Welcome to Education Design Showcase

School districts, colleges and universities across the country strive to provide for students' needs - needs that are complicated by shifts in enrollment, developments in technology, ever-changing methods of instruction, community-use issues and aging school buildings.

As state governments continue to struggle with budget issues, the availability of funding for all types of educational facilities is often limited, requiring schools to make the most of every construction dollar spent. The growing awareness of environmental concerns has fostered a greater interest in "green" or sustainable school design, and the fact that schools and communities taking greater advantage of opportunities to share space, is making it necessary for those who plan, design and build these facilities to be more flexible and creative in their designs.

Higher education is also faced with issues like increased competition from for-profit institutions, student housing shortages and the need for their facilities to be part of the strategy used to recruit and retain students.

Schools, colleges and universities are being constructed at record pace in response to both a growing student population and the need to accommodate changes to the educational program. Building more flexible facilities is not enough -- we must also build better facilities.

Good designs don't just happen; they are based on research and best practice. To help fill that need for information on what makes a "good" school, School Planning & Management and College Planning & Management have established the Education Design Showcase. It is designed to be a vehicle for sharing innovative, yet practical, solutions in planning, design and construction. The goal: to share ideas that will help us achieve the best possible learning environments for all students at all levels of education.

History of Martin Luther King Day

On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill making Martin Luther King Day a federal holiday as of January 20, 1986. As a result of this bill, Americans commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday on the third Monday in January. Few Americans are aware of the history of Martin Luther King Day and the long battle to convince Congress to establish this holiday in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

John Conyers and MLK Day

Congressman John Conyers, an African-American Democrat from Michigan, spearheaded the movement to establish a MLK day. Representative Conyers worked in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and was elected to Congress in 1964, where he championed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Four days after King's assassination in 1968, Conyers introduced a bill that would make January 15 a federal holiday in King's honor. But Congress was unmoved by Conyers' entreaties, and though he kept reviving the bill, it kept failing in Congress.

In 1970, Conyers convinced New York's governor and New York City's mayor to commemorate King's birthday, a move that the city of St. Louis emulated in 1971. Other localities followed, but it was not until the 1980s that Congress acted on Conyers' bill. By this time, the congressman had enlisted the help of popular singer Stevie Wonder, who released the song "Happy Birthday" for King in 1981, and Conyers had organized marches in support of the holiday-in 1982 and 1983, respectively.

Congressional Battles over MLK Day

Conyers was finally successful when he reintroduced the bill in 1983. But even in 1983 support was not unanimous. In the House of Representatives, William Dannemeyer, a Republican from California, led the opposition to the bill, arguing that it was too expensive to create a federal holiday and estimating that it would cost the federal government $225 million annually in lost productivity. Reagan's administration concurred with Dannemeyer's arguments, but the House passed the bill with a vote of 338 for and 90 against.

When the bill reached the Senate, the arguments opposing the bill were less grounded in economics and more reliant on outright racism. Senator Jesse Helms, a Democrat from North Carolina, held a filibuster against the bill and demanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) make public its files on King, asserting that King was a Communist who did not deserve the honor of a holiday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had investigated King throughout the late 1950s and 1960s at the behest of its chief, J. Edgar Hoover, and had even tried intimidation tactics against King, sending the civil rights leader a note in 1965 that suggested he kill himself to avoid embarrassing personal revelations hitting the media.

King, of course, was not a Communist and had broken no federal laws, but by challenging the status quo, King and the Civil Rights Movement discomfited the Washington establishment. Charges of Communism were a popular way to discredit people who dared speak truth to power during the 50s and 60s, and King's opponents made liberal use of that tactic.

When Helms tried to revive that tactic, Reagan defended him. A reporter asked Reagan about the charge of Communist against King, and Reagan said that Americans would find out in around 35 years, referring to the length of time before any material the FBI gathers on a subject could be released. Reagan later apologized, and a federal judge blocked the release of King's FBI files.

Conservatives in the Senate tried to change the name of the bill to "National Civil Rights Day" as well, but they failed to do so. The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 78 for and 22 against. Reagan capitulated, signing the bill into law.


The First MLK Day

King's wife, Coretta Scott King, chaired the commission responsible for creating the first celebration of King's birthday in 1986. Though she was disappointed at not receiving more support from Reagan's administration, the result was over a week of commemorations beginning on January 11, 1986, and lasting until the holiday itself on January 20. Events were held in cities like Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and included a tribute at the Georgia State Capitol and the dedication of a bust of Dr. King at the U.S. Capitol.

Some Southern states protested the new holiday by including Confederate commemorations on the same day, but by the 1990s the holiday had become established everywhere in the United States.

Reagan's proclamation of the holiday on January 18, 1986, explained the reason for the holiday: "This year marks the first observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a national holiday. It is a time for rejoicing and reflecting. We rejoice because, in his short life, Dr. King, by his preaching, his example, and his leadership, helped to move us closer to the ideals on which America was founded. . . . He challenged us to make real the promise of America as a land of freedom, equality, opportunity, and brotherhood."

It required a long 15-year fight, but Conyers and his supporters successfully won King national recognition for his service to country and humanity.


Sources

Campbell, Bebe Moore. "A National Holiday for a King." Black Enterprise. January 1984: 21.

Garrow, David J. Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. New York: Vintage Books, 1988.

Nazel, Joseph. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Los Angeles: Holloway House Publishing, 1991.

Reagan, Ronald. "Proclamation 5431 -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1986." 18 January 1986. Available online: http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/11886a.htm.

Smitherman, Geneva. Word From the Mother: Language and African Americans. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2006.

RSS feeds allow you to be notified whenever brand new articles are released by your favorite authors. Google Yahoo NewsGator Bloglines MSN AOL Start a New Career With Plumber Courses

Plumber Courses are designed for people to become a professional plumber. A Plumber is a person who does the work of water pipeline fixing or any other work of Plumbing in housing and commercial societies. Plumber is the person who is largely demanded by the various constructors on their sites to solve the problems relating to plumbing. The prime reason for increase in the demand of plumber courses is not only because these courses are now available in classroom mode but also because these courses are now available online by conducting various classroom tutorials with the help of which one can become a self trained plumber.

The other reason is that due to the raising wages of the plumbers all around the world and along with it, as there is shortage of plumbers in current market people are very much attracted towards this profession. But not to worry, there are just so many vacancies and so less people to fill them with that good plumber will always be in demand and command excellent wages.

Currently, in the market, plumbing is regarded as the most important part of any household, or for that matter in everyone's life. People are now so dependent on plumbers that now they are unable to imagine their life without perfect plumbing work irrespective of their stay i.e. home, factory, or office. For this work, people have to be well trained and thus due to this all around the world there are many types of plumber courses available for people to become perfect plumbers. This type of plumber courses is now available in various trade schools and also in UK, USA and other parts of world. The most revolutionary part of modern plumber courses is that they are available online all around the world. As due to raising demand the wages have been increased for various plumbers in the market, thus plumber courses can be a perfect way for the people to achieve their financial and career goals.

