The idea for this blog came about when my younger brother was complaining to me about how hard it is to “find out about what different careers are like.”

Thinking about it, I realised that nowadays a lot of people are “career browsers.” In our quests to discover our true calling and ideal career, we want to be able to find out what a wide variety of careers are like. Sometimes this is out of a desire to know whether there is much money in a particular line of work; what is involved in a career; what it’s like to work in a certain industry; or just plain morbid curiousity!

Now, more than ever before, people in many countries are in a seller’s market for talent. This brings great opportunities; for larger salaries, faster promotions, better workplaces but with increased opportunities can come increased confusion as people struggle to try to get the most out of the market and out of their lives. Want a job that gives you as much money as soon as possible? Want a job that means you’re free at 5pm every day to go play hackeysack? Want a job that’ll give you a corner office at 35? Want to quit your job and chase your childhood dream job?

The people who are supposed to provide us with information about career opportunities: industry leaders, academics, parents, teachers, and career coaches often don’t have the information themselves to tell us what is most suited to what we want! Instead they tell us about the old reliable “stable” careers (you know the drill: doctor, lawyer, software developer) which may provide a stable life and a reasonable middle-class salary but may not be our cup of tea in the longer run.

And then there’s the mid-career situation when you don’t even have a friendly campus career counsellor to turn to for information or advice and are on your own to figure things out!

This site aims to address these needs by gathering information from people around the the world on various careers. I hope to gather information here about salary ranges, career prospects, and the ultimate acid test: Would someone working in that career recommend it to you? I also hope to post about issues related to developing your career; developing your professional skills; and job seeking in general. Topics I might cover would include working visa requirements for various countries, tips for networking, presentation skills tips etc.