Real Talk Is grad school worth it

Real Talk Is grad school worth it It comes with a high price tag and time commitment, but lots of jobs seem to want a degree beyond a bachelor’s or associate’s. So, is grad school worth it? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the simple answer is yes. Those with doctoral degrees, professional degrees, or master’s degrees have higher median usual weekly earnings and lower unemployment rates. While there are counterpoints to this idea (like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or Oprah, who made their wild successes without obtaining any degrees in higher education) and data showing that an electrician or plumbing apprenticeship may be a better investment than either a B.A. or a Ph.D., generally speaking the higher degree of learning you have, the higher your weekly income.But this is all in the abstract- and your real-life situation may not appear so simple as a bar chart. What about the tuition costs, the investment of your time and effort, the job opportunities and earning years you give up in the m eantime, and the possibility that it might not work out the way you want?The question most people need to ask first is: can I afford the short-term pain for the potential long-term gain? There are also differences in every industry and every degree program- some, like a medical degree, will get you a monetary return on investment sooner than an MFA in painting. Earnings vary by industry, demographics, and location, and of course by individual, and a graduate degree does not automatically line your pockets with more cash each week. (In the short-term, it will do the exact opposite.) Degrees also gain and lose earning potential over time; going to law school was a much better bet in the year 2000, before natural learning search algorithms eliminated much of the entry-level work, than it is today. You may also consider other factors like the value the graduate degree has beyond earning potential.But no matter what type of degree you seek, it is work and it is a gamble. So here are a fe w factors to consider before you fill out your FAFSA and brush up on your math skills for the GRE.If you are currently employed and the company will pay for it:Take advantage of professional advancement programs within your current job. If your employer helps pay for grad school and you can juggle courses and your day job, then go for it. This helps take care of one of the main drawbacks of graduate school: going broke. Depending on the degree program, universities might even offer stipends and assistantships.Getting funding assistance of any kind is one of the key bonuses that can help you get that degree to take you further in your professional endeavors. And, if you can remain gainfully employed while seeking a degree, your personal risk is considerably diminished. At the very least, you won’t need to find a new job if the degree program does not pan out.If you consider your qualifications for future positions:For some positions, you simply need a graduate degree. Libraria n? Yes. Architect? Yes. Doctor? Yes. If the dream job you always see posted on your favorite job website requires a graduate degree, then it’s time to seriously consider investing in that future to make the dream achievable. The trickiness of the situation comes when you make yourself overqualified for other positions. For example, if you have a graduate degree in marketing, but have no job experience, you may be screened out of the applicant pool for entry-level jobs. In cases like this, it is vital to explore internship opportunities while in school and cultivate real-world work experience too.If the degree has value beyond earning potential:If you simply have a love of learning or a passion you want to follow, is it worth it? This is the case where â€Å"worth† may be defined beyond the monetary value. This means you will enjoy grad school with its challenges, but you may set yourself back monetarily for a few years. If you want a degree in art history, thereâ€℠¢s no guarantee you will ever get a job as a museum conservator. You may still end up with a sales job and a vast knowledge of 16th century painters in your head.Beyond personal enrichment, there are other types of value for a graduate degree- for example, if the program offers good connections and internships. This can help with careers that are harder to break into like television, acting, or journalism.If you consider the money now vs. money in the future:Degrees with more immediate pipelines to job opportunities (like nursing, law school, or an MBA program) tend to charge tuition; artist’s MFA degrees or a PhD in academic subjects that are less market-oriented tend to offer tuition remission, stipends, assistantships or on-campus jobs. (If they don’t, then it’s much less worth it; don’t go into debt for a nonprofessional graduate degree!) If you’re not in a professional degree program, the lean years may extend a bit longer beyond grad school, and you may only gain success years later as you work towards your goal around your day job.If you are considering using the degree to teach at the college level:The job market for professors has stagnated over the last decade, with a severe glut of degree holders and a dearth of jobs teaching full-time in university departments. Increasingly those earning a PhD in programs of study that can last 5-10 years are seeking out â€Å"alt-ac† jobs- meaning nonacademic jobs- or spending years doing low-wage, low-security teaching work before leaving the profession. Do the research on your field and its job prospects before you commit to spending so many of your prime earning years in graduate school for a teaching career that might never materialize, no matter how smart you are or hard you try.

