Can you actually think yourself into a different person

Can you actually think yurself into a different personCan you actually think yurself into a different personFor years she had tried to be the perfect wife and mother but now, divorced, with two sons, having gone through another break-up and in despair about her future, she felt as if shed failed at it all, and she welches tired of it. On 6 June 2007 Debbie Hampton, of Greensboro, North Carolina, took an overdose. That afternoon, shed written a note on her computer Ive screwed up this life so bad that there is no place here for me and nothing I can contribute. Then, in tears, she went upstairs, sat on her bed, and put on a Dido CD to listen to as she died.But then she woke up again. Shed been found, rushed to the hospital, and saved. I welches mad, she says. Id messed it up. And, on top of that, Id brain-damaged myself. After Debbie emerged from her one-week coma, her doctors gave her their diagnosis encephalopathy. Thats just a general term which means the brains not operating right, she says. She couldnt swallow or control her bladder, and her hands constantly shook. Much of the time, she couldnt understand what she welches seeing. She could barely even speak. All I could do welches make sounds, she says. It was like my mouth was full of marbles. It was shocking, because what I heard from my mouth didnt match what I heard in my head. After a stay in a rehabilitation center, she began recovering slowly. But, a year in, she plateaued. My speech was very slow and slurred. My memory and thinking was unreliable. I didnt have the energy to live a normal life. A good day for me was emptying the dishwasher.It was around this time that she tried a new treatment called neurofeedback. She was required to have her brain monitored while playing a simple Pac-Man-like game, controlling movements by manipulating her brain waves. Within ten sessions, my speech improved. But Debbies real turnaround happened when her neurofeedback counselor recommended a book the international b estsellerThe Brain that Changes Itselfby Canadian psychotherapist Norman Doidge. Oh my God, she says. For the first time, it really showed me it was possible to heal my brain. Not only that it was possible, that it was up to me.After reading Doidges book, Debbie began living what she calls a brain-healthy life. That includes yoga, meditation, visualization, diet and the maintenance of a positive mental attitude. Today, she co-owns a yoga studio, has written an autobiography and a guide to brain-healthy living and runs the website thebestbrainpossible.com. The science of neuroplasticity, she says, has taught her that, Youre not stuck with the brain youre born with. You may be given certain genes but what you do in your life changes your brain. And thats the magic wand. Neuroplasticity, she says, allows you to change your life and make happiness a reality. You can go from being a victim to a victor. Its like a superpower. Its like having X-ray vision.Debbies not alone in her enthusias m for neuroplasticity, which is what we call the brains ability to change itself in response to things that happen in our environment. Claims for its benefits are widespread and startling. Half an hour on Google informs the curious browser that neuroplasticity is a magical scientific discovery that shows that our brains are not hard-wired like computers, as was once thought, but like play-doh or a gooey butter cake. This means that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains and that by doing certain exercises we can actually, physically increase our brains strength, size and density. Neuroplasticity is a series of miracles happening in your own cranium that means we can be better salespeople and better athletes, and learn to love the taste of broccoli. It can treat eating disorders, prevent cancer, lower our risk of dementia by 60 percent and help us discover our true essence of joy and peace. We can teach ourselves the skill of happiness and train our brains t o be awesome. And age is no limitation neuroplasticity shows that our minds are designed to improve as we get older. It doesnt even have to be difficult. Simply by changing your route to work, shopping at a different grocery store, or using your non-dominant hand to comb your hair will increase your brain power. As the celebrity alternative-medicine guru Deepak Chopra has said, Most people think that their brain is in charge of them. We say we are in charge of our brain.Debbies story is a mystery. The techniques promising to change her brain via an understanding of the principles of neuroplasticity have clearly had tremendous positive effects for her. But is it true that neuroplasticity is a superpower, like X-ray vision? Can we really increase the weight of our brain just by thinking? Can we lower our risk of dementia by 60 percent? And learn to love broccoli?Some of these seem like silly questions, but some of them dont. Thats the problem. Its hard, for the non-scientist, to under stand what exactly neuroplasticity is and what its potential truly is. Ive seen tremendous exaggeration, says Greg Downey, an anthropologist at Macquarie University and co-author of the popular blog Neuroanthropology. People are so excited about neuroplasticity they talk themselves into believing anything.For many years, the consensus was that the human brain couldnt generate new cells once it reached adulthood. Once you were grown, you entered a state of neural decline. This was a view perhaps fruchtwein famously expressed by the so-called founder of modern neuroscience, Santiago Ramn y Cajal. After an early interest in plasticity, he became skeptical, writing in 1928, In adult centres the nerve paths are something fixed, ended, immutable. Everything may die, nothing may be regenerated. It is for the science of the future to change, if possible, this harsh decree. Cajals gloomy prognosis was to rumble through the 20th century.Although the notion that the adult brain could undergo s ignificant positive changes received sporadic attention, throughout the 20th century, it was generally overlooked, as a young psychologist called Ian Robertson was to discover in 1980. Hed just begun working with people who had had strokes at the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh, and found himself puzzled by what he was seeing. Id moved into what was a new field for me, neuro-rehabilitation, he says. At the hospital, he witnessed adults receiving occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Which made him think if theyd had a stroke, that meant a part of their brain had been destroyed. And if a part of their brain had been destroyed, everyone knew it was gone forever. So how come these repetitive physical therapies so often helped? It didnt make sense. I was trying to get my head around, what was the model? he says. What was the theoretical basis for all this activity here? The people who answered him were, by todays standards, pessimistic.Their whole philosophy was compensatory, Rob ertson says. They thought the external therapies were just preventing further negative things happening. At one point, still baffled, he asked for a textbook that explained how it all was supposed to work. There was a chapter on wheelchairs and a chapter on walking sticks, he says. But there was nothing, absolutely nothing, on this notion that the therapy might actually be influencing the physical reconnection of the brain. That attitude really went back to Cajal. He really influenced the whole mindset which said that the adult brain is hardwired, all you can do is lose neurons, and that if you have brain damage all you can do is help the surviving parts of the brain work around it.But Cajals prognosis also contained a challenge. And it wasnt until the 1960s that the science of the future first began to rise to it. Two stubborn pioneers, whose tales are recounted so effectively in Doidges bestseller, were Paul Bach-y-Rita and Michael Merzenich. Bach-y-Rita is perhaps best known for his work helping blind people see in a new and radically different way. Rather than receiving information about the world from the eyes, he wondered if they could take it in in the form of vibrations on their skin. Theyd sit on a chair and lila drink back on a metal sheet. Pressing up against the back side of that metal sheet were 400 plates that would vibrate in accord with the way an object was moving. As Bach-y-Ritas devices became more sophisticated (the most recent version sits on the tongue), congenitally blind people began to report having the experience of seeing in three dimensions. It wasnt until the advent of brain-scanning technology that scientists began to see evidence for this incredible hypothesis that information seemed to be being processed in the visual cortex. Although this hypothesis is yet to be firmly established, it seems as if their brains had rewired themselves in a radical and useful way that had long been thought impossible.Merzenich, meanwhile, helped to confirm in the late 1960s that the brain contains maps of the body and the outside world, and that these maps have the ability to change. Next, he co-developed the cochlear implant, which helped deaf people hear. This relies on the principle of plasticity, as the brain needs to adapt to receive auditory information from the artificial implant instead of the cochlea (which, in the deaf person, isnt working). In 1996 he helped establish a commercial company that produces educational software products called um ein haar ForWord for enhancing the cognitive skills of children using repetitive exercises that rely on plasticity to improve brain function, according to their website. As Doidge writes, In some cases, people who have had a lifetime of cognitive difficulties get better after only thirty to sixty hours of treatment.Although it took several decades, Merzenich and Bach-y-Rita were to help prove that Cajal and the scientific consensus were wrong. The adult brain was plastic. It co uld rewire itself, sometimes radically. This came as a surprise to experts like Robertson, now a Director of Trinity College Dublins Institute of Neuroscience. I can look back on giving lectures at Edinburgh University to students where I gave wrong information, based on the dogma which said that, once dead, a brain cell cannot regenerate and plasticity happens in early childhood but not later, he says.It wasnt until the publication of a series of vivid studies involving brain scans that this new truth began to be encoded into the synapses of the masses. In 1995, neuropsychologist Thomas Elbert published his work on string players that showed the maps in their brain that represented each finger of the left hand which they used for fingering were enlarged compared to those of non-musicians (and compared to their own right hands, not involved in fingering). This demonstrated their brains had rewired themselves as a result of their many, many, many hours of practice. Three years late r, a SwedishAmerican team, led by Peter Eriksson of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, published a study inNaturethat showed, for the very first time, that neurogenesis the creation of new brain cells was possible in adults. In 2006, a team led by Eleanor Maguire at the Institute of Neurology at University College London found that the citys taxi drivers have more grey matter in one hippocampal area than bus drivers, due to their incredible spatial knowledge of Londons maze of streets. In 2007, DoidgesThe Brain that Changes Itselfwas published. In its review of the book, theNew York Timesproclaimed that the power of positive thinking has finally gained scientific credibility. It went on to sell over one 1000000 copies in over 100 countries. Suddenly, neuroplasticity was everywhere.Its easy, and perhaps even fun, to be cynical about all this. But neuroplasticity really is a remarkable thing. What we do know is that almost everything we do, all our behavior, thoughts and emotions, phy sically change our brains in a way that is underpinned by changes in brain chemistry or function, says Robertson. Neuroplasticity is a constant feature of the very essence of human behavior. This understanding of the brains power, he says, opens up new techniques for treating a potentially spectacular array of illnesses. Theres virtually no disease or injury, I believe, where the potential doesnt exist for very intelligent application of stimulation to the brain via behavior, possibly combined with other stimulation.Does he agree that the power of positive thinking has now gained scientific credibility? My short answer is yes, he says. I do think human beings have much more control over their brain function than has been appreciated. The long answer is yes, but with caveats. First, theres the influence of our genes. Surely, I ask Robertson, they still hold a powerful influence over everything from our health to our character? My own crude rule of thumb is a 5050 split in terms of th e influence of nature and that of