Choosing a profession is a challenging task for every individual. The sphere of occupation should not only allow people to effectively apply their knowledge and practical skills but also correspond in terms of individual goals and aspirations. I can say that the profession of a counselor precisely reflects my endeavors and personal qualities. I chose this Master’s program to broaden my knowledge in this field and contribute to the well-being of families and individuals. In this paper, I will describe my career decision, aspirations, and post-graduate plans in detail.
Career Choice
I am often asked about what influenced my decision to choose this particular mental health profession compared to other occupations within social work and psychology. My devotion to this specialization is explained by its essential role in the modern world. According to Hodges (2020), both counselors and non-specialists find it difficult to describe the difference between counseling and other related professions. The author explains that the focus on counseling rather than treatment is what makes this field distinct and unique (Hodges, 2020). It is possible to add that nowadays, people are especially vulnerable to stress, depression, and other mental conditions. The fast pace of living and the development of modern technologies made people more separated from each other, which resulted in significant difficulties in seeking psychological support. Understanding the growing demand for high-quality counseling, I decided to contribute to the psychological well-being of society.
Another reason, which influenced my career choice, is related to my personal qualities. I can say that I have always been a person for whom helping others and giving advice to people seeking help is of great significance. Even before I became involved in professional counseling, I felt responsible for assisting others in their emotional struggle. Being an empathetic person with the ability to observe and evaluate, I can provide psychological support to people and help them understand and change different facets of their personalities. I believe that a wide range of opportunities in the sphere of counseling would help me apply my interpersonal skills in the most effective way.
Goals and Aspirations
My short-term goals related to my career are connected with receiving a Master’s education and acquiring fundamental skills and competencies in counseling. According to Hodges (2020), an interest in a specific area is not enough to provide professional service, and theoretical knowledge and practical skills are needed to become more competent. Therefore, my primary goal is to focus on individual and group psychology and study the theories of diagnosing and psychological assessment.
In the long-term perspective, I would like to become a licensed professional counselor. Individual counseling is one of the specializations where I would like to apply my knowledge. Personal concerns have always been a primary focus of psychotherapy, psychology, and social work. Learning about various individual problems, from more general (such as stress and depression) to more specific (for example, relationship issues and career planning), will make me qualified enough to provide comprehensive individual counseling. Moreover, I believe that by ensuring the emotional health and stability of every individual, it is possible to shape the mental health of the entire society.
Since I have always considered family the major value in a person’s life, my goal is to acquire a job position in family counseling. I plan to focus on promoting understanding and encouraging conversation between family members. By observing interactions within a family and evaluating clients’ mental and behavioral health issues, I would be able to help them develop healthy relationships. Moreover, I would like to provide strength and hope to people through adapting various counseling approaches to a family’s needs. Therefore, upon completion of my Master’s program, I would like to address the emotional, behavioral, and psychological concerns of individuals and families.
Master’s Program Opportunities
I decided to enroll in the Master’s program in counseling because it provides multiple opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for effective work as a professional counselor. An ability to communicate with different people, understand them, and teach them to access and analyze their own emotions and desires are only some of the competencies I would like to acquire. Therefore, my main expectation is to improve the knowledge I gained upon completion of the Bachelor’s program and learn how to contribute to developing counseling services at the individual, family, and community levels.
Besides the basic knowledge related to group and individual counseling, I expect to acquire additional professional skills which would help me become more flexible in using various psychological approaches. For example, since a counselor is a professional working with clients of different ages, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion, it is important to be aware of social diversity and its aspects. I believe that in addition to the fundamental knowledge within my specialization, this Master’s program would allow me to become more open-minded and learn how to provide a high-quality counseling service in a multifaceted society.
Conclusion
Enrolling in a Master’s program in counseling became one of my most important decisions, and I have never regretted devoting myself to this particular profession. Nowadays, there is a special need to address contemporary mental health issues and provide high-quality psychological support. I believe that with my personal skills and the knowledge I expect to acquire within this program, I would be able to make my own contribution to the psychological well-being of society.
Reference
Hodges, S. (2020). The professional counselor: Challenges and opportunities. Routledge.
Public relations as an industry involve communication, affiliation, strategy, messages and overlaps with the advertising field (Bergstrom, 2017). It is an art, a science and a business. PR is viewed as a management function where the specialist serves as a middleman between an organization and its constituents. PR functions involve gathering facts by systematically investigating all stakeholders through information got from them, advising the management regarding public attitudes and responses, formulating policies and programs that sufficiently address their needs, and thoroughly evaluating the efficiency of all PR programs (Bergstrom, 2017). Further, public relations practitioners perform the role of representation, negotiating, and peacemaking on behalf of their organizations, intelligence gathering, and environmental scanning in the set up where their organizations operate (Pėtersone, 2013). As a tool, PR can be exploited to change opinions, to affect patterns of behavior, and to market goods and services to consumers, etc.
This study aims to research the history of the public relations industry and to examine the effects of government regulations, the internet, and the international community on the industry. Further, the study looks at the job of a press secretary as a profession within the PR industry. The paper is divided into four sections. The first part gives a brief preamble of the topic under study and a concise outline of what is presented within. The second section delves into the history of PR and the influence of the government, the internet, and globalization on it. In the third section, a thorough analysis of a press secretary career is made while conclusions are drawn in the last part.
The PR Industry
Public relations was conceived the moment the first structured society saw the need to communicate with people and has been around from the beginning of civilization (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015). The development of modern public relations as an industry and management function occurred alongside the growth of the advertising industry. The contemporary practice originated in the U.S. The more the societies became further sophisticated and multifaceted, the more complicated the interplay of relationships became. The provision of information to elicit the desired change has been in evidence for many years and was further promoted by developments in print and mass media, which provided additional communication channels and routes to target audiences (Pėtersone, 2013). Currently, the industry comprises companies that design and enact PR campaigns; provide lobbying and political consulting services. Renowned companies include Interpublic, WPP, Omnicom, and independent firms such as Edelman (US) and Brunswick (UK) (Stateman, 2014). The global PR industry generates over $14 billion in yearly revenue. Comparatively, the U.S. PR industry with about 8300 units generates about $11 billion (Stateman, 2014).
