Career Profile: Demolition Specialist

What They Do: Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use. (Wikipedia)

This is a type of job that's usually thought of as something "masculine," an activity that mainly little boys aspire to. There's nothing particularly gender-specific about wanting to tear down stuff, though. There's always a need for the safe, efficient demolition of old buildings, especially in areas that are gentrifying or rezoning. But it's not as simple as simply swinging a wrecking ball around, as seen on TV and in the movies. The ability to tear down old structures while preserving the surrounding area and ensuring the safety of everyone involved is key.

What are the talents that may be involved in making someone great at this job? Here are five suggestions:

Career Profile: Statistician

What They Do: "A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics…The core of [their] work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it." (Wikipedia)

While the idea of pouring over numbers all day long puts some people to sleep, those who are inclined to those kind of activities can make a very good living. statisticians are used in business, sports, government, medicine, and any other field that requires the organization and interpretation of large amounts of data in order to make decisions. This is another job that Forbes Magazine cited as one of the Best Jobs for 2011, and even a couple of years on, talented stats people are still in demand.

What are the talents that might make someone a great statistician? Here are five suggestions:

Consistency: The ability to eliminate personal bias when organizing and analyzing data, which might cause a person to skew or invalidate results

Focus and Discipline: The ability to systematically and accurately work though large amounts of data in a way that makes the data and the results derived from it useful for decision-making purposes

Input: A natural tendency to collect and organize data and, most importantly, store it in a manner where it can be retrieved and used when necessary.

Intellection: The brainpower needed to understand how information is created and used in specific contexts, and how a given set of data can be turned into information

Career Profile: Casino Security Personnel

What They Do: Casino security refers to the measures that are taken at casinos to protect the establishment's money and property and the patrons. The security protects the casino and its customers from violent crime, theft, and other inappropriate behavior. (Wikipedia)

It's perhaps ironic that the one area of business that is the most secure, where rules about the care and transfer of money and policing of people who don't follow the rules, is also the place most associated with vice and corruption. The billion-dollar gambling industry, which stretches from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and just about every city and town in between, always needs reliable people who can spot and deal with cheaters and other criminal activities that pop up in casinos and gaming houses, whether they're physical places or virtual Web sites that offer poker and sports betting. Judging from the prevalence of sports gambling in the U.S. alone, this isn't an industry that is going away any time soon, so job security would not be an issue for the right person.

What are the talents that would be involved in someone excelling at this position? Here are five suggestions:

Great Quotes About Working: Dale Carnegie

" Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours." --Dale Carnegie

Career Profile: Event Planner

What They Do: Event planning is the process of planning a festival, ceremony, competition, party, concert, or convention. Event planning includes budgeting, establishing dates and alternate dates, selecting and reserving the event site, acquiring permits, and coordinating transportation and parking. Event planning also includes some or all of the following, depending on the event: developing a theme or motif for the event, arranging for speakers and alternate speakers, coordinating location support (such as electricity and other utilities), arranging decor, tables, chairs, tents, event support and security, catering, police, fire, portable toilets, parking, signage, emergency plans, health care professionals, and cleanup. (Wikipedia)

There’s no doubt that event planners have been busy over the last few months, putting together holiday season events. With a year-round need for event coordination, though, the right person could make a great living doing this.

What are the talents that may be involved in making someone great at this job? Here are five suggestions:

Activator and Achiever: The constant drive and sense of mission needed to achieve deadlines and goals

Arranger: The ability to manage many moving parts and put things in their right place

Individualization: A solid sense of the unique nature of a given event, and how plans and activities should be tailored to that event to make it the best it can be

Woo: A naturally social and outgoing nature which allows someone to freely communicate with clients and vendors, as well as market for new business

Career Profile: Lifeguard

What They Do: A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach…In some areas, lifeguards are part of the emergency services system to incidents and in some communities, the lifeguard service also carries out mountain rescues, or may function as the primary EMS provider. (Wikipedia)

What are the talents that may be involved in making someone great at this job? Here are five suggestions:

Activator and Achiever: A constant state of readiness to spring to action at a moment's notice

Deliberative and Responsibility: A constant watchfulness over everything that is going on in an area, always being on the lookout for situations and problems before they happen

Restorative: A love of solving problems and successfully resolving situations where others' lives may be at stake

Career Profile: Jewelry Designer

What They Do: A jewelry designer or jewellery designer (see American and British English spelling differences) is a person who renders original jewelry creations and usually constructs them as well. (Wikipedia)

What are the talents that may be involved in making someone great at this job? Here are five suggestions:

Achiever: To follow through on the often painstaking tasks needed to accomplish the creation of pieces

Input and Learner: To understand the many subtle aspects of designing and creating attractive jewelry pieces

Discipline and Individualization: The patience and organization needed to create delicate works of art that might be painstaking to produce, yet ultimately will be recognized for their individual artistic merits