tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52294255615724674892024-02-07T00:58:36.204-08:00How to Make Money as a College StudentKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-90521527621903341432017-02-14T16:12:00.002-08:002017-02-14T16:12:39.400-08:00Make Money on Valentines Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In honor of Valentine's day, I thought I would share 13 great ways to make money on Valentine's day. The original post is from <a href="http://wisebread.com/">WiseBread.com</a> and can be found <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/13-ways-to-make-money-from-valentines-day">here</a>. Enjoy!<br />
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13 Ways to Make Money From Valentine's Day</h1>
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While Valentine's Day is traditionally for lovers, it's also for savvy entrepreneurs. Instead of emptying your wallet to buy your special someone something special (aka "expensive"), you can actually turn a profit by setting up a side gig. Take advantage of the Hallmark holiday by raking in cold, hard cash with these 13 ways to earn extra money from Valentine's Day.</div>
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1. Create Handmade Valentine's Cards</h2>
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If you're crafty or have decent graphic design skills, create your own line of heartfelt or funny Valentine's greeting cards. They're relatively easy to make — keeping them clever will probably be the hardest part — and you can sell them on Etsy, Bonanza, and a host of other sites that <a href="http://moneypantry.com/etsy-alternatives/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 51, 102); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #003366; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cater to handmade items</a>. You'll can find colored envelopes at your local office-supply or craft store, and be sure to account for the cost of materials and shipping when pricing so you can make a decent profit.</div>
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2. Deliver Stuff</h2>
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Not all local companies have the resources to offer delivery services, and that's where you come in. Identify some of the businesses that are particularly relevant around Valentine's Day and contact them to see what their delivery needs are. Places like florists, gift shops, and bakeries may be able to use an extra hand.</div>
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Bear in mind that this gig will likely be under-the-table because of insurance restrictions, so consider that before deciding if this is right for you. Even better, you may be able to score private gigs from, say, a guy who wants to send his girlfriend flowers last minute so he can save on the high shipping and delivery costs. One man's procrastination is your extra cash.</div>
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3. Play Chef for a Couple's Romantic Dinner</h2>
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Are you a whiz in the kitchen? Offer to cook a multi-course meal for family, friends, co-workers, or even strangers who want to enjoy a relaxing Valentine's Day at home without all the hassle of cooking a romantic dinner. Plan a special menu of the couple's favorite dishes — complete with candles, ambient lighting, and mood-setting music — and set your fee to accommodate for the ingredients, travel, and time spent setting up, cooking, and cleaning after the meal.</div>
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4. Write Love Letters for Would-Be Casanovas</h2>
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Most people aren't very slick when it comes to writing poetry or love letters, but if you're a gifted writer who can make people swoon in just a few sentences, putting sweet nothings on paper might be your money maker. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/11-life-skills-that-are-now-completely-obsolete?ref=seealso" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 51, 102); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #003366; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">11 Life Skills That Are Now Completely Obsolete</a>)</div>
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5. Plan Exciting Date Experiences</h2>
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Everybody has their strengths, but men aren't always the best at planning special, exciting, or romantic dates. There are some creative dudes out there, for sure, but for the most part, the male of the species needs help in this area. If you happen to excel in this department, put together a few itineraries that are too good to pass up, and then do the due diligence so you can get paid by setting up the date to ensure that it goes off without a hitch.</div>
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6. Babysit or Pet Sit</h2>
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All those parents you know — both of human and fur babies — deserve a break, too. And you can cash in big if you have the skills, certifications, and patience to babysit or pet sit while Mom and Dad enjoy a night out on the town.</div>
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According to UrbanSitter's 2015 Babysitting and Nanny Rates Survey, you're looking at about $15 per hour for one child and upwards of <a href="https://blog.urbansitter.com/2015-babysitting-nanny-rates-survey/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 51, 102); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #003366; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">$20 per hour for three children</a>. Add in a 15%-20% tip plus pizza money and you could take home a legit payday, albeit with a few more gray hairs. For pet sitting, you can expect between $10 and $15 per hour, as estimated by Care.com's <a href="http://www.care.com/pet-sitting-rates" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 51, 102); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #003366; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pet care rate calculator</a>.</div>
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What's Valentine's Day without dessert? That's the best part! Whip up your famous cookies, cakes, and pastries, and shop them around to local eateries (you'll fare better if you establish yourself as a small business with well-packaged goods and a business card; both of which are easy to do), or offer them up to your private network of friends, family, and co-workers.</div>
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8. Unload Unwanted Jewelry</h2>
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If you have a collection of jewelry with which you're willing to part, you may be able to find interested buyers in your area. Instant-list apps like Wallapop, VarageSale, and OfferUp have made it simpler than ever to unload your items by snapping a photo, writing a short description, and naming a price.</div>
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9. Promote Your Party-Planning Skills</h2>
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There may not be a huge market for amateur party planners, but it's worth a shot. If you're known for throwing memorable shindigs, you might be able to drum up some business. Shop the dollar stores for decorations to keep costs down.</div>
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10. Busk, or Serenade Couples</h2>
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Throw a hat or instrument case on the ground in a well-traveled area and belt out love songs all day. If you want to be more proactive about it, take your show on the road and wander up to lovey-dovey couples for a serenading session. That dude would be a dummy if he didn't at least reach in his pocket for a dollar.</div>
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11. Photograph Couples' Special Moments</h2>
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Valentine's Day, with all the sentiment that surrounds it, is prime time for weddings, engagements, and other relationship-specific photo ops. If you're handy with a camera, offer to snap shots of the special moments that the happy couple will cherish forever.</div>
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12. Draw or Paint Couples' Portraits</h2>
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You don't have to be a well-established or recognized artist to sell your work. Some couples may enjoy the prospect of being drawn or painted, not only as a Valentine's Day activity, but also a gift to themselves that they can hang in the home as a reminder of their love.</div>
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13. Host a Singles Party for All Your Lonely Friends</h2>
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Planning on spending Valentine's Day alone? Not anymore. Host a party at home for singles, if you have a large and diverse network of friends. Charge a few bucks admission to cover the cost of food, décor, drinks, and so you can walk away with a reasonable wage.</div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-74147683912791233952017-02-14T10:07:00.000-08:002017-02-14T10:07:22.486-08:00Financial Samurai Repost - No Excuses <a href="https://www.mint.com/sites/default/files/Samurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.mint.com/sites/default/files/Samurai.jpg" width="320" /></a>Hello readers,<br />
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Below, I have reposted an article from one of my favorite personal finance blogs, The Financial Samurai. In this article, the author Sam Dogen describes how even janitors in San Francisco can make six figures a year. It's all about working hard! Enjoy.<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Abolish Welfare Mentality: Janitor Makes $271,000, Why Can’t You Too? - Full article <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/abolish-welfare-mentality-six-figure-bart-janitor/">here</a></span><br />
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Let me paraphrase an insightful passage I read that describes the difference between someone with a welfare mentality versus someone with an <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/abundance-mindset-to-grow-wealth/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">abundance mentality</a>.</div>
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A guy looked at a Corvette the<br />
other day and said to me in a disapproving tone, “I wonder how many people could have been fed for the cost of that car?”</div>
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I replied, “I’m not sure. It fed a lot of families in Kentucky who built it. It fed the people who made the tires. It fed the people who made the components. It fed the people who mined the copper. It fed the people who made the trucks that hauled the copper ore. It fed someone who helped sell the car.”</div>
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That’s the difference between having an abundance mentality and a welfare mentality. When you buy something, you put money in people’s pockets and give them dignity for their skills.</div>
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If you don’t know by now, many people make or have A LOT more than you think. When you see people playing tennis in the park or lounging around at a cafe on a weekday afternoon, it’s unlikely because they are unemployed. It’s because they either don’t need to work or have flexible business hours.</div>
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Every week I hear a new story about a person who makes or has way more than you’d ever expect. I’ve shared some of these stories with you.</div>
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* <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/are-you-too-proud-to-be-rich-uber-driver-makes-more-than-uber-employees/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Uber drivers</a> who make more than their Uber corporate counterparts.</div>
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* A ~22 year old <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-profit-from-the-wealthy-chinese-a-tidal-wave-of-money-is-coming/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">female art student from China</a> who bought a $2.25M home for cash.</div>
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* The 26-year-old non-techie who landed <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/why-the-rich-should-pay-higher-rents-an-airbnb-employee-explains/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">a $250,000 pay package</a> at Airbnb.</div>
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* 100,000+ millennials who expect <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/no-wonder-why-millennials-dont-give-a-damn-about-money/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">a ~$1.1M inheritance</a>.</div>
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* A University of New Hampshire librarian who left $4M to his school.</div>
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* A <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/blogging-for-a-living-how-much-can-you-really-make-online/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">food blogger</a> who makes $500,000+ a year.</div>
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* A <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/bankers-techies-and-doctors-youll-never-get-rich-working-for-someone-else/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Hawaiian entrepreneur</a> who started a greasy spoon franchise and was selling his $8M house that only another entrepreneur could afford.</div>
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The point of these posts is to <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">highlight what’s financially possible</span>. Going to a good school to get a job in a traditionally lucrative field isn’t the only way to make good money. Just because you couldn’t get into the greatest school on Earth, <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/should-i-go-to-public-school-or-private-school/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">The College of William & Mary</a>, doesn’t mean your life is over.<br />
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Too many people tell themselves they don’t have the knowledge, skills, connections, background, or pedigree to get rich. Some even stunt their growth because they believe their race, gender, or sexual orientation puts them at a disadvantage.<br />
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What a shame to think this way when we have a half black president, plenty of first generation immigrant multi-millionaires, a gay CEO at Apple, a Chinese mayor of San Francisco, and J-Lo! Heck, we even have a man who said a bunch of offensive things and still got elected as the 45th president of the United States. Anything is possible folks!</div>
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Six Figure Janitor Cleaning Up</h2>
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Let’s say you <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">still</em> don’t believe you can be rich despite all my examples. How about this example of a Bay Area Rapid Transit <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/01/bart-janitor-grossed-270k-in-pay-and-benefits-last-year/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">janitor who made $235,000 in 2015</a> thanks to $165,000 in over time pay!</div>
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To be a janitor, you don’t need to go to college or vocational school. You don’t need to be a certain race or sex either. All you’ve got to do is be willing to clean unsightly things. In other words, practically everybody can be a janitor, unless you’re too proud.</div>
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<br />What’s great about this story is that Mr. Zhang didn’t just accept his $58,750 base pay. He decided to take advantage of the BART overtime system and work harder. San Francisco has a monster $9.5 billion annual budget. We also passed an enormous $3.5 billion new proposition to improve the system. Why not <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/to-make-money-you-must-follow-the-money-a-look-at-the-best-paying-government-jobs/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">get your honey money too</a>? Mr. Zhang actually grossed $271,243.02 in 2015 if you include his benefits. Over the last three years, Mr. Zhang received a combined $682,000 in pay and benefits over the last three years,<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> averaging $227,000 a year</em>.</div>
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“Almost every day of the year Mr. Zhang is cleaning our stations<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">,</em>” BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said. “He is signing up for time that is <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">also available to others</em> — if he doesn’t take them, someone else will. Station cleanliness is a priority for us.”</div>
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Did you get that folks? Mr. Zhang wasn’t a “privileged janitor” who got allocated more time than others. All he decided to do was <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/income-by-race-why-is-asian-income-so-high/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">out work his colleagues</a>. Unlike some people who found Mr. Zhang’s compensation outrageous, I say well done sir!</div>
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For those of you with similar or more “advantageous” backgrounds, there’s no reason why you can’t make as much as Mr. Zhang if you really want to. If you disagree, tell me why in the comments section.</div>
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Related: <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-make-six-figures-income-at-almost-any-age/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">How To Make Six Figures At Almost Any Age</a></div>
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Traits To Adopt To Be Rich</h2>
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If you want to be rich, adopt these traits.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Work ethic.</span> 40 hours a week is an arbitrary amount of time to work. There are 168 hours in a week. If you worked just five hours more a week, think about how much more you could make or do with an extra 260 hours a year. Mr. Zhang decided to work almost every day of the week for years! You might not have the same chance, but at least you can work on your side business during the weekends.<br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; text-align: right;">Desire.</span><span style="text-align: right;"> You’ve got to really desire to be free. If you’ve got a cushy job that pays you just enough not to leave, then you’re probably just going to stay put and surf Financial Samurai most of your working hours. Remove the complacency IV from your vein.</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Risk taker.</span> Put yourself out there. Rejection is just the name of the game when you are constantly taking risks. But if you’re never failing, then you aren’t trying hard enough. It takes effort to find optimal levels of happiness.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Open mind.</span> Think about the many different ways there are to cook fish around the world. There are even more ways to make money and live a lifestyle you want. Read, watch, learn and participate to open your mind.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Humility.</span> Don’t be so arrogant and presume that your way is the only way. Be humble enough to realize when you’re wrong. And when things start to click, be humble enough to remember when things went wrong. Things can change instantly.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Leverage.</span> “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world,” wrote Archimedes.<b style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </b>An individual can only put in about 70 hours a week of before they start breaking down. Instead, <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-start-a-profitable-blog/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">leverage technology to reach more people</a>. A website’s quality remains constant 24/7.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Organizational discipline.</span> Think about all those people who’ve made a ton and now wonder where it all went. Once you’ve got a solid handle on your money, you can invest your money in the most optimal ways possible. Tracking your finances through <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/PC" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">a free financial app</a> is a no brainer.</div>
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Believe In Yourself</h2>
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Thinking about creative ways to earn more is hard. It’s why so few people offered their ideas when requested in “<a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-get-rich-practice-predicting-the-future/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Get Rich By Predicting The Future</a>.” But I promise you that it becomes easier building wealth the more you practice.</div>
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Take a look at this priceless piece of artwork below. It’s called “Into The Night” by an artist that’s been featured in many major media publications. Notice the intricate battle between light and dark. It’s a metaphor of our daily struggles where we’re constantly trying to overcome our laziness and fears. If you let your eyes relax, you can see darkness winning the battle.</div>
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The painting is exquisite and would sell for over $100 million if Jackson Pollock created it.<br />
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Alas, I created this painting when I was 26 on my now rental condo balcony. I used some leftover blue, white and black paint to get creative while waiting for the rooms to dry. Then I created a yellow and black version. Then I created another, and another, and another until I ran out of paint. Then I cut off my ear like Van Gogh! Just kidding.<br />
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Yes, my art might look like chicken scratch to you. But to me, they are beautiful because I never thought I’d be able to create <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">any</em> type of art at all <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">until I tried</em>. If I had kept practicing my art every week for 13 years, I’m sure I would have a portfolio of amazing work. No wonder why schools try to expose kids to everything just in case something sticks.</div>
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Although I gave up art as a young lad, <a href="http://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-start-a-profitable-blog/" style="background-color: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; color: #9f040b; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">I didn’t give up my creative writing</a> because <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">I believed in myself</em>. Every week someone who doesn’t write for a living tells me my writing sucks. If it’s not my writing they’re criticizing, it’s my website design. If it’s not my website design, it’s my intelligence. The body blows keep coming and I keep advancing. Thank goodness because being able to do something this fun in early retirement is truly a blessing.</div>
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If you find yourself chalking up someone’s entire good fortune to luck or if you catch yourself criticizing another for their efforts, slap yourself in the face. Your welfare mentality is keeping you down. Mr. Zhang is out there hustling. So can you."</div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-52613139982841319552017-02-13T14:19:00.001-08:002017-02-13T14:21:13.617-08:00Now Offering Free Trials!<a href="https://www.ccee.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/free1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.ccee.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/free1.jpg" width="288" /></a>It's not about how much you make, but how much you keep! A dollar saved is a dollar earned. I have start posting links to free trials for all my readers to take advantage of! Various Amazon Services (Kindle, Music, etc.) and viewing services (HBO, Showtime, etc.) are available to you for free on the right hand side of my website. Enjoy!<br />
