Careers in Photography – Just Point & Shoot

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Do you enjoy taking pictures? If so, then a career in photography may be of interest to you! Taking pictures is a very enjoyable activity for many people and it’s one you can earn a living from. A career in photography can be rewarding and lucrative. While it is true that finding employment in it is more difficult than, say, finding employment in information technology, good photographers are able to find work.

There are different types of photography careers that you can obtain employment in, which is part of what makes photography such a satisfying career. The possibilities with it are endless. One of the most satisfying benefits of this career field is the opportunity to start your own business.

Wedding Photographer

Wedding photography is one of the most common career paths for a photographer. Wedding photographers are responsible for taking pictures of the bride, groom, wedding party, families, etc. The nice thing about wedding photography is that it is typically pays well. The downside is your weekends will be tied up. However, this leaves other days of the week open for other types of photography gigs or simple relaxation.

Baby Photographer

There’s just something about a baby and a camera that go together. People like to have their baby’s picture taken for special occasions such as birthdays, graduations, baptisms, etc. This is becoming a booming opportunity for those interested in a photography career. Opportunities are available at Sears, Wal-Mart, and other large department stores. This is an excellent field for those who wish to work from home too. Baby photography is a very profitable and flexible photography career field.

Model Photographer

Another well paying career in photography is model photography. Photographers that work in this field are responsible for taking pictures of models for a variety of layouts like magazines, advertisements, catalogs, websites, and more. This career will tap your creative juices and photographic skills as you try to capture the essence of each model.

Requirements for a Photography Career

A career in photography may or may not require a degree. It depends on the job. It does require some training. The best training comes from just doing it. Buy a good quality camera and start shooting pictures. If you’re new to it and want to make a career of it then getting additional training is money well spent. Check with your local college. They usually offer classes on it that can teach you the basic skills needed to take good pictures.

So what are you waiting for? Photography career opportunities abound. Explore the possibilities open to you.

Planning Educational Expenses Through an Education Savings Bond Program

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As a general rule, you have to pay taxes on the interest which you earn on your U.S. savings bonds. However, when your cash them under Education Savings Bond Program, it may be possible for you to exclude interest on them.

The Education Savings Bonds program of the Federal government allows you to claim a deduction for their part of or the entire amount you earn on saving bonds. The following requirements must be met in order to qualify

  1. The bonds must be either Series EE/E or Series I bonds which are issued since 1990.
  2. The expenses qualifying for higher education must be incurred in the year in which you redeem the bonds.
  3. Your age must be at least 24 years on the first day of the month in which you purchase the bonds.
  4. You can use the bonds either for your own education or for the education of your child. When you want the money to be used for the education of your child, the bonds have to be registered either in your name or in the name of your spouse. Your child, for whose educational expenses the bonds are purchased, may be listed as a beneficiary. However the child cannot be listed as a co-owner. 
  5. If you are planning to use the money out of those bonds for your own education, the bonds have to be registered in your name.
  6. You must file a joint return if you’re married, in order to get qualified for the exclusion.
  7. There are certain income requirements for the eligibility. For the tax year 2008, the deduction is phased out on the basis of element there is a partial phase out if your income is more than $67,100 ($100,650 in case of people married filing jointly) and there is a total phase out if your income is more than $82100 ($130,650 in case of people married filing jointly).
  8. The institution for your post-secondary education must be eligible for the program. Such institutions may be any college, any university or any vocational school eligible to participate in the stalled and Sega program which is administered by the U.S. Dept of education.
  9. If you receive any scholarship, or any money under employer-paid assistance, or money under any other financial assistance, your eligible educational expenses must be reduced by that amount.
  10. There are certain limitations on the purchase of these bonds.  You can buy these bonds up to $30,000 in a year.
  11. You need not declare while purchasing the bonds that you will be using these bonds for educational expenses. Consequently, you may choose not to use these bonds for the education purposes at a later date.
  12. Only the following educational expenses may qualify for this program – tuition and fees, expenses paid for any course required which is a part of a degree or certificate program, expenses for sports, games or hobbies if they are part of a degree or a certificate program. Remember, the cost of books or expenses on boarding are not eligible for exclusion under this program.
  13. You cannot take advantage of the interest exclusion if you have acquired these bonds as a gift.