The Government
The duration of political, social, and economic distress precipitated faster developments in PR practice and global adoption of its techniques (High, 2017). The dynamics in a political environment pressed governments to privatize publicly owned utilities and industries, encouraged entrepreneurship, and led to a decline in manufacturing, but a proliferation of the service industry (High, 2017). Concomitantly, there was a greater need for inter-business public relations to explain emerging events and give companies a competitive advantage. Company and financial public relations became an essential part of the communication strategy for most successful firms.
Governments have used PR to influence change in behavior by communicating new policies relating to health, education, and staff recruitment campaigns (High, 2017). Government regulations regarding PR practice are aimed at protecting individuals against violation of their right to privacy, intellectual property rights, deceptive advertising and, to shield people from defamation.
The Internet
The invention of internet technology had a significant impact on PR. Now, the public relations practice is flexing its media muscles and encroaching into domains previously monopolized by broadcasters, advertising agencies, and publishers (Kaul, 2013). As such, PR has circumvented the traditional media it once relied upon to disseminate information to a mass audience (Kaul, 2013). The trend is that each business has a news portal of its own, conveying its message through websites, video, branded entertainment, iPad, and mobile applications (Kaul, 2013).
Technological advancement has enabled the rapid transfer of news from one place to another. With the internet, one can take a piece of information and e-mail it to another person, campaign headquarters, etc., in an instant. That was something unimaginable some decades ago. The significant change has been the speed at which information travels, and the anticipation that the relevant authorities are going to react to it rapidly (Stateman, 2014). Because of the internet, many organizations network and communicate with audiences internationally to build relationships. Commerce, foreign investment, global campaigns, political alignments, information flow, social networking have heightened the intricacy of these relationships (Stateman, 2014).
The internet offers new opportunities for PR experts to develop comprehensive approaches to monitoring and managing extensive communication milieu (Kaul, 2013). Similarly, the PR practitioners have become e-communicators, managers of online strategic relationships, and stewards of the content of the internet (Kaul, 2013). However, the communication revolution has also brought with it new challenges and the need for new skills for PR professionals. Occasionally, the improper use of the internet has resulted in crisis management. Advanced telecommunication that propagates news and information worldwide means that audiences today are global. This scenario calls upon the public relations specialists to be creative to keep abreast of the new media and utilize them for persuasive purposes. Internet and social media use the result in some loss of human or interpersonal connection. Therefore, some experts use it not as a framework for effectively engaging PR constituents, but as a substitute channel of communication.
International Community
Internationalization or globalization, alongside with its cultural diversity and complexity has impacted on public relations. Culture is a vital aspect to contemplate when examining PR in the domestic and international context and is the power that sways how firms initiate and manage relationships with the local and global publics (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015). It affects how the public responds to PR initiatives and excellence. PR firms have a complex task of understanding the cultural context of various target groups found in society. Also, the firms have to foretell the groups’ communicative behaviors. Consequently, before venturing into practice in different grounds, organizations may be forced to mimic a variety of their environment, or fully familiarize with all aspects of countries’ culture (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015).
Public relations agencies with international operations encounter a host of risks in foreign markets. Local regulations and foreign exchange fluctuations can adversely affect advertising operations (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015). Similarly, such agencies are forced to use several languages when designing campaigns as a strategy to address cultural differences. Other challenges faced, especially in emerging markets include poverty, corruption, and a volatile political environment. For large PR firms, where global operations generate a significant amount of revenue, shrewd management of global risk is essential (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015). The global PR market has segmented growth patterns with some regions experiencing a high development rate than others (Bergstrom, 2017). The European market has recently come from the doldrums. Likewise, Asia and Latin American firms are expanding due to an increase in local demand for these services. For instance, because of the widespread adoption of mobile devices in China, there is a rapid growth of demand for PR services related to mobile-accessed online content (Bergstrom, 2017).
The Press Secretary
Traditionally, few offices appointed an individual as responsible for relations with the press. However, not openly listing such staff does not imply that no one in the office performed that duty. Before the reform period, administrative secretaries used to handle matters of the press within the office (High, 2017). Officially recognizing the job of press secretary was beneficial as it was considered as an essential indicator of the institutionalization of the role, and helped to systematize administrators’ relationship with the media (High, 2017). In essence, it shifted the production of news from an asymmetrical, informal flow to a more stable, regulated process.
The press Secretary profession falls under a broader career group of public relations experts who engage in promoting or portraying an intended public image for persons, groups, or organizations (High, 2017). Usually, they write or choose the information for release to different communications media. Press secretaries liaise between the government, the public, and the media. Often, they are not part of a large team but work singly as a one-person shop. There is a press secretary for a town mayor, a county commissioner, a governor, a member of Congress, and for the president. In the U.S., presidential press secretary has been the most popular. The first role of the presidential press secretary was played by John G. Nicolay as President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary (High, 2017). Nicolay was a newspaper editor from Illinois (High, 2017). The job of a presidential press secretary has evolved with time. Currently, he is viewed as an individual whose role is to act as spokesperson for the president and his administration, holds daily briefings, and answers questions relating to the running of the government. The spokesperson is an appointee of the president and doesn’t have to win the approval of the Congress.
Several factors determine the success of a press secretary. First, how important is the press secretary for the administration. Usually, administration staff may be considered as “insiders” or “outsiders” depending on whether the top management seeks their opinion frequently or gives them duties on a wide variety of subjects (High, 2017). A good rapport between the administration and the press secretary is entirely necessary since reporters’ future dealings with the spokesperson depend on this relationship. A press secretary who can and is permitted to advise on both communication and policy matters is a vital instrument for the administration.
The second factor is how the firm permits the press secretary to disseminate information, i.e., does the management impose tight controls over what the press secretaries are allowed to say or does it allow the spokesperson to interpret, elaborate, and expound on the organization’s thoughts (High, 2017)? For the PR to be successful, they should act as representatives and not just mouthpieces of the top management. However, this comes with some risks since the added insights into the executive’s thoughts may be misrepresented by the media. Thirdly, for the press secretaries to dispense their roles successfully, they ought to be accorded due respect by the administration. The top officials should allow the PR the leeway to adequately fulfill the obligations of that post and not act in a way that portrays the administration’s lack of confidence in them (High, 2017). Lastly, for the press secretaries to succeed, they must gain the respect of the media. However, that is incumbent upon the press secretary’s knowledge, organization, and credibility. Reporters will value the information given by a PR that they trust.