Top 10 Best Businesses to Start From Home

Top 10 Best Businesses to Start From Home Maybe you can’t be the guy who creates the next Facebook. But you could easily have the power and the potential to launch a small business and exercise your latent entrepreneurship- and you might not even have to leave the house to do it. The trick is to choose something that requires little or no start-up capital, and doesn’t require an office setting. Here are 10 great possibilities to get you started:1. IT ConsultingThis is a field in which long years of experience are not considered a boon. The youngest and the freshest, i.e. kids straight out of school, often have the sharpest take on the going trends and are up to speed on the newest technologies. You can start small by recommending your tech services to non-tech savvy pals and spreading your business by word of mouth. It won’t take long before you’ll feel confident advertising yourself as a consultant and starting to rake in the income.2. Social Media ConsultingBelieve it or not, there are still com panies out there that don’t have a good social media presence or strategy. And if they do, they limit their exposure to more standard platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Use your millennial fluency with all things social media and advertise yourself as a resource to companies in need of a better online presence.3. Graphic DesignExperience is always good, but you don’t need it to get your big break in design. All you need is talent, creativity, drive, and a really good portfolio. Also make sure your business cards and resume reflect your artistic talents and are both unique and well-designed.4. Web DesignIf you already have some website designing experience, you can easily keep working on your skills and start branching out to making websites for profit. This is one of those great careers where you can almost always wear your pajamas while you work.5. PhotographyJust like design, it’s not hard to get paid to take photographs provided you have the talent, creati vity, and drive. We live in a world that relies on images for most levels of communication, and visual content is at a premium. If you’re good behind a lens, digital or analog, get your work out there and get paid.6. Event PlanningIf you have a great eye for detail, and are extremely organized, and you like to throw parties, then you might consider going into event planning. If you’re going out alone, you should make sure you have the proper certification in your area.7. Personal trainingYou will need certification through a program like ACE, plus usually some CPR or AED training, but after acquiring all of that, personal training can be one of the most flexible fields around. If you’re a fitness buff, why not make money getting other people into shape as good as yours?8. Cleaning ServicesA cleaning business is great for quick cash with tons of flexibility. No office required, and most supplies can be purchased at the grocery store. Capitalize on people not want ing to do their own dirty work!9. Freelance Make-up ArtistStart a business for yourself that’s all about the ladies. Start with YouTube video tutorials to show off your skills and build a following. Then start advertising yourself for special occasion make-up gigs and get people primped and ready for their biggest events.10. Landscaping and/or Snow RemovalEither one is a seasonal business, but the two combined? That has the potential, with very low overhead, of making you some serious cash.No matter which route you choose, it’s always important to get the necessary certification or insurance. But a little fresh thinking and some spark can set you up as a successful entrepreneur, right from the comfort of your own home.

