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After successfully completing an online political science degree from an accredited university or school, political science majors see world events from various perspectives. There are those who pursue this degree in hopes of launching a political or civil service career. However, there are various other career options.

You can be a high school teacher, college professor, campaign manager, legislative aid, agency specialist, state legislator, district attorney, legislative attorney, consultant, lobbyist, press secretary or even a judge. With these job options, the salary and benefits you can receive is definitely more than sufficient.

Since most voters usually decide at the spur of the moment, political science students learn how to research on context, particularly about different governments which have either failed or thrived in their social agendas. Political Science students concentrate on specific areas of politics such as international relations or the local government.

It is a sad fact that there are politicians who don’t really understand minor to major issues which their constituents are facing. To resolve this, they rely on a team of expert consultants and analysts which can fill in gaps for their election platforms. With knowledge on these specializations, students are able to build a track record of research. Later on, they can use these in gaining expertise on their chosen fields.

Whether it’s an on-campus or online political science degree program, most universities and colleges encourage their students to participate in their specific department. They require their students to complete short certificate programs or to commit to a lifelong career via a PhD in their chose specialty. There are various political science degree programs you can choose from depending on your level of education and background.

If you are a working professional or a student and you were not able to complete your undergraduate degrees in Political Science, you still have a chance to enhance your skills via an online certificate program or through an associate’s degree. With a certificate program, you can build crucial skills in certain specialty areas. Working professionals can use these certificate programs in providing addition expertise so that they can qualify for career moves or promotions.

With an associate’s degree, students become exposed to career opportunities in public service. Then again, many are reconsidering this option because competition is tough. As a result, online universities and colleges encourage their applicants to roll over their course credits and consider a master’s degree program or a full 4-year online Political Science degree program.

When it comes to a master’s degree in Political Science, you can use your life experiences as well as your previous undergraduate work in exploring deeper issues in politics and influence. This is a great way in deepening your understanding of the political structure and its noted influence on both domestic as well as international policies. Niche fields like nonprofit law, public policy, administrative theory, regulatory policy and labor management relations fall into play in these graduate programs.

If you are only aiming for a part-time degree, you can earn credits by completing a 2 to 5 year online Political Science degree program. This way, you can land in a career as a civil servant or as a campaign worker.

Then again, if you want to advance further and you are thinking of pursuing a Political Science doctorate degree, this is the best way to increase your chances of becoming leaders of private research foundations or tenured faculty members. Through an online Political Science degree, you can focus on deeper topics like transnational & comparative politics and policy; public administration; policy analysis and administration; justice politics and policy; as well as American politics and policy.

An online political science degree program is your best bet to succeeding in Political Science careers. This is the best and most effective way to learn certain skills and characteristics which can help you in your chosen field. This includes the efficiency in oral presentation; a more thorough understanding of the American political system; strong written communication skills; comprehensive yet accurate research skills; a better understanding of international politics & policy; as well as more effective interview skills & techniques.

To become certified as a teacher, you need to meet both local and state requirements. You may need to pursue continuous or additional education in order to maintain your eligibility. If you are applying at a federal agency, you would need to pass a complex entry exam before you can get a personal interview.

Thus, during the interview, you may even be required to join in role playing exercises. For a civil servant position, you would succumb to a rigorous background check. This means, if you have something to hide, you would need to divulge your incriminating and embarrassing information during the early part of the interview.

Once you pass the substance or drug abuse test as well as the background check, you can get a low level security clearance. As you advance to higher profile projects, you will also earn higher clearance levels.

Next, find out the best place to get a top online political science degree. Visit: http://www.DistanceLearningDegrees.org

If you’ve been watching TV perhaps you have heard of Dakota Root, she’s the home-schooled girl who was accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Yale Columbia, Penn, Brown, Duke, Chicago, Cal-Berkeley, USC and several other elite schools in America. So how did she choose which college to attend? According to Fox News, she picked Harvard because it’s the school everyone in the entire world knows about. For the record, Harvard is so elitist that only 1% of the best high school seniors dare apply (30,000 applicants) and out of that number about 1,700 will get to attend (less than 6%).

Dakota’s story is exceptional, the average student candidate does not get accepted to 10+ of the most selective colleges in the country. But with more than 4,000 higher education institutions in the US, there are plenty of great options that will cater to your individual needs. And then, the question is – which one provides the best fit for me?

There are many things to consider when evaluating college options. Here are things to think about and thoroughly consider when making your original and final selection.

1- Small vs. Large

Want a school where you know everybody or do you long to have the diversity and social environment offered by a school with 40,000 students? There are great colleges in both spectrums of the balance, so your job is to examine the benefits and drawbacks of all. For example, a large school is more likely to have more student organizations, more student activities, more majors and more classes. A smaller school offers a more intimate environment, more personal attention, and more direct access to your professors, among other benefits. Think then in which type of school you would be able to perform your best in every aspect of college – academic, social, personal, and professional (looking towards the future).

According to Forbes Magazine, “Small liberal arts schools shine in our rankings, probably due to both the quality of their faculty and the personal attention they can provide. Williams and Swarthmore both rank in the top five, while Pomona, Smith, Middlebury and Amherst all come in the top 20, ahead of such schools as Stanford (23rd) and Brown (27th).”

2- Public vs. Private

The main difference between public and private universities is price. Just compare the cost of attending a top public university like UC-Berkeley ($8,353 in-state, $31,022 out-of-state) versus top private universities like Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, Boston College and Cornell where you can expect to pay more than $50,000 a year without need-based aid. With need-based aid chances are you’ll still have to pay more than $20,000 a year, and that’s not counting room and board which can cost you another $10,000+.

Think about what will happen if you graduate with a huge college loan debt, consider the salary prospects of your chosen career and how you will feel when you’re making $900+ a month in loan payments for a job that pays $50,000 a year. Remember, you don’t need an expensive private school to succeed in life, Suze Orman got a BA in Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at a low price tag, look at her now!

So if you can’t afford a respected and extremely expensive private school, consider that “according to the 2009 Academic Ranking of World Universities, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked 25th out of the more than 1000 international institutions recognized. It is home to some of the highest-ranked Engineering, Computer Science, Library and Information Science, and Accounting programs in the United States.” And here’s the best part, it only costs about $9,000 a year for residents and $23,000 for non-residents.

Sometimes the best decision is the least expensive. Not having the financial burden when it is a burden for you and your family can be positive in many ways. Having the extra money and no debt will take you far, especially when considering affording graduate school. Attending a good public school can cost less and make no difference in terms of the quality of your education.

3- Campus Activities

I heard from a graduate from a renowned urban university in Florida how he described it as a weekend cemetery. He explained that there was nothing going on for students in the weekend, who literally left campus almost as a migration only to return on Sunday evening. With no university facilities open during the weekend, the school became a ghost town, certainly not fun for him, as he had nothing to look for outside of the school in the city. He felt so bored and isolated that his full college experience was not the best. However, this environment made sense to the many students wanting a life outside of the college environment, wanting to keep close ties with their family and friends in the area.

Other schools offer great life on campus 24/7. They bring film festivals, concert series, offer many options of coffee shops which remain full of students any day of the week almost at any time. In these schools, we can find libraries servicing students until 4 am, closing for one hour and then reopening at 5 am. So if you’re a bookworm, a jock, a philosopher, or just a person who’s drawn to a certain social environment make sure to find a campus that fits with your lifestyle. Check out their individual websites and see if the school has fraternities, student clubs, fitness facilities, sports, and so on. For example, Penn State University recently dethroned the University of Florida as the top party school according to the Princeton Review. You can also check studentreviews.com which lists Tulane University as the #1 school for social life, and if you’d rather be volunteering, US News & World Report recommends Duke, University of Maryland, Stanford, and other colleges where you can learn and make the world a better place at the same time.