In the amateur days, PR was learned during practice. Most experts had to maneuver their way through the ranks. However, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, professional qualifications became available to boost the status of the specialists and the reputation of the industry (High, 2017). To work as a press secretary, one should have studied any of the courses related to communication. These include health communication, family, and consumer science communication, international and intercultural communication, political communication, Image management, public relations, advertising, and applied communication, sports dialogue, and speech communication, and rhetoric (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015).
The job requires one to have appropriate skills: eloquence, active listening, excellent written communication, social perceptiveness, coordination, and time management. Other are persuasiveness, critical thinking, complex problem solving, judgment and decision making, negotiation, active learning, service orientation, system analysis and evaluation, monitoring or performance assessment, etc., (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015). Also, one is required to have excellent knowledge of the English language, communication and media, sales and marketing, consumer and personal service, administration and management, human resources, sociology and anthropology, education and training, economics and accounting, clerical, and law and government (Rittenhofer & Valentini, 2015).
To ascend and work as a White House press secretary, one requires some political experience. Working as a PR for low cadre officials, and in the local, the state or the national political campaigns help. Two or more years of experience in print or broadcast journalism, communications office, and other experiences customized for specific positions are essential requirements (Bergstrom, 2017). For instance, for a press secretary destined to work at the Senate level, a legislative experience would be desirable. Such a person would be apt if he or she has knowledge of the government, public policy, and is up to date with current affairs. For a college student, an internship in a government agency, a newspaper, radio, television, or with an elected official would be beneficial.
According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of February 2018, the U.S. had over 226,940 citizens working as press secretaries (Bergstrom, 2017). Their median yearly wage was $67,979, while the average hourly wage was $31.99. The net salary ranged from $36,967 – $126,920, a bonus ranging from $15 – 25,037, profit sharing of $0.29 – $ 20729, a commission of $2000 (Bergstrom, 2017). The total salary range was $35,411 – $132794. These salaries and benefits span a wide margin and depend on whether one is working with the federal or local government or is in the private sector employed by large organizations such as Airbnb (Bergstrom, 2017). Obviously, the private sector offers the best remuneration.
The websites and trade publications that provide information on the field of the press secretary and on which they too rely on for vital statistics are similar to those of the general PR industry. Some industry websites include the American Marketing Association, Adweek, Canadian Council of Public relations Firms, PR week, Institute for Public Relations, Canadian Public Relations Society, Council of Public Relations Firms, O’Dwyer’s PR Market Place, Public Relations Society of America, and the Ragan Report (Bergstrom, 2017). The sites provide news, and information on mergers, campaign models, policy, accreditation, analyses, training, publications, and research.
Conclusion
The society -whether it is the government, voluntary organizations, the public, companies, or businesses – will continue to operate and to rely upon public relations for information. Technology and the way firms communicate with their prospective audience are factors that change. The ever-present changes in technology and information transfer channels produce a range of future opportunities and challenges for PR professionals. The number of people contesting for public attention has increased. Concomitantly, the number of PR experts has also increased. The marketplace is more crowded and has many products and ideas. The internet and social media have diversified ways through which people get their information, a situation that has created fierce competition for PR. However, the same technology has created new platforms for reaching the public. One cannot imagine what opportunities technology will avail to PR in the coming days.
Therefore, PR practitioners should not lag behind in embracing developments in the media world. For the PR experts to be successful in the future corporate and political world, they will not need any particular recipe but will have to rely on good interpersonal relations to connect, understand, and attract people. There is no substitute for that skill. That innate skill helps the PR to present information to the people in a manner which enables them to develop an emotional attachment. With it, PR can understand where the public is. The growing technology could result in a reduction in the number of those employed in PR. However, the ever-increasing global importance of PR could result in the opposite effect of increasing the number of PR professionals hired.
References
Bergstrom, G. (2017). Press secretary job profile: Salaries, job duties and how to get started. Web.
Kaul, V. (2013). Plugging in: New PR technologies. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 10(1), 33-53. Web.
Pėtersone, B. (2013). The role of public relations in foreign policy planning and execution. Journal of Communication Management, 17(4), 308-323. Web.
Rittenhofer, I., & Valentini, C. (2015). Euprera conference paper 2013 A “practice turn” for global public relations: an alternative approach. Journal of Communication Management, 19(1), 2-19. Web.
Stateman, A. (2014). Journey into the whirlwind: Dee Dee Myers on politics, PR and presidential elections. Public Relations Tactics, 11(7), 36-37. Web.
There is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of civil engineering in the United States in terms of sustaining standard infrastructures in terms of how the engineer is able to incorruptibly interact with the politics that involve the development of infrastructure in the society. The traditional civil engineer is also continually hit with emergent technology which has continued to come from the construction technology industry to aid an ease of handling or developing infrastructure. The ability of the engineer therefore to be effectively involved in the civil engineering industry demands for a continual observation and administration of ethical conducts which have put together by the society of civil engineers.
The civil engineering society in the US has seen the necessity to encourage best practices especially through the provision of ethical codes that must be observed by practicing members. For example, to burst best practices and conducts in civil engineering, several civil engineering groups, international-guests, and leaders who are concerned about the development lf civil engineering in America came together in June of 2006 to uphold a foreseeable glorified future. This paper will discuss ethics of the engineering and necessities for driving civil engineering in the US and indeed globally to more future-oriented heights.
The corporation
Sustaining best and ethical practices in civil engineering is a collective responsibility. For example, the position of civil engineering today could be attributed to the outcome of the June 2006 submit on the improvement of civil engineering practice globally. during the submit, some of the minor elements that cumulatively disrepute the image of civil engineering such a awkward infrastructural states, the shackles of corruption in the practices and conducts of civil engineering, minimization the extent by which practicing civil engineers become engraved by political-processes, the call for embracing more sustainable engineering, as well as the cleavage for professionalism. during and after the summit, the face of civil engineering has become more clearer to meet up with societies’ continued demands; such as the need for god drinking-water, desire of cleaner air and better dispositions of wastes products, protection of the environment and a general adoptability of eco-friendly society, as well as a general reduction of the continually increasing threats and accidents which have been witnessed based on erotic engineering practices.