Fieldwork observaion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fieldwork observaion - Essay Example I was there on the 19th of September 2012, as from 1.00 to 1.20 pm. It was quite hot with temperatures of approximately 150 C to 230C. There was no reaction from the people I came across, eight in total, five males and three females. Two of the males were wearing long pants and T-shirts while the other three were in shorts and T-shirts. All the three females were wearing pants and T-shirts of various complexities. The lack of reaction is attributed to the fact that these people were not interested in what those around them thought or said about their behavior. From observation, all those people were overwhelmed by the beauty of their behavior’s implications. It was surprising to note that all these people cared about their cigarette. It is what makes their world; it is what gives them comfort and relaxation, presumably enabling them to forget the reality. I never thought of it this while in the same group. I had been blinded by the thought of pleasure then, and the thought of having no worry or responsibility over anything or anyone, let alone myself. The results of this field experience profoundly support our four-part definition of culture. Culture, being a set of learned and shared attitudes, beliefs, values, customs and meanings, is encompassed in providing a distinction in the existence of the persons concerned in the field study. In terms of how culture is learned, it is evident that every person in this location learned how to smoke through someone else, or through an experience or an exploration. With time, people have continued loving what they like, and smoking has become part of their lifestyle. With regard to how culture is shared, members of the same group often share similar beliefs and values. As such, these people find fulfillment in being with their kind, with those whom they share this behavior. Having a shared notion about smoking eliminates a considerable difference among them, and they can more easily intermingle with each other. The similarity in behavioral patterns reflects a deeper level of sharing culture since smoking has become a norm for these people. This is essentially with regards to homogeneity of these people’s interests (Davis 200). It is also evident that culture is reliant upon language and symbols. From the study’s observation, the people have a unique way of communication, for instance when one would like to light up his or her cigar with another’s. This codal communication enables understanding at a higher level and also creates a feeling of belonging among these people. Cultural integration refers to how a certain culture borrows some attributes from another, and so it becomes seemingly integrated in the other culture. Smoking has been borrowed from cultures of other people and has been integrated in this environment. It has become integrated due to its consistency. From my knowledge, the behavior at this place has been continuous and takes place at the area over a long t ime. So, smoking has become a custom for this particular premise. In terms of being patterned, the custom has thrived in the area, with many young adults wanting to experience the zeal. In the current society however, smoking should not be patterned due to the many avenues advocating against it. Smoking has however become an adaptive custom in this area and is not likely to diminish significantly. In conclusion, Santa

Global Development Politics Policy Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global Development Politics Policy Brief - Essay Example How can the international society continue to maintain sustainable development of its population without inducing further effects of climate change? This question continues to remain a nightmare to experts in environment and economist, alike. Experts mandated to ensure practical climate change policies face this similar challenge. The policy options identified, discussed and proposed include applying costs and benefits analysis exhibition to the public. This, in turn, would inform the public on the effects of climate change on health and environment including the economy. Analysis and exhibition of climate change effects would evoke initiatives for early mitigation of climate change among the population. The second proposal is to ensure reduced level of emissions, on a global scale, would help address climate change. These include agreement on acceptable amount emitted by countries (Posner & Weisbach 2010, p.3). The third proposal is to find means that would change the human behavior and help reduce human causes of this global environmental threat. To sustain the ever-escalating human population growth rate and the ability to support their demands for natural resources, without inducing climate change-causing processes, we recommend initiatives that would correct human norms and behavior to control development. Situation brief Why should the world address climate change? The apparent pursuit to implement sustainable development raises concerns on the necessity to have a succinct policy regulation that control developmental effects. World organizations including institutions sets up by the United Nations face the challenge of ensuring developments that guarantee an uncompromised future. Climate change is among the major challenges that are at the focus of issues that call for redress and attention from the world community, through a united approach. Most conventions and treaties set by international bodies, since the 1972 meeting at Stockholm have climate change as one of the priority challenges. The scope of climate change implications on diverse sectors including the economy, food production and health makes it a grim issue that is better when addressed than left to escalate. Noteworthy is the concern that climate change implications are not region-specific but a matter that is all-inclusive of the entire world society. Scientists point at an alarming change in world temperatures and an anticipation of potential increase in ice melt rate. What are the challenges to existing climate change control policies? Existing policy initiatives to control the rate of emission have little, so to say, effectiveness. The policy frameworks available to suppress over emission from development activities, in developed countries especially, have failed. The carbon credit initiatives tend to assure the world population of insignificant influence and effects. Climate finance is another unsuccessful idea that has least impact in controlling climate change. T he current situation calls for a workable framework that would leave the world population staying in a clean atmosphere that is free of contamination and related effects. The high extent of uncertainty in predicting possible impacts of the alteration of world climatic conditions is the key threat to existing policies. Policy discussion Climate change economists