With such unique demands of plumbing profession it has now become a very profitable option for the people to follow, thus many attempts have been made to make the plumber courses available for all the people. The most comfortable medium from which it has been successfully achieved is through internet. These plumber courses are so perfectly designed and placed online, that they can be useful and easily available for both the youth and slightly aged persons who want to join these courses to become professional plumbers. And along with it there are lots of other courses offered and run successfully on internet by various people, which have increased the reliability of these courses. The most important part of this online plumber courses is that they are always affiliated with the nationally recognized bodies.

These plumber courses always start with the standard Plumbing Technology which is the most important part of training. Also every plumber must be trained for fixing pipes, soldering things etc. These all things make people feel well trained for the kind of problems that they have to face in their plumbing profession.

James Copper

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Jobs for Writers - Good Tips

All the thanks should go to the advancement of computer technology and also to the business foresight that has made the computer and Internet combination easy on the pocket. Writer vacancy offers are crowding the websites. Writing has a different meaning to each one of us. For some it is writing for the media. For others it is all about academic work. There are many others who lap up business writing work.

If you want the magic of writer job to really work then you must diversify yourself and get acquainted with different branches. Specialization in only one or two subjects might sometimes lead to the closure of the door of jobs for writers. So keep yourself posted with other streams also. Writing may mean work connected with direct marketing brochures to resumes dealing with university essays. So the trick is to develop the comprehensive writing portfolio.

Where to hunt for writing vacancies? There is literally a plethora of web sites, blogs, forums and books together with writing groups to help you get your introduction into this magic word of writing. You can become part of a writing community and make new friends. During the last decade there has been a tremendous change in the concept of personal websites. Now ordinary folks can create a decent website without being a genius.

You are in the job offers market. It is better to find out beforehand what the writing rates are. This will give the sophisticated polished touch to your application. Learn up all the new language and jargon connected with the web world. Then in the race for writing job you will not fall back. It is the website that will teach you to be suave and experienced. Your writing skill can become a package-deal paying career. If you play your cards well your writing skills can lead you to become a consultant, speaking and training gigs. You have to learn how to market yourself as a package deal. The hope is that from the staff writer of an independent youth journal you might become an expert in youth matters and get big deals in the publishing business.

Jobs for writers in today's world mean high paying rate for freelancers. There are low, medium and high paying positions. You post your resume analyzing your own merit and qualifications. The ultimate test is actually what you produce. So a sample work is very important. Writing offers may be full time job offers or may be royalty based. It is up to you to rifle through the myriad sites and take your pick. On the other side of the river those who are looking for writer will also scan the same sites to find the exact expertise for his or her own specific type of job. Writers may even be engaged to support speaking programmes.

Dave Modie

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Graduate Unemployment in Nigeria

Hello job seekers out there. Every year and year, the Nigeria unemployment rate keeps on going higher and higher as fresh graduates passes out from their various institutions of higher learning only to be met with a long queue of their senior ones who have earlier passed out from the various universities and polytechnics and are yet still unemployed, as there are few jobs to go round the vast unemployed population in the country.

The situation has become pathetic as year after year, job seekers and applicants are left with nothing to do than to roam about the streets looking for jobs that are not available. Their case is also worsen as most of them are not employable by potential employers of labour, this may be due to their lack of core technical knowledge about their discipline or poor result.

The Nigerian government is also concerned about the ugly trend as she is already setting up machinery, legislatures and agencies to look into the situation and try to reduce the high unemployment rate. This can be seen through the national poverty eradication programme (napep) and the national directorate of employment (nde) that are both into reducing unemployment by introducing unemployed youths into self employment through the small and medium scale enterprises.

We hope that in the nearest future, hopefully by the year 2020 (vision 2020), Nigeria's high unemployment rate would have been greatly reduced. Until then, jobs seekers, keep on the struggle, that dream job you desire you definitely come your way, god willing.

Jobs seekers, you can now get the latest Nigeria jobs vacancies, graduates jobs and career opportunities in Nigeria from my website dedicated to totally free daily Nigeria jobs vacancies.

See you on top. Bye.

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Job Vacancies - How to Not to Waste Time and Get Scammed

With the current, highly competitive job market today, there are many points to understand when searching job vacancies. Becoming educated yourself about how to read, analyze and move forward on a help wanted ad, will take you above the crowd in your search, and help you avoid pitfalls which eat up time, energy, money and focus.

The internet is an extremely helpful tool, if you know how to use it, for research on everything from position details to relocation questions and company details to career change information. Before you begin, develop a list of keywords related to the search you are doing. You will save time when sitting in front of the computer ready to go, instead of drumming your fingers in frustration, trying to think of something to put in the search box.

Be wary of and do extensive investigation on job vacancies you feel inspired to follow up on. There are many unscrupulous cons on the web and it is certain you will come across fictitious vacancy announcements. There are also companies that post false ads which require you to pay a fee for something, hoping to make money from you, at a time when you most need to save. Sure, there are reputable head hunting agencies that are valuable and appropriate for some fields. As a general rule, it should not cost you money to find a job.

It is fairly easy to weed out the websites and job postings that sound promising. Be a secret shopper and make hundreds, or the ones that are submitted for every city or country possible. Some overseas positions offer a lot of things like housing and medical insurance, but not airfare. There have been many trusting people who have flown halfway around the world, only to find out the whole thing was a scam.

When you apply for a job online, which is now the predominately expected form of previewing and application processing, the human connection is seriously impeded, so being very aware of how you present yourself in your cover letter, is one of the most important things to remember. Since you are not meeting face-to-face, this is what your potential employer will first see. Be brief, be honest, and be available. Spending time crafting two or three cover letters that can become templates for future use, will significantly save time, and allows you the ability to move efficiently if the perfect job becomes available.

The job market is burgeoning with promises, real and fake, which can make your search in job vacancies much more difficult, if you are not aware of the drawbacks that can sap your personal power and take away vital time from your life. Be a smart job applicant and do your homework before you actively begin the application process.

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Students and Part Time Vacancies

Students more often than not need to take up part time vacancies or part time work to raise their own pocket money or to become more financially independent from their parents or sponsors. Some students would work during the days when they do not have classes to attend while others would prefer to work in the evenings, during the weekends or in the night.

Employers most certainly desire the best for their firms and companies. This will drive them to watch out for people with previous work experience. They will be looking for people who have not only studied, but also have proven their development in communication, problem solving, organisation, IT and even planning skills etc. Hence in addition to being paid for work and becoming financially better, the working student is building good grounds for future employment.

Being realistic about how much one can and can not do is very important. It is much better to know where you stand and understand what you are getting into than to hope that you can make it. It is the responsibility of employers to make their work place easily accessible by disabled persons. If your employer has never before employed a physically disabled person, there may be several barriers to effect employer/employee relations and this may in turn make work difficult. There is room for gradual education of both parties. It is always helpful to hope fir the best but plan for the worst. Do not leave things to chance and hope it sorts itself, because it usually doesn't happen.

