Orlando Jobing Community Blogs

Transitioning Professionals of Orlando (www.TPOrlando.net) is dedicated to serving the transitioning Professional/Executive (downsized, unemployed, underemployed, displaced, or terminated) by providing a support network designed to build on your strengths, hone your skills and talents, and focus your efforts to differentiate yourself for re-employment. This FREE program has been featured multiple times in a variety of local newspapers.

Our meetings provide support in marketing yourself, networking opportunities, career guidance, relationship building, resume organization, entrepreneurship (is business ownership a viable option), financial guidance, and accountability.

Visit us the 2nd Monday every Month from 1:00pm - 4:00pm.

              1:00     Roundtable Introductions

              1:30     Mission and Vision

              2:00     Calendars and Networking

              2:30     Resume Optimization

              3:00     Finances and Entrepreneurship

              3:30     Accountability

              4:00    Adjourn

This month's meeting is MONDAY, JULY 13TH AT:

DeVry University - Orlando North Center
1800 Pembrook Drive
Suite 160
Orlando, FL 32810

Meetings are FREE and open to the public. We encourage all Professionals/Executives to attend whether you are looking or trying to improve your present position. Please dress for success. Visit our website @ www.TPOrlando.net or e-mail scot.e-source@comcast.net for more info.

Education is a sure fire way to increase your marketability in the workforce. Yet, if you are seeking a career change, education can be a very time intensive and lengthy process. When considering this change there are many options to weigh.

• How long will the process take?
• Do you need a degree or do certificates or graduate programs exist?
• Is there demand for the job, once you are educated?
• What is motivating your change? True passion or a fleeting interest?

Education is a commitment, and one you must take seriously. When considering the time the program will take, you must be confident you are happy in your current job. Will you have the patience to wait until the end of your program before you are working in your new a career?

Considering the education options, what is truly needed? Is a full 4 year degree necessary, or will a 2 year degree help you get into the industry? Often passion and enthusiasm for the job will set you apart from others who have formal degrees. Using teaching as an example, you must be certified, so you much complete the degree. Yet, going from business to HR may simply require a certification. Investigate what is truly necessary to get your foot in the door.

As you embark on your change, is there a future for it? Fleeting interest fields often see a rise in people in the market and a drop off of demand. This was evident in crime scene investigation, due to the popularity of police shows. Not only ensure that you can gauge a demand for your career once your education is complete, but that you have a true passion for it. A fleeting interest or a fad will not last long.

The resources Jobing.com has to offer to help you find a great educational program include JobingEducation. Additionally, if you are seeking the benefit of a graduate degree, Grand Canyon University offers adults great online opportunities.

Use education to make a career change – for life.

The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other locally, as well as to give back and contribute positively to the communities in which we live and work.

Join us this year at:

The 18th Annual NetIP Conference
Held in the Dynamic and Vibrant City of Toronto
Friday, Sept 4th to Sunday, Sept 6th 2009

• Engaging Panels and Workshops (covering finance, healthcare, entrepreneurship, culture, media arts)
• Film Screenings & Community Outreach Events
• Chic & Elegant Parties
• Captivating Entertainment (including a Bollywood-themed gala affair)

Create Memories of a lifetime and gain an opportunity to forge lasting friendships, as you mingle with elite South Asian professionals, network with industry leaders and meet top notch speakers!

For more information, visit www.NetIPConference.org.  

We’ve all heard of the alpha male and female.  The dictionary defines them as the dominant person in a group, the one everybody emulates and follows.  The term was originally coined to describe behavior in wolf and dog packs, but for most of the 20th Century, it also accurately depicted the way we interacted in our careers.  One person was on top, and the rest of us brought up the rear.

While wolves and dogs are stuck with this leader-follower relationship, however, we humans have an option.  We can pull ourselves out of the back of the pack—out of the pack altogether, in fact—and assume a new role.  I call it the “alpha career athlete.”  It recognizes our innate ability to act as individuals and to set our own unique course in the world of work.

More often than not, the alpha career athlete still finds their employment in an organization.  Most aren’t free agents or independent contractors.  They work in teams, on projects and for departments and they report to a boss.  Their on-the-job experience is similar to that of every other person in the workplace.  What changes is their view of who they are working for and why.

