A quote says “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver”. No matter how you stash your money, if your health is in peril, you’ll never awake one day and enjoy the fruits of your labour. As time progresses and baby boomers age, the demand for health care rises. The Philippines has one of the best health professionals owing to its colleges and universities that produce graduates. The Department of Labor and Employment of the Philippines (DOLE) listed healthcare as one of the priority industries in the country for the next 5 years.  Here are some of the health-related jobs in the Philippines.   DIETICIAN Photo by Petr Kratovchvil from Needpix For this role, you’re an expert in human nutrition, tasked to prevent diseases through the right choice of food. Your role is important to the healthcare team and the community as you guide people to make health-conscious decisions.  Where do they work You may work in barangay health care centers, hospitals, supermarket chains, fitness websites, pharmacy, food and beverage, sports organizations, or as a consultant or self-employed position. How to be one To be a professional Dietician, you’ll need a bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics - BS ND) in a school recognized by the CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and pass a licensure exam by the Professional Regulations Commission. What dieticians do Identify and treat health problems through the knowledge of nutrients and metabolism. Plan meals and nutritional programs. Assist in treating malnutrition. Plan, conduct and evaluate nutritional educational programs. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Non-judgemental attitude Patience in persuading people to alter eating habits. Verbal and writing skills Time-management Negotiation  Team-work Understanding of human nutrition, biochemistry and physiology. Computer skills for accessing and recording patient records Meal planning Diagnosis of eating disorders Understanding of food science   MASSAGE THERAPIST Photo by Massagemerds from Needpix.com If you like people skills and healing others through the use of your hands and feet, then a massage therapy career is for you. Here you relieve pain and increase blood circulation to promote the wellbeing of your clients. Where do they work Massage therapists are either regular employees or self-employed in: Spa franchises Fitness centers Hospitals Hotels As a self-employed, you may carry your own tools such as Shiatsu massager, chair, and oil. Do I need a license While there are freelance or independent massage therapists in the country, the Department of Health’s Committee of Examiners for Massage Therapy (CEMT) regulates the practice of the said profession pursuant to the provisions of the sanitation codes Presidential Decree 856 and Executive Order 102. So, if you want to advance your career in this field, you can go ahead with licensing and training. Here is a resource. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Cultural understanding Customer-service Empathy Focus and avoiding distractions Hygiene habits Time management Massage techniques (kneading, Swedish massage, transverse friction, longitudinal gliding) Proper use of tools (massage chairs, rollers, stones, creams, oil and lotions) Safety protocols to avoid self-inflicted injury and safety to customers. Certifications and licensing for career advancement and compliance to government and industry-standard regulations   MEDICAL RECORDS OFFICER Photo by David Snider, USAID from Pixnio.com Perhaps, this is one of the least stressful jobs. Being in this role, you’ll wade through medical papers of past and present patients. A typical medical record you’ll deal with has these sections: personal info, medical history, treatment history, family medical history and medical directives (your wishes if you can't speak for yourself).  Your role is essential to the health-care system in hospitals and clinics, as medical history and info can affect the doctors and other healthcare professionals' decisions on patient’s therapy. Records organize treatment flow and prevent misdiagnosis.  What do medical records officers do Keep and secure the confidentiality of files against unauthorized access. Encode paper records into a computer. Retrieve medical records for doctors, medical technologists and other health personnel. Operate a computer program that handles health records. Prepare the patient’s admission and discharge documents. Release info to government agencies that need such a record. Resolve discrepancies in records. Follow the management’s rules on keeping medical records. Process medical bills. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Anger management Attention-to-detail Customer service Oral and written communication. Time management Use of computer and software (Electronic Health Records) Ex: AdvanceMD and Kareo Use of scanners Typing Understanding of medical terms Understanding of health insurance   MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST Photo by Hawsar from Pexels.com The world of a microbiologist or the study of microbes in the field of this profession. Medical technologists or med techs are tasked to analyze body fluids. You have an understanding of protozoans, bacteria, and viruses. If you like to work in a few team settings and less contact with patients, then this job is for you. What med techs do Analyze blood, urine and fecal samples that can be used by doctors, health professionals and companies needing medical checks for their employees. Sterilize tools used for testing. Analyze the test results and record data. Use high-tech and sophisticated equipment such as analyzers. Advise doctors on the proper use of scrubs, gloves and gowns. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Analysis Customer-service Eye-detail Negotiation Oral and written communication Problem-solving Team-work Time-management Understanding of microbiology Use of sophisticated types of equipment (analysers and microscope) Safe use of testing and sampling kits Safe protocols for handling biohazardous samples Recognizing microbe samples Competence in analyzing patient’s samples   MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST Photo by Piqsels and licensed under Creative Commons The Philippines is among the top countries for hosting BPO companies. And one of the jobs is medical transcriptionist.  