#your website says they are looking for people with applied science degrees in like finance or business

[maryse127]

Someone on LinkedIn messaged me saying I seemed like an ideal candidate for a position and I checked the website and I absolutely do NOT qualify at all like ???

Also just the company name threw me off immediately. Like probably some international company that has a Dutch branch but sadly for them they use the Dutch acronym for STI in their company name. Like why would you do that??

Website is also just BAD. Like wow I am not even gonna hop on a call for more info with this one because NOPE

[northopalshore]

Hello, thank you in advance for answering my question. Actually, it's not a question, I'm curious about your thoughts. First of all, my groom asteroid is 21°, in the 5th house and in Aquarius; my juno asteroid is 26°, in the 8th house, in Aquarius. What do you think about my FS?

also according to the placidus system, my sun, venus and mercury are in aries in my 7th house (virgo ascendant). in the whole sign system, these three planets are in the 8th house. which one do you think will have the most effect? in the placidus system, my 8th house is aries and will these three planets being in aries in the 7th house have an effect on the 8th house?

Thank you so much have a great day 💗✨🙏

Hello!

About your future spouse;

Groom (21° Sagittarius) in aquarius 5th house:

They are someone who is very eccentric and eclectic. They are open-minded, very smart optimistic. Their career could involve a lot of teaching or standing out, and entertaining younger people i.e.students. They could work in STEM or science, or even history and artifacts. They likely work as a highschool teacher or a lecturer in university because of the Sagittarius degree.

Juno (26° Taurus) in 8th house:

You could meet them online while you're at home, or on a dating app (aquarius). Something about your relationship may be taboo perhaps there could be an age gap or there are differences in religious beliefs. You will meet them at a point of change or rebirth, perhaps it also includes moving somewhere.

About which house system to use:

I went down a rabbit hole a while back and saw the light lmao. I've read blogs from astrologers with more than 10 years of experience that stated that they've switched to whole signs because they argue that astrology is not meant to satisfy you or validate your feelings, it's a measure of time and a way to accurately predict & read your life events (which is true). Still, there are many other professional astrologers that use the placidus house system.

Placidus may work psychologically but whole signs make sense mathematically and it's much easier to read especially in extreme cases (houses skipping signs entirely look at Matty Healy's chart for example). However, I still work with both lol.

It's important to realise that astrology takes on many forms. I don't like thinking that one is more accurate than the other because then.. what about vedic astrology? And other house systems for that matter. Thus, I urge you to look at BOTH placidus & whole signs to see the bigger picture especially if you have changes in your chart when using either one.

I'll link some websites for you to read about the discourse between placidus & whole signs users below if you are interested.

i. Why whole signs?

ii. But whole signs don't account for individuality!

iii. In defence of placidus

To put it simply though, I understand the placidus as how one sees themselves & how others may perceive them

while whole signs is the reality of the situation because of how direct it is.

So looking at it from this perspective, let's look at your last question!

7th house vs 8th house:

In the placidus chart,

it says you're someone who is very focused on their close connections. Balance and harmony is very important to you & your relationships. That includes family members, friends and romantic relationships. Since venus is detrimental in aries, & sun in exalted in aries you will find that individuality can come across as a problem or a common issue is your relationships. You may also be uncomfortable showing affection in general.

In the whole signs system however,

you are someone who is very deep & introspective. You have likely gone through many changes & rebirths in your life. Themes of obsession, loss and mental health may appear very often in your identity and love life. Your finances could also play a big role in your life. You invest a lot if your time researching & thinking about the occult i.e tarot, witchcraft & astrology.

As for which one applies the most, people will say placidus but realistically I side with while signs. However, which one you want to go with depends on you it's just a matter of perspective in the end.

Hope this helps ♡

[scienceandmedicine]

Tips from my College Counsellor/Teachers

These are some handy-dandy tips from my college counsellor and teachers regarding medicine/science courses but can also be applied to more general majors/degrees:

Quick Disclaimer: Not all these facts may apply to you or your situation. It’s always best to directly ask your teacher and college counsellor whats best for you. This is just some food for thought.

1. It is competitive.

Medical school is highly competitive and often offer limited places, most colleges are like that as well. For entry to Oxford in 2019, around 23,000 people applied for around 3,300 undergraduate places. That meant Oxford received, on average, over 7 applications for each available place (https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/full-version-facts-and-figures#:~:text=Undergraduate%20admissions%20and%20access,applications%20for%20each%20available%20place.). You have to make sure you stand out, often grades were just the preliminary way of rejecting applications but in order to be more likely to receive the place you have to be an all-rounder (clubs, sports, cultural events, student leadership, community service, etc.). Remember: “Universities are always looking for a way to say no, not yes.”

https://www.ivycoach.com/2020-ivy-league-admissions-statistics/

2. Don’t be afraid to take a gap year

Travel, have experiences, volunteer at hospitals or doctors’ offices, take this time to beef up your resume, learn a language, learn a skill, take time to be sure that not only if college is the right choice for you but if the major you’re taking is truly the one for you, etc. Gap years are incredibly important if you personally don’t feel like you’re ready to jump into university. Not to mention it gives you time to mature and gain experience (referring to Point 1). 

This incredible website has some more general ideas: https://www.oysterworldwide.com/news/gap-year-ideas/

These are specifically medical ideas: https://www.themedicportal.com/blog/5-things-to-do-on-your-gap-year-to-boost-your-med-school-application/

3. Finances can be tricky

Scholarships. Scholarships. Scholarships. There is no reason to start your adult and working life in debt, not to mention with a mediocre credit score. Besides financial aid, it’s always best to consider what you could do to lower your expenses when going to college (e.g. buying the textbooks second hand vs. brand new). 

Oxford: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/fees-funding/assistance

Cambridge: https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/cambridgebursary

Edinburgh: https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-funding/financial-support/student-loans/usa/apply

etc.

You can always ask your college counsellor what scholarships are available/relevant to you, but often taking a look at the university sites gives you an idea of what they offer.

(some stats from Stanford: https://news.stanford.edu/2019/12/03/trustees-set-2020-21-tuition-expand-financial-aid-middle-income-families/)

4. Don’t always go for big universities like Oxford or Cambridge

Whilst I’m not encouraging in any way to not apply to these universities after all ‘you can never be admitted if you don’t apply’, I am saying keep in mind that you may be unsuccessful as admission rates are low and you should have several ‘backup’ options in case.

5. Hard work + extracurriculars all the way

Most top universities get thousands of applications each year, it is not only important to get good grades, but be a well-rounded individual. Clubs, Community Service, Jobs/Internships, Sport, Cultural, Student Leadership, etc. are all important things to have when applying for university.

6. Be organised but have fun!

Being organised is so important when it comes to applying to universities and attending class at university. Universities often appreciate those who are organised at all times, it also makes your life one thousand times easier! However, if you work too hard you could experience burn out! Don’t be afraid to take some time for yourself and relax.

9. Be careful of your online history

This may sound a little ominous, but be careful what you post online, it could come back to haunt you. This person:https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/nasa-intern-job-loss-twitter-homer-hickam-space-council-a8503241.html lost their internship at NASA because of a tweet, and this 17-year old: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22083032 lost their job because of their tweets between the ages of 14-16. Take care what you post online, it may be the reason you lose your spot at a top university.

(This is Paris Brown in case you were wondering)

Thanks for reading! Please remember that these were just some general tidbits of advice given to me throughout my ongoing high school career and is food for thought. Everyone’s situation is different and it is always best to find out from a college counsellor/teacher what is best for you. Thank you!

[seminalstudy]

Hi everyone! I’m currently in the process of transferring to a new university and one of the biggest parts of that has been planning out and scheduling which classes to take my first semester, in hopes that I can graduate at the same time as people my age :’) As someone who’s planned how to graduate in three years not once but twice now, I figured I could share my experience and/or advice with anyone looking to maximize their college academics!

1. Establish a timeline: Ask yourself how many years you’re giving yourself to complete your degree as this will help you figure out how heavy your course loads will have to be to graduate at your expected time (this could be anywhere from 2 years to 5 or more). At my first college, I planned to graduate in three years in order to save money and because the school had easier academics, so I was confident I could handle the extra work. My new plan to graduate in three years is so I can graduate with other students my age, set your goal!

