But the message to emerge out of the current recession, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, is that if you want to keep your job, if and when it happens again, it´s better to be well-educated than well-paid.  In 1973, only 28% of jobs required a post-secondary education, but in 2008 that figure was 59%. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce scholars say this number will increase to 63% within the next decade.  In 2008, the median salary of a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts was $55,777 USD, compared with $33,800 for those who are only high-school educated.  The figures for unemployment percentages follow suit, with almost double the number of high-school only graduates unemployed compared with college graduates.

Jobs in the IT industry increased by 4.3% in the last year, and while a select few made it without higher education, about 86% of the industry has some form of tertiary study behind them.

Bottom line: the odds are better with an education, and the IT industry is booming.  Click here to view some courses you can study in the United States.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com

The job market is constantly evolving.  As technology advances, it creates openings in new fields and makes others obselete.  The saavy job seeker should be up to date with trends and forecasts, to make an informed choice about what to study according to the market and where it´s going.

Which occupations are likely to experience an increase in demand in the coming years? Here we share a few tips on the industries that are on the rise.

• Organic Food Farmer.

The organic market currently makes up 10% of the food industry, and the majority of growth has been in recent years.  An increase in demand for organic food means an increase in demand for the farmers of organic produce.

• Genetic Counsellor

Genetic technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and parents may soon be able to choose certain genetic characteristics, such as the sex of an unborn child.

• Cyber Security Specialist

The continued growth and strength of the internet calls for IT professionals who can both protect websites and businesses, and help to patrol and stop hackers and other threats to computer systems.

• Social Media Manager

This job has really emerged in the last couple of years, with the global dominance of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  A mix between marketing and IT professions, companies both big and small are hiring social media managers to create and maintain the buzz around their brand.

• Sustainability Officer

As big business tries to become more eco-friendly and governments pass laws that aim to reduce our carbon footprint, the sustainability officer is the expert in working with new policies and procedures in this area.

• Medical Records Administrator

Technology and demand to digitalise medical records is huge, and more people are going to be needed in this field to be able to deal with the workload.

• Mobile Application Developer

With the increase in the popularity of smart phones comes the increase in demand for application developers.

• Robotics Technician

The Japanese have made a robotic carer to help with their ageing population and the demands on the aged care industry, and the increase in robots will require an increase in technicians to build and maintain them.

• Stem Cell Researcher

It´s still controversial but growth in this area is set to soar.

• Simulation Engineer

Simulators are used in many industries, such as in aviation and medicine, and as this specialist technology develops so too do the jobs.

Source: http://jobs.aol.com

It is proven that playing music activates both parts of the brain and hastens processing and the retention of information. According to The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, learning potential can be increased a minimum of five times by using 60 beat-per-minute music. For example, the ancient Greeks sang their dramas because they understood how music could help them remember more easily.

Music is also a great tool to use when learning a foreign language. The ability to listen, classify sounds and recognize intonations has a direct impact on the success of breaking language barriers. Musicians rarely have strong accents and they catch and remember new words faster. One my friends, a passionate violin-player, could communicate fluently in 6 languages. He claimed that the reason for such achievements was music.

Listening to music supports the effective learning process. Everyone knows the “Mozart effect“, where listening to classical music increases the results in studies. Careful listening facilitates concentration and creativity. You only need to include music as a background to your learning, and you should start to see results.

References: http://www.cerebromente.org.br, http://musiced.com/

Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources, says that everyone is born talented.  In his bestselling book “The Element: How finding your passion changes everything”, he explains that all children believe they are creative, but growing up they loose confidence in their own capabilities. The main reason he says, is that the education system kills this creativity and uses a standardized approach for each child.

According to Sir Ken “One of the essential problems for education is that most countries subject their schools to the fast-food model of quality assurance”. But is there any good alternative to such systems?

A key message of the book, which was translated into 16 languages and recognized by famous writers Stephen R. Covey, Susan Jeffers, Alvin Toffler and others, is that finding your true passion or element can make you successful in your career and personal life. Sir Ken claims that our life makes sense only when we do things that we are naturally talented in. To validate this statement he gives examples of people who discovered their talents and converted them into their professions. These include Gillian Lynne, Matt Groening, Ridley Scott, Paul McCartney, and others who are not so famous but are successful in what they do. These people also make a social impact by bringing about positive changes and being proactive.

From Sir Ken’s point of view, looking for an element is a process that doesn’t depend on age, IQ level or social status. The element can be found with the help of outstanding thinking, luck, mentors and good education, although many schools and universities still don’t provide these conditions. Sir Ken has a solution for this issue:

“The future of education is not in standardizing but in customizing; not in promoting groupthink and “deindividuation” but in cultivating the real depth and dynamism of human abilities of every sort. For the future, education must be elemental.”