The Need for Ethical Practice of Civil Engineering
It had been in the consciousness of ASCE long before now to institute best practicing culture in civil engineering. Starting from the year 1998, ASCE’S board-of-direction took on refining and confirming of ASCE policy-statement to meet up with academic licensing and professional-practices prerequisites. This was necessitated by the need for supporting an attainment of professionalism at the various levels of the body. PS-465 has recognized the path by which the profession changes the practice of civil-engineering through reformative actions.
The permanent-board-level-committee regarding academics in the profession (otherwise known as Cap3) had been given the responsibility to implement PS-465 through the development of a specified master-plan that defines the BOK to be foundational.
Responsibilities of the Regulators
Cap3 is responsible for creation of committees and organization of stakeholders who are responsible for round-table deliberations. The committee on the other hand, demands for producing reports in the form of editorials to bring about a general education of the institution.
Conclusion
The paper discusses ethical values as a means to upholding best practices and conducts of civil engineering, particularly in the United States.
Emergency Management (EM) is an administration capacity realized within the framework of decreasing vulnerability to threats and coping with disasters. One must recognize that EM is a versatile and multifaceted discipline by nature, essence, and structure. A profession in this field is a controversial phenomenon, causing a polarity of opinions on most aspects discussed. Consequently, issues in this vein are associated mainly with outcomes, including recognition as professionals, education against pieces of training, classroom exercises against workplace experience, and respect for these workers. Emergency management should be considered simultaneously as a diverse career field and a unique profession within the framework of successfully conducting activities to mitigate the consequences of various types of emergencies and respond to them.
Emergency Management Should Become a Profession
One should note that Emergency Management (EM) should become a profession based on its essential and meaningful societal role. In general, EM continues to be at the stage of development and modernization due to the nature of changing hazards, vulnerabilities, and methods of combating them. Almost every day, various natural disasters and emergencies occur in the United States, which can escalate into even more significant catastrophes and cataclysms that negatively affect individuals, societies, and organizations. When wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or chemical emissions interact with vulnerable people or fragile infrastructures, injuries, deaths, and destructions can follow. Even the most effective prevention measures cannot reduce the chance of emergencies to zero (“the non-zero principle,” “acceptable risk”). Today, it is unattainable to exclude such concerns, but it is possible to significantly decrease the number, scale down and mitigate the developments of crises.
In order to be prepared for these adverse events, emergency management as a profession is vital. In this case, EM is socially valuable and necessary for American civilization activity from the perspective of applying a person’s physical and spiritual forces, which makes it possible to meet the needs of citizens in achieving desired significant results. EM, from the point of view of a professional approach, could bring substantial benefits to the entire state, supporting the well-being of society. A manager will be able to implement a set of measures carried out in advance and aimed at reducing the risk of emergencies as much as possible, as well as preserving people’s health, reducing the amount of damage to the natural environment and material losses in case of their occurrence. Indeed, preventing most natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes is impossible. However, there are several dangerous natural phenomena and processes, the negative development of which can be prevented by the purposeful activity of a professional manager.
The designation of professional status to Emergency Management is suggested due to established regulatory requirements. To work in the sphere, an individual must have systematic knowledge and capabilities from purposeful training and labor activity. An emergency manager is a specialist with a capital letter and a professional in their field who is entrusted with significant responsibility for emergency management programs and actions (Sylves, 2019). According to Sylves (2019), this expert collects and allocates resources to cope with hazards while working at all state levels. A manager should be familiar with public law, public administration, environmental policy, and social disasters (Sylves, 2019). Furthermore, a connoisseur in the field of EM is a mentor and teacher in one person, who additionally spends their time training employees according to plausible scenarios in case of a favorable situation in regions. Thus, this aspect of work can be beneficial in preparing for an emergency and requires a mentor with a particular mindset and professional abilities. Accordingly, EM should be a private category with a specific line of activity.
Therefore, Emergency Management is a serious and important matter that demands an extraordinary approach, attention, and hard work. A manager in the field works simultaneously at three stages: micro, meso, and macro levels. The state of the environment, locality, and society, as well as the health and lives of individuals, rely on this person. Based on this fact, it is especially evident that an emergency manager must be a professional, a unique master of their craft, and a highly qualified specialist, including good training, skills, qualifications, and, if necessary, admission to perform duties in the specialty.
Establishing emergency management as a profession is a responsible step in improving, enhancing, modernizing, transforming, and expanding the practice of protecting society, preparedness and response to tragedies, and coordinating and combining actions to mitigate unfavorable outcomes and recover from various threats. Such moment will make it possible to distribute forces and means for disaster prevention optimally, as well as to increase the level of protection of settlements in which the most significant number of people live and extensive production facilities are located. One should view these processes as a multidirectional and continuous path to a better future — innovative, revolutionary, and creative in the area.
Emergency Management Should Not Become a Profession
Emergency Management (EM) should not become a profession due to its diversity, heterogeneity, and multi-functionality. In a sense, EM is a unique field with no specific character. It does not allow one to act professionally since emergency managers are mostly jack-of-all-trades who has moved to a position from fire protection, law, or trade work. In addition, according to Sylves (2019), a natural disaster, by its definition, is a destructive, catastrophic, harmful, and deadly event that cannot be “tamed.” In this way, Emergency Management is perceived as an oxymoron. Confronting nature requires a comprehensive and integrated approach, the implementation of which is possible due to the efforts of several employees but not only a manager. Thus, Emergency Management as a profession means taking on more duties and responsibilities, which is not always effective, productive, and efficient. Width, diversity, depth, and versatility are not always and not, in all cases, necessary elements. Emergency management should be more than a profession, a title, work experience, or specialized training and education. A real EM manager combines a wide range of identical attributes and many other qualities.
