It’s tough when the economy’s down and you’re in danger of losing income or your job altogether, but a recession can be a blessing in determining the strength of industries and help you decide when to make a good career change.  Especially if you haven’t been satisfied with the work you’ve done in the past, considering a career change that is more fulfilling and leads to a better salary can be a great way to use the downtrodden economy to your advantage. 

Many people are caught up in life and don’t want to spend years going back to school and racking up debt, but oftentimes you don’t have to.  A paralegal career for example can take as little as three months to train for and appropriate certifications might only require 50 hours of research to pass.  A career as a paralegal offers salaries of 34-60 thousand dollars per year and the industry is expected to grow by 28% over the next few years according to US Department of Labor statistics.

A paralegal career can be as dynamic as a degree in law.  Virtually every sect of law incorporates the use of paralegals on their staff to assist in cases, filings, research, documentation and client relations.  Paralegals can work for patent attorneys, corporate lawyers and even for criminal cases.  

A paralegal career usually means that you’ll be working in a private law firm or practice, as about 75% of paralegals did according to the US Department of Labor in 2008.  Paralegals can advance by jumping to other law firms that require a more specialized assistant, obtaining certifications and even managing other paralegals in large law firms.  Paralegals are often called law assistants, and do just about everything a lawyer can do except practice law, provide definitive legal advice or proceed in courtrooms.

Paralegal career training can take up to 2 years in an associates degree program, but many vocational schools and online paralegal degrees can certify paralegals within 3 months.  Often an internship to gain some real life experience is necessary before landing a first job, but many law firms will also provide on-the-job training for the right applicants since the paralegal career is highly specialized contingent on the law firm. 

Well over 200,000 people work as paralegals, and roughly 15,000 are certifies by the National Association of Legal Assistants or the American Alliance of Paralegals, so obtaining these certifications can help you stand out in initiating your paralegal career. 

To obtain certification in these governing paralegal bodies, it’s usually only a matter of about 50 hours of learning and taking a 2-day exam.  The NALA and AAP usually ask that their certified paralegals obtain certification every 5 years with new courses of study in order to keep atop on the industry.  Having a good understanding of law databases and resources, in addition to court filings and proceedings related to a specific area of law can substantially help you land a paralegal career.  

If you’re like many people in today’s recession, you may have recently lost your job or are looking for a career change.  One of the most popular job markets to transition into today is the medical field.  Whether the US Government health care programs grow or free enterprise continues its grasp on the industry, the medical field has to expand to support the country’s needs and is expected to increase more than almost any other industry over the next several years according to the US department of labor.  Pharmacy technician careers are just one of the medical industry’s fields that is rapidly growing and experiencing a current shortage of workers.

Pharmacy technician careers are available in many large chain drug store pharmacies, private pharmacies and in hospitals and medical clinics alike.  Good technicians can expect to make decent entry-level wages once they’re certified in the field. Plus, it doesn’t take long to be presented with advancement opportunities once you’re in the industry.  Many different technicians are needed in the medical industry from equipment operators to physician and surgical assistants and most doctors and hospitals don’t require costly 2 or 4 year degrees when hiring for these positions.  There are many communications positions and management positions on the clerical side of the health care industry, so opportunities begin to reveal themselves beyond the scope of a pharmacy technician career once in the industry.

Pharmacy technician Career Training

A pharmacy technician career can be a great entry into the medical industry without having to go back to school or obtain an expensive two or four year degree.  Though college tuition varies and many community colleges offer programs for medical technicians, federal funding for community schools is being cut with the recession and loans are necessary to subsidize your living expenses while in school.  Luckily, many vocational schools have great pharmacy technician training programs to suit the schedule and financial needs of professionals looking for a new career.  Many of these programs will give you the tools you need to get certified for a pharmacy technician career and many offer externships and even job placement after you graduate.  These vocational schools usually cost a fraction of what college tuition costs and can be completed in well under a year’s time; some even have pharmacy technician career programs that are under six months.

Pharmacy Technician Career Training Online

Some vocational schools offer career training online that you can complete at your own pace while working another job to support your career change.  The curriculum is oftentimes the same and gets you prepared with medical and pharmaceutical terminology, as well as the skills necessary for counting and measuring units of medications and familiarizing yourself with the meanings of moniker’s and dosage stamps used to identify medications.  A pharmacy technician career will also require certifications and tests issued by the state, so it’s important to choose accredited career schools that will get you prepped for the necessary exams.