Right now Sir Ken Robinson is looking for new stories for the sequel to his book, and you can contribute by sharing your own story.

Don´t worry, we have some tips on how to repair your online image:

1.Google Yourself
Google your name and variations of it to read what has been written about you. The Search Engine Results can reveal a lot, and some of that information could be misleading. Take time to remove these negative search results. You don’t want a recruiter to uncover unfavourable or even false information about you.

2.Clean up Your Profiles
You don’t want information that you share on your profile to be used against you.  Visit your favourite social media sites to check if anything unsuitable needs to be removed.

3.Protect Your Privacy
Go through your contacts and assign them to different groups: eg. friends, limited profile view and acquaintances. You can decide what sort of information you want to share with each group. You can also decide if you want to appear in public search results. Investigate the options carefully.

4.Use a Professional Email Address
ThePirateMajesty@cutey.com or DjTara@popstar.com are funky emails for music forum members but not for serious job applicants. Be more mainstream and establish your email account at Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo. The safest would be a combination of your name and surname.

3.Update Your Photos
The photos you post on social media speak a lot about you and put you in a social context.  Select photos that represent you best. Remove photos that you wouldn’t like even your parents to see.

4.Cancel Community Memberships
You probably belong to a lot more social communities than you realize. Cancel all inactive accounts if you don’t use them anymore.

6.Check Your Blog Comments
The comments you leave on someone else’s blog or forum never disappear. It they’re harsh and spicy they could come back to bite you. Be prepared to explain it to the interviewer if that conversation is brought up.

7. Think Twice Before you Make a new Post
You don’t want to make the same mistake again, do you? Before you make a comment on a blog or post a photo, think about who will see it.  Colleagues from work that you just accepted as a friend? Your boss?

If you’re keen on learning more on the subject of privacy and IT, you might find these programmes interesting:

Postgraduate Training in the Security of Computer Networks and Information Systems offered by University of Essex, UK or Bachelor of Information Technology in Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

Photo: Expanish

Have you planned anything for your vacation time this year?  Instead of sitting on a beach somewhere, what about immersing yourself in the culture and language of another country?  Latin American countries are a great choice for a holiday, gap year or even to study abroad and Argentina is one of the most popular choices owing to its charm, affordability and European history.

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is where you will find the most Spanish schools. There are many that offer courses ranging from just a couple of hours daily to more intensive courses that will have you speaking Spanish, or at least mastering the basics, before you leave.  Expanish is a Spanish school in the heart of Buenos Aires who offer a variety of learning options depending on your needs.  Their objective is to immerse you in the language and culture, giving you the best chance at learning while enjoying your time in Argentina.

Intensive Spanish is a program of small group Spanish classes that are 4 hours per day, 20 hours per week.   They offer all levels of Spanish classes starting every Monday, so students can begin a program at any time of the year. You can choose to take from 1 to 20+ weeks, depending on your specific goals and schedules.  To complement the classes, they also offer a variety of activities and workshops where you can practice your Spanish and participate in the local culture.  From tango classes to watching football games, studying Argentine films, bike tours and even weekend trips to exotic places like the Iguazu waterfalls, it doesn´t have to be all about the study because after all, it´s a holiday too.

Still not convinced?  Spanish is the second most natively-spoken language in the world now (after Mandarin), Buenos Aires is regarded as one of the safest big cities in Latin America and you will get to see just how passionate the Argentine people really are.  You may even find that after leaving this vivid city that the old custom of a firm handshake when greeting someone will give way to a friendly kiss on the cheek, even long after returning home to your country.

Have you ever wondered what sort of magic is necessary for producing a fabulous bottle of wine? Perhaps you´ve dreamed of buying a vineyard somewhere out there in California or South Africa and making the wine yourself? Does that seem a little out of reach? No worries, the first place to start is with a little education. We recommend looking into an enology (wine-making) or viticulture (grape-growing) university program that will provide you with the strong background in all aspects of wine production, including site selection, planting material, vine management, harvest parameters, grape handling and fermentation chemistry. Some programs will also provide additional business and marketing courses to help you sell your wines.

Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga Campus in Australia offers Bachelor of Wine Business, which is designed to develop knowledge and skills in winemaking, wine science, viticulture, wine appraisal and business. Students can complete their studies while working in the wine industry, or by interchanging full-time study with distance education.

Students interested in pursuing a career in sustainable viticulture practices might take a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture awarded by the California State University, Fresno, USA. Their Viticulture and Enology Research Center provides world-class education, research, and outreach programs in sustainable and value added viticulture and enology.

For spanish speaking students, Centro Internacional de Estudio del Vino (International Wine Study Center) in Mendoza, Argentina (oh, Malbec!) offers a 6-week distance course in Elaboration of Wine and Wine Slyles. In a short time you’ll learn to identify the importance of terroir and the activities carried out in the vineyard.