2. Now that you’ve established a broad timeline, it’s time to start looking at potential majors/minors and career tracks: Hopefully, this is something you’ve started looking at before applying to college, but don’t worry - it’s not too late! As someone going into college with the knowledge that I’d be taking out max loans each year, I tried to figure out what I wanted to do early on so I could maximize my credits ie take as many required classes as possible and not ‘waste’ credits on classes that wouldn’t really contribute to my degree (ofc I ended up changing my mind 3/4 of the way thru the year but that’s life). I narrowed my options down to 3 or 4 majors and managed to eliminate 2 of them pretty early on.

3. With at least one track in mind, research all the requirements to earn a degree in that area: Universities often have “general education requirements” regardless of your major, so you take classes in multiple disciplines and broaden your perspective. Course catalogs/general bulletins/college websites are where you can find info about your gen-eds and major-specific required courses. It’s really helpful to map this out by hand or in a spreadsheet program (I did it both by hand and with Excel to stay uber-organized). This is also where you can narrow down the majors you’re interested in by looking at the required courses and course descriptions. I considered a Data Analytics major early on, but after seeing how much coding was required (not a strong suit or interest for me) I could comfortably eliminate it.

4. Reach out to your advisor/navigator/registrar to clarify any questions: If you’re confused by any of the requirements for your major/gen-eds, talk to someone at the university. I feel bad for the numerous advisors I’ve had because I pestered them with questions so I could have a complete understanding of everything - it really helps in the scheduling process and I’ve never had a staff or faculty member be irritated by the questions - they love to help (plus it shows initiative and starts forming connections which is A+). Seriously, reach out if you’re confused, don’t just sit in the dark!

5. Map out required courses and pre-requisites: This is where Excel or Google Sheets can be your best friend - they make it really easy to keep track of what needs to be taken when. Some courses require a certain academic standing (sophomore, junior, senior) for you to take them, others require you to take several classes before you can register for it. Certain progressions of classes can really limit what your schedule looks like, so this step is incredibly important (and somewhat time-consuming).  

6. Generate a slightly less vague timeline: Based on pre-requisites and required class standings, begin to assign classes to fall and spring semesters. Let’s say you have to complete a senior capstone in order to graduate, and you can only take it senior year, write it into the timeline. Maybe you need to take Math123 and Math124 for your major, but Math124 requires you to complete Math123 first. Place 123 into a semester and 124 in the semester following that. This doesn’t have to be exact, but it’s good to be aware of what your future schedule will look like, and what classes you need to take sooner rather than later (this is also time-consuming because you’ll find numerous variations in potential schedules). 

7. Determine the courseload you’ll need to take: Some people luck out and have lots of AP/IB or like credits that will transfer into real college credit, helping to eliminate the number of classes you have to take (I was not such a person). You’ll generally receive a credit evaluation during the summer before the first semester so you can plan accordingly. Most advisors recommend taking 15-17 credits, but if you need to take more so you can graduate faster or less so you’re not overwhelmed, do what you need. I ended up taking the max credits allowed then over that, but that’s only because I was pushing so hard to graduate faster. This kind of ties into the last step, but you also need to evaluate your personal strengths and weaknesses.

8. Determine the courses that will maximize your first semester: Fun fact, your major requirements can often double-dip and count for your general education requirements too! Look at the pre-reqs for your higher-level classes and try to choose those that will open up the most classes, see which of your major required classes could count for gen-eds, such as humanities or science courses. If you’re between a few majors, look for classes that a required for them. For me, I was between a Business Administration or Sustainable Business major, so many of the requirements were the same. I took classes that could count for both, but if I wanted to go one way or the other, I wouldn’t be screwed over.

9. Try to balance the courses you NEED to take with those you WANT to take: I’m a humanities kind of gal (science has not been mon ami in the past) but both of my colleges require science and math classes. So, when I have to take a math and science course simultaneously, I try to add in some of the subjects I’m stronger in (history, english, etc) so that my GPA wouldn’t die. If you’re fortunate enough that affording college isn’t a concern, I’d personally say take as many courses that interest you as possible, but when financing a higher level education is more of an issue, complete your requirements but leave some space to explore your interests.

10. With a handful of courses in mind, look at actually scheduling your classes: With online registration, you can generally look at which classes are full, what times are available, etc. Are you really, definitely, for sure a morning person who can handle that 8am? Do you need a definite break for lunch? Will you be more productive in the mornings or evenings? Are there multiple profs for the class and does one have better ratings than the other? (ratemyprofessor.com is a lifesaver) Is there enough time outside of class to study/do extracurriculars/have a social life? Sometimes you’ll really need to take a class and it’ll be at some ungodly hour, but sometimes you gotta suck it up. Try not to overload one day with classes and make sure there’s enough time between classes to get to your next class, especially if your school has a large campus. This part is really based on personal preference, so enjoy it!

11. Give yourself time to do all of this: Especially for a first-year college student, there’s a lot already happening, and the opportunities are endless. It takes a lot of time to thoroughly research. This is a big process if you really care about being organized, and it can set you up for great success in college! All of these steps are really tied together but you’ll need more than one day (I took several weeks lol) to plan out a college career.

12. It gets easier: After doing this for just two semesters, I was much more comfortable making these big choices. For my new university, I managed to accomplish this in only a few days, but I was already familiar with the major I’m pursuing and how to lay everything out. For those of you continuing in college, consider mapping our the rest of your time if you haven’t already, and keep track of the courses you’ve taken and still need to take! This way, you won’t be thrown any loops when graduation comes.

Disclaimer: This advice is based purely off my own U.S. college experience which is undoubtedly very different from others! Ultimately, pursuing a higher-level education is your own personal journey, and do what you need to do to find success, this is just me trying to help out others!

If you have any questions about any of this, want to talk scheduling with me, or see my schedule planning notes and spreadsheets, just message me, I’m always willing to talk and even more willing to make friends!

-B

[derrickcodes]

Hi, can you help me, if you have some time? I’m in college and I’m supposed to choose my specialty in like a month, but I still don’t know what do I want to do. I feel like there’s so much to learn and I don’t want to miss out on anything. Can you tell me what should I expect from working with different languages? (I’ve tried only like two so far) or do you have any tips which would help me figure it out? Please, you’d literally help save my future (dramatic, I know, sorry xD).

Sure! I understand your sentiment completely. Computer Science is such a vast field, it can feel overwhelming with how much there is to learn. I was in that same boat for the first three years of my comp sci degree and I still don’t fully know what I want to do.

The great thing about computer science is that while it is a relatively new field, it has spread its wings and has branched out in so many ways and has even affected other areas of study. Here are 10 common specializations, what they do, and what some code might look like (when possible):

Software development is what people tend to think of when studying computer science. This typically involves wanting to work in the industry as someone who develops code based on what a client or company wants. You will take courses about the software development process, such as software testing and agile development. There aren’t really any languages I would recommend, since this is such a broad field, but good places to start are C++, Java, C#, and Python. If anything, I would suggest reading further, since software development can be broken down into the other categories. An example of Java code can be seen below (and C++ and C# basically look like this as well).

Game development is another topic people think of with computer science. A lot of our generation grew up playing video games and somewhere along the line thought that they would want to develop games as well. Game developers need to have a good understanding of computer graphics (such as using OpenGL), physics, and computer programming in C++ and C#. A great place to start is looking into Unity. It’s free, it’s easy to use, and it’s what a lot of industry people use today.

Web development has been, currently is, and will always be in high demand. Most interactions people have with computers are through websites, so of course there’s a lot of companies whose development revolves around websites. The standard languages to learn are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, although if you want an edge up, look into JavaScript libraries and frameworks, like Angular and Node.js. Also, W3Schools will be your best friend. It’s hard to show examples of this that aren’t hundreds of lines long, so here’s a little example showing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript similar to a W3Schools example.