nurture, he says. But we should be very positive about that 50 percent thats environmental.Adding extra tangle to the already confused public discussion of neuroplasticity is the fact that the word itself can mean several things. Broadly, says Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Deputy Director of Londons Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, it refers to the ability of the brain to adapt to changing environmental stimuli. But the brain can adapt in many different ways. Neuroplasticity can refer to structural changes, such as when neurons are created or die off or when synaptic connections are created, strengthened or pruned. It can also refer to functional reorganizations, such as those experienced by the blind patients of Paul Bach-y-Rita, whose contraptions triggered their brains to start using their visual cortices, which had previously been redundant.On the larger, developmental scale, there are two categories of neuroplasticity. They are really different, s ays Blakemore. You need to differentiate between them. Throughout childhood, our brains undergo a phase of experience-expectant plasticity. They expect to learn certain important things from the environment, at certain stages, such as how to speak. Our brains dont schliff developing in this way until around our mid-20s. Thats why car insurance premiums are so high for people under 25, says Robertson. Their frontal lobes arent fully wired up to the rest of their brains until then. Their whole capacity for anticipating risk and impulsivity isnt there. Then theres experience-dependent plasticity. Thats what the brain does whenever we learn something, or whenever something changes in the environment, says Blakemore.One way in which science has been exaggerated has been by the blending of these different types of change. Some writers have made it seem as if almost anything counts as neuroplasticity, and therefore revolutionary and magical and newsworthy. But its definitely not news, for example, that the brain is highly affected by its environment when were young. Nevertheless, inThe Brain that Changes ItselfNorman Doidge observes the wide variety of human sexual interests and calls it sexual plasticity. Neuroscientist Sophie Scott, Deputy Director of Londons Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, is dubious. Thats just the effect of growing up on your brain, she says. Doidge even uses neuroplasticity to explain cultural changes, such as the broad acceptance in the modern age that we marry for romantic love, rather than socioeconomic convenience. That isnt neuroplasticity, says Scott.This, then, is the truth about neuroplasticity it does exist, and it does work, but its not a miracle discovery that means that, with a little effort, you can turn yourself into a broccoli-loving, marathon-running, disease-immune, super-awesome genius. The deep question, says Chris McManus, Professor of Psychology and Medical Education at University College London, is, Why do people, eve n scientists, want to believe all this? Curious about the underlying causes of the neuroplasticity craze, he believes it is just the latest version of the personal-transformation myth thats been haunting the culture of the West for generations.People have all sorts of dreams and fantasies and I dont think were very good at achieving them, says McManus. But we like to think that when somebody is unsuccessful in life they can transform themselves and become successful. Its Samuel Smiles, isnt it? That book he wrote,Self-Help, was the positive thinking of Victorian times.Samuel Smiles Full disclosure Samuel Smiles is my great-great-uncle is commonly cited as the inventor of the self-help movement and his book, just like Doidges, spoke to something deep in the population and became a surprise bestseller. The optimistic message Smiles delivered spoke of both the new, modern world and the dreams of the men and women living in it. In the 18th century, power had all been about the landed ge ntry, says historian Kate Williams. Smiles was writing in the era of the Industrial Revolution, widespread education and economic opportunities offered by Empire. It was the first time a middle-class man could work hard and do well. They needed a formidable work ethic to succeed, and thats what Smiles codified inSelf-Help.In the latter part of the 19th century, US thinkers adapted this idea to reflect their national belief that they were creating a new world. Adherents of the New Thought, Christian Science and Metaphysical Healing movements stripped away much of the talk of hard work, insisted upon by the Brits, to create the positive thinking movement to which some believe neuroplasticity has given scientific credence. Psychologist William James called it the mind-cure movement, the intuitive belief in the all-saving power of healthy-minded attitudes as such, in the conquering efficacy of courage, hope, and trust, and a correlative contempt for doubt, fear, worry, and all nervously precautionary states of mind. Here was the inherently American notion that self-confidence and optimism thoughts themselves could offer personal salvation.This myth that we can be whoever we want to be, and achieve our dreams, as long as we have sufficient self-belief emerges again and again, in our novels, films and news, and TV singing competitions featuring Simon Cowell, as well as unexpected crazes like that for neuroplasticity. One previous, and remarkably similar, incarnation was Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which had it that psychological conditions such as depression were nothing more than patterns learned by the brain and that success and happiness were just a matter of reprogramming it. The idea appeared in a more academic costume, according to McManus, in the form of whats known as the Standard Social Science Model. This is the idea from the 1990s where, in effect, all human behavior is infinitely malleable and genes play no role at all.But the plasticity boosters h ave an answer to the tricky question of genes, and their heavy influence over all matters of health, life and wellbeing. Their answer is epigenetics. This is the relatively new understanding of the ways in which the environment can change how genes express themselves. Deepak Chopra has said that epigenetics has shown us that, regardless of the nature of the genes we inherit from our parents, dynamic change at this level allows us almost unlimited influence on our fate.Jonathan Mill, Professor of Epigenetics at the University of Exeter, dismisses this kind of claim as babble. Its a really exciting science, he says, but to say these things are going to totally rewire your whole brain and gene functioning is taking it far too far. And its not just Chopra, he adds. Broadsheet newspapers and academic journals have also been guilty, at times, of falling for the myth. There have been all sorts of amazingly overhyped headlines. People who have been doing epigenetics for a while are almost i n despair, at the moment, partly because its being used as an explanation for all sorts of things without any real direct evidence.Just as epigenetics doesnt fulfill our cultures promise of personal transformation, nor does neuroplasticity. Even some of the more credible-sounding claims are, according to Ian Robertson, currently unjustifiable. Take the one about reducing our risk of dementia by 60 percent. There is not a single scientific study that has ever shown that any intervention of any kind can reduce the risk of dementia by 60 percent, or indeed by any percentage, he says. No one has done the research using appropriate control-group methodologies to show that there is any cause-and-effect link.Indeed, the clinical record for many famous treatments that use the principles of neuroplasticity is notably mixed. In June 2015, the Food and Drug Administration in the US permitted the marketing of the latest iteration of Bach-y-Ritas on-the-tongue seeing devices for the blind, citin g successful studies. And yet a 2015 Cochrane Review of constraint-induced movement therapy a touchstone treatment for neuroplasticity evangelists that offers improvements in motor function for people who have had a stroke found that these benefits did not convincingly reduce disability. A 2011 meta-analysis of neuroplasticity Godfather Michael Merzenichs Fast ForWord learning techniques, described to such thrilling effect by Doidge, found no evidence that they were effective as a treatment for childrens oral language or reading difficulties. This, according to Sophie Scott, goes for other treatments too. Theres been a lot of excitement about brain-training packages and, actually, big studies of those tend not to show very much effect, she says. Or they show youve got better at the thing youve practiced at, but it doesnt generalize to something else. In November 2015, a team lead by Clive Ballard at Kings College London found some evidence that online brain-training games might he lp reasoning, attention and memory in the over-50s.Its perhaps understandable why crazy levels of hope are raised when people read tales of apparently miraculous recovery from brain injury that feature people seeing again, hearing again, walking again and so on. These dramatic accounts can make it sound as ifanythingis possible. But whats usually being described, in these instances, is a very specific form of neuroplasticity functional reorganization which can happen only in certain circumstances. The limits are partly architectural, says Greg Downey. Certain parts of the brain are better at doing certain kinds of thing, and part of that comes simply from where they are.Another limitation, for the person hoping to develop a superpower, is the simple fact that every part of a normal brain is already occupied. The reason you get reorganization after an amputation, for example, is that youve just put into unemployment a section of the somatosensory cortex, he says. A healthy brain ju st doesnt have this available real estate. Because it keeps getting used for what its being used for, you cant train it to do something else. Its already doing something.Age, too, presents a problem. Over time, plastic sets, says Downey. You start off with more of it and space for movement slowly decreases. Thats why a brain injury at 25 is a total different ballgame to a brain injury at seven. Plasticity says you start off with a lot of potential but youre laying down a future thats going to become increasingly determined by what youve done before.Robertson speaks of treating a famous writer and historian whod had a stroke. He completely lost the capacity for all expressive language, he says. He couldnt say a word, he couldnt write. He had a huge amount of therapy and no amount of stimulation could really recover that because the brain had become hyper-specialized and a whole network had developed for the highly refined production of language. Despite what the currents of our cultu re might insistently beckon us towards believing, the brain is not Play-Doh. You cant open up new areas of it, says McManus. You cant extend it into different parts. The brain isnt a mass of grey gloop. You cant do anything you like.Even the people whose lives are being transformed by neuroplasticity are finding that brain change is anything but easy. Take recovery from a stroke. If youre going to recover the use of an arm, you may need to move that arm tens of thousands of times before it begins to learn new neural pathways to do that, says Downey. And, after that, theres no guarantee its going to work. Scott says something similar about speech and language therapy. There were dark days, say, 50 years ago, where if youd had a stroke you didnt get that kind of treatment other than to stop you choking because theyd decided it doesnt work. But now its becoming absolutely clear that it does, and that its a phenomenally good thing. But none of it comes for free.Those who over-evangelize emerging disciplines like neuroplasticity or epigenetics can sometimes be guilty of talking as if the influence of our genes no longer matters. Their enthusiasm can make it seem, to the non-specialist, as if nurture can easily conquer nature. This is a story that attracts people in great numbers, to newspapers, blogs and gurus, because its one our culture reinforces, and one we want to believe that radical personal transformation is possible, that we have the potential to be whoever and whatever we want to be, that we can find happiness, success, salvation all we need to do is try. We are dreamers down to our very synapses, we are the people of the American Dream.Of course, its our malleable brains that have molded themselves to these rhythms. As we grow up, the optimistic myths of our culture become so embedded in our sense of self that we can lose touch with the fact that they are just myths. The irony is that when scientists carefully describe the blind seeing and the deaf hear ing, and we hear it as talk of jagdbeute miracles, its the fault of our neuroplasticity.

