Online Freelance Writing: Skills Needed to Land These Types of Gigs

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Many have lost jobs over the last few years. As a new year is just getting under way, quite a few have turned their attention to finding new careers. And, one of the most popular type of work-from-home jobs is online freelance writing.

And, no wonder. It has a lot going for it, ie:

3 Reasons Online Freelance Writing Is Such a Popular Career Choice

It’s Easy to Start: Know how to read and write? Know how to conduct online research? Have access to a computer? This is just about all you need to get started as an online freelance writer.

It’s Cheap to Start: If you own a laptop or computer (or even just access to one), and you have access to the internet, you’re good to go. No office supplies, business license or certifications are needed.

It Can Be Started Quickly: You can literally be up and running a day. If you know how to design a simple website (and there are plenty of free tools on the web to show you how) and compose a few writing samples, you can literally be up and running in less than 24 hours – really!

I’ve been a freelance writer since 1993 and have received tons of email from newbies who’ve landed clients right out of the gate (eg, within a few days or a few weeks).

Now that you know why this work-from-home career appeals to so many, let’s take a look at some of the skills needed to be successful as an online writer.

Online Freelance Writing: Do You Have What It Takes to Succeed?

There’s a lot that goes into being successful in online freelance writing, eg, what to charge, how to market, SEO guidelines to follow, etc. But if you possess the following three skills, you’ll be well on your way to starting a successful career as a web writer.

Research Skills: As an online writer, you’ll be asked to write on a variety of topics. I’ve written on everything from ski resorts to wedding cake toppers, to how to make wire jewelry — all in one day. You must know how to write on topics you know nothing about. As long as you know how to conduct research, you’re good to go.

Organizational Skills: When you’re juggling 5, 10 or a dozen clients or more (which is entirely possible in online freelance writing, you must be super organized because you’ll have to keep track of things like deadlines, rates, client specs for each job – and a whole lot more.

Good Typing Skills: If your typing sucks (eg, you type less than 50 words/minute), it will slow you down and inhibit how much you can earn. So get, that speed up if this is a weak point for you. All it takes is practice.

K Line Trains

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina based MDK Incorporated originally owned these products and eventually sold them to K-Line Trains which is in actuality a brand name for ‘S’ and ‘O’ gauge models of locomotives. At the early age of four, Maury Klein started manifesting utmost interest in toy trains watching intently battery powered trains make those endless loops on those toy train tracks. The most famous train sets during those days was the brand Lionel and he got one as a present at the age of six. Ho took it apart and tried to discern the ins and outs of a train and in1975, Maury Klein founded MDK Inc. which bore his initials.

Little did Maury realized that millions of people are fascinated with trains just like him and in 1974, while in school at the University of North Carolina, he was already earning through a small business selling train models via mail order. As his sales grew, he began to believe that there was enough opportunity for him to set up his own train company in the tinplate marketplace.

Claims for more shipments with the ever growing increase in orders of his model trains, Maury Klein built a building on a piece of land near Chapel Hill, North Carolina and this is where his mail order business started growing by leaps and bounds. His father entered the scene in 1979 to help Maury out in the making of new train models – the O27 and the ‘O’ gauge track now under the MDK K-Line, a brand and model of his own.

MDK sold many Lionel train brands and its closest competitor, MTH Electric Trains was likewise a huge dealer of these Lionel trains. While Maury’s mail order business grew, his ads appeared on well-known train magazines such as Model Railroader which was very famous towards the end of the decade 70’s.

Another competitor, Louis Marx and Company’s closed down finally in 1978 and this marked the ascent of Maury’s MDK K-Line of trains. Maury even bought the tooling and accessories formerly owned Marx and used it in his own production lines and he was able to buy all these heavy machineries and manufacturing paraphernalia at bankruptcy prices. He had a lot of the other tools Marx left behind by scavenging through the old warehouses and factories and eventually found the molds for the Marx 1947 model #333 pacific and #1829 4-6-2 Hudson locomotives in a run-down Fisher-Price warehouse a few meters away from Buffalo, New York. Part of the story was the warehouse was so dilapidated snow was falling off its roofing and the warehouse had no lights and no heating whatsoever and there they found the molds.