An alpha career athlete works on themselves for themselves.  They are interested in learning just how good they can be in their profession, craft or trade.  They accept a job because it challenges them to be better than they have been, and they devote all of their talent to passing the test.  Moreover, that same commitment to self improvement also enhances the value of their contribution to their employer.  In effect, they protect their employment and preserve their paycheck by persevering in their determination to excel.

In Search of (Personal) Excellence

In 1982, Tom Peters wrote a business classic called In Search of Excellence.  The book’s popularity was largely based on the author’s research into how companies achieved superior performance.  It outlined a number of practices that other organizations could implement in order to achieve their own version of excellence.

What many readers missed, however, was the underlying premise of the book: success was best achieved through a commitment to excellence.  If you wanted your company to prosper, it wasn’t enough to be good or even very good and certainly not mediocre or just enough to get by.  The one sure pathway to prosperity was excellence.

What was true for organizations in the 20th Century is true for individuals in the 21st Century.  Success is not achieved by being loyal to one’s employer or by knowing how things get done inside an organization.  It is not assured with years of experience or even with a knowledge of the current state-of-the-art.  What produces sustained career advancement in today’s world of work is a commitment to personal excellence.

It is what drives the alpha career athlete.  He or she is “in search of excellence.”  They are on a quest to become the champion inside them.  This is not some quixotic adventure, but rather an entirely rational determination to express and experience the talent with which they (and all of us) were created.   Alpha career athletes believe that, just as every company can achieve superior performance, so too can they.  And they’re resolved to do so.

Companies, however, have Peters’ guidelines with which to work; alpha career athletes need something else.  They need a set of practices that will engage, refine and unleash the excellence within them.  What follows are what I think those practices must be:
I. Pump Up Your Cardiovascular System.  The heart of your career is your occupational expertise.  Re-imagine yourself as a work-in-progress so that you are always adding depth and tone to your knowledge and skill set.

II. Strengthen Your Circulatory System.  The wider and deeper your network of contacts, the more visible you and your capabilities will be in the workplace.  Make nurturing professional relationships a part of your business day.

III. Develop All of Your Muscle Groups.  The greater your versatility in contributing your expertise at work, the broader the array of situations and assignments in which you can be employed.  Develop ancillary skills that will give you more ways to apply your core expertise in the workplace.

IV. Increase Your Flexibility & Range of Motion.  Moving from industry-to-industry, from one daily schedule to another or even from one location to another is never easy, but your willingness to adapt will help to keep your career moving forward.

V. Work With Winners.  Working with successful organizations and coworkers enables you to grow on-the-job, develop useful connections that will last a career and establish yourself as a winner in the world of work.

VI. Stretch Your Soul.  A healthy career not only serves you, it serves others, as well.  A personal commitment to doing some of your best work as good works for your community, your country and/or your planet is the most invigorating form of work/life balance.

VII. Pace Yourself.  A fulfilling and rewarding career depends upon your getting the rest and replenishment you need in order to do your best work every day you’re on-the-job.  Discipline yourself and your boss to set aside time to recharge your passion and capacity for work.

All of us have the inherent capacity to be an alpha career athlete because all of us have an inherent talent that wants to be—deserves to be—discovered.  Humans are the only beings, however, who can willfully choose to ignore their gift.  And happily, they are also the only beings who can choose to recognize it.  So, become the alpha career athlete you were meant to be; put yourself in search of (personal) excellence.

Thanks for reading,
Peter
Visit me at Weddles.com

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including his latest, Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

In the past six months or so, we’ve all learned new acronyms and new definitions for words we thought we already knew.  We’ve heard countless news reports about TARP or the troubled asset relief program for banks and other financial institutions.  And, of course, there’s been much made of the stimulus program and its focus on “shovel ready” projects that will help to reinvigorate the economy.

Eventually, I suppose, all of this investment will trickle down and have a beneficial impact on those of us responsible for talent acquisition.  Patience, however, is not a virtue in the c-suite of most organizations today.  They’re under too much pressure to accept our relying yet another acronym: HOTAIRE or Hold On, The Advertised Improvements Roll-out Eventually.  They want—indeed, they expect—results right now.