In today’s economy, many workers in tons of industries are experiencing layoffs, pay cuts and overall difficulty finding work.  Luckily, the best time to shift careers and get into a new line of work is during a recession.  With tons of industries booming and growing in today’s world of advanced technology and larger populations, it’s a perfect time to transition into a more fulfilling career in the health care industry.  Health care jobs exist for every line of work, ranging from administrative jobs to physician’s assistants.  Many people are finding current times to be a great opportunity to train for a surgical technician career.  A surgical technician career can seem daunting and like it requires extensive training, but the reality is many surgical technician training programs can be completed in 9 to 24 months.

Surgical Technician Career Duties

Those considering a surgical technician career can expect to work mainly in hospitals.  According to US Department of Labor statistics, over 70 percent of surgical technicians work out of hospitals, though it is also common to work in specialty clinics and even dental offices. 

Surgical technician job description include prepping surgery tables and instruments for specialized surgeries, assisting the surgeon with instruments as well as sterilization, and usually specialize in certain types of specific surgery in order to assist with basic surgical necessities such as keeping patient airwaves open and blood flow circulating.  Many surgical technicians work in multiple locations or outside of hospitals for specialty teams, such as transplant surgeons.   It’s also possible for a surgical technician career to extend into administrative work for insurance companies and hospital or clinic billing industries.

Surgical Technician Career Training

Surgical technicians can gain their academic experience in college in the form of a Health Information Technology degree in the form of a 4 year or 2 year program, but these degrees oftentimes include general education and a vast amount of curriculum related to hospital front and back offices.  For specialized learning, surgical technician career training will last from 9-24 months, covering courses such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and other special areas of study related to surgical equipment and operation. 

Certified technicians earn more than non-certified technicians and specialty surgeries like heart or neurosurgeries will usually compensate their technicians more.  A surgical technician career is likely to earn you 38-46 thousand dollars a year, according to 2008 Department of Labor statistics.

Surgical Technician Career Training Online

Many accredited programs offer certain elements of surgical technician career training online.  Though hands-on learning is necessary for many applications of surgical technician’s responsibilities, courses for anatomy, physiology and pharmacology can definitely be taken online at a student’s pace while working another job.  Either way, a surgical technician career can be a great way to transition into a fulfilling well-paid career in the health care industry as the average surgical technician salary is high.  Surgical technician careers require fairly little training before certification can be achieved and on-the-job training can begin with hospitals, clinics or dental offices.

Index Cards are a brilliant way to help break an essay into more manageable elements and to develop structure for your final piece of writing. This is so easy that I am sure you will have success with this process!

Let’s pretend my teacher told the class they had to research an illness and turn in an assignment describing the ways in which that illness can be treated:

I am very interested in depression because I have heard heaps about that illness in the media lately. Therefore I head to the library and read about depression and the ways in which it can be treated. I find some great books and also browse for some websites on the world wide web. While I am reading, I scrawl down some of the major notes on Index Cards like this:

Now that I have the major dot points for this subject written down on index cards, I am able to order them logically so that my essay will have a good structure. You most likely understand that a well-written assignment has an introduction (defining the topic and summarizing the main points), a body (with each paragraph detailing a main point) and a conclusion (the last paragraph that reminds the reader about the main points and reaches some kind of decision on the topic). Considering this I may sort my index cards in this way:

Now that my cards are rearranged into a logical order, I can draft my assignment. The first card will form the basis of my introduction. It will outline depression as a disorder and I will probably add a sentence about the two major treatments. The rest of the cards then become another paragraph in my essay: I simply expand on the points I have written on the cards and write the content in my own words as full sentences. Then, I outline a conclusion that summarizes the main points from my assignment. I might also write a final sentence along these lines: “Depression is very treatable with medication and psychotherapy so patients do not have to suffer in silence.” This would draw my assignment to a nice conclusion.

I hope this helps you to write some top scoring assignments!

Making use of index cards is just one way to organize your thinking. I prefer a strategy called Mind Mapping for taking notes and planning assignments. You can find more information about Mind Mapping at Buzan’s Mind Mapping site.

Code Update

Finally !

A 2008 Michigan NEC Update Class…THAT WORKS !
Only $100

And, it’s ALL ONLINE…

I know, in the past, it has been hard to find a uncomplicated online class for the State of Michigan that can provide you with the 15-hr NEC Update Certificate you need, for a decent price. So, I built After Hours Electric Continuing Education aka After Hours CEU’s.

