Top 10 Things that Make Your Professor Great

There have been professors who can help you decide what profession you want to get into based on the enthusiasm and commitment they bring to their work. Here are some tips on what makes a professor great:

1.The professor makes time to answer your questions. They always seem to make themselves available for any concerns you may have and do not seem bothered when you ask too many questions. There is a saying that is “no such thing as a stupid question.”
2.The professor returns your assignments in a timely manner and does not take weeks to give you back your grades. It is important that you know how you are doing in your course and your marks are an indication of this.
3.Having office hours or being able to meet with your professor face-to-face is really important.
4.A professor that is willing to write you a recommendation letter if you have done good work and truly do deserve one is something that can help you either further your education or land that dream job.
5.A professor that seems organized and knowledgeable during the lecture time in-class is extremely important.
6.A professor who encourages group work and fun things to do in your class time with him or her is always a bonus.
7.A professor who recommends textbooks that are actually used in the class is important. You should not be spending your money on course materials that are not even used in the class.
8.A professor that discusses the practical matters of your profession that you are training for and not just all theory is a definite advantage.
9.A professor that is great at leading interesting class discussions is a huge benefit to the classroom environment.
10.A professor that discusses some of his or her more personal aspects of themselves, as well as gets to know you as well as he or she can will help you to feel more “at home” in your school environment.

Getting an A: Top Ten Study Tips

It starts from even before the class starts. You can make a significant difference in your grades by following these useful tips to getting an A in school:

1. When you find out about the course outline, which is usually before the class starts…look it over and try to do as much advance reading as you can. This will help you to be a step ahead when it comes to class discussions related to the required text and other course materials.

2. Do your research about your professor. Find out some of the quirks and quarks of this person you will be spending a semester with. Interview some of their past students. This may help you to get a sense of the kinds of things the professor does and does not like.

3. Always show up to class, unless of course you have a valid reason such as a family emergency. As well as always showing up to class, always make sure you show up on time. There may be vital information given to students, right at the start at the class that you would miss by being late. This will also leave a good impression on the professor when later you may want to ask for a recommendation letter.

4. Ensuring that you make it to class on time and that your mind is fresh and alert to participate in engaged learning, make sure you do not party the night before your classes. Always make sure you have had good rest, as well as a good breakfast before you go into class. This will make sure your mind is alert for class discussions and any in-class exercises you may have.

5. This is a really important one; please make sure you do not procrastinate when it comes to getting your homework done. As soon as it is assigned, you should start working on your assignment. Also make sure you make the best use of class time by asking questions to clarify any misunderstandings you may have about the assignment.

6. School is expensive…this is quite true…however, now that you have committed to studying, do not fill all your spare time with so many activities such as work and extracurricular activities that you cannot do your homework. Make sure you have time to do all the work associated with your school.
7. At the same time you should make time for your school work, “all work and no play” makes anyone dull. Make sure you do make time to have a social life and work part-time too.

8. You may want to consider getting into study groups to increase your chance of passing tough exams. This is also a great way to make friends too. Just make sure your study groups are actually more about studying than socializing.

9. For essays, make use of the writing centres that are usually available on campus. This can be a great way to make sure a second pair of professional eyes catches any mistakes you have made and to increase your grades on the assignments.

10. Always know your professors and teaching assistants are there to help you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask them. Get to know the rules of the school and your rights as a student. You will find out that you are in an excellent position to succeed at school by using all of the resources available to you.

Here’s to you getting an A!

Top 10 Mistakes in Choosing a Career

1.Our parents love us dearly and they mean well, however choosing a career because your parents have forced you into one is not the wisest thing to do. You really have to do what you love because you are not your parents and life changes in such a way that you will not live the life they have lived. They may have good advice, yet make sure the final decision on what you are going to do with your life is yours.