How can you respond?  I think the best approach is a combination TARP and stimulus strategy for recruiters.  It should focus on some of our most troubled assets and fix them with “shovel ready” solutions.  Here are my suggestions.

The Troubled Asset: the Career area on most corporate Web-sites.

Most Career areas have the look and feel of a store.  They provide a transactional experience—hey, we’re a buyer of labor, you’re a seller of labor, so let’s do a deal—that appeals only to active job seekers.  It leaves the passive prospect cold.  And, of course, it’s the passive prospect we most want to attract and recruit.

What “shovel ready” project will enable you to fix that problem?  Launch a blog on your site.  There are only two things that will attract and hold the interest of passive prospects: credible information on what it’s like to work in your organization and interaction with their peers.  So, design your blogging program not as a something your recruiters do, but rather as a way for the best and brightest in your organization to recount their experiences on-the-job.  Think of it as a platform for your “A” level performers to strut their stuff to their peers.  It will transform the look and feel of your Career area from a store to a farm, a place that nurtures relationships with exactly the kind of talent you want to recruit.

Blogging done well takes time and effort, so how can you get your already busy “A” level coworkers to sign up?
• First, limit each person’s participation to a three month assignment.  Make their involvement a short term project not a penance.
• Second, position a person’s selection to blog as career-enhancing inside your organization.  Make sure it has a positive impact on their performance appraisals and salary review.
• Third, select three new bloggers—representing different career fields and work experiences –every three months.  Give your bloggers some company and some competition.
Then, stand back and watch your all stars battle it out, both to be selected as a blogger and to be the best blogger on the Web.

The Troubled Asset: the resume database in most corporate applicant tracking systems.

Employers invest hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars building up a resume database and then do very little with it.  Their recruiters may conduct a perfunctory check of the archived resumes when sourcing for a new opening, but typically that’s about it.  They see the database as a static stack of electronic files, rather than as a platform for building relationships with the people behind the files.  Yet, those people are prospects who don’t have to be sourced and have already expressed an interest in the organization.  In effect, they are a ready-made way to cut both the cost and time to fill vacancies.

What “shovel ready” project would enable you to realize those savings?  Start communicating with the people behind the resumes.  Launch a campaign of regular email messages that push out information about your organization and pull in updates to their careers.  The communications should be no less frequent than quarterly, but no more frequent than monthly.  The goal is both to pre-qualify individuals for your future openings (by keeping their record current) and to pre-sell them on your organization as an employer (by sharing information about its work and successes).

People are all but overwhelmed by email these days so how can you get them to accept, let alone ready your messages?
• First, make the program opt-in.  Respect their right to say they don’t want to participate.
• Second, make sure the content of your messages is interesting.  Avoid marketing or even recruiting collateral and instead, send them brief vignettes of the on-the-job experiences of your top performers—the people who would be their colleagues if they worked for your organization.
• Third, get the mechanics right.  Ask them to add the email address of your messages to their white list so they won’t be caught up in their spam filter and use a common subject line so they learn to recognize your messages when they arrive.
Then, get ready for a significant response.  The simple act of signaling your continued interest in applicants is so rare among employers, you are likely to get a lot of takers.

Hiring activity is way down at the moment, so now is the time to invest in improvements that will upgrade your performance once recruiting picks back up.  While there are many ways to make such an investment, I think you get the best return by focusing on your most troubled assets and on solutions that are “shovel ready.”  Do that, and you greatly diminish the possibility that you will need a career-damaging bailout down the road.

Thanks for reading,
Peter
Visit me at Weddles.com

Peter Weddle is the author of over two dozen employment-related books, including his latest, Work Strong, Your Personal Career Fitness System.

© Copyright 2009 WEDDLE’s LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

Want to follow a CEO on Twitter?  Want to see what's on the minds of chief executives, founders of million dollar startups, and read what they're reading/thinking/doing?  That's why we compiled this list of 15 executives you should follow on Twitter.   Below is a list of actual CEOs using Twitter to better their business.  These are CEOs you might have heard of, and some who you may have not heard of but have some cool things to say.  Without further ado, the list.