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Also - I have removed ads from my site to improve reader experience :)Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-86727607883458623052017-02-01T19:42:00.004-08:002017-02-01T19:50:34.287-08:00Educate yourself! Learn THEN earn!<a href="https://store.success.com/media/catalog/product/cache/44/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/m/sm_15_11_ferriss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://store.success.com/media/catalog/product/cache/44/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/m/sm_15_11_ferriss.jpg" width="255" /></a>Tim Ferris has come out with a life changing book, where he shares his key takeaways from conversations with Billionaires, Titans, and World Leaders! Order the ebook summary today for only 99 cents, no need to waste your time reading the entire book.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MS9LH30/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01MS9LH30&linkCode=as2&tag=amazon08df-20&linkId=8dea6e0d457ce357c1bca86121246833" target="_blank">Summary: Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=amazon08df-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01MS9LH30" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-65929387716085245792014-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:002014-07-18T13:32:29.483-07:00Cash for Sperm, Easy Money for MenCheck out Bruce Watson's <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2008/06/22/raising-cash-in-a-hurry-5-bank-on-your-sperm/">Article</a> from <a href="http://dailyfinance.com/">DailyFinance.com</a>, about how to sell your sperm for cash!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSrkEUXa4pP2dN4C2TVi3_NKxK3TpCspNJgCCYAQQ7OfIgkHkWZ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSrkEUXa4pP2dN4C2TVi3_NKxK3TpCspNJgCCYAQQ7OfIgkHkWZ" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selling Sperm for Money<br /></td></tr>
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.07999999821186066px; line-height: 22px;">When I was in college, I once visited a friend at another university. As with many such visits, I spent much of my time in an alcoholic haze, wandering from apartment to apartment, meeting my friend's friends, drinking odd beverages, and generally getting down Hunter S. Thompson-style. Good times.</span><br />
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<br />In one apartment, I remember watching some<em>90210 </em>on the occupants' big screen TV. Over the course of the show, I noticed that they kept referring to it as "the TV that sperm bought." Finally, unable to contain my curiosity, I asked about the nickname. Laughing, one of them told me that the roommates had pooled their resources from selling sperm and had used the proceeds to purchase a TV. Since then, my research has shown me that, regardless of the the truth of the roommates' claims, it certainly <span style="font-weight: 700;">could </span>be true. Advertised sperm donation rates vary from $1 to $200 per week; most donors can expect somewhere around $40 per donation. Given that you can only deposit sperm every five days, your career as a sperm donor will probably only net you enough money to eat at McDonald's. Although, if you save carefully, your genetic material could translate into a sweet home theater system.<br /><br />When I was a college student, sperm donation seemed like an interesting idea. After all, I'd be paid for doing something that I usually did <em>pro bono</em>, would be able to make some poor ladies really happy, and would pick up a little bit of dough on the side. In the meantime, I was legally protected; there was no way that the little Brucies and Brucinias that were wandering the earth could track their way back to me. Then I read the small print.<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/economizer/25-ways-to-make-quick-money" style="color: #00c0f3; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img align="right" alt="" hspace="4" id="vimage_2" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.dailyfinance.com/media/2009/05/xwalletpop-unconventional2.jpg.pagespeed.ic.qWomwUhtCa.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto !important; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" vspace="4" /></a>To begin with, sperm donation isn't a quick and easy, drop in, drop off, pick-up-your-cash type of deal. Among <a href="http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/sperm/sperm.html" style="color: #00c0f3; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">other minor irritations</a>, it requires months of tests, a six-month to three-year commitment to a sperm bank, and no "liberation" of sperm when you're off the clock. Added to this is the fact that you will probably never know what happened to your children, although <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501820.html" style="color: #00c0f3; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">recent events</a> are conspiring to strip away the cloak of anonymity under which many sperm donors have made their contributions to society. In other words, regardless of your position on the whole anonymity thing, sperm donation could end up being a little awkward.<br /><br />That having been said, there is a desire for healthy sperm donors and the money is nothing to sneeze at, particularly if you're currently working your way through your ramen and tuna fish years. Unlike <a href="http://www.growinggenerations.com/?gclid=CI_2jLO27ZMCFQyxGgodGSzaWQ" style="color: #00c0f3; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">egg donation</a> or <a href="http://www.conceptualoptions.com/?gclid=CKnF7pK27ZMCFQKcFQodB3kUWQ" style="color: #00c0f3; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">surrogacy</a>, the comparable options that are available to women, sperm donation is relatively non-invasive, albeit a <span style="font-weight: 700;">lot </span>less lucrative. Frankly, if I had it all to do over again...well, there were a couple of years in the mid-1990's when I could have used a little more cash..."</div>
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Thanks for reading, comments encouraged.</div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-73744629295352352162013-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:002013-04-03T06:00:00.844-07:00Forbes: Converting Ideas into Reality<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check out this article by <a href="http://forbes.com/">Forbes.com</a> discussing how to make money in your spare time from home. The article was written in 2007, but much of it still applies to making money online today. </span><br />
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The 12 Things That Successfully Convert a Great Idea Into a Reality</h2>
<br /><a href="http://b-i.forbesimg.com/glennllopis/files/2013/03/iStock_000018474149XSmall.jpg"><img src="http://b-i.forbesimg.com/glennllopis/files/2013/03/iStock_000018474149XSmall-300x199.jpg" /></a><br /><br />How many times have you been in a meeting and someone says to you, “That’s a great idea, you should take the initiative and make it a reality.” What typically happens? Most of the time – nothing. Most great ideas remain dormant because people don’t have the courage, resources, time and/or money to take action. And for those who take action, most are unprepared and thus find themselves spending their valuable time and money on a dream that simply goes astray.<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/02/18/the-most-successful-leaders-do-15-things-automatically-every-day/">The same thing holds true in the workplace – </a><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/03/18/study-reveals-the-workforce-is-not-innovative-enough/">where according to a recent study conducted by my organization, the workforce is not innovative enough because we are trained and wired only to execute on what we are told to do</a>. No wonder we are most proficient at completing short term, immediate tasks. On the other hand, employees are least proficient at multiplying the opportunities inherent in the initial task they were asked to complete. Yes, we should be concerned about our ability to remain competitive – as both individuals and in our organizations.<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/"></a><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/">Never stop connecting the dots!</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Converting an idea into a reality (regardless of the required investment of time and money) is never an easy task. In fact, it is extremely difficult. Whether you are an entrepreneur or corporate executive, “giving ideas life” is much like giving birth to a child. You must own the responsibility regardless of the circumstances. No one will ever understand your idea or the dynamics associated with it like you do. In this regard, you are on your own and the journey will require you to learn about yourself – more than anything else will in your career.<br /><br /><br />As the old saying goes, “If it were easy – everyone would do it.”<br /><br /><br />Many articles have been written about this subject, but I have yet to read one that really digs deep enough to help one truly understand what is required mentality, physically and intellectually to go from idea to reality. Perhaps it’s because the process of cultivating an idea into a reality is a never ending cycle if you want to keep the idea alive over changing times. For example, we see this all the time with companies based on great ideas that then did not remain innovative and/or competitive enough to sustain their market leadership positions. . Let’s face it, Blockbuster should have thought of the ideas behind Netflix and Redbox – and made them a reality – well before these two companies became their competitors.<br /><br />Today’s fiercely competitive marketplace requires us all to either convert our own ideas – or be a part of converting someone else’s ideas – into a reality. If you are not participating in either of these activities, you must re-evaluate your purpose, what you stand for and your desire to be relevant. Everyone must be a part of cultivating innovation around the clock. You must begin to accept that embracing the entrepreneurial attitude is a requirement to cultivate growth and opportunity for the organization you lead and serve.<br /><br />Entrepreneurship is no longer just a business term anymore; it’s a way of life. You don’t need to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial.<br /><br />Did you ever think that not being involved in innovative activities was irresponsible? Well, it is – not just to yourself, but to those around you.<br /><br />As you think about how you can begin to embrace the entrepreneurial attitude more actively, here are 12 things you must actively do – at all times – in order to convert ideas into reality:<br /><br /><br /><h3>
<b>1. Believe in Yourself</b></h3>
<br />You can’t take action until you believe in yourself enough to handle the consequences of your decisions. Any time you assume the responsibility to give something that had not existed before an opportunity to become a reality – <a href="http://www.forbes.com/www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/07/17/great-management-boils-down-to-one-major-thing/">you become accountable for your action</a>s.<br /><br />Accountability requires believing in yourself enough to be 100% dedicated to getting the work done. Most people fail to take an idea to fruition because the unexpected challenges become more than they think they can handle and thus they no longer want to be accountable. They lose the belief in themselves to see things through all the way to the end.<br /><br /><br /><h3>
<b>2. Create Your Own Personal Board of Advisors</b></h3>
<br /><br />Learn from those who have done it before. Don’t ever think you have all of the answers, just because it’s your idea. Ideation is distinctly different than execution.<br /><br />Allow your personal board of advisors to guide you with wisdom born from their own failures and subsequent successes. I talked to a couple of fellow entrepreneurs about this and they offered some of their own wisdom.<br /><br />Rich Melcombe, President & CEO of Richmel Media & Productions, says that: “If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, listen to everyone because you never know when you will hear a good idea. Advice from stakeholders is usually more meaningful, but not necessarily right. Few people will have enough context to fully understand what you’re trying to do. Synthesize their comments so they make sense to you, understand the thinking behind any negative comments, and then make the decision on your own.”<br /><br />Brad Lea, Founder & CEO of Lightspeed VT, adds: “Although it is valuable to have a personal board of advisors, be careful not to let them deter you from your vision. Steve Jobs’ board said he was “crazy” to enter into the cell phone space because it was saturated and it would not be worth the long and laborious effort.”<br /><br />In the end, carefully evaluate any input that you get – <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/02/18/the-most-successful-leaders-do-15-things-automatically-every-day/">but proceed with your own gut instinct</a>.<br /><br /><br /><h3>
<b>3. Embrace Risk as Your Best Friend</b></h3>
<br /><br /><a href="http://www.forbes.com/www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2011/04/04/why-risk-must-be-your-best-friend-in-todays-business-climate/">Risk becomes your best friend</a> when you give birth to an idea. If you can accept this fact, you will approach the process with a lens that keeps your dreams and ambitions in perspective and on track. When things don’t go as planned along the way, stay focused on the mission at hand and do not allow disruption to set you backward. Risk is normal and steps #1 and #2 will keep you looking forward.<br /><br />You often hear that “working hard” is an imperative to convert ideas into reality. But in fact, it is the most fundamental commitment one must make to assume any form of risk management. As such, you must find a way to make this level of commitment if you want to continue on the journey.<br /><br /><br /><h3>
4. Be Extremely Patient</h3>
<br /><br />Compromise is a choice, not a sacrifice. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Take the time to appreciate the journey and understand how things work. Most people are too anxious to get their desired results and thus start to make bad decisions as they go.<br /><br />One thing is certain: the journey will be filled with unexpected outcomes that you may not be prepared to deal with. Don’t let this get you down, but keep your head up and respect the process and where it takes you. You will learn a lot about your threshold of risk and ability. Equally, you will learn that <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/09/03/why-most-people-will-never-achieve-the-american-dream/">many doubters are ready to stand in your way and may attempt to bring you down; this is when the ride gets uncomfortable</a>. Constantly reevaluate those with whom you are sharing the journey (i.e., your inner circle).<br /><br /><h3>
<b>5. Learn How to Sell Your Vision</b></h3>
<br />Converting your idea to a reality requires you to help others understand your vision. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/11/05/5-most-effective-ways-to-sell-change/">Selling vision is much like selling change</a>. Clearly define your value proposition and how it can generate revenue. Selling lofty ideas without understanding how it will achieve financial results will never get you the right audience. The bottom line is what gets everyone’s attention (you can see this played out every week on the <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank">TV show “Shark Tank</a>”).<br /><br />Simplicity is the key to selling the vision for your idea. Making it easy for someone on the “outside” to understand what you are trying to accomplish will create engagement and increase your probability of expanding buy-in for your idea. This skill comes into play when selling to possible investors. Learn how to sell your vision sooner than later. Don’t wait as it takes time to piece together and refine your message.<br /><br /><br /><h3>
<b>6. Connect the Dots Along the Way</b></h3>
<br /><a href="http://www.forbes.com/www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2011/10/06/the-entrepreneurial-spirit-is-about-connecting-the-dots-that-dont-yet-exist/">Everything is connected to something</a> else. Learn how to spot the paths of connectivity along the journey. What may be your “core idea” today can mature into something bigger as you connect other tenets that naturally associate with your idea along the way.<br /><br />For example, I launched a food business in 1997 called <a href="http://lunarossa.com/">Luna Rossa Corporation</a>. I started with a product line of specialty vegetables anchored by my flagship product of marinated artichoke hearts. The idea was to market a gourmet / higher-quality line of Luna Rossa branded products inside warehouse retailer Costco – which we successfully accomplished. Over time, this core idea led to gourmet line extensions that included pasta sauces, salad dressings, etc. We sold products to over 6000 retail stores throughout North America, eventually creating new brands and entering into licensing arrangements.<br /><br /><h3>
<b>7. Be Passionate With Your Pursuit</b></h3>
<br />The <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/02/13/unleash-your-passion-to-unlock-your-leadership/">pursuit of excellence requires you to unleash your passion</a>. When you put your passion into everything you do, it gives you the power to become a potent pioneer. You will blaze paths few would go down, and see them all the way through to the end. Your passionate pursuit of converting your idea into a reality will open new doors to endless possibilities.<br /><br />Your ability to remain passionate about what you stand for is the ultimate enabler for the success of your idea.<br /><br /><h3>
<b>8. Be Purposeful</b></h3>
<br />Your intentions for your idea must have purpose and meaning. If not, your probability to quit along the way will increase. It will also increase the likelihood of you “psyching yourself out with unnecessary excuses.”<br /><br />Rich Melcombe adds: “Entrepreneurs must have passion and believe in what they are doing or they are destined to fail. You need to make a commitment to yourself and have a fiduciary responsibility to anyone who supports your idea or concept. Your purpose is to execute the idea and make others believe too.”<br /><br />Purpose fuels your passion and makes your journey less lonely. Perhaps this explains why <a href="http://www.people.hbs.edu/bvillalonga/VillalongaAmitRFS09.pdf">family-controlled firms outperform their public peers by 6% on company market value</a>. Today, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-largest-family-businesses-in-america-2011-11?op=1#ixzz22UhjVrUJ">one-third of all companies in the S&P 500</a> index are run by families.<br /><br /><br /><h3>
<b>9. Focus on Building Momentum</b></h3>
<br />Carefully identify all of your resources and build upon them via relationships, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/05/29/7-reasons-networking-can-be-a-professional-development-boot-camp/">networking and sharing of resources to expand the opportunity for your ideas</a>. Building momentum is critically important to convert your idea into a reality.<br /><br />Stay focused, stick to your plan, eliminate distractions and neutralize the noise. Remember to manage your time wisely and never get overly excited about new opportunities that stem from your original idea. Step-back, don’t commit too quickly, and understand how the dots connect.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/07/30/build-momentum-back-into-your-career-with-5-forgotten-resources/">Building momentum</a> has a lot to do with timing and the management and deployment of resources. Every resource counts. Know when and when not to use them so their value is optimally utilized at the right place and time.<br /><br /><h3>
<b>10. Always Make the Idea Better</b></h3>
<br />Never grow complacent. You can always expand upon your idea and make it better. When you begin to see how the dots connect, challenge yourself and your personal board of advisors to make your ideas even better.<br /><br />This is what <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs">Steve Jobs</a> did with Apple, Pixar Animation and Apple again. Continuous improvements were part of his legacy. He never stopped thinking of ways to make his ideas better. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen">The Japanese even have a name for it: Kaizen</a>.<br /><br /><h3>
<b>11. Make Work/Life Balance a Priority</b></h3>
<br />No matter how smart, passionate, or focused you work, without balance we are all susceptible to burnout. Mind, body and soul must be properly aligned. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2013/02/06/build-culture-through-leadership/">Take the time to make work/life balance a priority</a>. It will give you greater clarity of thought and help you keep things in perspective.<br /><br />Successfully converting an idea into a reality is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself so that you can reflect upon the mission at hand. Always be aware of what you are attempting to accomplish. Don’t overwhelm your mind; give yourself some breathing room and allow your creativity to expand.<br /><br /><h3>
<b>12. Build a Legacy Around Your Idea</b></h3>
<br />Let’s say you made the commitment to assume the responsibilities associated with the first 11 steps and have already been successful. Your original idea was born and its impact has now morphed into multiple areas that you would have never thought possible at the beginning.<br /><br />You have “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Earning-Serendipity-Creating-Sustaining-Fortune/dp/1929774915/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363303093&sr=1-1&keywords=earning+serendipity">earned your serendipity</a>” and the opportunities you have created for yourself and others have been momentous. The success of your idea is now real; it has become something more significant and it is up to you to make sure its legacy remains sustainable.<br /><br />Once you give your idea its life, it is your responsibility that its impact stays alive forever.<div>
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Original Post: <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/04/01/12-things-successfully-convert-a-great-idea-into-a-reality/">http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/04/01/12-things-successfully-convert-a-great-idea-into-a-reality/</a></div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-74201016258017434912013-04-02T17:12:00.000-07:002013-04-02T17:12:23.108-07:0016 Startups by College StudentsAre you a risk taker? Do you want a full time job by graduation? Starting a company while in college isn't unheard of in today's world and is a great way to learn valuable lessons early. Check out this article from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/">http://www.businessinsider.com/</a> entitled <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><b><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-college-startups-2013-2?op=1">16 Great Startups College Students Are Working On Right Now</a></b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><br />
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16 Great Startups College Students Are Working On Right Now</h1>
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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/mariana-simoes" style="color: #1d637d; text-decoration: none;">Mariana Simoes</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/max-nisen" style="color: #1d637d; text-decoration: none;">Max Nisen</a> <span class="pipe" style="color: #cccccc; padding: 0px 0.5em;">|</span> <span class="date-heat"><span class="date format-date" rel="1360605000" style="color: #dd4725;">Feb. 11</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbJZ4gbr_lk" style="color: #1d637d; text-decoration: none;">youtube/EntrepreneurOnline</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Incredibly high profile successes by young founders like </span><a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/mark-zuckerberg" style="color: #1d637d; line-height: 1.5em; text-decoration: none;">Mark Zuckerberg</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> have made founding a startup an increasingly attractive career path for college kids.</span></span></div>
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Schools know it, and more and more of them are creating accelerators, competitions, and classes designed to get student ideas off the ground.</div>
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As a result, students aren't waiting to graduate to get started, they're using their connections at school and the support they're getting to create fascinating startups. We've collected 16 of our favorites.</div>
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These aren't just another set of apps. Some of these students found business prospects in the most unlikely of places, like a roll of toilet paper. And others, like Gabrielle Palermo, started college with the idea of becoming a doctor but figured out a way to convert her dream of helping people into a business of potentially global proportions.</div>
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<b>Fei Xiao and Anna Sergeeva are making events "flake proof"</b></h3>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLXfiCvXLw">Youtube/ Startup America</a><br />
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University Of Southern California, Class of 2012<br />
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After attending several events in college that promised to have high attendance and turned out to be huge flops, <a href="http://www.inc.com/coolest-college-start-ups-2012/eric-markowitz/truersvp-fei-xiao-anna-sergeeva.html">Xiao and Sergeeva decided to make events "flake proof."</a> In 2011 they founded the company trueRSVP, which uses an algorithm developed by the girls to compare how many times attendees RSVP to events to how many they actually attended.<br />
