Tag Archives: jobs

Preparing for an Opportunity to Teach English Abroad (Guest Post)

Posted in careers, college, education, high school, school, travel by

Jeremiah Jordan is a teacher-turned-entrepreneur who blogs about business solutions.

When you teach English to a citizen or a child in a developing country, you can actually increase that person’s earning power by an average of 25 percent, according to The Guardian. In fact, your volunteer teaching efforts might actually make the difference between that person barely scraping by for the rest of his life or having a job with a promising future. While it’s almost certain that you could make more money teaching English in a first-world country like Japan or South Korea, the satisfaction that you’ve actually made the planet a little better by teaching in a developing nation may be worth more than cash to you.

Children and education, teacher reading book to young students

Program Options

Unlike many other volunteer efforts that can be completed in a one, two or three-week time frame, English teachers are typically asked to make a commitment of a semester — about two months — to a year or more. For example, WorldTeach has teaching opportunities of various lengths, including year-long positions in India and Costa Rica, six-month-long semester positions in Ecuador and Namibia, as well as eight-week-long summer positions in China and Morocco, according to WorldTeach.org.

Preparing for Your Trip

Being away for the length of time required by most teaching jobs takes quite a bit of pre-trip organization. Unlike shorter volunteer trips where you can just ask a neighbor to take your mail in for a week, being away for several months means taking care of the following:

  • If you rent or own a home and will be going away for several months or more, decide whether or not you want to sub-let your abode. If not, you will have to arrange for someone to keep an eye on your place. In addition, you may have to make special arrangements to pay your mortgage or rent, such as setting up automatic payments from your bank account, as TransitionsAbroad.com recommends.
  • Have your mail stopped or picked up by a trusted relative or neighbor who can open it and inform you of any important information that may require your action.
  • Oxford Seminars recommends appointing your power of attorney to someone you trust in the United States. You never know when you might need someone in America working on your behalf to transfer funds or to represent you in a legal matter.
  • Set up an account with an identity theft or credit fraud protection company. If you are living halfway around the world from your home and you suddenly learn that you have become a victim of identity theft, it may be next to impossible to try to unravel the mess on your own, especially in a developing nation where phone calls could cost you a fortune. Having LifeLock protection can save you a lot of grief in the long run.
  • Determine how you are going to handle any prescription medication that you take on a regular basis. Will you be able to get them through the mail or get a supply that will last you for your entire trip? You may need to speak with both your physician and your insurance company to see how best to handle this situation.
  • TeachAway.com suggests getting health insurance that will cover any of your medical needs abroad.
  • Do your homework on the country that you will be living in and do your best to be culturally aware. For example, if you are a woman who will be living in a conservative Islamic nation, try not to walk around in a top that shows too much cleavage or is too tight.

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5 Green Careers That Make A Difference (Guest Post)

Posted in careers, college, education, going to grad school, school, science by

If you are looking for a viable career path that will provide both a reliable income and a tiny carbon footprint, you may want to consider entering the green-collar job sector. Not only are these jobs part of a growth industry, but they will help you sleep at night, knowing that you’re doing your part to protect planet earth and the many creatures that live here.

Here are five growing green careers that you may wish to investigate.

1. Forester

If you want to blend a love of physical outdoor work with an aptitude for biology, this may be the perfect career choice. The modern forestry industry involves restoring and conserving forests, transitioning to faster growing species, studying the effects of deforestation on the environment, and actual harvesting. Most foresters require a degree in forestry or environmental studies. And, no. You don’t have to look good in plaid.

2. Solar Power Installers

The whole world seems to be jumping onboard the solar power wagon, causing a great demand for people to work in this field. This job involves installing rooftop solar panels or water heaters. If you love working with your hands, have a construction background, and want to enter a growth industry, this could be ideal. And don’t worry about having to move to the Mojave. Anywhere there’s sunshine, there’s bound to be a solar power installation job waiting for you.

3. Conservation Biologist

If your quest is to save the planet, this career path strives to do exactly that. The Conservation Biologist’s job description is to protect the earth’s ecosystems and protect its biodiversity. With positions available in research, teaching, Government agencies, and nonprofits, this field offers a vast array of possibilities. So, if you love nature and have a degree in Biology, this could be the ideal career choice. You may be the one to save the dwindling bumble bee, or halt the attack of the Asian Carp.

4. Recycler

If you were in charge of your school’s recycling program, are the master of composting, or love to find ways to repurpose refuse, a career in recycling may be your perfect fit. With garbage disposal fees mounting and landfill sites exploding at the seams, recycling is a viable and green alternative to the traditional dump. And jobs in this industry are on the rise with openings for a plethora of educational backgrounds. Whether you want to manage a department in a recycle centre, work the sorting lines, or operate heavy equipment on the landfill site, this industry offers a wide array of green jobs that will help make your corner of the planet a better place.