There are several ways to search for part time vacancies. Some ways one can find part time vacancies include:

Create a Curriculum Vitae (CV) targeting the sectors where you are interested to find work vacancies.

Visiting the school's careers service and request helpful information.

Speak with course-mates, tutors and lecturers about part time vacancies in and around the university or college environment.

Go out and contact employers for yourself.

You may take up voluntary part time work and sometimes it makes easier for one to spot and obtain paid work vacancies.

Never forget to speak with friends, relatives and acquaintances, because they you may receive very useful information form them.

Remember that though it is beneficial to take up part time vacancies, you also need to create time for studies and school work. Make sure you do not bite more than you can chew. Do what you are able to manage effectively. You will need enough energy and time for your studies and social life.

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Be The Boss of Your Career

Ambition often gets a bad rap. It's associated with a great goal that is achieved after much sacrifice and many trade-offs. For working moms in particular, ambition can be a loaded concept.

We can all think of examples of so-called ambitious people who reached the top of their field but gave up something to get there. Perhaps they had no children; maybe they experienced a divorce or lost their good health on the way to their goal.

But ambition doesn't have to be a negative. In fact, if managed consciously, ambition can be a working mother's greatest asset. When you are proactive in your professional and personal development, you become the boss of your own career (and life) - and that's a position with a lot of perks.

Here are five strategies to help you advance your career in a way that is satisfying and meaningful without losing your mind, your family or your health.

1. Define ambition

Write your own definition of ambition. What does it mean specifically to you? Explore your fears around reaching for what you "really" want. Are you afraid you'll lose your family to your work? Alternatively, if you want to work less to be with your family more, do you worry that you'll miss out on a great promotion? Can your ambition ebb and flow with the changing tides of your family life? Finish this statement: Ambition for me means ...

2. Align your goals

Establish goals and strategies that will allow you to live the life you want. Get clear on what is important to you and align your professional goals with your strengths, your interests, and the age/stage(s) of your children. For instance, to advance your career, you may need to further your education. Consider what will be the best time to incorporate studies into family life, keeping in mind that online learning offers great flexibility. By being strategic about your goals and dreams, you can help to make them your reality.

3. Consider personal priorities when making important decisions

Each of us has our own beliefs on what really matters in life. And what matters most can shift with passing time. Whether it is you, your family or your career advancement, there isn't a right or a wrong answer. There is just what makes the most sense in that moment. If you want your career and life going in the right direction, always take your personal priorities into consideration when you have a decision to make. Ask yourself, "Will this enhance what is important in my life right now?"

4. Leverage your skills and become an expert

Know your unique talents and skills (what you naturally excel at and what people tell you you are good at), then create a plan that leverages your talents. Discover and focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses, so your skills become specialized and valued in the marketplace. If you're a great organizer, go organize. Whether you're a strategic thinker, a creative wiz or a patient teacher, do what comes easily and naturally. Position yourself accordingly and you will become the go-to person in your field.

5. Be confident

Marrying your ambition with your family life can mean you choose to turn your career volume up and down. Believing in you through this process is crucial. If you don't, no one else will. Self-confidence is key to getting what you want. Pay attention to any doubts or doubters and stay away from thoughts or people who weaken your confidence. Choose to surround yourself with ideas and people that support and encourage you to reach your dream.

Who said "ambition" had to be a dirty word? How you feel about ambition will change over time. So it's important to keep checking in and making adjustments, as your family situation changes. And remember, you are the boss of you. Enjoy being in charge of your life and career.

© Copyright 2007. Lisa Martin. All rights reserved.

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Part Time Careers For Moms

Part time careers for moms are very difficult to find, unless you are already established in a great career, that allows you the money and flexibility you desire? Flexibility is essential when you have children that need you to be there. You want to make sure your kids are fed, clean and mothered, and you want to have the time to do this yourself. I do not know of any traditional part time careers, for moms- that want to be there for their children.

Mothers are expected to do just about anything that needs doing, but you know what? That is okay, because no one can do it better than we can. We are strong enough to handle it, and much more. We take care of our families without complaint, we earn our own money and we are always there when we are needed. We are mothers, that is what we do. It would be nice if we could find some place that offered part time careers for moms, but there is not one. Not to earn the money, and have the flexibility we want.

I will always be a mother first, but I see no reason to give up earning my own money. I am just not willing to leave my child with some one else while I do it. This is not something I would change. I also know I will not find any part time careers for moms out there, and if I did I would not be working for myself, and making my own decisions. This is not a option for me. The type of part time careers for moms I want do not exist, so I looked for and found a solution.

I found my opportunity. Perfect for us career minded mothers. It is the best online training facility available. I was able to start training immediately with the step by step action plan provided to me FREE with membership. I quickly started learning all I could about Internet marketing.There is so much provided. Tutorials, tools, tips and strategies, and all the information I need to succeed online. This is perfect! No more searching for part time careers for moms. I know I found exactly what I need. This is it. All we need to continue earning all the money we want.

Whatever your reason for wanting or needing extra money, this training facility is your solution. You will never have to worry about part time careers for moms, or money again. If you take action to succeed. YOU WILL SUCCEED. Everything is provided for you once you are a member. This is your source for whatever amount of money you want to make. Your career is here, working for yourself. Follow through and you will not fail.

This is the best training facility online or offline, to learn any thing and everything about being successful online. I HAD a hard time learning how to succeed online, that is the past, it actually seems easy now. It is all about the training. Like with all things, ACTION is required, but that is not something we are not used to, and absolutely will not stop me. I hope it will not stop you. It sure beats looking for part time careers for moms. Join me now and your success will follow.

Sincerely, AmaranthaHarmonee

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Dressing for Success for Mothers

There's one thing that puzzles me and I am going to write it down here. If you're a high-flying career woman, you'll dress in a suit and look the part of a corporate panther in order to give people the impression of a successful career woman. What happens is you're to give someone the impression that you're a successful mother? Mother, according to the strict definition in the dictionary, is also a career. Motherhood, if strictly defined, is a career choice. Therefore, if a mother is to be dressed for success, how should she dress herself up?

This is something I've pondered over for quite a long time and now, I am ready to answer you.

For a mother to dress for success, she would have to fulfill only one criterion. But it's something subjective - the mother would have to dress in a way that makes her feel happy and confident. The mother would have to dress in a way that makes her feel like herself. When a mother dresses and expresses herself in a way that makes herself feel most comfortable, she emits a kind of 'comfortable' and 'contented' aura and that makes her look, sound, act and behave in a very motherly way. A calm and collected demeanor.

