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What to Consider When Planning Your Career

Spaycial — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:58:45 +0000

When you are planning what you want to do when you grow up, and deciding whether to go to school or start out by working first, it’s important to consider certain things.

First of all, how secure is the career you are planning to go into? If you don’t know, you need to do more research. You can find out all kinds of information, such as average salary, projected growth, and job conditions on the website for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their Occupational Outlook Handbook has tons of information about pretty much every career you could imagine.

For instance, if you are considering a career in the culinary arts, the BLS page on chefs will give you information such as how much they earn, the typical workplace conditions, and whether the industry is expected to grow or not.

You should also consider whether a formal education will help you in achieving your career goals. In some careers, work experience or an education from a vocational school is enough, while in others a bachelor’s degree from a university is expected. For instance, an education from one of the many chef schools might make you one of more highly educated people in the culinary industry, while a therapist or a counselor needs much more education in order to pursue his or her career.

Be sure to keep issues like these in mind when planning your career, and you will have a better chance of getting started off on the right foot!

Technorati Tags: chef schools, chefs, Culinary Arts

USGBC and LEED

Zinney — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:17 +0000

I’ve looked into usgbc leed. It has sparked some interest in the last couple of years. Actually, it has sparked a lot of interest. I’ve also looked at the leed courses. Being leed certified is the way of the future. Knowing about LEED is something that every contractor, builder, designer, and engineer needs to have in his or her toolbox. I think it is a pretty good asset, and a great selling point for anybody looking to advance their career. As a long time civil engineer, I’ve found that expanding your certification range can really help increase your income. It makes you a much more viable professional, and it keeps you up to date with the latest standards. Being up to date is very important with all the changes in technology. With these great strides you need to embrace the changes, and adapt to become a successful professional.

Standards are not only important, but they are required for any type of government contract. It is important that you follow these standards to comply with any government policy. Become an LEED professional, and receiving certification will help you understand the standards in place for being ‘green’. This is the direction the world is heading.

Technorati Tags: leed certified, leed courses, usgbc leed

Get into School with a Golf Scholarship

Financial Aid

Zinney — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:15:19 +0000

Higher education, that is, at colleges and universities, is becoming increasingly expensive to not only fit the salary requirements of faculty and administration, but also to suit necessary campus expansion programs. However, for those students who find the price of a higher education daunting, there is always the option of student financial aid. There are two ways that financial aid is assessed: merit based and need based. Merit based requires that the student either have exceptional academic records, sport participation or community service experiences. Need based aid is assessed in relation to the student’s household income. There are two types of aid, debts and grants. Grants don’t require that students pay the money back, but are usually merit based so that, if for example, a student receives a grant but after one semester, his or her grades considerably drop, the grant may not be offered past that semester. Debts are usually need based, and therefore will continue to be offered so long as the need exists. Students are required to pay back debts, but payment schedules usually do not commence until the student has graduated. An exception to the rule is the Pell Grant, which is need based but does not require students to pay the money back. In order to qualify for merit based grants, students must fill out applications and submit various materials, often including an essay. In order to qualify for need based debt lending, students must first fill out a FAFSA.

Technorati Tags: fafsa, pell grant, student financial aid