How do I see a path like...

Before waging that war, I appreciate to think about career paths for HR practitioners like this… (Between this war and “career”, yap, my laser aiming system is so sophisticated that my life is generally unproductive.)

HR Advisory/Consultancy (I learnt)

Personally, this is not my favourite, though I am quite acquainted with it (since I have a very close friend working with one of them).

Delivering HR solutions to clients are challenging, yet limited – in terms of the applicability of the solution itself. The actual problem has always “contained” the solution to be brought about by HR consultancy.

Perhaps the consultant wishes to provide a fine solution, but the budget, the depth of understanding of the situation would have limited the choice to be provided. My close friend had had a hard time with his ego regurgitating the same and useless solutions (and expensive) to their noble clients.

But still, working with HR consultants is good for brushing up close quarter combat skills with external clients and gather the most “advanced” HR knowledge.

In-house HR practitioner in investment banks (I inquired)

I have a few contact points with insider’s information of i-banks.

For positions up on the top of the hierarchy, life (and pay) is good. What you need are social skills and high sounding top-notch HR technology and terminologies.

For those down below the manager levels, you would be focusing highly on administrative work. Things were set and rules were there. Changes would only be carried out and involved by managers because the information above the manager levels is mysteriously confidential. (But who care!)

I-bank cares less on HR because the dollar terms have been too overwhelming (and distracting, well, to its employees). What i-bank cares about HR are “technology” (are you good at web or the internet?) and fancy HR so-called solutions (What the hXXX is this Wiki-based Knowledge Management System!). Personally, I don’t like it.

In-house HR practitioner in, say, medium-sized manufacturing or retail companies (I experienced and actually enjoyed)

Nice and cool! Though it doesn’t seem like a “prestigious” (and less pay) kind of job, the true beauty of HR usually lies within.

From mid-level to the top of the levels, an HR would have numerous opportunities (in condition that, you must not sit and wait) to get involved in most aspects of HR practices.

In-house MNC HR (I presume...)

If you do feel confident with yourself, MNCs (whatever MNCs, except those EXTREMELY capital-intensive ones) are ultimate goals for practising HR, particularly when you are moving up.

Government, NGOs and “Government-controlled” organizations (I read, from newspaper)

Well, just like i-bank.

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Goodness, where the HXXX am I! (Well, any other suggestion?)