Author Archives: schatzi

Make Money Writing Articles for Magazines

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The purpose of this article is to dispel the myth that magazine article writing jobs are only available for the highly trained or the connected. Almost anyone can make money writing articles for magazines. You will know when you are ready to do so once…

1. You have gotten to the place where you are confident with your blog writing skills and you can easily crank out a couple of posts every single day. You wait for Google to index your traffic so you can start making some real money from your advertising. It is a hit or miss scenario and, unfortunately you will not if your writing is good or not for at least another 90 days.

OR

2. You write articles for somebody else who is going to use them on the Internet. However, they pay you about $0.02 a word no matter how good the article actually is.

OR

3. You write a 500 page article on a topic that you know well and you get paid $250 from your favorite magazine.

Which option seems the best for you?

I am guessing that the third option is definitely the most palatable for almost every person.

Here are some steps to land some magazine article writing jobs and head in the direction of your dream career.

1. Put together a listing of magazines that will sell your articles – If you Google “Magazine Article Jobs”, you should find a couple of different listings within 30 seconds of your search. You want to start out by casting a wide net and coming up with a large list of places where you can post your article.

2. Narrow your targets down to a listing of about 10 different magazines in a specific niche – You can write about your life as a parent or you can write about your technical knowledge and skills. It does not make a difference but you want to focus on a niche that is big enough where you will have 10 or more options but no so big that you will not be able to crack the competition.

3. Go to the Submission Page for the Magazine – Most magazines will have a submissions page where you can submit your idea for your work or you can submit your actual work. The better publications will give you feedback within a certain period of time which is great. Your writing is critical but what is just as important, or potentially more important, is how you position yourself. For example if you are writing on Medical topic, then your credibility will be greater if you are in the Medical profession.

Here are some keys to remember –

a. Give them exactly what they are looking for – Most people will disqualify themselves right off of the bat because they will not provide the information that the magazine is requesting. Do not be one of those people.

b. Sell yourself well in your submission – Remember they are buying you just as much as they are buying what you write. Create a compelling story about yourself that communicates that you are interesting but you are also somebody who is credible and that they can trust. That will go a long way.

c. Find places to gain your credentials – If you have not yet been published in a magazine, you should submit your work to online Ezines or websites. Even a couple of references to places where you have been published is better than not having any references at all. Plus, the other advantage is that you can practice your writing skills in these posts.

d. There is power in numbers – Getting accepted to for magazine article writing jobs is difficult in the beginning. The key is to keep submitting and keep submitting until you have your first work accepted. It may take up to 50 tries to get submitted. However, once your article is accepted by the first publication, it will be much easier to get accepted in other publications in the future. The important thing is that you keep submitting and improving your work based on the feedback you get, both positive and negative from your submissions.

Other benefits of submitting to magazines, even if your work is not submitted –

If your work is submitted and when you are compensated, you most likely will not be able to reuse the work.

However, you can use your published work or non published work as a launching pad for future work or future money making ideas.

Below are a couple of ideas –

– Link to your published work on your own blog – Being published in a major publication is a definite credibility boost. Milk the PR that comes with being published and use that as a launching pad for another product or service. Depending on what you write about, you could also offer coaching services for people.

– If your article goes unpublished, then publish it yourself – There is no reason that the work has to go to waste. Publish it yourself and you may find that you make more money in the long run than if you never published it in the first place.

Just get going and start applying for magazine article writing jobs today and you will be in great shape.

Hyderabad – The Place to Go to for Quality IT Training

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Hyderabad, state capital of AP, India has emerged as a hub for software and IT-enabled services. Hyderabad is home to many Indian IT firms along with a multitude of global IT companies who have setup their development centers. Inumerable IT organizations, consulting firms, BPO firms and other technological services firms have opened their headquarters and/or facilities in the city since the 1990s. Some of the notable ones being Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Amazon. IT exports from Hyderabad alone exceeded $1 billion in 2004, responsible for a major chunk of the revenue generated from software industry of India. The major reason for phenomenal grown of IT in Hyderabad has been the development of infrastructure collectively called as HITEC City, which encouraged many IT companies to set up operations in the city. The percolation of IT in to Hyderabad’s culture, education, economy and demographic is such that Hyderabad is also fondly called as Cyberabad.