Maury again had some very fine acquisitions in the form of the Kusan rolling stock dies. These dies are design for building Auburn Model Trains which were American Model Trains as was earlier known. Williams Reproductions sold these dies to MDK K-Line in 1986 and in the same year, MDK was producingO27 locomotives, cars, and other figures.

Journey to Seek Nursing School Scholarships

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Searching for a Nursing school scholarship.

The first requirement towards acquiring a nursing school scholarships is through attainment of a high school diploma. Requirements to enter a nursing school include a high school diploma.

Therefore a consultation with a high school guidance counselor can give you a detailed outline of nursing scholarships available. A consultation with a high school guidance counselor will outline this information in detail. A detailed outline will be provided after consultation with a high school counselor. After consultation with a high school counselor you will have a much more detailed outline. A consultation with a high school guidance counselor is essential so you can have a mush more detailed outline.}

The process of pre-examination is called the NLN(national league of nurses). The first process to undergo is a pre-examination process called the national League of Nurses( NLN).

The pathway forwards to gaining of a nursing school scholarship is effective essay writing. An entry level BSC( bachelor of science nursing is a four year nursing program. There is training provided in all health care sectors by institutions. An entrance into a Masters constitutes of a BSN. A Masters program will lead you towards career management or specialized positions in the nursing range which includes clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse researchers or nurse educators.

Junior and community colleges offer a 2-3 year program called (ADN), Associate Degree. Nurses are trained with the ability to provide direct patient care within various different settings. An affordable plan is the ADN and it offers paths forward towards the BSN and MSN. Colleges, universities] and nursing schools offer ADN programs.

Two to three year nursing programs through direct patient care awards a hospital diploma.

Basic English and science courses are included by junior and community colleges offering both an associates degree and nursing diploma.

The main role of licensed vocational nurses (LVN) is to care for the sick, disabled and injured under physicians directions. Care is in the form of application dressings and monitoring vital signs of blood pressure and pulse. There are technical and vocational schools that offer these programs that last for a year.

Those who already have acquired degrees in other fields can access accelerated programs in BSN or MSN. These programs for those qualified in other fields are much shorter.

It is necessary for nurses to stay updated in nursing practices fields. A total of 800000 nursing shortages are predicted for 2020. The world population is predicted to have a longer life capacity and therefore would require more care. There is a prediction that the world population will live longer and need more care. It is predicted that the world population will live longer and be in need of more care. It is estimated that the world population will live longer and require more care. The prediction about the world population is a longer life capacity and a greater requirement of care. The world population is estimated to live longer lives and need more care. Due to this a career in the health sector will be worthwhile. There is a total of 100000 vacant positions for health care workers. Hospitals sign bonuses of up to $14000 for qualified nurses. Nursing schools may be expensive but it is worthwhile to seek nursing school scholarships.

Learning – The Purpose of Living

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For every moment of our life, there is something basic we have to realize, which is of great significance and of immense value, LEARNING, and this we all have to do till our tenure expires here on earth. The only time it is expected of a man to stop learning is when he is no more. That is, when he is dead. Death is the only thing that should stop a man from learning. This implies that, anyone living is suppose to be learning something at each moment of his life and this is irrespective of the age in other words, age is never a barrier when it comes to learning. Before I move further I would love to shed more light on the word; learning.

Learning is obviously not a strange word to you, the reader of this article but I will never want to assume so let’s talk briefly on our subject of focus in this article, learning. The word learning has various dictionary meanings and I will just dwell on a few and move on. One of the meanings is; the process of acquiring skill or knowledge, this implies that learning is a process and definitely will take some time at the end of which there is some expected difference or change that should have taken place in the life of the experience of the process. In other words anyone who undergoes any learning process is never expected to be the same that is there should be a noticeably significant difference in such a person’s life. Another meaning of learning says, to commit to memory, hmm… I love this,” commit to memory” meaning should not be forgotten in other words what you’ve learnt should be a part of you; stored in your memory. With these definitions I’ll go back the objective of this write-up.

