He Has a Point

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Career Plans

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Earn More, Work Less: 8 Great Jobs that Escape the Rat Race

by Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo! blogger


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Yoga teacher and self-titled "Life Stylist" Sadie Nardini advises her clients, "Think huge-small and medium have a lot of competition." That's just what she did when she went from being a broke, harried studio yoga teacher to harnessing technology, streamlining her workload, and earning in a day what she used to make in a week. In 2010, she put in the hours she wanted and netted close to $300,000.

Nardini got her start as a yoga teacher moonlighting after her day job in cubicle land. Eventually, she got fed up with laboring long days for little money doing office work and decided to teach full time. Soon enough, she was teaching 25 classes a week and feeling just as burnt out as before. "I love the scene in 'Finding Nemo' where he swims into the current with the sea turtles and speeds effortlessly toward his goal," she says. "I asked myself, 'How can I be more passive and less active income-wise?'"

Nardini posted free online videos to gain a wider audience. Now she has 25,000 subscribers on YouTube and 40,000 Facebook followers. She started selling DVDs and teaching at large conferences instead of small classes. She branched out into wellness counseling and life coaching. On a practical level, she set up automatic responses on her website and outsourced all of her administrative work.

Nardini says that fear gets in the way of people actually doing something instead of just talking about it. "People
Sadie Nardini

often have skills that they doubt anyone will care about. I advised a friend who loved making bracelets to sell them on Etsy. A magazine featured her work and within a month she had earned more money from her bracelets than she had made in a year working an office job."

Here are seven more jobs that offer flexibility, fun, and a good wage:

1 - Massage Therapist
According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the majority of massage therapists work under 27 hours a week. Massage therapist Jenny Adams, who has practiced in Pennsylvania for 20 years, describes the benefits of her career: "I get to wear comfy clothes, set my own hours, and work with wonderful people. Most days I see three to four clients which leaves me plenty of time for other things."
Gyms, doctor's offices, sports teams, and spas all employ massage therapists. Some massage therapists are self-employed and travel to people's homes.

Background requirements:
• 300 to 1000 in-class hours (varies state to state). See the AMTA website for info.
• National certification exam for therapeutic massage and bodywork.
• Some states require additional certification.

Earning potential: $60 to $100 per hour


2 - Technical Writer

Are you the only one of your friends who actually reads the manual before powering up a new electronic device? If you are a clear communicator with a good head for technology, you might want to consider a pursuing a career in technical writing-according to the Bureau of Labor Statics, the field is expected to grow by 18 percent between now and 2018. Technical writers translate technical information supplied by experts into easily understandable language for everyday consumers. They usually work for computer systems and software companies, but could also be employed by engineering or architectural firms or in the medical industry. Many are freelance.

Background requirements:

• Most Technical writers hold a Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, or Journalism.
• Being comfortable working with computer systems is a must and desktop publishing and multimedia software experience is also helpful.

Earning potential: $40 to $75 per hour


3 - Make-up artist

Being a make-up artist involves more than just helping people look pretty. Some create detailed prosthetics for film and television. Top fashion and celebrity make-up artists such as Bobbie Brown have created their own multi-million dollar cosmetics lines.

Background requirements:
There are no specific requirements for becoming a make-up artist, but you can take courses at a school such as Make-up Designory (MUD), which has campuses in Los Angeles and New York City. Some budding make-up artists get their start by working at a department store cosmetics counter or volunteering to do make-up for local theater productions.

Earning potential: Entry level make-up artists earn about $15 per hour, but a Hollywood makeup artist who works on successful films can earn a upwards of a million dollars a year.

Click here to continue to the rest of the list..

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Are You Ready For Some Basketball?

Yep! It's time. It's also only pre-season games, but hey - we've got pro basketball to watch, and first up for my Spurs are the Rockets in Houston tonight at 7.

This could very well be Tim Duncan's final season, and that's enough reason to get it started already. This should get you pumped up:

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How Teachers Are Paid For Their Time Around The World

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This Angers Me

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Yeah it's a year-and-a-half old. And yes it's a medical facility. I doubt most companies would consider such a move, but the fact that any do - angers me. What's next? Will they start screening resumes for too much soda? Being overweight?

I once applied for a summer job at a park during college. They mentioned to me on the way out, "ohh and you won't be able to wear that earring - IF they decide to hire you."

I left having no intention to follow-up, as I'm sure they watched me leaving having no intention to follow-up. That was 1990 - I was 19. It was the first job I sought during college. It was also the only time I've ever been to a job interview with my earring in. Of course I know better now that I try to find something better than a $7 per hour thing at a park as a teenager, but the fact remains the same:

How far will companies go?

The Best Jobs Outside The Cubicle

A Park Ranger at Grand Teton National Park - Via

The winter blahs are starting to set in, leaving many a cubicle dweller staring longingly beyond the gray half walls that surround them on three sides, wondering what else is out there.

In fact, there are quite a few cool and in-demand jobs outside the cubicle. Some capitalize on the demand for health care as Baby Boomers come of age, while others capitalize on the trends in technology and social media. Whatever the reason, these jobs aren't bound by Dilbert-onian rules.

"I think many people secretly fantasize about the freedom that working outside the office provides," said Jeremy Redleaf, a filmmaker and creator of the job site Odd Job Nation. "Jobs outside the cubicle allow you the freedom to construct the life that you want."