Why is Hyderabad the Hub for IT Training in India?

Technical education in India has gained popularity because of the job opportunities created by IT companies setting up their offices in India. The number of engineers coming out of college every year is growing, and though one may debate the quality of talent churned out by the engineering colleges, the huge volume of the available employable resources itself makes it a profitable market for any IT organization. As the companies can recruit resources at a lower cost than most of the other countries, they prefer setting up their local development centers to tap in to the low cost local talent pool, and so far it has worked out nicely for them.

Thousands of engineers, fresh out of college rush to Hyderabad to look for opportunities in the IT companies of Hyderabad. However, the skillset demanded by the IT companies is most of the times not met by the fresh graduates. They have to learn new IT skills, have hands on experience of software engineering, in order to be sale able in a job position in one of these IT companies. So, they rush to IT training institutes in Hyderabad, where they can enroll for vocational courses on various technologies. Normally the courses provided by the software institutes would be couple of months of duration, the fees could range anywhere from 2000 to 20000/- or more,so that the students can comfortably pay the course fee while searching for a job in the city.

Where can one find the IT Training Institutes in Hyderabad

A large number of software institutes are located in Ameerpet. Ameerpet is located centrally within Hyderabad and has evolved as a training capital within the city, housing thousands of training institutes. The market is extremely competitive, and hence one should research thoroughly before choosing the software institute to join. You can find institutes providing training on entry level skills like HTML and MS Excel to specialized professional trainings like SAP implementation.

Other areas in Hyderabad where one can find lot of software training institutes are S.R.Nagar, Dilsukhnagar, Banjara hills and Koti.

A lot of the training institutes double up IT service providers. This gives them 2 benefits, first they get extra income from services, and second they can engage their trainees to work on the solutions.. This is helpful to the students as well as they get to work on real software projects and be able to implement what they learn in the training classes.

Hyderabad is certainly the hub for IT coaching and learning, thanks to the large number of training institutes already established or mushrooming up. However, numbers do not always indicate quality. The training business is so much commercialized that it is very likely to be duped by fake or unreliable training institutes. There are also dubious institutes who create fake experience certificates for students at an additional fee. The students can then get a better job in some organization through lateral entry by using these fake certificates.

Of late, online IT training business is catching up world wide and Hyderabad is no exception. There are some major players in Hyderabad who have started their online training facilities couple of years ago. Some of them are doing really good. One can expect lower fees and a flexible curriculum as per your needs if one goes with online learning from one of these IT training institutes.

Do you want to know which IT trainings will give you the edge over others? Which online training is going to get you in to the coveted job?

You can find more information about the online training and IT Training in Hyderabad from the following website: http://www.ittraininghyderabad.com

Choosing a School Fundraising Company – 4 Important Considerations

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School fundraising companies can literally determine the success of your school fundraiser. A great fundraising company will make the experience easy, enjoyable and profitable while a bad company can make fundraising difficult. Knowing what to consider when choosing your school fundraising company will help you to choose a great provider the first time around.

Reputation

Reputation isn’t everything, but when choosing a school fundraising provider it can be a great place to start. Look for a company that has an established reputation working with schools. You may want to talk with other schools in your area to find out which fundraising company they use. A company with a great reputation will have the skills and experience necessary to help you succeed in the fundraising process. You can also ask your fundraising provider for references if you want to talk with past clients before making a commitment.

Profit Margin

Profitability is another important consideration when choosing a school fundraising provider. Each company determines the profit margin that they will offer to schools and you will find that profits can vary greatly from company to company.

Most school fundraising companies offer schools a percentage of each sale. Look for companies that offer a high percentage. Remember that fees, handling charges, shipping and other expenses can take away from your profits, so be sure to factor these expenses in when making your comparisons.

