
• WCTF SMHP Meeting: Monday June 22nd 3:00pm WIB Office
• WIB Board of Directors / Youth Council Annual Meeting: Tuesday June 23rd 8:00am Cape Cod Museum of Natural History Brewster
• YC P-21 Networking Event: Tuesday June 30th 3:00pm Albertos Main St Hyannis