Here are a dozen of the coolest jobs outside the cubicle:

Virtual Question Answerer
The economy may be improving but companies are still trying to cut costs -- and one of the ways they do that is by reducing the number of full-time employees physically in the office, and taking advantage of the push to move more business online.

"We've seen a proliferation of e-businesses looking for 'virtual field agents' to answer basic questions in real-time or write articles about simple tasks," Redleaf said. "While it's a great way to make money wherever you are, this one's not for slow typists or the easily fatigued -- it's a volume game when they're paying per answer."

One ad for a virtual question answerer on Craigslist appealed to job seekers' interest in getting paid for things they're already doing: "Do you spend your day looking up random things online?? Might as well get paid for it!! We are searching for people to reply to questions received by the most popular mobile service in the country. We get thousands of questions every hour and need people to get online and find the answers. You must be at least eighteen years of age and extremely proficient at using various search engines. Pays per question," the ad read.

Videogame Tester
It's every kid's dream: To be a professional videogame tester.

There are a couple hundred listings for game testers on Indeed.com, with pay ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 or more.

The cool thing is that you get to test the games before they're released. The downside is you have to keep playing the same games over and over and over again until you break them, find a glitch, etc.

Hey, that's the price you pay to play!

Pilot
This one is for those who seek the thrill of the open skies.

(Cue the "Top Gun" music.)

The top 10 percent of commercial pilots earn an average of $120 an hour, according to PayScale.com. Though, most pilots aren't in the air 40 hours a week as the FAA limits flying time to a max of 100 hours a month.

The best opportunities are still with commercial airlines, but as aviation requirements get stricter and stricter, private planes are becoming more popular.

Indeed.com has nearly 20,000 listings for pilot-related jobs, paying anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 or more.

A few of the others you'll see are Geologist, Tutor, & Recreational Therapist. Click here to continue to the rest of the article..

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An Uncommon Career Path

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A Ranking of 200 Jobs From Best to Worst

When launching their careers, many job seekers had a simple method of choosing the best job for them: They guessed. A job might "feel right" or "sound cool" or be considered successful according to the media, conventional wisdom or the advice of others. However, as many realtors and autoworkers will tell you, conventional wisdom can change. And with fierce competition for jobs making it tougher than ever to get a "do-over" if you make the wrong choice, guessing is not a smart approach to career management.

So if the lesson of the past year is that you need to determine the best career path for you the first time around, how exactly can you do that? For starters, having a few facts will help. CareerCast.com's 2010 Jobs Rated report offers a comprehensive analysis of 200 different jobs – from Accountant to Zoologist – giving each a unique ranking based on factual analysis and hard data, not guesswork. If you're entering (or re-entering) the job market and want to avoid selecting the wrong career, our rankings can help you make a stronger, more informed decision, both for today and the long-term.

How does Jobs Rated determine which professions rank better than others? Data on each job is broken down into five key categories: Physical Demands, Work Environment, Income, Stress and Hiring Outlook. Jobs receive a score in each individual category, and when these are added together, the career with the best overall score is ranked 1st, while the one with the worst overall score is ranked 200th.

Of course every employee is different, and what you consider a "dream job" might be someone else's idea of a career nightmare. Because of this, a simple ranking may not be enough – you need to know what a particular job is really like on a day-to-day basis. This is where the survey's individual scores and rankings can help. If you're the type who cares a lot about income but doesn't mind stress, for example, public relations executive might be a great career for you. While the job may seem less desirable with an overall ranking of 79, it ranks 19th for median income and 193rd for stress – perfect for the job seeker who wants good pay and can handle a high-stress environment.

6. Mathematician - Applies mathematical theories and formulas to teach or solve problems in a business, educational, or industrial climate.

18. Aerospace Engineer - Designs, develops, and tests new technologies concerned with the manufacture of commercial and military aircraft and spacecraft.

19. Pharmacist - Advises physicians and patients on the affects of drugs and medications; prepares and dispenses prescriptions.

Overall Ranking: 19
Overall Score: 260
Work Environment: 788.640
Physical Demands: 8.86
Stress: 25.877
Income: $106,070
Hiring Outlook: 22.20 (Very Good)

What a great list - Continue to the rest..

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Debunking 5 (Un)employment Myths

Finding a job is one thing. Putting our gifts to work and creating security is another. Which are you really looking to do?

Unemployment can present many confusing dilemmas. During this stressful time, we can lose a sense of the beliefs and values that are important to us. Our fast and furious search for income can lead us onto paths that may not be best for us.

Understanding some of the myths of (un)employment can help one improve their chances of success.

Myth #1- The greater your qualifications, the better.

Reality: There are a large number of unemployed people in the US. Add to that the number of unhappily employed that are also seeking a new position. Job security is an issue for everyone. The last thing an insecure hiring manager would want to do is bring on someone that could someday assume their own duties. They would rather hire someone who they do not perceive to be a threat to their own job security. Have you ever been told you are “overqualified"? Maybe this is what they really meant.

Strategy: Tone down your resume and your presentation. It’s unfortunate, but sometimes knowing too much can actually work against you. Convey your skills as carefully as you can in writing and in person.

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