1) @jobing Aaron Matos, Founder and CEO of Jobing.com.
Why you should follow: Aaron shares some great insight and articles with a faithful following.  Plus, he's got the coolest background on Twitter.  
2) @kevinrose Kevin Rose, Founder and CEO of Digg.com
Why you should follow: He's got 345,000+ followers...he must be saying something worthwhile.
3) @zappos Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com
Why you should follow: Back to back keynote speaker at #SXSW, Zappos is a social media celebrity company.
4) @techcrunch Michael Arrington, CEO of Techcrunch.com
Why you should follow: The latest news in technology comes from Techcrunch.
5) @SunCEOBlog , CEO of Sun Microsystems
Why you should follow: See how the CEO of Sun communicates with employees, customers, and the world at large.
6) @gcolony, CEO of Forrester Research
Why you shoudl follow: CEO of one of the top research firms in the world.
7) @livestrongceo, CEO of Livestrong Foundation
Why you should follow: The guy runs one of the coolest foundations.
8) @finkd, Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Facebook
Why you should follow: Um, he founded Facebook?
9) @stevecase, Co-Founder of AOL
Why you should follow: He doesn't have involvement with AOL anymore, but is one smart guy.
10) @richardbranson, Chairman of Virgin Group
Why you should follow: He's entertaining.
11) @biz, Co-Founder of Twitter
Why you should follow: To see what the guy who founded Twitter twitters about.  And to follow that lead.
12) @ev, CEO of Twitter
Why you should follow: Latest news about Twitter.
13) @colneedham, Founder of IMBd
Why you should follow: IMBd has it's own feed, but find out the behind the scenes stuff here.
14) @jailchandra, CEO of Technorati
Why you should follow: Technorati tags are cool.
15) @jeffbooth, CEO of BuildDirect.com
Why you should follow: Because BuildDirect.com could easily be your business.

Brett Farmiloe is the social media manager for Jobing.com.  You can find him @thatpassionguy, and can find some cool career interview videos he and some buddies did on a crazy cross country road trip here: http://phoenix.jobing.com/video/pursuethepassion 

There are a lot of ideas out there on how to best use Twitter on behalf of an organization. I’ve seen lots of companies (including our own) utilize Twitter to push the messages they want out to their ‘followers.’ Well guess what? Twitter is not a one way street.

To effectively ‘be’ on Twitter, you have to view Twitter as a chat room, email system, and an RSS feed…in that order. Twitter is about developing relationships, massaging egos, and occasionally getting across what you want to communicate. The rest of this blog post teaches you how to develop relationships and massage egos since we’re all so good accomplishing the latter point, which is talking about ourselves.

There’s some Twitter lingo I want to teach new Twitterers out there who are just venturing into the space. It looks a little something like this: @, D, RT, & the follow button. That’s what we’re touching on in this post.

Developing Relationships
@- This symbol is how you get people’s attention on Twitter. It’s how you reply to someone. You simply put the ‘@’ symbol into the big box that says ‘What are you doing?’, followed by the username you’d like to reply to, and then the message.

I’d say that 3 out of every 4 tweets should be an @ reply. Here’s three uses for @replies:
1)  Publicly comment on someone’s status update.  This is great to let clients, partners (or potential clients and partners) know that you read what they wrote, cared about what they wrote, and took the time to write back.  It’s the same thinking as commenting on a blog. It’s especially important that you do this because companies are paying as close attention to Twitter activity now than they ever will be.  It’s a fantastic window of opportunity to develop relationships.
2)  To reach out to people that aren’t readily accessible.  By including the @username, you can immediately reach out to decision makers, authors, or whoever you want to network with.  A great way to do this is by forming a cool list (See 10 Authors a Job Seeker Should Follow or List of CEO’s on Twitter) and then using the @replies to let them know they’ve been included.
3)  To thank people for Retweeting what you said (RT’s are explained later)

There’s one thing to note with the @replies.  They’re public.  So whatever you say will appear to everyone following you, and will live on your stream of updates.  If you’d like to send a message that’s private, then you’ll have to send a DM- a direct message.