Furthermore, it is especially evident that implementing Emergency Management as a profession will require fundamental, drastic changes in education and training systems. Such a process assumes the presence of certain organizational efforts, long-term investments, a considerable amount of time, and other crucial resources. In this regard, this situation urges the development and improvement of special certification programs, supporting the activity of young professionals and middle-level employees based on standardized and unified principles. At a minimum, there should be a thorough body of knowledge, a clearly defined scope of authority, and a specific licensing for independent practice. As practice shows, many emergency managers are former representatives of fire services, law enforcement agencies, and emergency medical services (Sylves, 2019). It is essential to understand that people working in these services have faced events and circumstances beyond the ordinary human experience of everyday life; each profession in the field has its dangers and risks. However, the form of organization and the means for these services to perform their tasks differ. Consequently, newcomers in the sphere will need to receive special education, and current emergency managers will additionally undergo advanced training.
In reality, EM currently provides clearly defined missions, visions, and principles but does not specify professional oversights, education, or licensing. Thus, police and military officers, search and rescuers, firefighters, and social workers are the most common professions, whereas an emergency manager cannot still get on this list. EM is a relatively young field of work, which is still too early to recognize as a profession.
Conclusion
Summarizing the above, one can remark that emergency management should become a profession because of its importance to American society. Being a professional in this field means being able to systematically, efficiently, and reliably perform complex activities in a wide variety of emergency situations and extreme conditions. In truth, EM as a profession will allow one to expand existing methods, methods, tactics, and strategies in relation to troubles at all stages, whether it is a response to a disaster or to experience its consequences.
At the same time, establishing emergency management as a profession is quite bold and is more likely to fail. Emergency Management is rather a diverse and multifaceted direction, a unique field in which specialists with entirely different experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities work. Additional efforts, time, and resources will be required to train employees according to standardized aspects in order to obtain a license for independent practice. Emergency management as a profession is more likely to demonstrate its inefficiency in practice.
Reference
Sylves, R.T. (2019). Disaster policy and politics: Emergency management and homeland security (3rd ed.). CQ Press.
The lecture covers the questions of commitment and calling, viewed through the examples of Jesus, Mary, and Saint Peter by Ragsdale and Ragsdale (2018a; 2018b; 2018c; 2018d; 2018e; 2018f). Calling and commitment are considered twin concepts, which are connected with spirituality. The notion of commitment is linked with the presence of a caller, the one who is called, and a response to the call. A caller is a personal god, who shows the right way to an individual, taking the characteristics of their personality into consideration. It is essential to have a relationship with one’s inner god to be able to hear the call and to recognize that it is what a person needs to do in life. The last stage is a response – how a person reacts to the call of their inner god. The most important thing is not just making a choice, but staying committed to it. Commitment is an act of courage to keep on following our individual calls, regardless of the hardships.
To me, this topic is very relevant as there have been times when I was not sure if the professional way that I’ve chosen was right. Some of my friends and family members do not support my decision to become a medical worker. Nonetheless, through prayers and analyzing myself I have realized that my job has to be related to helping people. My personal commitment is to help others, and the satisfaction that I get when doing it is a sign from God that my choice is correct. My commitment is in learning what I need to become a professional in the chosen field. Finally, my reward for building communication with my inner god is the gratitude of other people and the feeling of satisfaction that my work is important.
References
Ragsdale, J., & Ragsdale, S. (2018a). RNRS 396 Week 7 Video 1.
Ragsdale, J., & Ragsdale, S. (2018b). RNRS 396 Week 7 Video 2.
Ragsdale, J., & Ragsdale, S. (2018c). RNRS 396 Week 7 Video 3.
Ragsdale, J., & Ragsdale, S. (2018d). RNRS 396 Week 7 Video 4.
Ragsdale, J., & Ragsdale, S. (2018e). RNRS 396 Week 7 Video 5.
Ragsdale, J., & Ragsdale, S. (2018f). RNRS 396 Week 7 Video 6.
What does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms?
To begin with, I would like to state that the Army differs greatly from other professions. Being directed at killing, Army professionals should use the weapon for achieving their goals. Occupying positions in civil professions, people are usually motivated by salary, additional days off, etc. The Profession of Arms pays attention to more challenging aspects. The Profession of Arms serves under the US Constitution on behalf of American citizens, and it is also aimed at applying its combat power for protecting its territory.
The Profession of Arms implements several specific characteristics that deserve attention. First of all, this profession is unique. The profession of Arms is more than a profession. Actually, it is a culture. Second, the Profession of Arms employs only experts. It is impossible to meet amateurs as the leaders in this profession as having an aim to win battles for the sake of the nation; the Profession of Arms employs only people who possess the best theoretic and practical knowledge.
Third, the Profession of Arms serves under the Constitution and for the citizens of the USA, as it has already been mentioned. Fourth, the mission of the Profession of Arms is to protect the land of the country and do not give an opportunity for the enemies to reach them. The main attributes of the Profession of Arms are expertise, trust, development, values, and services. However, it is important to remember that these key attributes should be correlated to the key attributes of professionals soldiers.
What does it mean to be a professional Soldier?
To be a professional soldier means to be a highly skilled person who can be trusted. Moreover, to be a professional soldier means to possess leadership skills, have a strong character, and do all the duties applied by profession. A professional soldier is defined as a person who has expert knowledge in leading war operations, who has a desire to work for the benefit of the country, and who is certified in the Profession of Arms.
A professional soldier is a person who is devoted to the USA, who is able to serve under the command and implement high ethical standards. The characteristics of a professional soldier are closely interconnected with the Profession of Arms. Thus, referring to the definition of the Profession of Arms, the main characteristics of the professional soldier are as follows, this person should be able to understand the culture of this particular profession, and he/she should be an expert in the Profession of Arms and be certified in it.
A professional soldier should be ready to serve under civilian authority and be able to protect the citizens of his/her country, its land, and constitution. Each professional soldier should train hard, every day, without interruptions. A strong will and hard character are the main personal characteristics required for this profession. A person should be devoted to his country and to the people a professional soldier serves.
After nine years of war, how are we as individual professionals and as a profession meeting these aspirations?
Looking at the profession and soldiers from the perspective of several years of war, it may be stated that remaining in the status of war is means much experience and development. It is obvious that the Government of the USA supported the profession and its soldiers. The changes in the legislation directed at country security and the changes in the professional solutions helped the professionals and the profession in general, reach the goals they set.