4- Campus Politics

They say you should never talk about sex, politics or religion if you want to avoid making people uncomfortable. In college however, you’re likely to meet people who will discuss all three so if you’re a progressive who voted for Obama or a conservative who voted for McCain, you should think very carefully about what kind of people you want to study with.

While some schools encourage vigorous debate, others censor students that hold unpopular views and there are cases of teachers who are openly hostile to conservatives, members of the military, Zionists, etc. Some universities even have “speech codes,” or other draconian laws that stifle the First Amendment of the US Constitution. For example, according to FIRE, an organization that fights for individual rights in education, Binghamton University suspended a student for making posters criticizing the Department of Social Work.

That doesn’t mean conservatives or libertarians have to study at places where they’re not welcome, consider options like Hillsdale College which currently ranks 89th in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report listing of best American Liberal Arts colleges and 76th in the 2009 Forbes report of America’s Best Colleges. It ranks second in the Princeton Review’s The Best 371 Colleges 2009 listing of colleges where students are “most conservative” and among the fifty “best value” private colleges.

Of course, if you’re a progressive or liberal, you might feel comfortable at Duke, NYU, Columbia, Oberlin, Ohio State University, Princeton, Tufts, Berkeley and lots of other great schools, some more politically correct than others.

5- Religious vs. Secular

Nietzsche said that God was dead, yet almost every school in the nation has at least one religious student group. Catholic and Protestant schools have their own chapels, even orthodox Jews can attend top-rated schools like Baruch College, Yeshiva University, and Brandeis, where the food follows Jewish dietary restrictions. The question for you is how much or how little religion you want in your life, there are top-rated Christian schools like Wheaton College, ranked 59 in U.S. News & World Report (2008) and 11th in total number of graduates who go on to earn doctorates. Other options include Baylor University with over 146 undergraduate degrees, Pepperdine University, Calvin College and others.

One thing to consider about religious schools is their standards of conduct, many of them don’t tolerate smoking, drinking (even if you’re over 21), drug use, premarital-sex, homosexuality, and in the case of Bob Jones University, interracial dating used to be against their laws. At Liberty University for example, students are not allowed to have TV’s in their rooms and the televisions in public areas are tuned to family-friendly programming.

The rules of conduct are less strict at top-rated Catholic universities such as Georgetown, Loyola, Boston College, Creighton, and others.

If you are religious and choose to attend a secular college find out if they have college ministries, a college-age Sunday school class or youth group, worship services, and churches near campus.

6- College Rankings

Not our most favored way to choose a college, but certainly one of the most popular. Google “college rankings” and you’ll find that schools are rated by organizations like US News & World Report on a wide variety of categories such as “Highest (and Lowest) Acceptance Rate,” “Top-Public Schools,” “Best Nursing Programs,” “Most Students in a Fraternity,” “Most International Students,” etc. However, BEWARE! College Rankings should be only a guide and never the reason why to choose a school – it would be the wrong decision to make your college decision based solely on the ranking of a specific school vs. others. Remember, rankings change every year, and they are measures that cannot directly point your fit with the programs. They try to assess college proficiency in many areas and far too often fail at being accurate by not taking under consideration the “soft” aspects of the college education.

As quoted by College Confidential, here is another comment on “Rank vs. Individual Fit: College admissions counselors universally agree that a school must “fit” the student in terms of academic environment, social environment, athletic and other extracurricular opportunities, urban or rural location, etc. A good fit will result in a great college experience and, most importantly, maximum personal growth and achievement. Rankings can be a negative influence when students or parents look more at how highly a school is ranked instead of how well it will serve the needs of that particular student.” collegeconfidential.com

Example, say you’re a passionate outdoorsman who enjoys kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, etc. If that’s the case, the rankings of Outside Magazine are going to suit you perfectly. Perhaps you’ll love Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. At Warren, “The Bent Creek Experimental Forest offers miles of singletrack, road riders convene every Tuesday at Liberty Bikes for a morning ride, and runners can join the Asheville Track Club. Prefer solitude? Hop onto the Mountains to Sea Trail…Hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders don’t even have to leave the 1,200-acre campus, as more than 25 miles of trails cut through the grounds.”

Of course, you’ll also want to know how Warren and other schools rank nationally, in your major, cost, and other categories relevant to you. For example, if you are a vegetarian you should check the PETA’s college rankings, did you know Yale, Oberlin, NYU and University of Florida are among the top-ten options for vegetarian students? Rankings however, are also a tool for selling magazines. Each organization that has developed a ranking has a different way to calculate results, and they are not infallible. This is mainly the reason why many often do not agree with results. However unfair and miscalculated results are, having lists of colleges that distinguish themselves for one reason or another can make it easier to find options for a student. If nothing else for this, rankings become a valuable resource when seeking college information. With this said, use rankings as a tool to learn more about the school’s areas of strength, but make sure not to believe all you read…

How not to choose a college

Believe it or not, sometimes people pick the wrong college for the wrong reasons. Some may say “my boyfriend/girlfriend/best friend” is going there, others are impressed by the football team (which makes no sense unless you’re going to be on the football team), some pick a prestigious school even if they don’t have the major they want, others want to go where their parents went, or they want to live in a specific city where a college is located, and so forth.

Choosing a college based on factors that have nothing to do with your education and fit with the program/environment of the college could become a disaster. Remember, these four or more years could affect the rest of your life, and unlike Suze Orman, most of us don’t get to turn a B.A. is Social Work into a lucrative career as a Television Financial Adviser. So when it comes to your college choice, research, research, research and focus on fit by considering your needs and how the college meets them.

Claudine Vainrub is the Principal of EduPlan – http://www.eduplan.us, an Educational and Careers Consulting firm. She holds an MBA degree from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Originally from Venezuela, Claudine earned her B.A. in Communications and Journalism from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello. She is seven times certified in College Admissions Counseling, Resume Writing, Personal Branding, Personnel Consulting, 360Reach and WBI Assessment Administration. Her experience includes being Executive VP for Grupo Frigilux, leading Marketing and HR for this industrial corporation of over 1,500 employees. Recognized as an expert in Career Development, College and Grad School Admissions, her opinions have been featured on The Wall Street Journal, CNN en Espanol, CareerBuilder, JobDig, Diversity USA sites, International Career Development and Resume Writing bestsellers, among other leading global media. She was elected Board Director for the Association for International Graduate Admissions Counselors – AIGAC and Community Representative for the Higher Education Consultants’ Association. Claudine is fluent in English, Spanish and Hebrew.

You’ll find a lot of options when it comes to childcare training programs. Search online and you’ll already find a lot of programs to help you be among these experts in the field. Just choose the best ones for you and gain your needed expertise to work with kids.

However, you may be asking about the things to look for in finding these programs. There are several things to check and help you find the appropriate programs for your needs like the following.

State-approved programs

Above your preferences, you must check this as one of your top priorities in choosing a childcare training program. State-approved programs that met the standards of the state in terms of childcare. They met the right curriculum and the required number of hours needed by every future childcare expert. Taking these programs is also essential since they are also required for certification; people will not be allowed to take certification exams unless this standard is met. Fortunately, you’ll immediately know the programs that pass these standards by checking them online. Schools would indicate them on their webpage. Check the state’s website as well as focused on this field so you’ll know these programs.

Language offered

Although English is a common language spoken by people, some are comfortable taking childcare training classes using their native language. Many of these programs are offered in Spanish and other languages so it will be perfect for people who know these languages. These programs are also helpful for people who would like to work on childcare centers focused on minority groups or other members of the society. Certain organizations are found focused on providing childcare for children of these groups so it’s also a good program to take.