Research Proposal Social Work Essay Example for Free

Research Proposal Social Work Essay Document 1 of 1 Southern China talk fest a hot air blow-out Author: van der Kamp, Jake ProQuest document link Abstract (Abstract): Yes, they had plans, 30,000km of new superhighways fanning out from Guangzhou and 10,000km of new railway lines with trains speeding at 200km per hour to {hellip} well {hellip} ahem {hellip} but let us have no talk here of the mbarrassment Shanghai has suffered with Just a short hi-tech line to its airport. Not to worry. AsiaWorld-Expo is not being built to showcase Hong Kong products or designs. It will tout mainland wares in competition with several even bigger centres in the mainland. There is one Just across the border, big and empty and hungry for business. Clearly there was a call on AsiaWorld-Expo here to Justify its existence and it has heeded the call. In the first year of operation the centre will contribute a $2. 8 billion economic return, says the advertorial, again and again, in headlines, captions and testimonials. I think I have warned you before that economic return is pure magic. Take a number, any number, wave your wand, and you can have any other number you want, in this case 3. 67. Research, yes, diligent economic analysis, has proved to AsiaWorld- Expo that every dollar spent at its facility will, poof, create another $3. 67 spent elsewhere in Hong Kong. Links Linking Service Full text: ON PAGE 3 of this newspaper yesterday we discussed the hopes of 1 1 aspirants to a crowning achievement of commercial success and career satisfaction. No, I am not referring to the photograph at the top of the page of 11 Miss Hong Kong ontestants pictured in swimsuits at a waterfall in Kenya, although it was definitely more absorbing and probably more meaningful. I had in mind (when that mind could be distracted from the photo) a wodge of print underneath about a hot air blow-out from nine mainland provinces plus Hong Kong and Macau in what is termed the Pan- Pearl River Delta forum. It was the third day running in which we provided this evidence of why some trees should be left to grow in the forest rather than be turned into newsprint. Did you know that Guangdong party boss Zhang DeJiang would like to see his rovince turned into a key world manufacturing base, Hong Kong into an international business services centre and Macau into a gambling tourism hub? I understand that Mr Zhang also wants Marco Polo to visit China and hopes that Christopher Columbus will soon discover America. You probably saw some of the television coverage with one blue- suited lookalike after another taking turns at the podium to tell us to great applause that the sea is wet and the desert is dry or messages of equal revelation. Interspersed was so much self-praise that you would think this was Delia School of Canada. But yes, they had plans, 30,000km of new superhighways fanning out from Guangzhou and 10,000km of new railway lines with trains speeding at 200km per hour to {hellip} well {hellip} ahem {hellip} but let us have no talk here of the embarrassment Shanghai has suffered with Just a short hi-tech line to its airport. Stop me, however. Did not the word come down from Beijing recently that a halt must be called to big infrastructure projects in order to prevent the economy from overheating? I fully recognise that the further south you go in the mainland the less weight that Beijings edicts carry and I now that these big plans are still meant only to occupy time at talking shops. But surely a nod to central authority was required here. If we were to be so cavalier in Hong Kong about central government directives, they might call it subversion. Here is an idea for you, fellows. If you really want southern China to prosper, then implement all the promises Page 1 of 3 you made when entering the World Trade Organisation and do it as soon and as fully as possible. Stay off the podiums, spend no money but open your provincial economies and success will come your way. It is all you need to do and if you do not o it, then the story will continue to be what it has been so far Hong Kong and the Ten Dwarves. And as to that photo, fourth from the left for the crown and second from the right for Miss Photogenic. There you nave my picks and let us be gratetul that those 1 1 not in the picture stayed fully clothed. HOT AIR MERCHANTS are not only to be found across the border. On Tuesday we carried a full-page advertorial for AsiaWorld- Expo, the new airport exhibition centre that is scheduled to open in December next year. You know the story. This was something first mooted for construction by the private ector at a cost of less than $1 billion. The fgure has now risen to $2 billion and it is to be picked up by the public purse. No, pardon me, the private sector can put in another $2 billion if it wants. Uh-huh. The people who run the big exhibition centre on the Wan Chai waterfront are none too happy with all this. They worry that there is not enough business to go round and that we are cannibalising earlier investments in the exhibition trade. Not to worry. AsiaWorld-Expo is not being built to showcase Hong Kong products or spent elsewhere in Hong Kong. It may be true. Here I come to spoil the magic, owever. If we instead spent that dollar on something else, it would create this same multiplier effect and, if we spent it to better use, that multiplier would be higher than 3. 67. The advice that your mother gave you has not been improved by voodoonomics. Spend your money as wisely as you can if you want the greatest benefit to yourself. The appeal to voodoonomics should only confirm to you that the money is not well spent. Publication title: South China Morning Post Pages: 18 Number of pages: O Publication year: 2004 Publication date: Jun 4, 2004 year: 2004 Publisher: South China Morning Post Ltd.