Thus, I can state that the war the USA is involved in has offered much experience to the profession and professional. However, from my personal point of view, the bureaucracy may prevent the Profession of Arms and a professional soldier from reaching the desired purposes. The aspirations the profession and the professionals want to achieve may be ruined under the problems bureaucracy may cause. I suppose that the culture and the priorities should be reevaluated with the purpose of remaining one of the strongest nations in the world with a powerful and active army. One of the main disadvantages of the Profession or Army is its desire to be different. I am convinced that the US army should stop the desire to be different. It should think about the way how it should be different.
The Army’s Professional Culture
The section under discussion dwells upon the culture which exists in the American army. The notion of culture does not mean just the style of behavior; it is the collection of ethical norms and behavioral issues that define the Profession of Arms and a professional soldier in general. Army’s professional culture is understood in three main levels,
artifacts, the surface level of the culture,
beliefs and values,
basic underlying assumptions, the deepest level of the culture.
Focusing on the deepest level of the army’s culture, the following cultural dimensions are recognized, professional identity, community, and hierarchy.
In the future, I would like to become a defense attorney who will plead for people accused of criminal misconduct. I have chosen this particular profession because it will provide me with a chance to protect the rights or even the lives of many innocent people. At this point, I am not sure about the type of cases in which I would specialize; most likely I will focus on felonies rather than misdemeanors. This is the occupation that appeals to me most.
Several websites can be used by future defense attorneys and those people who already practice this profession.
Hg. Org (2011). Legal directories.
This website provides information about various crimes and about those strategies which can be adopted by the defense attorney. Furthermore, it contains a great number of publications about criminal law and gives links to many law libraries. This resource can be equally helpful to professional attorneys and students. Finally, those people, who seek employment, may also find this website very useful, since it is also a national employment center.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (2011). The Official Site.
This website contains a great number of articles about different types of felonies and investigation procedures. In particular, one can find publications about case processing, evidence collection and presentation, witness interrogation, and so forth. Additionally, it provides links to other Web-based resources which can be of great interest to criminal defense attorneys and law students.
There are numerous scholarly articles, related to this profession. For instance, it is possible to mention the article, written by Welch White (2004). The author describes the ethical dilemmas faced by lawyers. In particular, he describes the actions of the defense attorney when he/she knows that the defendant is guilty of a capital crime. The scholar argues that the attorney must collect mitigating evidence available to him/her. This article is available in the ProQuest database which contains thousands of articles related to criminal justice.
Several professional organizations can assist lawyers; one of them is the American Bar Association. Its mission is to promote the professional growth of legal practitioners and help them resolve ethical dilemmas. This organization accepts both professional lawyers and law students, who have entered a college or a university. The membership due is $25 for a student, and 175 dollars for an associate (ABA, 2011, unpaged).
There are various ABA publications, for instance, books periodicals, newsletters; these sources cover various areas of criminal and administrative law. The second organization is the American Law Institute. It aims to improve or clarify the legislature in some emerging areas. It enlists primarily practicing lawyers, judges, and educators who have already gained experience in this field. The annual due is $ 250 for practicing attorneys and $125 for educators (American Law Institute, 2011, unpaged). This organization offers a wide range of publications about different cases and common law. Finally, we can mention the American Association for Justice.
It aims to help trial lawyers and criminal defense attorneys, who need to know how to better organize the defense of the accused. It grants membership to students and practicing lawyers. The membership dues depend on the work experience of the lawyer: a law student will have to pay 50 dollars a year (American Association for Justice, 2011, unpaged). The members of this organization can purchase a wide variety of publications on different areas of criminal law.
FindLaw (2011). Pennsylvania Criminal Laws.
Such an informational source as FindLaw will be particularly useful to defense attorneys who want to know more about the criminal laws of different states. For instance, a person, who is looking for the Penal Code of Pennsylvania, can find plenty of information about different crimes and differing degrees of a felony. Apart from that, I would use such resource as Legal Information Institute1 which contains a full collection of the United States Code. One of its sections deals with criminal law and criminal procedures. Another website which I may rely upon in the future is OpenJurist2. It has a large collection of Supreme Court decisions and other cases.
Juvenile justice system
The major peculiarity of the juvenile justice system is that it is more restorative; in other words, it is aimed at helping the delinquent adolescent to return to normal life. Unlike the adult justice system, it is not oriented toward retribution or punishment of the criminal (Elrod & Ryder, 2009). A similar feature is that both juveniles and adults enjoy the same civic rights, for instance, the right to keep silent, which is consistent with the Fifth Amendment. In my opinion, it is quite normal that underage people receive preferential treatment because they are not psychologically and socially mature, and their guilt cannot be equal to that one of the adults.
Company rights and culture
The company’s culture includes a great number of components, for instance, the power distance between management and employees, managerial or leadership style of the chief executive officer, the degree of autonomy which the frontline personnel, and certainly the structure of the company. Numerous rules and regulations shape the company’s culture; for example, in some organizations managers are required to conduct regular meetings with employees so that they could make a recommendation as to how it is possible to improve their work. This rule contributes to better teamwork and a more informal organizational culture.
Another issue is the difference between a manager and a leader. In essence, a manager is someone who can organize the work of different people and assess their performance, while the leader can inspire them and make them feel proud of what they do.
Insurance
To reduce insurance costs, an entrepreneur has to use a high deductible and make sure that there are no duplications in the insurance policies of the business (Cohen, 2006, p 65). Secondly, scholars suggest that entrepreneurs should buy a large insurance package that will cover different types of risks. To manage risks, an entrepreneur should primarily divide them into different groups (economical, operational, strategic, hazard risks). Secondly, it is vital to assess their probability and impact. Finally, the entrepreneur has to develop a contingency plan or the specific steps that should be taken in case of an emergency.
The exit strategies of an entrepreneur may depend on the performance of the company: one may choose IPO (Initial Public Offering) in order to attract investors. Under different circumstances, the owner of the company may prefer to sell the business to a large company, while retaining a certain portion of its stock or liquidate it.
Reference List
American Bar Association. (2011). The official website. Web.
American Association for Justice. (2011). The official website. Web.