Customer Service

Fundraising can be difficult, but a great school fundraising company will help you throughout the entire process. As you compare providers pay attention to the level of customer service that you receive. Is it easy to get ahold of someone when you need help? Are the customer service agents helpful? When you encounter problems you will want a fast and reliable source of fundraising answers, so shop around until you find a fundraising company with a helpful customer service team.

Some school fundraising companies will assign each school a sales agent. This agent will work with your throughout the entire fundraising process and will be there to answer any questions that you may have. If this is important to you, make sure that this is a service that your fundraising company offers.

Product Variety

Choosing a fundraising provider is a lot of work, so you won’t want to do it again the next time you plan a fundraiser. Look for school fundraising providers that offer many different types of fundraisers so that you can work with the same company each time you plan a fundraiser. Try to find a company that offers cookie dough, candy bars and treats, catalog products, magazine sales and more. A large variety of fundraisers will make choosing your next fundraiser much easier.

School fundraising companies take the worry out of school fundraising. These tips will help you to find a great provider that will help you to plan a profitable fundraiser for your school. Don’t be afraid to shop around and compare several different companies until you find the fundraising provider that is right for you.

3 Common Questions About Learning Spanish

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Do you want to learn Spanish? If you answered “yes”, you are in the right place! In this article I’m going to answer to the most common questions about this language. Here they are!

1. Is Spanish difficult?

No, it’s one of the easiest languages in the world. If you speak English, Spanish will be way easier for you to learn. Why? Because many English words are very similar to Spanish words and you can easily find out what they mean. What’s more, Spanish has a phonemic orthography and this means that it’s very easy to learn the correct pronunciation. So, there’s nothing to be scared of!

2. How long does it take to learn Spanish?

It depends. If you learn on your own and immerse yourself, it’s possible to become fluent in a year or so. You may even become fluent in a few months, but only if you practice a lot every single day (or move to a Spanish speaking country – this is the most effective way). If you take classes, it can take you even a few years to learn the language.

3. What is the best method to learn Spanish?

It’s simple – start with the basic things like basic grammar, common words, phrases, pronunciation rules and so on. Don’t strive for perfection – just some basic things.

Learn the basic things and then immerse yourself in Spanish – interact with native speakers, watch Spanish movies, listen to the radio, read Spanish websites, articles, books, write to a pen pal, listen to Spanish music and speak as much as you can at every opportunity.

Thanks to this, you will speak Spanish fluently even after a few months. However, you need to practice a lot – you can’t learn a new language quickly if you don’t want to practice at least one or two hours every day.

So, what are you waiting for? Start learning Spanish today! Good luck and have fun!

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Tutorial: The OSPF RID

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OSPF is a major topic on your CCNA exam, as well it should be. OSPF is a widely-used WAN protocol, and you need to learn the fundamentals before moving on to more complicated configurations. One such detail is the OSPF Router ID, or RID.

The RID is the dotted decimal value by which other OSPF routers will identify a given OSPF router. There are some interesting defaults for this value, and a command you should know to hardcode the RID. You had also better know what has to happen for this command to take effect, so let’s take a more detailed look at the OSPF RID.

In this example, R1 has an adjacency with R2 and R3 over the 172.12.123.0/24 frame network. R1 is the hub, with R2 and R3 as the spokes. No other interfaces are OSPF-enabled on any of the routers. Running show ip ospf neighbor on R1, we see some unusual values under “Neighbor ID”, which is another name for the OSPF RID.

R1#show ip ospf neighbor

Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface

3.3.3.3 0 FULL/DROTHER 00:01:57 172.12.123.3 Serial0

2.2.2.2 0 FULL/DROTHER 00:01:57 172.12.123.2 Serial0

Notice the Neighbor ID of each remote address is the loopback address. How can that be if they’re not OSPF-enabled?

When determining the Router ID (RID) of an OSPF-enabled router, OSPF will always use the numerically highest IP address on the router’s loopback interfaces, regardless of whether that loopback is OSPF-enabled.