My startup job makes me feel like I have an impact. Google didnt. (The Story Behind a Resume)

My startup job makes me feel like I have an impact. Google didnt. (The Story Behind a Resume)My startup job makes me feel like I have an impact. Google didnt. (The Story Behind a Resume)Last year, we lost a dear colleague here at . But its not like shes dead to us, or anything. She just went off to do cooler things. Things like developing a in die vagina probe in China (which is not exactly true but thats what she told us back then ).But we understand. Developing a resume builder simply doesnt have the same ring to it.Anyway, we thought her story welches awesome and everybody would like to hear it too. Which is why we decided to bewerberinterview her for our blog.By the way, more interviews are soon to follow. Not just with our former colleagues, but also with other wonderful people we have the privilege of knowing. And most of them come from the ranks of you- our benutzers.Oh, and dont forget to take a look at Barboras resume at the bottom of this page. We though itd be nice, you know, to attach a full story to a resume like this.Barbora will tell youWhy IT isnt just for boys (that would be just stupid)How girls are developing a device thats going to help women monitor their fertile daysHow they test the device on themselvesWhat is it like to work for an American start up in China and hows life thereHow to get an internship at Google and get invited to their conferencesAnd then some.Who is Barbora Klembrov? (Software Engineer Resume Sample)What would you tell someone if they asked you about becoming a programmer?I think the most important thing is to enjoy it. Studying computer science simply because you can score a well-paid job is stupid because, sooner or later, it will become stale. In retrospect, I understand that school teaches you to think in a certain way. Learning a specific programming language is not a problem, the key is to know how the principles behind it work.Ive heard you did an internship at at Google. Thats pretty cool How did you get ther e?I managed to get there twice for a summer internship. I sent them my CV because they had a program for college freshmen. Back then I didnt get in. Still, they kept my CV in the database and came back to me when I finished my bachelors. They wanted to know if I welches interested in a full-time job.Finally, we agreed on a summer internship. Then the hiring process began, which consisted of several technical interviews. After several successful rounds, one team had to pick me. When I applied for the internship the second time, I did not have to go through the interview process again, as it was within one year.What exactly did you do during your internship there?The first time round, I worked mostly on minor tasks for my team. I worked on internal tools to make the data overview easier/clearer for my colleagues and also on the availability of monitoring and alerts when something goes wrong.The second time, I worked on a great pipeline that handled the user data and it had to be optim ized and rewritten in another programming language.What is itlike to be a woman in such a male-dominated field?Its great, theres never a long queue for the ladies room at IT events . Personally, I have a good experience. Boys never behaved to me differently just because I am a girl and I never felt like I had any disadvantage.There are plenty of opportunities for us women too. For example, female programmers also have the perspektive to attend a conference that Google organizes every year in San Francisco. Even I got there twice thanks to the competition called Code Jam to IO for Women, where 150 girls can win tickets for this event. Not only they paid for my ticket, they also covered a large part of my travel expenses.Also, I had the chance to work for Google full-time. But as a coincidence, during that year a friend of mine recommended me to a company based in San Francisco. So, during the conference I met a co-founder of the company and she introduced me to their philosophy and w hat they are working on.That sounds awesome. Did the company appeal to you so much that you decided to work for them right after the meeting in San Francisco?I needed some time to think about it, because originally my friend told me that I could work remotely from Slovakia or maybe it would alternate with San Francisco. But at the meeting, she informed me that I will have to spend a lot of time in China in Shenzhen, which quite surprised me. However, their project attracted me so much that Ive said to myself that it is a unique opportunity. So I went for it.What is the project about and what kind of company is it?Its basically a very fresh startup founded about a year and a half ago. Our first product which we are currently working on is kegg. Its a vaginal probe that helps women get pregnant. Im more invested in it than in any other project that Ive worked on before. Its also pretty diverse, which means that I can keep learning a lot of new things there.So, basically youre programm ing a software for a vaginal probe.Yes, but since we are only four developers in the company, I have more tasks. Partly, I work on a firmware which is a software that helps to run our device and I test it at the same time. Also, I work on a server where are algorithms and data processing. I also manage our website and work in Google Analytics.How does the device work?In the vagina, the woman has the so-called cervical mucus, which changes during the cycle and during the ovulation it changes so it is permeable for sperms. This period can be calculated but calculations are not always accurate as there are many factors that can delay the fertility phase.With our device, we can directly detect the fluid-structure changes and, based on that, determine whether a so-called fertile window has begun. It is a phase when the woman has the highest chance of conceiving a baby.The device works by inserting it into the vagina, turning on the measurement and taking it out after two minutes. The acq uired data are sent to the server, analyzed and synchronized with the mobile app in a few seconds. Therefore, the user has all the data within the app and can view all of her cycles in graphs or also check the prediction when she may expect the next menstruation.Does it mean thatits primary use is to tell women when they have the highest chance of getting pregnant?Yes, and its mainly intended for women who have problems getting pregnant and use different methods to succeed. Our first tester already got pregnant by the way. Are you also testing it?Yes, Im also testing it. Basically, we already have an almost functional version of the device, but still, some new issues are occurring and we have to resolve these issues and fine-tune the device before going to the market.But there are already other similar products on the market that do the same thing. Is your product in any way different?There are many products that can somehow determine fertile days such as bracelets that measure hear tbeat, or thermometers for that measure the womans temperature during her cycle, as the temperature increases during the ovulation. However, these forms are often very inaccurate and especially it does not work for women who have an irregular cycle.The point of our device is that fertile days can be determined by direct measurement and it does not necessarily need to know previous cycles. One product that measures cervical mucus already exists, but it is older and looks much worse. Its a probe attached to a device thats about a cell phone size, and it looks really deterrent and outdated. We are trying to create something new, modern and better.Why China when the company was set up in America?Due to the nature of the product and finances. All the necessary parts were much more expensive and it took much longer to get them. Chinas manufacturing is next-gen, they can produce everything faster and more efficiently. So, we go there for business visits for which we receive Visa for a maxi mum of two months. During this time, we meet with various factories and resolve business affairs with them. Then, we return for a while to Slovakia or Czech Republic, or sometimes to San Francisco.It used to be that Made in China was a mark of low quality. Is it still true?Of course, we need to be careful about this because we have to meet certain certifications. We put emphasis on purchasing quality components. We always have the opportunity to go directly to the factory and see the whole production process. At the same time, we can identify any shortcomings in the tests that we do.There is also a very good book about the entire process of hardware development, The Hardware Hacker Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware, written in Shenzhen by the experienced author Andrew Huang. It gave us many helpful tips on what to avoid. The author was very interested in this topic and tested, for example, SD cards that he bought in multiple stores, and then inspected them to see if they we re fake, what were the differences between them, and so on.What about work and life there? What do you think are the main differences compared to Europe?I dont know if its just because China itself is so different, but the startup job is definitely different than working for Google. When the deadline is nearing, were working six-day weeks, ten to twelve hours per day. But I never felt like I did not have enough energy. So, its different in the sense that I work a lot more. But we have nothing else to do in China, so most of us dont mind .As for the life, its very different. Ive already experienced a typhoon. Trees were falling and bushes got ripped out. Ive also grown used