Support desk

Some people would like to know more about these training programs. Some schools have a childcare training support desk that will help students know more about these programs while they can also provide support for students. Many students may be unable to continue with the program so they can help them be back on track and complete the course. They just need to contact this support desk and get assistance if they need so.

In conclusion, there are many programs are available for every student who would like to focus on these studies. It’s just essential to know about these criteria to find the appropriate one for students and start a career in this field.

Childcare Training Info Center has everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your career as a childcare professional. The site features state specific training requirements for early childhood education and a step-by-step overview of a typical hiring process, potential employers and interviews to help you get hired. And it also provide a complete range of accredited childcare courses and childcare workers.

Are you tired of going into the sloppy room of your kid every day, merely to trip over a bunch of stuff scattered all over the place? Well, ask yourself whether the kid has adequate space for storing his or her stuff. If this isn’t the case, then that is probably a part of the problem; buying some beautiful childrens bedroom furniture is a wonderful way to get your child organized.

The solution is certainly childrens bedroom furniture if you desire your kid to maintain an organized and neat space. There are quite a few nice choices including desks, dressers, mirrors, bed frames, entertainment units, shelves, mirrors, and more. Now, what all of these options entail is that you can create a room for your child’s specific requirements. For instance, suppose that your daughter is heavily into fashion. She has many shoes and different apparels, and loves to observe all the various outfits she can don. A wonderful way for her to furnish her room, therefore, would be with a bigger, shorter dress which could have a mirror suspended over it, a bed frame with drawers for additional storage, and a shelving unit in the closet in order that she can organize things. Or, you might have a smaller boy with many toys. Good furniture options for the space would be a typical dresser, an organizer for the closet, and a bed frame with drawers and cedar chest for maximum storage space.

In addition to assisting your kid become organized, childrens bedroom furniture will additionally actually increase the total look of the room of your kid. In what way? Well, this is due to it having a great appearance because of the various eye-catching materials it can be produced from. It is easy to find something that matches your child’s personality, as it comes in a variety of both styles and finishes. Take the instance of the girl we talked about formerly. It would really add to the space if you bought a set with a distressed, antique white finish with decorative accents. Or you could go with a racing theme featuring pieces with a race car motif for your son’s room.

The internet is the best place to shop for children’s bedroom furniture. A wonderful means of finding what you’re looking for is looking through all the online stores; this will help you save gas and can be done through the comfort of home.

Don’t just yell at them or tear your hair out, pick children’s furniture that incorporates lots of storage to help him or her get organized. With the numerous choices available, it is simple to locate something that will help keep things organized.

So, What is a “Money Making Blog”?

OK, that’s when someone stops me and says,”What’s a Blog?”

So, Lets start at the beginning!

Blog Basics

A blog is sometimes called web log or weblog. It is a type if online journal or diary, often including personal comments as well as web links and images. Many people keep a blog as a type of personal creative exercise, but you can easily use this popular online type of writing to market your business. Blogs are very popular right now and they can be a great and inexpensive way to contact more customers.

The great thing about blogs is that people read them for fun. Customers may be becoming more jaded about advertising, but they will gladly read a blog that has some interesting things to say. Many top companies are using blogs to deliver a better and more personal message about their companies – and the strategy seems to be working.

Starting a Blog

Starting a blog is as simple as finding a space online to write – and the time to write. To begin a blog, first develop a theme idea or blog idea. You may want to look at other people’s blogs to do so. In general, you will want to develop a central theme for your blog in the same way that columnists develop a theme for their articles. This helps ensure that your blog is not too “scattered.”

Next, find some place to publish your blog. There are a number of sites – both paying and free – that give bloggers a chance to publish their material. You may also want to simply set up your blog on your web site, especially if you already have an active web site.

Writing Your Blog

Once you have a place to publish your blog, you will have to set aside some time each week to develop new content. When writing your blog:

oWrite simply and clearly. Use small paragraphs and spell check before uploading. Your readers will trust what you have to say if you say it well.

oGo easy on the advertising. The idea of a blog is to give readers something fun and exciting to read and look at. You will have more readers if you comment on the world and are entertaining, rather than just hype your product. Consider writing about your day, the atmosphere your workplace has, and culture, rather than just your company.

oConsider many types of content. Blogs allow you to upload images, create links, and allow users to make comments. Your blog will have many more readers if you make your blog exciting with these pluses.

Promoting Your Blog

Just putting your blog online is not enough. After all, there are many millions of blogs on the web right now, so unless your blog is on a high-traffic site, you may not get readers unless you advertise. You can easily advertise your blog without spending a cent by mentioning your blog in your emails and web pages or newsletters. You can also enter in online competitions – if your blog wins a prize you are more likely to get a constant flow of traffic to your blog. You can also ask ezines and other content providers to review your blog, which will also draw readers.

Blog Marketing Ideas That Sell

Once you develop a blog, you will want to use the best blog marketing strategies you can to sell your company. However, marketing blogs are different from personal blogs and blog marketing or advertising is very different than other forms of marketing.

Make Your Blog a Customer Draw

In order to make your blog a powerful marketing tool, you need to get your customers and clients to see it. That means that you will need to advertise and provide content that gets attention:

oMake your blog visually exciting. Choose an attractive background colour and provide photos or images. Consider sound. Develop your blog as you would a web site, with the same visual appeal. Some bloggers even add video and sound to their blogs. There is no need to spend many hours composing art works, but know that simple text on a white background may simply not draw as many readers as you like.

oMake sure that your customers know that your blog exists. Providing some targeted advertising on the Internet is not hard. Try some link exchange programs with web sites, blogs, and ezines that have similar content to your blog. In many cases, simply providing a link to another web site can convince that web master to provide a link to your blog.

Make Your Blog a Company Pusher – Without Being Pushy

Your blog needs to promote your company. However, if you are too heavy-handed, you will not be terribly exciting and may push customers away. That’s why you should aim for only a small amount of content that actively pushes your company. Do suggest newsworthy items that will lure your readers in. For example, writing “today we launched a new division – now expecting mothers can take advantage of our fashions” is much better than sales copy such as “buy our hot new maternity fashions now.”

Give Your Readers What They Want

Studies suggest that as many as a quarter of Internet users tune into blogs. That means that if you can give your blog readers what they want, you can be reasonably sure of having a decent audience. Among the content that you may want to include in your blog:

oTips and advice. Many successful marketing blogs are much like successful consumer magazines – readers tune in to read content that is useful. A computer company can offer computer tips and advice, for example, while a writing service blog can include daily ways to boost writing skills.

oInterest. If your personal or business life is fascinating, then great. There are many successful marketing blogs that detail the exciting lives of company presidents who are also hobby racecar drivers or skydivers. This sort of material can ensure a steady audience.

oHumanity. One of the things that blog readers are most interested to see is the face behind the company. Many blog readers like a company run by people who have similar concerns. Building humanity into your blog by detailing your company’s efforts to help the community, for example, is a great way to build credibility and customer loyalty.

oStyle. Many readers just love to see a gorgeous, well-written blog. Plenty of marketing blogs simply provide interesting content and nice graphics and do quite well in drawing readers and customers.

Get More Readers for Your Blog, Get More Customers

There are several ways to make your blog one of the “hot” blogs online. Traditionally, those companies that have the largest star-power have had the most popular blogs, since everyone loves to read about celebrity or success. However, a great many smaller companies and individuals are developing large followings on the web. You can, too, with this simple lesson.

Keep it Rich

Keyword-rich, that is. Blogs are a great way to generate keyword-rich content, especially if you update your blogs each day. In fact, for some smaller businesses, blogs make more sense than hard-to-create web pages. Blog software makes creating a blog almost automatic while the spiders on search engines seem to favour high-quality and often updated keyword-rich blogs.