2.Many people go into a profession because they think the money is going to be great. In general, unless you are going to be a doctor or a lawyer…there is no guarantee of this. As well, even some doctors have to work in remote regions to make really good money. Some lawyers have to choose to go into corporate or criminal law instead of family law to make the kind of money that will help support their lifestyle. Choose a career because it is what you love to do…perhaps it is true that the money will come eventually. Actually, this does tend to be true.

3.Choosing a career without any concern of the lifestyle it may bring you is a major mistake that many young people make. You need to realize that some jobs practically expect you to work 100 hours a week. Are you ready for that kind of commitment? If you are looking for a career that will allow for a social life and give you the freedom to explore other interests and hobbies, carefully consider your career decisions.

4.For the same reason that some people will choose a career because they think it will bring them a lot of money – is the same reason you should also make sure you are choosing a career with monetary rewards that fit your needs. Strive to get what you are worth – having realistic goals can really help.

5.Many young people have this false impression that they can land a job that is going to pay them a million dollars right out of college or university. This is not often the case. You have to remember that the people who are older and in high positions have worked extremely hard to earn the kind of living they have. You too, if you work hard, can have what they have.

6.Another major mistake young people make in choosing a career is not getting the proper training needed for the profession they want. If you want to be a doctor, there are different standards and expectations to get into medical school depending on whether you live in Ontario or Quebec. Know the rules…know what is expected of you for your profession and get the credentials you need.

7.A major mistake many young people make in choosing a career is not doing enough research on the career before entering the field. You need to know what you are getting yourself into and educate yourself not only to work in the profession, but also about the profession.

8.When it comes to mistakes in choosing a career, remember that many people change careers at least five times in a lifetime. What research have you done in how your initial career will prepare for other careers you are interested in? Make sure you arm yourself with this knowledge and it will give you the competitive edge in your career search and development.

9.One of the major mistakes many young people make about choosing a career is picking one because you feel you are getting too old to just “bum” around. You think time is passing you by and you just choose one in a hurry and in a rush – just to get it over with. Everyone has their own time schedule, you do not have to make decisions at the same pace or time as your brother, sister, friends – anyone for that matter. Take your time…what your life’s purpose is will come to you.

10.Choosing a career that you are not in love with but is something that your school counsellour, school advisor or a recruiter has talked you into is not a good idea – this is a mistake. You have to love your job.

Personal Support Workers

General Information about Personal Support Workers

Making about $15.00/hr. minimum, personal support workers are not regulated health care providers. They do work under regulated health care professionals or in an independent living environment with clients. Their work week consists of 40 hours with other benefits.

Their duties are to help older people or anyone who cannot take care of themselves through the tasks of their daily lives and to provide home management solutions. Personal support workers are responsible to their supervisors and their clients.
Once you graduate from your personal support worker studies, you would be ready for an entry-level position in institutional, as well as community settings. The people you would work with have physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural challenges.

How long does it take to become a Personal Support Worker?

If you are going the route of a non-college, your courses would be accelerated. They can take a mere eight months to complete.

With an accredited college throughout Canada, most courses would take a little longer. You could complete the course anywhere from four semesters, taking up about one year, or up to two years. This is the exception of accelerated colleges that can take up to a year and a half.

Your course load would be about 30 hours a week (including homework and studying time), making it possible to take on a part-time job to help pay for school. Most courses would be offered during the daytime hours of 9 to 5. This would make evening and weekend work possible.

There is the option to do night courses as well. The length of time to complete the course as a personal support work would increase to about three years. This would then make it possible to take on daytime work to help pay for school.
How to pay for going back to school as a Personal Support Worker?

If you need to take out a loan to pay for school and you live in Ontario, for the time you are in school studying personal support work – you will not have to pay back your loan.

After you graduate there is something known as the Interest Relief program. With this program, you receive six months interest relief from re-paying your loan while you look for profitable work in the field as a personal support worker. Even when you do find a job and if it does not work out, you can request through the lending institution to receive interest relief again to lower the payments you would need to make for your loan.

If you find that your debt is too much to handle, there is also something called student loan consolidation that will help you make payments you can afford and manage.

