Why You Need a Career Mentor

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Mentors are an important resource for success on the job. Finding one can be a task, positioning you to be selected as a mentee is another. Here are some helpful tips.

Mentoring used to be an informal and difficult process. Managers would identify potential success stories. You had to be likeable or someone who reminded the mentor of his or her early years. The golf course or a game of billiards would open opportunities to be groomed. Relationships would develop over cold beers. You guessed it, the “good old boy” network. If you did not hang out you were left out.

Companies today realize the organizational benefit of supporting and developing talent and are establishing formal mentor programs that ensure growth from the bottom to the top lasts from within. Will employees stay longer if they feel like they are being groomed for success? Are you the best option for a new opportunity if your career is being guided by manager, supervisor, coach, or a specialist?

Having a mentor allows access to information that may not otherwise be available to you. Mentors show you the ropes, they lend you a hand, and they provide insight into a world that continues to change as you navigate through it. Mentors provide quality information because more than likely they have made the same mistakes you are asking, so you benefit from the secret weapon. Think about your co-workers, everyone wants to get promoted all at the same time. You better believe if you have a strong mentor and you are following his or her advice you should have an edge. I have seen too many times one position opens and 3 employees want that new title. Read below for tips on why you need a career mentor.

Motivation – A good mentor has the rare ability to explain to you what you need to do and why, in a way that makes sense. An encounter with a mentor often becomes a turning point in your career or business.

Success – A mentor who shares their experience with you helps you to avoid mistakes that you would otherwise make. Achieving success faster and with less effort, would you consider that to be efficient and effective?

Honesty – A mentor is a person who is not emotionally involved in your situation, your friends, family, barber, or hairstylist love to give advice. These people either, do not know, are emotional involved, or tell you exactly what you want to here. A mentor’s advice should be free and straight to the point.

Positive Attitude – When “Murphy’s Law” kicks in to your life a good mentor knows you are bleeding internally, but they have a plan to get you patched up, in a step by step approach. Mentors always have a story to make you feel good and to give the necessary encouragement to move forward.

Improvement – Your mentor will expect some improve. You should expect to grow with knowledge. Mentors will advise homework, such …

Things You Should Know About English Schools

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An English School refers to a school or institution where English is the ‘primary medium of imparting education’ to students in all subjects; this may also be the case where English is not the first language or the ‘mother tongue’ of the students.

A thorough knowledge of the English language is extremely valuable and useful for communication at a global level; since many countries have mandated that the English language is used as the normal education medium.

The spread of English around the world is associated with the rise of the British Empire. From its original homeland in the lowlands of Scotland to the rest or Ireland and Great Britain, the use of the English language spread far and wide increasing the cultural and economic influences of countries especially since the times of the World Wars.

Once English left the shores of the British Isles, it travelled quickly to the Commonwealth Countries such as Canada, Australia and large parts of Asia where the British Empire extended to.

Under Section 92 of the Canadian Constitution, education is a matter under provincial control. Large parts of Canada were occupied by French-speaking Europeans. During the 19th and 20th century, the English-only education laws culinated in the Manitoba Schools Question 1896 and Ontario Regulation 17 in 1912, which were strident against French and other European minority languages. Canada adopted official bilingualism in 1969 where English and French found their places, but for most part English remains the predominant language of education.

The Parliament of England passed the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 annexing Wales as part of the English Kingdom; These laws are collectively referred to as ‘Acts of Union’.

In Ireland, the ‘Royal Schools’ proclamation by James I in 1608 was done with the intent of setting up on free school in every country for educating the youth in learning and religion.

Between 1494 and 1698 the Scots Parliament passed nearly ten acts to legislate and establish English among the aristocracy first and spread it down to all ranks of people.

The Charter Act of 1813 decreed that English as a language would be included in the Indian education system for students to learn although strictly not enforcing it as a replacement for existing indigenous languages. It was anticipated that English would continue to exist with other studies to reinforce moral laws and ethical values.