Steps to take:

oKeep keyword content high with plenty of keywords. As you write your blog entries, do try to use not only keywords having to do with your topic, but also synonyms for your keywords. This will help your readers find you more easily on the Internet. For example, if you offer discount fashions, use a variety of keywords, including “discount fashions,” “cheap designer wear,” “discount clothing” and others.

oProvide quality, often-updated content.

oSpecialize. The best way to make use of the search engine optimisation of blogs is to narrow your focus. Rather than developing a hodgepodge of ideas and themes, write with one theme in mind. It will help ensure that people looking for information on your topic will always find you through a search engine.

Join the Community

Make sure that you promote your blog by joining the blogging community. Creating a larger presence for your blog online will result in more blog readers and possibly, more customers:

oAdd the address for your blog to email signatures and include mention in any ezine or email newsletter you have to let readers know about your blog.

oMention your blog on appropriate forums. For example, if your company offers resume writing services, consider writing about your blog in job-hunt forums.

oAllow for readers’ commentary on your blog. Many online blog publishing programs already allow this. If your readers can post their comments and read the comments of other readers, they are more likely to return to your blog regularly, and so keep your company name in mind.

oMake your blog searchable through your interests. Many blog programs allow you to create a user profile, which allows readers to search for you and your blog by interest topic and locations, in many cases. Do not overlook this simple way to draw readers. Simply fill out your profile, taking care to use many “interests” to attract more readers and browsers.

Aliza Levine is a Total Blog Freak, and Internet Blog Marketer. She’a single mom who’s “been there” and is now living beyond her wildest dreams!If you’d like to get make money with Blogs, learn how for Free at http://www.PowerMoneyMachine.com

“I used to feel depressed at work, hate my boss, and was sometimes so bored that I actually fell asleep at my desk!” — career test taker

If this sounds like you, then it’s probably time to consider changing jobs or careers. But before you can make your career change, you need to figure out what you want to do.

One of the best ways to get clear is to complete a career assessment. Yet there are literally hundreds of career tests out there. Is a career test the same as an aptitude test? What about a career personality test? This article clarifies the differences and presents 7 criteria for deciding which career test is best for you.

#1 Career test vs. personality test

Is the assessment specifically designed to provide career guidance?

Personality tests only tell you about your character traits whereas a career assessment gives specific career advice. Of course, it helps to know whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert and perceive by sensing or intuition. Personality tests such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Enneagram are quite useful as background information. Making the leap from simple awareness of your personality type to specific career strategies is very difficult, however. If you want a new job or career, it’s better to take an assessment that is specifically geared to providing career guidance.

#2 Specific vs. general

Does the career assessment give concrete recommendations that you can use immediately rather than vague observations that are open to interpretation and not actionable? Aside from the change itself, the hardest part of changing careers is narrowing down your choices. But if you don’t get specific, you won’t be able to take action. A good assessment should not be general like the astrological horoscopes in the newspaper.

#3 Motivation rules: why motivation is a better indicator than aptitude or personality

Does the career assessment measure motivation?

Motivation is a far better career indicator than skill or personality because what you like to do is what you WILL do and what you will get very good at (if you aren’t already). Why force a square peg into a round hole?

When you base your decisions on what motivates you, you’ll probably feel much more fulfilled, and be much more successful, too.

#4 Where’s the beef?

Even if you’re a vegetarian, you’ll want “meaty” results! A good career assessment should include hard data, as well as sufficient detail and explanation to help you interpret the results.

#5 Do you believe it?

Is the career assessment scientifically valid? An effective career assessment should have a high predictive reliability. Such things can be measured statistically. Anything over 95% is quite good.

Statistical validity is important for a number of reasons. Obviously, you want to feel that the assessment provides an accurate picture of what motivates you and you don’t want to be misled by grossly inaccurate results. But another point is that when the results are believable this provides a boost to your self-confidence. In my case, I was relieved and encouraged to see from my results that I had chosen the correct career path. It was a kind of confirmation or validation: “Whew! What a relief!”

Remember that ultimately it’s up to you to decide whether a set of results makes sense or not. However, it helps to use a highly reliable assessment.

#6 Can you get from A to Z?

Are additional tools available to help you take your results and develop a clear career roadmap for yourself?

Honestly, a lot of people take career tests and get brilliant insights. Unfortunately, many of these same people are never able to turn their insights into results. What’s needed is a support infrastructure of materials and people to help you apply your results over time.

#7 Is it fast?

Even in the internet age, there still are a lot of tests that you can only take on paper. It takes 30 minutes or even over an hour to take the test. Then you have to wait while the test is scored and processed. You may only get your results after several days or weeks.

Personally I prefer career tests that I can take online and that give me my results immediately.

Conclusion

A career test is just a tool and just one step on your career change journey. Nonetheless, it’s worth spending some time to understand what types of tests are available and which is best for you. Just remember that even the best career test is only a tool. It’s up to you to take charge of your own career.

Paul Arinaga is a career coach and owner of [http://www.fast-career-test.com] Visit [http://www.fast-career-test.com/sample.htm] for a free sample report for the Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential (MAPP) or a pdf version of this article.

There is actually plenty of blogging advice offered on the internet regarding what we will need to do in order to operate our blog successfully. If you’ve been thinking about assembling a blog with regard to your business, this blogging advice detailed below is designed specifically for you.

Listed below are the very best strategies an online business blogger is able to use to seek out visitors. These tips tend to be especially for new bloggers, those individuals who have next-to-no market right now and would like to get the process started however if you have been blogging for a while you still might find some useful information in the list below.

It will help if you focus on this particular checklist from top to bottom since each and every strategy builds upon the prior strategy that will help you produce momentum. At some point when you create plenty of momentum you will get what is known as “traction”, which usually is a big enough market base (around 500 visitors per day is great) which you will no longer need to work so hard in acquiring new visitors. Rather your current faithful visitors perform the actual work for you by word of mouth marketing.

Be Efficient With These Top Blogging Tips

Create A Minimum Of 5 Main “Pillar” Posts

• A pillar post is actually a mini seminar style write-up geared to educate your target audience on a specific subject. Normally they’re longer than 500 words with plenty of really useful ideas or advice. This informative article you’re presently reading through might be regarded a pillar post as it is really helpful plus an excellent “how-to” training. This brand of writing offers lasting appeal, remains current (it is not information or time centered) while offering actual worth and knowledge. The more pillars you’ve gotten onto your blog the more effective.

Create One New Blog Post Each Day

• Not each post needs to be a pillar; however, you need to focus on having the five pillars finished all at once while you keep the blog refreshing with new information as well as short brief blog posts. The biggest thing at this point will be to show your new site visitors that your particular blog will be current on a regular basis so that they feel that if he or she returns down the road they are going to most likely discover something totally new. This will cause them to bookmark your blog as well as subscribe to your blog feed.

It’s not necessary to create one post each day at all times however it is crucial one does whenever your blog is completely new. When you receive traction you will still have to keep your new content coming however your faithful viewers may well be more flexible in the event you lessen the pace to a couple each week instead. The initial few months tend to be crucial therefore the more written content you are able to generate at the moment the more beneficial.

Have An Appropriate Domain Name.

• If you’re seriously interested in blogging for money get really enthusiastic about whatever you name your blog. As a way for people to help quickly spread your message regarding your blog you will need a simple domain name to remember. People today frequently discuss blogs that they like when they’re talking with friends that are within their business circle of friends, therefore, you’ll want to make this simple for these friends to spread the word and also give your Web address. Make an effort to purchase a.com if you’re able to and concentrate on small, simple, not difficult to memorize domains instead of worrying about getting the right keywords (keep in mind if you’re able to find excellent keywords as well as easy to remember keywords then you must have done a great job in researching!).