What if there is no loopback? OSPF will then use the numerically highest IP address of the physical interfaces, regardless of whether that interface is OSPF-enabled.

BOTTOM LINE: An interface does not have to be running OSPF to have its IP address used as the OSPF RID.

The OSPF RID can be changed, but it requires a restart or to reinitialize the OSPF routing process. Use the router-id command to change the default RID of each router as shown, and clear the OSPF process to do so.

R1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

R1(config)#router ospf 1

R1(config-router)#router-id 11.11.11.11

Reload or use “clear ip ospf process” command, for this to take effect

R1#clear ip ospf process

Reset ALL OSPF processes? [no]: yes

1d05h: %OSPF-5-ADJCHG: Process 1, Nbr 3.3.3.3 on Serial0 from 2WAY to
DOWN, Neighbor Down: Interface down or detached

1d05h: %OSPF-5-ADJCHG: Process 1, Nbr 2.2.2.2 on Serial0 from 2WAY to
DOWN, Neighbor Down: Interface down or detached

After entering the router-id command, the router console informed you that you have to reload the router or reset the OSPF processes for this to take effect. You enter the clear ip ospf process command to do this. Notice that when you’re asked if you really want to do this, the prompt is “no”? That’s because all the OSPF adjacencies on this router will be lost and will have to begin the process again. That’s OK on a practice rack, not good in a production network. Don’t use that one at work.

The OSPF RID is not a complicated concept, but the fact that an interface doesn’t have to be OSPF-enabled in order to have its IP address act as the RID takes some getting used to. And remember – when the router or switch asks you a question and the prompted answer is “no”, take one step back and make sure you really want to do what you’re about to do!

Government Grants for Women Education

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The government is often keen to ensure that, minority and disadvantaged groups are always offered extra help in everything. This is the reason why, there are free government grants for the education of women. The grants are awarded to ensure that, women get the desired education, so that they can favorably compete in the job markets with the men.

The US government grants are awarded to women, because previously, many college positions were offered to men as opposed to women. It was, therefore, realized that the number women in colleges was very small. The government then devised means of ensuring that this number was increased to match that of the men. College grants were then introduced for women, and today, the number of women in colleges is now more than that of men, which is a positive achievement.

School grants have also been awarded to women, because it is believed that, women drop out of school, to get married and have children. Therefore, by the time they desire to go back to school to get a quality education, there is hardly any income left. All the money is spent on child maintenance and child education, such that, at the end of the day, the women cannot afford the costs of education. In addition, many women today are the sole bread winners for their children, thus the need for attaining some education that will enable them to get jobs, and ultimately provide for their families. The government has, therefore, come out to assist such women get the education they desire by awarding them college grants.

Women in society have always been looked at as the less capable sex. In school and even after school, they are often passed over for their male counter parts. It has, however, been realized that educated women command more respect than the uneducated ones. The government, therefore, aims at improving the status of women in society by awarding them free education grants.

School grants for women are often awarded to women who are studying certain courses, which have very few female professionals. These include medicine, bio chemistry, bio physics and other science based courses. The US government grants, therefore, aim at increasing the number of women professionals in these fields of study.

However, it is crucial to note that, even after attaining education, women are still discriminated against. Women often earn less than their male colleagues, even if they both hold the same post. However, the award of grants for education of women by the government, has to some extent, leveled the playing ground.

Trading Courses to Suit Your Learning Style

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If you have been looking for any amount of time for some good trading courses then you will know that there is so much to choose from. Now that may seem like a good thing? Well it is, and it’s not.

Firstly it is because with so many trading courses to choose from you should be able to choose one that’s just right for you. You of course need to find a course that will fit you budget if you have one that is. If you’re new to trading, you don’t need an overly expensive course to learn the basics of trading, anything up to a couple hundred pounds is more than enough to spend on a course. Then once you have grasped the basics and got some trading under your belt you could reinvest the money made from that trading into the more advanced trading courses but this is not always needed, more on that in a minute.