Colonial education

In South Africa, the Dutch Reformed Church Elders established the earliest European schools in the late 17th century in the Cape Colony to minister biblical instruction as a necessary requisite for church confirmations. Basic literacy abilities and math skills were taught in rural areas but by 1799, British mission schools had propagated with the arrival of the early delegation of the London Missionary Society.

Elsewhere, with the spread of English as the dominant language for learning and working, orthodox believers and fanatic opposers of the language fostered trouble by resisting the use of English in schools and teaching places; however, by the turn of the 21st …

Exciting Teaching Tools of Tomorrow

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School teachers always wanted to discover ways to connect with their students more effectively for a better learning experience. Thanks to such tools as ClassDojo, teachers can now easily have their students focused in class in no time (rather than spend precious minutes trying to manage students’ behavior).

ClassDojo likewise provides students with data on their own behavior, making them less disorderly, leading to a more conducive learning environment. Parents benefit from ClassDojo, too. Teachers can easily access every child’s classroom information and show them to the parents and make them engaged in their children’s development.

Three Ring is another techie tool for teachers who want to organize their students’ data digitally. This app allows teachers to upload student works from your smartphones or laptops directly to your own online stream.

You can use it during instruction inside the classroom, for planning lessons that are needed or will be enjoyed by the students, and for easily assessing the works of each of your students. Students can also see their progress through time through the uploaded pictures in the teachers’ stream. This can encourage them to do better in class.

Years of research on early cognitive development has paved way for new tools that will help children develop their cognitive skills. Scientific Learning®’s Fast ForWord Program strengthens children’s cognitive skills, helping them improve their reading-related skills such as comprehension, phonological and phonemic awareness, vocabulary, syntax, and grammar, among others.

Fast ForWord also offers English language learning where children can improve on their English literacy rapidly. The program is also consistent in the use of brain exercises for better retention and faster improvement on the use of English language, no matter what your first language may be.

More and more grade school teachers are also excited about custom-designed curriculums which allow the use of apps and devices such as iPads. Elementary schools in several parts of the United States have participated in piloting this kind of programs. For example, students of Jessieville Elementary School in Arkansas used storybook apps for their language arts and science activities. Likewise, students from Van Meter Elementary School managed to create their own ebooks by using several apps and software such as FlipSnack, Evernote, Skitch, and Mackin VIA.

Teachers believe that technology should be used to make education and learning more fun and interesting for children who are exposed to the internet, video games, and devices (such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets) early in their lives.…

Top Universities in Singapore – NUS and NTU

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Undoubtedly the top ranked universities in Singapore are NUS and NTU!

National University of Singapore

National University of Singapore (NUS) is ranked 33 in the Times Higher Education Supplement’s World University Rankings 2007.

According to the Financial Times (FT) 2006 EMBA ranking of the Top 85 EMBA programs, NUS Business School rises in rankings for Executive MBA programs to be among world’s Top 29.

NUS Business School did extremely well in two of the sub-categories – it came out Top 5 for the categories of ‘International Attendees’, and ‘Top Salaries in IT/ Telecommunications’.

According to the THES 2006 World Ranking in the field of technology, NUS Faculty of Engineering ranked 8th in the World’s top 100 in Technology

According to the Newsweek Ranking of Global University, NUS is ranked 36th in the top 100 universities.

Nanyang Technological University

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is the world’s top 20 technological university!

According to the Times Higher Education Supplement’s World University Rankings 2007, NTU is ranked 69 in the world.

The university has 2 campuses in Singapore: NTU at one-north campus and the Yunnan Garden campus. NTU at one-north campus is located next to Biopolis, the Singapore biomedical research hub. NTU has strong reputation overseas, linkages with world famous universities such as University of Washington, Stanford University, MIT, Cambridge, to name a few.

It offers undergraduate and graduate courses in Accountancy, Business, Communication Studies, Engineering, Science and Arts.

The university is recognized globally for its excellence in science and engineering. The College of Engineering is one of the world largest engineering colleges, with 6 engineering schools offering a variety of programs and specializations to meet the needs of many students.

It is also home to the National Institute of Education (NIE), which is the only teacher training institute in Singapore. NIE provides educational services to countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

The College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences is the first Singapore professional art school offering courses in art, design and media.