to the fact that theres no drinkable tap water and that we have to buy bottled water. I was especially surprised to find out that they have cameras everywhere and everybody is being watched, but its not impossible to get used to it. Also, people are always staring at their phones. Almost nobody talks on the subway or in the street. It seems like everybodys living in their bubble.I guess that working six days a week needs a strong dose of motivation.Its only four of us. That means theres lot of work and its also quite difficult to find someone who would be willing to travel to China and had all the necessary skills. Searching for employees in China is not very logical for us because we want to spend most of our time in the Czech Republic after completing our product.The idea for the future is to have technical team in Czech Republic, travelling to San Francisco for conferences and only part of team working on hardware travelling to China.Youve compared working at a startup vs. Google. Which do you prefer?At Google you usually do just one thing. It is true that you can rotate in the teams or projects, but most of the time you can change it after a year spent in one team. Job for startup is much more diverse and, in particular, I feel like I have a much bigger impact on the world. But of course , Google also has its advantages.You seem to be motivated by the fact that working on such product will help many women.Absolutely. What motivates me the most is the fact that I can influence where the development is going and also the fact that everyone in the company really cares about the product itself.Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments

Steve Harveys diva letter shows what happens when bosses burn out

Steve Harveys diva letter shows what happens when bosses burn outSteve Harveys diva letter shows what happens when bosses burn outComedian Steve Harvey needs a vacation.Hisrecently-surfaced email memo to employees - outlining strict conduct rules in a hostile tone - has made waves by showing what happens when managers are pushed to the limit by demands on their time.Harvey reportedly sent the letter employees at the beginning of Season 5 of The Steve Harvey Show, which is moving to Los Angeles soon, according to Robert Feders Chicago media blog. Today is the last day of the shows production in Chicago, and the entire 80-person staff is being laid off.Harvey isnt taking any of the staff with him to Los Angeles, which has caused some resentment.Variety reported that, sources say thememo mayhave been leaked by a former staff member, who may not have been not invited to work on thenew LA-based show.More importantly, whatever the source of the leak, the memo from Harvey is an instructiv e one for overworked managers everywhere. There are good and bad ways to communicate with employees, and the memo crossed the line to the negative side. While its clear that Harvey feels like hes under a lot of pressure, his communication came off as hostile - even if the intent welches good.What was in theemailThe language Harvey used says a lot about his emotional state at the time it was written.I have been taken advantage of by my lenient policy in the past. This ends now. NO MORE. Do not approach me while Im in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly. Either knock or use the doorbell.Do not wait in any hallway to speak to me. I hate being ambushed. Please make an appointment.Nor does Harvey regret any of it.One of Harveys commentson the letter to ET was I just didnt want to be in this prison anymore where I had to be in this little room, scared to go out and take a breath of fresh air without somebody approaching me, so I wrote the letterI dont apologize about the letter, but its kind of crazypeople who took this thing and ran, man. I appreciate you asking me.Hostile language doesnt encourage teamworkNotice any patterns in the language? Its easy to recognize that its pretty hostile, with Harvey implying that his staff is out to get him when they seek him out. He repeats ambushing in the email, suggested he is feeling besieged, and the all-caps moments suggest he is angry.Harvey also uses passive voice while saying hes been taken advantage of - as if something was happening to him, not him putting the action in motion. He puts forward a strong me vs. them mentality - where them means his own staff helping him look good on the show.Harvey ends the email with,Everyone, do not take offense to the new way of doing business. It is for the good of my personal life and enjoyment,before thanking them, but at this point, its too late for cordiality- hes already built up a strong hypothetical fortress to protect himself from his own employees.Bur nout in actionWhile many will read the memo as Harvey being a terrible leader, theres another possibility hes a boss whos about to burn out. Yes, Harvey, in addition to being a celebrity, is also in essence the CEO of his own brand - and hes stretched very thin. In addition to the show, he has a lot of constraints on his time, like hosting the Miss Universe Pageant (where he mistakenly crowned Miss Colombia the winner in 2015). Its easy to understand why he might be trying to get some quiet time for himself and rebalance.But heres where Harveys technique is a problemthe tone of this email doesnt work in his favor. Instead of encouraging his staff to work hard and protect his time, Harvey pushes them away and dismisses them as annoyances.Work martyrs in the officeHarveys behavior mirrors that of the classic work martyr, a personality quirk that is nearly inevitable for anyone who has a tendency to work hard and take on more commitments. In this mindset, the hard worker starts to bel ieve hes the only one giving it his all, disparaging others as less hard-working and consequential.According to Ty Tucker, CEO of performance management platform REV, a work martyr is someone who is typically concerned with the number of hours theyve worked, not the outcomes they have created.Work martyrdom is complicated to spot, since it frequently manifests among high achievers who give over their time and identity to their jobs. It is frequently a sign of burnout, an idea of look how much I give, and no one appreciates it.Even worse, the American culture of overwork encourages work martyrdom.Astudy by GfK and Project Time Off found that 39% of workers surveyed reported that they want their manager to see them as a work martyr. Yet 86% reported thinking that it is a bad thing to be seen as a work martyr by their family.Dee Elliott Consulting posted a document on this topic, whicheven includes a questionnaire developed by Dr Nathan Anthony from The Insight Network, to see where yo u are on the office martyr scale.It also offersadvice for leaders managing people like this- keeping track of how much work they do and getting together with them everyday (first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon to make sure that you areconfident that their workload is reasonable to their ability). It adds that work martyrs frequently oversell what they bring to the table in job interviews, and that people assume they wont turn down assignments, so they do in fact get taken advantage of.The roles of speech and eye contactStill, work martyrs, especially as bosses, have a long and storied history. Harveysdemands for staff to stay away are similar to those made by other leaders in various fields.In an article about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson,The Washington Post reported that many career diplomats say they still have not met him, and some have been instructed not to speak to him directly - or even make eye contact.Its similar at Vogue, according to lore.In a 2006 a rticle by The Guardian about the film The Devil Wears Prada, (the boss character is based on Anna Wintour) the publication reported, one US Vogue intern was famously told never to make eye contact with Wintour or to initiate a conversation. One day the terrified girl witnessed the editor tripping up in the corridor but wastoo scared to offer help. She stepped over Wintours prone form and carried on walking.A managers actions and words set the tone for employees- whether he or she is a celebrity or not. But in this case, Steve Harveys words spoke much louder than his actions.How to stop being a work martyr, as an employee or a leaderWork martyrdom usually has a very specific cause workers start putting work before every other aspect of their lives, including family and friends. Work martyrs draw most of their identity from their jobs, and when theyre doing well at work, thats all they need to keep going.If youre a leader, learn to spot work martyrdom in others and yourself sending 3 am emails frequently emphasizing the hours youre putting in implying that no one else is working harder than you acting as if everyone else is just trying to take advantage of your time. All of this behavior puts the martyrs needs above the goals of the company or the team- which is not only selfish and disrespectful to others, but slows down everyones progress. If other people feel less valued, theyre likely not to do good work. And the work martyr can never feel properly reciprocated for what they see as their outsize sacrifice.Then, step back.Theres an easy answer to ending work martyrdom and its language of hostility Dont give more of yourself to work than youre getting back in either pay or fulfillment. Everyone, no matter how important, should have a life and relationships outside work. When you feel that no one could possibly reciprocate or match all the work you do, its time to step back and get some perspective. Take a vacation, or even a walk outside. Just dont take it ou t on everyone else.