Whatever your age, sex, occupation geographical location, physical condition, complexion, marital status, etc. one thing is expected of you is learning, you just have to keep on acquiring knowledge and skills as much as you can and as much as you have to in your field and outside your field this is because it is only a man of knowledge that is expected like a friend of mine said, “the whole world will step aside for a man who knows where he’s heading” and one that will show that a man knows where he is heading in life is the amount of knowledge he is able to acquire when he ought to. In other words there is an expected time for a man to acquire whatever knowledge he needs to before the time is no more. Time waits for no one my dear friend, there is something you ought to be learning at this moment and this will count later on, are you learning what you ought to be learning at the moment, have you learnt what is expected of you at this stage of your life or you are just allowing this time to pass-by just as very other time and moments have passed by. Please, I beg of you, don’t let this time pass you by else you abuse one of the most precious moment of your life. Remember, time is a friend to no one, not even Bill Gate.

There of course many things we have to know about and knowing these things can come in various ways, let me briefly highlight the various things that can enhance our learning and acquiring certain skills and knowledge that we need to; having a mentor, reading good books, asking questions from those who have gone ahead of you…just do whatever (positive) you know will make your value appreciate and at the same time don’t hurt anyone in the process. Strive to always know more that you’ve known then you will discover that you’ve not known as you ought to.

Hp0-M30 – HP Network Nodes Manager Essential Exam

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HP0-M30 exam is also known as HP Network Nodes Manager essential. This certification validates the knowledge on how to use the HP network node manager (NNM) software for discovering and resolving all the network issues. HP0-M30 is one of the hottest certifications from HP and IT professionals are showing interest in certifying with this certification. Since the course is designed as per the latest industry standards, the number of candidates certifying with this certification is increasing each year.

Who can study this course?

HP0-M30 course is deigned for the technical users who use HP Network Node Manager Software and other related tools. Even HP employees, customers, and HP partners are eligible for this certification. IT professionals who are interested in learning more about this software can also apply for it.

Prerequisite and Eligibility:

There is no mandatory prerequisite required for applying this certification but it is mandatory to complete a core examination to obtain the course credentials. Due to frequent changes made in the NNMI software, there is no certification path to certify this course from the previous version. HP professionals who are using the V8 product are recommended to upgrade their skills by certifying the HP0-M30 exam. Though both certifications are active and valid, it is recommended to have this certification for more opportunities.

Why HP0-M30?

HP Network Node Manager, HP smart plug-in NNM, and advanced NNM software enables the organization to increase the levels of network service and decrease the downtime risks. The product also helps the organization to analyze the network issues even if various changes in the network are found. Additionally, professionals who have certified with this course can automate, implement, and repair the network faults by using the software.

IT professionals undertaking training in NNM will gain knowledge and skills on integrating and using the software for solving all the network problems in the organization.

Success and Education

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Success in simple terms is the absence of failure, though debated a lot, in almost all languages; social set ups, cultures and business establishments it is still undefined. Being undefined doesn’t mean you cannot figure out what actually success is but your view about success can be different to the one another individual or a group has.

The difference of the definition of success in all the concerns is due to the difference in nature of events and requirements. Definition, principles, and exposure of success differ from situation to situation and in fact time to time as well. The components of success, i.e. determination, confidence, knowledge, potential, expertise etc, are, however, same in all cases with the variation in the composition ratio.

This article aims to focus knowledge with special reference to success. And when knowledge is being discussed it’s crucial to have an overview of Education as knowledge and Education are closely related to each other. Role of Education in Success is same as the role of knowledge.

Defined as ‘the process of changing the behaviors in desired direction’, Education stands not only as a tool of success but a road towards it. Knowledge expands the vision that increases the probability of success, and education by changing the behaviors in desired directions (positive) provides a platform for that vision to get expanded, as a result of such one becomes able to outline the strategies in much better way.