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The algorithm then comes up with what the founders have called a "flake rating" so event planners know how many people they should actually expect to see at their events. The girls graduated this year and got their degrees early to work full time on <a href="https://planana.com/team">Planana</a>, a spin-off of trueRSVP that offers a variety of other services for event planners. <br />
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<b> Todd Medema is making it easier to buy a car without having to visit the lot</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Todd Medema<br />
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Carnegie Mellon University, Class of 2014<br />
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Todd Medema is COO and one of the three co-founders of <a href="https://autoref.com/">AutoRef</a>, a company that hopes to make car salesmen obsolete. Craig Younkins, is another one of Autoref's founders who wrote the code that powers the website.<br />
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Younkins was also studying at Carnegie Mellon when they came up with the concept for the startup. Craig's taking a leave of absence and is working with Todd to grow the business.<br />
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So far, the service features more than <a href="http://www.keystoneedge.com/features/pittsburghentrepreneurs0124.aspx">three million cars from 5,000 dealerships.</a> As his company expands, 20-year-old Medema is finishing up his junior year <br />
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<b> Bryan Silverman turned toilet paper into reading material</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Bryan and Jordan Silverman<br />
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Duke University, Class of 2015<br />
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Although he is studying neuroscience at Duke University, Bryan spends most of his time thinking about toilet paper. His motto? Don't Rush, Look Before You Flush. Together with his older brother Jordan, they launched <a href="http://www.startoiletpaper.com/">Star Toilet Paper</a> after Jordan causally made the suggestion that if everyone is always reading in the bathroom, they might as well make a toilet paper that everyone can read.<br />
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The brothers broke the toilet paper up into coupons and sold them as add space. So far, 65 companies have agreed to sign on and they pay half a cent per add. Bryan was awarded <a href="http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/profiles/entrepreneur-interviews/college-entrepreneur-of-2012-bryan-sliverman/">Entrepreneur Magazine's College Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2012</a>. <br />
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<b> Carolyn Yarina's startup makes medical tests possible in even the poorest places</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Carolyn Yarina<br />
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University Of Michigan, Class of 2013<br />
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Carolyn is the CEO and a co-founder of <a href="http://centricycle.org/">CentriCycle</a>, a startup that has created a manually powered and sustainable centrifuge that allows health care workers to prepare bodily fluids, like blood, for diagnostic tests. This makes it possible to run medical tests in health care facilities in the developing world that don't have the ability to power an electric centrifuge.<br />
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Along with other entrepreneurs <a href="http://cfe.umich.edu/techarb/portfolio.html">based at Michigan University</a>, Carolyn took CentriCycle to India. In the future, they hope to create other devices that can make medical care accessible to those who need it most. <a href="http://centricycle.org/about.html">According to those involved in the project </a>anemia, diabetes, and hepatitis can be prevented or better treated with proper diagnostic procedures. <br />
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<b>Wesley Zhao left school to build a social network designed for families</b></h3>
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Courtsey of Wesley Zhao<br />
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University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2014<br />
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19-year-old Wesley Zhao created <a href="https://familyleaf.com/">FamilyLeaf</a>, a social media site that allows users to swap photos and share stories with their loved ones. The site aims to create a safe space for users to post only family-related photos and events.<br />
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The idea came to him freshman year, and instead of starting his sophomore year at Wharton, <a href="http://www.thedp.com/article/2012/04/student_entrepreneur_drops_penn_for_silicon_valley">he took a leave of absence</a> and dedicates all his time to FamilyLeaf. <br />
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<b>Daniel Mishin founded a chain of hostels in Russia that look like college dorms</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Daniel Mishin<br />
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Russian Institute of Economics and Computer Science<br />
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This 20-year-old may be a student in Russia, but he is now doing business with the United States. He founded <a href="http://www.bear-hostels.com/en/hostels/">Bear Hostels</a>, a chain of hostels that first opened its doors in 2009 to give young Americans a place to crash when visiting places like the New Arbat, one of the most happening neighborhoods in Moscow.<br />
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He put together a website that caters to Americans by featuring visa advice and providing all information in English. Bear Hostels is like a cross between a hotel and a college dorm. It's largest branch has rooms that can hold up to 16 beds, and the lobby has a communal plasma TV as well as snacks. Mishin has big plans to expand his hotel business beyond the hostel market and was one of four finalists at the <a href="http://upstart.bizjournals.com/entrepreneurs/hot-shots/2012/11/19/gsea-finalists-show-off-student-business.html?page=all">Global Student Entrepreneur Awards</a>. <br />
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<b>Gabrielle Palermo is transforming shipping containers into clinics to save rural lives</b></h3>
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Arizona State University, Class of 2013<br />
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<a href="http://www.inc.com/coolest-college-start-ups-2012/nicole-carter/g3box-gabrielle-palermo.html">Gabrielle wanted to be a doctor</a> but realized that there is no better way to save lives than to make medical care accessible to everyone. The idea behind <a href="http://www.g3boxllc.com/#%21our-clinics/ch6q">G3Box</a>, a startup she created alongside other classmates who had started similar projects, is to create cost-effective medical clinics out of recycled shipping containers.<br />
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The best part about these compact medical facilities is that they are on wheels and can be transported to rural communities without access to medical services. Palermo and her colleagues<a href="http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/gilbert/article_4bfb4ca8-3e52-11e1-94ee-0019bb2963f4.html"> won first prize</a> at her college's entrepreneurship contest and landed $20,000 to jump start their business. <br />
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<b>Eric Muli is turning college kids into brand ambassadors with free merchandise</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Eric Muli<br />
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Babson College, Class of 2014<br />
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The concept behind the marketing company <a href="http://www.jossle.org/">Jossle</a> is simple: Who better to promote a brand than the very people the brand is targeting? Muli and his friends came up with the idea that companies should distribute branded merchandise like t-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts for college students to wear around campus. <br />
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<a href="http://elitedaily.com/elite/2012/entrepreneur-profile-founders-jossle/">Born in Boston and raised in both Jamaica and Kenya,</a> Muli found his way to Babson college where he began envisioning his classmates as living breathing advertisements who go to class, hang out in their dorms and attend social events all while selling a brand. Any college kid can sign up on their website and when you become a "Josseler" you not only get free gear, but you get paid to wear it. <br />
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<b>Jack McDermott is using his own experience in speech therapy to create an app for other stutterers</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Jack McDermott<br />
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Tufts University, Class of 2014<br />
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McDermott is the founder and CEO of <a href="http://balbusspeech.com/about/">Balbus Speech</a>, a company that makes apps that <a href="http://now.tufts.edu/articles/ispeech-therapy">seek to improve speech therapy</a> and make it more accessible. He was inspired to start the company because he was a stutterer himself and benefited from speech therapy.<br />
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The company's app, Speech4Good, uses delayed auditory feedback, an established technique of speech therapy, to help people play back speech therapy exercises to themselves as they practice. <br />
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<b>Kenny Nguyen helps Fortune 500 businesses polish their presentation skills</b></h3>
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Lousiana State University, Class of 2013<br />
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At Lousiana State, Nguyen watched his professors give many presentations, and his take-away from the days he spent attending classes was that he could help make lectures better. This 21-year-old founded <a href="http://bigfishpresentations.com/">Big Fish Presentations</a>, a company that works with presentation design, consults, and produces commercial video. The company's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-this-student-made-over-100k-in-one-year-making-presentations-2012-6">done work for Entergy</a>, a Fortune 500 company.<br />
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Big Fish Presentations claims that they can help companies create bigger, brighter, and more interactive presentations, not only by <a href="http://www.inc.com/coolest-college-start-ups-2012/caitlin-berens/big-fish-presentations-kenny-nguyen.html">putting them together, but by leading strategy workshops</a>. Nguyen's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-this-student-made-over-100k-in-one-year-making-presentations-2012-6">growing business</a> is evidence that there is a large market out there for polishing up pitches and slide shows. <br />
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<b>Karina Pikhart created a label maker for blind people</b></h3>
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Courtesy of Karina Pikhart<br />
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Class of 2009<br />
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Pikhart created a braille keyboard and labeling kit called <a href="http://www.6dot.com/">6 Dot</a>. The labels make it easier for blind people to find the right medication in their medicine cabinet or to reach for the spice rack and find the right ingredient. The goal is to continue to come up with new technologies to improve the quality of life for the blind.<br />
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Pikhart developed the prototype during an engineering course she took at MIT. Once the product was created, it grew into a successful business. She is currently back in the classroom where she is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-why-youll-be-jealous-you-didnt-go-to-stanford-inside-startx-2012-1">pursuing a masters in mechanical engineering at Stanford.</a> <br />
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<b>Justin Crites and Tony Llongueras' app will use big data to save the lives of stroke victims</b></h3>
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<img border="0" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51126731eab8eae711000000-400-300/justin-crites-and-tony-llongueras-app-will-use-big-data-to-save-the-lives-of-stroke-victims.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/emgilmer/8117614944/">Courtsey of Dr. Leanne Field</a><br />
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UT Austin, Class of 2014<br />
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Justin Crites and Tony Llongueras founded, along with a third friend, <a href="https://angel.co/crowdrx">CrowdRX</a>, a startup that's attempting to reduce treatment time for stroke patients by making a large amount of data available immediately, in a way that fits into a responder's workflow. The idea is to use big data to save lives.<br />
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This is incredibly important because the earlier strokes are treated, the more brain function can be saved. CrowdRX is one of the <a href="http://studentstartupmadness.com/entrepreneurial-eight-finalists-named-will-compete-at-south-by-southwest-in-march/">8 finalists at this year's South By Southwest Student Startup Madness competition</a>, selected from a field of 64 student entrepreneurs around the country. <br />
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<b>Mikhail Naumov takes students from Princeton and other schools to Costa Rica to learn about sustainable energy</b></h3>
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<img border="0" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/511026eb6bb3f7d471000009-400-300/mikhail-naumov-takes-students-from-princeton-and-other-schools-to-costa-rica-to-learn-about-sustainable-energy.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOaGrRIRFRw">Youtube/Forbes</a><br />
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Rutgers University, Class of 2012<br />
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After a trip to Costa Rica with two other classmates who wanted to start a business together, Mikail Naumov had his heart set on launching a renewable energy business. He founded <a href="https://thegreenprogram.com/">The GREEN Program</a>, a study abroad program that <a href="http://news.rutgers.edu/focus/issue.2012-04-27.6252264798/article.2012-05-14.6158111435">takes Rutgers students to Costa Rica</a> to learn about sustainable energy projects. Other universities, including Princeton and Penn State, have joined the program.<br />
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GREEN aims to revolutionize study abroad programs by having students actually implement the sustainable solutions they are learning about in the classroom in the real world. Most recently, students helped put together rainwater collection systems that help give Costa Rican families greater access to water. <br />
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<b>Charlie Dolan is helping companies in 11 states get rid of their trash cheaply and sustainably</b></h3>
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<img border="0" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5112b493ecad047953000025-400-300/charlie-dolan-is-helping-companies-in-11-states-get-rid-of-their-trash-cheaply-and-sustainably.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova.html">Courtesy of Vilanova University 2010</a><br />
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Villanova University, Class of 2014<br />
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Charlie Dolan came up with a way to reduce the amount of waste that companies dispose of daily. He founded <a href="http://sequoiawaste.com/">Sequoia Waste Solutions</a>, a waste management company that helps its clients <a href="http://www.keystoneedge.com/features/pittsburghentrepreneurs0124.aspx">read through the fine print of their </a><a href="http://www.keystoneedge.com/features/pittsburghentrepreneurs0124.aspx">waste disposal contracts</a> and find more cost-effective solutions to recycle and get rid of their trash. <br />
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While the 20 year-old Dolan attends his classes and works towards a degree in management information systems, he continues building his business.The company, based in Pittsburgh, is active in 11 other states. <br />
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<h3>
<b>Jorjan Tang built a wheel chair that helps disabled people go camping</b></h3>
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<img border="0" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5108484669bedd3e22000009-400-300/jorjan-tang-built-a-wheel-chair-that-helps-disabled-people-go-camping.jpg" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/asu-initiatives/7181583367/in/photostream/">Courtesy of Vantage Realized</a><br />
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Arizona State University, Class of 2012<br />
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Tang's classmate Nicholas Gough's father uses an electric wheelchair that isn't practical when he travels or goes camping. <a href="http://www.statepress.com/2011/09/23/new-student-startup-finds-solution-for-wheelchair-users/">According to those involved in the project</a>, these wheelchairs don't allow users to go uphill or navigate rough terrain. Further, the constant reaching over and bending can cause users to develop arthritis.<br />
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To help Nick's dad, they founded <a href="http://www.vantagerealized.com/about.html">Vantage Realized</a> and came up with a new prototype for a wheelchair that functions on a level system. The idea is to not only create a better wheelchair but to start making other products that people with disabilities can use. As CEO of Vantage Realized, Tang has secured funding from ASU's Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative. <br />
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<h3>
<b>Eric Wahl and Matt Lowe are making athletic apparel for the growing sport of Muggle Quidditch</b></h3>
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<img border="0" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/511267b669bedd0703000013-400-300/eric-wahl-and-matt-lowe-are-making-athletic-apparel-for-the-growing-sport-of-muggle-quidditch.jpg" /><br />
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Courtesy of Matt Lowe and Quiyk Team<br />
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Emerson College, Class of 2013<br />
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Eric and Matt are the co-founders of <a href="http://quiyk.com/about.php">Quiyk</a>, an athletic apparel company that primarily focuses on apparel for a modified version of Quidditch (a fictional sport from the Harry Potter novels) which was created by students at Middlebury College in 2006. It has become increasingly popular on college campuses since then.<br />
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<a href="http://quiyk.com/about.php">The company launched</a> at the 5th annual Quidditch World Cup in New York City in 2011, sold out almost its entire inventory, and is now the official apparel provider for the <a href="http://www.internationalquidditch.org/">International Quidditch Association. </a> <br />
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Read more: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-college-startups-2013-2?op=1#ixzz2PLyRJyfZ">http://www.businessinsider.com/best-college-startups-2013-2?op=1#ixzz2PLyRJyfZ</a></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-82115712721121346562012-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-19T06:00:07.193-08:0050 Tips for College Students<br />
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<span style="font-size: 22px;">50 Tips for College Students</span></h1>
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Learn how to have a happy and successful college career.</div>
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<span class="submitted" style="color: #666666; font-size: 11px;">Published on August 23, 2010 by <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/stephanie-sarkis-phd" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: initial;" title="View Bio">Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D.</a> in <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: initial;">Here, There, and Everywhere</a></span></div>
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I did the "extended tour" of college. From about 1991-2002. I did get 4 degrees, so at least I have an excuse. :) I've also been an adjunct professor, so I've also been at the other side of the classroom.</div>
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1) The Freshman Fifteen does exist. So does the Freshman Twenty. Watch how many starches and processed foods you are eating.<br />
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2) Pizza - the ubiquitous college snack. See #1.<br />
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3) If it's either take out a loan or quit school, take out a loan.<br />
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4) If you can live harmoniously with someone in a 20×20 ft. space, you can do anything.<br />
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5) Flip-flops: Wear them in the dorm shower. Always.<br />
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6) Always attend the *real* class, and use the Internet one for review.<br />
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7) If you are not a morning person, don't schedule classes for 7am. You will not go.<br />
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8) Get involved on campus. All work and no *productive* socializing is boring.<br />
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9) Too much socializing = bad grades. Everything in moderation.<br />
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10) If you are feeling overwhelmed, are having problems <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/sleep" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Sleep">sleeping</a>, or have gone through a breakup,<br />
visit your college's counseling center. If you are feeling <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/suicide" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Suicide">suicidal</a> at any point, call your college's crisis<br />
center number or call 911 immediately.<br />
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11) There are a lot of free activities on campus. Take advantage of them.<br />
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12) Many colleges have free tutoring centers on campus. Take advantage of them.<br />
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13) Sit near the front of class.<br />
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14) Attend the whole class. Even if you feel like you will just die if you sit there any longer. Even if you<br />
feel your <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/neuroscience" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Neuroscience">brain</a> start to ooze out the side of your ear. Because we (professors) sometimes give really important info at the end of class.<br />
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15) Recopy your notes after class. Or if you've typed them (which is recommended), do a quick read-through after class.<br />
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16) Remember that although you are 18, your college may have the right to contact your <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/parenting" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Parenting">parents</a> if you are caught drinking underage.<br />
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17) Don't do anything stupid (read: illegal). It will go down on your permanent record. Seriously. At every college you apply to after this one.<br />
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18) Register for classes as early as possible. Early bird catches the worm and all that.<br />
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19) See how your first semester goes before you consider getting a job. See how heavy your course load is first.<br />
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20) Find a bank that also has branches in your hometown. Get your account connected to your parents' account so they can transfer money to you.<br />
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21) Use direct deposit and automatic withdrawal for paychecks/loanchecks/ check checks. Less chance of you losing it.<br />
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22) Use virus protection and firewalls on your laptop.<br />
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23) The student bookstore (online and in real life) can have great student discounts on hardware/software.<br />