Data science is exploding right now. The world has so much data and we’re just now beginning to analyze all of it. Say you have the history of every user that has ever been shown your ad and who clicked on it and when. Could you use that to determine anything about the effectiveness of the ad, time of day, where it’s displayed, and if they’ll click again? That’s data science. Typical courses include Statistical Computing, Data Mining, and Machine Learning. Typical languages for data science include R and Python. One subtopic that’s really big is machine learning. Can you take the data that you have and have a program “learn” off that data and make predictions about the future? Take a look at this Python code that analyzes a data set and is able to predict whether or not breast cancer is present based on a few attributes:

Information systems is the foundation of both web development and data science, as it involves how and where we store our information and data. You’ll study database management and possibly some cloud storage, since this is usually where we store things. You will want a strong understanding of data structures if you really want to learn the best ways to store things (I’ll give you a hint, databases usually use a variation of Binary Search Trees). You’ll also learn how to retrieve and manipulate the data that is stored. The languages you’ll want is SQL (rather MySQL or NoSQL) and PHP. Some MySQL code for creating a schema with tables will look like this.

Computer engineering is a close friend of computer science, but is mostly focused on the hardware side of things. Computer engineering is all about how you build the computer system. You will spend a lot of time learning the physics that goes into computer design, namely electricity and magnetism. Some classes would include Circuit Analysis, Signals, and Digital Systems, but a lot of it is up to you.

Systems & Architecture is similar to computer engineering, as you’re still focused on being close to the hardware, but you’re more interested in the software side. This was my favorite section of computer science, because you get to learn about computers from a brand new perspective and see how they work down to the electricity flowing through it. Typical courses include Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, Parallel Systems, and the like. You will learn languages like C and Assembly so you can get a good grasp of how fast and powerful a computer can be since you’re almost talking directly to it. For example, this C code is typical practice for interacting with dynamic libraries.

Theoretical computer science is a very intriguing study. Instead of learning about how all these different languages can be applied, you look into what computers are actually capable of. The main courses in any theoretical computer science section are Programming Language Theory, looking into how can you design and classify a programming language, Algorithm Analysis and Design, the different paradigms used to solve different problems, and Theory of Computation, studying what problems can be solved by computers and how quickly can they be solved. Studying this is a good way to get a job in the government, as organizations like the NSA are always looking for people to work on cryptography, which has a strong background in theory.

Scientific computing is the mix of computer science and applied mathematics. You take your understanding of programming and mathematical theory to create computer algorithms to solve problems as fast as they can (and maybe faster than ever before)! You’ll want to have a very strong understanding of linear algebra (the study of matrices), since a lot of computational tasks can be done effectively and efficiently using matrices. Typical courses include Numerical Linear Algebra, Numerical Analysis, and Partial Differential Equations. For this, languages like MATLAB (or its free counterparts Octave or Scilab), Mathematica, and even Fortran are your best bets. A typical career can involve becoming a researcher, or working for a company that relies on the most optimized mathematical code, such as a government agency or somewhere in the finance world. Here’s an example of some code written in Octave to analyze a waveform and reproduce it as a series of numbers (hey, I did a post about this earlier!)

Bioinformatics is the love child of computer science and biology. In this study, you will use what you know about computer science and programming to better understand biological data. You can use this to study the human body, such as the human genome, so we as humans can have a better understanding of what makes us human, or you can apply it and develop medical software. One of my friends got a PhD in bioinformatics and she now writes the software for heart monitors. Since this is somewhat similar to data science, you’ll want to learn Python and R.

There are more specializations, like computer security or networking, but these are the 10 I’m most familiar with. I hope this helped and feel free to reach out to me if you have any more questions!

[bowlerhatwearer]

Alexander Rambleblay (Sonic OC)

Name: Alexander Rambleblay

Nickname(s): Alex, Ramble

Job: (Unsuccessful) writer of pseudo-archaeological books and articles, pseudo-Archaeologist

Gender: male

Age: 46

Species: Human

Family: Sister, Brother

Relationship: Single

Misc:

He claims to have a Doctor and Professor in History which is actually a lie, same goes for his claim to won prizes

Accessed and dug on property without authorization.

His income comes mostly from donation, writing articles for pseudoscientific magazines, tabloids or dime novels (the latter often influenced by his pseudo-archaeological believes who people believe to be science-fiction.  

Despite his often financial dim looking situation he’s clothed quite fancy

Speaking about finances, he’s often supported by his siblings (Alex is the youngest from two other siblings)  

In his family he’s considered the “black sheep” due of the lawsuits he gathered over time.

It happens from time to time that the monocle he wears falls down (luckily for him it’s attached on a copper chain)

Appearance:

Due of constant outside “research trips for Archaeological purposes” (whenever his free time allows) Rambleblays skin color got a strong tan, to prevent sunburn he wears as a form of protection a straw hat. His physical high is around 1,63 meters and he weighs 58 kilograms. The hair color of Alexander is dirty blonde, they’re shoulder long and mostly straight. The eyes have an indigo dye  color, on the left side he wears a monocle in a copper colored frame. Alexanders facial hair has the same color as the one on his head, it’s grown to a bushy full beard covering everything around the mouth till the chin.

Alexander prefers to wear a white shirt with short sleeves together with a bow tie and suspenders are kept in emerald green. The trousers are made with a grape purple fabric, on the right and left side of the trousers are stripes in the same green color like the bow tie and suspenders.

His shoes are kept in a cocoa brown color with black ties and beige soles.

Alexander prefers to wield a cane, which he does not need actually but uses either way as a tool or make-shift weapon.

During rain or winter he prefers to wear over his casual clothing a forest green trench coat together with a same colored homburg hat that’s decorated with a thistle colored band around the hat.  

Formal he wears a simple black tie dress code.

Personality:

The first three words that come into someone's mind if they know Alexander Rambleblay is self-centered, arrogant and know it all. The self declared “Ace-Archaeologist” wants that everyone plays by his rules when it comes to excavations, even if it means to destroy evidence him theories might be in the wrong or altering them. Alexander enjoys to be in the middle of attention, he will try under all circumstances to keep up his reputation, even if it means to denounce your opponent and spreading lies and rumors about them.

Speaking of Lying, Alexander is quite good in spreading lies about himself, those who make him appear in a good light only of course. Whenever it’s that he got a prize or an honorary title, might it even be as exaggerated as possible, there are people who believe him. Together with what some people would claim as “charm” it gives an interesting mixture but dangerous to those who stand in his way.

Despite his selfish attitude Rambleblay is quite intelligent, especially when it comes to manipulate people, or artifacts. The human can’t stand critic or doubt in his works and calls everyone outdated or ignorant who tries to prove him otherwise or even have solid prove that his historic theories are false or got dis proven a long time ago.

Speaking about his manipulation skills, since it was mentioned that he is ruthless about destroying or editing archeological evidence, the same applies for using false business cards that make him appear to be a Doctor, Professor or having a master degree.

When out of words that could back him up he changes to private topics that he tries to use against his opponents, may they be in private or due scientific meetings. Alexander can be very focused and has a good long and short therm memory. Although good in entangling critics in words and meaningless discussions Rambleblay prefers to keep them short so he can focus on something else, but it’s also said that he can go on long rants from time to time, where he isn’t scared to call for a judicial hearing to see who is in the right.

Most of his time when he’s not doing (illegal) diggings and or research he either way reads books, writes or gives interviews. Although he believes in his own pseudo-archaeological theories he does not mind to read the one or other article from true archeological or science magazines, might it only be for the reasons to “re-use” some parts for his own works or to look for new places to dig.  

Given his liking for attention he sometimes likes to invite himself to seminars or archaeologic conventions, where once again he has discussions and arguments with other people who often turn into (verbal) fights, another reason why many people in archeological fields see in him not only not a real researcher, a nut job but also a troublemaker.

Whilst being banned from at least 20 campuses and as much conventions Alexander holds a grand reputation on the internet, especially social media and video sharing websites. Whilst not having an own channel on the latter many people upload his discussions and talk about his books or other scientific papers and review them, positively for him often in a good light. (Of course there are critics but even his lawyer is powerless against those who reject him, all he can do is painfully ignore them)

Skills/Strengths:

Writing

Cogency

Manipulation

Archiving

High Vocabulary

Weaknesses/Limitations:

Hot headed

  Arrogant

Egocentric

Easily Offended

Know it all

History:

Born in Station Square Alexander grew up as the youngest of three children, growing up in a middle class family, with a father as headmaster of a middle school and his mother being a primary school teacher. Early in his live the young Rambleblay took an interest in history but also reading and writing science fiction. Whilst first intended to graduate in a school for arts he later changed his mind and went to a place that educated more about ancient history.

