Accepting Change
by John Cox

As one who has taken the math-science path in education and career, I continue to look for some truisms that one can always count on. One that seems to fulfill this is change. In fact, one of my favorite sayings is "One of the few things for certain is change." With a little thought and reflection, most people will tend to agree that change is ubiquitous in our environment. The sun comes up and goes down, day changes into night and back again. The seasons change and with them the weather: leaves on trees, mosquitoes, bugs and bees. People change too, they sow, they grow, and they seek to know. So what does change have to do with career opportunities, the focus of this issue of Winds of Change? Everything!
Fortuitously, even the name of this periodical recognizes change. Businesses are changing all the time in order to stay in business, which is largely related to their profitability. These changes are driven by a plethora of factors that are constantly changing too—regulations, supply and demand, the market, competition, technology, etc. As businesses change and new ones are developed, the education and skills required of the professional work force must also necessarily change. The business of education and training employees for careers in these businesses must also change or become obsolete—no small task given the size of the educational bureaucracy.
Great changes have occurred within many tribal communities over the past decade. Many tribes have been successful at exercising tribal sovereignty and business development, which in turn has created a broad range of professional career opportunities for tribal members. Highly educated and trained professionals are needed throughout Indian Country in a whole spectrum of disciplines to support this unprecedented facet of tribal growth. In fact, many professional jobs in Indian Country are filled by non-tribal people due to lack of qualified tribal professionals.
While tribal gaming businesses and careers in this field have been highly publicized over the past decade, there has been a concomitant increase in tribal demand for professionals in the math, science and engineering fields. These jobs are a direct consequence of tribes looking at and taking on new businesses such as fossil fuel power plants, wind energy power plants, and telecommunications, as well as the management and restoration of their natural (water, land, air, flora and fauna) and cultural resources. One only need look in Native American periodicals, such as Winds of Change and Indian Country Today, to get a feel for the demand for these professionals. The pay is also good in the math, science and engineering fields, with starting salaries for bachelor of science degreed professionals ranging from $35,000-$50,000 per year.
For tribes to continue their momentum in rebuilding and sustaining strong Indian nations, it will be essential to have a highly trained staff of professionals to compete in the business and government-to-government communities at the local, regional, national and international scale. I like to tell the students I mentor, "You canít be too smart."
Regardless of your current position, it is essential to recognize change and learn how to deal with it. In planning for a career, or field of study, it is essential to secure good counseling and to talk to your tribal leaders and professionals regarding careers. Not only are jobs more plentiful for the highly educated and trained individual, the salary is higher. Many people have changed careers, recognizing that theirs is dead-end or non-gratifying. A number of organizations provide career counseling, which is readily available through schools and government career services. These services should be consulted early, with periodic checkups in order to keep abreast of change and continue career development.
As new developments occur, those of us at some place along a career ladder need to make necessary changes and adjustments to our skills and education in order to maintain professional marketability, prevent obsolescence and promote personal advancement as new developments occur. Aside from recognizing that we have to live with change, we should plan for it, monitor it and be prepared to accept change and look on it as an opportunity for career advancement.

John Cox is an enrolled member of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians from Southwestern Oregon. An AISES member, he currently works on environmental issues, particularly those dealing with indoor and outdoor air quality for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).