Ask the people around you about how they think a mother should DRESS FOR SUCCESS and you'll get a puzzled look. When a mother dresses in a way that enables her to express herself and remain true to herself, then she can and will be a good mother. A mother should dress in a way that distinguishes herself as a separate entity from her children and husband. She should dress in a way that says, "Hey, I am a mother but I am still me".

While this is true for everyone in this world, regardless of whether you're a woman or a man, mother or a father, this rule is more important for a mother because her status as a mother is not as significantly recognized in the society. People tend to regard a CEO higher than they would a Mother. Have you ever seen people print as follows?

Sally Hays

Executive Mother

Family Department

No? Neither have I. Come to think of it, perhaps we should!

Therefore, take pride in being a mother and dress in a way that helps you express yourself as you. You'll, inevitably, become a better mother.

Marsha Maung

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Astrology and Career

The Katha-Upanishad refers to material manifestation as:

"A tree standing on the ground of material nature, bearing two types of fruit: sweet and sour, symbolic of happiness and distress. Its roots go in three direction represented by goodness, passion and ignorance. The first bird is the localized aspect of the Supreme One, referred to as Päramätmä the divine spirit, the Entity who needs neither food nor drink. The other bird representing the mortal, has to select his food from the offerings of the tree: a choice between distress and happiness. Sometimes he eats the fruits of happiness and sometimes the fruit of distress. Having eaten the fruit, he expands along the three directions of the roots, the modes of material existence, namely, goodness, passion and ignorance."

This individual growth is what makes two mortals dissimilar. Growth is strongly connected with past karma and guidance upbringing. The realities of life have different meanings for each individual. Why does a stable and rewarding professional relationship become distant? Why does the accommodating boss turn into a difficult task master? Why does the team lose spirit for no apparent reason?

There is no end to such questions, but all the answers can be found if the map of growth can be analyzed. Unfortunately, this is an impossible task for mortals. However, this growth can be monitored by our own efforts and choices and Astrology can be the guide that shows us our very basic instinctive tendencies. Planets and their positions give our respective Ascendants and Moon signs, along with other planetary positions. This doctrine can be a very useful friend philosopher and guide, provided we are open to accept what it shows, provided we are ready to go beyond the predictive elements.

The most important aspect of Astrology is that it shows you the mirror image of your Karmic journey. What one has to understand is that there is no black and white, no good or bad in a horoscope. Each horoscope has good AND bad, each horoscope is misaligned somewhere, which is why the person is born.

The significance of the 10th house takes us to the realm of career and status in life. It displays fundamental possibilities. The 10th is a Kendra and as such, any planet located here will be prominent, powerful, and influential all through life. As this is an upachaya house (attributes that grow with time and effort), any possibility indicated by an occupying planet will grow in strength as life progresses. This in effect also gives great strength in overcoming all kinds of obstacles.

The house indicates our ambition, status, profession, father, fame, recognition, foreign travels or affairs, political power, authority and many others. But very importantly, it signifies our determination, self-reliance and patience. The 10th house reveals holy pilgrimages, as well as good and charitable deeds, compassion, etc. Father's reputation is also signified by this house.

A strong 10th house will give the person a position of power in career and fame.

Different planets may fare in a very unique manner in this house, irrespective of their lordship. Let us see how they fare and how it affects our career or 10 th house significations in general.

I will start with the Sun, as it is the most important of all planets.

The Sun is a great planet, but it is a natural malefic. All malefics thrive in an 'upachaya' house so by the virtue of this tendency, Sun does well when located in the 10th house. Sun in the 10th house is an excellent placement for career and the person may get success in all undertakings. The Sun is the significator of the 10th and hence gets dik bala, or directional strength, when located here.

Astrologers often conclude that it is its best position in the horoscope. The person is career-minded and easily rises to a position of authority in his chosen profession. Fame and popularity are associated with this signature and these yield great power. As Sun aspects the 4th house, there may be difficulties in relationship with the mother due to this, but wealth is favored and a beneficial relationship with the father, who may be wealthy and prosperous, is also indicated.

Moon is a neutral planet but it is a benefic planet as well. Its location and aspect produce calming and soothing effect always. When Moon is located in the 10th house, career matters are highly enhanced. If the waxing Moon is in the 10th house, the person is very fortunate as the significations of both the Moon and the 10th house flourish. The person is sure to enjoy fame and success from a very young age. Associations with the mother and females are greatly favored. When Moon is thus posited in a man's horoscope, married life is smooth and enjoyable. Wherever the Moon is placed in a horoscope, it becomes an area of great interest and vitality. So the Moon's location in the 10th house induces the person to love his/ her profession and to be sincere and diligent in efforts. The aspect of a bright Moon on the 4th house brightens the entire horoscope. Education, mother, happiness, fixed assets, and conveyances are all favored. The person is kind and warmhearted.

Mars is natural malefic like the Sun and Saturn. The 10th house is one of the few houses that utilize this fiery energy of Mars to good effect. Mars gets dik bala or directional strength in the 10 th , often making this its best placement in the horoscope. The person is efficient and enjoys success and achievement all through life. The person is highly ambitious and may wish to be a ruler of some sort. Mars' aspect on the 4th house may indicate ups and downs in relationship with mother and some amount of unrest in the domestic scenario. But overall, this is a fine location for Mars and makes the person 'a go getter' in his/ her profession.

Mercury is a natural benefic and if Mercury is in the 10th house, the person has a successful career and a good reputation. The person has the capacity to earn plenty of wealth. It is necessary to consider the aspects to Mercury - alone and un-aspected in the 10 th . If this is true, it can indicate great intellect and involvement in a career connected with communications. Mercury rules commerce and trade, so this placement can mean a very successful person in business. Mercury's aspect on the 4th house indicates a fine education and happiness at home. The person also enjoys fine conveyances and all kinds of comforts and luxuries; a good relationship with mother and benefits from her are well indicated as well.

When Jupiter is in the 10th house, the person will enjoy a successful career and will know his purpose right from a very young age. His or her professional activities will succeed almost immediately, and there will be honor and fame. The person may also choose a career, which greatly benefits the public. He or she will especially be attracted to work involving higher knowledge.

Jupiter's aspect on the 4th house makes the person happy and content, gain of wealth is easy while fine conveyances and all kinds of comforts and luxuries are sure factors. Relationships with his mother benefits from her are well indicated. Gain from government or authority figures are also a strong possibility.

Jupiter is known as the great benefic and even when it is the lord of inauspicious houses, its location and aspect produce some good somewhere; just as there is some unfavorable hidden in Saturn's blessings.

Venus is a natural benefic and like the Moon, it has its wonderful attributes. Its energy is beautiful and its placement in the 10th house makes the person bring joy and happiness to the public and all his or her associates.

This is one of the most common placements of successful actors, artists, musicians, and performers. It is also found in the horoscopes of people who make their living selling jewelry, photography, cosmetics, sweets, arts and crafts, fine cars, and other such luxuries. The person enjoys great popularity and has a natural flair for making wealth. The person is lucky in life and makes many lucky contacts with people through his/ her profession. The person is happy and content, as Venus is powerful and prominent in this Kendra, throwing its benefic aspect onto the 4th house. The person gains great wealth and enjoys fine cars and conveyances. Happy relationship with mother as well as benefits from women is highly indicated by this placement.