Nanyang Business School (NBS) offers one of the world top 100 MBA programs. According to the Financial Times survey (published in Jan 2007), its MBA program is ranked Number 1 in Singapore and Number 2 in Asia.…

How To Sell Insurance Coverage at Any Stage of Your Career

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Do you know How to Sell Insurance and Be Successful?

Being a desperate insurance agent, you are not sure where to begin and also you require the best tactics on how to sell insurance the best way. Insurance can be an incredible career for people that have a niche personality of persuasion selling. But what about the rest of you. I guarantee that for people that do not like selling, you will have a very disappointing career. The hardest part of Selling Insurance is trying to get leads and convert those leads to customers.

Whats the # 1 Secret on Insurance Selling?

Times have changed over the past few years. With the internet and different online ways to buy insurance, agents need to discover the new way to generate leads you can not spend all day trying to generate leads. Today’s insurance agents need to set up marketing systems and let the leads come to them. My # 1 secret is reduce the time on trying to generate leads, and spend more time on educating and networking with prospects.

Internet leads are the best way to get started. The one thing to understand is that there are 2 types of Internet leads. Most every insurance producer puts in a ton of effort and extremely tries trying to locate leads to bring in daily sales. To get leads daily and quickly is to buy them. The problem you may know with these leads, is that these prospects are price hunting. If the lowest price is not your competitive market, you still need to get them on your list and sell to them when they realize that “you get what you pay for”. The best way to get internet leads is through your own website that drives traffic directly to you. These people actually want to buy from you. This is the first strategy you need to focus on. Do not focus on finding leads. Set up a system, so the leads come to you. So what are the systems and how do you set them up? Keep reading, I think I can help.

The lead generation process should be a system of your organization. Online insurance marketing video clips from an insurance specialist are a great way to learn How To Sell Insurance and implement insurance marketing strategies.…

Tulane University History

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The history of Tulane University is a particularly unique one when compared to the stories of universities of a similar age.

The private college located in New Orleans, Louisiana is known today as Tulane began with meager beginnings as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834. Interestingly, modern day Tulane University owes its existence to a fear of yellow fever and smallpox – two diseases largely considered to be eradicated in the modern Western World. It was fear of outbreaks, particularly of the diseases just mentioned, that inspired New Orleans residents to open what was at the time only the second medical school located in the South.

In 1847 the school expanded its curriculum and officially became The University of Louisiana with a law school being added four years later. While some devote Tulane fans and alumni know that the school was established in 1834 fewer realize that the school has not run continuously since that time. The then titled University of Louisiana closed its doors during the civil war from April 1861 through April 1865, as did numerous schools during the time. Following the civil war the school faced a smorgasbord of financial issues that culminated with an agricultural crisis that was due in no small part to inclement weather. At the time of the school's most dire financial hardship Paul Tulane was a man that successfully owned both a clothing and dry goods business. Mr. Tulane's successful business endeavors equaled him the ability to donate sizable amounts of real estate to the ailing university.

It would not be until half a century after the school was established that in 1884 pledges from Paul Tulane would allow the university to become privatized. It was at the time of the privatization that the name was basically changed from The University of Louisiana to Tulane University. To this day Tulane remains as the only instance in American history of a university shifting from a state sponsored public institution to a private college.

While numerous milestones were reached during the twentieth century none compared to the devastating effects that Hurricane Katrina had on the community in the early part of the twenty first century. In August, 2005 Hurricane Katrina forever imputed the New Orleans landscape and Tulane University was no exception. In trying times character is revealed and one notable positive effect of the catastrophe is that Tulane became the first high research institution to mandate that a public service fulfillment would be a prerequisite to completing an undergraduate degree.

While no one can predict the future with absolute certy it seems safe to say that considering Tulane University's history of overcoming adversity, future prosperity is all but a sure thing. …

Suggested Careers For Myers Briggs Test Personality Types

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During times of a major economic downturn many people decide to change their career. Usually a major career change will require that you go back to school. Going back to school can be a tough decision especially if you have already started your career. To help decide which career type you should follow we have created a list of careers that are best suited for each of the 16 Myers Briggs personality types.