Whilst he finished University with a Bachelor with praise he never finished his Master due of him voluntary ceasing his activity there. He worked for some time due of his dissatisfaction of what was taught. In Alex theory such grand buildings like temples or pyramids could have not been done by some ancient or primitive civilizations like school used to taught but rather that they went into the wrong directions due of according to his own words “using outdated data”, researching on his own for a long time the Bachelors theory became more and more clear to him.

Ancient civilizations where only pretending to be ancients, actually they had been god like, able to uses modern weapons and technology the society he lived in could only dream off, but those technologies where a well kept secret thus the “real primitive” tribes would not find out about their “technological superiority. According to Alex believe either way due of a forgotten event these civilizations laid down their technological ways and with times the technology got forgotten, or that due of a war they hid down in a vault deep down into the planets where they now live, given that they do not seek to disturb nor help the People that live now on the outer shell of the planet. That extraterrestrial live or godlike creatures might have their hands in this is something Alex does not rule out. Due of this and many other crazy theories many colleagues or supervisors who worked with him together in delight now turned their backs on him, claiming to have lost a good friend to mad theories.

It got even more damaged when discovered that not only was he hiding or stealing sometimes excavated objects of interests and keep them for himself, but also that he also claimed them to be of different purpose, altered or even destroyed them.  

Thrown out by historical and archaeological societies Alexander began to form his own circle of believers and theorists who supported him. With the help of some more influencing pseudo scientists and archaeologists he was able to pull some lawsuits and to become famous on social media, securing his status and making some of his critics silent. Still in a quite a financial trouble he went to his siblings who lent him money (much to their and their families displeasure)

Having built up new reputation the self declared “modern archaeologist” began to hold more seminars, interviews in (pseudo)scientific papers and writing his own books. With the help of the donations he was able to pay for the remaining costs of his lawsuits and pay for advertisements on the internet, making him more popular and (in)famous than he ever was before.

Alexander Rambleblay attempts to get government funding and approval for an own excavation on well known ruins, believing it to be the capital of the “Ancient people” and digging in what he believes to be a gigantic chamber full of treasure and ancient powerful technology way superior than current ones. Archaeologists and Historians alike try with all power they have to stop him due of the theory that it actually might be a gigantic natural methane gas that might cause of either way to blow up the whole place or  make it sink in.

Currently he’s writing on his seventh book and tries to get support for a side project that whilst not much is known about appears to involve the ancient flying islands and their underground ruins where he assumes another outpost of the “ancient us superior civilization that just awaits to be awoken, that might even be from another planet!” Needless to say he’s already started an online donation for this new fraud scientific adventure with lots of secret technology, conspiracy, mystery and especially irrefutable stuff. (According to his latest article in a magazine)  

[writing-nest]

Four Easiest Way To Money Online.

Become a Writer

With a growing interest in content promoting , more brands are searching for great writers to produce content. The key to success as a writer is to be a specialist in a market. A lot of writers attempt to be generalists, writing for a wide range of categories from food to tech. However, having a niche focus as a writer allows you to write better content. Whenever you have experience in the niche, you can provide a different perspective to a part of content. That means you're not only saying the same thing as every other article online. And that's what brands really want to cover. Your thoughts, experiences and inside information in their niche.

If someone asks for a marketing writing sample, then send them advertising writing samples. Do not send a finance article. Or a fitness one. It is hard for a hiring manager to understand how well you understand the market's industry if they can't observe a relevant writing sample. Apply to opportunities suited to a skillset and expertise. Furthermore, if your pitch doesn't have a listing of links to writing samples, it is going to have discounted.

You can make money online on sites like these:

Problogger Craigslist Blogging Guru Freelance Writing Media Bistro Flex Jobs Be a Freelance Blogger

2. Produce Side Gigs

Side gigs are able to help you make money online as you maintain your full-time occupation. If you're unemployed, unwanted gigs may not be enough to hold you . If you're just looking to make an extra couple hundred bucks per month, this is a great idea.

Use platforms like Fiverr to make gigs. When you're new to Fiverr, you're going to want to concentrate on offering a low price so that you might get your very first inspection. I'd recommend getting a friend to buy your gig to leave your very first review so you can get started quicker. See to the buddy like a customer and really deliver a final product that you could feature on the stage in your portfolio. The matter with Fiverr is that it's also a game. When you look at high Fiverr users, you will notice that they have multiple gigs available. The more gigs you've got the more likely you will be found.

If you do not need to get paid Fiverr prices, it is possible to turn to platforms such as Craigslist to find unwanted gigs. Under their jobs department, you can seek out contract or telecommute opportunities. The great thing about the telecommute chances on Craigslist is that you may apply to them for almost any city on the planet. Craigslist has a number of unwanted gigs from composing, company, design, accounting and more. So if your talents do not match up with anything else on this list of profitable ideas, you may want to try a side gig from Craigslist, and begin earning money on the internet. Apply to multiple chances to land some small side gigs.

3.Do Translation Work

Should you need to make money today, translation work is a rather underserved niche. You will want to be fluent in at least two languages to do this successfully. Therefore, if you are bilingual or majored in a popular language in school, this may be a great rewarding thought that you try .

You will need to show proof of your capacity to interpret so in case you've got a language diploma or experience translating text, you need to show samples of your portfolio. Most companies will require a translation test. Remember you will need to be fluent in the languages you're applying to be a translator for. That means you can't use translation tools.

Websites Where You Are Able to make money on line include:

Upwork Individuals Per Hour SDL Gengo Pro Translating Translators Base

4. Sell Your Stuff

When you're desperate to earn money today, sometimes the only choice is to sell your stuff. If you are unemployed and struggling to find work, selling your possessions is a fantastic way to make money quickly. You can make money online using the links below or you can visit a pawn shop. Bear in mind the shipping costs associated with selling online. Be sure to charge the buyer for it if you are shipping products internationally.

Most people immediately consider selling their junk like novels, DVDs, and CDs. But most people do not wish to purchase those items. It's 2019 -- are you really going to buy a CD? Probably not. So don't waste your time trying to market it. When you are considering how to earn money quickly, focus on things of worth like notebooks, TVs, telephones, furniture, designer handbags or clothes . Try selling the same items on multiple platforms. By way of example, you may try selling your merchandise on Facebook groups and Craigslist instead of just one of them. In the event you sell your stuff anywhere there is a possibility of someone finding it.

Be sure to take amazing photographs and edit them. An internet retailer doesn't upload images as is. They employ a photographer to shoot great photos. Images are improved. The background is often removed. Approach your merchandise post like an internet retailer. Avoid taking photos of products on tables. If a product is on a table, remove the background to allow it to be white. After you've run out of things to market online, begin your own online store utilizing Oberlo. You've shown that you've got what it takes to be an internet retailer. So, you can now start making money from home.

15.Become an Online Tutor

You are able to produce a lot of money online, and choose your own hours, by simply being an online tutor. From the guide, you will learn how he made built up his customers through word of mouth, visibility, and fantastic group rates. While sciences and maths often have a higher demand for tutoring places, you'll also find English to become popular amongst international audiences. If you're an expert on a topic, tutoring could be the right platform for you to make money quickly.

Possessing a degree or experience in a speech is vital this kind of task so showcase your level, high-grade average in a class or other proof that you are capable to tutor that subject. If you have spoken at a seminar or event concerning the topic, you might also be considered for an internet tutoring, teaching or mentoring position. Concentrate on tutoring in your area of expertise. If you're not the greatest, you likely shouldn't be tutoring in that particular topic.

[mastcomm]

How to Build a Media Company

Years ago, Jasmine Brand wanted to stand out at red carpet events, so she settled on a tactic used by Hollywood stars: She transformed her hair. She dyed it a blazing hot pink to catch the attention of the people she wanted to interview for her recently created entertainment news blog.

The Jasmine Brand started in 2010, during a boom in black celebrity blogs. Outlets like Crunk & Disorderly, The YBF, Necole Bitchie, Concrete Loop, Media Take Out, Straight From the A and Sandra Rose pioneered digital spaces that prioritized news and gossip about well-known black celebrities — Beyoncé, Will Smith, Tiger Woods — as well as “blackfamous” stars either unknown to or disregarded by their print predecessors and white peers.