If you like computer work and transcribing data while using your health-related course, this job is a good start. What medical transcriptionists do Enter medical records data into a computer. Make reports on outpatient and in-patient info, medical research, letters and statistics. Transcribe dictated sentences into written format. Edit and review the transcribed report for grammar, fact, spelling, clarity and correct use of medical terms. Identify correct terms, inconsistencies, medical term mistakes, homonyms, and jargon. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Anger management Attention-to-detail Customer-service Oral and written communication Self-motivation Team-work Time-management Fast -typing Knowledge of medical terms English grammar, spelling and mechanics. Use of computer   PHARMACIST Photo by Rural health Professions and licensed under Creative Commons For this role, you have the expertise to identify the type of drugs and all names and their generic terms. So if the ailment is sinus, throat, and ear you’ll dispense Azithromycin (generic for Z-Pak and Zithromax), Vicodin (acetaminophen/hydrocodone) for pain. Your profession provides hospitals and clinics with drugs appropriate for a specific illness. A day in your life will be mostly in clinics, pharmaceutical companies, franchise drugstores, and hospitals. What pharmacist do Interpret doctor’s orders. Identify and dispense the correct drug. Secure records of files, poison registries and patient profiles. Work with doctors, nurses, rad techs and med techs to monitor, review and evaluate the efficacy of drugs Advise clients on the best medical brands and supplies. Make inventories of stocks. Observe prescribing trends to prevent harmful drug interactions and excessive use. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Analytical Customer-service Empathy Multi-tasking Oral and written communication Problem-solving Time-management Knowledge of drugs, its composition, names, dosage, effects and interactions. Human physiology  Human anatomy Basic math Biochemistry Biology   RADIATION TECHNOLOGIST (RAD TECH) Photo by Piqsels and licensed under Creative Commons You may have already been to X-Ray rooms where someone asked you to face the wall while waiting for a photography-like machine to operate. Then, if you have been to well-funded hospitals, you already experienced entering your feet first into a doughnut-shaped device that can show your insides.  If you like to analyze and operate these sophisticated and pricey gizmos, then a rad tech career should be your calling. What Rad techs do Follow a doctor’s order on the specific body part that needs imaging. Follow a process to prevent excessive exposure of radiation to patients or themselves. Assist patients into using the equipment. Organize and track patient’s images and records. Explain the process to patients. Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Compassion Customer-service Empathy Oral and written communication Team-work Time-management Correct use of sophisticated types of equipment such as CAT, Mammograms, X-Rays, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Safety use of equipment to prevent unnecessary radiation overdose. Knowledge of physiology and anatomy Basic life support Practice of sterile techniques Analysis of patient’s clinical info

Computer historians regard the Antikythera mechanism as the earliest computer. The ancient Greeks made the analog computer 2,000 years ago. They used to predict the position of stars and planets. Subsequent computers of the late 1800s,  early and mid-1900s gave rise to the ENIAC, Z1, differential engine and advances in semiconductor and computer science made laptops, smartphones and programming languages. With such lightning-fast calculating modern computers, new jobs were made for the same purpose of improving technology, software, internet, and website. The following jobs include their descriptions and the table of soft and hard skills.   1.  DATA ANALYST Photo by Lukas from Pexels The job of the data analyst is to collect statistical data and translate them into plain English, chart tables, and graphs. In this role, you may use tools such as google docs, Yandex and Microsoft docs, MS Spreadsheet, SQL, Python and R and use them to work in companies dealing with consulting, stock exchange, credit bureaus, and insurance. You’ll help businesses make the right decisions by building the following four types of data analytics: Descriptive analytics - Taking a look at past data such as annual web traffic, revenue, a bounce rate of a landing page, and a number of visitors to a website. This data can help a company know trends. Diagnostic analytics - This involves comparing data sets as such can help a company to know the cause of the negative and positive outcome. Predictive analytics - Uses analytics and historical data to predict the future. Prescriptive analytics - This is about finding the best course instead of monitoring data. Soft skills Hard skills Active listening Conflict resolution Oral communication Teamwork Writing   Data visualization software Fusion Charts QlikView Sisense Tableau Machine learning MS Excel MS Powerpoint Programming languages R (statistical computing language) Python SQL   2.  NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels The information technology infrastructure and computers won’t be successful without an efficient networking system. Configuring and making such wireless and wired connections among computers and servers is the job of a Network Administrator. Companies/organizations use servers, and routers to store and exchange data. You’ll work in hospitals, insurance carriers, technical consulting services, hospitals, schools, engineering firms and computer systems design companies, etc.  