ESTJ

Military, business administrators, managers, police/detective work, judges, financial officers, teachers, sales representatives, government workers, insurance agents, underwriters, nursing administrators, trade and technical teachers, mafia dons. Natural leaders, they work best when they are in charge and enforcing the rules.

ISTJ

Business executives, administrators and managers, accountants, police, detectives, judges, lawyers, medical doctors, dentists, computer programmers, systems analysts, computer specialists, auditors, electricians, math teachers, mechanical engineers, steelworkers, technicians, militia members. Similar to the ESTJ, they have a knack for detail and memorization, but work more behind the scenes instead of up front as a leader.

ESFJ

Home economics, nursing, teaching, administrators, child care, family practice physician, clergy, office managers, counselers, social workers, bookkeeping, accounting, secretaries, organization

leaders, dental assistants, homemakers, radiological technologists, receptionists, religious educators, speech pathologists.. They do best in jobs where they can apply their natural warmth at building relationships with other people.

ISFJ

Interior decorators, designers, nurses, administrators, managers, secretaries, child care/early childhood development, social work, counselors, paralegals, clergy, office managers, shopkeepers,

bookkeepers, homemakers, gardeners, clerical supervisors, curators, family practice physicians, health service workers, librarians, medical technologists, typists. Tradition-oriented and down-to-earth, they do best in jobs where they can help people achieve their goals, or where structure is needed.

ESTP

Sales representatives, marketers, police, detectives, paramedics, medical technicians, computer technicians, computer technical support, entrepreneurs, comedians, agents, race car drivers,

firefighters, military, loan sharks, con men, auditors, carpenters, craft workers, farmers, laborers, service workers, transportation operatives. They have a gift for reacting to and solving immediate problems, and persuading other people.

ISTP

Police, detectives, forensic pathologists, computer programmers, system analysts, computer specialists, engineers, carpenters, mechanics, pilots, drivers, athletes, entrepreneurs, firefighters,

paramedics, construction workers, dental hygienists, electrical engineers, farmers, military, probation officers, steelworkers, transportation operatives, hit men. With the ability to stay calm

under pressure, they excel in any job which requires immediate action.

ESFP

Actors, painters, comedians, adult entertainers, sales representatives, teachers, counselors, social workers, child care, fashion designers, interior decorators, consultants, photographers,

musicians, human resources managers, clerical supervisors, coaches, factory supervisors, food service workers, receptionists, recreation workers, religious educators, respiratory therapists.. Optimistic and fun-loving, their enthusiasm is great for motivating others.

ISFP

Artists, musicians, composers, designers, child care workers, social workers, counselers, teachers, veterinarians, forest rangers, naturalists, bookkeepers, carpenters, personal service workers,

clerical supervisors, secretaries, dental and medical staffers, waiters and waitresses, chefs, nurses, mechanics, physical therapists, x-ray technicians. They tend to do well in the arts, as well as helping others and working with people.

ENFJ

Teachers, consultants, psychiatrists, social workers, counselers, clergy, sales representative, human resources, managers, events coordinators, politicians, diplomats, writers, …

The Art and Science of Book Promotion – To Delegate or Not to Delegate

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Backward glance

I introduced to you the concept of handling your book promotion project like a small business in its start-up stage. We also got down to the basics of one of the important tools in the small business start-up process-capitalization. In this article, we will delve into the second tool-delegation-through which you will learn wherever, what, why, and how to delegate particular tasks in book promotion.

To Delegate or Not to Delegate

In an article from entrepreneur.com, "delegation" is described as something that is easy to talk about but difficult to do:

"… it's a critical decision, mainly because some tasks should be handled only by you but others, which take up your valuable time, can easily be handled by someone else."

