Should I Buy a Metal Detector?
Published November 23, 2011 | 
When I was a kid, I thought metal detectors were the coolest things around. Of course I lived in the middle of the suburbs, so there wasn’t much buried treasure. But, I started in my yard, then worked my way over to the park down the street. Needless to say, my bottle cap collection grew substantially and I was able to put a fistful of coins into the piggybank. Today, I would consider getting back into using this technology. I was reviewing the Joan Allen website and saw a long list of metal detectors and thought, “this is cool!” That said, with so many choices, I didn’t know where to start. Luckily they have a most popular section to help me figure out what other people bought – crowd-sourcing at its best. So now I have to decide on 1) whether to invest in one for myself; or 2) if it would make a good Christmas present for one of my nephews. They have an entire range of prices from a few hundred dollars (pounds-sterling) to over $1,000. I’ve already got a great LCD TV, so this might be my next cool toy. I might just test drive one of the cheaper models with my nephew before deciding on a bigger one for myself.
Teachers Turn to Unique Classroom Displays
Published November 16, 2011 | Whether you’re looking to decorate a classroom, adorn a science fair, or simply facilitate student learning, displays and banners are great tools for decorating and demonstrating in a classroom.
For teaching a class or advertising an event, using a pop up stand allows you to display a fully customized and professional informational sign. The signs are simple to assemble, easy to order, and the customization process is intuitive. For busy professionals, pop up stands are a great tool, both in and out of the classroom.
Vinyl banners fulfill a similar function to the pop up stand, boldly advertising your idea. Banners are a great way to catch and maintain attention, and work great in a cluttered classroom setting. Banners are perfect for displaying images of the solar system, explaining the changing seasons, or featuring the alphabet. No matter what age your students are, banners are a great tool for teaching and encouraging. They are easy to hang and remove, and perfect for seasonal decoration.
Finally, when assigning projects to your students, trying to explain complicated phenomena, or simply displaying information in a professional and unexpected way, using trade show displays helps to catch the wandering eyes in your classroom. These displays are used in every format from professional settings to science fairs, and for good reason! They quickly display information and allow you to divide and display important information.
Using banners, pop ups and trade show displays helps to grab students’ attention and allows you to teach effectively.
Choosing a Smart Degree
Published November 8, 2011 | If you are considering going back to college to earn your degree, there are certain majors you just don’t want to choose in this economic climate. Certain degrees yield nearly 20% unemployment rates, creating an even more competitive environment for recent grads.
Clinical and educational psychology have some of the lowest employment rates for recent graduates and seasoned professionals. Apart from psychology, choosing a degree in Fine Art or Architecture could lead to a serious struggle to repay your student loans. Instead of landing yourself in the poor house straight out of college, choose a program with serious promise, and become a Registered Tax Return Preparer.
The career features numerous openings, isn’t incredibly competitive, and delivers rewarding work. Many programs offer tax preparer certification, so a four-year degree may not even be necessary. Some of the most employable people in today’s market are those with very specialized and highly-focused degrees and certifications who are very knowledgeable about their field. In order to rank among these professionals, earn your tax preparer certificate and continue to learn and grow within your field your entire life.
Hopefully, as a nation, we will be able to pull out of this recession within the next several years. When we do, the best positions to prepare yourself for are those that require math and reasoning. Many people believe that those holding higher degrees (the psychologists of the world) are actually the most desirable to a future employer but this simply isn’t true. The people who currently hold those advanced degree positions are holding on to them, while the more disposable people at the bottom are being cut away to preserve company budgets. When the economy turns around, companies will be ready and willing to hire people holding certificates or bachelor’s degrees, and the artists and psychologists will likely still struggle.