Providing opportunities for minds to explore the arenas of different fields, Education brings up with the ultimate and updated knowledge that levels the ground for potentials to grow, determination to get stronger, confidence to get build and ways to get clear. And once all the components are arranged in an order the ultimate result is nothing other than success.

The important point to ponder here is that, whether ‘education’ means only and only ‘Academics [http://www.blogoxide.com/Academics/]’ in this regard? Certainly not! It can either be academic or non academic. It starts from knowing, and knowing can be about anything. Yes, knowing about the things, useful and related to day-to-day matter has close connection with success in day-to-day concerns, knowing about professional matters leads towards the success in profession, knowing about relations helps to be socially successful and so on. In a nut shell, Education itself is a ‘success’ as a whole.

So, start knowing about things rounds you, and if nothing is there read and explore, analyze and derive your unique principle of success out of your own knowledge. Make the education best companion of yours and succeed!

What Are the Benefits of Online Courses?

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In 2006, more than 3.2 million U.S. college and university students enrolled in at least one online course, an increase of 850,000 from the year before. For the last several years, enrollment in distance learning education has been increasing at a phenomenal rate each year, and there appears to be no let up in sight. With interest in distance learning education at an all-time high, one might wonder just what all the fuss is about. Are there any significant benefits of online courses and if so, what are they? To answer that question, here is a short list of benefits that are attractive to students seeking an e-learning solution for their educational goals.

– Many online schools offer year-round enrollment. There’s no need to wait until the fall or spring semester, online students can begin class throughout the year.

– Online courses often feature condensed curricular modules that accelerate the learning process by removing extraneous material and focusing on core content.

– Online courses are convenient. Students can attend classes from practically anywhere, and at any time, 24/7, as long as there is an available computer and access to the internet. This flexibility allows students to continue their current lifestyle with minimal disruption, if any. Students can work full or part time, spend time with family and friends, participate in regular daily activities, and still be able to study at a convenient time and location that fits right into their schedule.

– Students can study at their own pace. Online courses don’t usually have “scheduled” meetings, so students can work on assignments according to their own schedule and learning method. However, it’s important that students remember that assignments and exams are regularly scheduled events. All due dates for course assignments must be adhered to, just as in traditional college classes.

– For many students, there is reduced expense, as e-learning courses can be less expensive overall than traditional campus-based courses. While the online class, textbooks, and other material may actually cost as much as in a traditional classroom, the savings come from a significant reduction of expenses in other areas. Students can save on such things as travel or automobile expense, on-campus housing costs, child-care, and loss of earnings if the student can’t work or works less while attending school.

– E-learning programs provide equal learning environment for students, regardless of physical appearance, age, health, gender, personality traits, religious, social or economic status. Students that might otherwise feel intimidated or overwhelmed by more talkative students are on the same footing in an online classroom. With more time to formulate a response to the instructor’s lectures and questions, even the most word-shy student has an equal chance to be heard in the threaded classroom discussions. Furthermore, there is improved communication with classmates and the instructors through instant messaging, email, chat rooms, threaded discussions, phone or fax. The lines of communication are wide open in the online classroom.

– Accredited online programs qualify for financial aid. Eligible students may qualify for grants, scholarships, and student loans, just as traditional campus-based college students would.

Arguably, there are some compelling reasons for students considering online distance learning courses. If you are looking to continue your own education but you just don’t see how you can do it with a traditional program, online courses may very well provide the right e-learning solution for you.

Cheap College Textbooks For Cheap College Students

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It’s the first week of your college semester. You’ve just paid off your tuition, housing and food plan. If you’re lucky, you might have a couple dollars left for gas.

That’s when you get it: the required materials list from your professors, fresh from the copier. The last thing you need.

As any seasoned college student will tell you, this evil list of textbooks is never a joy to receive. If you’re extremely fortunate, you may only need to grab a couple of textbooks in a semester. More than likely, you’re not extremely fortunate.