Organization psychologist and entrepreneur, Dr. David G. Javitch, states that one of the common reasons why entrepreneurs refuse to delegate tasks is the fear of losing control over the project. Although it is a common mentality among starting businessmen to think that they are "the 'best' or 'only' person who can do the job right," the excuse is not sound, logical, or practical when huge chunks of time, effort, and money go to waste because the boss does not want to involve or trust other people. Delegation of tasks, however, plays a significant role in business operations and must there before be learned.

To instill the idea of ​​task delegation in your book promotion business, let's start with a number of things that have to be done in order to get the delegation system running like a well-oiled machine. There are three categories that need to be considered: things you are already good at; things you have no idea and never will have an idea of ​​how to do on your own; and the unknown in between the two, or what we'll call the "I dunno" category. Unfortunately, that third category takes up the largest portion of the picture.

You do not need to be a book promotion expert to gather a list of the most common 15 or 20 book promotion activities or services; the aforementioned Taleist survey is a good start. You can go to the websites of a number of firms that offer promotional services to authors. It would also be smart if you look for firms that work for traditional publishers in the area of ​​promotion and publicity, as they are relatively competent, but unfortunately very expensive. You may find them out of reach, but the goal here is for you to do your own "guerrilla" research. There are also promotional services by freelancers who can help you build your list, although the vast majority are so too expensive, and as you hire freelancers you start to have to do much more research to vet them. The point is for you to try to learn about every promotional effort on your list, no matter how silly it sounds, so that you are not a 'mark' for unscrupulous providers.

Once you have your list, …

Best Way to Effectively Grade Students and My 2 Cents on Health Education

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To start off, I am a strong believer that in order for a teacher to grade a student, the teacher must grade themselves first. Grades can only be deemed as fair if the teacher possesses enough intangibles for each student to achieve a higher level of learning. Grading must be OBJECTIVE, not subjective. Subjective point of views only leads to irrational thoughts that reflect the grading system. Grades are direct factors that prove if a teacher is effectively teaching his / her students. If there is a student in my class that failed in some way, it is me as the teacher to go back and reflect on what I could have done better for that student to receive a higher grade. I am teacher based upon respect in and out of the classroom and I believe that is the strongest grade someone can give out and receive. What do I mean by respect? Respect is earned. If there are students that are struggling in my class but show effort through my assessments and evaluations, then by the power invested in me, that student will be given the benefit of the doubt. Respect is a larger grade then a multiple choice test. I want to mentally, physically, and emotionally see a student is trying and not base their grades off of exams or traditional evaluations. When I do have exams or quizzes, they will be valid and reliable so there grades will certainly reflect true achievement.

Learning is the ultimate goal of taking my class, not getting a grade. If it was up to me, I would not assign grades but unfortunately students are not motivated without grades. Therefore, grades are needed to be given out as a means of representation of who the students are. It is my belief that individuals deserve real feedback, not grades and parents deserve to know more about their child's progress than an "A" or a percentage.

From my own growth and experience, it is extremely important that in order to grade, I have to make my assessments and evaluations authentic not traditional. All assignments and activities will be tied to the standards and objective that can be translated by the students if there was an evaluator grading me. The standards provide a proposal for development, education, and assessment that echo the effective ways of learning. Each standard reflects to life situations and opportunities that are imperative to a student's growth. It is my job as a teacher to create lessons that best define and reflect the standards.

Effective grading practices start from my teaching philosophy that respect student differences and reflections individual growth. I must grant the curricular landscape in order for student to succeed and design strong learning experiences to guide them through the next learning stage of their lives. My true philosophy on grading is that grading should coexist with assessments and evaluations in physical education. A grade should not be separate and isolated but instead a useful way into shaping …

A Good Choice For Home Education – Online Home Schooling

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Many parents today make home schooling their choice method of educating their children. There are numerous benefits a child can enjoy. Often a parent decides that their child would excel much better or faster than being taught at home while receiving their undivided attention. Sometimes, children who may have had difficulty in learning or other significant problems in school, will be much more successful being taught at home by one of the parents.

If you are trying to decide if such method of study is right for you and your child, rest assured that there are unlimited courses available on the internet that contain curriculum from grades second through twelve. A good example of this is the Global Student Network. There are more than eighty courses available. All the class material that your child will require, is presented through the internet and they'll have the finest libraries, museums and informative sites in the world at their disposal.