Here is a great tool to help you find that perfect domain name: Domain Samurai

Leave Comments

• Begin leaving comments on some other blogs. After you have your own pillar articles or blog posts as well as your every day new short article posts your blog is able to be presented around the world. One of the greatest techniques to discover the ideal kind of reader with regard to your blog would be to comment on other people’s blogs. It is best to make an effort to comment on blogs aimed at the same niche subject as your own because the readers there might be much more likely to be interested with the articles on your blog.

Many blogs that you leave your comments with will let you include your name/title related to your blog whenever you give a comment. This is one way people discover your blog. If you are someone who comments all the time and who usually has something important to say, other bloggers notice your comments and if this peaks their interest they will want to learn more about your business and therefore simply click your link to see your blog.

Trackbacks and Backlinks

• Trackback and link to other blogs and forums within your blog posts. A trackback is kind of just like a blog discussion. Whenever you publish a brand new article to your blog and it links or recommends another blogger’s article you’re able to do a trackback therefore to their entry. Exactly what this really does is actually give a short overview of your blog post in their blog entry: it is kind of similar to your blog informing somebody else’s blog that you had written a post talking about them. Trackbacks usually look like comments.

This is an excellent strategy because just like placing comments a trackback leaves a link from another blog back again to yours for readers to follow, which will do something extremely important: this gets the interest of some other blogger. Another blogger will more than likely come and browse your post excited to view what you wrote concerning them. They will often later become a faithful reader of yours or at best keep track of you so if you’re blessed some time in the future they might create an article linking to your own blog attracting additional visitors.

Promote Comments On Your Own Blog.

• You’ll find the most successful strategies to encourage someone being a faithful reader is undoubtedly showing there are more faithful readers currently following your blog. When they notice several people leaving comments on your blog chances are they’ll think that the articles must be very good because you currently have readers so they really ought to stay on your site to see precisely what all of the fuss is about. To be able to really promote comments you may in simple terms present a question inside your blog post. Make sure to always answer comments to help you keep your discussion going.

Submit To A Blog Carnival

• Post your most recent pillar article to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is actually a posting inside a blog which summarizes an accumulation of articles or blog posts from a number of blogs with a particular subject. The objective would be to gather a few of the greatest content on a subject in a given week. Quite often a number of other blogs link back to a carnival host and therefore the actual people who have articles or blog posts showcased within the carnival often like an increase in new readers.

To determine the perfect blog carnival for your blog, perform a search at blog carnival.

Post Your Blog To Blog topsites

• To tell the truth this particular word of advice won’t generate a ton of new visitors nevertheless it really is simple to complete and just requires five minutes therefore it is really worth your time and effort. Visit Blog Top Sites, look for the suitable category for your blog and publish it. You need to copy and paste a few lines of code to your blog to help you rank then relax and see the traffic come in. In all probability you’ll basically acquire 1-10 incoming visitors each day using this strategy however with time it could increase while you climb the rankings. Everything will help!

Submit Your Main Posts To EzineArticles.

• This is certainly an additional suggestion that does not generate an abundance of new readers right away (even though it could in the event you continue to keep doing the work) on the other hand it really is beneficial since you only leverage whatever you currently have – your pillar articles or blog posts. Each week take one of the pillar posts and submit it to Ezine Articles. Your post now becomes accessible to several other people who can easily republish your article on their blog or inside their newsletter.

The way you profit will be by using what is known as your “Resource Box”. You will design your own private authors resource box that is similar to a signature file in which you have one to two sentences that link back again to your blog. Anybody who publishes your article is required to include your author’s resource box which means you get incoming links. When someone who has a significant newsletter posts your article you can receive plenty of brand new visitors at the same time.

EzineArticles has a WordPress plugin that is just excellent. I use it all the time. Experienced WordPress users will be able to submit their WordPress posts and blog entries right to EzineArticles.

Another great place to post your articles will be at Goarticles, Articlesbase and Worldvillage..

Create A Lot More Pillar Posts.

• Anything you choose to do that was previously mentioned will help you get blog visitors. Then again all of the strategies I have listed primarily work when you’ve got powerful pillars ready. Without having you choose everything previously mentioned you might attract visitors however they will not likely remain or even take the time to return? Strive for one strong pillar post each week and in the end of this year you’ll have a customer base well over 50 outstanding feature posts designed to work tirelessly so that you can attract increasingly more visitors.

I really hope you enjoyed my collection of blogging tips. Pretty much everything previously mentioned here are strategies I have put in place personally with regard to my blogs and has proved helpful for me personally; nevertheless it is most certainly not an extensive list. There are lots of additional steps you can take. Acquiring visitors is about testing to determine exactly what performs better for you as well as your market and I currently have little doubt when you decide to put some effort into this you’ll discover some sort of system which works for you.

Monique is an entrepreneur whose only goal is to help people succeed in business. If you would like information on attraction marketing, home business, internet marketing, leadership, personal development, or need inspiration? Then visit my blog at: Helping People Succeed In Business

Good question, considering that nowadays you can find many

useful resources to help you write your own resume

(including many located at http://www.impressive-resumes.com).

A professionally written resume might be just what you need.

On the other hand, perhaps you can easily write your own

resume using a resume template or commercially available

resume writing software. How do you decide which is right

for you?

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you

decide.

* “Do I have the time to do the job right?”

If you want to create a resume that works, i.e. one that

captures the attention of a hiring manager during a 10

second initial “toss or keep” scan, you need to be willing

to invest some time. Depending on your comfort level, your

familiarity with resume design factors and how well you’re

organized, this can take anywhere from a couple of hours to

several days or more.

If you have the time, energy, focus and desire to learn how

to write an effective resume, you’re probably a good

candidate to do it yourself. If you’re really not ready to

devote the time and effort, you’d be better served by

allowing a professional resume writer to write it for you.

* “Can I afford the services of a professional resume writer?”

If you’re on a no kidding shoestring budget, writing your

own resume is probably the way to go. But most people are

surprised at how inexpensive and easy it is to hire a

professional resume writer who can write a truly effective

resume. Chances are good that there’s room in your budget

for a professionally written resume, especially considering

that the right career step could pay back your investment a

thousand times over (or more).

You’ve probably already spent tens of thousands of dollars

on your education, (not to mention incredible amounts of

sweat equity) to get where you are today. The small amount

of additional money you spend on a professionally written

resume may just be the best career advancement investment

you’ll ever make.

* “What makes a resume writer a “professional” writer?

There are several well known professional resume writing

organizations through which individuals can attain

professional resume writing credentials. These include the

National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) and the

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career

Coaches (PARW/CC). Individuals who attain accreditation from

these organizations have demonstrated an in depth knowledge

of the resume writing process. The writers at

http://www.impressive-resumes.com are certified by one or more

such organizations.

* “What are some of the benefits of hiring a professional

resume writer to write my resume for me?”

There are many. You’ll likely save time and almost certainly

money in the long run. You’ll avoid making one or more of

the common resume writing mistakes that so many people make

when writing their own resumes. You’ll enjoy the peace of

mind that comes with knowing your resume was “done right”

from the beginning. You’ll be able to devote more time to

doing all the other things required of you when looking for

a new job. And you’ll have someone in your court who has

your best career interests at heart.

* “How do I work with a professional resume writer?”

Nowadays you no longer need to meet with a resume writer in

person or by telephone to conduct an interview. You can

order an online resume and complete your interview

conveniently on your own schedule. In fact, purchasing an

online resume that is written by a professional resume

writer is one of the nice things about the online world. The

whole process is built around YOU. You and the professional

resume writer working with you always have the option to

communicate by telephone or email if additional information

is required.

Copyright 2005 by Vincent Czaplyski, all rights reserved.

You may republish this article in its entirety, as long as

you include the complete signature file above without

modification.

Copywriter and consultant Vincent Czaplyski is founder of http://www.impressive-resumes.com, your online source for professionally written “industrial strength” resumes and cover letters guaranteed to land you an interview.