“I always knew I wanted to shed more light on black celebrities because they didn’t get the same kind of exposure,” Ms. Brand, 35, said. “I also figured I could be objective and neutral and give a newsy point of view, but still talk about celebs that my audience cares about.”

Now, a decade later, The Jasmine Brand has outlived most of those same websites that inspired her own, having grown from a one-woman passion project into an operation that, according to Ms. Brand, garners up to 195,000 page views daily and 2.1 million unique visitors monthly.

The Jasmine Brand has freelance writers and contributors who find scoops and write stories. Although some stories are sourced from social media posts or aggregated, it’s the website’s reporting on everything from “Love and Hip Hop” casting to messy divorces that has bolstered the brand’s reputation, making it a source for outlets like “The Wendy Williams Show,” Page Six and the nationally syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club.”

“I usually source them because they seem to be pretty accurate with a lot of the things that they post,” said Charlamagne tha God, a host of “The Breakfast Club.”

“Her stories are different,” said Angela Yee, another host of “The Breakfast Club.” Ms. Yee has developed a close friendship with Ms. Brand over the years and said she checks The Jasmine Brand every day. “I tend to find things that aren’t as widely distributed on all the other websites.” She also appreciates how the the Jasmine Brand’s editorial voice tends to be either “unbiased” or have more of a “positive slant.”

How a Brand Becomes a Brand

Dissatisfied with a well-paid corporate marketing director job in Washington, D.C., Ms. Brand, then 25, wanted a hobby that allowed her to write. She had a degree in mass communication and was an avid reader of celebrity news sites. Ms. Brand was also the go-to source for the latest celebrity stories among her friends.

Her daily schedule consisted of blogging before and after work, during lunch hours at a nearby Starbucks and on the weekends, writing up to six to eight stories a day. This lasted until someone at her company discovered a blog post that Ms. Brand had published about Kim Kardashian West. She was informed that the blog was a potential conflict of interest to clients — so she quit and decided to pursue The Jasmine Brand full-time.

Over the next two years, she sourced, reported on and published most of the daily content herself, earning only a few hundred dollars a month through advertising revenue based on rates Ms. Brand determined by combining her upcoming bills.

Being a self-funded entrepreneur with no business background soon caught up to her, and Ms. Brand was forced to drain her 401(k) and savings to cover her living expenses. Her luxury car was repossessed, and she was evicted from her apartment; she decided to move in with her mother.

In 2013, Mahir Fadle, an investor with a background in finance and computer science, offered investment and continued future funding. The two had been in touch for years, with Mr. Fadle acting as an informal adviser to the website.

“She used to tell me about how she’d get up super early and work before going to work and at lunch and then after work,” Mr. Fadle, 42, said. “And I’m an early riser, so I was like, ‘Is she really doing this? Let me go ahead and randomly text her at four in the morning.’” Ms. Brand would always text him back a few minutes later. “I was like, ‘Oh, she’s serious,’” he said.

The two ultimately agreed on a 50/50 financial partnership. Mr. Fadle, 42, would not specify how much he has invested, but said it was enough to cover expanding into the Los Angeles market (The Jasmine Brand also has offices in Atlanta and New York), as well as hiring freelance writers, editors, correspondents and videographers; increasing the advertising budget; and obtaining office space and equipment.

The business model is advertising — display ads, video ads and social media ads coming through both agencies and direct brand buys. “The more traffic we have, the more ads we can display, the more profitable we become,” Mr. Fadle said.

They have applied cost-efficient alternatives to traditional media practices — sometimes sidestepping photo agencies by working directly with freelance photographers to license images. Mr. Fadle said the website saw a significant profit increase in less than a year.

“A lot of people think that if you have this huge office, a big staff and all these accessories, it looks sexy and you’re successful,” he said. “It just comes down to how you look at your books and how you budget.”

Having a popular newsletter also helps. Ms. Brand started the daily “e-bulletin” shortly after creating the website, abandoned it once her workload grew as a solo entrepreneur, then restarted it in 2013 on Mr. Fadle’s recommendation. It now has more than 263,000 subscribers.

The website’s traffic eclipses the newsletter’s, yet the emails, which simply list the day’s top 25 stories, have proven to be a “game changer,” Ms. Brand said. She said that these emails “land” in the inboxes of high-profile celebrities, agents, editors and other industry powerhouses and foster valuable brand recognition. (Some editors, including several at The New York Times, find The Jasmine Brand in their inbox without having ever signed up.)

“Everyone knows the newsletter before they know the site,” Mr. Fadle said.

What’s Next?

“It is different now,” Ms. Brand said, about the current black celebrity news landscape. “I think we are one of the few sites that are still around from that era. But I understand when it’s time to move on, try something else and go to your next chapter.”

She said her daily look at Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes “ugliness” has jaded her outlook on celebrities, but she preserves her passion for movies with weekly trips to local cinemas, preferring sweatpants and matinee showings over red carpet attire and premieres.

“We’ve seen a lot of sites come and go during this time. And we’ve seen sites get really hot and then fall off,” Ms. Yee said, when asked about Ms. Brand’s decade-long run. “Longevity is a big deal. That’s definitely a testament to Jasmine’s professionalism.”

Today, mindful of their audience’s maturation and evolving interests, The Jasmine Brand team plans on debuting at least two spinoff sites, one focusing on health and the other on lifestyle; there are also plans for a makeup line in the coming year.

Ultimately, Ms. Brand wants to land exclusive casting announcements, publishing trailers and on-set images. That’s a path to becoming a trade publication along the lines of Deadline and Variety, albeit more cognizant of celebrities that her current audience cares about.

About that: She and her team reject labels like “urban” and “gossip site” that Ms. Brand said often relegates sites like The Jasmine Brand to “second-class” status. Instead she says the site’s defining characteristics are two rather unglamorous assets that have carried the brand this far: perseverance and consistency.

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/how-to-build-a-media-company/

[aimmedu]

Atlanta Institute of Music and Media Wants to Make People Aware of the Benefits of an Online Music Education

Atlanta Institute of Music and Media wants people to know their online music courses have several benefits to offer those that take them. This Duluth, Georgia based music educator has been helping students enter various music and media professions since 1985. Now more students than ever can get access to their music curriculums thanks to their expansion into online education.

Institute President, Nite Driscoll, had this to say about the benefits that remote music certificate programs have to offer those that take them: “We here at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media realize that there are many people out there that want a career in music but don’t have a path to attend courses in person at an institute like ours. This can be for reasons such as they are raising and supporting children, have limited financial resources or they are simply not ready to travel far from home to attend a music school. We feel these and others are not good reasons for people to give up on a music career if they really desire one. Our online certificate programs in music help more people pursue their music dreams because they offer some benefits that attending courses in person cannot.”

One of the first benefits of an online music education that Driscoll brought up was finances. He pointed out that online music courses are significantly cheaper to take advantage of than attending degree programs in person. For one the tuition itself for online courses is less expensive. Those taking online classes also do not have to worry about paying extra for room and board or having to set aside money for travel or commuting related expenses

For those that have dependents or other commitments that prohibit them from stopping work to pursue their music dreams, Driscoll says the flexible scheduling of online courses also appeals to many that take them. He says that their music certificate programs come with a "pre-packaged" syllabus that students are expected to follow. This allows students to work at their own pace and schedule study and practice around their individual schedules. He also mentioned that there is no more convenient way to get an education than for people to do it right from where they live. When people study from home, they can get their education without adding any more headaches to their already hectic schedules.

Driscoll also says that people don’t have to worry about the quality of the education that they will get when taking online courses from them either. Their online music curriculums are designed and taught by the same renowned music and media instructors that teach their in-person degree programs. He says that those that take their online certificate programs also will be able to communicate with teachers and peers just like they would in a normal classroom setting. People taking courses also can record the lessons from their instructors so they can play them back as often as necessary to master that particular lesson.

This music institute even has an online solution for those who would like to explore the possibility of making music a professional career. Driscoll talked more about this more by saying, “For those who think they want to enter different facets of the music business but are not completely sure yet, we offer several excellent online preparatory courses that will help introduce them to the business. Those interested can choose between introductory courses that cover guitar, bass, drums, keys, voice, music production or audio post-production. It’s a great way for people to get their feet wet as far as what it’s like to have a career in music. He added that the best thing about their online music and media preparatory courses is they are completely free.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcsypJs97WM

Driscoll says that those who want to know more about any Online Music Certificate Program that the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media has to offer, they can contact admissions by phone, email or fill out one of the contact forms that can be found on their website.