Saturn is a natural malefic and is greatly feared by most. When Saturn is in the 10th house, the person normally possesses great ambition, leadership ability and power. However, Saturn in any kendra gives major ups and downs in life and therefore, career successes may fluctuate. The benefits of this malefic's location in the 10th house has its benefits too, though. Saturn in the 10th gives the tendency of leadership and a highly disciplined approach to one's profession. However, the rest of the horoscope should be analyzed to confirm whether a leadership position is likely or not. Otherwise, the person's work may be connected with construction, mining, or any career involving manual labor, like steel, iron, coal, etc. Saturn's aspect on the 4th house is not good and may affect relationships with mother and also cause domestic unrest.

Rahu is a malefic but the 10th house is one of the finest placements for Rahu. The person is likely to have a powerful and renowned career. Career will flourish most if the person is connected with the masses. Influencing the masses or selling to the public is the key note of this location. As Rahu essentially generates ambition, the person may live with insatiable career ambitions, changing career many times. If other signatures of the horoscope are harmonious, the person's work and effort greatly benefit society. The person will easily reach a position of authority. Money power comes early in life and may help support parents. Ancient Hindu scriptures declare that the person will prefer the company of persons of a different religious background. Association with unconventional and low class people - especially women, are one of the pit falls of this signature.

Ketu is also a malefic and is a profound energy of the unknown. Because malefics in upachaya houses produce good results, Ketu in the 10th gives excellent career success. But generally career is out of the ordinary. The sign placement is also very important as Ketu may cause problems if it is in an inimical sign (i.e., a sign ruled by one of the luminaries or a sign which is unfriendly. In such a case, the person could experience strange difficulties in career. The most common of the troubles caused by Ketu is enmity from unknown and behind-the-scene activities against the person in terms of his/ her career. This can become very troublesome in the career path as well as the person's general success and happiness.

When considering matters related to the 10th house, one must never forget that success relates to the status the person is born with. A very good 10th house in a pauper's horoscope may not mean that he/ she will attain royal status - it indicates a status that is better than that of a pauper. But with malefic or Martian attributes, the person may even turn dictator and overthrow the government.

There are some subtle significances that must also be understood before any conclusive significance to this house can be attached . The religious philosophy of a man is dharma and dharma without any significance or connection to karma is empty. It brings the focus to the core, which is good or evil. The 9th house essentially signifies the religious philosophy of the mortal that sustains through the terrestrial journey. The 10th house astrologically suggests the fruition of the 9th house. Dharma must set a certain Karma without which it would be an empty profession, devoid of any significance. It is for this reason that we find planet connections between the 9th, 10th or Ascendant. The 9th and 10th create Raj jog. They are connections that can turn a pauper into a king or a skeptic into a great guru.

When we consider the career aspect, it is not only just one or two houses that can be analyzed for a perfect picture. Career is connected with finance, vocation and ultimately, gains and self- satisfaction. If we just consider the 10th house for career, or the 6th house for service, or the 11th house for gains, or the 2nd house for conserved wealth, the analysis will remain half-hearted and incomplete. All the four have to be considered together and analyzed for just how well they are adjusted with each other's planetary energies. Then alone will the true essence emerge!

Madhushri completed her early schooling at the Shri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. Having grown up in an environment of literature, music and spirituality she proceeded to complete her Masters in Comparative Literature from the Jadavpur University after completing graduation studies in the same course of the University. In addition, Madhushri also hold a Masters degree in Music from the Rabindra Bharati University.

Given her deep interests in mythology, literature and spirituality, the move to Vedic Astrology was a natural extension. Being an intuitive reader of Natal Chart, she brings a successful blend of astrology and spiritual skill-sets into all her readings and counseling’s. A natural flair for expressing complex and difficult matters makes her a prolific creator of most of the content on CyberAstro website since 2001. Madhushri has a large following for the accuracy of her daily, weekly and monthly zodiac predictions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madhushri__M_Mukerjee 

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7 Secrets to Convert Motherhood into a New Successful Career

Have you been a professional mother (it is a true

profession, whether acknowledged or not) but now you find

your mothering skills are in less demand? Are the fruits of

your efforts, your children, growing up? You will always be

their mother, but as they enter high school or college they

will spend much less time with you.

Do you feel less of a person, or even somewhat lost,

because you are no longer a full time mother? Does the

thought of doing something else appear to be

overwhelming? Do you wonder how you will find another

profession to partially replace motherhood and give you the

personal rewards you received from being a mother?

Welcome to the beginning of your new and rewarding life.

Here are 7 secrets to converting the vast knowledge and

skills you gained while being a mother into starting your next

successful career.

Secret # 1 You are a very valuable resource.

You have already accumulated considerable knowledge

and skills during the years of being a professional mother.

You have been a teacher, leader, organizer, conflict

mediator, financial consultant, personal mentor, personal

inspiration, activity counselor, transportation expert, event

coordinator, homemaker, health consultant, cook,

professional buyer, cleaning consultant, spiritual consultant,

fashion consultant, food consultant, wife, psychologist,

confidant, activity supporter and fan, and the list goes on too

long to continue in this short space. Wow! Sounds extremely

impressive when you really look at it. In truth, it is. The

considerable experience you have in so many areas

provides you with the ability to perform quite well in an

untold number of other professions. You have much more to

offer than you can see from your perspective.

Secret # 2 It is time to focus on you first

Your number one focus as a mother has been on your

children. Not you. You spent considerable time and effort to

assure the growth, success, health, happiness, and safety

of you children. That was wonderful. You now have the time

and energy to focus first on you. This sounds like a simple

step, but it is a very big one. You naturally put yourself aside

for your children, and it felt good. You will not be abandoning

your children. In fact, most children love to see their parents

develop new and successful lives. Permit yourself the right,

without guilt or hesitation to enjoy focusing on you.

Secret # 3 Discover what you really want to do next and why

You will want to look into yourself and discover what your

true passions, desires, talents and beliefs are. You

probably know more about your children's and your

husband's passions, desires, priorities, and talents than

you do your own. Your passions and desires were probably

wrapped up in your children and husband. You will

undoubtedly now have new ones. But what are they? It is

time to find a way to become the worlds leading expert on

you. You are now entitled to explore and discover yourself.

Secret #4 Convert your clarity about yourself into a career

that suits you.

As a mother, you became a jack-of-all-trades and a master

of some. This presents you with the opportunity to become

overwhelmed. You have too many choices. However, after

you become the worlds leading expert on you, you can

easily develop or define a new career that will allow you to

fulfill your true wants, needs and passions. Your new career

will give you the satisfaction and rewards you want while

allowing you to do what you love. The clearer your

understanding and definition of your desired new career, the

better. You eliminate the fear of the unknown, and you

greatly increase the chances of your successful entrance

into your chosen new career.