Elrod. P. & Ryder S. (2009). Juvenile justice: a social, historical, and legal perspective. NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Cohen. W. (2006) The entrepreneur & small business problem solver. NY: John Wiley and Sons.
FindLaw (2011). Pennsylvania Criminal Laws. Web.
Hg. Org (2011). Legal directories. Web.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (2011). The Official Site. Web.
The American Law Institute. The official website. Web.
White W. (2004). A DEADLY DILEMMA: CHOICES BY ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING “INNOCENT” CAPITAL DEFENDANTS. Michigan Law Review, pp 2001-2064. Retrieved from ProQuest.
Despite the fact that the professions of a barrister and an attorney have always been considered separate ones, there is a certain tendency in the modern UK policy to make these professions merge into one. The result of the change might be dramatic, and modern political scientists and layers are debating on the reasonability of such a step. Taking into consideration the established structure of the legal profession in the United Kingdom, these debates have all the grounds to be held, for the problem is rather controversial.
Such is the structure of the legal profession that an attorney and a barrister have their own sphere of business, and they are concerned with absolutely different matters.
Thus, an attorney is a person that is supposed to consult people on certain questions concerning the law, its peculiarities as for the given situation. The conflicts he solves, if these could be called conflicts, are the ones that do not conflict with the laws established. An attorney is a consultant on the questions of the civil case.
The process starts by placing a document in the hands of the client so that they can in a way create their own customized legal documents using templates provided by the attorney, law firm, or outside vendor. (Council of Europe 46).
This indicates that an attorney is someone who deals with the paperwork most and supports , he clients not in the court, but provides the necessary documents for them, giving consultations and providing help in solving the problems before they get to the court.
It is quite different with the barrister, who presents the case in the court and helps his clients, the people accused, to escape the unjust and unfair punishment that has been imposed on them by mistake.
Although, as Mitchel states, The traditional position is that a solicitor selects – or briefs – a barrister for his or her client, who will appear on behalf of the client in the courts. Barristers also carry out non-advocatory work as they advise solicitors on legal points, although a lot of their time is actually spent in a court (187),
a barrister mostly deals with the court cases. Dealing with the paperwork is something that barrister seldom come to do. It is a common tradition to separate the legal work on defending an accused in these two ways. Although the job of a barrister and the one of an attorney can collide at times, providing them with the common area to fulfill their duties in, as a rule, they act separately.
It has been recently suggested that these two professions should be fused into a single one, allowing the advocate both to give consultations and get busy with the paper work, and defend the cases in the court as well.
This might sound reasonable, for it is often that the customer needs the barrister and the attorney in one. A person who has provided one with legal advice can also present the case in court, especially if the latter is the result of the former. This sounds quite just and reasonable.
However, there are certain doubts concerning the results of such changes. Some lawyers and political scientists think that this might cause certain damage to the legal system and mix the present state of affairs into confusion. The change may drag the personal interest of the lawyers, and that might result in multiple breach of law.
Thus, the result of the fusion might be both positive and discouraging. The differences in the job of a barrister and an attorney will require the futudvocates concentrating on the problems they have never dealt with due to the peculiarities of their job.
The other pint to consider will be that this step will require a change in studying the law. The change of the legal structure will inevitably drag the change of the educational structure, at least in the field of law and political science. That must take a great deal of time for people to get accustomed, too.
There is also the idea that, psychologically, a person can either be a kind of a spokesman, which a barrister actually is, with his ability to speak persuasively and clearly; or a man can be a paper-pusher, someone to deal with the documentary and the theoretical part of the law. Making a person be the both is practically impossible, from the viewpoint of psychology and common sense.
This very idea makes me think that the suggestion o the two professions fusing into one would take more time and forces than it has been planned. People have to take it into account. In my opinion, the fusion of these two professions is not quite reasonable yet, since the basis for this change has not been created.
The existence of two separate branches of legal professions gas been maintaining in England for centuries, along with the idea of precedent and the other traditions that have crept even in the legal; system. That is why I heavily doubt that England, as the country of traditions and appreciation for the old custom s will make such a revolutionary step and change the basis of its legal system. Although these are only the legal bodies to decide, I think this is not the problem to solve in haste.
Works Cited
Council of Europe. The Independence of Lawyers: Proceedings. Council of Europe. 2003. Print.
A crime lab profession requires different skills and knowledge to acquire and apply modern technologies and investigate crime. It is possible to distinguish two subcategories in the crime lab profession: generalists, and those who specialize in one area. The main responsibilities of a crime lab professional are the analyses of evidence and advice on further investigation, evidence collection and reporting, interpretation of real and hypothetical situations, cross-examination, and synthesis of data. The main duties of crime lab professionals are latent print examinations, firearms, and other evidence examinations, controlled substance examinations and DNA testing, etc. (Bureau of Forensic Services, 2007). Crime scene analysis, because of its subjective nature, presents a definite challenge in developing a concept of how to test crime scenes. The crime lab professionals after considerable thought and discussion come up with strategies in dealing with external proficiency tests for crime scene investigators covering. Attending the scene of the crime, crime lab professionals make an initial assessment of it. They will secure the scene to an extent based on the information available at the time. A crime scene investigator or a team of crime scene investigators who will undertake the crime scene investigation is normally accompanied by a crime lab professional. The size of the crime scenes dictates the number of resources allocated to the particular incident. In this case, a crime lab profession requires on-the-spot assessment, decision-making, and sometimes an innovative approach. Provided this is done applying scientific principles, and fully recorded, this should meet quality standards. It can also be expected that there will be an increased need for, and demand for, proficiency tests for field-testing (Langford, 2005).
In recent years, special attention is given to DNA testing and analysis. About the identification of persons, fingerprint comparisons and DNA profiles are the most likely to establish the individuality and therefore the identity of a person. A crime lab professional identifies and examines class characteristics and similarity of those features that group things into a common class requiring further examination to see if there are indicators of similarity which allow screening before a more detailed examination is made. For instance, all questioned documents involved in a particular investigation are submitted to the laboratory for examination (Langford, 2005). This is important since questioned documents are identified by a comparison of similarities, plus an absence of divergences or dissimilarities. To make an identification, sufficient handwriting, typewriting, or other evidence must be available on which to base an opinion. This means that all questioned material is needed, as well as sufficient exemplars or known specimens (Bureau of Forensic Services, 2007).