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The AIMM faculty is comprised of industry professionals whose education and work experience as session players, performing artists, producers, engineers, and instructors have prepared them to teach the demanding curriculum. Programs Music Production and Audio Recording School Audio Post Production Associate Degree The AAS degree program in Audio Post Production focuses on the technical application of music, dialogue, sound design, and location audio for film, television, gaming, and all new media forms of expression. The program consist of courses designed to provide students with the necessary education to further his or her recording and engineering abilities. Atlanta Institute of Music and Media provides Audio Post Production program students with the instructional environment necessary to develop both their technical and practical talents. Students will acquire the skills to advance their musical aptidude and gain knowledge in the field of audio post production. The program also includes applied general education courses and gives the students the ability to obtain Pro Tools Certifications in music production and audio for film post production. Students in the Audio Post Production Associate of Applied Science program are required to complete the requisite number of General Education credits. Students wishing to attempt to transfer general education credits completed at other institutions must demonstrate appropriate comparability to the applied nature of the general education courses available at AIMM. Students must show proficiency on the instrument of their focus as described in Admissions procedures. Best Music School in GeorgiaMusic and Technology Associate Degree Atlanta Institute of Music and Media provides Music and Technology program students with the instructional environment necessary to develop both their technical and musical talents. Students acquire the skills to advance their musical aptitude and gain knowledge in the field of recording and engineering. Our M&T AAS degree has an instrument of focus (Guitar, Drums, Bass, Keyboard, or Voice), with courses specific to that instrument, as well as recording and engineering courses. The program is designed for the musician who also wishes to gain knowledge in the field of recording and engineering, in order to open opportunities in today's ever-changing music industry. By combining music and media, we help our students expand their income opportunities because AIMM graduates are prepared to step into to most in-demand positions today, including live event and studio recording, music composition and performance, audio engineering for music, gaming, film, television and more. Atlanta Music School Certification Program Atlanta Institute of Music and Media provides the non-beginning student with the instructional environment necessary to develop his/her talents and acquire the skills to become one of today's professional musicians or engineers. AIMM's Instrument curriculum accomplishes this through live performances, class and private instruction, audio and video computer lab instruction, and live clinics featuring today's most well-known and innovative artists and music industry experts. The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media's programs are taught by professionals whose work experience, certification and/or music degrees give each instructor the necessary background to teach the demanding curriculum. As a close-knit community, our students are exposed to a diverse range of musical styles, experiences and backgrounds. Atlanta Institute of Music and Media is state-certified by The Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, and nationally accredited by The Council on Occupational Education. AIMM is an approved Veteran training facility, and financial aid is available for those who qualify.", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressCountry": "USA", "addressLocality": "Duluth", "addressRegion": "Georgia", "postalCode": "30096", "streetAddress": "2875 Breckinridge Blvd #700" }, "telephone": "+1 (800) 886-6874", "legalName": "The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media", "@id": "https://www.aimm.edu/" } from Press Releases https://www.pressadvantage.com/story/33218-atlanta-institute-of-music-and-media-wants-to-make-people-aware-of-the-benefits-of-an-online-music-ed

[i-globalone]