You can consult the links below for more information about how to pay for your schooling as a personal support worker:

Province of Ontario Student Loans - Interest Relief Program
AMSA Student Loan Consolidation Primer
Canada Student Debt FAQ
CanLearn - Official Gov Site Dealing with Student Loans, Student Debt Consolidation, etc
Canadian Federation of Students
School Student Loan Debt Consolidation Institutions
Citi Financial Canada Loan Application
National Credit Consolidation
Wells Fargo Canada
Shield Credit of Canada

Private Tutoring

Private tutoring can be a great way to improve your grades and for a professor or anyone who teaches to earn extra money.

Take a look at a website like Craigslist.org and you will see a number of teachers offering their services so you can improve your grades. If you are in high school and are looking to make your marks more competitive so you can enter with a scholarship, this is a great way to go.

There are even tutors that can help you with your application to get into university, or for graduate school or professional programs. There are even tutors that can help you with special exams such as the SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT and other specialized exams that you may need to enter university, graduate school or professional programs. This could turn out to be a terrific option for improving your chances of receiving that acceptance letter in the mail.

Organizations such as Kaplan also offer classes to help with different specialized exams. Many of them are expensive, however you will get out of it what you put in and the money could be well worth it in the end when you find yourself making $100,000 CDN a year starting salary as a corporate lawyer.

In major cities such as Toronto, Canada, there are so many companies that offer essay help and special tutoring. One of them is called Essay Experts. Make sure that you are going with a company that offers help with your essay…not to write them for you. This way you will make sure that you are truly preparing yourself for the rigor of education.

The United States also offers tutoring, sometimes even online. There is an organization called Smarthinking.com that is based in Washington where people with bachelors, master’s and PhDs can help you to find solutions for your homework problems.

There is a lot of help out there for people who are looking for it. Try Googling some places or following some of the tips given here – this could be the start of turning your B grades into A grades and A grades into A+ grades.

Getting a Job in Academia

For many of you working on a graduate degree, you can turn that into a lucrative career by teaching. There are some things to keep in mind if you are going after an academic job.

Depending on whether you are going for something full-time or part-time, there are many opportunities to teach at college and university. Lately, to get your foot in the door of a college, having a PhD does help, although people with master’s degrees do receive jobs. It truly depends on the program your coordinator is thinking of hiring you for.
Some people make the mistake of approaching the chair of a department to inquire about teaching. The chair many times is not responsible for hiring decisions – if they are, keep in mind their job is has a heavy load and if they take some time to get back to you, this is the normal process of how slow the academic job search can be.

The main person to deal with is the coordinator of the program. They are usually highly approachable and good at returning phone calls and e-mails – this is part of their work. In larger programs, it is the coordinator who is responsible for hiring and making a connection with this person can be your way of getting into academic teaching, either at the university or college level.

If you have prior teaching experience this really helps. Having patience helps a lot too because of the nature of the academic year; it may take quite a bit of time before everything works out in such a way before you are hired. Obtaining part-time work can be rather easy – it is getting the full-time work that is much harder. First securing part-time work can lead to full-time work down the road – this can definitely happen.

Good luck with your academic job search.

Understanding Part-time Professors

Some of the professors you may have in university and college may be part-time and there are special things you need to keep in mind about having professors as this. There are advantages and disadvantages.

Some of the advantages of having a professor that is part-time is that most likely they are active in the industry that you are seeking to work in and can serve as an excellent reference for you. They may even be able to help you to get a job.

Some of the disadvantages are that the professor may not be as available as a full-time professor would be because they are not on campus as often. It may be a little bit more difficult to reach a part-time professor, however the benefits may outweigh the disadvantages.

Make sure that if you do have a professor that is part-time, you get all their contact details and try to keep in touch with them when you need to. Also, try to understand the part-time professors are trying to make a living and if they do not get back to you right away, it may be because they are busy making a living elsewhere than just the college and university environment.

The above photo is cover art for The Education Generation which I have wrote. You can buy it at: http://stores.lulu.com/kakonged, along with many other books.