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24) Reconsider bringing a car to campus your first semester. It can be a pain to park.<br />
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25) Pack the clothes you need for college, and then take half of that amount.<br />
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26) The more underwear you have, the less you have to do laundry.<br />
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27) If you are doing laundry on campus or at a laundromat, stay with your clothes. Otherwise they may walk off while you are gone.<br />
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28) I can't emphasize this enough: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. This is so important, I'll tell it to you again: INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO YOUR PROFESSORS AND GO TO THEIR OFFICE HOURS. We're nice people. Seriously. And we really like it when someone is interested in our classes.<br />
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29) Use the college's <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/career" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Career">career</a> resource center - not just when you are going to graduate, but when you are figuring out what you want to do with your life. It's a free service. Use the free services.<br />
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30) For the love of God, please, please do not leave candles burning in your dorm room or apartment. Or those incense burning thingies. Bad things happen when those are left on.<br />
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31) If you have a tendency to be messy, your roommate may be compulsively neat. The general rule is that the messier you are, the more neat your roommate will be. Try to pull it together. Especially regarding food. Always throw out leftover food. That's just gross, messy or not. Learning how to adapt to someone else's living style is a wonderful learning experience. Really. And if you complained about having to share a room with your siblings while you were growing up, when you get to college you learn that you are actually ahead of the curve. :)<br />
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32) Stay on campus on weekends. If you go home every weekend because you are homesick or have a girlfriend/boyfriend back home, you will be missing out on a lot of the college experience.<br />
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33) Get your flu shots. Yearly.<br />
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34) Use condoms. Every time.<br />
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35) Long-distance relationships are a challenge to keep up when you are away at school.<br />
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36) If you get that "ick" feeling that you shouldn't be doing something or shouldn't be somewhere, stop doing it and get out of there.<br />
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37) You may feel like your parents are hovering too much. Look at it this way: they've been taking care of you since you were a baby. That doesn't just stop. Cut them some slack. The more independent and <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/wisdom" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Wisdom">wise</a>decisions you make on your own, the more they will have confidence in your abilities as an adult.<br />
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38) Just because you and your roommate were friends back home doesn't mean you will be compatible roommates. You find out new things about people when you are sharing a small space. But you can work it out. Even if you and your roommate are total strangers and are completely different - you may become great friends.<br />
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39) If your roommate is doing something that bothers you, ask yourself the following three questions: 1) Am I being reasonable in being bothered by this? 2) What's the best way to talk to my roommate about this? 3) What are some solutions to this issue? If all else fails and the issue is very important to you and you've talked to your roommate to no avail, talk to your Resident Assistant.<br />
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40) Practice safety. Don't walk home alone in the dark. Walk with someone. Many campuses have services where you can call and someone will walk back to your dorm with you.<br />
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41) Just because you *can* do something doesn't mean you should.<br />
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42) Use flashcards to quiz yourself when studying. And get someone else to quiz you with them. If you always quiz yourself with your own flashcards, you may skip over some that you don't know the answer to.<br />
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43) You may not know what you want to do for a major. It's okay. There are people much older than you that still aren't sure what they want to do with their lives. That's okay. See your academic adviser for help. Pay attention to which classes you really look forward to - that can be a clue as to what you might want to major in.<br />
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44) If you have a dining card/pass - do not treat all your friends to lunch and dinner. That is real money. Real money that you will be asking your parents for when it runs out.<br />
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45) Study groups can be helpful - but keep it to between 3 and 5 members (including you). More than that, and it turns into a social event.<br />
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46) If you have <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/adhd" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at ADHD">ADHD</a> or a <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/learning-disability" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Learning Disability">learning disability</a>, apply for accommodations as soon as possible - even right after you find out you've been accepted to school.<br />
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47) Sleep. Get it. Get enough. You may be <a class="pt-basics-link" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/laughter" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; text-decoration: initial;" title="Psychology Today looks at Laughter">laughing</a> at this, being a college student and all...but you need to get enough sleep.<br />
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48) Wash your hands. Often. Living in the dorms is a communal living experience. Germs love communal living.<br />
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49) Keep in touch with your friends from back home, but be open to meeting people of all different cultures and interests.<br />
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50) Enjoy your college experience - it's one most rewarding experiences of your life, academically and socially.<br />
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Dr. Sarkis is the author of <a class="ext" href="http://www.stephaniesarkis.com/publications/shtml#book2" style="color: #333333;" target="_blank" title="Making the Grade with ADD: A Student's Guide to Succeeding in College with Attention Deficit Disorder">Making the Grade with ADD: A Student's Guide to Succeeding in College with Attention Deficit Disorder</a><span class="ext" style="background-image: url(http://rsrc.psychologytoday.com/sites/all/modules/contrib/extlink/extlink.png); background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 12px;"></span>.<br />
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Original Post: <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201008/50-tips-college-students">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201008/50-tips-college-students</a></div>
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Feel free to add your college tips!<br />
<a class="ext" href="http://www.stephaniesarkis.com/" style="color: #333333;" target="_blank" title="www.stephaniesarkis.com">www.stephaniesarkis.com</a></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-10522209144272068462012-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-18T06:00:10.398-08:00How to Make Money Over Winter Break<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">If you’re anything like me, you wait all semester to catch a break. But after a few days at home, you somehow find yourself bored out of your mind. You have no projects to think about, no tests to study for, and more time on your hands than you thought you could handle. So what better time to fill your days with a job and make some extra cash?</span><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Here are 15 ways to get going on filling up your bank account before spring semester rolls around:</strong></span></h1>
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<img alt="shoveling snow pathway cold weather winter wintertime " src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/shovelingsnow.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font: inherit; height: 265px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 400px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Shovel some snow-</strong> If there’s lots of snow where you live, you might as well make the most of it and offer your shoveling services to your neighbors and family members. Tom Vecchione, executive director of career services at Elon University, calls this money-maker an “oldie but goodie.” He also says he would definitely pay someone to do it for him!</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Be a distributor-</b> Vecchione says, “Many employers in larger to mid-size areas employ high school and college students to hand out flyers or other marketing items to the public.” Look around at local coffee shops or ice cream shops to see what flyers are already posted, and then give them a call to see if they’d like any more help.</span></div>
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<img alt="finger painting hand painting kindergarten children activity fun" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/babysitting.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font: inherit; height: 133px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 200px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Babysit</strong>- Parents are super busy with holiday parties and office parties over break. Offer to watch your cousins, neighbors, siblings or nieces and nephews. You’ll have fun and make good money in the process. If your neighborhood or high school has an email list-serv, send something out letting everyone know you’re available to help.</span></div>
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<div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Watch someone’s pets-</b> Lots of people take short vacations and trips over the holidays. And most people would rather leave their pets at home than kennel them, so offer to feed and walk your neighbor’s dog or feed their fish. You’ll be a great help! This is another item you can shoot over a neighborhood email list-serv.</span> </span></div>
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<img alt="closet messy unorganized piles of clothing" class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/closet.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font: inherit; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 197px;" /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Clean out your closet</b>- Go through all of your clothes and sell what you don’t want at a local consignment store. Just try not to buy anything there while you’re selling your stuff if the goal is to be cash flow positive!</span></div>
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<div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Sell some stuff on the Internet-</b> Use eBay to sell items that you no longer have any use for. It’s an easy way to make money.</span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Hold onto that summer job</strong>- Keep in touch with your boss from this summer. Chances are, he might want to hire you back for a few weeks because he won’t have to train you! Reach out to your boss as soon as you get home and ask him right away if the company will need any help over the holidays.</span></div>
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<div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8. Get into retail-</b> Vecchione says, “Retail, or anything related to helping a company adequately is a great way to spend your break [because] the holidays increase their demand for services.” You can help! When you’re out doing Christmas shopping, spend some time going in and out of stores asking if they’re hiring for the holidays. </span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<img alt="yard garage sale sell old items fundraiser" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/yard_sale.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font: inherit; height: 188px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 250px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">9. Host a garage sale-</b> Ross Wade, </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #222222; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Assistant Director of Career Services at Elon University, suggests having a holiday garage sale.</span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sell all of your old CD’s, DVD’s, handbags, clothes, whatever! Get your siblings or neighbors to organize it with you so you have more to sell and you can all benefit from it! Put up a flyer at your local Community Center or put flyers in mailboxes around your neighborhood to publicize. Post something about it on your Facebook too—you can even make a Facebook photo album that is a sort of gallery of the items you’ll be selling. </span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10. Play the ‘nice’ card-</b> Wade suggests playing the nice card. “Be extra nice to your family so they give you some extra money in your holiday card.” Worth a try, right?</span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="ten dollar bill in the leaves soil" class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/hidden-money-3.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: none; font: inherit; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 240px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><wbr></wbr><wbr></wbr><wbr></wbr></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11. Clean the house…</b> in search of money- Do a quick sweep all over your house, taking extra time to look under the couch and behind the cushions. Then take the loose change you’ve gathered up and put it in the Coinstar at your local grocery store. You can convert the change into gift cards, too. Hey—you said you had a lot of free time, right?</span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="bookbyte.com textbooks old re-used" class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/books.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: none; font: inherit; height: 375px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 500px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><wbr></wbr><wbr></wbr></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">12. Sell your old textbooks-</b> Lots of people sell their books back to the bookstore, but you can get a lot more money by selling them to friends or other students who are taking the same classes. Visit websites like <a href="http://www.bookbyte.com/buytextbooks.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Sales%20Campaign%20(Text%20Based)&gclid=CLL97Nec5aUCFY9l7AodKlFu3Q)" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">bookbyte.com</a> </span><br /><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="upload a design artistic tribal ethnic print" class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/draw.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: none; font: inherit; height: 473px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 630px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><wbr></wbr><wbr></wbr></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">13. Use your artistic ability-</b> Wade says, “If you’re artsy, design and create some holiday cards or art to sell on <a href="http://etsy.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">etsy.com</a> and upload a design for a greeting card. You can sell your personal designs online!</span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="recycle go green environmentalism " class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Lauren%20articles/recycle.jpg" style="border: 0px; clear: both; display: block; float: none; font: inherit; height: 394px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 500px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><wbr></wbr><wbr></wbr></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">14. Recycle-</b> Did you know that you can get money for recycling? Some grocery stores give customers change in exchange for used plastic bottles. Getting paid to go green? Doesn’t get any better than that!</span><span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><wbr></wbr><wbr></wbr></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">15. Wrap it up-</b> Put flyers out in the mailboxes in your neighborhood offering your wrapping services. Say that you’ll take some stress off of their plate by offering to do their present wrapping</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Original Post: <a href="http://www.hercampus.com/career/money/15-ways-make-money-over-winter-break?page=2">http://www.hercampus.com/career/money/15-ways-make-money-over-winter-break?page=2</a></span></span></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-25321217352826523272012-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-17T06:00:16.026-08:00How to Get a Summer Internship<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQVqweBbUw8cCtEWzeWoQw6e4APPKCYGYJ-Cnb3RIh0nBr2Cdp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQVqweBbUw8cCtEWzeWoQw6e4APPKCYGYJ-Cnb3RIh0nBr2Cdp" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">It's now Winter break. Time to relax and not use your brain for a month? No way! It's time to start thinking about what you want to do over Summer break. I don't care who you are, get a summer internship. Here are some tips:</span></div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">1.Make a list.</strong> Figure out what you want to do – what interests you, what do you want to learn how to do, or what do you think you want to be in 10 years? Write down a few places or lines of work that come to mind. While you’re at it, scribble down a few basic things to narrow your search – what town or area, paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time, for school credit or not.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">2. Research.</strong> Look into big companies in your area; most big corporations have internship programs. Stumped? Talk to your school counselor or parents’ friends who have jobs you think are interesting.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">3. Get creative.</strong> Don’t want to work in a stuffy office while your buds are hitting the beach? No problem. Look into museums, art galleries, publishing houses, nature centers, eco-research centers, whatever.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">4. Hit the pavement.</strong> Online research for big companies and orgs is a great starting point, but walk around your city or town to see if any other places spark your interest. Be bold, if something looks interesting, walk in, ask for an application, or leave your info (including a resume) with them. Don’t forget to smile!</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">5. Don’t give up. </strong>So your dream workplace doesn’t have an internship program? The search isn’t over yet! Look up who you can contact in Human Resources or who the managing director of a certain department might be, and contact him! Let him know that you’re interested in interning and ask if the company has a program or a way for you to help and learn a few things.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">6. Make sure you can do it!</strong> Once you have a few places, ask yourself: Got a ride? OK’d it with your parents? Is it realistic for you to get to the internship during the summer? Make sure you can get a ride (or map out your bus/train route), and if you can walk or bike, even better! You don’t want to commit to something and have to pull out at the last minute, so cover your bases.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">7. Get that resume in shape.</strong> What’s a resume and how do you make one? Check out Do Something’s <a href="http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/how-create-a-resume" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: initial;">How to create a resume</a> and <a href="http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-resume-writing-tips" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: initial;">11 tips for a great resume</a>!</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">8. Make contacts.</strong> If your internship has a formal application program, write out your application and apply, AND do a little digging to find out who might be getting that app. Give HR a call and ask who handles hiring. Send her a written note or an email explaining why you’d like the job and what makes you good at it. A little extra goes a long way.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">9. Spread your net.</strong> It’s tempting to put all your efforts into that dream job, but there are ton of people vying for internships, so make sure you look into at least five options and make contact with them so you have plenty of choices!</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">10. Snagged an interview?</strong> It’s important to dress appropriately and remember a few simple things. Check out Do Something’s <a href="http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-tips-a-successful-interview" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: initial;">11 ways to ace an interview</a> and <a href="http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-common-interview-questions" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: initial;">11 Common Interview Questions</a>!</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 14px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">11. Follow-up.</strong> If you talked to someone at a company or had an interview, make sure to thank them and remind them you’re out there and would still love to intern with them.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Original Post: <a href="http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-ways-get-a-summer-internship">http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-ways-get-a-summer-internship</a></span></span></div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-23257722604261677602012-12-16T12:24:00.000-08:002012-12-16T12:24:00.008-08:00Make the Most of your Winter Break!<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">It can be tricky to figure out what to do between semesters. So much time and so little motivation! It may be tempting to do absolutely nothing, but that isn’t always the wisest choice. So what makes the perfect recipe for the best winter break possible?</span></h1>
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<article about="/life/make-it-count-how-make-most-your-winter-break" class="node node-article node-promoted node-published node-not-sticky author-kate-giaccone odd clearfix" id="node-article-639974" style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document"><div class="content clearfix" style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Be Productive!</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Apply for Summer Internships</u></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Even though the days are short and (if you live somewhere cold) it’s puffy winter jacket weather, now is the time to apply for summer internships. If you’re hoping to get some insight into your future field, use this time to make some connections:</span></div>
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<img alt="beeline business professional teacher connection " class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/Places/Work%20and%20business%20world/1.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; height: 282px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 425px;" /></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Visit – If you’re hoping to take a peek into your future, try scheduling an office visit. Pick a few companies that you might be interested in working for in the future and ask them if you could drop in one day during the week. Make sure you ask a ton of questions, dress the part, meet as many people as possible, and follow-up with everyone! You can find more info on “winternships” <a href="http://hercampus.com/career/411-winternships" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">here</a>.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><wbr></wbr><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shadow – Try shadowing someone who does what you want to do for a day. An arrangement can usually be set up on your own, through your school’s career services center, or even through a family member or friend. Use the opportunity to figure out what a typical day is like and to see if – at the end of the day – you still want to do this type of work. <a href="http://hercampus.com/career/7-ways-rock-your-winternship" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Read this to find out how to rock your winternship.</a></span></li>