These bonds are available from payroll saving plans, from about 40,000 financial institutions nationwide, and TreasuryDirect. They are available in denominations from $50 onwards. Even though there is no limit on the amount of bonds you go on buying over your lifetime, there is a limit on the amount of purchase per year. You cannot buy EE bonds more than $5,000 and I bonds more than $5000 in a year.

Generally the educational institutions are not required to verify the expenses of the taxpayer claiming such exclusion. The taxpayer has to keep appropriate records to substantiate his/work claim.

You can use form 8815 for calculating the exclusion of interest from saving bonds. It is always advisable to purchase these bonds in smaller denominations. This provides a lot of convenience while cashing these bonds. In case of cashing more bonds than necessary to take care of the eligible expenses, the excess amount will be taxable.

How to Improve Your Article Writing Skill

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You can earn good money from writing. You can earn even more, if you improve your article writing skill.

If you plan to earn more money from web writing, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of success. Here are just a few tips you can put to use, so that you will write a lot better:

Tip #1: Buy books on grammar, punctuation and writing. Consider this an investment for your writing career. Also, by studying and reviewing the topics from such books, you will be more confident with your work.

Tip #2: Be a wide reader. By being interested with just about any topic out there, you will be exposed to the different types of writing. You will also build your vocabulary in the process. So when it is time for you to write, you have a lot of knowledge to draw from.

Tip #3: Use the Internet references to improve your article writing. There are good guides in the Internet you can refer to. Do some research and know the current best writers. Go to their websites since most will post writing tips there. Valuable, practical information can be read and learned for you to take advantage of.

Tip #4: Study great writers. Learn from them. Buy their books and study how they write. Analyze how they use words, how they structure their sentences, and how they transition from one paragraph to the next. Their writings are probably the best works to learn from.

Tip #5: Practice writing. It is one thing to study writing, it is another to actually do the writing. Only with practice will you improve your writing. You can start by creating your own blog and posting regularly. This will further hone your writing skill.

There is money to be made in web writing. To be successful, however, you have to put in the discipline to do whatever it takes to continue improving your craft.

Why Your School?

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What are the real reasons people send their children to your school? Do you truly know? If you did know, how would that change your programming?

There is a parochial school in Chicago that says the reason parents send their children to the school is, “Superior academic education, safe learning environment, caring teachers, and religious education.” Are those the reasons your parents send their children to your school? How similar is that to what the parents say?

We interviewed a couple whose son recently graduated from the school mentioned above (eighth grade). We asked them if they were satisfied with the educational experience? With great enthusiasm, the parents told us that their son took the public high school placement tests. He placed in AP sophomore math and English. He skipped the freshman classes.

They felt the school provided a superior academic education just as it said it would. They also mentioned the caring teachers and the safe learning environment. Perhaps they mentioned the other things because of the importance the school places on them.

When asked if they would send there daughter to the school, their response was, “Heavens no! She doesn’t need it. For her it would be a waste of money.”

Their daughter is two years younger than their son. She is a top student in the Chicago public schools. She has caring teachers. She is in a safe learning environment. The parents are ordained ministers in a different denomination than their son’s school. They prefer the religious education the children receive at home.

When the family moved to Chicago 4 years ago, their son had special needs. They thought their son needed help with socialization, confidence, disciple (structure and organization rather than behavior), and focus. They choose the school because parents in the neighborhood said the school could provide what was needed.

The family was thrilled with the results. They feel it was worth every penny of the $5,500 per year for the tuition. They have many indicators that their son has improved in all of the areas they were concerned about.

Most of what the school said it was providing was necessary for this family (religious education is the exception). However, those necessary items were unable to justify the tuition for their daughter. The school never claimed to be able to help with the items that really mattered to the son and justified the tuition.

The fact that the family sent one child, rather than both, says the family is discerning. Many families are less discerning. They make the decision to send neither child because they are unable to understand the value to the second child.

How much better could the parochial Chicago school have done if it had been intentional about meeting the needs of that boy? How many other children could they enroll if they were intentional and collected evidence of their success? Would the family mentioned above have sent the second child if the school was more intentional and aware of its value to the community?

Do you really know why parents send their children to your school?

Next Step:

Determine why parents think your school is worth the tuition
Determine how to provide greater value through intentionally providing the services that justify the tuition
Collect evidence that the school does change lives in important ways

It is important to remember that what parents want today is different from what they wanted 10 years ago or will want 10 years from now. Providing value for tuition is a constantly moving target.