Have you been spending money on countless job boards, only to find that they don’t offer the types of candidates you need? If the answer is yes, don’t fret any longer, you’re about to learn crafty techniques to help you find free resumes on the net. There are numerous free resources online that offer resumes. These include: Free Resume Databases; Free Member Resumes on Association websites; Free College and Alumni resumes on University websites; Free Resume Newsgroups; Free Resume Blaster sites and active and passive resumes hosted on individual candidate websites. All of these resources can be found by using simple search techniques.

You will soon have hundreds of free resumes at your fingertips. The first step is to utilize multiple search engines since they will each offer different sites. The top 10 search engines suggested are: http://www.google.com, http://www.yahoo.com, http://www.altavista.com, http://www.excite.com, http://www.hotbot.com, http://www.alltheweb.com, http://www.galaxy.com, http://www.search.aol.com, http://www.msn.com, http://www.lycos.com. The search engines offer their own search features and they vary slightly. Therefore, it’s important to always read the search tips and check out the advanced search tool for each search engine. The common search symbols used across most search engines are called Boolean phrases.

Using Boolean Phrases

The first step is to choose one of the search engines from the above list and type the address in your Internet browser. Then decide what key words would be effective for finding the type of resource you want. Once you have a list of key words, use the following Boolean techniques to run the most efficient search.

o If searching for a phrase on a webpage, place the statement between quotation marks. Example: “free resume database”

o If searching for multiple words use the word AND between each word. Make sure to capitalize all 3 letters. Example: free AND resumes AND java

o If interested in finding one or more words, use the term OR between your key words. Example: “free resumes” AND java OR oracle OR php

o If looking for resumes that have a specific word with multiple possible endings such as: manager, management, managed, use an asterisk at the end of the base word. Example: manage* This will pull websites with all of the words that start with that base word.

o If searching for specific titles, type the word title: and then fill in the title of choice. Example: title: free resumes. This will pull websites with the words Free Resumes in the html title.

o If looking for URLs that have the word resume in the URL address, type the command URL: resume.

o If looking for a website with specific text such as: free resume search, type the command text: free resume search.

Below you’ll find suggestions of Boolean phrases and keywords to use that will help you find the free resume resources listed above. At the end of this article you will also find a suggested website that can give you access to hundreds of free resume resources instantly.

Free Resume Databases (These sites allow you to search through a database of resumes)

o “free resume database”

o “search for free” AND resumes

o “free resume search”

o text: free resumes

o free AND resume*

Association Websites offering Member Resumes (Many associations or organizations offer sections on their websites where members, who are looking for jobs, can post their resumes)

o “member resumes” AND association OR organization

o url: memberresumes

o text: search member resumes

o member AND resumes

o title: association AND resumes

Free College and Alumni resumes at University websites (Some Universities offer a section on their website where students, looking for internships, can post their resumes. Some also have pages where alumni can also post their resumes, when searching for work)

o “alumni resumes”

o url: edu AND resumes

o alumni OR student AND resumes

o text: alumni resumes

o university AND resumes OR cv

Free Resume Newsgroups (Newsgroups are email lists where people can post various things. There are several free resume newsgroups.)

o “free resumes” AND newsgroups

o newgroup* AND resumes

o url: newsgroup

o text: newsgroup

Free Resume Blaster Sites (These sites send resumes to your inbox after you fill out a form describing the types of resumes you need.)

o “resume distribution”

o “blast your resume”

Active or Passive individual candidate resumes on individual web pages. (There are thousands of personal resumes posted on the web. Some are active and some passive. Using the 4 numbers of the current year in your search can help you find more active resumes)

o url: resume AND 2005

o url: resume AND java AND oracle AND php

o resume AND experience AND education AND java OR oracle

o title: resume AND manage*

Now you’re ready to begin your search for free resume resources. If you find that your busy schedule doesn’t allow enough time for you to run searches to find a substantial amount of free resume resources, you should visit http://www.freeresumesites.com. They have already compiled an extensive list of hundreds of free resume databases, association websites, college resume sites, free resume newsgroups, free resume blaster sites, free job posting sites and links to pages that offer individual resumes. They charge a very minimal fee to access this list. This site can save you time and will provide you with all-of-the free resume resources mentioned in this article.

Remember, the Internet is an amazing resource for recruiters and if you don’t want to spend large sums of money on useless job boards, you now have the skills it takes to find free resumes. Good luck with your recruiting efforts!

Kim Proulx is a professional Internet Researcher with 10 years of experience.

Do you want to buy a quality used car but are afraid of getting ripped off?

You’re not alone, and for good reason. Used car sales are far and away the most lucrative segment in the auto industry in terms of commissions that the sales people and dealership makes and therefore, the GREED factor comes in when selling cars is concerned. The potential for being taken advantage of increases for the unwary and uninformed car buyer.

Having said that, there are still quite a few honest, credible used car dealerships out there and if you are prepared with some of the tips in this article, then you can drive off with a nice, clean used car AND a good deal.

There are TWO basic types of Used Car Dealerships you need to know how to differentiate between the two.

1. Your garden variety of used car dealerships that most towns and cities have almost everywhere. These dealerships, generally sell cars bought at local auctions or were higher mileage cars bought form a local dealership, or taken as trade-ins on their lot. Generally speaking, you won’t find the latest models with the lowest miles and still under warranty. What you CAN find are clean reliable cars, maybe with higher miles that you wouldn’t find at a brand dealership, but often lower prices. The typical used car dealership has nowhere near the overhead of major dealerships so, their gross profit margin – the difference in costs they have in a car and what they can sell it for — can be lower, thus, ideally, saving you some money.

Most of the better used car dealerships offer financing and warranties for all their cars at an extra cost, of course. Some, but not most have a place to service their cars before putting the car on their lot. You need to make sure whatever car you are looking at has at least had an updated inspection.

Used car dealerships can be a great place to find a good car, BUT, be careful, some of the cars can be rough around the edges and you need to know what to look for and how to look at a used car.

2. Your automobile dealerships that sell new and used cars. Usually, these dealerships keep a selection of what they like to refer to as “pre owned” or even “certified pre-owned” vehicles and they usually spend more time on the prep of the car before it goes on the lot. They have a shop and certified technicians to go over these cars and make sure these cars are in good shape. Especially the Certified Pre Owned cars need to look and run close like new. All of this does, of course make the Brand Dealership Used cars priced on the higher end. Be ready to haggle!

Buying a used car or “pre-owned” car can make a lot of sense regardless of where you buy one.

Any new car will drop 25 – 40% once it drives off the lot. In this day and age of better cars and cars lasting over 100k miles, used cars, especially almost any Japanese car, can last to well over 200k miles and you get an even better price. Again, make sure the Car Fax checks out!

BIG MYTH: “When you buy a used car, you’re buying someone else’s problem”Not necessarily so. Many used cars are lease turn ins. Many used cars the owners simply out grew the car or, like so many people on the road, they just like to trade cars often and change cars like underwear!

Following are some tips on how to maneuver through the sometimes shark infested waters of used car dealerships.

1. Know what you want. Or at least, have an idea. Do you want an economy car? A luxury sedan? An SUV? You will find a good selection on some of the many Used Car lots that dot our landscapes. A good way to shop discreetly is to shop online. Compare similar models and makes.

Check Consumer Reports for Best Used Car deals or the Kelly Blue Book online.

2. What will it cost? Once you have an idea of what you want, get an idea of what it would cost. The most popular and the oldest service is Kelly Blue Book. At KBB, you can select practically any model, make and year of vehicle and get a “good-better-best” price, depending on the vehicle condition and various features. With KBB, you can get a general idea of pricing or even narrow it down to specific features. For instance, if that cool sports sedan you’ve spotted at a lot has leather upholstery and alloy rims vs. cloth seats and wheel covers, then you’ll pay more for the leather and rims. Also, you MUST know what the mileage on the car you are interested in. Cars with over 100,000 miles automatically drop in price compared to similar cars with under 100k miles.