Secret # 5 You do not have to abandon motherhood to enjoy

your new career.

You will undoubtedly want to carry on your position as a

mother, but in a reduced manner. You will be able to create

a new career around your desire to continue raising your

children. It does not have to be an all or nothing change. You

may want to progressively shift into your new career as you

steadily move out of full time mothering, until your last child

has gone onto a more independent life.

Secret #6 Get help from the right people.

Your journey from full time motherhood to your new career is

almost impossible to accomplish and much too important

to attempt without help from someone. It is certainly not a

self-help program. Making this journey alone will be very

difficult and not much fun. Seek help from someone you

trust who has your best interests at heart and who will

provide you the objective non-critical mirror to see yourself

and what you really want. Just like we must look into a

mirror to see our faces because of where our eyes are

located, we must have another person act as our outside

mirror to see our inner selves. The fresh perspective others

will provide you of your talents, passions and abilities will be

exhilarating and very valuable. Creating a journey team will

assist you to achieve your goals faster, with fewer errors

and in a more enjoyable manner.

Secret #7 Pursue the new career you defined for yourself

Now that you know what you want to do and why, you will

want to pursue your new career in the manner that best

suits you. Many mothers feel that they must go back to

school and get a degree or some kind of training to get a

job. This is rarely necessary. You will be amazed at how

little training you will really need, because of your extensive

experience in mothering. You will also be amazed at how

attractive you will be to many employers. Here are just some

of the reasons employers would consider you to be very

desirable:

1. You are a very mature person (stability)

2. You have considerable experience in many facets of work

(flexibility)

3. You will require much less management by others

(efficiency)

4. You will be enthusiastic about your chosen career and

you will be very focused to succeed (dedicated)

5. You will be able to step in right away and be very

productive (productivity)

6. You will know what you can do and will be trainable to

increase your skills (increasingly productive)

7. You will have progressively less need to deal with

mothering issues as your children continue to become

more independent (fewer distractions)

8. You are not likely to become pregnant (reliability)

9. Your employer will be very pleased and impressed that

you chose him/her to begin your ideal career (honor)

This is a very important journey, and you want to do it right.

Your successful handling of the very difficult and

multifaceted motherhood profession qualifies you to

become very successful in a whole host of other careers.

The key is to pick the career that best suits you and your

desires, before beginning your journey. You will be very

surprised how successful you will be at attaining your new

career, once you have targeted your ideal position. Smart

employers will welcome you.

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Reality TV - The Recession's New Hot Career Path? Yikes!

I was chatting with some college grads about job searching recently. Given the stats are pretty grim (less than 20% of 2009 grads have gotten jobs), there was a lot of anxiety amongst them in terms of the lack of real career options available. Then, one of them said, "I only have one friend who is close to getting a job. She applied to be on a reality TV show, and if she gets it, they are going to pay her $60K for four months." I sat in shock. She then said, "Ya, this one pays better than a lot of the other reality shows. My friend applied to MTV's The Real World and they only pay you, like $10-15K. But this other show she's trying out for isn't as well known, and the people are chosen for being pretty outrageous on camera, so it pays more." Jaw still on the floor, I proceeded to listen to the table of young (future) professionals discuss the pro's and con's of choosing a reality TV show career path. And let me tell you, the pro's seemed to be outweighing the con's.

Okay, so this is where my old age of 41 really starts to show. I couldn't believe that a serious (trust me, they were serious) conversation was going on about the best way to get on a reality TV show and then use the experience to get ahead. When I asked what the young woman hoped to do after being on the show, I was informed she felt certain her new contacts in LA as a result of participating would help her land a job in the event planning business - the field she was truly interested in, but didn't get a degree in while in college.

Further discussion proved that the '15 minutes of fame' approach to career development seems to be a big consideration amongst young people. A female member of the conversation admitted she and her friends sat around on the weekends and dreamed up ideas for reality TV shows based on their lives. A male member chimed and said he and his 'bros' did that too.

I guess I shouldn't be shocked. A study done in 2007 ago by USA Today indicated that 81% of young folks between ages of 18-25 expected to be rich, with another 51% planning to be famous as well. And honestly, if I went back to that time in my life, I think I would find my own secret aspirations involved achieving great things too. That's what youthful optimism is all about.

However, I do wonder if our culture's obsession with reality TV is hurting the younger generation's ability to find satisfying careers. How do you consider being an accountant, salesperson, or computer programmer, when being on a reality TV show seems so much more exciting? We are already seeing a trend in America where there are lots of lower paying jobs people feel are too beneath them to take. Even in spite of the recession, there are jobs folks won't accept because of pride. What happens when the jobs people think are beneath them are the very jobs we need for country to survive? (i.e. nursing, teaching)

So, I'm wondering: Is this idea of becoming famous via reality TV here to stay, or is it just a phase the younger generation will grow out of? Will the economic realities kick in and force this generation to look at other career paths besides stardom?

And, how can we help students gain a more realistic view of careers BEFORE they graduate. I mean, can they really be blamed for this mindset when the older generations are the ones who created A) the reality TV they watch and B) the recession they are living through?

What do you think? Is reality TV participation a good career move? Should we be doing something to help young professionals get excited about other things besides fame and fortune? Or, do we leave them alone and let them learn the realities for themselves?

J.T. O'Donnell

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Female Business Speakers - Does Gender Make A Difference?

When booking a Keynote/ Motivational Speaker for your corporate event, or for any other type of event for that matter, does gender really make a difference to your audiences experience and the success of your event? This article discusses the pros vs the cons of choosing to hire one gender over the other.

When I used to work in the Technology Transfer sector, I would have enjoyed seeing a female speaker, I don't ever recall hearing one! They were either techno nerds dishing out veritable tombs of work, which were nearly as impossible to absorb as they were to listen to, or testosterone oozing heroes, banging on about how wonderful they were and how we should all be pushing the envelope by attempting challenging feats. Blissfully ignoring the fact that the only reason a lot of these motivational speakers have successful speaking careers is due to the fact that their amazing feat went hideously wrong in the first place and (the achievement which resulted in managing adversity and chopping off their own hand/ living without food and water for three weeks//losing all their fingers and toes to frost bite) probably wouldn't have happened had they planned a little better in the first place. I don't know about you, but trying to manage the house, kids, career and squeeze in a single handed sail across the Atlantic before my next appraisal, just doesn't seem feasible. Having endured 15 hours of second stage labour to deliver a 10.5lb baby without the benefit of pain relief, I would have gladly gnawed my own hand off to have avoided the forceps delivery. Hence you can see why women in the audience are not impressed by these types of speakers. Plus they're usually distracted from the point of the presentation by wondering what sort of woman puts up with a partner who does things like this when he could have stayed home that weekend and put up the shelves he'd been promising to fix for months!