A List of Common Nonprofit Job Titles and Descriptions

A List of Common Nonprofit Job Titles and DescriptionsA List of Common Nonprofit Job Titles and DescriptionsA ohne gewinnerzielungsabsicht organization is one that uses its surplus revenue to achieve its goals further. It typically serves the general public through its mission, which might be working to improve education, promote womens rights or the arts, or provide specialized healthcare. Because nonprofit work can be found in various broadly defined fields, there are many nonprofit job titles. There are entry-level through management jobs available in the sector, and many people spend their entire career working for nonprofit organizations. Being familiar with job titles is important both during a job search and while building your career. You may find that skills youve honed while working in the for-profit sector can pave the way for a transition to a nonprofit organization, or vice versa. Its helpful to review a list of job titles when you are looking for a job with a nonprofit organization to make sure you are optimizing the search engines you use to find opportunities you want to pursue. Its also helpful to review your job title with your employer to make sure your duties match your job description. Most Common Nonprofit Job Titles Most nonprofit enterprises are organized similarly to regular for-profit companies. For example, both kinds of organizations will typically have management positions like executive directors, as well as jobs in accounting/bookkeeping, human resources, and media/technology. However, there are other jobs that are unique to the nonprofit sector, but which can generally be categorized into the existing typical corporate divisions. For example, the outreach coordinator in a nonprofit promotes the mission of the organization among the local community. He or she might organize events, recruit volunteers, or arrange other projects to get the community excited about and invested in the enterprise. Jobs in development might attend t o fundraising planning, securing financial support, creating special events for donors, and running other projects to ensure the organization meets its annual goals. A grant writer works with the development director, completing applications for funding (typically applications to foundations, the government, or a trust) to make sure the nonprofit achieves its annual financial goals. In a standard corporate job chart, all these positions would fall under the marketing/public relations category. For more information on each job title, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Nonprofit Job Titles List Administrative/Accounting In any organization, there need to be people expert in organizing and executing bro duties, interacting with the clients, and attending to the everyday smooth operation of the enterprise. Aides SupervisorCommunity Service Project CoordinatorCompliance CoordinatorFinancial Aid RepresentativeMember Records AdministratorMember Ser vices RepresentativeMembership Assistant Health and Human Services Many nonprofits are concerned with the physical and mental welfare of their clients and need employees with a variety of skills in specialized areas like abuse, addiction, and life counseling for adults and youth. Associate PastorCase ManagerChaplainChemical Dependency CounselorChild Care WorkerChild Life SpecialistChild Support Case OfficerChildbirth EducatorCounselorHospice SupervisorHousing CoordinatorHousing CounselorHuman Services WorkerJuvenile CounselorLiving Skills AdvisorManaged Care CoordinatorMedical Social WorkerMinisterPastorPolicy AnalystResidential Living AssistantSocial Worker Human Resources In a non-profit, people with human resources skills can put their experience to use in a variety of ways from being the point person on building skilled teams to tackle a community project to recruiting and organizing volunteers to assist with daily tasks. Event Team RecruiterJob DeveloperLabor Union OrganizerTea m LeaderVolunteer Coordinator Management Management in the nonprofit sector takes many different forms, from overseeing entire national or rtlich efforts to guiding the direction of one crucial element of the organizations goals. Nonprofits often draw from the corporate world for the most senior executive positions, as well as from candidates who have risen through the nonprofit route. Administrator for Nonprofit OrganizationsAdvocacy DirectorBusiness Office SupervisorCampaign ManagerChemical Dependency DirectorChief Association ExecutiveCommunity Health DirectorCommunity Relations DirectorCompliance DirectorCorporate Giving DirectorCorporate Giving ManagerCritical Care DirectorDevelopment DirectorDevelopment ManagerDirector of Family ShelterDirector of Major GiftsDirector of Special InitiativesDonor Relations ManagerExecutive Director of NonprofitFinancial Aid DirectorFoundation Director Fundraising ManagerGrant Proposal ManagerHousing Program ManagerMajor Gift DirectorMember Certi fication ManagerMember Services DirectorPlanned Gift DirectorPlanned Giving DirectorPlanning ManagerProgram DirectorProgram ManagerProgram Officer for FoundationProject ManagerPublic Relations ManagerRecreational Therapy DirectorSocial Services DirectorSocial Work ManagerSpecial Events DirectorSupport Services DirectorTeen Center DirectorVolunteer DirectorVolunteer ManagerVolunteer Services Director Marketing People with marketing and fundraising skills are sought after in the nonprofit sector to keep the organization and its goals sustainable and viewed positively in the public eye. Grant writers with excellent writing skills and the ability to seek out funding are always in high demand as well. Community OrganizerCommunity Outreach AdvocateCommunity Outreach CoordinatorCommunity Outreach SpecialistCoordinator of Planned GivingDevelopment AssistantDevelopment AssociateDevelopment CoordinatorDevelopment OfficerFundraiserFundraising CoordinatorGrant AdministratorGrant/Contracts Speci alistGrant CoordinatorGrant WriterGrassroots OrganizerLobbyistMarketing AssociateNonprofit FundraiserOnline ActivistProgram AssistantProgram AssociateProgram CoordinatorSocial Media CoordinatorSpecial Events Coordinator

