24-JOBS

The most important raw materials are fuels (coal, oil, gas and uranium), ores (iron, chromium, nickel, manganese, bauxite) and other metals (copper). Among the non-metal materials, phosphates, salt and sulphur are used. A separate group are the precious metals (gold, silver, platinum), which were connected with many cruel events in the past. One of the basic branch of industry is energetics, which produces electrical energy for the other branches. There are coal, water and atomic power stations, today people try to use also the alternative sources of energy. The other branches are metallurgy (making steel, aluminium...), machinery (heavy machines, cars, robots, household equipment), chemical industry (plastics, medicaments, cosmetics), textile industry (clothes, shoes), food industry, and the industry of glass and pottery. An important role in industry is played by the transport, of course the freight transport. But passenger transport is also needed. There are various types of transport – railway, road, water, air, pipe and information.

Services

The terciary sphere means services to people. It includes shops, travel agencies, restaurants, museums and galleries, offices, banks, church organisations, hospitals, schools, and also science. Altogether they are called non-productive economy. The number of people employed in services is different in different countries – the more developed country, the more people in services. One of the most expanding branches of services is tourism, people travel to seas, lakes, mountains, nature monuments, cities or spas.

Today’s problems

Compared with some periods from the history, the social-economic situation is remarkably better. However, there are some troubles. The most important one is unemployment – despite somebody’s wish and ability to work, he / she can’t get a job. Usually it is because there is only a little need for his / her sort of qualification. Compared with the situation in the past, when to get workers was a problem, today it is the opposite – workers are not able to find a job. The most serious situation is in non-developed countries, where the number of people is growing fastly and the local factories are closing down, or there are not any at all. In the Czech Republic, the areas with the highest number of unemployed people are the northern Bohemia and northern Moravia – there used to be a great number of professions in mining and metallurgy, but today there are not so many jobs as in the past. In the recent years, there is a trend to work in a foreign country for a couple of years to gain experience.

My future plans

I study the Electrotechnical faculty of the Czech technical university and I have chosen the branch of electrical engines. Actually, I would like to work somewhere around railway locomotives, because I am interested in them and I think I understand the basic facts of their function. I would like to get some experience in some company before my graduation, or also try studying abroad for a couple of months. I hope at least some of my wishes come true.