Home Schooling Curriculum

The course of study for internet home schooling is flexible and changeable, and also very interactive. The curriculum is always kept current with the latest and pertinent material. The lessons which are offered online, essentially encourage reading, but assist the child to psychoanalyze, conceive and then vocalize their ideas. Online access is twenty-four hours a day and 365 days a year. It is completely internet secure, and congruous with all internet characteristics including parental mastery.

Numerous American families residing overseas, choose online home schooling as an educational option for their children. Because the total realistic courses of study are from grades two to twelve, the option of classes in the syllabus, may offer much more diversity than in a local school. Some of the available online home school materials, are very cost-effective and all-inclusive.

The Advantages

One of the biggest advantages is time. You decide your schedule and the hours your child will be in a school room setting. Through the online school mentioned previously, the 80 courses are for one calendar school year. This would be available three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This curriculum offers many features so that each child can have an individualized learning plan. Likewise, at the same time, according to the needs of each student, the curriculum can also be customized for the appropriate subject and grade level which is normally taught in the public school system.

Audio And Video Help With Home Schooling

Some of the best features for online home schooling are the audio and video components. The audio component is able to read texts to students and show video clips for many of the courses. The curriculum is absolutely web-based and is delivered entirely through the internet. No CDs or books are required. The material also may not be downloaded.

The courses offered for online home schooling stick to strict regulations presented by the National Curriculum standards and are presented in a way that they will be of benefit to all learning styles, …

Escape Plan For a Sucky Job

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Maybe it's because your boss or client is a jerk; maybe because you can not stand the people you're working with; maybe the commute is killing you; maybe the money is not enough; maybe it's a dead end; or maybe you just got a better offer. Whatever the reason, you want out of your job. Learn how to cut the ties without burning bridges.

Do not pass GO, do not collect $ 200

Once you've established that you really, really want to leave your job, go directly to your boss before you do anything else. Going straight to the top accomplishes three important objectives: 1) Your boss will know exactly where you stand rather than hearing about it at the water cooler; 2) You allow your supervisor to offer other options to you and potentially to effect changes that will make you want to stay; and 3) You learn exactly what you need to do to go about tying up loose ends, including completing projects, organizing your files, and notifying your business contacts.

Talking to your supervisor will also give you the opportunity to offer to help find and train your replacement. If you have a friend or associate who has expressed interest in your job, ask your boss if you should put that person in contact with him or her. You may also want to recommend a specially skilled coworker to follow in your footsteps – your boss will appreciate the suggestion, your pal will appreciate the support.

If your position has changed significantly since your hire, or if you have made major improvements or implemented new systems in your job, suggest that you and your boss sit down as soon as possible to re-evaluate your job description and summary of responsibilities so the person coming in after you will know what's going on.

Start spreading the news

After you've spoken to your supervisor and agreed upon a date for your last day, it's time to start letting others know of your plans. Even if your boss makes a department- or company-wide announcement, spend a few minutes with each of your coworkers and business contacts to tell them personally that you will be leaving. Let them know when your last day will be and how you'll be preparing for your departure.

If you work closely with a college or client on a regular basis, this is the time to work out a game plan for completing up any outstanding projects and passing your notes and files on to your successor. And do not forget to provide your new contact information so members of your professional network can reach you down the road.

As you prepare to share your news with your officemates, be sure to think carefully about what you're going to say. Letting folks know of your plans does not mean sharing every little detail of what you hate about your job. Be careful not to say negative things about your boss or coworkers or to play a …

Is an Interior Design Career Right For Me? – And Where Do I Start?

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"How do I get into Interior Design?" There's no one-size-fits-all answer (thankfully!). Few careers require such a unique blend of artistic and technical skills, but Interior Design comes in enough flavors to suit diversity skill sets and personalities.

In General, the profession falls into two distinct categories: Interior Decorating and Interior Design. They are both completely viable avenues and there are many professionals with successful careers in each.