Secondly you need to look for the right training method that best suites your style of learning. Some people prefer to read from a book or PDF files on their pc in the form of an e-book. Some find it more beneficial to watch the training on a DVD or video, this way they can actually watch what is happening when a trade is placed and see the whole trading mechanism working instead of reading about it. With all the technology at our finger tips we don’t even have to wait for the book or DVD to be delivered we can simply download them straight to our PC in an instant and start learning right away.

I said earlier about once you have mastered the basics of trading that you could then go onto some more advanced trading courses. This is where it can get very expensive. I have seen courses ranging from £500-£5000! And this is for a single course! This is just stupid money that you don’t need to spend.

Reasons Why You Need to Search and Apply For College Scholarships Today

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After the academic year starts, many college students stop worrying about how to pay for college and focus on their course work and making the most of being a college student. However, taking a break from looking for college funding may cost you because the application deadlines for many college scholarships for the next academic year begin as early as November.

Doing a quick search at my university, I found that 13 national scholarship deadlines are in November alone. This is only a small list and does not include university scholarships or those offered by other institutions or individuals, which could be several hundred scholarships with deadlines in November alone. Add to this those expiring in December and you can see that it’s to your benefit to start looking an applying for scholarships today.

Expiration dates are not the only reason to start searching for college scholarships. You also need time to complete the application forms. This may include writing an essay, getting transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation and other documentation. The process takes time; transcripts and test scores may need to be requested and sent, writing a decent essay takes time and revision, and letters of recommendation need to be written by professors who may already have a full schedule and limited time. You should give yourself about 6 weeks to complete the process in order to fulfill all the requirements of the application. A rush job is not the best way to apply for scholarships.

The point is, start looking early to set yourself up for as many scholarships you might be eligible for. The longer you put it off, the less money you may get for college funding next year.

Ten Top Benefits Of Having Your Own Executive Coach

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There are various euphemisms borrowed from other enterprises that have found their way into the business lexicon. Sports have fostered several of these, including the concept of “coaching.” After all, who would not want to have their own Bill Belichick or Terry Francona on the sidelines or in the dugout providing advice and assistance? (Author’s admission – I am a faithful Patriot’s and Red Sox fan, but please, don’t hold that against me – read on!)

An executive coach can help a business owner and his/her employees (the team) to identify areas you need to strengthen and to learn new techniques, shortcuts, and approaches that can make you more effective “on the field.” The coaching model used for so long in the athletic world has real value in business fields. Remember, you want to work “on,” not “in,” your game (business).

While the benefits of having your own executive coach vary with the person, business, and the situation, here are ten benefits that will likely be important for you.