Soft skills Hard skills Active listening Teamwork Conflict resolution Oral communication Writing Beginner CompTIA A+ - Computing Technology Industry Association CompTIA Security+  Cisco CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician) CCNA R & S (Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing and Switching) CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) Microsoft MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert) Cloud services Command-line MS Visio Networking Technical Writing   3.  DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR (DBA) Screenshot by Marcel Douwe Dekker and licensed under Creative Commons DBAs are masters of data and database which is a collection of information that could be numbers, texts, photos, graphics, and videos. They are also called Data Engineers. A day in the life of a DBA involves performing these tasks: Recovering data Setting up database standards Configuring database servers Designing tables Writing stored processes Extract, Transform Load (ETL) - The process of extracting or collecting data, transforming such data depending on rules/needs and then loading them into the database. Installing database software for servers Where do DBAs work? DBAs work in companies and organizations that use databases to retrieve and save confidential info. They work in the IT department of hospitals, banks, insurance, entertainment, web hosting. In a hospital, a DBAs and bioinformatician (a hybrid profession of IT and medicine) keep files of patients, make analysis, retrieve medical data and interpret biological data that can be useful for medical research and finding cures.  In banks, you’ll monitor, install, and secure databases of bank accounts using RDBMS (relational database management system) eg: MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MS SQL server. You will use codes such as SQL (structured query language), shell scripts, and Perl scripts. In plain English, SQL is a programming language used to retrieve data, shell script refers to a commands list run in Unix shell (a type of command-line or black screen with white text), and Perl (a multi-purpose programming language used for network programming and web dev and much more). Soft skills Software and RDBMS skills Active listening Creativity Learning Planning Reading Research Writing Database design Database theory Informix Networking Perl Relational Database Management System Azure SQL Maria DB Microsoft Access MySQL PostgreSQL SQLite Shell scripting languages SQL Storage technologies   4.  GRAPHIC ARTIST Photo by activités culturelles from Flickr and licensed by Creative Commons If you have an inkling for visual art such as drawing cartoons and making videos, this job is for you. You may work in advertising or marketing, television studios, software development, consultation, corporate branding companies. Your work is essential for websites as they require rich graphics for visual appeal. Another subset of graphic design in the video graphic artist who is responsible for making videos of animation, infographics or real-life videos.  Skills profile Soft skills Hard skills Active listening Communication Conflict resolution Creativity  Teamwork Time management Writing Adobe photoshop Adobe XD Colour theory Corel Draw Dreamweaver Illustrator  Indesign  Inkscape, GIMP Typography   5.  MOBILE APPS DEVELOPER Photo by Piqsels and licensed under creative commons The craftsmen behind messengers - WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Netflix are software engineers. You may make coding for computer apps and mobile phones using programming languages, code repositories, and test software before its rollout. You’ll also make patches or upgrades that are regularly released to the user. You’ll work in small, medium and large companies and a team of graphic artists, copywriters, DBAs and software testers. Soft skills Hard skills Attention to detail Clear communication Conflict resolution Creativity Customer service Problem-solving Teamwork Algorithm Relational Database Management System MongoDB Oracle Postgresql SQLite Data structures IDE(Integrated Development Environment) Code/Visual Studio for C#,C, C++ programmers Jupyter notebook, Spyder, PyCharm for C# programmers Networking basics Programming languages Javascript HTML and CSS Python Java PowerShell/Shell/Bash C# PHP C/C++ TypeScript C Ruby Operating System Software Development Cycle Spreadsheet Testing basics Text editors Version control system (Github and Git)   6. VIDEO GRAPHIC ARTIST Photo by Piqsels and licensed under creative commons Browsing through Youtube, Vimeo and Dailymotion and social media, you’ll find a lot of interesting shareable contents such as infographics, magazine clippings turned into video, animations and photo compilations. Interesting video content such as from Be Amazed and infographic show won’t be possible without the video or motion graphic artist. In this job, you’ll make motion graphics for large corporations, advertisement, marketing products, and technical shows. You’ll combine sound effects, photos, vector graphics and animation tweaks into a video. Soft skills Hard skills Active listening ​Conflict resolution Creativity Customer service Oral communication Teamwork Time management Writing Adobe Animate Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Premier, Filmora, Mudbox Blender Cinema 4D Final Cut Pro Keyboard shortcuts Video editing essentials   7.  SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZER Photo by Photo Mix from Pixabay A search engine optimizer’s tasks are to increase the website’s visibility in a search engine by improving/optimizing the web page to increase the page rank. When a website’s rank increases, so too its appearance in search engine’s pages. You’re most likely to work in an SEO department,  front-end web development team, and marketing team but that depends on the company’s size and culture. Your work is crucial for the success of a website as your job’s purpose is to let internet folks know a website’s existence, otherwise, no one can find a business’s products and services. Soft skills Hard skills Conflict resolution Creativity Teamwork Time management Writing Word counter Browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Chrome) Browser extensions for SEO Analytics for Google, Bing, Yahoo and Yandex Keyword research Data Analysis Basic HTML Link building   8.  SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Photo by Piqsels and licensed under creative commons Dubbed as a social media manager, social media coordinators are masters in using Facebook, Twitter, Mix, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, and other social bookmarking/networking sites to reach an audience, increase subscribers, market products and services. This role is a subset of Search Engine Optimisation and some skills needed here overlap with SEO. You’ll likely work in a marketing, SEO and web development or media company. You may work as a consultant or a freelancer for a number of companies that maintain their website.  Soft skills Hard skills Creativity Customer service Psychology Sociology Time management Writing   Analytics Facebook Instagram Mix Pinterest Plurk SEO basics Tumblr Twitter Vkontakte   9.  TECHNICAL WRITER Photo by Judit Peter from Pexels A technical writer is another type of writer. A day in your job includes making technical documents that industries need to communicate clearly and efficiently. You may work in companies/organisations dealing with healthcare, software or web development, engineering, architecture, construction, aerospace, chemical processing, defense, controls, and instrumentation.  Your job is also called engineering writers as you’re expected to produce an accurate, clear, concise and useful technical document. Your writing style will be direct, plain, and clear sentences and paragraphs. You’ll also use charts, graphs, flowcharts, photos and vector graphics to make the technical document easy to digest.  For instance, if you work in a smartphone manufacturer, you’ll write a manual that explains how to use such a phone. If you work in an architectural firm, your task is to make manuals for building structure and design. Generally, across companies, you’ll write training guides, manuals, layouts, outlines, white papers, software test plans, project plans, and design details.    10.  CONTENT WRITER Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels Content writers or copywriters write contents for the website's landing page (home page) and blogs for sub-page. Depending on the company’s size, training and culture, they may research keywords, use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques such as leaving links to social bookmarking websites. You could be a part of an editorial team, media team, research team. Content writers make up a crucial part of the front-end and SEO team as they provide readers with visual info through text. Soft skills Software Creativity Oral communication Self-control Teamwork Time management Writing Grammar Search Engine Optimisation Subject matter Text editors: MS Word, Libre office Writing styles   11.  WEB DEVELOPER Photo by Robi Pastores and from Pexels This job makes you a master of building websites that are made up of codes, texts, photos, and video info. You run these pieces of info through web browsers that are connected via the internet. You’ll likely work in web dev companies or as a support for an organization dealing with broad infotech services. Your role exists in three kinds - front end, back end, and full-stack. The front end makes the visual part of the website, the back end for the controls inaccessible to the user, and full-stack - the one who knows both types. What are the skills needed to be a web developer? Each of these skills gets updated as web development languages and new techs improve. These skills were updated for the year 2020 at the time of this writing. Front-end Web Dev’t HTML CSS Javascript Frameworks/libraries (Angular JS, React JS, Vue JS) Front End Frameworks/libraries(Bootstrap) CSS Preprocessors (SASS, LESS) REST (Representational State Transfer) API (application programming interface) Version control system (Git) Command lines Testing and Debugging Browser tools Web hosting Back-end Web Dev’t HTML CSS Javascript Backend languages (Ruby, Python, SQL, PHP) Java Some knowledge of Databases Web hosting Full-stack Web Dev’t HTML CSS CSS Framework/libraries Javascript  Javascript framework/libraries (JQuery, React JS) Backend languages (SQL, Phyton, Ruby) Node.js Python REST API Databases (MySQL, SQLServer, Oracle, MongoDB, MariaDB) Version control system (Git) API (REST and SOAP) Algorithms and data structures Web hosting Server (Apache and Nginx) Basic prototype design (UI/UX) Any of these software stacks (LAMP-Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.Js), MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular.js, Node.js)

The food, beverage and hospitality industry is among the thriving industries in the Philippines due to the increase in international and domestic tourism. Likewise, a number of food retailers, food manufacturing restaurants, hotels, and resorts have already been rising in Metro Manila outskirts and provinces. If you’re eyeing a career in food and hospitality, these 12 jobs info may help you get started.   1. Executive Chef  Photo by Kyle tsui and licensed under creative commons   Chefs make up a number of hierarchical positions in the hotel and restaurant industry and the highest is the executive chef. You manage a number of restaurants headed by sous chefs under your supervision. Your job is more administrative or managerial and you may do little cooking. Being in this role, you’ll: Make menus and design food presentations. Make food costing by quantifying food wastages (weighing) to monitor and bring down food wastages. Delegate food costing tasks to CDPs and kitchen commissaries to quantify food wastages and measure the weight of ingredients. Make sure that HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is followed. Oversee kitchen operation to ensure smooth flow, make dishes, design presentations and garnishing.  