As an Electrician myself, I know what a hassle it is to leave my wife & kids , drive to some hotel conference room and sit through a lecture-style class where someone reads word-for-word out of some textbook.  I understand the expense and lost time !  That’s why the ONLINE solution is best!

Read more below and find out why Electricians prefer online classes from Steve Mazur.

Some student comments…

• “Thank You for providing this service. I like the format and also I don’t have to spend half of my life just trying to get my Continuing Ed. There were not any trick questions and the length of the tests were not overwhelming.”
• This material is just right. The content and instructor are great. Definitely makes every professional electrician evaluate what they are doing with quality and workmanship as well as stay current on the National Electrical Code. I will strongly recommend to anyone I can. Very nice on-line program and testing.
• “Your course was excellent!”
• “Great CEU program. Thanks!”
• “After completing your course, I have a better understanding of the NEC”
• “This course was a good value for the money that I paid…Thank you Steve…”
• “I’ll be back next cycle. I will recommend this course to others and have.”

Steve Mazur’s contact Page – to contact Steve

AK, ID, ME, MT, NM, OR, TX, UT, WA – Other State Electrical updates

Code Update Registration – To Register for 15-hr 2008 Michigan Update

Homeschooling is an important decision for a parent to make. Homeschooling can be difficult. Parents should take the time to think about homeschooling to make the best decision for themselves and their child. Consider the following when deciding if homeschooling is right for you.

• Sacrifices – Homeschooling parents must sacrifice their personal time and many things they want to do. By homeschooling your child, you will be with your child all of the time, all day, every day. Make sure that you are comfortable sacrificing your personal time to teach your child at home.
• Time – Homeschooling takes a lot of time. You will have to do more than sit down with your child and a few books for an hour. You must teach your child, including leading him or her through projects, experiments, and more. It will take time to prepare lesson plans, grade papers, plan educational field trips, and so forth. If you cannot put the time into your child’s homeschooling, it will not work for you or your child.
• Socialization – You must make the effort to socialize your child if he or she will not be putting their social skills into practice at regular school. Make time to get your child together with other children and adults. Homeschool enrichment classes are great for giving your child a chance to work on their social skills. However, it is up to you to ensure the socialization of your child. One bonus for many parents is that since you control the social situations, you control your child’s friends. If socialization is a concern, homeschooling may not be the best choice for your child.
• Money – One parent will have to stay home to adequately homeschool a child. This can create a financial strain on a family accustomed to two paychecks. If money is an issue and you still need two incomes, homeschooling might not work for you and your family.
• Unanimous Decision – Both parents should agree to homeschooling. It is a difficult process if both parents do not unanimously support the homeschooling decision. If both parents do not believe homeschooling is best, it probably will not be a good choice for your child.
• Does Your Child Agree – Homeschooling may be difficult if the child does not want to be homeschooled. Your child will learn only if he or she is willing. If your child does not want to be homeschooled, you should probably explore other options.
• Organization – Your household work, shopping, and cooking still needs to get done, so you will have to make a schedule for organization. In addition, you need an organized dedicated school space for homeschooling. If you do not think you can organize your time, homeschooling may not work for you.
• Confidence – Are you confident about your teaching skills? Homeschooling curriculums will help guide you through teaching, but you need to feel comfortable and confident to effectively teach your child.

Getting a Bachelors Degree in one year might seem impossible, but it is not. There are certain key factors that will help you complete your degree in one year and save money.

Follow these steps to get your college degree in one year:

STEP 1
First,  speak with the main college office and complete life experience forms; the college will request some evidence that you genuinely have life experience from work or your own life to get credits for certain courses. Myself, I have a computer networking background and was able to earn credit for several networking courses. That saved me $1200 due to the fact that I did not have to complete the course in a class. You can use the money you save to take additional classes and pay for college textbooks.

STEP 2
Take CLEP tests to pass the 100 level classes to save time as well, the tests are moderately difficult and does cost money, but not as much as a complete course. If you have some type of military background , transferring credits from your military development can be done through a program called Smart Transcript.

STEP 3
If you also completed certifications, they sometimes can be used to get college credits, but you need a solid foundation on the topic and need to prove that you use the subject daily . This will help save lots of tuition money and college textbook costs, not to mention lower the amount of time you have to complete your bachelors degree.

STEP 4
Have a plan and follow it. Map out a goal of when you will finish your college degree based on the leftover courses in your degree . This will help you gauge where you are at clearly and understand how any courses you have left to get your degree.