To make better decisions, dont confuse difficulty with urgency

To make better decisions, dont confuse difficulty with urgencyTo make better decisions, dont confuse difficulty with urgencyDecisions shape important outcomes, for better or worse.They are the most basic building blocks of life.Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, and other experts have clarified the specific ways in which decision makers are likely to be biased.No amount of deliberation can ever guarantee that you have identified the right option.The purpose of a decision is notlage to find the perfect option but get you an optimal choice that can help you get to the next one.Dont confuse difficulty with urgencyWhen you are overwhelmed by the urgency, magnitude, and complexity of a choice, you are likely to procrastinate or rush through it.A smarter approach for making difficult decisions is to break down the process into manageable steps that you can tackle over time.Before you rush to make a call on a tough issue, gather the fabroll-container-transport-ordnungsprinzip (for and against y our current assumptions), give yourself time to think through your options (process what youve found), and then make the call.In the end, if you dont give yourself the time you feel you need to make a judgment or choice, you will undermine your satisfaction and your subsequent experience. You will regret your decision, even when it is completely unwarranted,writes Heidi Halvorson is a motivational psychologist and author of No One Understands You, and What To Do About It.Dont panic in times of crisis, or when you think your career, life or business is on the line. Keep calm and think through your options.For many people though, impulsive decisions stem simply from getting caught up in what they want right now without thinking ahead, never thinking about the potential consequences or the long-term impact.Take an outsiders perspectiveMany judgment errors can be eliminated simply by broadening your frame of reference.The quickest, easiest, most effective way to do this is by involving someone who thinks very differently from you.Its amazing how many poor decisions can be avoided simply by asking one other rolle for their opinion.A fresh perspective changes everything.An impressive amount of empirical research backs up his observation.Taking an out- siders perspective has been shown to reduce decision makers overconfidence about their knowledge (Gigerenzer, Hoffrage, Kleinblting, 1991)Decision makers may also be able to improve their judgments by asking a genuine outsider for his or her view regarding the decision.Searching for evidence that could prove you wrong is a painful process but it works.If youre wrestling with a difficult decision, consult a friend or colleague whos been in your situation before.Their insight will likely be significantly more valuable than almost any research.Choice overload is a trapToo many choices exhaust us.And when you have too many scenarios to consider, you are likely to abscond from making a decision altogether.Researcher Barry Schwartz calls this choice overload. We tend to avoid making important decisions when we have too many choices.As the number of options increases, the costs, in time and effort, of gathering the information needed to make a good choice also increase, writes Schwartz.The level of certainty people have about their choice decreases. And the anticipation that they will regret their choice increases, says Schwartz.When you reach that level of stress in a decision-making process, you procrastinate, overthink and delay important decisions.Jane Porter of Fast Company explains, Given the endless options of which route to take, we can sometimes end up going with the more conventional path simply because its the easier way to go.By all means, consider all your options, but narrow your most important options to help you make a better choice in the future.A study from New York University found that restricting the choice of creative inputs actually enhances creativity.Embrace the OODA loopMilita ry pilots are known to rely on the OODA cycle/loop (observe, orient, decide and act) when making decisions.The OODA loop was developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. Boyd applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the operational level during military campaigns.There is no rush.But every step is calculated based on careful observation.The OODA loop has become an important concept in litigation, business, law enforcement, and military strategy.Consider a fighter pilot being scrambled to shoot down an enemy aircraft.The pilot decides to get into the sun above his opponent, and acts by applying control inputs to climb. Back to observation - is the attacker reacting to the change of altitude? Then comes orient Is the enemy reacting characteristically, or perhaps acting like a noncombatant? Is his plane exhibiting better-than-expected performance?As the combat begins, little time is devoted to orienting unless some new informati on pertaining to the actual identity or intent of the attacker comes into play. Information cascades in real time, and the pilot does not have time to process it consciously the pilot reacts as he is trained to, and conscious thought is directed to supervising the flow of action and reaction, continuously repeating the OODA cycle. Simultaneously, the opponent is going through the same cycle.Most of us are under enormous pressure to act quickly, to show that were doing something and in control, but its important to stop and think every now and then.Inaction (for orientation purposes) is sometimes more important than quick execution. Decision-making is about more than appearing decisive.Its also about managing the context to achieve an optimal outcome.In any decision-making process, the winner isnt the one who reacts most quickly, but the one who decides how to act most effectively.Think in years, not daysUse the 10/10/10 rule.People who overweight the first-order consequences and ign ore the effects that the second- and subsequent-order consequences will have on their goals, rarely reach their goals. - Ray DalioEvery decision has an impact on the next one.Warren Buffett, charlottenburger Munger and many other known figures swear by the 10/10/10 strategy.Ask yourself the following three questionsHow will I feel about it in 10 minutes?How will I feel about it in 10 months?How will I feel about it in 10 years?Most of us are conditioned to respond as quickly as possible in many situations, however, its vital to consider the long-term consequences of your decisions.Milton Friedman once said, The best measure of quality thinking is your ability to predict the consequences of your ideas and subsequent actions.Trust your gut brainIn the business worlds, you hear a lot of talk about intuition, trusting your gut. Its less simple than you might think.Professor William Duggan believes that there are three different types of intuitionOrdinary intuition is just a feeling, a gut instinct. Expert intuition is snap judgments, when you instantly recognize something familiar, the way a tennis pro knows where the ball will go from the arc and speed of the opponents racket. The third kind, strategic intuition, is not a vague feeling, like ordinary intuition. Strategic intuition is a clear thought. That flash of insight you had last night might solve a problem thats been on your mind for a month. Expert intuition is always fast, and it only works in familiar situations. Strategic intuition is always slow, and it works for new situations, which is when you need your best ideas. This difference is crucial, because expert intuition can be the enemy of strategic intuition. As you get better at your job, you recognize patterns that let you solve similar problems faster and faster. Thats expert intuition at work. In new situations your brain takes much longer to make enough new connections to find a good answer.A flash of insight happens in only a moment, but it may take weeks for that moment to come. You cant rush it. But your expert intuition might see something familiar and make a snap judgment too soon. The discipline of strategic intuition requires you recognize when a situation is new and turn off your expert intuition. You must disconnect the old dots, to let new ones connect on their own.Learn to trust your expert intuition (based on experience) when making choices about familiar problems.Build a decision-making systemWe dont always have control over outcomes, but we do have control over our process, says Amy Summerville, a psychology professor at Miami University.Sometimes you dont have the luxury of time to extensively consider all the different scenarios and options.What you need in a situation like that is a solid decision-making model.Medics, boxers, footballers, and firefighters think on their feet.In the heat of the moment, they dont have time for deviating thoughts.The pressure of the moment forces their minds to focus on wh at needs to be done now.They process information so quickly that rapid cognition - decisions that spring from hard thinking based on sound experience - can feel more instinctive than scientific.If they make mistakes, they recover quickly.These are two ways to build a better decision-making system1. Understand pattern recognitionMost of what we face each day is similar to other scenarios we have already experienced. By understanding this, its possible to quickly map a range of previous experiences and their outcomes.Leverage those to arrive at the most viable decision fast.Over time, as you continue making decisions, your speed and quality will improve.2. Use the 2 minutes ruleFor most decisions, its much better to pick an option, and just move on, and the two-minute rule can help.Give yourself a timer that helps you focus on the decision rather than having your mind wander and get distracted.If you had two minutes to make a decision, how will you decide?It doesnt even have to be two minutes, necessarily, it just has to be a short amount of time, and you have to force yourself to pick a side by the time it runs out.Use this approach if you suck at making small decisions fast (where to eat, which movie to watch, what to eat for dinner etc.).With the pressure of a time limit, youll need to get to the heart of the matter faster and collect the pros and cons quickly, which you might not otherwise do.Key takeawayThe only way youre going to get better at making smart and better decisions is by practicing making decisions every single day.If you start making this part of your daily routine, you may feel more confident in your actions and decision-making skills.Itll take time and practice, but once you get the hang of it, you will make an informed decision in any situation.Want to upgrade your decision-making skills?Join my Thinking in Models community today and upgrade your decision-making habits. Its designed to help you make complex decisions with confidence Clic k here for details.You can also subscribe to Postanly Weekly (my free weekly digest of the best posts about behaviour change that affect health, wealth, and productivity). Join over 49,000 people on a mission to build a better life.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.