D- This symbol is how you send a direct message.  The one thing with direct messages is that the person you want to send a direct message to has to be following you in order for you to send.  Otherwise, you’ll have to send an @reply mentioned above.   You would direct message someone when you don’t want anyone to see what you’re saying.

 Massaging Egos
RT- RT stands for ‘retweet.’ It’s the best way to massage an ego on Twitter.  A retweet is like a bibliography- you cite the source along with what was said and include the letters RT at the very beginning of the sentence. A retweet is about as flattering as it gets on Twitter. It lets the person being retweeted know that what they said is something that you found to valuable enough to share with all of your followers.  People appreciate that, especially when the person being retweeted is trying to spread the word about something.  

The only way you could retweet something is by being active on Twitter.  You actually have to pay attention to what people are saying.  Two appropriate things to RT:
1)  A useful link with a story, informative blog post, or other piece of valuable information.
2)  Big news.  Marriage, babies, deaths, business accomplishments, awards, etc

Following- The last thing I want to talk about is following someone on Twitter.  If you’re familiar with Facebook, following someone on Twitter is like poking them on Facebook.  It’s letting the person you’re following know that you’re paying attention to them, and that you’d like to be paid attention to as well.  In addition, following someone lets you see everything that person is saying as they say it.

It’s very smart to follow clients, competitors, employees, partners, as well as potential clients, partners, and employees.  A couple ways for you to find people:
1)  Use the “Find People” button on Twitter and type in the name of the organization or person you’re looking for.
2)  Use Twitter Search and type in the name of the organization or person you’re looking for.  Oftentimes, this option is more successful.

If you follow people and pay attention to what is being said in the Twittersphere by using RT’s, @’s, and D’s, there’s a good chance you can use Twitter for something more than another RSS feed.  You can make Twitter a two way street.

Brett Farmiloe is a Social Media Manager at Jobing.com.  He tweets under the username @thatpassionguy.  He and @zachhubbell frequently speak about social media and consult with partners of Jobing.com about social media strategies.

We've compiled a list of people to follow on twitter who have written great books about careers. If you're looking for a job, get on Twitter and follow these authors.  All of them have something good to say about finding a job. If you pay attention to the tips they put out on Twitter, you might have a new take to your job search.

@DanielPink Author of a few books- my favorite was The Adventures of Johnny Bunko because it resembles my story.
@alisondoyle  Author of the About.com Guide to Job Searching
@danschawbel Author of Me 2.0, a book about personal branding.
@jonathanfields Author of Career Renegade
@PamSlim Author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, available this Thursday, is also a Mesa resident.
@lindseypollak Author of Getting From Career to College
@alevit Author of They Don't Teach Corporate in College
@MarthaFinney Author of Rebound, a book for people to start over again after losing their jobs
@BarryMoltz Author of Bounce!, a book for people looking to bounce back from their failures
@BarbaraSher Author of I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was.  A motivator that doesn't like self-improvment or the power of positive thinking

Brett Farmiloe is the social media manager for Jobing.com.  You can find him @thatpassionguy, and can find some cool career interview videos he and some buddies did on a crazy cross country road trip here: http://phoenix.jobing.com/video/pursuethepassion 

A lot of people are trying to find a job in today's tough environment with a wimpy career, and unfortunately, employers are kicking sand in their face.  What's the alternative? Add muscle to your work credentials and capabilities with Work Strong: Your Personal Career Fitness System. Designed specifically for the challenging workplace of the 21st Century, Work Strong not only tells you what to do for career success, but when, where and how to do it.     

Career Fitness includes both a revolutionary philosophy of work and a regimen of daily, weekly and monthly activities that empower you to apply that philosophy to your career. Using physical fitness as a metaphor, it introduces an approach to career self-management that is appropriate for everyone from seasoned professionals to executives, from those who are just entering the workplace to those who are returning to work after a lengthy absence.

In today's world of work, you need (and deserve) every advantage you can get.  So, give yourself the one resource that will enable you to take charge of the one-third or more of your life you spend at work.  Get Work Strong today!  And don't forget about others.  Get Work Strong for yourself and for your spouse, your sons and daughters and even for your mother and father.  Everyone deserves to Work Strong.