"Interior Decorating" : If you prefer residential interiors, and enjoy focusing on furnishings and decor rather than space planning and codes, there are many satisfying and profitable options to explore and Interior Decorating may be your perfect fit. Image is not Required, (but you need to be aware of the laws regulating the practice of ID in your state). Some great options: Decorating for individual home owners, home staging, interior re-design, working within a design / decorating firm or on your own, working for or with builders preparing model homes, or apartment / condo / townhome leasing companies to name a few.

So how do I get there ?? – As with anything, the key to your success will be your motivation and commitment! The more you are willing to put in the more you will achieve. The most straight forward way to start is to take classes at a university or community college, but if you are not in a position to go to school right now, there are still some very practical steps you can take. The Hardest Part is Just Getting Started – SO …… GET STARTED !!! There are many paths, but here's a suggested 6-step Action Plan to get you going:

  1. Self-Study – not an online degree (Avoid those completely for Interior Design), but rather to use the available free and low cost resources in a focused, disciplined, and intentional way in order to familiarize yourself with design concepts and to develop practical skills . These resources will not, of course, replace a university degree … but they will help you to explore real issues and topics which designers face on a daily basis (not the 'fluff' seen on TV and in magazines). Some of these skills can legitimately be included on a resume as you seek entry-level design jobs in order to set yourself apart. This is a great first step for those anxious to get started towards their dream, but who can not yet leave an existing job … or for an at-home parent to learn skills on your own schedule … Some examples of free study options are: learn 3d modeling and rendering with Google Sketch-up; learn AutoCad basics – get a starter book, even buy it used, then download a 30 day Acad trial; There are some well done free CEU opportunities aimed at Architects and Designers, but you do not have to be a professional to take them …
  2. Read – Read anything that catches your interest incorporating design. This can be library books, grocery store magazines, websites, etc … Fluff is
…

Developing a Classical Piano Repertoire and Building a Music Library

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One need not be a concert pianist to take the time and effort to develop a substantial repertoire. What does “repertoire” mean anyway? In short, repertoire is a body of works or songs that forms the pianist’s core or foundation. (Technically, a “song” has lyrics while a “work” or “piece” has no lyrics. The word “song” is often misused.) Many pianists believe that one must keep all pieces “under the fingers” or readily playable at all times and that this constitutes one’s repertoire. I believe, however, that repertoire implies something more all-encompassing. Let us now examine the term and explore the most efficient ways to develop, expand, and nurture it:

Five Golden Rules of Building a Substantial Piano Repertoire

1. Practice, practice, practice

2. Micro-cycle works you are currently practicing

3. Macro-cycle works throughout your life

4. Consider that no work is ever “finished”

5. Constantly add books and sheet music to your library

The first rule of practicing hardly needs explaining. To become better and more proficient at anything, one must do it, do it often, and love doing it with all one’s heart and soul. Tiger Woods did not become a great golfer by nibbling on snacks and watching TV. The world’s best surgeons did not get there by hanging out in bars and drinking beer. Likewise, an aspiring pianist wishing to have fun and success playing hundreds of songs or works will never get there by neglecting to practice on a regular basis. Ideally, one should practice not out of obligation, but rather out of the love of music and heart-burning desire to improve.

The second rule of micro-cycling works constitutes the pianist’s short-term plan, which may range anywhere from a few weeks to several months or perhaps a year at the most. This is what most people imply with the word “repertoire”, since it is the timeframe in which one could sit down at any time and play (preferably from memory) a set number of works. I have found the best results for micro-cycling by focusing on about five works at a time. For example, I will often spend an entire week practicing exclusively one work (like a Joplin rag), the next week exclusively another work (like a Mozart sonata), and the next week exclusively another work (like a Liszt étude). Then, I may not even touch them at all for two months and, upon returning to one of them, it feels like “meeting an old friend” which accelerates its re-learning phase. What once took a week to accomplish now takes only a couple days. Ideally, the pianist should strive to learn, forget, and then relearn works in monthly, weekly, and daily cycles. This is the eternal and never-ending plan I follow when practicing and preparing for my YouTube videos.