Sharing is caring! Most people say you need to do 27 different things to start a business, but I strongly disagree. Contrary to popular belief and some trendy articles you’ll find on the internet, let me tell you — you just need 2-3 fundamental things (or I say side hustle ideas) to start a business.  No, wait, a side-business. Something you can start along with your day job. On the side. Working a few hours a week (weekends, weekdays, after-office, during commute — you decide.) And that side-business can consistently get you an ongoing stream of a second income. I’ve done it multiple times, and today I’ll show you exactly how you can do it too.  The problem with the “high-dramatic-internet-social media” is that there is a ton of noise out there. You’ll find millions of blog posts and videos on startups, funding, investors, seed-round, etc.  If you really dig deep, one of the strong reasons why Kulwant’s content connects strongly with his readers is because of his no-fluff, straight to the point approach, he doesn’t like to talk about all the noise, only the meat which matters. And the result of information overload and internet overdosage?  Answer: Overwhelm. Confusion. “Uhhhh…maybe I’ll do this later” (which never comes btw.), and we simply vacillate on 100 thoughts then. There are hardly few materials on things like – How to start a side-business, step-by-step How to come up with profitable ideas, when you start as a newbie beginner (for eg: say you’re currently working at a job right now. You get up at 8, leave by 9, reach by 10, work till 7, and then home by 8pm. Now, how do you start something on the side? Like, what’s the FIRST thing you need to do right now? Why don’t people talk about that?) How to start a simple tiny-business which creates a second income stream for you What if out of the 1000 things out there, you only do 3 things (we’ll cover that) that gets you results. Think of it as a gym. You enter on day 1. Would you worry about losing 20 kgs first?  NO! Initially, you would only focus on a few basics — cut down on certain food items, workout 3-4 times a week, get good sleep. Do this consistently for 6-8 weeks, and you’re going to LOOK GOOD!  Once you hit the first milestone of losing a few kilos, now you are in the routine and can scale more. That’s exactly what we’ll be doing here.  The Exact 3-Step Process to Earn a Second Income Let me give you the crux straightaway — here are the only 3 steps you need: Step 1: Find a few ideas (more on this below) Step 2: Validate them Step 3: Get your first 1-3 paying customers That’s it. There is no rocket science here. You don’t need to do an MBA. You don’t need to have extensive knowledge on this topic. Hell, you don’t even need to read 508 articles.  Get the first key steps right to win your first customers, and you now have a solid functioning business. Think of all the things you can do with an extra 20K a month? Buy an additional pair of clothes? Pay for your petrol expenses? Splurge on new activities? Or just save more?  Plus, you get the luxury of scaling that number, from 20K to 50K to even 1 lakh a month, to eventually quitting your day job. For eg: You start with getting 1 paying customer, but once you know how to get 1, you now know how to get the next 10 pretty quickly. I’ll also show you how I found a simple idea which gets me a regular stream of additional income, and also shows you how to come up with simple profitable ideas that can turn into a reliable side-income. Let us start with a simple technique to come up with profitable ideas. The YUS Technique to find 10 ideas in 15 minutes The best thing is, you don’t have to sit on your laptop for 50 hours, or go to networking events, or wait for “motivation” for ideas to fall down from the sky.  With a simple technique that I am about to show you, you will be able to list down as good as 10 ideas in under 15 minutes. No over-analysis, no complex excel sheets, pivot tables, investor advice, etc. Just a simple pen and paper (and maybe some coffee?) is all you need, and we’re good to go. You ready? Ok, I’ll wait!  Ready? Ok, here we go — I want you to write answers for each of the following below: 1. Experiences/Knowledge you’ve gained  (like learning maths or geography, finance, or traveling by spending less) 2. Skills you’ve developed (like playing guitar, creating amazing excel reports, taking better photos, coding in java, or if dancing comes naturally to you ) 3. Challenges you’ve faced or overcome (going from a skinny to a perfect muscular body, writing and communicating smoothly, conduct meetings effectively) 4. Achievements you’ve been awarded for (maybe you got a promotion, or a high academic score, or won a competition, or attended multiple networking events, or bought a car from your own pocket) At this point, do not censor yourself with “What if my idea is not good?”, “There are already so many people doing it Zubin, I don’t have a chance!!”, “But, I don’t have enough time!”, etc.  No really, avoid the analysis-paralysis syndrome. We will address each of those concerns, but that is all for later.  Look, I know someone who consults C-level executives on their fashion style, or someone who does dog-training, or one of my friends who helps clients in their interior designing at houses.  The point is, what looks “weird” to you, can be a huge problem to someone else which you can solve effortlessly, and they would be HAPPY to pay you for it.  So do not start criticizing your ideas as of yet. I’ll show you simple exercises on how to eliminate some of those ideas, how to find the demand for your idea, validate it, etc. It’s good to get constructive feedback, but at this stage, we’re just brainstorming, research and validation come later. So, purely do a brain dump exercise here. List down as many possible answers to those 4 pointers above.  I did the exact exercise with my readers, and the responses were AMAZING!  I call this the YUS technique since I believe these are Yours. Unbeatable. Superpowers, something which is unique to you — experiences you have had, the life you’ve lived, people you’ve met, jobs you’ve done, thoughts you’ve had, and these things are very unique to you, and nobody else. Let’s try it. Take a piece of paper or open up notes on your mobile. And fill out what comes in your mind first thing for these questions: What are you knowledgeable about? What topics come to mind? What are some skills you’ve developed over the years What are some challenges/problems you had before, and not now? What have you been rewarded or appreciated for? How I found my Ideas Idea #1: Going through this exercise, one of the things which were a huge achievement for my career was my ability to fetch jobs and interview calls in my field of Industrial Engineering.  With little research, testing and validation (something which I’ll share in detail in my future posts), I started Industrial Inside, a website to help industrial engineers in their career endeavors — from getting into dream universities, to create an attractive resume, to fetching interview calls, to finding their dream jobs.  In September 2016, I launched my first online information product, which was a simple 3-hour video course on the same subject. That single launch alone made 75K in revenue and had 23 paying customers.  Subsequently, that course gets me a regular additional income till date. Plus, I’ve been now able to expand into other areas, where I offer additional services — 1-1 resume consulting, SOP creation, job coaching, etc.  All this started with a simple idea, the same place where you are today, I was at the exact place 3 years ago. A simple casual thought like “Hey, I went through this phase of getting my Master’s degree, and getting multiple jobs. I think I’m pretty good at this now. Why not start a side-business around this?” Never did I have a pinch of the idea that this might turn into something profitable. The day I got paying customers was itself a huge celebration and also a realization that you can turn almost anything into a side-business if: You have an idea…..that has demand You’ve gone out…and validated it You’ve found a channel to get……1-3 paying customers Idea #2 One of the things I’m deeply passionate about is writing. Of course, over the years with writing lots of content for other sites, my own site, email campaigns, etc. I got a good hang of making this a useful skill in my arsenal.  So, the thought was why not turn it into a profitable second income. Back in 2018, I got about 5 paying clients for writing projects. (More on how to find paying clients in future posts.) Today, I occasionally take writing projects if I find it in my domain and good use of my time.  More Real-life Examples In fact, I don’t want to leave you hanging by saying this works just for me. I mean, what’s the point if this only applies to me and you’re still stuck at your office desk, huh? My goal is to provide you simple step-by-step exercises to start getting paying customers, unlike other internet marketing “gurus” who promise you “I can get you 10000 facebook page likes, and 5679 Instagram followers!” (Really?) Let me also show you a few examples of other people who turned their mini-businesses into full-time. I can list almost 100 real-life examples more, but the point is this — with a few skills, research and effort of about 5-10 hours a week, you can start a business on the side too. How to Validate Your Ideas It’s one thing to come up with a few ideas, and a whole another game to validate them. The last thing I want for you is you coming up with an idea, spend 3-6 months on it, and discover in the end that it will never make you any money.  Waste of time. Waste of energy. Waste of expectations. Discouragement. Etc, etc.  I’ll show you a few techniques to quickly and cheaply validate your ideas, but the important takeaway for you is — Validate first, only then proceed to the next step. Let’s say our idea is “graphic design”. Here are 2 ways to quickly validate your ideas: Technique 1 — Demand Check: Are there people out looking for these types of services? If there is no demand for your idea, you’re doomed for failure. In other words, let’s pick an idea where we know there is plenty of demand so we know for sure there is potential to make money. Here’s an easy method to check demand – Go to Upwork.com, and go to the Search Jobs option. Type in “graphic design”, and you will see plenty of results. This tells us that there is a demand for this idea. (We will further delve into niching down, positioning, etc.) You can also go to other places (aka fishing holes), for eg: Check if any facebook groups or other websites come up See if there are specific job postings on Linkedin or other job portals Have you ever seen anyone asking for help via word of mouth? These are clear signs there is an actual market for your idea. The takeaway here is to check for demand, go to places where people are ALREADY paying for these services.  Technique 2 — Supply Check: Are there people out offering these types of services? Do you know people in your network (friends, family, colleagues) providing these services? For eg: I know many people offering pet grooming services, yet you will not find them on sites like Upwork or anywhere online.  In that case, check if you know people who are offering such services. With “graphic design”, I know plenty of marketing agencies who need graphic design, so we’re pretty confident there is plenty of supply as well. Now, I know a lot of people will get scared thinking “There are already so many people out there already doing it”. The way I look at it is to say “Hey, there are people doing this, which validates my idea. With a little work, I can easily stand out and fetch my initial 1-3 customers”  (I’ll also show you different ways to easily crush competition later, so don’t worry on this part.) Listen, like I said, we will tackle all of your Mental Scripts later, right not let’s only focus on what’s in front of us. Get a few ideas down on paper, use the techniques above to quickly validate them. This is the beautiful part about a step-by-step approach. It is very systematic. So, when you are listing down ideas, you are ONLY brainstorming it. You are not worried or thinking about validation, or getting clients. Or when you are validating it, and you find out that your idea does not have any demand, not a problem. You simply cross that off, go back to another idea and start with validation. You do not get frazzled or do things randomly. You take it one thing at a time, and that is it.  What You Need to Know on Getting Started I did a simple google search the other day. I searched for “how many gms of protein do I need each day for muscle gain?” I got 1000000 results, each page providing me some insights. I liked some, disliked some, some had contradicting advice. 30 mins gone and I’m on page 6, still scrolling, hoping to find the magic answer or the right one. The final result? I’m still confused, have little insights, and no real clarity on my query. That’s the exact problem with almost any topic these days. With a ton of noise out there — who do you listen to? What advice is considered right or wrong? How will you ever know?  The best way to deal with this is — focus on the fundamentals. To hell with complex advice and yet another “top 12 ways to do X”, let’s start simple and focus on the few key steps that matter. That moves the needle. That helps you win.  Again, let’s review what those 3 steps are: Step 1: Find a few ideas (more on this below) Step 2: Validate them Step 3: Get your first 1-3 paying customers And don’t worry, we have also found tested ways to overcome the “But, I don’t have time” problem. One of the major differences between successful people and people who don’t succeed is that successful people know exactly what to focus on (especially when they’re getting started), and what activities will be simply a waste of time.  Let me lay down a basic cheat sheet for you: What NOT to focus on: Business cards Facebook page Instagram account anything else which won’t help you achieve that first goal Instead, what if you could focus on a few things, like: Find 10 ideas: Use the technique above, and you should be easily able to list down 10 of them Niche it down to 1 idea Validate it: Again, this need not be complex. With a little lightweight testing, you will know for sure if your idea is worth pursuing and that people will actually pay for, or is it the one that has no potential of a business. I’ll share a few techniques on how to do this later Get your first 1-3 paying clients: Back in the day, this meant actually going out physically to find people, meet them, etc. A time-consuming activity. Now, with a few simple emails and techniques, you can easily get your first clients (more on this in future posts) Conclusion, and Specific Action Step for You: I think you’ll agree with me when I say: It’s not that tough to start a business once you have a step-by-step approach laid out in front of you. A step-by-step plan which shows you a roadmap to generate an extra 20K a month in the next 6-8 weeks. The irony is, I see 1000 articles on a plethora of things around starting a business, yet nobody talks about a really systematic way to start one.  Hear this out — you need 3 basic things — finding an idea, refining and validating it, and then getting your first 1-3 paying customers. Let others talk about “facebook page likes”, or “Google ads!!!”, or any other complicated stuff — all that maybe is required, but not at this stage. Right now, get those 3 basic things correct, and congratulations, you now have a functioning tiny profitable business. And hey, 6 months down the road, you scale that up — get more customers, more revenue, more flexibility, and yes an option to quit your current job! The takeaway for you here is that it all starts with generating a few ideas. With the case study, examples and the YUS technique above, you should be able to get at least 5-10 ideas.  Remember, we will talk about refining those ideas, validating, etc. but that is all for later. Right now, the simple exercise for you is to generate those ideas and get it down.  So, the specific action step for you is to go through the YUS technique above, and list your 3-5 ideas below in the comments, and we can improve and further drill it down. Let’s do this! /*Archive Template Only*/ #wp-coupons-outer-wrapper { padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; } #wp-coupons-wrapper { max-width: 1200px; } /*Navigation*/ body .wp-coupons-nav a, body .wp-coupons-nav a:visited { font-size: ; color: #0c0402; } body .wp-coupons-nav a:hover, body .wp-coupons-nav a.wp-coupons-nav-selected { color: #0872aa; } body .wp-coupons-subnav a, body .wp-coupons-subnav a:visited { font-size: ; color: #0c0402; border-color: #0c0402; } body .wp-coupons-subnav a.active, body .wp-coupons-subnav a:hover { color: #0872aa; border-color: #0872aa; } /*Coupon Panel*/ .wp-coupons-coupon-panel { background: #e5e5e5; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .wp-coupons-discount-percent { background: #1b3e5a; color: #ffffff; font-size: ; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .wp-coupons-expiration { color: ; font-size: ; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .wp-coupons-discount-code { background: #f9cc29; color: #0c0c0c; font-size: ; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .wp-coupons-discount-code span { color: #0c0c0c; border-color: #0c0c0c; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .wp-coupons-ctr:before { border-color: #f9cc29 transparent; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .wp-coupons-ctr:after { border-color: #f9cc29; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-separator { border-color: #d0d2d7; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-title { font-size: ; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-title, .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-title:visited, .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-link, .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-link:visited, .wp-coupons-banner .coupon-title { color: #0c0402; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-title:hover, .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-link:hover { color: #0872aa; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-description { font-size: 22px; line-height: ; min-height: ; max-height: ; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-type, .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-type:hover, .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-type:visited { color: #000000; font-size: ; } .wp-coupons-coupon-panel a.coupon-link { font-size: ; } /*Pagination*/ body .wp-coupons-navigation .page-numbers, body .wp-coupons-navigation .page-numbers:visited { background-color: #0c0402; } body .wp-coupons-navigation .page-numbers.current, body .wp-coupons-navigation .page-numbers:hover { background-color: #0872aa; } /*Click to Reveal Popup*/ #wp-coupons-ctr-popup #wp-coupons-ctr-discount-code span { background: #f9cc29; color: #0c0c0c; } #wp-coupons-ctr-popup #wp-coupons-ctr-discount-url a { color: #0c0402; } #wp-coupons-ctr-popup #wp-coupons-ctr-discount-url a:hover { color: #0872aa; } /*Buttons*/ body a.wp-coupons-button { background: #0c0402; border-color: #0c0402; font-size: ; } body a.wp-coupons-button:hover { color: #0872aa; border-color: #0872aa; } @media(min-width: 794px) { .wp-coupons-coupon.list.compact .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-link, .wp-coupons-coupon.list.minimal .wp-coupons-coupon-panel .coupon-link { font-size: 22px; line-height: ; } } source http://wtf.telenor.com.np/2019/12/10/how-to-make-20k-month-with-side-hustle-even-if-you-are-a-beginner/