Sample Teaching Resume - an in Depth Anaylsis on What Works and What Doesnt

Sample Teaching Resume - an in Depth Anaylsis on What Works and What Doesnt The Dos and Donts of Sample Teaching Resume The web states the functional resume format also called the skills based resume is a remedy to the majority of issues with employment history. The skills summary has become the most important portion of writing a functional resume. You can receive the suitable information regarding yourself, put all of them together and make it well organized. Understanding how to tailor your resume will obviously offer you an advantage. The Tried and True Method for Sample Teaching Resume in Step by Step Detail It is not difficult to lose out on various jobs by spending an excessive amount of time on the resume. Transportation jobs involve a great absprache of responsibility and your resume will want to reflect you can manage that. If youre attempting to obtain work in accounting or finance you require averystrong resume. Distinct kinds of work in the food service industr y require resumes with several of the exact skills. The Fundamentals of Sample Teaching Resume Revealed Because the recruiters arent your pals. Well, it is going to catch the recruiters attention, and itll make you mora memorable in regards to really interviewing in person. So in anticipation for the interview, the resume can provide you with a chance to thoroughly think through the situations you need your employer to understand about you. What is Truly Happening with Sample Teaching Resume You could also find the Sample Resumes. Job seekers deserve to discover decent content quickly. It is imperative to go through company specific Resume. Resumes that work are the ones which might help you are given a job. A teacher resume template ought to be written keeping the essence of job in mind. Its hard to acquire work in the very first spot. Individualize each resume to fit the particular job, and the school. Thus it is vital for any candidate gearing up for his dream job t o experience a number of content that are already offered. Speaking of which, our site offers more resumes for you to pick from. If youre thinking about applying to be a teacher, then the very first step you will need is a resume to assist you. Once you do this, have 2-3 other men and women read it for you too. The teaching world is growing and a lot of people are going back to school to receive their teaching credentials to discover the best jobs. Teaching the smaller kids need high patience and exclusive skills to tackle stubborn kids. As you start looking for jobs as a teacher, take some opportunity to rate your targets and abilities. Instead of merely listing your duties and techniques, accomplishments show that which you have done for a school in earlier times letting a possible school know what you could do for them later on. Ensure your resume is crystal clear and informative and targeted to the particular teacher job prospect. You will also find a good example of a r esume written particularly for an early childhood education job. Sample Teaching Resume - What Is It? Resume Contractor The continue building process is really straightforward. Resume application is quite much useful to produce the ready resume. Resumes are produced to emphasize the best side of a person. Infographic resumes seem nice, but you also have to be concerned about applicant tracking system program. Where to Find Sample Teaching Resume A resume for any post has to be sent after making some vital points sure like spell check, appropriate formatting, correct length, easy and straightforward. If you would like to ensure it is perfect, you must choose the best template for the exact same initially. Perhaps while trying to find examples you noticed poor samples throughout the internet. There are cover letter samples which can be located as well so take whole benefit of all extra tools that are made available to you. What You Dont Know About Sample Teaching Resume Yo u shouldnt underestimate the importance of resumes. Its fast and simple to use. Candidates should choose the opportunity to research into each institution where youre interviewing. Resumes can be extremely essential as it will help your employers find out more about your backgroundthe skills youve got, educational attainments, and previous work experiences. Even when youre a recent graduate, you can include things like accomplishments. Credentials and education accomplishments will also have to be laid out so take note in advance. Teachers need in order to solve many different problems, often beneath a tight deadline. They must, of course, understand the material that they teach.

The Importance of Having an Opinion at Work

The Importance of Having an Opinion at Work In school, were taught to understand both sides of every issue. If you can argue for and against a point, youre more likely to truly understand all dimensions of the problem at hand.In the workplace, its also helpful to understand all angles of an issue. Earlier in my career, I worked in strategy roles. My internal customers, so to speak, were C-level executives. When I shared my ideas, I tried to remain balanced, presenting both sides of the argument. I wanted to be unbiased in my approach.But one executive I worked for wanted to know my ideas. On multiple occasions, he would ask me, But Angela, what do you really think about this issue? He once told meI welches the only employee hed ever had whose personal opinion he couldnt guess. In a way, this felt good. I was separating the business and the personal.Over the years, Ive learned that this is not always the best approach. Recently, something happened to r emind me of this point. Ive been working with a smart person to help me on a project. The person is an expert in an area I know nothing about. I respect their experience and perspectives. When it was time to make a decision, I asked the person, What do you think about this? The person responded with, Well, I generally try not to influence my clients with my own opinions.There are certain times in your career when youre brought in to work on a project because you know more about a particular subject than anyone else in the room. When that happens, its time to share your opinion. Its time to have thoughts based on your past experiences. To a degree, its okay to have biases in that moment. The bias you have is your past experience guiding you past experience that nobody else in the room has.Dont get me wrong. There are times at work when your employer is just looking for someone to complete a task. In those moments, theyre not looking for feedback, suggestions, or improvements.But whe n youre hired to be a consultant, a strategist, or a high-level thinker, you should have an opinion. Your opinion will guide your client to success. It will take them to a level that they wouldnt be able to reach on their own. Thatswhy they hired you. If they were just looking for a button pusher, theyd find someone cheaper todo the job.So stand up and speak up. When its your turn to have an opinion, have one. And if you dont have one for a specific reason, explain that. But be sure the reason is not because youre avoiding having to say something.Its true, you may fail if you speak up. But failure happens to everyone. Plus, with your experience and your expertise, youre the person least likely to fail in the room. Your boss knows that, and theyre depending on you to help out.You can only do that if you have an opinion.A version of this article originally appeared in theMemphis Daily News.Angela Copeland is a career coach and CEO at her firm,Copeland Coaching.