Oedipus is to Blame in Oedipus the King Essay -- Oedipus Rex Essays

Oedipus is to Blame in Oedipus the King      Ã‚   In the story of Oedipus the King, Sophocles portrays the main character, Oedipus, as a good natured person that has bad judgment and frailty.   Oedipus makes a few bad decisions and is condemned to profound suffering because of his pride.   I agree with Aristotle that he brings it all on to himself because of his own personal pride.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One day Oedipus finds out that there is a prophecy that depicts him killing his father and marrying his mother.   The prophecy may have been proven untrue if he wouldn't have put himself on such a high pedestal.   It all started one day when he met up with King Laius:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Seated in it.   The groom leading the horses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Forced me off the road at his lord's command;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But as this charioteer lurched over towards me   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I struck him in my rage...I killed him (1.2.764-772).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oedipus met the King Laius on a bridge and was too proud to let him pass first, and then the King pushed him out...

How to Be a Good Muslim

Garrett Waidelich October 8, 2012 Islamic Civilization Dr. McGrath How to be a Good Muslim In the Quran and the Hadith of Bukhari there are many descriptions of what it takes to be a good Muslim. God gives very specific details to Muhammad about what Muslims need to do and what they can’t do if they want to get to paradise. The five pillars of Islam created a base for Muslims to follow in order to be a good Muslim. The five pillars are that there is no god but God, to offer prayer, to give charity, perform the hajj and to fast during Ramadan (HB 1: 7).The Muslims that follow the five pillars and follow Muhammad’s teachings will reach paradise. The first pillar is to accept that God is the only god and that he is the only one worthy of being worshiped (HB 1: 7, 25, 50, 63, 2: 594, Q 2: 176). This first pillar is very important in Islam because Islam is based around the idea of submitting to God and being God’s slave. God is the most powerful being that there is an d he created the Earth and all its inhabitants (Q 2: 163). God also hears and knows everything, including people’s thoughts and intentions (Q 2: 180).This pillar is so important because God is all powerful, righteous, and merciful. Disobeying this pillar is a terrible deed and Muhammad also said that the worst sin is to worship another god (Q 2: 190, HB 3: 821). The second pillar is to offer prayer perfectly five times a day. There are a lot of rules about how to pray and things that must be done for prayer to count as a good deed. Because God knows and hears all, a Muslim must be completely focused on God while they are praying and not be distracted by other things (HB 2: 307, 4: 504).Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day at specified times (HB 3: 115). Prayer is also better when it is done consistently instead of praying for a long time and then not praying again until the next week (Quran 23: 5, HB 1: 41). Muslims should not get drunk and especially should not pray while drunk (HB 1: 50). Cleanliness is also important when praying. It is good to clean your teeth before prayer and when women menstruate it is considered unclean and they should not pray (HB 2: 12, 1: 247, 1: 817, 3: 172, Quran 2: 222).Men are also not supposed to pray or be around women when the woman is menstruating (Quran 2: 222). Women were also told not to watch men pray because the sheets they wore were short and showed their private areas (HB 2: 306). Prayer is also considered better, 27 times better, when done in congregation than alone (HB 1: 618). Prayer also can reduce the bad deeds that a Muslim might commit, for example a man came to Muhammad and said he had kissed a woman unlawfully and Muhammad told him to pray and the prayer would remove the bad deed (HB 1: 504).Praying to please God and not to impress other people also will lead to all of your past sins to be forgiven (HB 1: 34). Charity is also a very important part of Islam. There are many different references to charity from Zakat, to the alms levy, to giving to the poor. It is considered a god deed to help the poor and it is required to give Zakat. Muhammad says that giving Zakat is one of the best deeds that a Muslim