Make sure that mise en place standards are followed by CDPs and junior chefs. The French term refers to the preparation of ingredients such as chopping parsley, dicing carrots, washing vegetables, deseeding olives and peeling potatoes etc. May write for magazines (for chefs who have writing skills). May do some computer-related tasks such as populating spreadsheets on food costing and contacting suppliers.  Ensure that the received and ordered goods are in good condition. Tolerate a high-pressure environment especially if you work in busy hotels and restaurants. Set standards of mise en place (ingredient preparation) and cooking. Human resources Interview applicants for chef positions. Conduct screening of candidates. ​Train and orient newly hired chefs. 2. Chef de partie A Japanese Chef Photo by Dengeki Bunko from Piqsels.com Chef de partie is the third in command of chefs. They are subordinate to chefs as they only oversee a kitchen section such as salad, bread, pizza. So there are CDPs each assigned for salad, pasta, pizza and Japanese cuisine sections. You’ll likely work in a hotel, restaurants specialized kitchens (military, prison, hospital), and resorts. Here are the lists of tasks that you’ll likely encounter in a typical fine dining restaurant. Handle purchase order in the absence of the chef.  ​Follow preservation standards. Replace expiration dates, supervise kitchen commissaries/junior chefs  Make mise en place (preparation of ingredients). You’ll uphold hygiene practices recommended by the HACCP. You may monitor temperature, follow chopping board colour codes and safety measures.   3. Junior chef (Kitchen commissary) Photo by Pixfuel and licensed under creative commons Junior chefs rank below the chef de partie and demi chef de partie. Most of the cooks who took this job are either kitchen newbies or transferees from other restaurants. Likewise, this is an entry-level role in culinary arts. In a la carte restaurants such as fine diners, you’ll do the following tasks: Make mise en place.  Follow HACCP guidelines such as using the right chopping boards and knife colours (red for meat, white for dairy, green for vegetables) and maintaining sanitation procedures. Rotate stored ingredients or first in and first out.  Place stickers onto food containers to avoid spoilage. Monitor chiller temperatures. Make sure that no foreign things go into pasta, salad or sandwich. 4. Bartender Photo by gimballica from creativePxHere Movies and to some extent, dramas and soap operas, often show bartenders who serve alcoholic drinks and fruit cocktails while talking to customers. Bartenders work in bars, restaurants, resorts, hotels, cruise ships, night clubs, and casinos. What you’ll do in this role? Well, here is the list: Mix alcoholic and syrup recipes (such as piña colada, rusty nail, tequila sunrise, whisky sour, margarita, cosmopolitan, dry martini and negroni). ​Serve water with ice cubes. Keep the glassware, and alcoholic drinks stocked. Keep the bar clean by following HACCP practices. Operate a cash machine   5. Barista   Coffee is a well-loved beverage of people who wake up for work or folks who want to fight drowsiness.  At cafes, you can meet guys and gals working 8 hours who serve various coffee recipes. In this job, you’ll be the master of coffee-based drinks. You’ll make Cappuccino by drawing the right amount of an aromatic arabica coffee down right into a portafilter - a device used to filter coffee powder from the liquid. Pressing a button just above the portafilter will cause hot water to fall down into the device. This makes an espresso - a concentrated coffee liquid. On the other side of the coffee bar is the aluminium pot of milk.  You’ll turn this milk into foam by having a steamer nozzle submerged into the milk and pressing a button that releases a jet of steam which rotates and warms the milk (145 C)  and turns it into a foamy consistency. After the foaming process, you’ll pour this milk foam into an espresso mini mug.  Barista veterans say that a good espresso should make up this layer (a thick layer of foam on top, a thin layer of liquid in the middle mixed with espresso. If you’re artistic, you can make art of latte foam such as cats, dogs and birds.  You may also serve juices flavoured with different syrups such as orange, caramel etc. Here are the details of what goes in the daily life of a barista. Receive ordered supplies such as coffee beans, gas cartridges for whipping cream, jugs of full and skimmed milk, syrups, sugar sticks, sugar substitute sticks, take out paper cups, cup lids and paper bags. Restock coffee bar supplies by making a list of depleted items (milk, coffee etc) either on paper or via the system. In some large coffee chains, a cafe manager may do this restocking orders. Make bi-monthly inventories of cafe supplies. Operate cash or point of sale (POS) machines by keeping enough cash float and submitting details of the day’s sale. In large coffee chains, a cashier may handle this task but if you can multitask you may operate a POS and handle money. Make coffee and juice recipes according to the cafe’s standards. Popular recipes include macchiato (espresso with whipped cream on top) cappuccino (espresso with milk foam), an espresso shot. Keep the bar clean by daily cleaning of a coffee machine and its steam nozzle, portafilter, coffee grinder, glassware, pots.   6. Food Stylist Photo by Elke Wetzig and licensed under creative commons This one is uncommon like the sommelier. You have a flair in making food aesthetically pleasing in the eyes of diners. You’ll turn a heap of veggies meat into a food art ready for photography and videography. You may work for a team to transform that tonkatsu into a crispy and freshly fried one. You could make burger patties with a sizzling appearance by adding grill marks. The result of your creativity is mouthwatering and fresh looking food that can be placed on ads, magazines, shows and televisions. Your specialities could be poultry, ice cream, baked goods, meats and chocolate.   