"Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.14% by weight (C: 110 - 10Fe), depending on grade," according to Wikipedia's definition.

Steel begins its life as iron ore. Once the ore is mined, oxygen is removed, and the ore is combined with a preferred chemical partner such as carbon.

This process is known as smelting.

I'm sharing this information with you because of the car that sat in front of me at the bank window recently.

The car itself wasn't very old, and already the back end had been caved in by, either, a tailgater who wanted to find out how much of his own car would fit in the backseat of this one, or the inadvertent chance meeting with "tree-that-appears-out of-nowhere-while-I-was-in-reverse-looking-out-of-my-back-window-rearview-mirror-and-both-side-rearview-mirrors-all-at-the-same-time-an-aircraft-ground-traffic-flagman-was-guiding-me-out-of-my-driveway" tree. You know the one.

Anyway, it occurred to me that the steel that had been exposed by the paint and primer that had been chipped away during the accident, was already beginning to rust.

So, here you have a product that is used for everything from bed frames to space shuttle parts because of its strength and ability to be molded into so many different shapes and sizes. A material so vital and so flexible that without it I would have to say we would have few if any of the products that we take for granted on a daily basis. Bridges that take us across great chasms, automobiles that get us from point A to point B in relative comfort and speed, the machinery that protects our nation, the cutlery we use to feed ourselves, and the list goes on and on.

Yet, without a layer of primer, the air itself will destroy this amazing discovery. And of course a paint color of your choice aids in protecting as well as giving the steel-made product an appeal unmatched by, say, painted plastic.

How like our own career paths steel is. Continue reading ...

Article by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, one of only 26 Master Resume Writers (MRW) in the world, who has a B.A. in Writing and is owner of Career Trend, a career strategy and writing firm serving a global market. Jacqui composes career positioning documents that land interviews for forward-thinking executives and professionals, unearthing and translating their 'value into words.' Connect with her on LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquibarrett. Follow her on Twitter - @ValueIntoWords