Women make up nearly 50% of the workforce now, so always choosing the same sort of keynote speaker for your event, may not be the most appropriate option, nor the most benefit to your business.

Firstly you need to consider the culture of your audience. If they're quite macho, then booking a 'right on bra burner' or a 'wishy washy do-gooder' is not going to get the best audience connection. There are plenty of ballsy female business speakers, with experience of both male dominated and mixed sex business environments that will hit the spot with both male and female audience members, and who can make their point without having won an Olympic medal, fallen down a crevasse or recovered from a life threatening illness.

Then you need to consider the point of your event; some organisations like to have a particular emphasis like networking, building relationships, or sales. There are some gender areas where a male speaker has no appreciation of what it's like for women in those circumstances and males speakers can even give out advice that can lead to difficult or dangerous situations for women. For example, the advice a top male networking speaker gives can work superbly for men networking with men. However the combination of his approach and the male tendency to view signs of friendliness as signs of sexual availability, make it very difficult for women to pull off the same approach without giving the impression that they are 'interested' in the men they are engaging. There are also gender specific areas which a male speaker in this area will have little empathy for, i.e. how to ditch/build a relationship with another business networker who is intent on hitting on you. Another example of gender difference/perspective is male speakers who talk on the subject of sales; they fail to give the woman's perspective e.g. women aren't as direct as men, we often expect people to be able to guess what we actually want or mean, also women are more intuitive and critical of the people they're dealing with. There are things that will put a women off a salesman, that wouldn't generally occur in a male decision making process. For a woman business speaker to highlight these points would be fine, but coming from a male speaker, unless he's fantastically tactful, or there's an r in the month, he'll only succeed in offending or alienating the female sector of the audience.

So, does the choice of gender of your speaker make a more successful event?

In conclusion, getting a cultural match between your organisation and approach of your speaker should be your first priority, the gender is irrelevant there. Secondly getting an informed perspective from your speaker which relates to both sexes in the audience is essential. Therefore picking a business / conference/ motivational speaker that can see both sides of the coin and how advice can be applied effectively, usefully and above all safely, for both sexes is a must. Finally if you always book the same sex speaker, then a change of gender is as good as a rest. Women speakers are not necessarily a better choice than a male speaker, but we're certainly as accomplished as the men and can add dimensions to your event and nuggets for your audience, that some male speakers are totally unaware of. As an added bonus, men are physiologically attracted (i.e. they are attracted to colour and shape) therefore you have the extra benefit of a female speaker being of more physical interest to the men in the audience than a male speaker!

© Elizabeth Clark 2008.

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The Working Chinese Girl

Abstract:

In this paper I would like to explore the world of young Chinese women competing in a modern China for jobs and the fulfillment of the ambitions they left University with but by and large feel unfulfilled. In China today more and more young women are leaving University and seeking their first job. They are full of hope that they will find a good job that pays well and can give them the expectation of promotion and future prosperity. However in the harsh economic world of 2009, when most countries are in financial crisis and the Chinese government is thrusting money into the banking system to save a downward export market, things are not as rosy for these girls as it was five years ago during the capitalist explosion of wealth in China.

Introduction:

When you ask most Chinese girls in their last year of University what they want to do they all give a similar stock answer. "I want to work of an International company in a executive position where I can earn good money and have prospects for the future" When then asked why this is their goal you get a supplementary reply, I need to think about my future as I will one day need to support my family - under the one baby policy in China - I am obligated to look after my parents when they get old as the state currently does not provide for Chinese senior citizens." Then you ask the next question, are there enough jobs for all the girls who are looking for the same things, they answer, "fate is our guide, we will work hard and hope that our ambitions will come to pass."

The above shows the wildly optimistic approach many of these girls have in their thought processes and are not easily persuaded that this may be a rosy view of the chances they face in a China in an export decline where taxes are supporting Banks who borrowed widely and unwisely in the USA and home markets. Where International companies are shedding staff and considering moves to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to take advantage of the cheaper labour and lower costs as China becomes a world economic player and prices rise as domestic demand does not support many of the high-tech and consumer led products for sale.

Of course in this new climate the supply of new jobs has declined to an all time low for companies and as staff leave they are not being replaced. The work simply being shared amongst the ones who stay. This in turn is causing enormous pressure on young staff that often break down and leaves to return jobless to their families. At many work fairs held around China only 2,000 jobs may be on offer with over 30,000 students crowding the halls offering poor quality resumes in the hope of a job when they graduate. International companies have learned that while Chinese students have a vast amount of knowledge through memory learning (rote) they have little insight into the subjects they learn and certainly no practical applications or critical thinking skills. So most also realise that additional on job training in China adds additional costs that in the present climate they cannot afford.

All this leads to an unemployability of Chinese students that International companies recognise as a problem. It is also one of the reasons Chinese university degrees are not recognised by most Western countries as valid. Two reasons are behind this, the first is the lack of external marking and assessment in China - too easy to cheat your way through the system and the second is corruption, fathers paying for grades to be changed, examinations to be fixed and so the actual degree paper becomes worthless in many countries eyes. This is also a shame, as a University Professor in China I know the average student here works extremely hard and long hours. Given proper teaching and support they can flourish just as much as any Western student if not better.

They after all, under the one baby policy, have more pressure to do well and become successful to support aging parents in the future. Older parents also get sick and with no free medical support in China, many either go without treatment or pay huge sums to hospitals for what are often poor quality services. A young woman thinking about all these problems for the future wants to study hard and make sure she can support them.

Another solution to family support is of course a good marriage, to the good boy, from the good family, with the good job and the good prospects. Plenty of boys to marry in China but few who live up to such high expectations that these single girls are looking for. A third and sad solution for some is suicide - China has the highest suicide rate amongst young women in the world!

Once in the workplace many of the girls find the work either extremely boring or they have an over-load of tasks that they find hard to complete. This leads to stress either way - they often contemplate leaving within a short time, but the family factors keep them in place. Employers know the pressures of family very well and exploit these feelings to the maximum by over-working staff, forcing late working hours and little real reward in terms of income and benefits, however always the promise that tomorrow will be better if they continue to work hard. This situation in a communist country is quite laughable if it were not so tragic for the young working girls.

In an ideology of Socialist Marxist ideals China has moved a long way from this thinking today. No cadres now sharing the spoils of hard work, no share of the profits from their hard earned labour. No they have discovered Western capitalism at its worse. In the West laws were passed to protect workers rights (mainly through past Union activities) enabling them redress under the law against employers who exploit the worker. However in China even if such laws exist the natural instinct to obey your boss and do as you are told are so strong that not a single worker would even think about legal redress for unfair working practices.

Examples: All based in Shanghai

Dolly 25 - Working for a Taiwanese company. Two years as a project manager, no promotion as only Taiwan staff can be promoted in China, even if you become a team leader it is unofficial and not paid for in your contract. Over a third of the staff have left due to the economic turndown, existing staff now working on average a 14 hour day to fulfil obligations to clients. Family has health problems and she fears for her ability to support them unless she changes her job or gains more education.