7. Kitchen steward Photo by Simcitywok and licensed under creative commons Kitchen stewards are also called Messman and sometimes dishwashers. They work in hotels, resorts, fine dining restaurants, and industrial food factories. In other hotels and restaurants, the kitchen steward is distinct from the dishwasher. This is mostly a manual role and you don’t need formal training in culinary arts except for the HACCP crash course. Large food factories also employ a steward supervisor who manages a group of dishwashers and stewards. Your responsibilities may include: Clean kitchen equipment (grill, fryer, pots, pans, oven). Update clean up monitoring checklist by populating it with checkmarks and dates corresponding to areas that need cleaning. May clean grease trap (a plumbing device used to filter waste cooking oil). Operate a dishwashing machine and organize plates and cutleries. Use professional sanitation chemicals (used for cleaning grills, grease trap, dishwasher, floors, fridge, and crockeries). Clean pots and pans.   8. Sommelier Photo by Eduardo Pavon and licensed under creative commons Fine dining isn’t complete without red and white wines. Certain foods taste better or the dining experience enhanced with a serving of wine. The knowledge of pairing and wines is the job of Sommelier.  Lists wines such as the brand, type and origin. Order wines. Organize wine tasting parties/events. Coordinate wine lists with chefs and restaurant managers. Inform guests about the availability and varieties of wine. Train waiters about wine pairings. Negotiate prices with sellers. Comply with HACCP (sanitation standards). Suggest wine to food pairings. Write articles about wines for wine websites and magazines.   9. Pastry chef    As artisans of bread and confectionery (desserts such as chocolates), pastry chefs are tasked to turn doughs and other ingredients into delicious morning pairs for coffees. If you have been to a bakery or cafe, you’ll see croissants, cakes, apple turnover, baguettes, rolls, ciabatta bread, danish pastries, pan de sal and bread loaves. You’ll likely work in a chain of a bakery, hotel, resorts, a fine dining restaurant or specialised kitchens. Inside a large bakers kitchen, you’ll do mixing, kneading, waiting for the dough to rise (fermentation) and operating sophisticated machines such as bread proofer, oven and dough kneader. Another related position to this job is the confectionery chef who specializes in making sweets such as macarons, ganaches, candies, and other gourmet desserts. Tasks  Supervise junior pastry chefs. Make food costing. Make sure that mise en place standards are followed. Make pastries according to standards set by the executive chef. For example, if you make a croissant, you’ll start in the preliminary steps such as mixing and folding layers of butter and dough. Make sure that the HACCP principles are followed.   10. Restaurant manager Photo by rawpixel from creative commons This job entails managing the workflow and profitability of restaurants as well as leading employees. In large restaurant chains, you may either manage one to two restaurants or report to a network manager who oversees restaurants. Your role here is primarily administrative and marketing as you help the company go in the right direction. Here are some of the errands that may go into your life as a restaurant manager. Administration: Coordinates with chef/sous chef and other kitchen staff with regards to menu planning and costing. Estimate food and beverage costs. Coordinates with baristas, waiters, and cooks to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of restaurant operation. Checks if the food preparation process and recipes conform to the standards - portions and the quality of ingredients. Checks if the sanitation standards are followed. Establish policies on tips sharing. Make sure that HACCP is followed. Make marketing strategies to increase restaurant sales.  Negotiate with vendors of food and beverage ingredients. Build a network of vendors. Ensure that all paperwork is coordinated and done. Such paperwork includes sanitary, business, fire safety permits and rental. Managerial and Human Resources Train restaurant staff. Supervise one or more supervisors. Promote teamwork among the staff. Interview new staff. Evaluate team performance.   11. Waiter   Photo by Jonathan Marin Posada from Pixabay   Being a waiter lets you work in the frontline of the restaurant. You also act as the restaurant’s salesman by inviting more diners and upselling food. The nature of your work and uniform depends on the type of restaurant. It could be - a fine dining, bar, sem-fine dining and fast-food.  In a fine dining setting, you’ll wear a bib apron, vests, ties, and black pants.  Arrange plates and cutleries according to plating guidelines. Bus tables or take out dirty dishes, take them to the dishwasher and replenish crockeries and cutleries. In large fine diners, a busboy or busgirl may handle bussing. Guide the customer by answering his/her questions regarding the menu.  Follow HACCP standards. Upsell the menu by suggesting relevant food and beverage offerings. Clean the table and floor after the busy and dining time. Take orders accurately. Use the POS system to identify customers’ tables and send their orders to the kitchen. You may follow up this verbally to chefs and kitchen commissaries (in larger restaurants). Deliver the ordered menus by carrying several plates.   12. Vegan Chef Photo by Guillermo Muro of Pixabay Since the awareness of animal welfare and the ill effects of meat, vegan dishes sprung up and so too specialty positions in vegan culinary jobs. A vegan chef is trained in making dishes made from 100% plant-derived ingredients. You could plan and cook faux meat-based recipes comparable to ham, tapas, barbeques, adobo, lechon and kebabs. How is that mock meat possible? Vegan meat is possible because of seitan or gluten which is a plant protein. Another best source is the textured vegetable protein (TVP) with a taste and texture of pork, beef or chicken. Now, as a vegan chef, you can turn such meat analogue into a delicious vegan chicken curry that your diners can mistakenly take for a roasted 45-day old chicken. Same with other kinds of chefs, you may: Make vegan dishes according to restaurant standards. Follow HACCP principles. Negotiate with vegan supply vendors.  Supervise a team of junior chefs.