For an average semester at college, you will be asked to buy a good handful of overpriced, uninteresting tomes of knowledge. College textbooks come in all shapes and sizes, but are mostly long and boring. You would think that the more boring a textbook gets, the lower the price would be. Sadly, the opposite is true.

Truth is, most students will pay hundreds of dollars in a semester for just a few books. Some will have semesters where the textbook bill crosses into four-digit territory. Many graduates will tell you – get familiar with the fast food dollar menu. You’re going to be ordering off it a lot.

Since these textbooks are not going to buy themselves, it is important that you know where to get them for the best price. The bookstore at your university likely stocks most of the books you need.

Don’t step foot in the bookstore.

College bookstores usually sell textbooks at face value, if not for a slightly lower used price. Face value for a quality textbook can be anywhere from $50 to $200. Multiply that by the nine or ten books you will need and – you get the idea.

When shopping for textbooks, your best bet is to shop online. On sites like Amazon and Half.com, you can find textbooks for much cheaper than face value. Buying them used from an independent seller will usually get you the best price.

Before your semester begins, try e-mailing your professors and asking for the reading list early. This way, you will have some time to shop around online and get your books mailed to you. Doing this, you can avoid the headache of shopping at the college bookstore and handing them the last of your savings account.

At the end of each semester, be sure to sell the textbooks you no longer want. You can resell them using online sites, or the bookstore will buy them off you. Either way, selling your books is a great way to make back some much-needed dough. After all, that next semester is right around the corner. And with it comes a whole new list of textbooks to buy.

Influential Leadership Coaching: Four Core Qualities of Duplication

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The role of conventional leadership is frequently depicted as one who takes charge, makes decisions, delegates tasks, and is otherwise disconnected from those in less authoritative positions. In a professional environment, this person might be known as the Big Boss that is somehow set apart from his or her subordinates. They’re “up there” and we’re “down here” type of thing.

To make a necessary distinction here, the traits just described more suitably portray the common characteristics of a manager as opposed to a leader. Many people are already aware of the notable differences. Simply put, managers manage, and leaders lead. Another way to say it is that managers oversee things, but leaders influence people. To be sure, leadership in general has a much more deliberate agenda than simple task delegation. And in its purest form, an Influential Leadership Coach ultimately duplicates oneself.

It’s true that some people are just amazing, natural born leaders from day one. The rest of us learn to lead by way of formal and informal training methods. Regardless of your DNA or scope of technical education, you will be recognized as an Influential Leadership Coach when you are:

  • Inspiring
  • Motivating
  • Equipping
  • Empowering

Influential Leadership Coaching Inspires

To inspire another is to “spark a flame.” This requires a flame to be already burning inside of the you! Yes, some people can talk a really good talk, but a true Influential Leadership Coach will connect with you on a deep level and open your eyes to see an exciting new “something.” This can be a new idea, a new program, a business opportunity, etc. The point is, they don’t merely announce a new program and then delegate out all the detailed tasks. An Influential Leadership Coach will instigate a stirring passion within another human being while conveying a concept or idea. Among other things, they elicit the contributions of others in the formation of the idea. They evoke inspiration.

Influential Leadership Coaching Motivates

Although the differences between inspiration and motivation can at first seem blurry, these are indeed distinct qualities with separate functions. A key factor when establishing motivation is encouragement, encouragement, encouragement! Oh, and let’s not forget about encouragement, too. Without trying to overstate the importance of offering verbal affirmation to those whom you wish to motivate, it’s imperative that Influential Leadership Coaches are also genuine with what they say. In order to make a motivational impact on another person (as evidenced by action), one must be authentic in his or her approach. Influential Leadership Coaches know exactly what that means: Don’t just try to tickle a person’s ears. Make no mistake; People can “sense” when you’re fake. Instead, learn what makes a person tick by truly investing time with them, and then personalized accountability will naturally result through relationship-building. As the old saying goes: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. This creates trust. And it’s when trust is present that a person is most open to the equipping process.