can do (HB 1: 7, 25, 50, 54, 502).Not only is paying Zakat a good deed but also giving to charity and helping the poor is a good deed (HB 1: 11, 27). There is a charity that can be given every day, called Sadaqa, and this charity consists of doing good deeds (4: 232). These good deeds count as the charity. Muhammad told a woman that giving the alms levy is especially important for women because a majority of the people in hell were women (HB 1: 301). Helping orphans, beggars, travelers, and anyone in need is considered a good deed (Quran 2: 215, 2: 177).Giving to help people in need has many benefits for Muslims. When a woman gives charity from her husband’s belongings without hurting his belongings, both the woman and her husband will be rewarded (HB 2: 518, 520, 5 21). While giving to charity is a good deed it is bad for someone to hoard their wealth and money for their personal benefit and can lead to punishment from God (HB 2: 513, 514, 515). If a person does keep all of his money instead of spending it in God’s cause, God will withhold his blessings from that person (HB 2: 513, 514, 515).Another form of charity is buying the freedom of a slave, or setting your own slave free. Freeing a slave can remove the worst of bad deeds including killing someone or breaking your oath (Quran 4: 92, 5: 88). It is good to pay for the rest of the freedom of a slave if you own a part of the slave and partially free him (HB 3: 672). Performing the Hajj at least one time during a Muslims life is another pillar of Islam. Hajj is the pilgrimage from Medina to Mecca that occurs every year in the last month of the Islamic calendar.Hajj is to be made during the specified months, and while on the hajj a man should not have sexual intercourse, should not swe ar, or get into disputes while on the pilgrimage (2: 197). If someone is ill or too weak to perform hajj, someone else can make the pilgrimage on their behalf, with the ill person receiving the reward (HB 2: 589). Muhammad also tells women that instead of participating in Jihad, a women’s Jihad is performing the hajj (HB 4: 43, 127). The final pillar is fasting. Fasting is best when it is done three days a month and during the whole month of Ramadan (HB 2: 274).When someone is ill or on a journey, they can fast the same number of days later when they return or when they are healthy again (Quran 2: 183). It is also possible to substitute feeding a poor person instead of fasting if a person is unable to fast, but fasting is the better of the two (Quran 2: 183). During fasting, you are allowed to eat and have sexual relations at night when the sun is down (HB 3: 139). Women that are menstruating when they fast do not get the rewards because they are considered unclean (HB 3: 172 ).The five pillars are the basis for Muslim actions that will get them into paradise, but there are also a few other things that make a Muslim good. Jihad is another very important thing for a Muslim to participate in and there are many benefits to Jihad. The Quran states that everyone has an obligation to take part in Jihad, but they should never be the aggressor (Quran 2: 216, 2: 190). Fighting for God’s cause is basically fighting to defend Islam and to make it superior to all other beliefs (Quran 1: 125, 22: 78). Jihad has many rewards for Muslims that participate in it.Some of these rewards are booty that is taken if you survive and for the martyr a place in heaven right beneath God (HB 4: 48). If a Muslim did not want to fight, Muhammad said that to equal the good deeds of Jihad that person would have to fast and pray during the entire time the soldiers were on Jihad (HB 4: 44). This would be impossible and enforces the idea that Muslims that participate in Jihad are co nsidered better than those that don’t, unless someone is injured and unable to (HB 4: 84). Women were not supposed to participate in Jihad but instead their Jihad was the hajj (HB 4: 127).Although women’s Jihad was hajj there are numerous stories of Aisha and other women helping the wounded and watering the soldiers during battles (HB 4: 130, 131, 132, 133, 134). Muslims are given very specific directions and helpful tips to be good Muslims. If Muslims accept and admit that God is the only God, pray, offer charity, make the pilgrimage, fast, and do other good deeds they will be considered good Muslims and will get into paradise on Judgment day. Doing good deeds also wipes away or cancels out bad deeds and will also help Muslims be better people and increase their chances of getting into paradise.