Betty 24 - Working for a Hong Kong bank. Three years as a customer support role. Promotion offered as a sideways move but in fact less initial income. Some training is deducted from income as not directly seen as applicable to the banks welfare. Wants to leave but cannot - her family rely on her income to support two retired parents. No boyfriend as with her low income and high cost of living in Shanghai she cannot afford to go out. Searching for a husband on the internet most evenings is her chief occupation at home.

Rachel 32 - Working for an International Art firm. Arranges exhibitions and marketing to potential supporters. Same pay now as five years ago - no prospects of a pay rise in the future. Wants to marry an American to get away from her boring poor life.

Sharon: Working for a hotel group. Customer sales and liaison. There were five girls in the sales department but today just herself and the sales manager. She feels with the amount of new hotels being built daily in Shanghai she should move to increase her pay and security. Foreign boyfriend who does not want a commitment to marriage.

Sonia: Working for a Japanese company. Design and marketing. She was very happy with her work but found the money was very low compared to similar jobs she sees advertised however because she has very nice work colleagues and a happy atmosphere in the company she decides for now to stay. She gets to travel in her work and at first enjoyed this but now realises that business travel is actually quite boring and repetitive in nature. Long trips, same hotels rooms, same customers.

Insight:

In each of the examples above the girls were asked how they felt their real experiences of work compared to their expectations on leaving university. They all agreed they have been greatly disappointed by the work experience. They also thought they worked much longer hours than Western people do (14 - 16 hour days are normal) who work a 9 to 5 type arrangements. Although part of the culture in China is you do not leave the office before you boss. So many sit on computers after their contractual hours and play computer games or chat on line to friends. We call this QQ time in China! It is not all work in a Chinese office in fact often they ignore work to watch movies or other such things on the net. This is in the main because they feel they deserve a break when they feel not appreciated or financially supported by the company. Although this seems to be more prevalent in Chinese owned companies that International ones.

What do women want?

When asked after at least two years working experience what do they now want. A surprising answer came from many of the girls, "a rest" Most actually wanted to quit the jobs and go home to the family. In China the family represents security and peace, so after the hassles and disappointments with employment they felt, to get away for a while and have a rest would be the best thing to do. When asked if a break at such an early time in their employment was wise in respect to the future for pay and promotion most replied, "I used to believe that fantasy but now I know the truth, no-one cares about you but your family" Almost all the girls reported absolutely no loyalty to their employer and felt that the company shows no caring attitude towards them. Although here I have only shown a few examples in fact in interviewing dozens of girls about work - this same attitude after two years of work was very common amongst them. Of course there were some exceptions, girls who loved their job and were very happy to stay and show support for the establishment but this was quite rare.

Conclusion:

It seems that for most young women in China (Shanghai in particular) they are unhappy at work and mostly wanted to leave to find a better job or simply give up and go home for a while. My own observation is that Chinese girls mature a lot later than Western women and also want marriage much earlier from starting work after university. This being the case they are more in a hurry to succeed and have little patience in going through a maturing process at work to learn the job and seek timely promotions. This is because the pressure of obligation to the parents and the early pursuit of a marriage partner dominate their thinking most of the time. They see little sense in dedication to a career, at the expense of personal relationships, that many in the West recognise as a sacrifice in order to succeed as women in the workplace.

While I am not advocating that women have to be so single minded the evidence seems to show that successful people are more likely to have transient relationships and higher rates of divorce than working class equivalents. Of course another factor is over-education, just like in many countries China is making it easier and easier to get a university place. This means a lowering of standards (as seen in the UK) where professors have to cope with students who clearly do not have the ability to attend advanced courses. The result being thousands of graduates who expect good jobs in a shrinking economy and with little real talent to offer.

Last Word:

This paper may see a little gloomy in content and I recognise that it is. Of course many of the girls who talked about their careers and work were in fact unhappy and it is hard to find happy workers who feel the need to express that feeling to others. So while I recognise a certain bias in the paper I hope that is will at least act as a warning beacon to girls to perhaps lower their expectations of work and prepare for a more realistic view of life's struggle.

Dr. Stephen Myler

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Turning a Hobby Into a Career

Hobbies are usually considered to be things we do for fun or leisure only. The definition of a hobby itself points this fact out very well. It can be defined as "an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure."

But is it possible to actually turn a hobby into a regular occupation? That was the question I asked a group of students recently at a career fair when I was giving a speech entitled "Three steps to choosing your perfect career."

The answer to that question is a MAYBE. One of the problems with turning a hobby into a career is that careers are often perceived to be necessary evils, the things we have to do even though we would rather not do them given a choice.

So perhaps asking whether a hobby can become a career will make the hobby itself become boring and just one of those things you have to do, but would much rather not do.

So, if I may rephrase the question a little to "is it possible to make money through your hobby?" That does not seem as daunting as making a hobby a career and perhaps it's a little more exciting to think of it that way. After all, for most people the whole point of having a career is to make money.

The answer to that question is a resounding YES. Deep down we all want to have some fun and we hate the drudgery of working 40 hour weeks with people we sometimes don't like and for money that hardly gets us through the month.

In advising those young people at the career fair that day I urged them that if they were considering making a living through their hobbies then they should take their hobbies very seriously. They should consider them as important as their academic activities.

That means practice, practice and more practice. It also means studying your hobby in detail and knowing as much you can about it. This usually is not very hard if it is a hobby you are good at and enjoy a lot.

There are plenty of examples of people that have taken activities we all just consider to be hobbies and made lots of money from them. The world of sports is a good example. From football to swimming and everything else in between, the huge amounts of money paid by the sports industry to its leading men and women is staggering.

But these men and women are very exceptional and it does take a lot to excel to an extent where you get paid millions for doing something others just do for fun.

What happens if you really like your hobby but are simply average at it and cannot possibly compete with the big guns?

That is where the internet comes in handy.

The internet is a medium that really levels the playing field. It does not matter what your hobby is, when it comes to the internet there are dozens of ways to make money off it.

I know of many people that have made money on the internet writing about and helping people with issues or stories around their hobbies. For example there is one person who is a tennis lover and he built a website about tennis.

Another person is a travel enthusiast and they built a website about travelling. The list is endless - the dog lover who writes about dogs, the poetry addict who shares about his experiences with poetry, and so on.

No matter what your hobby, you can become an expert at it simply by writing about it on the net. There are plenty of ways to do this too. Anything from blogs to social networks and forums can be used.

But the best way to have real credibility and control is to have your own website.

As for how to actually earn money off the website, well, let's just say there are plenty of ways. Affiliate marketing, selling your own products and Google AdSense are just a few examples. I have managed to turn some of my hobbies into rewarding activities this way.

There's no better way to go than to do the things you really love to do and get paid for it.