Post: #1

So after reading on the forum about various credentials from college degrees to journeyman ship in a trade, I was interested in compiling a list of credentials that are good to have. Ill start:
-College Degree (Bachelors at minimum) in Science, Mathematics, or Medicine.
1.Trade Certificate and training
2. EMT License its a good job for $20+ an hour.
3. Real Estate License
4. Pilot License
5. Language Fluency Certification

And continue..

P.S. Should I add on an explanation of the uses of each as well

Post: #2

Security Clearance

Post: #3

Sorry, but I think this topic is honestly way too broad. Define "good to have"? If you are referring to earning capacity or employment guarantee, I don't agree that any of the above fall into that realm bar medicine.

Post: #4

I agree with Lukey; language, real estate and pilot are not good jobs for $ or job security. I know a pilot that works as a delivery driver at pizza hutt because he makes more at pizza hutt than he would as a junior pilot.

I agree EMT is a good one but deceiving; you need to be a "paramedic"
Fire Science A.A.S. has potential as a good one.
Accounting certifications

Anything that could allow you to get a government job... I would LOVE to hear other members chip in on this as I am interested in furthering my credentials to gain some employment in those "safe" jobs.

Falcon could you elaborate on "Security Clearance?"

Post: #5

Real Estate Agents have it rough don't get it twisted.

Diplomatic credentials is easily the best. You get a tax free salary and the rule of law does not touch you. Plus hassle free movement between almost all nations.

High level security clearence is also a good one since it automatically makes you an important asset of value (or a risk) offering you a wack of protections and access.

Press passes are easy to get if your slick and can get you VIP access to a lot of events. My homie used his blog and writing gig to get him into shows backstage all the time.

Post: #6

Young cats might want to look into the pilot route.

A lot of older pilots are going to be retiring in the next few years. Currently the entry costs are high and the pay is shit until you can work your way up to a major airline. Combine the two and your looking at a big pilot shortage coming up which is going to drive wages up and open jobs up at a lower hour level because the airlines will have to take less experienced pilots to fill all the jobs.

Post: #7

Translation certification is good if you are native english speaking and have good proficiency in a FIGES language (French, Italian, German or Spanish). It's usually just one or two 3 hr exams that cost $300.

That said, it seems you can get translation gigs without it, you might have to work harder/longer to market yourself though.

Translation cert + proficient in FIGES language + experience in a technical field (e.g. medical, software, science) is a great combo for charging the highest tier rates, and being able to work freelance and location-independently.


What are some other cool combos of skills/qualifications guys?

Post: #8

(05-20-2012 11:07 AM)defguy Wrote:  Falcon could you elaborate on "Security Clearance?"

A security clearance is granted by a government agency allowing an individual to access classified information. Top Secret Clearance is by far the most valuable. If you are a US citizen, there are thousands of government and contract jobs available for those with a clearance. Combine that with a Master's degree in economics, engineering, etc. and you are guaranteed six figures minimum. (I have no information for job prospect for non-US governments.)

Add to that the ability to deploy with the US government or the military for 3, 6, 9 or 12 month tours in certain jobs/contracts. This allows the quick accumulation of large amounts of cash, as deployments required added stipends such as hazardous duty pay, housing allowance, etc.

The graphic (linked below) gives a pretty good break down of the benefits associated with a clearance.

http://www.clearancejobs.com/files/infographic.html

The trick is getting one. This requires (probably 90% of the time) a government job (either military or civilian) initially that will process a security clearance for you. Contractors usually don't pay the cost of a security clearance background investigation for an initial hire. Instead they hire form the pool of workers that already have a clearance. Probably the easiest is the military (enlist as a military intelligence reservist). However, its not that difficult to get a job with a government agency right out of college. One of the best ways is to apply for an internship program with agencies like DIA, CIA, DOD, etc. that require a security clearance process just to do the internship. However, these are competitive.

Another issue, if you have committed a felony, you are out. Also if you have a large amount of debt, you have no chance of getting a clearance. However, small misdemeanors, low level drug issues (weed), or small manageable debt no one really cares about.

Post: #9

Chartered Financial Analyst
Actuary

Post: #10

Mortuary sciences will be great as long as humans haven't figured out how to achieve immortality. Just a thought.

Post: #11

For our lifestyle I would say CPA/CA. As long as you do your articles at one of the Big 5 (or however many there are now) international firms you have very good prospects for international secondments. And you'll be working in big cities, not the middle of the desert.

Post: #12

(05-21-2012 08:37 PM)basilransom Wrote:  Chartered Financial Analyst
Actuary

Both great qualifications requiring major brainpower, but have you met many Acturies in real life. There are exceptions, obviously, but they have a very high incidence of Autism Spectrum disorders like Aspergers.

As an aside: It's a Chinese Actuary who some people blame for the start of the global financial crisis. He worked out some (very) complicated formula to put a risk number on all the financial instruments the crappy house-loans were packaged in. So the traders thought since they had a good handle ion what the odds were they could safely trade them....

Post: #13

The best credentials have a combination of high mobility/high demand/high barrier to entry. Personally, I would take moderate demand/high barrier to entry over something with a low barrier to entry.

For example, the CPA has a moderate demand but a high barrier to entry (150hrs of college credit and 2,000 hrs of work experience in most states). Nursing is the same (minimum 2 year degree for an RN, and limited number of open spaces in nursing programs).

If you really want to manipulate the system, look for a credential that traditionally has a high barrier to entry, but find a way to lower that barrier. For example, in the aboved mentioned cases of the CPA, there are a few states that will grate a CPA certificate but not a CPA license for people who meet the 150hr education requirement, but not the 2,000hr work experience requirement. The end result is that while you would not have a license to practice "public accounting", you would have the CPA credential, which carries a lot of weight. There are ways to do something similar for nursing as well.

Another credential I like, because of its power and relative obscurity, is the Enrolled Agent credential. This is granted by the U.S. treasury department and essentially gives one all the rights of a CPA when it comes to Tax Accounting. With it, you can not only file peoples taxes but also represent them in front of the IRS just like a CPA. In addition, it is a National credential, so you do not need to get re-licensed in every state you move to.

Post: #14

PMP / Prince in the UK