You can brose our directories www.educaedu.com for more enology and viticulture courses in the wine regions around the world. You migh also be interested in one of our earlier posts  Wine Sommelier – Course of the Week.

Enjoy!!

According to the recent study one in four teenagers are not getting the appropriate nine hours of sleep at night. What’s more, it was suggested there was a link between lack of sleep and obesity, lower academic achievement and even depression.
In March, pupils in Scotland took lessons in how to sleep as part of their curriculum. The charity Sleep Scotland has provided classes free of charge in a pilot program at three local schools in Scotland to raise awareness of the importance of sleep for emotional and physical wellbeing. The “Sound Sleep” pack will be offered to schools across Scotland next year as workshops for groups of 20 secondary school pupils, with an after-school session for parents and staff advising how to support teenagers to get good sleep.

Here are Sleep Scotland’s top tips for better sleep:
• Restrict homework, exercise and computer games to the early evening.
• One hour before bedtime use to relax and bath
• Switch off TV and PC. Try listening to music or reading a book.
• Avoid chocolate, caffeine, additives, alcohol and nicotine before bedtime. Have a warm milky drink instead.
• Keep to a regular bedtime. Have a set waking time.

Source: SleepScotland.org and Guardian.co.uk

Distance learning has many advantages: it’s convenient, flexible and nowadays has a wide variety of available programs. Online studies are often more affordable than traditional modes of study and can work around your job or career. However, there are also several drawbacks to studying online. With online studies the student has less (if any) face-time with professor.  In addition, there is limited social interactions with other students and no campus atmosphere nor collective learning.  Many students get behind in the their studies because it takes a lot of discipline to keep up without the reminders from professors and students.  If you are taking an online course or interested in taking an online course, have at look at these tips below for a better chance at having a sucessful experience:

Self -Motivation and Self-Discipline It is up to you to motivate yourself and stay on track at all times. Be aware of all deadlines, complete all assignments and stay up to date with all class work and news.

Time Management Consider dedicating specific days of the week, and times of the day, to complete particular tasks. Determine what time of day you think would be best to dedicate to your online class. Stick with schedules that you impose on yourself to meet the course deadlines.

Solve Potential Technical Problems Before They Pop Up The computer will become your primary learning tool. And although you don’t need to be a computer whiz, you do need to have some basic technology skills to succeed. Technical problems can be a major source of frustration so it is best to have some basic computer skills before you start. Find out which programs and software will be needed to start the class beforehand so that you don´t get behind.

Learn the e-learning System Become familiar with e-learning systems as quickly as possible so that you can more efficiently concentrate on the course content.

Reach Out to Professors and Classmates You might feel isolated without face-to-face interactions with professors and peers. Use virtual classrooms, chat rooms, Skype and interactive presentations to establish successful cooperation with other students taking the course.

Communicate in Writing You should feel comfortable in expressing yourself in writing as almost all correspondence is in written form.

Remember It’s All Up to You! Becoming a successful online student is not an impossible task.  It only requires adjusting to a different style and way of learning.

Search for online courses around the world on Educaedu:

Online Courses in the USA, Online Courses in Australia, Online courses in the UK, Online Courses in Canada

If you love working with and training dogs, you possess compassion for animals and a tremendous amount of patience then maybe you should become a dog obedience trainer.  Dogs are social animals and if they’re not provided with proper training, they can become destructive: soiling a house, destroying  belongings, fighting other dogs, barking excessively or even biting people. As a future dog trainer be prepared to deal with it!

Dog obedience trainers work closely with dogs to correct behavioural problems and to train dogs to interact socially with people and other animals. The aim of this job is to help to open up basic communication between dog and owner, and allow for a much better relationship between the two.

Learning to become a dog trainer can begin while you’re still in high school by taking courses in biology, psychology, English, and physical education. During summer vacation you could volunteer with an animal shelter to get some experiences with animals.  Certificate programs in dog obedience training are offered through a variety of schools, where you will learn training methods based on positive motivation and reinforcement, appropriate for the specific breed of dog and it´s temperament.

Highland Canine Training Harmony – NC, offers dog training certification programs with specializations in basic or advanced obedience training, behaviour modification, police K-9 training, detection, search and rescue, competition, obedience or sport-dog training.

At K-9 Companions Riverside – CA,  to become a Certified Dog Trainer the dog trainer must complete the book work, tests and hours, plus have 1 years worth of practical experience working with dogs and clients under the supervision of a professional dog trainer.

The Animal Behaviour College’s Dog Obedience Instructor Program is structured to offer each student the convenience of a home study with the benefit of working one-on-one with a professional trainer.

Completion of a course allows you to take a licensing exam through the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (USA) or its equivalent in your country.