Some jobs are riskier than others because of machines, chemicals or the way the tasks are carried out.  A number of these occupations require highly skilled or trained individuals who choose to dedicate their lives for their higher inner calling.  1. Firemen Photo by Pexels Firemen respond to fire and extinguish it with chemical or water means. They must also use ladders and climb stairs and rescue trapped people. Risks they could face include falling hot debris, suffocation from smoke, electrocution, and explosion. Safety measures:  Wearing heat resistant suit Strategic firefighting  Use of advance fire fighting equipment Carrying emergency kit such as portable oxygen  Wearing a face mask Following safety protocols   2. Foundry Worker Photo by form PxHere Foundry workers make mould castings and melt metals using a very high-temperature furnace. They may use a large and cup-like holder to carry molten metal and pour them into moulds. The foundry produces products such as steel and alloys used in cars, buildings, shipbuilding and semiconductors. Foundry work is hard and perilous as workers face noise, high temperatures, chemicals, possible accidents, explosion, and constant exposure to fumes. It’s hard to imagine what damage can be made by molten metal pouring like water. Safety measures:  Wearing heat resistant clothing Wearing ear muffler Using radio telecommunication equipment Following foundry safety measures  Use of robotic/mechanical aids. 3. Linemen for powerlines Photo by alcangel144 from Pixabay Linemen install and fix power lines and its transformers (those hanging cylinder objects). They work for private or government-controlled energy companies and restore power outages. Risks they may face include electrocution falls, explosions, fires, fractures, sprains and adverse weather conditions. Some power companies that don’t use a lineman crane are more vulnerable to falls as their employees manually climb power poles. Safety measures Use of safety gears such as hardhat, electricity resistant gloves, insulated sleeves, composite toe boots, face shields, goggles, trousers and fire-resistant clothing Use of power line cranes   4. Lumberjack Photo by Abby Savage from Unsplash Lumberjacks identify a hardwood or softwood tree and cut them into different sizes, logs that are further processed into furniture, cabinets, paper and wood products. This job is dangerous since they are using a chainsaw - a power tool that if not handled properly could cause kickback (a sudden upward motion chainsaw) that leads to cuts and gory injuries.  Safety measures:  Following correct use of a chain saw.  Wearing safety gear such as hard hats, kevlar/steel gloves sleeves, clothing and booths. Use of a robotic-like lumberjack machine named ECOlog that uses an extendable claw with circular saw and clamp to hold and cut trees in a few seconds to minutes. The robotic arm uses wheels to move the log and debranch it. 5. Meat Processor/Butchers Photo by the US Department of Agriculture and a public domain photo Meat processors use cutting machines and sort meat (pork, beef, tuna, venison, chicken) into various parts.  They work in the meat section of supermarkets and commercial meat factories. The machines they work with include a dicing machine, meat shredder, meat slicers and meat saw cutter - all use very sharp rotating or moving blades. Any accidents while operating these devices could send someone on a quick trip to the hospital.  Safety measures:  Wearing Kevlar and steel gloves, hard hat and arms shielding  Use of cutting for large pieces of meat from cattle Following safety measures such as proper use of machine 6. Miners Photo by Ahtammar from Pixabay Smartphones are increasingly becoming sophisticated featuring dual cameras and sharp screens, but did you know they won’t exist if not for miners? These guys are overlooked. Miners are responsible for retrieving rare earth minerals such as gold, platinum, silver, palladium, copper, terbium, neodymium, praseodymium, yttrium, lithium, lanthanum - all used in integrated circuits, batteries, speakers, displays, circuit boards.  Miners constantly face dangers such as exposure to heavy metals and the breathing of coal dust. Deep inside the mine, the oxygen concentrations are lower than 19.5%. There’s a possibility of landslides and extreme heat. The whole body vibration WBV or daily exposure to vibration caused by jackhammer can cause musculoskeletal problems and female reproductive problems. Unsafe handling of explosives to carve identified mining sites can be disastrous. Safety measures:  Wearing a hard hat, face shield, goggles, and a facepiece dust mask to filter ambient dust.  Use of flame-resistant coveralls, harnesses, belts, thermal socks.  Use of wireless communication devices and GPS tracker for easy access and prevention of deadly situations during accidents.  Use of drones to access areas deemed inaccessible or too dangerous for humans. The safety kit provides portable oxygen, bandages and first aid tools for an emergency. 7. Mortician Photo by Davidrase and licensed under creative commons Morticians or embalmers prepare bodies to forestall decomposition and make sure that the deceased have their dignity before burial. While they work like those people preserving biological specimens (lizards, frogs) in a jar of chemicals and working in a silent and tiled room (so safe area), the chemicals and bloodborne pathogens in the bodies are a source of concern. Formalin, an embalming fluid, contains formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde- both listed as a probable carcinogen. The chemicals smell so strong that it packs a pickle-like odour. Its odour still lingers even after you leave a lab site. A seeping and free-flowing formaldehyde can contaminate groundwater. Glutaraldehyde is used as a fixative, disinfectant, and sterilizing agent for surgical tools. Hospital chemicals use it in products such as Aldesen, Cidex, Matricide, Hospex and Omnicide.  