Bicycle Bicentennial

Bicycle Bicentennial Bicycle Bicentennial Bicycle BicentennialThe two-wheeler turns 200 in 2017. In June 1817, German inventor Baron Karl von Drais rode his new laufmaschine (running machine) through the countryside and into history as the precursor to the modern bicycle. That quirky conveyance, which poet John Keats dismissed as the nothing of the day, is going strong two centuries later. Todays bike makers are exploring the frontiers of engineering and materials science to meet a growing demand for customized bikes. So as we look back at the bicycles birth, its worth a glimpse at modern innovations that channel Drais vision into bikes that meet todays needs.The first two-wheeled bike welches born against the backdrop of a global climatological catastrophe known as the Year Without a Summer. In 1815, a massive eruption of the volcanic Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies triggered a dramatic cooling effect across the Northern Hemisphere. Germany was particularly hard-hit, with wid espread famine due to crop failures and livestock deaths. Horses the eras only means of ground transportation grew scarce. As a civic-minded inventor, Drais took on the challenge to create a mechanical people-moving substitute for the horse.Patented in 1818, the original laufmaschine was built on a straight wooden frame weighing in at a cumbersome 50 pounds. It had most of the elements used in modern bikes two in-line wheels, handlebar steering, and a saddle to support the rider. The key missing feature pedal-powered rotary cranks, were still decades away. Instead, the rider would straddle the low-slung bike frame with feet on the ground, pushing the bike forward with walking or running strides. Its the same principle behind the pint-sized balance bikes that help todays children learn to ride a two-wheeler without training wheels.Original draisine of 1817 made-to-measure. Image Wikimedia CommonsEvery Drais machine was a custom job, made to measure for each customers height and str ide. Other builders would soon fine-tune the design, introducing serpentine frames that made room for larger wheels, and adjustable seat height to reduce the need for customization. As the machines improved, their popularity grew rapidly across Europe. The vehicle became known variously as the draisine (or in France, draisienne), the swiftwalker, the hobby horse, or the velocipede which became a more generic term for any multi-wheeled human-powered vehicle. In London, an epicenter of the brief velocipede craze, it was a favorite affectation among a class of status-seeking, style-conscious men of leisure known as dandies hence its most popular nickname, the dandy horse. Eschewing the rutted, dirty city streets for the smooth sidewalks, the self-entitled dandies and their unwieldy horses caused mayhem among pedestrians. A rash of collisions prompted tough ridership restrictions in several cities, marking the beginning of the end of the dandy horses brief reign by 1819.A Look AheadFa st forward 200 years. Peoples love affair with the bike is as strong as ever. And just as in Karl Drais time, global, economic, and societal events still fan that passion. Many cyclists today ride not only to reach a destination but to make a statement of their values whether its personal fitness, sustainability, adventure, or simply a desire to save on gas. Bicycles are traktament for the possibilities they represent to us, says Dwan Shepard, president of Co-Motion Cycles, Eugene, OR, a 30-year-old manufacturer based in the heart of bike-crazy Oregon. Shepard says high-end bikes are no longer sold simply to would-be Tour de France competitors but rather to people who want to take the road less traveled be it to work, to a mountain campsite, or along the local bike path. It doesnt take incredible athleticism, he says. You just need a little time, a bike that is well-appointed for the task, and some determination. There are some superb bikes and equipment being made to make these n ew ideas for cycling easier and more fun.For top-end bikes, riders look for excellent strength-to-weight ratio, superb road feel, and a bit of personal flair and customization is key. The size and complexity of bicycle components, and the exotic materials often used in their construction, has thus far limited the industrys use of 3D printing. But at least in key facets of the manufacturing process thats likely to change, Shepard says. 3D printing now seems to be on the cusp of opening up possibilities beyond anything you and I might have imagined even 10 minutes ago, and I find that amazing, he says.It certainly has already been a very powerful tool for rapid prototyping, and thats where I think it will continue to have its biggest impact.At least experimentally, bike makers and 3D printing companies have leveraged carbon fiber and titanium printing advances to produce some groundbreaking bikes and components. Britains Empire Cycles collaborated with Renishaw to produce what it hai led as the worlds first all-titanium mountain bike. The VRZ-2 track bike designed by Ralf Holleis artfully combines fancy 3D printed titanium lugs with carbon fiber tubes. And, in a nod to Karl Dais, MakerBot has created a fully functional print-at-home version of a dandy horse for kids using its PLA filaments. No single material can be called the best for bicycles, Shepard says. Millions of people are certain that they must have a carbon fiber bike. There are some wonderful carbon fiber bikes, of course. But a builder/manufacturer can do a poor job with the best material, or a superb job with the very worst. The point is, weve got to look beyond the material and look for good design and execution.Michael MacRae is an independent writer.A builder/manufacturer can do a poor job with the best material, or a superb job with the very worst. The point is, weve got to look beyond the material and look for good design and execution.Dwan Shepard, Co-Motion Cycles

5 things that will send your resume straight to the rejection pile

5 things that will send your resume straight to the rejection pile 5 things that will send your resume straight to the rejection pile Your resume is the very first impression that an employer will have of you, and its usually the determining factor in whether you move forward to an interview or get rejected on the spot. That means that its crucial to put real energy into getting it right and yet many job seekers put mora energy into picking out an interview suit than they do into writing a strong, compelling resume.These five common mistakes will virtually ensure that your resume goes straight to the reject pile rather than getting further consideration but are easily avoided.Mistake 1 Your resume is four pages long or even longer.Its true that resumes no longer have to stick rigidly to a single page, but that isnt license to turn your resume into a lengthy essay. If youre in your 20s, your resume still should generally only be one page you havent had enough work experience yet to justify a second one. If youre older than that, two pages are fine, but three will usually raise eyebrows (not in a good way) and anything longer than that will come across as prohibitive self-importance or terrible judgment. In fact, having looked at tends of thousands of resumes, I can tell you that after two pages, there is an inverse relationship between the number of pages of your resume and the strength of your candidacy.Mistake 2 Theres not much information about what you did in each job or, conversely, theres so much information about each job that its a challenge to wade through it all. Your resume needs to contain enough information to explain what you achieved in each job job titles and a single bullet point describing your work in each role arent generally going to be enough. At the same time, though, you cant include so much information that hiring managers eyes glaze over. Youre aiming for highlights, not an exhaustive accounting of everything you did. The idea is to distill your achievements down to what matters most.Mistake 3 Youre extremely overqualified for the job youre applying for and dont address that in your cover letter.When employers get a resume from someone whose skills and experience are far beyond what the role calls for, theyll usually assume that the candidate is either applying to everything they see or that the partie fundamentally misunderstood what the job is. The exception to this is if you explain whyyoure applying for this particular job, despite it potentially seeming like a step back. That means that if your resume shows qualifications far deeper than the job requires, it needs to be accompanied by a cover letter that explains your interest. For example, you might explain that youve realized through experience that front-line accounting work is what you really love, not managing the people doing the accounting work, or that youre deliberately seeking something with less responsibility than youve had in the past in orde r to obtain a better work-life balance, or whatever your reason is.Mistake 4 You left all the dates off.Sometimes in an attempt to avoid age discrimination, older candidates will leave the dates of employment off of their resume altogether. The problem with doing this is that employments dates are such a standard part of a resume that leaving them off stands out in a negative way. Plus, those dates are relevant it matters whether your experience doing relevant work was recent or 15 years ago and whether you did it for six months or for six years. If youre concerned about avoiding age discrimination, a better option is only include your job history for the last 15 years. Your more recent experience is likely to be the most relevant and interesting to employers anyway.Mistake 5 Youre obviously resume-bombing.If your application materials make it clear that youre applying for every job you see that youre remotely qualified for, youre going to torpedo your chances. Employers want candid ates who are interested in the particular job theyre hiring for, not just any job, and whose work history is a strong match for the role. Candidates who spray out resumes in all directions tend to figure that this approach cant hurt but it will waste your time and make a poor impression on employers who otherwise might have considered you in the future.

Submit Your Nomination for the New Faces of Engineering Profe...

Submit Your Nomination for the New Faces of Engineering Profe... Submit Your Nomination for the New Faces of Engineering Profe... Submit Your Nomination for the New Faces of Engineering Professional and College Edition ProgramsOct. 7, 2016 Nominations are now being accepted for New Faces of Engineering Professional and New Faces College Edition, two DiscoverE programs that recognize the achievements of both practicing engineers and engineering students. ASME members and student members who would like to nominate themselves or a colleague to represent the Society in either of the 2017 New Faces programs have until Nov. 18 to complete and submit an online nomination form. The New Faces of Engineering Professional program highlights the contributions of early career engineers to the profession and the resulting impact on society. To represent ASME in the 2017 New Faces Professional class, nominees must be members of ASME, 30 years of age or younger as of Dec. 31, 2016, w ith a degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited U.S. college or university or from an equivalent international institution. The second New Faces program, New Faces College Edition, acknowledges the accomplishments of engineering undergraduates. Nominees must be third-, fourth- or fifth-year students with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. They must also be enrolled in a Bachelor of Science engineering program from an ABET-accredited U.S. college or university or its equivalent. The top New Faces Professional and College Edition applicants from each participating engineering organization will be selected by DiscoverE and announced on April 5, 2017. New Faces Professional winners will be featured on the DiscoverE website and in national and local U.S. media outlets. Winners of the New Faces College Edition will receive scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 and will be featured on the DiscoverE website, the College Editions Facebook page, and in an ad in thei r college newspaper.To nominate an ASME member or student member for either of the New Faces programs, or for more information, visit www.discovere.org/our-programs/awards-and-recognition/awards-program-overviews. For more information on DiscoverE and its programs, visit www.discovere.org.