3. Get a Car Fax report! A Car Fax report provides the detailed history of practically any vehicle on the road today.. To do this you need to accurately write down the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

A Car Fax report will tell you a LOT! It will tell you important stuff like: Has the car been wrecked? Total loss? Has the car been in a flood? Are there any recalls? Has the air bag ever been deployed? Has this car been “salvaged”? Has the car been inspected annually? How many owners and where? If the car you are interested in has been through several owners, that could be a red flag so pay attention to the number of owners in the past.

These are important things to know before even taking a test drive! You can get the Car Fax yourself, or ask the dealer to present you with a recent Car Fax Report.

NOTE: Any good used car dealer ship will likely have one on file and gladly show it to you.

IF this dealer Fancy Dances around this issue, then move on!

4. Visually Inspect the Car yourself! Walk around it and look at the fit and finish. Not all wrecked cars will be reported, but if you see uneven spaces between the doors, and hood and fender, then watch out! Check for “over spray”. If the car was repainted, it may not show up on a Car Fax either. Look around the black moldings, and exterior fittings like headlights, door handles, etc. If you see “over spray” it likely means the car has been repainted. Now, for a car older than 10 years it could be perfectly reasonable to have a re-paint. Just try and find out who and where the work was done.

5. Look Under the hood. Even if you are clueless at what you are looking at, do this anyway. Is the engine clean? Is there mud on the inner sides? What do the battery cables look like? Clean or corrosion built up? Not good if the engine area is not spotless and had a good steam cleaning.

6. Check the oil and all the other fluid levels. This seems obvious, but still, you want to know if the oil has been changed and the fluids – brake and transmission — are topped off. If any of these levels are low – RED FLAG!

7. Inspect the tire tread. A method for checking tread depth is to insert a penny in one of the grooves with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you. If you can see the top of old Abe’s head, it is time to replace your tires and make sure the dealer knows this is a concern. At the bargaining table, you may get a new set of tires!

8. Inspect the wiper blades. Normal wear and tear on wiper blades are common, but if you are buying this car from a dealership of any kind, you should have fresh wiper blades.

Once you’re satisfied that the car you are looking at is worth of your attention, THEN and ONLY then take if for a test drive!

Next step Test Drive!9. The salesman may or may not give you some BS about him driving the car off the lot and down the street some distance to switch for “insurance” reasons. Not true! They want to keep as much control over the process as possible that’s all.

There are several things to look and listen for when starting out:

10. Start the engine with the window down so you can HEAR and SEE what its like.

Is the muffler quiet? Is there smoke blowing out?

11. Assuming you are in an automatic, move the transmission back and forth between the gears,

“P”, “D”, “R”, “N” etc… does if shift easily? What does it sound like when you put it into the drive gear? If there is a CLANK sound, look out, could be trouble!

12. If it’s a manual drive, make sure the gears shift easily from one gear to the next. Test the clutch.

Is there a lot of “play” when you press down before the clutch catches? If there is “play” then the clutch could be worn.

13. Driving. First, get into an open stretch and accelerate as fast as possible. Is the acceleration smooth? Does it hesitate or halt or stop? Not good!

14. BreakingNext, apply the brakes firmly but don’t slam on the brakes. Does the car swerve to the left or right? If so, could be alignment problems. Not good! How far does the brake pedal go before engaging? If a lot, then the car may need brake work. If it goes to the floor, then you have real brake problems.

15. Interior Controls.Does the Air Conditioning work and blow cold? Is the heater working? How’s the stereo?

Do the power windows roll up? Do the crank windows roll up easily?

Do the locks work? Make sure you take the time to learn about the interior aspects of your potential next car.

16. Take the car for a good drive! Have fun! Crank up the stereo! Bring along a CD to play!

Drive in traffic as well as on an Interstate Highway if possible. Listen for any unusual noises or loudness. Accelerate and brake frequently to test the car’s responsiveness.

Okay, you took the Test Drive, you think you love the car, now what?

Make sure you have paid attention to steps 1, 2 and 3. Demand a Car Fax report. Always seriously pour over the report as if you were preparing your Last Will and Testament.

NEVER let the sales person know you are totally thrilled with the car or in any way desperate for a car. This opens up an opportunity to be taken advantage of.

Also, if you want to trade your old ride for a new one, NEVER tell the dealership you intend to trade up front because this can skew the numbers you are being offered. You ALWAYS want to know what the car will cost BEFORE the trade!

It goes without saying you need to be ready to walk away from any deal you are offered. If it smells fishy, it probably is! DO NOT let your emotions get the best of you! There’s always as good or better car out there with your name on it!

In summary, be like the Boy Scouts whose motto is: “Be Prepared” and you will likely find a good car you can live with for several years or more.

J Gary Dean is an author and videographer in Greensboro NC. Also, a former used car salesman himself, Mr. Dean brings a unique perspective in the area of buying a used car.

Visit his website:

[http://www.NCInternetAdvertising.com]

or his blog:

[http://www.WhoIsGaryDean.com]

Ever imagined owning your own clothing line? Who hasn’t been to a store to find the ugliest design you’ve ever seen charge $50 and up? Or walked down the street and wondered how any human could allow them self to be seen in such an ugly clothing article? Have you ever thought to yourself, if they could design that and someone bought it, why couldn’t I?

Learn from my mistakes how you could start selling clothing with an upfront cost less than that of a PS3 game!! No hype, just the facts. Before I get to how that’s possible, let me walk you through having your own full fledge clothing line. I am by no means an expert, but I do know that what I’ve learned through blood, sweat, and tears can benefit any one interested in the same dream I had. I’m not selling anything, so the information I present is yours to use and assimilate as you wish.

1. Know your Market- Any business book or self-help guru will tell you this, but in the fashion industry this is especially important. Your market determines how much you can sell your clothing for, what style of clothing, what colors, even your clothing line name. It’s important to do research, which doesn’t always have to be in the form of sitting behind a computer looking up boring statistical data. Get out into the market, check out malls, movie theaters, and anywhere else your ideal market goes. Look at magazines that focus on your demographics, TV shows, even your own closet. Ask yourself why you spent the money you did on your clothing items.

2. Meet your Peers- This step has personally saved me countless hours of agony by allowing me to learn from others mistakes. A simple search engine query of Fashion Forums will pull up some indispensable information on websites where other clothing line owners, both successful and not, meet to discuss the fashion industry, techniques to use on clothing, even vendors to use for printing and apparel.

3. Name It- This is one of the most time consuming yet rewarding parts. Name your clothing. Come up with a catchy clothing line name that really displays what your line is about. Ask yourself what perception you want your market to have about your clothing line, and name it accordingly. This is the most important step, you have to have a name worth mentioning, if not why would a store take a chance on your line, and why would a consumer want to wear your clothing if you name doesn’t fit the market?

4. Inc it- You know your market, you have peers in forums who are willing to answer any questions, you have a catchy name, now it’s time to put it in the record books. Incorporating can be an entire article by itself, but let me forewarn you, it’s not as difficult as it may seem. You could always pay a lawyer a couple hundred bucks to do it for you, or you can do a little research and save a lot of money. The government wants small business, they love us!! So it only makes sense that they would help us form, which they do. Go to your local state government homepage, do a search for starting a business in the state, and you’ll have all you need. Period!