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<img alt="business teacher professional interview resume " class="break" src="http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/People/Professionals%20and%20professors/102repimage.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; height: 321px; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 615px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 485px;" /></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get some info – Set up an informational interview on your own or through the career services center at your school with someone in your hometown. Think of it as a stress-free opportunity to find out more about a potential career in your field. Ask questions, take notes, and don’t forget to send a thank you note afterwards!</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Be prepared – Spend a day or two working on your résumé and writing some general letters of introduction that can be handed out to potential employers. Have a few handy if you plan on going on office visits. Check out <a href="http://hercampus.com/career/how-put-together-your-first-or-second-resume" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">this article</a> for advice on creating your first resume.</span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Make Some Money</u></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Not the counterfeit kind. Try getting a part time job if you still have a few weeks left. Hit up the neighbors for some babysitting gigs, shovel snow (if there is any where you live), or offer some tutoring sessions. Or offer your skills to local businesses and family friends. And lots of stores hire people over the holidays—check out job search sites like <a href="http://careerbuilder.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">careerbuilder.com</a> or <a href="http://monster.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">monster.com</a> for listings! And <a href="http://www.hercampus.com/life/15-ways-make-money-over-winter-break" style="border: 0px; color: #ff0066; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">here are 15 more ways</a> to make money over winter break.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><u style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Organized</u></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do a little bit of winter cleaning – out with the old and in with the new.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Instead of spring cleaning, clean out your closet to make room for your holiday gifts,” Kayla, a junior at Yale suggested. “And give those clothes to the Salvation Army. Good Karma may result in awesome gifts.”</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can do the same with your old books – sell as many as you can and toss or donate the rest. </span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Make sure you go through everything first so that you don’t throw away anything important.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small; font: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Original Post: http://www.hercampus.com/life/make-it-count-how-make-most-your-winter-break</span></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-50266311482635884952012-11-24T14:55:00.000-08:002012-11-24T14:55:13.371-08:00How to Conquer your Student Loans<br />
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<b>Don't despair. You have options with private lenders and the feds to cut your payments.</b></div>
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<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/rates/query?t=c" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: initial;">[Click here to check current credit card offers, including rates and terms.]</a> When Angela Moore looks into her future, she sees checks for $500, $147, $280 and $250 piling up like leaves in a forest. Those are the amounts she could be paying every single month on her four student loans, which total $92,000, for the next several decades. If she postpones payments, the amounts she owes will go up. If she skips them, she could ruin her credit and end up in court.</div>
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Moore, 26, graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Hartford in 2009 with $25,000 in federal student loans and $67,000 in private loans. She devotes about half of her paycheck to those bills and resorts to credit cards to cover other expenses. Says Moore, the first in her family to graduate from college, "It's heartbreaking to have a college degree and not be able to pay for normal things because I have to pay student loans."</div>
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Moore works at an orthopedic surgeon's office, the same job she had in college. She would like to move on someday but can't afford to make less than her current wage of about $18 an hour. Nor does she see an obvious way out of her predicament. "If you're in that much debt and have a house or car, you at least have something you can give back. I have a piece of paper. I have nothing to give back."</div>
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Meet the young and burdened. Of borrowers who graduated from four-year colleges in 2008, 10% walked away with $40,000 or more in student debt, almost three times the number of students who borrowed at that level in 2000, according to the Project on Student Debt, an advocacy group. The default rate for students who entered repayment between fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2007 was 6.7%, the highest since 1998.</div>
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[<a href="http://yhoo.it/cKIASA" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: initial;">See Feasibility of Student Loan Repayment</a>]</div>
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You'd think bankruptcy would be a solution to massive student debt, but for most people, it is not an option. You must demonstrate to a judge that repayment would cause "undue hardship," a term interpreted by some courts to mean the "certainty of hopelessness," according to Deanne Loonin, of the National Consumer Law Center. This strict standard applies to both federal and private student loans. Proposed legislation in Congress would change that standard for private student loans, making them eligible for discharge under the more lenient rules that apply to credit-card and other consumer debt.</div>
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Meanwhile, federal loans offer programs that let you reduce payments or even qualify for loan forgiveness. As for private loans, some lenders are offering deals to borrowers rather than see loans go south.</div>
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<strong>Cut a Deal With a Lender</strong></div>
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A few years ago, lenders were rushing to offer private loans to students, including those who were less than creditworthy. Now, borrowers who couldn't afford the loans in the first place are defaulting in droves, says Joshua Cohen, a Hartford-based lawyer who specializes in debt. "The industry is either going to take a bath or start coming after people."</div>
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Some lenders hope to avoid both scenarios by offering interest-only repayments or other arrangements that lower payments for a time. "It does us no good to have a customer with a loan he or she is unable to repay," says Patricia Christel, of Sallie Mae, the giant student-loan company. Check your promissory note to see whether it includes such provisions. "It's very case-by-case," says Loonin. If it does not, try to negotiate a plan with your lender.</div>
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If you don't reach an agreement, ask the lender for forbearance, in which you make no payments at all for three-month increments, usually for no more than a year (interest continues to accrue). Lenders are less willing than they once were to sign off on these deals, but they may do so if they believe the break will get you back on track. "The important message is, contact your lender sooner rather than later," says Tim Ranzetta, of Student Lending Analytics.</div>
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[<a href="http://yhoo.it/b1tHX1" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: initial;">See MBA Programs That Generate the Highest Pay</a>]</div>
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With federal loans, you can be past due for months before going into default. With private loans, you generally fall into that category as soon as you miss one payment. A collector will start calling, and eventually a third-party collection agency will take over the loan. (The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects you from abusive collection practices.</div>
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Unlike the feds, who have the authority to tap your resources, private creditors must go to court to collect debts. "Until then, there's nothing they can do," says Cohen. Defaults are subject to your state's statute of limitations, typically six years. If you do get sued and lose, the creditor can garnish your wages, put a lien on your house and wipe out your bank account.</div>
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<strong>Pick a Plan From Uncle Sam</strong></div>
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Federal loans, which include Perkins loans, Stafford loans and Grad Plus loans, provide more options. (The Perkins loan repayment provisions differ somewhat from the other two; call your school for details.) For Staffords and Grad Plus loans, the <em>standard plan</em> gets you out from under after 120 equal monthly payments over ten years. If you can't afford those payments but expect to have a higher income in a few years, you can choose the <em>graduated plan,</em> through which you make lower payments in the first few years and higher payments later over the ten-year span. Because you pay less at the beginning, you pay more interest overall.</div>
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If you owe at least $30,000 in federal loans, consider the <em>extended repayment plan,</em> which lets you stretch monthly payments as far out as 25 years, for lower monthly amounts but at a higher cost. Or you can consolidate your federal loans through the federal Direct Loan program and extend your payments to 12 to 30 years, depending on the amount you owe. (For details, see<a href="http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov</a>.)</div>
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Borrowers whose federal debt outstrips their annual income should look into the <em>income-based repayment plan,</em> which is "like gold" for those who qualify, says Edie Irons, of the Project on Student Debt. This program, which improves on two other income-based programs, can reduce your payments to as low as zero.</div>
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You probably qualify if your total debt exceeds your annual income. After 25 years, any remaining debt is forgiven; you owe tax on the forgiven amount. If you enter the income-based repayment plan and then get a big bump in salary, your payments from that point on are calculated according to the standard plan.</div>
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Cops, public defenders, public-school teachers and others working full-time in the public sector qualify for cancellation of any remaining debt after 120 payments, made on or after October 1, 2007. To get this deal, your loans must be with the federal Direct Loan program, as opposed to the now-defunct program (known as FFEL) offered by private lenders. You can consolidate FFEL loans into the Direct Loan program. The forgiven amount is tax-free.</div>
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You have the right to defer federal-loan repayments for up to three years if you are unemployed, experiencing economic hardship, attending school at least half-time or serving on active duty in the military. The feds pick up the interest during the deferment on subsidized loans but not on unsubsidized loans. Call your lender for details.</div>
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If deferment isn't an option, ask your lender for forbearance. With a federal loan, you can suspend payments for up to three 12-month periods. Depending on the amount you earn and owe, you may be legally entitled to this deal. If not, ask anyway: It's in the lender's best interest to give you time to get on your feet. Interest accrues during forbearance.</div>
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<a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/digging-student-debt-070000220.html;_ylt=AsrK4r2SQ1Tf6uiT6uIhsf7A34dG;_ylu=X3oDMTUwMDE2aGM0BG1pdANQZXJzb25hbCBGaW5hbmNlIENhcmVlciBFZHVjYXRpb24gQmFzaWNzBHBrZwNhMGRlMGFjZi0yZDc5LTM0YmQtYWNhYy1lYTYxZjk3ZTU4NWMEcG9zAzkEc2VjA01lZGlhQkxpc3RNaXhlZExQQ0FUZW1wBHZlcgM4MDhlNzg3OC0wNThiLTExZTEtYmYyMC1iYjhhZmY2M2NiZGY-;_ylg=X3oDMTJlMGdwa2VtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANwZXJzb25hbGZpbmFuY2V8Y2FyZWVyLWVkdWNhdGlvbgRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3">Original Article</a></div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-69806474022359814382012-11-20T18:01:00.000-08:002012-11-20T18:01:16.325-08:00Top Black Friday Deals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://c.tadst.com/gfx/600x400/black-friday.jpg?1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://c.tadst.com/gfx/600x400/black-friday.jpg?1" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Black Friday is known for deals – </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">big</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"> deals. You're not waking up before the crack of dawn and standing in long lines merely for paltry discounts on second-rate products. You want to get the best deal possible to justify subjecting yourself to the mayhem of Black Friday.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">To pinpoint your Black Friday shopping targets, visit deal-monitoring sites such as </span><a href="http://www.dealnews.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #005790; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">dealnews.com</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">and </span><a href="http://bfads.net/" style="background-color: white; color: #005790; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">BFAds.net</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">, both of which publish leaked Black Friday ads that identify items that retailers will mark down the day after Thanksgiving (or, in some cases, on Thanksgiving day).</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">[More from Kiplinger: </span><a href="http://portal.kiplinger.com/slideshow/10_online_shopping_traps/1.html" style="background-color: white; color: #005790; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">10 Online Shopping Traps That Catch Even Smart Shoppers</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">]</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">BFAds.net founder Michael Brim says the prices on all the items on his list are confirmed and will be available in stores, but he can't confirm whether the same deals will be available online. Brim cautions that the prices may be higher in Wisconsin and Oklahoma, which have laws that prevent retailers from selling items at prices below what they paid for them.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Here are 10 of the biggest Black Friday bargains available at popular big-box retailers across the country:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">1.Toshiba 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV -- $179.99 at Best Buy</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">The price on this TV is usually about $350. You won't find another 40-inch name-brand TV with similar specs for such a low price, Brim says. The closest deal he's seen is $200 for an off-brand 40-inch TV. (Note: Online shoppers will find the Toshiba at this low price on Amazon.com on Black Friday.)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">2. Compaq Presario CQ58 15.6-inch laptop -- $179 at Walmart</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">This sale price, as reported by dealnews.com, is 50% off the current price of $359 on Walmart.com. Another good laptop deal is the Lenovo G585 15.6-inch model for $188 at Best Buy; it usually retails closer to $300, Brim says.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">[More from Kiplinger: </span><a href="http://portal.kiplinger.com/columns/kiptips/archives/12-ways-to-save-more-spend-less-on-black-friday.html" style="background-color: white; color: #005790; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">12 Ways to Save More, Spend Less on Black Friday</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">]</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">3. Canon PowerShot A3400 IS 16-megapixel digital camera bundled with an SD card and case -- $90 at Target</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">This price is $29 lower than any other deal advertised for this camera this year, reports dealnews.com. Target will also mark down the Nikon Coolpix L310 14.1MP digital camera to $100 from $200.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><br />4. Proscan 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV -- $100 at Kmart</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Sure, it's not a name brand, but you won't find a cheaper 32-inch TV.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">5. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch 8GB tablet with a $20 gift card -- $179.99 at Best Buy</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">The price on this tablet is at an all-time low. What makes the Best Buy deal stand out is the $20 gift card that comes with the tablet.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">6. Xbox 360 with Skylanders game -- $150 at Walmart</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Brim says this console-and-game bundle is cheaper than the console alone, and the game usually costs $65. Dealnews.com says it hasn't seen the Xbox 360 this cheap since last Black Friday.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><br />7. Dyson DC33 vacuum -- $250 at Sam's Club</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">This same model is currently listed for $390 on Amazon.com. Brim says he's only seen a price this low on a refurbished Dyson DC33 -- not a new one.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">[More from Kiplinger: </span><a href="http://portal.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/9-great-gadgets-under-100.html?topic_id=41" style="background-color: white; color: #005790; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">9 Great Gadgets for Less Than $100</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">]</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">8. Samsung Galaxy S3 smart phone -- 96 cents at Sam's Club</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">You have to buy this in-store and commit to a two-year contract to take advantage of this deal.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">9. Apple iPad2 16GB WiFi with $100 gift card -- $399 at Meijer</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">The $100 gift card makes this the best iPad2 deal Brim has seen. The next-best deal is from Walmart for $399 with a $75 gift card. Walmart is guaranteeing this price for shoppers who visit from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thanksgiving day; you'll get a voucher if they sell out that night.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">10. Leap Frog LeapPad Explorer -- $65 at Walmart</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">This is the best price ever on this popular children's learning and game device. The previous low was $89.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Original Post:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-hottest-black-friday-deals-at-big-box-retailers-180811354.html">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-hottest-black-friday-deals-at-big-box-retailers-180811354.html</a></span></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-10073151559281951852012-11-17T21:46:00.000-08:002012-11-17T21:46:04.051-08:003 Steps for a Successful Interview<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Want to make money in college? One way is to simply get a job, or ideally a paid internship. You're biggest obstacle will be the interview, make sure you are ready for it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Jason Nazar, CEO & Co-Founder of Docstoc (</span><a class="yt-uix-redirect-link" dir="ltr" href="http://www.docstoc.com/" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #1c62b9; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank" title="http://www.docstoc.com/">http://www.docstoc.com/</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">) knows that making a good first impression is of the utmost importance and perhaps no where is that more evident than a job interview. Check out these 3 helpful tips to ace your next job interview. </span></i></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-3894792389625509752012-11-15T16:23:00.000-08:002012-11-15T16:23:43.072-08:00Get Expert Advice<a href="http://evisors.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/evisors-logo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://evisors.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/evisors-logo-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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College career centers can be helpful with deciding on a major or letting you know when campus recruiters are around, but what if you wantspecific knowledge about a particular industry? What if you need to tailor your resume and cover letter to a company and position that your career center doesn’t know much about? and what about the interview??</div>
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Students facing these problems need a resource outside of their school’s Career Services Center. They need advice and help from experts, people within their targeted industry willing to share their knowledge with determined students.</div>
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<a href="http://www.evisors.com/" style="color: #2970a6; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;">Evisors.com</a> connects these students to experts in various fields for resume advice, mock interviews, Q and A sessions, you name it.</div>
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Evisors (founded in 2010) “<em style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">is an onl</em><em style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ine marketplace for expertise and advice that puts consumers in command of an extraordinary professional network[...] For an affordable hourly rate, anyone from students and executives to job seekers and entrepreneurs can reach beyond their personal and professional networks and gain access to expert advice related to a variety of topics including admissions, career counseling, entrepreneurship and industry expertise</em>.”</div>
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Evisors’ experts hail from prestigious schools and organizations, representing over a thousand companies across a wide range of industries and offer previously unavailable guidance and insights.</div>
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The company has also recently been focusing on a Webinar series that cover various relevant topics. Caitlin Quan of Evisors says “With the fall semester winding down for students, we are already gearing up for next semester’s recruiting season. We are putting together our spring webinar series that will include 18 live broadcasts from our top experts who will discuss a wide range of career topics and provide their insider insights. We’re also constantly adding more experts and evolving the product, so keep an eye out for new additions.”</div>
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Expert advice is a valuable but often underutilized resource for college students looking to land their first job, but it doesn’t have to be. Evisors makes expert advice accessable to anyone with the desire to learn and better themselves, and their chances of getting hired when they graduate.</div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-13466065706354902482012-11-13T12:54:00.000-08:002012-11-13T12:54:15.336-08:00Steve Jobs Commencement Speech<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If you haven't seen the Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech video yet, today's the day. Get your motivation on.</div>
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<i>Here we see Steve Jobs delivering his commencement speech to the
graduates of Stanford University in 2005. In it he talks about getting