5. Urban Planner

Urban planners typically work for municipal governments, which makes them attractive to someone looking for greater job security and an opportunity to affect positive change on your local community. Urban planners deal with a variety of areas including mass transit and other transportation concerns, emergency planning, dealing with urban sprawl, and building layouts–ensuring that someone who works in this area will never get bored. If you love constructing computer-generated cities and possess a degree in Urban or Regional Planning, this is your chance to put those skills to use–and help your town decrease the size of its carbon footprint.

If you are intrigued by the idea of entering a growth industry and doing work that you can be proud of, one of these green jobs may prove to be your dream career. So swap your collar of white or blue for one that’s green–and love what you do.

How “green” is your job? Does decreasing your carbon footprint matter to you? Why or why not?

Image courtesy of photos.com.

Kimberley Laws is a freelance writer, avid blogger, and former Education Coordinator at her local recycling plant. She has written on a vast array of topics including WordPress plugins, financial software, social media marketing, and online reputation management. Follow her at kimberleylaws.com.

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7 Careers In Healthcare That Could Change Your Life (Guest Post)

Posted in careers, college, education, going to grad school, science, STEM by

At some point, it seems all children are asked what they want to be when they grow up. If you were never sure of the answer, but somehow knew that you would be most satisfied doing something that helps others, a career in healthcare could be precisely what you’re looking for.

Your desire to help other people may actually benefit you. Psychology Today suggests that helping others fixes a higher happiness set point. The happiness set point theory says that a human’s level of well-being (happiness) is primarily determined by heredity and personality traits that were ingrained during early life. Researchers have found, though, that a person can raise their happiness set point by focusing on helping others.

Interested in a career in healthcare?

Interested in a career in healthcare?

As jobs in other fields disappear, healthcare jobs are on the rise. Opportunities in healthcare and health technology will continue to be strong for years to come, according to heathcarecareers.org.

Becoming a doctor is an obvious choice for helping people, but medical school is not for everyone. Fortunately, there are a number of other avenues you can take that will lead you to a career in healthcare.

Registered Nurse

As a registered nurse you would directly treat patients, help educate them and provide emotional support to patients and their family members. A registered nurse is often the first person on the job, and the first to get to know a patient’s history and symptoms. You would most likely be the professional a patient would turn to for answers and encouragement. Nursing is a life-changing career for anyone with a passion for healthcare and helping others.

Pharmacy Technician

As a pharmacy technician you would deal with people when they’re either sick or trying to maintain health. It would be your job to help licensed pharmacists provide medication and health care products to patients who need them. Routine tasks include the preparation of medicine, including properly labeling bottles and counting tablets or capsules. You have options when it comes to learning this job. You can either attend class in person or learn to be a pharmacy technician online. For a people-person, working as a pharmacy technician allows you to be a comforting voice during what might be a stressful time for a patient.

Phlebotomist

While the idea of drawing blood and transporting it to a laboratory for analysis may not appeal to everyone, it is exactly what a phlebotomist does. A great phlebotomist is calm, compassionate and can make the act of drawing blood seem effortless. If you’re someone who can soothe a crying child or calm a nervous adult, this may be the perfect career fit for you.

Physical Therapist

A physical therapist helps restore function and relieve pain in those who suffer from injury or disease. Pain can change a patient’s quality of life and even impact their personality. As a physical therapist you would have the ability to help them regain normal function and to encourage patients as they are on the road to recovery. You would also help patients with permanent conditions find adaptations that make their lives easier, thereby changing a person’s entire life.

Sonographer

Sonographers direct high-frequency sound waves into areas of a patient’s body in order to generate an image that will be assessed for a variety of medical issues. In one day you may do everything from looking for a blocked artery to helping parents determine the sex of their unborn child. No two days are alike in the life of a sonographer. If you like variety and can deal with a myriad of different patient personalities, this career can use someone like you.

Radiation Therapist

Radiation therapists are part of a medical radiation oncology team, working primarily with cancer patients by administering radiation at targeted cancer cells. As a radiation therapist you would work with patients at one of the toughest times of their life. A compassionate nature and professional attitude are both required for such a position.

Dietitian

A dietitian can work in many settings, including: hospitals, schools and nursing homes. As a trained dietitian it would be your job to plan food and nutrition programs for the population you’re working with and to supervise the preparation and delivery of meals. Dietitians change lives by recommending dietary changes that can help people live a longer, healthier life.

Healthcare jobs are here to stay. It’s just a matter of finding the one that speaks to you and investigating what it will take to get you there.

Guest Post by Chuck Flint.
Chuck teaches Pilates and writes about health and wellness from his beachside home in California.

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