CAREER ASPIRATIONS
INTRODUCTION
The industry that I would like to go into as an occupation is the refuse industry. The garbage industry has always amused me and I have always wanted to do something different than others, so this career would be perfect. There are different aspects of the garbage industry, and also many different employment opportunities. Some of those include garbage truck drivers, dump truck drivers, the garbage can dumpers, and many others.
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
There is no minimum educational requirement to get into this industry. Many trucking jobs only require a high school diploma. However, the truck drivers are required to have a license for the class of vehicle that they are operating, but some employers may only require drivers to be 18 years old. Because of these reasons, I do not plan on attending college, but I do plan on going to a truck drivers school as my career gets underway.
CLASSES NEEDED
The suggested classes to be taken in high school in order to obtain my career goal are Driver's Education, Reading, Automobile Mechanics, and Physical Education. Another preference is that the employees be fluent speakers of English. The only class I have not taken in high school is Automobile Mechanics, which really isn't necessary for me in the garbage truck industry, because I would not be traveling long distances. Basically, the only thing I really need to do in high school to obtain my career goal is to graduate.
CAREER DESCRIPTION
As far as my career goes, I plan to start as a garbage collector, which in essence means that I pick up the trash cans and I dump the trash out of them into the trash truck's hydraulic lifting device. This job would give me a variety of working conditions, because I would work in all kinds of weather. I would also have somewhat of a variety in the places I would work, because I have different routes to cover every day. In some cases, I must have physical strength to lift trash cans.
CAREER PLANS
From being a garbage collector I plan to advance to driver after I obtain my class I or II drivers license. This would involve a little more responsibility and some more skill. Some of the skills involved will be the ability to judge distances accurately, operate vehicles safely and economically, prepare delivery forms and keep accurate
records, must be familiar with traffic laws and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
JOB PLACEMENT
There are 124,665 refuse collectors projected to be employed by the year of 2005, with 4,335 new positions between 1992-2005. Little growth is projected through 2005 for trash collectors. The average entry level pay on the national scale for trash truck drivers ranges from $6.75 to $15.50 per hour. Garbage collectors are paid slightly less than the drivers. Pay depends on geographic region. Top pay may exceed $15.50 to $20.75. Advancement to supervisor, dispatcher, and manager are limited by the small number of jobs, but is possible with experience. Benefits include health benefits and holidays off.
RELATED OCCUPATIONS
With my experience in the garbage industry I would also qualify to go into many other occupations. Some related occupations would be tank truck drivers, who operate equipment that carry liquid and gaseous products. They load, transport and deliver these products. Tow truck drivers drive a tow truck to move stalled motor vehicles, those damaged by accident, or ticketed by police officers for traffic violations. Truck drivers operate trucks or trailer combinations to deliver various materials to manufacturers and markets. Long-haul truck drivers operate diesel, butane, or gasoline-powered trucks and trailers over distances ranging from hundreds to thousands of miles. Other drivers operate log trucks, delivery vans, and numerous other types of vehicles primarily within local areas.
CONCLUSION
I believe that my career aspiration will be an enjoyable and life long experience, which will provide good pay, hours, benefits, and new experiences every day. This will also open doors into other occupations also if I find that I am not satisfied with the garbage industry. So, as I have just shown, the garbage industry is an occupation that society looks down upon and considers dirty and smelly is actually an excellent field to go into.