fired from Apple in 1985, life & death.</i>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-28236247862476822572012-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:002012-11-11T06:00:05.374-08:00The Most Underrated Jobs 2012<em style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><strong style="font-style: normal;">These Jobs Get No Respect! But They Should...</strong></em><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">These are the jobs that you usually don’t hear a mother proudly say, “My son is a ________!” or see Hollywood glamorizing one of these underrated jobs -- but when you look at the stats, they should be!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“You never saw a movie about a civil engineer or a TV show starring a computer-systems analyst!” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">The job listing and advice site has come out with its annual list of the most underrated jobs – and the most overrated jobs. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">So, what makes a job underrated? </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“The pay is better, the hiring outlook is better , the level of stress tends to be lower, and the physical demands aren’t that great,” Lee said. “It’s a good job with a good forecast.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">He added: “The most underrated jobs offer increasing opportunities and rewarding potential for job seekers new to the labor force, or those who need a change.” What’s more, several of these positions don’t even require a college degree. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Read ahead for the Most Underrated Jobs of 2012. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 250px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Zonjq5Ky4Wn8omlX2VI9_Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/12-underrated-jobs-computerAnalyst-jpg_144117.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="250" /></span></span>1. Computer Systems Analyst</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $78,148 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">These are the guys who study an organization’s computer systems and procedures and make recommendations for how to better organize, manage, and upgrade technology. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">These guys aren’t usually the heroes in the movie – if they’re even in the movie – but if you’ve ever used a computer at your job you know this is one of the most necessary, and underrated, jobs. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“It’s a terrific job,” Lee said. “Demand is extremely high. Pay is strong. And you get to work pretty autonomously.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this profession is expected to grow 22 percent in the next decade. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Computer systems analysts, we salute you. Your job is underrated!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 250px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/2q_KMMwvkg5DYqDqxhdQGw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/12-underrated-jobs-civilEngineer2-jpg_144117.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="250" /></span></span>2. Civil Engineer</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $78,133 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">The only time civil engineers really get respect seems to be on the History Channel. And this area of engineering, which is on the lower end of the engineering pay scale, tends to not be that popular. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">But right now, Lee said, there is huge demand for rebuilding bridges, roads, and other infrastructure, all of which require civil engineers. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“At long last, we seem to be moving forward with infrastructure improvement in the country,” Lee said, adding that there are actually shortages of engineers right now.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><br /><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 250px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/tPSz4rn1xP33JyiVOdC1Uw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/12-underrated-jobs-vetrinarian-jpg_144750.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="250" /></span></span>3. Veterinarian</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $82,190 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“With the amount of work and school being so high, the perception is that, ‘If I’m going to do that, I should just be a person doctor!’” Lee said. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">In fact, there’s a real shortage of veterinarians, he said. Plus, you get to manage your own schedule, and you don’t have to worry about health-care regulations! </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">What’s more, Lee said, Look at the baby boom generation: “They are at the wealthiest stage of their lives, and they all have pets!” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Boom! Demand.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 250px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ceOCsnEtK1mwyy6IX6mhrA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/12-underrated-jobs-biologist-jpg_144118.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="250" /></span></span>4. Biologist</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $73,285 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">When was the last time you heard a kid say, “I want to be a biologist when I grow up!” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Right. Well, maybe they should. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“There’s a lot of demand,” Lee said. “Biologists have a lot of things going for them. They’re needed by the whole military complex, with biological weapons. At the same time, they have mapped the human genome – so, there’s biological science in health care.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“The need for biologists is very large. And yet biology is a field that has not attracted huge numbers of new graduates,” Lee said.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><br /><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 250px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/oSbrj_FY_Qz2UI2.XiR.SA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/12-underrated-jobs-marketingAnalyst-jpg_144117.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="250" /></span></span>5. Market Research Analyst</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $61,236 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“This is one where we’ve become such an incredible consumer nation and market research has really elevated it to where there isn’t a product or service that doesn’t require market research,” Lee said. “And yet most people don’t think of market research as a profession. They might think of going into marketing but that’s different from market research.”</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><br /><br /><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 250px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nPlpl9NmxW.9cCz71toq_A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/12-underrated-jobs-accountant-jpg_144117.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="250" /></span></span>6. Accountant</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $62,174 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Oh, accountants. When was a movie ever made that didn’t show them as nerdy and uninteresting? Well, accountants, you can stick this in your pocket protector – you are among the most underrated jobs! </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“In fact, it’s a very solid, secure profession,” Lee said. “Accountants are needed whether the economy is good or bad.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">And, let’s face it, the most recent downturn and subsequent scrutiny on accounting highlighted the need for accountants even more.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/49184854?__source=yahoo%7Cunderratedjobs2012%7C&par=yahoo" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: none;">See the full list: The Most Underrated Jobs</a></strong>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-16728194341909005942012-11-10T17:15:00.000-08:002012-11-10T17:15:04.126-08:00The Most Overrated Jobs 2012<br />
<div class="first" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; padding: 0px;">
<em><strong style="font-style: normal;">They May Seem Dreamy, but...<br /></strong></em></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">It may seem glamorous to be a slick advertising executive like Jon Hamm on the TV show “Mad Men” or like Michael Douglas’s power broker character in the movie “Wall Street.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">But times change and the professions that seemed alluring in the 1980s may not be so glamorous now.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Job listing and advice site </span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><a href="http://www.careercast.com/" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: none;">CareerCast.com</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"> has come out with its annual list of the most overrated jobs – and the most underrated jobs. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">We’ve all been to a restaurant we’d deem “overrated,” or met that guy in the office we’d call overrated. So what makes a job overrated?</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“Poor outlook for future growth, long hours, stress, and a multitude of new candidates entering the industry make it especially challenging to break into many of our overrated careers,” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com. “We find jobs that are perceived as being really great for one reason or another and kind of show -- they’re not as great as you think.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">So, the next time you encounter a woman who boasts, “Well, my son is a ______,” maybe you say, “Hmmm. Not so much.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Read ahead for some of the Most Overrated Jobs of 2012. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 190px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/NH_goLYrmRFNEXrTkQfuQg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/most-overrated-jobs-advertising-account-exec-jpg_150546.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="190" /></span></span>Advertising Agency Executive</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $64,107 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Oh, Jon Hamm makes it look so easy and so glamorous on the hit show “Mad Men,” but the truth is, advertising is a very stressful, high-turnover business, Lee said. It’s not all about how you hold a glass of Scotch or woo a beautiful woman. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“You might perceive it to be a really cool job, but in fact, it’s overrated,” Lee said.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 190px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zCkxeZykX8Ut5oqvGKfTmw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/most-overrated-jobs-senior-corporate-executive-jpg_150546.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="190" /></span></span>Senior Corporate Executive</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $166,141 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“Most people think of it as flying on a corporate jet and a nice dining room every day,” Lee said. “The real issue with executives is that you’re responsible for the careers and lives of everyone who works for the company. Any wrong decision is on your head. And if the company is publicly-traded, you’re responsible to shareholders.” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">There has always been stress to perform and meet budgets, but never is that stress higher on executives than during a recession. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“Any time you have an economic downturn, it puts the squeeze on more senior level executives who have to manage revenue against a poorer environment and it’s hard,” Lee said.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 190px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/.RWwfmw9HO8plW2bO.nhMg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/most-overrated-jobs-commercial-ariline-pilot-jpg_150546.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="190" /></span></span>Commercial Airline Pilot</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $103,158 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Sure, it may seem like soaring through the clouds and traveling the globe, but the airline industry has been devastated by cost-cutting efforts, which means on top of passenger safety, terrorism, and bad weather, many pilots now face lower salaries and budget pressures. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“Maybe they’re sitting on a tarmac too long and burning fuel, or the weather forces them to go out of their way and all of that is going to cost more – they now have many more concerns than just safely flying a plane,” Lee said.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">
<strong><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 190px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/1eTJJogtxKfYZyIV0x.a7Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/Architect-jpeg_183045.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="190" /></span></span>Architect</strong><br />Median Salary: $73,179<br /><br />This hybrid left brain/right brain career may seem appealing and the perception is that you get to play with models all day. In fact, it’s always been grueling work, full of long hours, but it took a huge hit when the housing bubble burst — many architects had to go out of business because there isn’t enough demand for their services.<br /><br />But the housing market is starting to turn, finally, so stay tuned for next year – maybe it will change teams and be on the underrated list!</div>
<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 190px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ciGCxLhwuoSsJGtG47AghA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/most-overrated-jobs-surgeon-jpg_150552.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="190" /></span></span>Surgeon</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $305,078 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">So the next time a woman brags, “My son is a doctor!” you can smile knowing it’s not all that. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">It’s not just the pure joy and mastery of surgery. For sure, surgery has always been stressful – it’s long hours on your feet, patients’ lives are in your hands, and you’re on call 24/7. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“Your life’s really not your own,” Lee said. “And now, with health-care regulation and insurance requirements, many surgeons spend most of their time handling administrative stuff,” he said. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">And don’t even get the nursing staff started on the God Complex! </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Sorry, surgeons, you’re overrated.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><span class="yui-editorial-embed"><span class="yom-figure yom-fig-left" style="clear: both; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 6px; width: 190px;"><img alt="" class="editorial " src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/T7HmCUUQGBu9X0vB.t8_6w--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/284/2012/09/27/most-overrated-jobs-attorney-jpg_150546.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: inline;" width="190" /></span></span>Attorney</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">Median Salary: $112,760 </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“The perception is that just be a lawyer and you’ll be in great shape,” Lee said. In fact, the legal profession took a huge hit from the recession. Turnover is high and the work is grueling. It’s not all golf and coming down hard in court with an Oscar-worthy “You can’t handle the truth!” </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;">“You don’t expect when you’re in law school that you’ll be spending 70 to 80 hours a week reading contracts!” Lee said.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.450000762939453px;"><br /><a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/49184855?__source=yahoo%7Coverratedjobs2012%7C&par=yahoo" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: none;">See the full list : The Most Overrated Jobs 2012</a></strong>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-81405636880804717632012-10-04T17:00:00.000-07:002012-10-04T17:00:05.186-07:00College Return on Investment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvTS2L9agH6LGeQj2f6W_6cWDuwBJErtXSSkndlcUqwbI7NRYBiG0HVYpnCgboklqaW_9aZX6aTgaLjZSxKZ9kqIWY-hNyKRucVMTK79MkBywJwotoC4LybVItJteguBAceHuVeOC12I/s1600/mmw-college-costs-041212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvTS2L9agH6LGeQj2f6W_6cWDuwBJErtXSSkndlcUqwbI7NRYBiG0HVYpnCgboklqaW_9aZX6aTgaLjZSxKZ9kqIWY-hNyKRucVMTK79MkBywJwotoC4LybVItJteguBAceHuVeOC12I/s320/mmw-college-costs-041212.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
When people talk about the value of a college degree, they mean
different things. A report last year by Georgetown University’s Center
on Education and the Workforce pegs the median value of a four-year
bachelor’s degree at <a href="http://cew.georgetown.edu/collegepayoff/" target="_blank">$2.3 million</a>,
which is the average earnings for a degree holder employed full-time
from ages 25 to 64. The value of a college investment calculated by <a href="http://www.payscale.com/" target="_blank">PayScale</a>,
a Seattle-based compensation data company, for Bloomberg Businessweek
is a small fraction of that amount, and to understand why, you need to
know a little bit about our methodology.<br />
<br />
The PayScale methodology
differs from most others in several key respects. Instead of using
lifetime earnings, it starts with earnings over a 30-year period. From
that figure, we deduct the earnings of a typical high school graduate
(since most people who don’t go to college would still have earnings,
albeit at a much lower amount). In our return on investment (ROI)
calculation, the “investment”—or total net cost—is the amount spent on
college over the actual time it takes students to graduate, whether
four, five, or six years. Finally, our ROI figures are adjusted using
each school’s graduation rate. After all, if you don’t graduate, you’ve
made an investment with very little financial return. The result is a
return that reflects what incoming students can reasonably expect from
their investment.<br />
<br />
[More from Businessweek: <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-09/student-loan-debt-with-little-to-show-for-it?cmpid=yhoo" target="_blank">Student Loan Debt, With Little to Show for It</a>]<br />
<br />
In
2012, both the cost of a college education and graduate earnings took a
bite out of the 30-year college ROI, which fell 2.3 percent to an
average of $353,182 when comparing the same set of schools in 2011 and
2012, and fell 7.8 percent to $333,455 when comparing both lists in
their entirety, 691 schools in 2011 and 853 schools in 2012.<br />
<br />
While
our methodology underwent significant changes last year and this year,
those figures represent an apples-to-apples comparison. On the cost
side, they reflect the college sticker price for tuition, room and
board, and books, without financial aid factored in, which increased 6
percent. On the earnings side, they reflect the earnings of college
graduates (which decreased by 1 percent) in excess of the median pay of a
high school graduate.<br />
<br />
Two important changes to our methodology
in 2011 and 2012 had the net result of reducing ROI dramatically. Since
many students receive grant aid from their institutions, starting last
year we began deducting average grant aid from college costs, which has
the effect of increasing ROI. But starting this year, we made a second
change that has the opposite effect: using 75th percentile high school
graduate pay (instead of the median) to calculate how much each
college’s graduates earned over and above the pay of high school
graduates. We believe the 75th percentile more accurately reflects the
pay of individuals capable of winning acceptance to college or who spent
a few years in college before dropping out.<br />
<br />
[Related: <a href="http://bit.ly/IgVeYX" target="_blank">College Degrees With Highest Unemployment</a>]<br />
<br />
Looked
at that way, ROI is only a fraction of what it was last year: on
average, $152,114 for all 853 schools on our list, including two
separate ROI calculations for state institutions using in-state and
out-of-state tuition. Private schools did far better than publics, with
30-year ROI of $222,047, easily surpassing public schools for students
paying in-state tuition ($122,987) and out-of-state tuition ($100,155).<br />
<br />
Nearly
a third of the top 30 schools were engineering schools, including the
top three institutions: No. 1 Harvey Mudd College, No. 2 California
Institute of Technology, and No. 3 Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. All three schools had 30-year ROI well above $1 million, a
claim only 11 schools could make. On average, engineering schools had
ROIs of $603,362, more than double the ROI for liberal arts schools
($245,943), more than triple that of business schools ($141,014), and
more than 26 times that of arts and design schools ($22,328).<br />
<br />
The
only schools that fared better than engineering schools were those in
the Ivy League. Seven of the eight Ivies are in the top 15, and the
average ROI for all eight was more than $1 million. While costs for
these schools are high, several factors worked in their favor, including
generous financial aid and excellent graduation rates—both in terms of
how many students ultimately graduate and how long it takes them to do
so. The weighted net cost to graduate was $84,241—less expensive than
half the schools on the list, and half the cost of the most expensive.<br />
<br />
[More from Businessweek: <a href="http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/2012-03-20/best-undergraduate-business-schools-2012?cmpid=yhoo" target="_blank">Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2012</a>]<br />
<br />
Schools
in New York, California, and Massachusetts dominated the ranking,
snaring nine, eight, and eight top-50 spots, respectively, with
California and Massachusetts claiming half the top 10. New top schools
were crowned in six states: Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa,
and Montana. In California, Harvey Mudd took over the top spot from
Caltech (in the state and the nation). In Illinois, an elite private
research institution, the University of Chicago, lost the No. 1 ranking
to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a state school with
far lower costs.<br />
<br />
Overall, the cost to receive a degree from the
schools on our list averaged $85,276, a figure that reflects not just
the tuition sticker price, but also average grant aid and how long it
takes the average student to graduate. Private schools ($99,206) and
out-of-state students at public schools ($98,538) paid the most,
followed by in-state students at public schools ($55,861).<br />
<br />
One
reason why our ROI calculations differ from many others is that ours
incorporate graduation rates in two different ways. First, each school’s
ROI for graduates is adjusted, using its six-year graduation rate, to
reflect the risk of not graduating. Second, the percentage of graduates
who receive their degrees in four, five, or six years is used to
determine college costs. All other things being equal, schools that
graduate a large percentage of students, and who do so in four years, do
a good job of holding down costs and as a result fare well in our
calculations. Those who don’t, don’t.<br />
<br />
On average, all 853 schools
in this year’s ranking only graduate about 59 percent of their
students, and less than two-thirds of those receive their degrees in
four years. For the top 50 schools in the ranking, graduation rates are a
big differentiator. On average, they graduate 88 percent of their
students (compared with 51 percent for the 50 lowest-ranked schools) and
84 percent of graduates receive their degrees in four years (compared
with 61 percent for the lowest-ranked schools).<br />
<br />
Of course, it
doesn’t hurt that many of the schools with the best ROI are the kind of
highly selective elite private research universities with sterling
reputations whose graduates tend to fetch the highest pay. Average
annual pay for all the schools on the list this year was $61,426. Of the
top 50 schools with the best ROI, 38 also have top-50 graduate pay,
with alumni earning $81,000 or more per year. Six of the 10 schools with
the highest graduate pay were either engineering or Ivy League
institutions.<br />
<br />
[Related: <a href="http://yhoo.it/IJeKaz" target="_blank">The 1% of the Student Debt Crisis</a>]<br />
<br />
On
the other end of the spectrum, there are 191 schools where graduates
had negative ROI. At Fayetteville State University in North Carolina,
where only one out of three students graduates in six years, in-state
grads earned $289,000 less over 30 years than a high school graduate
earning at the 75th percentile, after deducting the cost of the degree.
