Taking a look at peculiar, yet growing jobs in Korea
UPON ENTERING 21C, the world has faced economic recessions and it is expected that unemployment rate will continuously increase for the years ahead. More and more people are failing to find a job. However, not everyone simply succumbs to such misfortune. Some people saw this time of hardship as a moment to capitalize on their unique talents, establishing careers that are not so common. The book Unconventional Jobs, Vivid Interviews published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and Korea Employment Information Service introduces several unique jobs these people decided to take.
Caring for wounded animals: a wild animal rehabilitation specialist
A wild animal rehabilitation specialist rescues wounded animals, conducts a medical examination, treatment, and rehabilitation to ensure that animals can return to their natural habitats healthy and safe. Once a phone call from a municipal or the county office is received, the specialists promptly head out to the site. They identify the animal’s species, conditions and geographic features of the site so as to figure out the cause of the accident. After taking a picture, they transfer the animal to a wildlife animal rehabilitation center. At the center, the animal goes through a full diagnosis. Based on the result of the diagnosis, a veterinarian will decide whether to carry out a treatment or an operation. After the veterinarian administers treatment, the rehabilitation stage begins. The method and duration of rehabilitation varies depending on the animals’ species and injuries.
Studies in biology or animal related majors in university will be a benefit when pursuing a career in this field. A firsthand experience in veterinary clinic will greatly aid an individual in becoming a wild animal rehabilitation specialist. For potential wild animal rehabilitation specialists, extensive knowledge in disciplines of zoology and biology is required for direct treatment of the wildlife. Moreover, an adequate understanding of the characteristics of wild animals is also crucial in conducting rehabilitation. However, the most essential prerequisite is a heart that truly cares for animals.
The prospect of this occupation is becoming more promising. The government is increasingly being attentive to animal welfare and problems involving the wildlife’s death due to human intervention. Moreover, as the civic awareness has matured a great deal over the last few decades, more and more people are reporting the accidents and even volunteering to participate. Thus, the field of the wildlife rehabilitation is developing rapidly. Both the diverse wildlife all across the country and the current situation in which increasing number of people are willing to help show that this field has much potential.
Helping multicultural children: a multicultural family coordinator
A multicultural family coordinator ensures that children of multicultural family assimilate well into the Korean society. Coordinators mainly focus on helping children get proper education by assisting and introducing them to educational programs in various fields. They conduct admission counseling for multicultural children and help them enter suitable schools. For students who are not so fluent in Korean, a coordinator recommends them to enter the preparatory school that teaches Korean prior to the regular school education or assists them to multicultural classes. Even after multicultural children enter school, multicultural family coordinators follow-up to see if the children have adapted well to school life. As such, it is a role of a multicultural family coordinator to help multicultural children adapt to schools and the Korean society, ultimately to ensure the family’s stable settlements in Korea.
A multicultural family coordinator works for a local Office of Education. According to 2013 multicultural students’ present-condition investigation by the Ministry of Education, the number of multicultural students in 2013 turned out to be 55,780, showing a 15% increase, compared to that of 2012. Acknowledging the lack of coordinators, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is increasing the number of alternative schools, preparatory schools and global schools. As the number of multicultural children and educational services established for them increases, it is highly expected that the demand for multicultural family coordinators will burgeon more and more.
For this occupation, an individual who has majored in social welfare or education, or who has past experience in the field of multiculturalism is preferred. It is favorable if one has a teaching certificate. Fluency in foreign languages such as English or Chinese is also a definite advantage. The most important qualification for this job is someone that earnestly cares for multicultural children and their family.
Protecting the image of a client: a reputation manager
A reputation manager manages the reputation of a company or an individual. Reputation managers devise precautionary measures to protect a brand or certain information about an individual or a company, and also take measures if the client’s reputation has already been damaged. They regularly monitor online contents that can possibly harm the reputation of a client. If reputation managers detect such content, they actively find a solution. For instance, they safeguard the reputation of the clients by allowing only positive results to show up when people search the client’s content online. Also, they take legal actions against those who have harmed their client’s reputation. Nowadays, reputation managers also utilize widely used social network services to promote positive contents and construct a good image of their client in people’s minds.
To work as a reputation manager, one needs experience in the field of media, advertisement or promotion. A keen sense and abilities gained from experiences in related fields are imperative for one to embark on a career as a professional reputation management. Among existing majors, advertisement, marketing, mass communication, and media related majors are helpful in carrying out the tasks of this job. Being a reputation manager also requires an insight that can analyze the future out of small incidents or phenomena. Intuition, curiosity, understanding of the media, and critical thinking abilities are also required.
In the past, the law firms, consulting companies and the public relations companies monopolized the field of crisis management. However, nowadays reputation and crisis management are transforming into something more interdependent and integrated. Exposed to unpredictable crises and troubles, the corporations are constructing their own reputation and crisis managing system along with increasing the number of personnel working for judicial affairs. As a consequence, the demand of reputation managers is growing as well. This demonstrates how the corporations are starting to actively engage in promoting and protecting their reputation, thereby making a reputation manager a promising career.
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Jobs are like a mirror of the world we are living in. They reflect the way we live. There is a saying, “If you know your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle.” In the same logical sense, it is imperative that one acquaints himself with the diversity of jobs to fully comprehend the society and its various needs. Such knowledge will broaden one’s perspective, allow an insight for the future, and grant the integrated mindset when one decides a career to embark upon.
Kim Tae-hyung
taehyungkim@yonsei.ac.kr