Influential Leadership Coaching Equips

The equipping process is where the rubber meets the road – and is no trivial undertaking. The best way to equip someone who is striving to reach a goal, move an obstacle, change a habit, or learn a skill is by way of demonstration. This can take place in person, or through facilitative conversation. Direct and indirect modeling of methods and skills provides others with the know-how for future independence (the goal). Moreover, verbally facilitating a conversation which leads a person into self-discovery is a form of equipping as well, and serves two key purposes:

1) A person is brought into a greater sense of self-awareness, and

2) The experiential learning process itself is a natural equipping method where a person can then turn around to become the equipper for someone else.

Influential Leadership Coaching Empowers

If enabling a person is to permit him or her to remain dependent upon you, then empowering a person is to stand aside supportively while allowing independence to flourish. This not only entails a person now walking side by side with the coach, but an Influential Leadership Coach will willingly follow the newly duplicated leader wherever beneficial. Thus, the essence of “teamwork” is born, and duplication a success!

It’s important to note that these are not cemented sequential “steps” to follow; one does not have to entirely complete one part before moving on to another. On the contrary, understanding where a person is in any given moment in time is the key which gives the Influential Leadership Coach the direction to pursue with that person. Although each part of the process rightly overlaps and becomes integrated with the other parts, the foundation is always this: Relationship. Why? Because when relationship begins to break down, every other part of the process is thwarted. When relationship is alive, the process will thrive. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Thanks for listening!

The Different Types of Insurance Careers You Could Get Into

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If you are looking to start a new career than you might be interested to know that the insurance industry can offer you a broad spectrum of career opportunities. If you have a strong background in math and great people skills than pursuing a job as an insurance service representative or an underwriter may just be the path you want to take. Though these positions usually require a college degree and some even require an insurance license both of which are fairly easily obtained if you have the drive to succeed.

There are generally 5 different fields that you may want to pursue as an insurance career, the first that will be talked about is agents and brokers. Agents or brokers may also be known as insurance producers who offer their clients insurance products and keep their policies up to date. They will usually solicit business over the telephone or web but may also have offices where possible clients may walk in to obtain a new policy. A producer must be licensed to perform their duties and sell and service insurance policies. On average an agent or broker will earn an annual income of about $34,322.

Another insurance based career you may want to pursue is an underwriter. Once a producer has taken an application from a prospective client they send the completed application to an underwriter. The underwriter will then review the application to ensure that the applicant is eligible for insurance from the company. They may then approve the application, contact the agent and ask for more information pertaining to the client or decline the application if the prospect is ineligible. An underwriter may also review current policies and if claims are excessive cancel it. The insurance underwriter usually earns about $47,955 annually.

The next career to be explained when looking for a job in insurance is actuaries. Actuaries determine what the premiums of an insurance policy will be, they analyze statistics and determine what the probability of a claim being received will be. They may also keep track of the company’s cash reserves to make sure there is enough cash on hand to pay out any future claims. Actuaries will also help write the actual policy and provisions. The average annual salary of an actuary may vary widely and range from $55,798 to $97,028 based on what the actuary is handling for the company.

A career path that you may be interested in is a claims adjuster. A claims adjuster is the person who will assess any claims and decide what the proper amount of money to be paid out is. As an example if a client is involved in a auto accident the claims adjuster will examine your vehicle and assess the damage done to the vehicle and give the client the necessary amount of money for the repairs. Adjusters are usually required to travel as they will often have to visit a policy holder’s home. An adjuster will generally earn about $44,741 per year.

The fifth and final insurance career that will be discussed is the service representative. If a client ever has a question or problem with their policy they may call the insurance companies headquarters, these clients will usually deal with a service representative. A service representative will answer a clients question about billing or make general changes to a client’s policy, such as adding a driver or changing your address. In some cases a representative is required to hold a valid insurance license. The average pay scale for a service representative is $32,328 annually.

So now that you know the different types of careers you can get into with an insurance job it may make it easier to decide if this is a field you want to get into. You may need to get some extra schooling or obtain your insurance license but if the field of insurance interests you it will not be that big of a deal to take the time to obtain either one of these simple pieces of paper.