For out-of-state graduates, the figure is $338,000.<br />
<br />
At all 191
schools with negative ROI, graduates actually fared worse than those who
dropped out after a few years—the financial benefit of earning a degree
was so meager that the added expense it entailed was simply not worth
it. At these schools, at least from an ROI perspective, dropping out was
the smartest thing to do.<br />
<br />
Original Post: <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/college-roi--what-we-found.html?page=3">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/college-roi--what-we-found.html?page=3</a><br />
<br />
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-48153032340633235872012-10-04T15:00:00.000-07:002012-10-04T15:00:05.230-07:005 Ways to Fund a College Education<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn-P6siEkgiWIMdQ5h-CvLrrjr811XLQ8yeadXD7jdlAB-2qk766VDHkbSvRis1vZxBpuql8wd3rwrpzsInIXKu3FhQPNGeKOAy8hZQq45zkTrGVHNmOQOCR6XNmiHLibLxrmqzmtAMQ/s1600/Student_August_article.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn-P6siEkgiWIMdQ5h-CvLrrjr811XLQ8yeadXD7jdlAB-2qk766VDHkbSvRis1vZxBpuql8wd3rwrpzsInIXKu3FhQPNGeKOAy8hZQq45zkTrGVHNmOQOCR6XNmiHLibLxrmqzmtAMQ/s1600/Student_August_article.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="first">
According to CNNMoney, the average tuition cost at the
average public university rose over 8% in 2011. The following tips are
designed to dissuade you from skipping college because you think you
can't afford it, and to show you some strategies for making higher
education <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/10/college-budget-busters.asp?partner=YahooEA">expenses fit into your budget</a>.</div>
<div class="first">
<br /></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Choose Your School</span></strong> Go
to an in-state public school or a public school in a surrounding state
that has reciprocity for reduced tuition, which will be much lower than
rates at a non-reciprocal out-of-state public school or a private
school. If you are not satisfied with the quality of the state schools
where you live, consider moving to a state with schools you like and
establishing residency.<br />
To establish residency, you will have to
meet strict requirements that vary by state and sometimes even by school
- but for the savings, it may be worth it. Most states require you to
live in the state for at least one year in order to be eligible, but
there are other criteria to meet as well. In California, for example, it
is very difficult for students who don't have a parent living in
California to establish residency before their mid-20s. In addition to
living in-state for 366 days immediately prior to requesting resident
status, potential students must provide objective documentation
demonstrating an intent to make California their permanent state of
residence, such as a driver's license, ownership of property or steady
employment, as well as financial independence.<br />
If you can wait it out and meet these criteria, then you can attend quality schools at in-state rates. <br />
Another
money-saving strategy that doesn't involve postponing college is to
apply to schools that have a shortage of people like you. People like
you could be people interested in your major, people from your state,
people with your ethnic background, people who are as smart as or
smarter than others applying to the school, people who play the unusual
instrument you play or any other number of traits. Schools where you'd
be a unique addition may give you scholarships.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Think About Cost of Living</span> </b>Keep
in mind that housing and other living costs will vary by location,
especially if you choose to live off campus. An apartment in New York
City will be much pricier than an apartment in the Midwest. Also, the
college where you obtain your undergraduate degree can sometimes
influence where you will end up working and living after school. If
possible, choose a location where you'd actually want to live, where the
cost of living is affordable, and where your school will be a
recognizable name that will allow you to get more mileage from your
diploma. UCLA may be considered a good school in the West, but may not
be held in the same high regard in New York.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Don't Get Just Any Job to Pay for School </span></b>Make
your job count by sticking to high-paying work. To find high-paying
work, especially for summer jobs when you'll be free during business
hours, seek out office jobs through temp agencies. Temp agencies do most
of the job hunting work for you, and the office jobs they offer tend to
pay above minimum wage, provide work experience closer to the
situations you'll encounter post-college, and may give you connections
that will <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/08/internship.asp?partner=YahooEA">help you land a meaningful internship</a>
or your first salaried position. Also, despite what the name implies,
you can find both short and long-term jobs through temp agencies.<br />
If
you can't get a high-paying job, get a job that will keep your living
expenses down, such as working in a restaurant where you get free food.
If you work at a bakery, for example, any unsold goods at the end of the
day may be fair game for employees since the business can't sell
day-old bread. Another possibility is to find a campus job that offers
perks. If you can get a job in your school's residential life office,
you may be able to get a discount on housing during the school year or
the summer.<br />
If you're still in high school, start working now and
save all your paychecks for college. You're still living at home; you
probably don't have high living expenses chomping into your earnings
like you will later on. Also, see if your high school has a program that
will allow you to leave school at noon every day to go to work during
your senior year. This will increase your job options, including opening
up the possibility of the aforementioned office job, and allow you to
work more hours.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Be Flexible with Your Schedule</span> </b>Some
college programs, such as engineering, are more intense than others,
making it quite difficult to work while in school. For these programs,
consider attending school part-time so you can still work part-time.
Even if you're not in an overly demanding program, attending school
part-time can help you spread out tuition costs and free up more time to
work. However, part-time students may not have the option of living on
campus, which can make it more difficult to be involved in the social
aspects of college.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Wait</span> </b>Another option is to
take a year or two off after high school to work full-time so you can
save up enough money to make school affordable. If you don't want to
postpone college, you could take your classes during evenings and
weekends in order to work full-time during the week. This strategy may
take more than four years to complete, but it can be easier to budget.
One argument against this approach is that many people find it easier
psychologically to go straight from high school to college because study
habits are still ingrained.<br />
With education costs as high as they
are and certain financial situations that fall outside the norm, even
some middle-class parents may not be able to make significant <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/010303.asp?partner=YahooEA">contributions to a child's higher education</a> costs despite what the formulas insist.<br />
If
you have a lot of patience, you can wait until you become an
independent student as defined by the Higher Education Act, which has a
different definition of "dependent" than the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS). If you identify with some of the following you may qualify as an
independent student.<br />
<br />
<ol><ul>
<li>24 years or older by December 31 of the award year</li>
<br />
<li>Orphan or ward of the court</li>
<br />
<li>Armed Forces Veteran or serving actively</li>
<br />
<li>Graduate or professional student</li>
<br />
<li>Married</li>
<br />
<li>Dependents other than a spouse</li>
<br />
<li>Student for whom a financial aid administrator makes a
documented determination of independence by reason of other unusual
circumstances </li>
</ul>
</ol>
Being an "independent student" under the Higher Education Act could
make you be eligible for more financial aid because the financial aid
formulas applied to this group won't take parental contributions into
account.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Bottom Line</span> </b>Some of these
measures are purely practical and don't take into account many of the
intangibles of the college experience, such as the learning experience
of freshman dorm life. Before you start on your college plan, consider
everything you want to get out of college so that you don't have regrets
later. Although you may have to make some sacrifices that your peers
don't, such as starting school later or staying in the state, you can
still have the experience you want and attain a degree that will lead to
a financially successful and stable future.<br />
<br />
Original Post: <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-ways-fund-college-education-204748990.html;_ylt=AuTzh2NnbN7krCyQ_MYkoZvz6IdG;_ylu=X3oDMTNoMWI3c3FkBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEluZmluaXRlIEJyb3dzZSBTcGxpdARwa2cDNDg5OTZiMjktZDNiNi0zMGJjLWFhNWItNGU5ZDE3MDdhM2QzBHBvcwNsMgRzZWMDbWVkaWFpbmZpbml0ZWJyb3dzZWxpc3R0ZW1w;_ylg=X3oDMTNqNDVub244BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDM2M4MmMyMjktMmI4OC0zYTRkLTgwM2QtMTQ0ZDQ2MWUwYmFjBHBzdGNhdANwZXJzb25hbGZpbmFuY2V8Y2FyZWVyLWVkdWNhdGlvbgRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-ways-fund-college-education-204748990.html;_ylt=AuTzh2NnbN7krCyQ_MYkoZvz6IdG;_ylu=X3oDMTNoMWI3c3FkBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEluZmluaXRlIEJyb3dzZSBTcGxpdARwa2cDNDg5OTZiMjktZDNiNi0zMGJjLWFhNWItNGU5ZDE3MDdhM2QzBHBvcwNsMgRzZWMDbWVkaWFpbmZpbml0ZWJyb3dzZWxpc3R0ZW1w;_ylg=X3oDMTNqNDVub244BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDM2M4MmMyMjktMmI4OC0zYTRkLTgwM2QtMTQ0ZDQ2MWUwYmFjBHBzdGNhdANwZXJzb25hbGZpbmFuY2V8Y2FyZWVyLWVkdWNhdGlvbgRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3</a><br />
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-12242275018909198882012-10-04T11:11:00.001-07:002012-10-04T11:11:46.157-07:00College is not for Everyone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXZq-VNj6gQk8JiubnBh6Vv5s5_27PRNHhR8kUVNnF-jVWpMScwXX7ugUVuqitXQG7aaqSeSj337iDZ3-CxXRQZ6Z_XMFIuLUdouSm2P1MoDTfH0EoA2JaGsFI8wqD2vos24M-hARiM0/s1600/locked_gate_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXZq-VNj6gQk8JiubnBh6Vv5s5_27PRNHhR8kUVNnF-jVWpMScwXX7ugUVuqitXQG7aaqSeSj337iDZ3-CxXRQZ6Z_XMFIuLUdouSm2P1MoDTfH0EoA2JaGsFI8wqD2vos24M-hARiM0/s320/locked_gate_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
A person who compares the annual earnings of college and
high school graduates would no doubt conclude that higher education is a
good investment—the present value of the college earnings premium (the
better part of $1 million) seemingly far outdistances college costs,
yielding a high rate of return. But for many, attending college is
unequivocally not the right decision on purely economic grounds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
First
of all, college graduates on average are smarter and have better work
habits than high school graduates. Those who graduated from college were
better students in high school, for example. Thus, at least a portion
of the earnings premium associated with college has nothing to do with
college per se, but rather with other traits.<br />
<br />
Second, a goodly
proportion (more than 40 percent) of those attending four-year colleges
full-time fail to graduate, even within six years. At some colleges, the
dropout rate is strikingly higher. While college students sometimes
still gain marketable skills from partial attendance, others end up
taking jobs that are often given to high school graduates, making little
more money but having college debts and some lost earnings accrued
while unsuccessfully pursing a degree.<br />
<br />
Third, not everyone is
average. A non-swimmer trying to cross a stream that on average is three
feet deep might drown because part of the stream is seven feet in
depth. The same kind of thing sometimes happens to college graduates too
entranced by statistics on averages. Earnings vary considerably between
the graduates of different schools, and within schools, earnings differ
a great deal between majors. Accounting, computer science, and
engineering majors, for example, almost always make more than those
majoring in education, social work, or ethnic studies.<br />
<br />
Fourth, the
number of new college graduates far exceeds the growth in the number of
technical, managerial, and professional jobs where graduates
traditionally have gravitated. As a consequence, we have a new
phenomenon: underemployed college graduates doing jobs historically
performed by those with much less education. We have, for example, more
than 100,000 janitors with college degrees, and 16,000 degree-holding
parking lot attendants.<br />
<br />
Does this mean <i>no</i> one should go
to college? Of course not. First of all, college is more than training
for a career, and many might benefit from the social and non-purely
academic aspects of advanced schooling, even if the rate of return on
college as a financial investment is low. Second, high school students
with certain attributes are far less likely to drop out of school, and
are likely to equal or excel the average statistics.<br />
<br />
Students who
do well in high school and on college entrance exams are much more
likely to graduate. Those going to private schools may pay more in
tuition, but they also have lower dropout rates. Those majoring in some
subjects, such as education or one of the humanities, can sometimes
improve their job situation by double majoring or earning a minor in,
say, economics.<br />
<br />
As a general rule, I would say graduates in the
top quarter of their class at a high-quality high school should go on to
a four-year degree program, while those in the bottom quarter of their
class at a high school with a mediocre educational reputation should not
(opting instead for alternative methods of credentialing and training).<br />
<br />
Original Post:<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-09/why-college-isnt-for-everyone?cmpid=yhoo"> http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-09/why-college-isnt-for-everyone?cmpid=yhoo</a><br />
<br />
<br />Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-53964823669868176592012-10-03T13:24:00.001-07:002012-10-05T10:40:44.688-07:006 Steps to Getting Anything Done-- The Buried Life<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2cMfse1m4tkI6_sCWj7xmxD0ScFan9sCIHMR8DyhNNDTCVcxDzyoHlzEve9pLz9ktl2JaF9xBh0DRR_TY8P0yILYXYBiOncdf3l97NyA5R4odA3TgMK0BuEbg9-nxw4SAuS_qWBpHlY/s1600/the-buried-life1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2cMfse1m4tkI6_sCWj7xmxD0ScFan9sCIHMR8DyhNNDTCVcxDzyoHlzEve9pLz9ktl2JaF9xBh0DRR_TY8P0yILYXYBiOncdf3l97NyA5R4odA3TgMK0BuEbg9-nxw4SAuS_qWBpHlY/s320/the-buried-life1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Buried Life Bros</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="title">Once again, the guys from <a href="http://www.theburiedlife.com/">the Buried Life</a> have a ridiculously motivational post on <a href="http://theburiedlife.tumblr.com/">their tumblr</a>. Check it out, read up, and cross some things off of your list. </span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<i><span class="title">6 Steps</span></i></h3>
After 6 years of crossing things
off our list we’ve noticed some patterns. Whether it’s playing ball with
Obama or writing a #1 New York Times Bestseller, these are the 6 steps
we’ve used to cross anything off our list:<br />
<h3>
<i><b>#1. Stop and think about it. Really think about it.</b></i></h3>
What is it that you really want to do with your life? Start a
business? Reconnect with an old friend? Dive to the bottom of the ocean?
Smoke a cigar with Castro? Forget what you think you should do, what
excites you? What feels impossible? Be honest with yourself. Your
answers don’t need to make an impression on anyone but you.<br />
For many people, the four members of The Buried Life included, the
impetus to make a life change only comes with crisis. The summer before
we started The Buried Life, I was struggling with depression; <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/dave_lingwood" target="_blank">Dave</a> was struggling with his weight; <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/duncanpenn" target="_blank">Duncan</a> had recently lost a close friend; and <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/jonniepenn" target="_blank">Jonnie </a>was
just plain angry and disillusioned with our generation (“No one
protests anymore,” he used to say). The four of us were so beaten down
that we had no choice but to reevaluate what was important to us. Our
project grew out of that frustration. Sometimes it takes a debilitating
low or a crushing loss to snap you back to reality, but don’t wait for
it. Ferris Bueller put it well: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t
stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”<br />
<h3>
<i>#2. Write it down.</i></h3>
Simply put, it’s not real until you write it down. And by that I
mean, take your dream and turn it into a project. Dreams have a funny
way of staying dreams. But a project is something that needs to be done.
Approach it as you would any other item on your daily or weekly to-do
list. When you have a deadline— a presentation, a grocery list, a
birthday gift you need to buy for someone–you find a way to get it done.
Treat your dreams the same way. Add it to your list. You need to buy
toilet paper. You need to spend the weekend in Paris with someone you
love. When you write it down, you’ve taken the first step.<br />
When we first started the project, we put things on the list almost
as a joke. We didn’t think about whether they could actually happen; we
just pretended that anything was possible. “#53: Make a TV Show” was a
dream we’d shared since we were young. We had no filmmaking background
and no connections in the business. And we lived on an island in Canada.
We decided MTV in the States would be the place to have a show because
it was the biggest and best platform we knew of for reaching people like
us. So we wrote it down. And then <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRexWE9yBVA" target="_blank">we started filming it</a>,
because that was just the next logical step. Every step led to the
next. Four years later, we were executive producers and creators of our
own show on MTV.<br />
<h3>
<i>#3. Talk about it.</i></h3>
Everyone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone.<br />
After you’ve come up with your list and written it down, start
talking. Tell everyone you know. Tell your parents’ friends. Tell new
people you meet. Talk to your cabdriver. Talk to your boss. You never
know whose uncle’s wife may be able to help you. And don’t just talk
about it, but talk about it passionately. Enthusiasm is infectious, and
people want to help when given the chance. Help can show up in the most
unusual places, oftentimes the least expected ones.<br />
We didn’t come from money. We had an idea, we talked about it, and
people showed up in incredible ways help us. Our first lawyer was our
parent’s friend who had heard about what we were doing and offered to
lend a hand; our first manager was my godmother; I met my first
Hollywood contact while traveling in Mexico; we cold-called local
companies in our hometown to raise money for our first tour. Help often
came in strange places. In 2007 we were able to finagle a five-minute
meeting with Jann Wenner, legendary founder of Rolling Stone magazine,
in order to discuss what it would take to cross #15 off our list, “Get
on the Cover of Rolling Stone.” The five-minute meeting turned into a
45-minute meeting (after Jann threatened to kick us out and asked his
assistant for a knife), during which time we talked about everything
from protests to Bob Dylan to the difference between our two
generations. We told him about some of our most ambitious dreams,
including “#19: Write a Bestselling Book.” Jann was later instrumental
in helping us get our book published—introducing us to a company where
we met the smartest, most talented, best-looking book editor alive (hi
Lia), who eventually offered us a deal.<br />
<h3>
<i>#4. Be persistent.</i></h3>
Most people give up just before they reach their goal. We all hear
“No,” a lot, but we’ve come to realize that “No” usually just means “Not
now.” Be creative in your persistence. Don’t piss people off by nagging
them—think of innovative and clever ways to grab their attention. Be
different, and never say die.<br />
Last year, we broke into the Playboy Mansion. We rented a giant
stripper cake and decorated it like it was for the Willy Wonka–themed
party. Two of us dressed up like Oompa-Loompas and hid in the bottom of
the cake, which was then delivered to the back door of the Playboy
Mansion in a rented delivery truck. Security saw our homemade Playboy
logo on the cake and allowed it to pass through the gates. After waiting
inside the cake for six long hours (peeing in bottles and filming in
night-vision), we hatched out unnoticed and partied at the Mansion all
night with free rein. Security assumed we were just very rowdy
employees.<br />
Playboy had no idea we had been in and out, or that we had filmed our
first episode. But when we went back a month later to ask for
permission to air, they said, “If you air the episode, we’ll sue you and
have you charged with breaking and entering.” We got ahold of the
company’s vice president, and he echoed that sentiment. MTV told us to
move on and film another episode. Our production company said there was
nothing we could do. In a last ditch effort we decided to send Hugh
Hefner a handwritten letter along with the rough cut of the episode. A
week later, we received this response from Mr. Hefner himself: “You can
air the episode. Just know I’m not very pleased with you boys.” I always
thought that crashing the Playboy Mansion was my dream, but getting
scolded by Hugh Hefner was way better.<br />
<h3>
<i>#5. Be ballsy.</i></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGnMJjdrJ51Km8LXDwiElPLnd9vUHxBIu4cTDsixRwyLX9jt3JDxrWYFHrzR7nltJS8mDoZpeo_QDiW27qRmMM_AFDin917bnS8s84AWGLzjXnPRRY934lnSJGCRoUkumMVlsWKTcKV4/s1600/The-Buried-Life-the-buried-life-18298357-720-540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGnMJjdrJ51Km8LXDwiElPLnd9vUHxBIu4cTDsixRwyLX9jt3JDxrWYFHrzR7nltJS8mDoZpeo_QDiW27qRmMM_AFDin917bnS8s84AWGLzjXnPRRY934lnSJGCRoUkumMVlsWKTcKV4/s320/The-Buried-Life-the-buried-life-18298357-720-540.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Buried Life boys playing ball with Obama.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The majority of people don’t go after their wildest dreams because they think they’re unrealistic. Tim Ferriss <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/03/17/pavel-deadlift-program/" target="_blank">says it well</a>:
“Ninety-nine percent of people believe they can’t do great things, so
they aim for mediocrity.” The level of competition is highest for
realistic goals because most people don’t set high enough goals for
themselves. But not only do you statistically have a better chance of
achieving what may seem like an unrealistic goal, doing so fuels you.