The schools that are able to make annual adjustments are the ones that are prospering and have sustainable programs. For others, sometimes the adjustment process starts too late and they close. Every school is either prospering or at risk. Where is your school?

How well aligned is what you say your school does with what parents want and what they are willing to for pay? Sustainability increases as the alignment increases.

Do you know how to check the alignment?

How to Improve Your Article Writing Skill

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You can earn good money from writing. You can earn even more, if you improve your article writing skill.

If you plan to earn more money from web writing, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of success. Here are just a few tips you can put to use, so that you will write a lot better:

Tip #1: Buy books on grammar, punctuation and writing. Consider this an investment for your writing career. Also, by studying and reviewing the topics from such books, you will be more confident with your work.

Tip #2: Be a wide reader. By being interested with just about any topic out there, you will be exposed to the different types of writing. You will also build your vocabulary in the process. So when it is time for you to write, you have a lot of knowledge to draw from.

Tip #3: Use the Internet references to improve your article writing. There are good guides in the Internet you can refer to. Do some research and know the current best writers. Go to their websites since most will post writing tips there. Valuable, practical information can be read and learned for you to take advantage of.

Tip #4: Study great writers. Learn from them. Buy their books and study how they write. Analyze how they use words, how they structure their sentences, and how they transition from one paragraph to the next. Their writings are probably the best works to learn from.

Tip #5: Practice writing. It is one thing to study writing, it is another to actually do the writing. Only with practice will you improve your writing. You can start by creating your own blog and posting regularly. This will further hone your writing skill.

There is money to be made in web writing. To be successful, however, you have to put in the discipline to do whatever it takes to continue improving your craft.

High-Intensity Training, Lose Weight, And Build Muscle With Personal Trainers

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High-intensity training is a proven training system that works I use it my self I’m a personal trainer and I applied these methods with all my clients whether they want to lose weight, build muscle or simply for their health & fitness. I’ve followed these methods of scientific research of high-intensity training for sometime now based upon the research of Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer that when applied properly this method of short 40-45min intense training sessions can deliver fantastic results.

Ok, lets take a look at intensity to help you understand the concept of it most people just go through the motions with training or do to much seeing little or no results at all, remembering that high-intensity muscular contraction is the most important step for the stimulation of increasing muscular size and strength in return helping you burn body fat along the way, the duration of the exercises are not important, high-intensity muscular contraction in terms of practical application to bodybuilding this means that harder you train the less time you will be able to spend in high-intensity training, so when you look at it there’s only one you can do you can train hard or train long but you can’t do both. And since we all want our fitness levels and muscles to grow in the fastest time possible we need to do that little bit less in the the gym keeping our training sessions to a maximum of 40-45mins tops, as long as you train your hardest each session with complete muscular failure this is required to achieve growth of muscle, improved fitness levels and helping you lose body fat, as when using resistance training your metabolism is 40% higher than normal and it continues for up to 4hours after training so your burning cals if when you’ve finished you will see results faster than C.V training alone.

Only high-intensity training can force the body to stimulate muscle growth in the fastest time possible than any other system out there. Repeating tasks that the body has adapted to will do very little to in terms of muscle growth, when you end a set at a number for example, 10 reps or just because it started to get hard at the end of your set then very little muscle growth would of took place.

When you have a personal trainer to take you through a high-intensity training session to ensure you are taking each set to the point of failure, lifting a heavier weight for strength and a mixture of training methods you can and will if applied properly will deliver fantastic results.

As a personal trainer I’ve done my research and found the high-intensity training method is the best way to see results fast.

INCREASING THE INTENSITY!

With your personal trainer anything you do to increase the intensity in your workout is a step in the right direction in order to raise the intensity factor in your workouts it can be done in four ways:

1. Increasing the amount of weight you use every workout.

2. Adding other training methods, i.e., super-sets, tri-sets, pre-exhaust, post-exhaust, forced reps,…..

3. Decreasing your rest time in between sets and exercises.

4. Carrying every set to the point of total failure.

When ever our strength increases the amount of weight used must be increased. Once you can lift a weight with ease then you are know longer stimulating muscle growth there for you must increase the weight to keep delivering results, Increase the weight as required so using a weight you manage 10 reps increase the weight until your maximum rep is 6 reps, this is the way of progressive resistance training.

When decreasing the amount of time it takes to rest between sets and exercises an increase in effort must be made to complete a given workout there for you are increasing your fitness and intensity to get the training session done in a faster time with a maximum of 40-45mins.