  1. Achieve a Clearer Focus – We all know that business is a serious game and that sometimes life can feel like a contest – with balls constantly being thrown, caught, or hit. When you’re tackled by tasks, projects, e-mails, voice-mails, and customers, and find yourself staying late every day; you may need to work on your focus. A good executive coach will help come up with a plan of action to get things under control.
  2. Stay On Track – It’s easy to put things off. You may know that some things are important. You may tell yourself you want to do them, but then, oddly, you never get around to actually doing them. An executive coach gives you someone who will hold you accountable for what you want to accomplish and keep things from sliding and being thrown out.
  3. Your Own Personal Sounding Board – Sometimes it-s hard to spot weaknesses in your own game plan – reasoning, faulty underlying assumptions, or missing facts. A well-informed executive coach can point these out and help you strategize, brainstorm, and refine your approach – all before you have to take action.
  4. Live a More Balanced Life – When life gets out of balance, both work performance and personal fulfillment (your game plan) can precipitously decline. An executive coach keeps an eye on these critical interrelationships and helps you identify actions you can take to keep them in balance.
  5. Target Your Career Paths and Career Strategies – Too many people are content simply with being on “autopilot” as far as their careers are concerned (they swing the bat, run the bases, and score a few runs). A good executive coach will help you think about effective career paths for you as well as develop strategies to achieve your long-range career objectives (think Most Valuable Player).
  6. Learn New Skills and Approaches – Successful athletes are always willing to learn. When you’re successful, there’s usually a reason for your success. Often you’ve honed your strengths to the maximum. Nevertheless, many people can do dramatically better when they expand beyond their own personal “success formula” to work on skill sets that have remained undeveloped. For example, think about someone you know who’s great with technical details, but terrible with people. When that person improves his/her “people skills,” a completely new world of career and life possibilities opens up.
  7. Have a Mentor – Just like a sports coach, an executive coach can act as a mentor in many different situations and is especially valuable for entrepreneurs, or those taking on new responsibilities. In situations like these, an executive coach can help you handle the steep learning curves that often have to be dealt with.
  8. Become More Productive – You can become more productive by figuring out ways to do things more efficiently, by prioritizing better and by minimizing low payback activities. (Think Curt Shilling using his fastball less, and working the corners more!) Working with an executive coach on an ongoing basis helps to give you perspective on your job and to identify better ways to apportion your time and energy so you get maximum results.
  9. Maintain Momentum and Enthusiasm – Although you may know intellectually what you need to do to reach your goals, often that’s not enough. In today’s busy world, it’s much too easy to be diverted. When you work with an executive coach on a regular basis, you don’t lose track of your important goals. Consider yourself in constant training, charting your progress from week-to-week, getting inspired, becoming reenergized, and keeping your momentum going.
  10. Avoid Dangerous Blind Spots – Just as there are certain parts of the defense you can’t read, there are undoubtedly things that you regularly miss in your daily interactions because you (as is the case with most people) have your own personal blind spots. A “numbers” person might be sensitive to today’s bottom line but miss long-term industry trends. A “strategic planner” might view the world in terms of trends and not be focused on what’s actually happening today. An executive coach – acting as a second pair of eyes – can point out things that are critical to your success that you may be missing.

Successful athletes appreciate the advice, direction, feedback, and assistance of their “coaches” since they become more successful by heeding this assistance. Successful business owners can learn to do the same by seeking, securing, and working with their own “executive coach.” Who is yours?

Should You Make a Mid Life Career Change? Pros and Cons of a Midlife Career Change

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Making a career change is difficult at any time, but making a mid life career change can be particularly challenging. The thought of going out into the workplace and starting all over again can be frightening. Yet many people decide that they do want to make a career change mid life and in some ways it is the ideal time for a career move. So what are the pros and cons of mid life career change?

Pros

1. You have more life experience than you did in your teens and twenties.
This means that you will have gathered a great many new skills, developed existing ones and had experience of the world of work.

2. You have more time now to think about what you want. If you have been looking after children full time, or working part time while the kids were growing up, mid life can be a good time to consider a change. Once your children are old enough to look after themselves or have left home for college, you’ll have a lot more time on your hands. This can be the perfect opportunity to choose a new direction, by following a long held dream or setting up a small business.

3. You may have fewer financial pressures than when you were first starting out, especially if the mortgage has been paid and the kids’ college funds secured.

4. As a result of having worked for some time, you’ll be a lot clearer about what you are good at and what you enjoy doing.

Cons

1. You may need to retrain and this can be time consuming and costly. Although you may be more financially secure, you may not have enough spare cash for a lengthy course.

2. It may be so long since you last studied that you are afraid you won’t be able to keep up with younger students or get your IT skills up to scratch.

3. You might not get support from friends, your partner and other family members.

4. If you haven’t had to find a job for a long time, you might not be up to date with jobsearch techniques.

5. Some employers, despite legislation, still prefer to employ younger workers.

Career change is a big decision and one that you have to make for yourself. So it is a question of balancing the pros and cons and working out what is best for you. You might be able to find your way around some of the obstacles, for example by training or studying part time or online, or gaining some extra skills in your present job and saving towards any courses you will need to do in future.

It is important to follow your heart. If you are happy, those around you will be happier too, even if they have initial misgivings.