Once you feel the first high of accomplishing something major and
seemingly unattainable, you want to go bigger and badder, and you force
yourself to fulfill the need all the more. Even better, the technically
smaller goals suddenly seem less daunting.<br />
We put “#95: Play Ball with the President” on the list because it was
literally the most unattainable goal we could think of. I remember
Jonnie called me from his dorm room in Montreal in 2008 right after
Barack Obama had been elected and Jonnie said, “We should add ‘Play Ball
with Obama’ to the list.” I chuckled because it was so absurd and
agreed. I found it humorous not only because the idea was so outrageous
but also because I knew Jonnie was calling me from his “room,” a tiny
space he was renting for $200 a month, which he shared with a washer and
dryer. Of all people, we weren’t the best candidates for a pick up game
with the leader of the Free World. Nonetheless, two years later we
found ourselves shooting hoops with the President in the backyard of the
White House. It’s a long, complicated story, and I don’t want to bore
you with the details, but this is the kind of thing that the four of us
chuckle about sometimes. It’s as if we have horseshoes up our butts, but
it’s also happened too many times to be luck. When you dream big, you
surprise yourself.<br />
<h3>
<i>#6. Help others.</i></h3>
We’ve crossed off more than 80 list items over the last six years,
but the moments that stand out the most are the ones when we’ve been
able to step into someone’s life and share something real with them.
I’ve been surprised by how little it takes to impact someone’s life.
Something as simple as asking the question, “What do you want to do
before you die?” and taking the time to listen is often all it takes. If
you’re feeling lost or depressed, you might find what you’re looking
for in someone else. Into the Wild said it best: “Happiness is only real
when it’s shared.”<br />
Your dreams are closer than they appear. There’s nothing about
us four guys that makes us more able than anyone else to accomplish our
goals, other than the simple fact that we’ve decided to go after them.
George Elliot said, “It’s never too late to be what you might have
been.” Don’t wait.<br />
<br />
Original Post: http://theburiedlife.tumblr.com/page/2 Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-38964331073721571332012-10-03T05:30:00.000-07:002012-10-03T05:30:00.694-07:00Should College Students Have Credit Cards? <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSia4tf1EAeEVNkpKr3c7Xjr7gXXu0PaqgW9eXZKF-5DBiOtHm3IRx6S_cIsOXLfYeAsPhPnQLRWD7gyzOnIICs5DD-xRu-5COYCt6PlGUfJIrJ2ISb8DP5nN6uK1hYL8TMWaI_J9wkMM/s1600/credit-cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSia4tf1EAeEVNkpKr3c7Xjr7gXXu0PaqgW9eXZKF-5DBiOtHm3IRx6S_cIsOXLfYeAsPhPnQLRWD7gyzOnIICs5DD-xRu-5COYCt6PlGUfJIrJ2ISb8DP5nN6uK1hYL8TMWaI_J9wkMM/s320/credit-cards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A new class of freshmen is settling into
college life, and a new financial independence that often includes, for
the first time, credit cards. A <a href="http://www.ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_7_April_2012/3.pdf">recent survey</a> in the International Journal of Business and Social Science found that half of college students own four or more credit cards.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>But <em>should</em> students’ new lifestyle include credit cards?</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Once
upon a time university quads were lined with folding tables piled with
“free” Frisbees, T-shirts, and water bottles given out in exchange for a
credit card application — just sign at the X.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine" style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>“Typical
college students make very attractive customers for credit card
companies,” said Leah Hampton, a CPA from Lexington, Kentucky. “Most
college students think about the here and now, and are not focused on
their financial futures.”</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Today, thanks to 2009’s <a href="http://www.consumerfinance.gov/credit-cards/credit-card-act/feb2011-factshe" target="_blank">CARD Act</a>,
students must now demonstrate financial capability or have a
creditworthy co-signer in order to get a credit card, but the
requirements are still lax.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>“I've
heard stories about students listing their student loan availability in
the income section and getting approved, " said Mitchell D. Weiss, who
teaches a financial literacy course at the University of Hartford in
Connecticut. "I've heard about students asking friends and relatives to
cosign."</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Your
college kid, in other words, can probably get a credit card if he or she
wants one. And it may not be a terrible idea. Credit cards provide a
backup plan for emergencies, and allow students to build a credit
history.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>The
question is, What can a parent do to mitigate the dangers — the debt and
bad credit scores — that can haunt the student, and parents, for years
after graduation? </span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>One
strategy is to arrange for a secured credit card, which is like a
prepaid card, but which allows the students to establish “credit-creds.”
(Make sure the bank that issues the card reports to a credit agency, so
a credit history is created.)</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Parents
can also give the student an authorized card on the parent's existing
account, with certain safety measures in place. The student's card
number should be different (in case it's compromised) and a maximum
charge should be established.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>For
students over age 21, Weiss recommends two credit cards: one for
routine charges that are within a student's monthly budget and can be
settled without carrying a balance, and a second card for emergency
expenditures that may have to be carried. “That way, routine charges
won't incur interest costs and the emergency expenditures can be settled
over a reasonable period of time,” said Weiss.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Be
aware of other cards your child may have, like debit cards that go with
his or her new checking account. Make sure they set up overdraft
protection as a safety net for those adjusting to the concept of
balancing a budget. </span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine" style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Students also need to learn to protect their valuable new information. Marian Merritt, a <br />Norton
Internet safety advocate, points to unfamiliar Wi-Fi hotspots and
unsecured dorm rooms as places where login credentials and banking
transactions can be intercepted by hackers.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Your
child's financial education, experts say, is like other steps to
adulthood parents need to attend to. According to a recent survey
of more than 1,000 college students by CreditDonkey.com, only 63
percent said their parents helped them learn about managing their money,
whereas 82 percent taught them how to drive.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>“Until
more parents teach their kids about money, I recommend a graduated path
from cash, prepaid, ATM, authorize, cosign, secured, to unsecured
credit cards,” said Charles Tran, founder of CreditDonkey. </span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>Until
the student "graduates" to an independent card, watch them carefully.
Giving a student a credit card “doesn’t mean they have unilateral
control over their purchases,” said Steve Trumble, president and CEO of
American Consumer Credit Counseling. “If the parents’ money is involved,
or a parent cosigned for the card, then the parent has every right to
set limits. It’s important for parents to monitor their kids’ spending
to make sure they’re using the credit card responsibly, especially when
they first go away to college.”</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>“Also, students should keep up with their finances as carefully as they would their schoolwork," says Creditcard.com.</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="byLine"></span>That
presumes, maybe optimistically, that college students are paying
sufficient attention to their studies. "If all else fails,"
Creditcard.com says, "they should use cash.”</span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="textBodyBlack">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Original post:<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/49259514/">http://www.cnbc.com/id/49259514/</a></span></div>
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Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-10157095806271859302012-10-02T21:16:00.000-07:002012-10-03T13:24:53.433-07:00How to Sell your iPhone<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"></span><br />
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With the recent release of the iPhone 5, you might be thinking about upgrading. I know I am. But at the same time, I have a perfectly good iPhone 4S, so I’d need to figure out what to do with that first…</div>
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In the past I’ve touched on the possibility of <a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2011/05/23/sell-your-stuff-to-amazon/" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #0f2d5f; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">selling your stuff to Amazon</a> via their trade-in platform in return for a store credit. While a store credit isn’t cash, we’re talking about Amazon. At our house, an Amazon credit is darn near cash, so that doesn’t concern me.</div>
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But Amazon isn’t the only game in town. eBay and <a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2006/08/10/craigslist-first-impressions-lots-of-scammers/" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #0f2d5f; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Craigslist</a> are obvious alternatives. And another option that I’ve seen heavily advertised on TV has been Gazelle. So which offers the best deal?</div>
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For simplicity, I’m going to focus on my own phone — a 64gb iPhone 4S in black. I tend to take pretty good care of things, so I would say that my phone is in “good” condition. I’ve kept it in a case it’s entire life, there are no scratches on the screen, etc.</div>
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So how do the options stack up?</div>
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On eBay it looks like you can pick up a phone similar to mine somewhere in the mid-$300 range. While you could auction it off and hope for a higher price, there are units available in this price range using “buy-it-now” option so it’s hard to imagine doing much better.</div>
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As for Gazelle, I just checked and found that I could get $260 for my phone with minimal hassle. Not great, but not terrible, right? After all, there’s no need to mess around with creating a listing, dealing with potentially shady buyers, etc.</div>
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Well, <a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com/external/amazoncom.php" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #0f2d5f; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">over at Amazon</a> I could pocket a cool $382.50 (in store credit) for my phone. Once again, there would be minimal hassle (certainly less than eBay<i style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">plus</i> no fees) and, like I said above, Amazon store credit is as close as you can get to cash in my house without actually having cash.</div>
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Note that I’ve ignored Craigslist for this comparison because that’s highly localized and it’s very hard to predict sales prices from one location to another. Also, you can really only access the asking prices so it’s impossible to say how much things are selling for via Craigslist.</div>
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Clearly, at least to me, Amazon comes out on top. And when you consider that the equivalent iPhone 5 model is selling for $399, it’s hard not to pull the trigger. Then again, you have to consider those pesky early termination or upgrade fees. The iPhone 4S has only been out for about a year and these things typically come with a 2 year contract.</div>
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For now, I’m sitting tight, mainly because of the aforementioned fees. What about you?</div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This article originally appeared on <a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #0f2d5f; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="www.fivecentnickel.com">FiveCentNicke</a>l:<a href="http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2012/09/24/selling-a-used-iphone/" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #0f2d5f; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Selling a Used iPhone">Selling a Used iPhone</a></i></div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229425561572467489.post-5898970321148758142012-09-27T18:00:00.000-07:002012-09-27T18:00:03.342-07:00Paying for college with fertility clinics, sugar daddies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisr43J8ohon5JdSUKLGjV_jnLKuEtA434ZSW8FBNxZ7OprMffMfahCVTTyjkzKlXDzeQLv8Ddx1Vo0YNJxbu9J2nvo0YiEYdLEDw_MA4zXhQ38ggQ1Orpc8-WbElNi9vKpRRV99OfAfVE/s1600/graduate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisr43J8ohon5JdSUKLGjV_jnLKuEtA434ZSW8FBNxZ7OprMffMfahCVTTyjkzKlXDzeQLv8Ddx1Vo0YNJxbu9J2nvo0YiEYdLEDw_MA4zXhQ38ggQ1Orpc8-WbElNi9vKpRRV99OfAfVE/s320/graduate.jpg" width="320" /></a>Everyone is recognizing the high costs of college tuition today, and many are turning to creative ways to pay off their debt. Check out this article from CNNMoney<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">By</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="fn">Blake Ellis</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">|</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="provider org">CNNMoney.com</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"> – </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-variant: normal;" title="2012-09-18T09:11:00Z">Tue, Sep 18, 2012 5:11 AM EDT</abbr></span><br />
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What do sugar daddies, medical studies and pawnshops have in common? They help some students afford a college education.</div>
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With the average family reporting that they are only on track to meet 30% of their college savings goals, every extra dollar counts -- and nothing is off limits.</div>
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John McKinley-Campbell had no job, $135,000 in student loan debt and he wanted to go back to school to get his Ph.D. at Florida International University. In order to afford to make it all happen he became a lab rat.</div>
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He has been participating in medical studies for pharmaceutical companies ever since his aunt saw an advertisement for one on TV. He lived in a medical facility for 14 days to test an arthritis medication and then signed up to receive injections of a breast cancer drug through an IV over the course of 8 days.</div>
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Those two studies alone will earn him about $8,500, which he plans to put toward an $1,800 GRE preparation course, the GRE test fee of $175 and the university's $100 application fee. The rest will go toward housing and tuition if he gets accepted. "If I can't find work [while in school], there's always a headache medicine I could test," he said.</div>
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Norah, who asked that her last name not be included for privacy reasons, has taken a slightly different route. She decided to become an egg donor at Shady Grove Fertility Center in Maryland this year, one of the largest fertility centers in the country.</div>
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The 24-year-old grad student earned $6,500 for her first egg donation, which almost covers her entire first year of school. A couple more egg donations will leave her with enough money to pay the full cost of the program -- around $15,000.</div>
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"When I worked a second job [between college and graduate school], it took me almost a year working in retail to make this same amount I've already made from one egg donation," she said.</div>
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Along those lines, a sperm donor at California Cryobank, who requested to remain anonymous, said he has earned $2,600 from making sperm donations for the past year, helping him cover his college living expenses and lab fees.</div>
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California Cryobank, which has several locations around the country, said nearly half of its qualified donors are college students, and sperm donors can make up to $1,200 per month -- or $14,400 a year -- if they donate three times a week.</div>
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Other cash-strapped college students are using their looks and sex appeal to find "sugar daddies" who are willing to foot their tuition bills.</div>
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One 21-year-old student said she receives a monthly allowance from a 37-year-old "sugar daddy" she met through online dating site SeekingArrangement.com, which helps rich men find young women who are looking to be supported financially. In exchange for her company, she says her sugar daddy has been making her full tuition payments of $1,500 each month.</div>
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According to SeekingArrangement, that allowance is low compared to what most college students on the site receive. About 41%, or 350,000, of the sugar babies on SeekingArrangement.com are college students, and two-thirds of them say they are using their sugar daddy as a primary or secondary means of paying for college -- receiving an average of $4,200 a month for college expenses, according to the company.</div>
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Parents are also finding creative ways to cover their kids' college costs.</div>
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After coming up $4,000 short for his son's tuition, Dave McDougall, pawned 15 pens from his $40,000 collection of luxury and vintage pens as collateral for a $4,100 pawnshop loan. The loan came with a steep 6% monthly interest rate -- amounting to a 72% annualized rate (personal loans often come with annualized interest rates in the low teens). He plans on paying it off in September when he gets his bonus check from work.</div>
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Another parent, Carol Carlisle, hosts international students who come to the United States to learn English as a Second Language at a program called Intrax in San Francisco, which pays host families about $32 a night. She's using that money to pay back the home equity loan she and her husband took out to pay for their daughter's college tuition.</div>
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Carlisle began hosting students in June and has already made about $2,700 -- $1,800 of which she put toward the loan. She expects to be able to completely pay off the loan after hosting students for a few years.</div>
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"When our daughter graduated high school in 2005, we thought we would use our home equity to pay for college and would pay it back, but then 2008 came around and my husband is a builder and everything collapsed for him," said Carlisle. "Besides being a joy [to host ESL students], we get this check every month, and we can finally make payments on that home equity."</div>
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And if you thought it couldn't get any more unconventional, Wayne Perry has started saving early for his son's education by making money off of a YouTube video that unexpectedly went viral, featuring his newborn son holding the forceps used to cut his own umbilical cord. With more than one million views, Perry said he is raking in around $1,000 a month from Google AdSense, which places ads on YouTube videos and other online content and pays the publisher based on how often the ads are clicked on or viewed.</div>
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He says he's putting that money -- $8,000 so far -- into a college fund for his son, who is now two years old. If the payments continue, he thinks he could easily have more than $100,000 saved by the time his son is 18.</div>
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"We're middle class, where we make too much to get a lot of [college] grants and low-cost loans but don't make enough to foot the bill for a really great school -- and imagine when he's 18 what the cost of tuition will be," said Perry. "I could never have saved that kind of money for him without this -- never."</div>
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<a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AsGFviM0vbOkLGueb4dmGey_34dG;_ylu=X3oDMTFqMDgxZXM0BG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEJvZHkEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNqbHQxb3Y1BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDNGJjZjdkM2MtYmU4Yy0zNmExLWEyMTEtMGFkMjY1YzAyYTg0BHBzdGNhdANwZXJzb25hbGZpbmFuY2V8Y2FyZWVyLWVkdWNhdGlvbgRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=0/SIG=13iso1agh/EXP=1349993126/**http%3A//money.cnn.com/2012/09/18/pf/college/paying-for-college/index.html%3Fsource=yahoo_hosted" style="color: #005790; text-decoration: none;">View this article on CNNMoney</a></div>
Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03427462989457655032noreply@blogger.com0