Also using other training methods increase the intensity with super-sets, pre-exhausts and giant-sets, drop-sets, tri-sets, all help increase intensity get the workout done in a faster time as well as increase fitness in the C.V system.

The most effective way in raising the intensity factor is training to complete muscular failure, what does training to complete muscular failure mean? with your personal trainer present continue doing a set until you can’t know matter how hard you try you can’t perform another repetition in that set that is complete failure.

Learn Spanish Easily Using Spanish Language Games

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Practice is indispensable in the process of learning Spanish. But, practicing Spanish does not always require you to bury your nose in those heavy books. If you can look out of your book for a while, there are many fun ways of learning and practicing Spanish that make learning interesting. Among them, Spanish language games are one which, when included in your learning structure, can make your learning journey interesting.

Language games serve as warm up activities which strengthen the knowledge you’ve already gained as well as prepare your mind to take on the next big level – all of this without beating your head with tough study materials and certainly without a trace of boredom.

Relaxed learning atmosphere
Kick back and relax! Turn a stuffy and serious Spanish language session into a lively and interactive one by making use of language games. Continuous and focused effort, though essential in learning a language, can make one tired of the learning process or even worse, the language itself if not rightly balanced with entertaining language resources. Hence, take a break with language games at regular intervals. These games relieve the effort in learning Spanish by exposing you to the fun side of learning language and not just the difficulties.

Games make language interesting
Games are hard to resist. They generate interest in the language and stimulate the student’s mind to learn the language. They are great ways to motivate the student and are proven to increase the student’s involvement and participation in the learning process. They are intriguing and fun; hence, a learner will never mind making in-depth study of the language to solve a puzzle.

Setting aside the misconception that games are simply for passing the time, these language games are, in fact, challenging while being entertaining. They ensure free practice and provoke accurate reproduction, which is key to the right usage of a language. Take for instance, crosswords. Aren’t they difficult if you don’t know the exact word that fits into the given spaces? Using these games to learn Spanish vocabulary or grammar, one can certainly learn the right usage of language easily.

Pick the right game based on your daily lessons!
Language games provide flexibility to customize them as per the level of learning Spanish – beginner, intermediate or advanced levels. Games can be adapted as per the current lesson in progress – conjugations, verbs, prepositions, tenses and so on. Hence, you can pick one based on the lesson you have just completed. They also act as comprehensive tools to improve all of the four language skills of the learner – reading, writing, listening and speaking.

If any topic of Spanish is holding you back or you want to further polish your knowledge in particular aspects, just choose the exact game and the level you need.

Win or lose, you end up gaining knowledge. Games offer practice in a meaningful way by helping the learner to respond in the right way to particular content. Though study materials also facilitate this kind of meaningful learning, games have an edge as they are captivating and give results instantly. This makes the learner apply the learned aspects and correct them instantly in case of faults, thus improving self-reliance in the learning process.

Enhance communicative competence
After many successful trials, language games are found to be effective tools for practicing and reviewing language lessons. These games encourage students to focus on the usage of language rather than on the language itself, thereby enhancing creative and spontaneous use of the language. This promotes the communicative abilities of a learner in a faster and better way.

Games engage you and sustain your interest in language. There’s nothing holding you back from practicing aggressively when the practicing tools are as interesting as games. Language games aid in gaining proficiency in the language while having fun. Happy gaming (learning)!

Qualifications For US Border Patrol Agent – Border Patrol Exam Tips

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If you are currently contemplating in pursuing a career as a Border Patrol Agent, now will be the perfect time. As of now the agency has been continuously hiring new agents, its goal is to double its work force in the following years. Currently, US Border Patrol efforts are being supported and supplemented by 6,000 National Guard troops. To offset this support, the Border Patrol’s goal is to place 6,000 new agents, agents, which would bring the agency force to a total nearing 18,000.

But before you apply for the position, you will need to know the qualifications needed by the Agency. Below are the following requirements to be considered as a potential candidate.