The third rule of macro-cycling works constitutes the pianist’s long-term plan, which may range anywhere from one to ten years. A thirteen-year-old just starting out usually does not realize that what is learned in these formative …

Online Education – A Haven For Cheating?

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Online degrees and distance learning are increasing in popularity. Easier accessibility for a growing range of subjects, as well as recent government calls for a push in e-learning, highlight the fact that more and more students will be studying from home in the future and partaking in this more economic and ecological method of higher education. But does being away from the watchful eye of teachers and teachers mean that there is an increased risk of cheating among students? And what are the measures to stop it?

In their article, Probing for Plagiarism in the Virtual Classroom, Lindsey Hamlin and William Ryan discuss the notion of plagiarism, passing off another persons work as one's own, in the context of online education. They describe how e-learning does not seem to make plagiarism any more tempting or easier for students to carry out in comparison to traditional learning, and suggest that this is an age old problem of education generally that can be stopped by any relative institution implementing the correct measures. They also offer details of anti-plagiarism software specifically for online education institutions.

Neil Rowe continued this discussion in his article, Cheating in Online Student Assessment, by offering his argument that other forms of online cheating need to be monitored from plagiarism. The notion of students being able to receive answers before completing online exams is Rowe's first worry. With students not being tested simultaneously, Rowe identifies that a method to prevent this would be for institutions to write enough random questions to ensure a suitable ratio between number of questions and number of students, in order to minimize the chances that two students will receive the same questions.

Rowe also highlights the opportunities that students, if unhappy with their performance during an online test, may be able to start again (after conference with external sources) by claiming that they are experiencing connection problems and have lost their answers. Similarly, he also expresses his biggest concern as relating to what exactly is answering the questions during an online test and the possibility that bright students may complete the tests of less capable students, or at least be called upon for help.

Rowe cites GJ Cizek for countermeasures against online education cheating. Cizek suggests promoting and teaching the value of honesty above simply employing measures to stop cheating when it happens. One such idea: 'Students could be asked to read and sign a policy statement like an honor code or integrity policy at the beginning of the course', seems an effective starting point, alongside minimizing the temptation for students to cheat by giving them overly easy Egypt overly difficult exams. …

How Old is Too Old to Change Careers?

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Many of the client’s I work with in my Life Coaching business are in the age range of 40 plus. A belief which comes up often early in our conversations is the belief that maybe they are too old to consider changing careers. After all they should be slowing down. They should be thinking about retiring not starting a new business or entering a new career. Well thats a lot of “shoulds” and as time goes by I am less and less sold on retirement. I get many retired people in my workshops who say that they are totally bored with retirement and are ready to get back to work! Sure, they are picky about the work they want. They want work they are passionate about and many want more freedom of time. What they all want is to feel like they are doing something meaningful and enjoyable with their life.

As a generation we are living longer then ever and many of us are extremely healthy so there is no reason to hold back from finding and creating work we are passionate about. There are many examples of people who change careers much later then is normally thought of as a “good age” for a new career. I remember reading about a woman who always dreamed about being a doctor. She entered medical school at the age of 60. Often people would say to her, “Do you know that you will be in your 70’s when you finish?” Her answer always was, “I’ll be in my 70’s anyway. I would rather be a doctor when I am 70 then just be 70.” Last I heard she was enjoying a thriving medical practice. Most successful new businesses are started by someone in their 50’s or older. In fact many Venture Capital Companies prefer funding businesses run by a more mature and experienced leader.

A common argument against starting a new career as an older person is that , “I won’t have enough energy.” Often people are so burned out in their current career that it is hard to imagine having the energy to start a new one. We do need to be good caretakers of our energy at all times of life but especially as we get older. The beauty is that when you find a career you love, which uses your strengths then it will naturally give you energy! Yes, you will get tired by the end of the day but you will be ready and excited to go do it again tomorrow. When you are working from your strengths and passions it feeds your energy rather then draining it. What I have found is that when you are in a career you love it is easier to drop the draining activities in your life or hire them done. Save your energy for what you love!

A big plus to starting a business or new career when you are older is that you bring with you tons of life …