To place your order, call WEDDLE's at 317.598.9768 or visit Weddles.com.  Don’t delay.  Place your order today!

The New Career Economy is a term coined from a study commissioned by The Entrepreneur’s Source, TES ( www.ESourceCoach.com ), three years ago, which predicted many of the economic challenges the global business community and consumers are facing today. In particular, the study pointed to the many threats to an individual’s job security and financial freedom that never existed before, such as company downsizing, lengthy layoffs, the elimination of benefits, enormous corporate bankruptcies, stock market losses and colossal consumer debt.

“The traditional job market no longer offers the security individuals and families need to live well,” said Scot Cummin, Business Coach with the The Entrepreneur’s Source in Sarasota & Orlando. “Taking control of their lives through becoming self-sufficient is now the new way to reach the American dream of living with long-term financial freedom.”

The weak market conditions that are forcing companies to continually apply new job cutting measures are causing employment uncertainty for many people. Even for those currently employed, uncertainty prevails over security. The study did suggest that in the future, long-term security would be gained through individuals managing their own careers through self-employment and other alternative career options.

As the nation's premiere source for self-employment options, franchising information, education and training, Business Coaches with The Entrepreneur's Source, such as Cummin, walk people through a ‘discovery process’ allowing them to first identify their Primary Aim.

“Understanding their Primary Aim will give our clients the ability to actively shape their life and define the vision needed to get the most out of life,” said Cummin. “Once they understand what they want their life to look like, they can then explore the many different franchise concepts to help them get there.” (Check out www.TakeAIMFast.com to learn more about the proven business success systems used by thousands of business owners, including the five key success principles.)

“I’ve never been busier,” added Cummin. “Typically when there is trouble in the corporate sector, it proves to be a launching pad for people to begin exploring business ownership. And the franchising sector is one of the few that is actually growing.

“I encourage people to just begin researching whether business ownership is right for them,” said Cummin. “Business ownership is really the only way to take control of your future and offer the security for individuals and families to live well.”

For more information on The Entrepreneur's Source in Sarasota & Orlando, please contact Scot Cummin at 877-508-2361.

A person who has completed their high school education has a better employment outlook than a person who has not. But what does that really look like?

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states is clearly:

Education pays ... Education pays in higher earnings and lower unemployment rates

According to a March 2009 report by the Bureau, the median weekly earnings and unemployment rate of a person with less than school diploma is $426/week and 9% unemployment rate compared to a high school graduate at $591/week and 5.7% unemployment rate.  To put that number into perspective, over a lifetime a person with a diploma will make $ 430,000 more than a person without.

Now there are a large amount of opportunities open to the young adult and adult learner to support the completion of the high school diploma. Please research your high school opportunities on JobingEducation or visit Pinnacle Online High School directly.

Do you have time? Can you afford it? According to the BLS, you can’t afford not to finish your high school diploma. Good luck!

Citation:
Education Pays, BLS

Transitioning Professionals of Orlando (www.TPOrlando.net) is dedicated to serving the transitioning Professional/Executive (downsized, unemployed, underemployed, displaced, or terminated) by providing a support network designed to build on your strengths, hone your skills and talents, and focus your efforts to differentiate yourself for re-employment. This FREE program has been featured multiple times in a variety of local newspapers.

Our meetings provide support in marketing yourself, networking opportunities, career guidance, relationship building, resume organization, entrepreneurship (is business ownership a viable option), financial guidance, and accountability.

Visit us the 2nd Monday every Month morning from 1:00pm - 4:00pm.

This month's meeting is MONDAY, JUNE 8TH AT:

DeVry University - Orlando North Center
1800 Pembrook Drive
Suite 160
Orlando, FL 32810
Meetings are FREE and open to the public. We encourage all Professionals/Executives to attend whether you are looking or trying to improve your present position. Please dress for success. Visit our website @ www.TPOrlando.net for more info.

