Choose Your Career

Your college major matters. The internet has been abuzz with content related to this finding, which was the subject of a recently released Georgetown study. According to the study, your college major plays a huge part in determining your career path and salary potential. Meaning, when it comes time to declare your major, you better pick a good one—because your entire future’s at stake, kid. Does this seem unfair to anyone else? When I declared my college major—Spanish, which is decidedly on the low, low end of the salary spectrum—I was only 20 years old. Here are the things that were important to me at age 20: 1. Making mix tapes for my boyfriend (which involved finding the saddest of all Cure songs) 2. Figuring out which parties had free beer 3. Choosing classes that didn’t require me to wake up before 10am Here are the things that were not important to me at age 20: 1. My maximum earnings potential 2. The 40 hour work week 3. Whether or not my … [Read more...] about Deciding What You Want to Be When You Grow Up

The phrase “job search” can strike fear in the hearts of even the most qualified candidates.  With the prospect of endless research, grueling interviews, and the disappointment of rejection looming over the process, many find it to be a joyless experience. One way to combat the drudgery of the job search is to set your sights on an industry that will land you in fantastic locations. A job where you’ll have opportunities to try new experiences every day. Working within the tourist industry provides exactly this opportunity.  Think about it- instead of spending your precious vacation time and hard-earned money traveling to amazing places, you could actually live and work in one of these locations. But how does one get a job in this industry? Here are a few tips on how to land a dream job in vacationland. 1) Think outside the city Sure, the tourist industry is huge in cities all across the world, but competition for jobs can be fierce in urban environments.  To increase your … [Read more...] about 3 Tips on Getting a Traveling Job in the Tourist Industry

Every one has a dream job -- one that they never think that for a million years they could ever get. There are so many amazing companies in the United States that people are just dying to work for. Many of them are looking for young college graduates who have a fresh look and a new perspective to join their company. Many of you will have the opportunity to apply to companies like these. You may not think that you have a shot because of your lack of experience when in fact, they are looking for new eyes to give them new insights. Here are some amazing companies that many people would die to work for. Google Everyone loves Google. Also, everyone knows Google. If you do get the opportunity to work here, take it! Google treats their employees amazingly because they want to keep them happy. Someone who wrote a review about it online said that although Google is such a large company, they still try to function like a small business. They want to be a large and successful corporation without … [Read more...] about Companies You Would Want to Work At

Do you enjoy sitting in an office?  How about dealing with the elderly? Or changing colostomy bags?  If none of those sound fun then you have come to the right place.  What about a career that allows you to work with elite level athletes ranging from college, professional and Olympic?  How about working on the side cheering on your favorite team?  What if you could be an instrumental part of a winning organization for your quick thinking and skills?  If that sounds like your dream job, then Athletic Training might be for you. What is Athletic Training?  It is a profession designed to take care of athletes.  Certified Athletic Trainers are directly responsible for the health care of the athletic team(s) you work with.  This can include injury assessment, rehabilitation, dental, physiological impairment sports psychology issues and concussion prevention and education.  Not only will you be the person directly responsible for these needs, but you might also be the person in charge of … [Read more...] about Consider Athletic Training as a Career

For many, the dream is to start a business. Whatever the business may be, the idea of building something from the ground up is exciting. You get to hire your own staff, make decisions the way you want, and eventually you’ll be bringing in the big bucks. However, starting a business in this economy is not always all it’s cracked up to be—you more or less have to succeed within the first year in order to keep going. This can be tough because of all the things that go into the first year of a business. You have to figure out your finances and loans, which software you want to use for your business, complete background checks on all candidates, and figure out a way to get your name out there all at the same time. In other words, it may be a good idea to have all of these components in place before you put your heart and soul into a business. What’s the easiest way to make that happen? Buy an already established business. Top Three Reasons to Start Your Business By Taking Over Someone … [Read more...] about Starting Your Own Business vs. Buying a Business