The main rewards of this career choice would be prestige and personal accomplishments. Career choice gives primary emphasis to the personality characteristics that predispose an individual to seek a career of a given type. There will be greater job satisfaction and fulfillment and a lesser tendency to change jobs throughout the career. These various orientations, including occupational values, have been considered important by crime lab professionals, insofar as they influence nonvertical dimensions of occupational mobility. Occupational prestige is important both in terms of its characterization of the occupational structure and its representation of intergenerational mobility. Individuals identify the occupations they most prefer by assessing the compatibility of different occupations with their images of themselves. Compatibility is what is usually meant by the terms congruence and person-environment fit. The greater the perceived compatibility (suitability), is the stronger the person’s preference (Langford, 2005). Individuals may seek out but rarely achieve compatibility with all elements of self. Occupations that conflict with core elements of the self-concept will be most strongly rejected.
The negatives of this profession are health hazards (work with chemicals and other substances, stress, and work overload). The well-being of the crime lab professionals is the primary responsibility of the crime scene manager. He/she must be aware of the fatigue and well-being of his crime lab professionals. Appropriate protective clothing and equipment should be made available. Breaks should be organized for the crime lab professionals and refreshments should be on hand during those breaks. Scene guards should also be part of the crime scene operation regardless of the area they originate from. Long hours and job security are also an important part of a crime lab profession (Langford, 2005).
Today, there is a growing trend towards both university-based recruit education and ‘civilianization. Many universities began to offer forensic science in their programs during the 1990s, largely as attractors to increase enrolments (Langford, 2005). Senior forensic science practitioners lectured on the programs admit the quality of the students to the extent that they begin to advocate the employment of graduates as crime lab professionals. Usually, at a minimum a Bachelor’s degree is required: it can be chemistry, biology, or physics. A Master’s degree is preferable but obligatory. There are no certain standards in forensic education, so a specific lab may require different skills and education. Still, the main FBI requirements are biochemistry, molecular biology, human genetics, statistics, etc. A scientific approach is important for a crime lab profession and involves critical thinking and the ability to modify a core method to address a specific situation. It should be self-evident that such an approach lies at the very heart of crime scene investigation (Langford, 2005).
The opportunities for a student in this field can be explained by the fact that the crime lab profession is real forensic science, and at least the more complex and major incidents demand a scientific approach requiring personnel with appropriate basic science and specialist training. Strong leadership and management by the forensic community will be required if appropriate standards are to be developed and maintained. The emergence of field technologies demands that the person using these instruments must have tertiary science qualifications. These instruments cannot be used as ‘black boxes’ if their full potential is to be realized. A lab crime professional should consider future recruitment and training strategies to meet this changing paradigm. The internship is required by many employers because it ensures a high level of knowledge and skills of the candidate (Bureau of Forensic Services, 2007). Standards of practice must vary across the spectrum in terms of capability, and how well this ‘capability’ is practiced. Internal and external proficiency testing programs have also been developed as enabling elements of the accreditation program. It is important for a student, to be aware of new technologies and methods used in this field because emerging technologies will transform the face of the crime lab. Modern technology enables practitioners to look for opportunities to improve their discipline by examining and comparing procedures, processes, and the reporting methods that other fields employ (Langford, 2005). This is not proposing that one expert must deal in all fields of evidence. On the contrary, it is by practitioners developing an overall perspective, which will enable them to continue performing their particular expertise independent from one another.
References
Bureau of Forensic Services (2007).
Langford, A. et al, (2005). Practical Skills in Forensic Science. Prentice Hall.
The comprehension of criminal justice remains a foremost consideration before individuals, entities, or agencies understand any given crime. In this case, the crime whose maximum term is to be doubled is that of armed robbery. There is an overwhelming legal evidence to comprehend specific crimes in their totalities before defining their criminal/justice aspects. From this observation, it is clear that all personalities involved in the definition of any criminal justice must consider the different contexts in which the commission of a specific crime might occur within the population. Thus, it is appropriate that any policy-making within the criminal justice must depend on the criminological theory. This must occur, regardless of the legal knowledge of the makers.
Goals and Objectives of the Bill
The chief objective of this bill is to double the highest prison period for any person found guilty of armed robbery. There is a legal observation from this statement that the bill tends to create a very punitive manner of dealing with armed robbers within the general society. It creates a high standard for punishment of the offenders and scares potential criminals to stay off the act. The bill aims to create a legal base of severely punishing the offenders involved in armed robbery.
Possible Solutions for the Bill
The bill must first understand the criminal etiology process in order to draw any penology on the particular crime. The bill must be treated or handled with a lot of caution as just increasing the severity of the punishment for such offenders might not necessarily lead to a change in criminal trends or engagement. A considerable period of research and engagement of various stakeholders including the public has to be done for the legislatures to have an informed decision concerning the bill. Moreover, caution should be taken for the bill not to major so much on punitive aspects rather than character transformation of such offenders.
Justification for Why the Bill Should Be Approved or Not
A critical analysis of the bill indicates that it should never be approved. This is because it lacks the proper definition and consideration of criminal etiology. Moreover, there is lack of effective stakeholder engagement in the process. The bill also lacks the basic scientific analysis of the situations under which the described crime may be conducted. There is also the absence of critical descriptions, assumptions, as well as explanations that describe the process under which the bill emanates.
Recommendations and the Reasons for Recommendations
The legislators must be patient to consult the stakeholders and be pertinent with the various criminological theories applicable to this particular bill. This is because the issues about etiology, assumptions, and descriptions are not properly articulated or presented in the bill. Instead, the bill should be amended to stress more on the rehabilitative and transformative measures meant for such offenders rather than engaging them in severe punishments. This is because institution of legal severe punishment measures do not necessarily replicate into total deterrence from an act or behavior change.
The Bill and Its Effectiveness
The bill is bad and is likely to be rendered ineffective due to numerous pitfalls it contains (already highlighted). This is basically because it does not meet the legal requirements and transformative clauses able to ensure effective character transformation and rehabilitation of the offenders. It is crucial to understand such provision in the context of criminology.