Even if you have already answered this question years ago with a resounding "no" (after all, college takes a time commitment) it may be time to reconsider.  If you have had a significant change in your life, such as the desire to change careers, a recent lay-off, or a child move out of the house - then you may have just the right amount of time or motivation to succeed in school.  With all of the options available to today's career seeker, you may not have to wait for a life-change to make college possible.  Increasingly, schools of all types offer off-campus or online coursework for the student that needs a little more flexibility.  Chances are, no matter what your schedule and needs are, there is a program that matches your needs and provides the type of education you need to accomplish your goals.  It may mean taking one or two classes at a time, but it can be done.

Still not convinced that there is enough time? 

Let’s take a minute out of the 10,080 minutes in a week to look at how the average American spends that time.  

1680 minutes - Spent watching television (4 hours/day)

2400 minutes - Spent at work (40 hour work week)

3360 minutes - Spent sleeping (8 hours a night) 

If you complied exactly to those numbers it would leave you exactly 2,640 minutes a week (44 hours) to do whatever you choose (cleaning, hobbies, exercise, social activities, child-rearing, etc.).  Some schools advocate that for every hour of class you take, you need to plan for 2 hours of study.  With this strategy it would mean devoting 36 hours to school if you took 12 hours of courses.  If that sounds excessive, then maybe it would make more sense for you to take two classes (maybe around 6 credit hours = 18 total hours spent on school work).  18 hours of time spent on college would require the average American above to eliminate television viewing 4 1/2 days a week in order to be successful in school without altering the rest of their free time (the 44 hours a week of "free time" we all have).   

If you are ready – there is time! Research your educational opportunities either at JobingEducation , The Princeton Review or one of our sponsored schools, Grand Canyon University (on-line masters degree programs). Now just might be the right time for you to take that leap of faith.

Don't let your education hurt your employment potential

Is the lack of a high school diploma hurting your employment potential?

Think you don’t have the time to go back to school?

With the competitiveness of today’s job market, you need every advantage you can get.  Employers are looking for skilled and educated employees.  A high school diploma is absolutely necessary in order to attract the employment attention you want.

Pinnacle Online High School offers a wide range of classes that allow individuals to earn a high school diploma. And because of our NCA and CITA accreditation, your high school diploma will transfer to the university or college or your choice.

o    24/7 access to online high school courses

o    Set your own schedule and pace

o    Courses are fully accredited

o    AZ students under 22 take classes for free

o    Students over 22 pay minimal fees.

Since Pinnacle was founded more than 13 years ago, more than 35,000 students have found our school a welcome alternative to a traditional high school, providing a high quality online learning experience without the constrictions on their schedule or their pace of learning.

Pinnacle Education is open entry, meaning that you can start classes any day of the year. Since classes are self-paced, you can study and learn any time of the day or night.

Although students work at their own pace and dictate their schedule, they are never on their own. Pinnacle’s learning platform encourages students to be involved in peer discussions and group blogs, and allows for individual attention from their instructors. Students can engage their instructor by email at any time, and can speak by phone with an instructor from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Arizona time), seven days a week.

Pinnacle’s engaging online learning environment can help you achieve your education goals.  Request information today and learn how you can begin your journey to achieving a high school diploma.

Just a friendly reminder that our next Transitioning Executives/Professionals of Orlando & Central Florida meeting is Monday, May 11th from 1:00pm - 4:00pm at DeVry University - Orlando North Center. So we have enough handout material, please confirm your attendance by replying to this e-mail…scot.e-source@comcast.net Thanks!

The DeVry University - Orlando North Center is located @ 1800 Pembrook Drive, Suite 160, Orlando, FL 32810.  If you are looking for a new job or feel you are under employed, then please join us and gain a whole new insight and practical tools to help differentiate yourself in the world of job seeking. 

Transitioning Executives/Professionals of Orlando (TPO) is dedicated to serving the transitioning executive/professional (unemployed, underemployed, displaced or terminated) by providing a support network designed to build on your strengths, hone your skills and talents, and focus your efforts to re-employment.

Our workshops provide support in marketing yourself, networking opportunities, career guidance, relationship building, resume optimization, financial guidance, job leads, Entrepreneurial exploration (Small Business ownership opportunities) and accountability groups.  We meet every second Monday of the month. We have success stories every month! You can also visit our website @ www. tporlando.net to learn more!

DeVry University - Orlando North Center

1800 Pembrook Drive

Suite 160

Orlando, FL   32810