In defining freelancers, one of the first images that comes to mind is someone pursuing a career in their most casual outfits, namely their pajamas. This indeed would be a dream come true. Oh, but alas that describes this author! So, lest we deliberate on the fashion for freelancers and omit the subject of the agenda, let’s jump right in with all fours and discover those amazing five habits. ●      Goals Yes, believe it or not even free spirits, freelancers, have goals. One of course is to keep eating; the other is to be able to sleep indoors; another might be to have a voice-activated form of communication; and for some, to have transportation. In this author’s case it is just reassuring to know her brain is functioning at a reasonable level, and that she actually has work when all about her were demanding she “get out and get a job!” ●      Discipline Work-related goals, however, respond to things like setting an alarm clock, enjoying a healthy breakfast, using the first hour to … [Read more...] about The Five Habits of Effective Freelancers

Many dream of being a nanny from the first time they see Mary Poppins as a child, while others take this career path much later in life. It does not matter if you are 20 or 50-years-old, a nanny is a very rewarding career, and certainly one you can always get into. Not to mention, nannies are higher in demand now than ever before, especially since more women hold powerful positions in companies and have their own businesses that they can’t stay away from for long. As long as you are qualified, it will rarely be a challenge to find a nice long-term job. Are You a Good Fit? Being a nanny requires a special type of person. Just because you love kids, does not mean that this is the right career change for you. There are many characteristics that make a person a good nanny, a few of these include: Patience – Spending 10 to 12 hours with a child can be pretty wearing on your patience. You have to be able to not let things pile up until you explode. Children will push their boundaries and … [Read more...] about Career Change: Should I Become a Nanny?

So, you want to be famous. You’ve got dreams of Hollywood and Broadway; bright lights and the big city. You can already see your name in lights, and all you need is one lucky break. Believe it or not, it might be easier than you think. When I first moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, I had no idea what I was going to do to earn a buck. I had a two-year work permit and plenty of time on my hands, but nobody wanted to hire me, despite having an advanced degree and a willingness to work for peanuts. Every employer offering a long-term position was concerned about paying and training someone who may not be able to maintain residency; a common problem for potential hires on both sides of the border. After weathering a string of rejections, I decided I needed to be a little more open-minded about employment. That’s when I stumbled into the world of the background performer (aka, the extra) Let it be known now that I had no prior training or experience in acting before becoming an … [Read more...] about How to Get Hired as an Extra in a Movie or TV Show

For most employees, transitioning from one company to another is a natural process of advancing their careers. While a new job can offer an increased paycheck and more opportunity for career growth, it can also bring a cash shortage. Often, when employees transition between jobs, they face a temporary gap between when their prior job ended and their new one begins. While this job gap may only last a week or two, the lack of pay during the transition is enough to rattle the budgets of cash-strapped workers. The following are four tips for avoiding a cash shortage during an upcoming transition to help you focus more fully on preparing for the new job. Plan in Advance Except for in extreme situations, a job change should never be completed on impulse. Rather, this change should be made after lengthy assessments of the pros and cons of transitioning from one company to another. By planning a career change in advance, you’ll have ample time to save up slowly for any pay gap you may … [Read more...] about How to Avoid a Cash Shortage During a Job Transition

Linux is a computer operating system which is based on free and open source software. There are many different varieties of Linux and they are all based on the Linux kernel which was the first operating system to be released on October 5th, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The popularity of Linux has increased ever since and more and more users are using this alternative software on a daily basis. As this open source software is now becoming a bigger part of our daily life, there has been an increase in Linux jobs, especially when it comes to becoming a Linux engineer. Linux runs on a wide variety of computer hardware, from mobile phones, tablet computers, televisions, video game consoles, desktop computers and supercomputers. Linux is one of the biggest leading server operating system which runs the 10 fastest supercomputers around the world. The role of a Linux systems engineer is to design and implement Linux-based Internet web server set ups. A Linux systems engineer will typically work … [Read more...] about Choose a Career: Becoming a Linux Engineer