thursday,march 21, 2013 - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

The County Times
Thursday, March 21, 2013 10
Professionals
Are
Downshifting
Careers
Climbing the corporate ladder takes
time, devotion and ambition. After reaching
the top, some professionals choose to
change directions in a phenomenon called
“downshifting.”
A 2009 publication from the AARP
Public Policy Institute noted that many older
workers, as they approach retirement age,
are looking to trade in a higher-paying, demanding
job for one with more flexibility,
less responsibility and lower pay. A study by
the University of Michigan for the National
Institute on Aging’s Health and Retirement
Study found 28.8 percent of males and 24.3
percent of females ages 51 to 55 changed careers
after age 50.
In the current economy, this downshifting
or career reassessment can be difficult
to come by. That’s because there are many
other job seekers who are interested in any
position they can get and will be vying for
the lower-paying jobs that some downshifters
may also be seeking. In addition, some
firms won’t consider applicants whom they
deem overqualified. Some human resources
departments and recruiters simply overlook
high-qualified applicants because they may
assume the skill level also comes with a need
for a high salary – even if this is not the case.
There are others who are willing to take
the gamble on a well-qualified applicant.
They realize that this opportunity may not
come again if the market rebounds.
Those who are looking to downshift may
have to change the ways they market themselves.
It may not entail listing your most
notable achievements on your resume, but
rather selling yourself a little short. Here are
some tips you can employ if you’re looking
to scale back your job and responsibilities.
• Apply at smaller companies that may
not have the staff or resources to promote
from within just yet. There’s a good chance
your experience and leadership abilities will
be prized in such a company.
• Play up your assets, not the positions
you have held, on resumes.
• Be honest in your cover letter, letting
hiring managers know you are serious about
taking a step back in rank.
• Consider freelancing or consulting if
you’re having trouble finding a full-time gig.
Freelancing lets you set your own hours and
pace.
• Find out if you can downshift in your
current company. Some employers will be
anxious to keep a good worker and see the
benefit in paying a lower salary.
Not everyone is interested in moving
up the corporate ladder. Certain individuals
are looking to downsize their jobs to gain
more flexibility for family, hobbies and other
pursuits.
metrocreativeconnection.com
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
Local Manufacturer Builds
Pre-fab Bomb Shelters
Triton Metals, based in California, has made a name
for itself in the metal fabrication business, especially
when it comes to creating items for the defense industry.
Now they are branching out into the civil defense
market by manufacturing bomb shelters from plate steel.
They are prefabricated ready to be laid into the ground.
Triton Metal staff has a prototype model on display
in the parking lot of their facility on Airport View Drive.
It is complete with four bunk beds, an air pump that can
filter nuclear, biological and chemical contaminates, a
bathroom and shower, kitchenette with refrigerator and
lockers that can hold food, supplies and weapons and
ammunition.
A couch and TV set round out a lounge area.
“It’s made from quarter-inch plate steel and it basically
goes directly underground,” said Mike Hutson,
business development manager at Triton Metals. “You
can make a colony out of these things.”
Each of the bomb shelters can be linked together,
Hutson explained, to form a kind of subterranean
community.
Hutson said concerns about possible civil unrest and
financial collapse prompted Triton Metals to explore the
burgeoning prepping and survivalist community.
Their prototype model was recently showcased at
Triton Metals just showed its new underground bomb shelter at a prepper and survivalist show in
Nashville, Tennessee.
Photos By Guy Leonard
The interior of the new bomb shelter is cramped but comfortable.
a prepper convention in Nashville,
Tenn., he said.
Most underground bunkers have
to be built on the site where they
would be put to rest but Triton Metals
builds the shelter in their factory and
can then ship it to the customer.
The end product can be adjusted
to suit whatever the customer’s needs
are, he said.
“It’s whatever the customer
wants, they’re totally customizable,”
Hutson said.
The end goal of the business expansion
is also to increase the number
of local jobs, about 100 jobs in total,
Hutson said.
“We want to increase manufacturing
jobs in the county,” Hutson
said.
guyleonard@countytimes.net
Precise Systems Recognized by
DiversityBusiness.com
Precise Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce that we
have been recently recognized by DiversityBusiness.com as
the 13th most successful Disabled Veteran Owned Business
in the United States and also ranked Precise in 14th position
of the top 100 Privately-held Businesses in Maryland.
Both of these rankings, which honor companies by
revenue and diversity affiliation, represent the nation’s top
multicultural earners and provide a comprehensive look at
an important segment of the United States economy - America’s
privately held companies.
“We’re very honored that DiversityBusiness.com selected
Precise Systems for inclusion on its list,” said Tom
Curtis, CEO. “The diversity of our workforce broadens the
range of ideas and perspectives which we’re able to bring
to bear for the benefit of our clients. Being named one of
the Top 100 Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses in the U.S.
provides public sector recognition of the incalculable value
of our Veterans as they transition into private industry.”