The key requirements are:

– U.S. citizenship
– No Conviction of Domestic Violence
– Residency requirement – Candidates must be a US resident for at least three (3) years
– Must have valid driver’s license at the time of appointment
– Age requirement – Candidate must not be 40 years of age at the time of appointment
– Medical exam
– Drug Testing
– Physical Fitness
– Background Investigation

However, even if you qualify for all the qualifications, you still need to pass the Border Exam before you become an agent. This is the part of the screening process that most candidates fail. Most applicants go to the exam thinking that it will be breeze, and after they take the test they feel that they were so unprepared. The Exam in as easy as you think, According to statistics for every 30 people who apply to take the Border Patrol’s written exam, only one enters the Border Patrol Academy. Only about 40 percent of the applicants pass the written exam.

So this will give more emphasis for candidates to study for the Exam. The U.S. Border Patrol entrance examination is a three part test which covers logical reasoning, Spanish language (or, if you don’t speak Spanish, an Artificial Language that predicts your ability to learn Spanish), and an assessment of your past experience.

How Does IT Architecture Coaching Work?

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If you’re trying to decide if IT Architecture coaching is for you, it may help to understand exactly what your coach will do and how it all works. We’ve created this article to give you a better understanding of coaching.

Basically career coaching provides support to an individual to help them find ways in which they can improve their performance. Your coach will work with you to establish your goals and then create a road map for you to follow throughout the next few months or years.

Most coaching is done over the telephone. Many coaches will never actually meet their clients. Don’t worry about this though; coaching is just as effective over the telephone as it is face-to-face. If this does bother you however it may be possible to find a coach in your local area. But always keep in mind it’s more important to find coach who has all the relevant skills and experience than to find a coach who’s local.

A typical coaching session will last around 45 minutes. After the session you’ll usually have access to free e-mail support and some short 5 – 10 minute support calls. Depending on what you want to achieve your coaching will last from 3 to 6 months, if it’s the CIOs job you’re after maybe even longer.

Listening is more important than talking

Your coach should spend more time listening than talking. You should be talking they should be listening. They should not try to put words into your mouth or try to influence your thoughts in any way. They should be your goals and your thoughts because it’s your life.

What motivates you?

Finding out about exactly motivates you is one of the keys to good coaching. Do you want to work for yourself, is money important to you or do you want to spend more time with your family.

Always offer support and inspire trust

Your coach is not there to judge you in anyway. They’ll provide support and offer advice on the situations you find yourself in. You’ll find yourself talking about some quite intimate things with your coach, so trust is a vital part of this relationship.

Recognise that all needs cannot be met solely by coaching

Your coach is not a super hero they can’t possibly know everything. They must recognise that they don’t know it all and you must realise that too. If there is an area that your coach can’t help you with then they’ll know a professional who can.

Once you’re aware what a coach will do and how much time it’s likely to take up in your busy life it will make the choice of choosing one much easier. Think of the use of a coach as an investment, in the same way you would extra qualifications. The initial cost of a coach will be recovered many times in the future.

10 Tips to Save Money For College

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Attending college is a big investment. Even community college can cost you a few thousand dollars a year on the cheap side. So, how do you manage to save enough money for you or your child to attend college when most of your money goes to basic necessities? Here are 10 tips to help you save money for college.

1. Start saving now. The sooner you save for college, the longer your money has earn interest.
2. Set up an education IRA. These special IRAs are tax-deferred, and you can put up to $2000 per year per student in them. As long as the money withdrawn is used for education it’s tax-free.
3. Look into a 529 plan. They’re a savings plan that allows you save money for college that can be used tax-free as long as it spent on education, and they have a higher limit than an education IRA.
4. Invest what you save. Low risk investments will still earn more money than keeping it tucked away under your mattress.
5. Don’t try to save the entire four years tuition. By the time you or your child attends college other funding options may be available like grants. Don’t assume you have to save it all before anyone can attend.
6. Check into prepaid tuition. Some colleges offer prepaid tuition set current year’s rate for use in the future. If you know you or your child will be attending in the future you may wish to look into this option. You could save thousands of dollars, even if it does pigeonhole you into one school.
7. Make a budget. Doesn’t sound like a college savings tip does it? However, if you make a budget and stick to it, you might find a little extra at the end of the month that you could stick into a savings account for college.
8. Cut back on luxuries. The less you spend on things that you don’t need, the more you can put into a college savings account or IRA.
9. Look into scholarships. There are many websites out there dedicated to helping students find scholarships. Many of these offer this information free of charge, sso spend a few hours and see what your or your student are eligible for.
10. Check into grants. You or your student might qualify for grants. If sound of money that doesn’t need to be repaid and might be the difference between being able to attend college and having to wait a couple extra years.