You know and I know that you know that the idea of working in Ukraine is a little off the wall. That is precisely what makes the prospect of working in Ukraine a little, no...a lot more interesting than the typical nine-to-five job. A survey was conducted by CareerBuilder.com of almost 6,200 people regarding Dream Jobs. Aside from an overwhelming 84% indicating they were not in their dream jobs, their five most desirable elements of work might be surprising. Or... Maybe not.

What was #1? Thirty-nine percent wanted to have Fun at work. Making a difference for others was the second most cited element of a dream job, followed by a higher salary, the capacity to be creative, and greater ability to make decisions. For the adventurous, Ukraine offers four of these five elements of a dream job. Fun? Making a difference for others? Creativity? Ability to make decisions? Yes. A higher salary? Probably not. But...let's talk.

Most people go to where everything is to see what is there. Logistics is concerned about going where everything is not, and getting "it" (personnel, materials and information) there. Many jobs are associated with logistics - warehousing personnel, freight forwarders, materials specialists, customs officers, etc. Large businesses think in terms of "economies of scale" - and they require extensive logistical support. Logistics is not simply confined to regular business activity.

Three additional examples of large scale logistics operations may be considered. The first type considers large-scale, relatively "short-term" operations like New Orleans after Katrina; the Tsunami that hit southeastern Indonesia; the earthquakes that hit Pakistan. The second factors very large-scale, long-term purely civilian operations on the level of nation-building. The third and most complex scope of logistics considers joint military and civilian nation-building operations like Iraq.

The overarching logistical situation of Ukraine resides in that second example, nation building in a friendly environment. Ukraine's level of development ranges from first world to third world. Almost everything exists in Ukraine to facilitate development. The population of Ukraine is educated and has the full range of technological skill to accomplish development, except that it is still in the process of emerging from a closed market to a free market. The population of Ukraine, East and West, has the desire for a better standard of living, like we know it in the West. Ukrainians do not want to be a puppet of the United States or Russia; Ukrainians want to stand on their own and as equals.

The politics of Ukraine are divisive, but the same can be said for most Western countries. Despite the apparent polarization, Ukraine has demonstrated a consistent ongoing movement toward the free market. Ukraine has cleared all of the hurdles for acceding to the World Trade Organization. In this context, the only substantive element Ukraine lacks relates to the mass of requisite knowledge and experience of how things really work in a free market.

Consequently, Ukraine could really benefit from the participation and guidance of more successful, "free market" business technicians. Achieving a higher salary? Now, the way I look at it...is if we are able to effectively apply to the four elements of what we consider a dream job to be...make a difference for others, be creative and make interesting decisions, we may not get rich, but it will be a whole helluva lot of fun.