Safety measures:  Wearing protective masks, goggles and gloves Proper disposal of wastes such as body fluids, formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde. Correct use of embalming chemicals and cleaning of instruments.  Use of a less toxic chemical.   8. Structural Workers Photo by bridgeward from Pixabay Structural workers make up those demolition men, window cleaners, foremen, power tool workers, crane operators and riggers who all do the manual labour planned by engineers. They face risks of falls, cuts, ricocheting projectiles from a nail gun, burns and heat stroke during summer time especially in middle eastern countries. During the winter season in temperate countries, they could suffer hypothermia. Accidents such as falling metal bars and falls could occur in unsafe construction sites. Safety measures:  Proper use of safety protocol and scaffolding Wearing of harness, goggles, full face shields, long work pants, gloves, vest, long sleeves, safety shoes and hard hat Use of harness to prevent fall accidents Use of safety signages Use of radio devices for communication

Learning refers to the process of getting new or modifying existing skills, knowledge, behaviour and values. It’s a common fact that traditional learning takes place during early teens and early adulthood. For most people learning stops at graduation but for some learning is continuous - middle and old age.  Here are the Filipinos who studied later in life. Abzonie Reño - Studied college at age 23 and graduated summa cum laude. Melchor Eda, a 62-year old grandfather who graduated in an alternative learning system highschool in Naga, Camarines Sur. Generito U. Yusores, a 64-year old tricycle driver who graduated with a degree of Education at Western Mindanao State University. Salvacion Flores Nacario, an 81-year-old grandmother who graduated high school at Fort Bonifacio High School Makati Rosita Majait - A 66 years old student of Negros Occidental High School. Lolo Benjamin, a 75-year-old from Pangasinan, who took Political science at the University of Pangasinan. Virgilio Pentacasi, a native of Tagbilaran City Bohol, enrolled in senior high school. On the international level, here are some late bloomers to inspire you: Momofuku Ando - Japanese-Taiwanese inventor of noodles. Vera Ellen Wang - American Wedding dress designer who only wrote fashion until 39. Joseph Conrad - English-Polish writer who spoke no English until 20. Grandma Moses -  American folk painter, who only started painting from the age of 78. Dave McClure - American businessman and Angel investor who did no investing until the age of 40. Fauja Singh - British-Indian centenarian (aged 108) who made a marathon record of 6 hours and 2 minutes. Vincent Van Gogh - Dutch painter who until 27 only drew and didn’t paint.   1.  You could benefit from previous experience Being at the middle adulthood or late adulthood stage, you may have already earned enough experiences on various aspects of life such as emotions, skills, work and portfolios. Such things can help you get prepared and establish a solid foundation to learn higher skills. 2.  You may change careers Changing careers is a transition or switching to another job/lifestyle that is similar or different from the previous one. Career changes are long-term that could be 5 years or a lifetime. When you switch to another new career, such a situation will present another opportunity for you to learn a new skill by learning at school or at home and earn a certification. Learning is a fact of life whether you are a new graduate or a middle career employee. 3.  You can upskill or add another degree It’s possible to learn while studying for a degree. In fact, some Philippine schools offer classes for student workers. For example, if you want to pursue law, the University of the Philippines College of Law offers evening classes so that you can work in the morning and study in the evening. Be reminded that juggling studying and working can be tough. Time management may help in this situation. 4.  You’re free what to do At some point, you may or might already have a side or full-time business. Likewise, you could have a part-time or full-time job that you can use to finance your education. Such freedom means you have time and money to pursue your education. 5.  You’re more disciplined Discipline is a noun related to another noun “disciple” or a follower of code and rules. Younger people (pre-pubescent ages) tend to be less disciplined compared to adults. Being disciplined is an essential trait if you want to succeed in learning another skill because you’ll have to endure countless hours and fight your procrastinating urges while on your way to finish studies/degrees. 6.  You can learn more from mistakes Mistakes/failures let you learn so that in the next opportunity you can identify what and what not to do.  Many quotes from celebrities and notable people told about that failure is a teacher and that’s true when you search in Google/Yandex search engine. Failures teach you to get used to challenges rather than being stuck in comfort zone and helps you to introspect. 7.  You could have networks You can find networks at school, bar, company, street, volunteer organizations, parties, seminars, job hunt, and social media (internet). They could be your friend, fiancé, customer, boss, work colleague, former classmates, former teacher, and people whom you met on the internet or social media. 8.  You can bring more value to the company Companies admire employees who want to upskill or upgrade their skills. For employers, such men and women striving to hone their trade will help the company improve productivity and the quality of products and services. Upskilling employees have more chances to get promotions and salary raises. Learning-related or another skill lets you avoid being stuck in a career/job and gives you confidence and readiness to go for a well-paying job.