5. Designs- If you’re a graphic designer you’re ahead of the game, however for the average person including myself, you’ll need someone to design your shirts. Since the invent of the internet this step is easy! Write an ad on any of the countless classified ads advertising a graphic designer for a clothing line project, then watch your inbox blow up. Graphic artist can charge by the hour or project, although I suggest only going with those who charge by the project. The basic prices can be anywhere from $30 – $1,000.00, it just depends on what you want done and who you talk to. Shop around and you’ll be glad you did. Added in this step, if you want a full blown clothing line, as opposed to just a shirt with a design, you would want to also look into getting a graphic designer to do a logo for you. Again the cost can be nominal $50 up to $800.

6. Wear 2?- You have your design but no clothes, now what? Well again doing a simple search online of wholesale dealers can pull up some great sources of blank T-shirts, Jackets and Jeans. Here is where your incorporating comes in handy. One of the forms you are going to want to fill out is the Sales & Use Tax License Number (Form names may differ from state to state). This number will allow you to purchase goods at wholesale prices instead of retail. If you don’t want to go this route, another great source is your local flea markets. They can sell at bulk rates and have some excellent quality clothing.

7. Print It- Once you have your design together and your clothing, next is the printer. This is typically the most costly part of your clothing line, and for a good reason. If you just go for the cheapest, that’s what you’ll get. Research printers in your area, ask to see their work and ask for references. This is where the forum mentioned in Step 2 is helpful. Talk to the forum about printers in your area and see if anyone has had experience with them. Word of mouth is important. The more clothing you are printing, the cheaper the cost will be per clothing.

8. Now the Fun Begins- Here is where it gets the most exciting and scary! You have your clothing, it looks good, well not that good since it’s just sitting in your living room collecting dust. Market your clothing. There are so many ways and avenues that this could be it’s own article. But keep in mind, this has to be treated like your baby, and if you put due diligence and work into your clothing, show it! Go to trade shows, open up a table at the flea market, sell out of your trunk, go to retail stores and offer wholesale prices, rent a kiosk at the local mall, give away a lot of clothes for free to create a buzz, pester your family to buy your clothing and show to all of their friends. There are enough books and resources on how to market that you should be fine by this point. Just do whatever it takes to get your clothing in front of consumers.

I said at the onset that you could start selling clothing for cost a less than the price of a PS3 game. Obviously that would be lies if you included the cost of incorporating, purchasing t-shirts, graphic designers and printing, but let me show you how. If you do a search for Opening up a free online shop, it will display companies who will allow you to open up a clothing store for free. Yes free, you don’t have to ever pay anything. So the PS3 game cost would just be the price you pay for your design. Keep in mind you can get a design for $30 depending on which artist you use.

So there you have it, by no means exhaustive, but hopefully helpful. You can start selling your own clothing on just about any budget. If you don’t have money saved for a starting a company, try opening up the online store, and use the profit from that to incorporate and start printing your clothing, or if you prefer to not have to deal with that hassle, just market your website and get paid while not having any of the overhead associated with a clothing line. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Travis L. is a young entrepreneur. He incorporated his first company at the age of 17 and has not looked back. He is also an actor, and is actively pursuing a career in theater and music. His newest venture is an urban themed clothing line with a positive message of paying homage to the past, present, and future.

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My Clothing Line [http://www.payourespect.com]

There is really only one qualification for being classified as a gourmet cook. You have to know how to cook from scratch with or without a recipe. This is the basic standard of preparing gourmet dishes. Basic cooking is knowing how to open a can of beans and slice some bread to go with it. Gourmet cooking is knowing how to open a can of beans and layering it on sliced grilled franks and adding melted American cheese on top.

The fact is when it comes to gourmet cooking there is a little more of the extraordinary over that of just slapping together a meal.

Does one need to go to a chef’s culinary institute to become a gourmet cook?

If you went to a chef’s culinary institute, you would graduate with a degree that would let you work in some of the finest restaurants in the world. If you learned the basics of cooking like how to fry an egg and not burn the bacon, you could work in some of the restaurants that offer breakfasts at reasonable prices.

When is a basic restaurant cook also a gourmet cook?

If a cook at a fast foods restaurant did not follow the plan in preparing his product, he would be fired. A short order cook is also trained in certain basic cooking techniques. Improvisation and a sense of refined judgment in presentation and taste are not required for basic cooking but are a must for a gourmet cook. Understanding this difference is the key to learning the art of a gourmet cook. It’s like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle where you always have the final big picture in mind.

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Are you in the market for a dog trainer? Do you want your dog to learn from a top notch certified dog trainer? You may have dreams of seeing your dog in professional dog competitions and shows. Therefore, you need to have your dog trained by a certified dog trainer to ensure the best results.

Why should you hire a certified dog trainer instead of a basic dog trainer? A certified dog trainer is one that takes their dog training career seriously enough to become certified. You can feel comfortable in the fact that they have met high dog training standards and passed certification exams and tests. You don’t want a fly-by-night dog trainer, but a certified dog trainer that is in it for the long haul.

How do you find a certified dog trainer? There are numerous dog trainers available in the market place today. Dog trainers range in age, skill level, and experience. Your neighbor might tell you that they are a dog trainer because they have read a few books on the subject and taught their dog to fetch the newspaper. This is not sufficient dog training experience.

You should consult a variety of resources. Try asking your dog breeder, groomer, and veterinarian. They can direct you to local dog training schools that have certified dog trainers on their faculty. Various pet supply stores have dog training programs that train and certify their dog trainers. Example pet supply stores include PETCO.

However, research what they mean by “certification”. Is the certification by PETCO standards only or by a universal certification? Find out what the requirements are for their certified dog trainers. Only then can you determine if their dog trainers will supply the skill level and experience you desire.

You need to find a dog trainer that has had comprehensive training and can proudly demonstrate that they are a certified dog trainer. Be aware, though, that there are many “certified dog training” schools and home correspondence courses available. Not all of these schools are credible nor do they provide proper instruction. You need to find a dog trainer that has certification as described by the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers.

The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers is a well respected organization that provides testing and certification services for dog trainers. They administer specific dog training tests in various states around the country approximately twice per year. These intensive tests root out the professional dog trainer from the average dog trainer. Check out their website at: http://www.ccpdt.org/.

The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers also provides a listing of certified dog trainers. You can search through this listing to find a certified dog trainer in your area. This roster of certified dog trainers comprises certified dog trainers all over the world. The certified dog trainer list will give you their contact information including name, city, phone number, and e-mail address. Another great feature is that they list the date the dog trainer became certified. This will let you know how many years they have been in the dog training business. Peruse the list at: [http://ccpdt.org/rstr/index.html].

Certified pet trainers do not only need to pass a certification exam and testing, they must also continue their education through workshops, conferences, and other means. When selecting a certified dog trainer ask them about the extent of their continuing education. You want a certified dog trainer that continues to hone their craft. They should actively learning about various dog training methods. This demonstrates that they are committed to providing the best dog training.

A certified dog trainer should have at least three to five years of dog training experience. This is especially true if they charge higher fees. You can take the plunge with a newly certified dog trainer if cost is an issue. Newly certified dog trainers may charge lower rates in order to establish a list of clients and garner experience. “Master” certified dog trainers are those that have twenty to thirty years of experience. They may have great skill and in depth background experience, but may come at a higher price.

You have the beginning knowledge regarding finding a certified dog trainer. Spend time searching resources available through your dog breeder, veterinarian, and pet supply store. Scour the book store, library, and Internet for detailed information. You can find a certified dog trainer in your area as well.

You wouldn’t go to an unlicensed doctor would you? So why would go to a trainer that is not certified? Certified dog trainers are out there and ready to help you and your pooch learn valuable skills. They are committed to your dog, their career, and learning everything they can about becoming a top notch dog trainer. Who knows, your certified dog trainer may help your dog win the Westminster dog show. Not only would your dog be trained well and achieve glory, but the expense would be well worth it.

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