http://www.globalone.com.np/2019/12/how-to-make-20kmonth-with-side-hustle.html

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A Detailed Guide To Prepare And Qualify For CPA USA Exam

Introduction

CPA Exam is developed by AICPA with the assistance of NASBA and the state board of Accountancy.

Are you a commerce student? Do you think to prepare for your career is the time for now? Then you need some guidance for your next steps. An excellent academic career takes you to the height of your ambition. You may want to touch the sky. Yes, you can do it by creating a great academic career. A good career gives you respect; no one could ever treat you like this. And of course, you will get a handsome account balance every month. Other than that a good leadership provides you the power of controlling people, the way to maintain a company. If you are a good leader, then you will accept a great love from your employees. And no one can spell the love can they will give you.

The CPA exam is that exam which will take you to that height you had a dream about. The full form of CPA is a Certified Public Accountant. This exam is for commerce students, and this CPA exam is in the field of Accountancy across the world. So, if a person says all the scopes lie on the science background, then it is an excellent opportunity to prove them wrong. Now, the choice is yours to make your life what you want to be.

Career Options and Growth

The Certified Public Accountant or CPA exam is the most standard or highest esteemed exam in the field of Accountancy. The organizer of the exam is the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. AICPA is the largest accounting figure all over the world. If you have decided on your career in the field of Accountancy, then it will be the right choice for you. So, give it a go. In this field, you will have a lot of scopes or career opportunities. You can have lots of career options. We have made a list. So let’s see.

Auditing

Business Evaluation

Compliance

Corporate Accounting

Corporate Finance

Corporate Governance

Due diligence

Financial accounting and reporting

Financial Advisory

Financial Analysis

Financial Forensics

Forensic Accounting

Fund accounting

Information Technology

T. auditing

T. consulting

Internal Auditing

Management Accounting

Management Consulting

Private accounting

Personal Financial Planning

Public Accounting

State and Local Taxation

Tax Accounting

Cash Management, and many more.

So you can choose anyone from them. After giving the CPA exam, the career option for you will have a wide range. And a growth from a Chartered accountant to a Certified Public Accountant, your career graph will go so high. So, this will be good if you will choose this. Your path will be full of options. So the choice is yours.

How to apply for CPA USA Exam

If you think you need a good career in Commerce background, then you need to have a decision for this exam. If you have decided on your career in the field of Accountancy, then it will be the right choice for you. So you need the follow the steps for applying the CPA USA exam. Let’s have a look,

Firstly you have to be sure about one thing. You need to be eligible to apply for this exam. We give the eligibility criteria below. So first, get sure you are succeeded in having all the degrees they needed. This step is the first step. If you don’t have any one of the eligibility criteria, then you are not eligible for this CPA exam.

The second step is to send the entire academic official transcript to your state board. Like your college result, board exam results, the report card of master’s degree, and every degree you possess. If you still have not collected them all. Then go to your respective institute to collect your academic records.

Make sure they will do a valid verification for you. This CPA exam is very important for the student. Their review of your application is very much important for all the candidates who are the applicant of the CPA exam.

Then you need to apply for the CPA exam form and submit their required fees. Once you register yourself online as a candidate, then you need to fill the CPA exam form and their submission fees as soon as possible. Only then they will grant your application.

Now you need to obtain your Authorization to Test (ATT). Once the CPA authority confirms your application, they will tell you to fill up ATT. This is for selecting the center of the CPA exam in your state. This is a very crucial state.

Then you have to obtain the Notice to Schedule (NTS). The time duration for applying the CPA exam and receiving the exam notice to schedule an application is four weeks. This is a critical process. This is the official confirmation for your seat confirmation at the exam.

After the confirmation of the seat in the exam, you need to log on to their official site and schedule your exam date there. you need to schedule your exam with Prometric Testing Center Website

Now, this is the final step to pass the CPA exam. Prepare well and have a blast in the exam. Your future is on the way.

Guidance to Qualify CPA USA Exam

If you want to apply for the CPA USA exam, you need to pass through some criteria. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has arranged the particular syllabus for the candidates who are appearing in the CPA exam. There is a scheduled and perfectly cut syllabus. There are also lots of reference books according to the syllabus. You can take help from the previous year’s question papers and online mock tests. The candidate must need to follow the restrictions below,

You need to be a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

You need to be a member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India.

You need to be a member of the Company Secretaries of India

You should have a master’s degree in the field of Commerce.

You need to have a degree in MBA.

The syllabus is also essential to know. CPA USA syllabus has four different sections-

Auditing and Attestation (AUD)

Financial Accounting And Reporting (FAR)

Regulation (REG)

Business Environment Concepts (BEC)

Each section has its syllabus. You can also get the full detailed syllabus online. You can download it from there. A vast number of aspirants are preparing for the Certified Public Accountant or CPA exam from different countries. The CPA exam question paper contains multiple-choice questions, written communication, and task-based questions also. Candidates should be very sincere about their review. All the best.

References To Follow CPA Exam

To create a good impression on you, you need to have a good CPA USA reference letter. This letter is like a resume. This reference letter contains the academic career of the applicant. From the secondary exam to the master’s review, the form includes every details academic record of the candidate. So, showing the reference letter is a record of your achievements. So be careful about that.

F.A.Qs

What is the CPA exam?

The CPA exam is that exam on the commerce background, which will take you to that height you had a dream about. The full form of CPA is a Certified Public Accountant. This exam is for commerce students, and this exam is in the field of Accountancy across the world.

Who is eligible for the CPA exam?

The aspirant will be eligible for the exam if he is

member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India

member of the Company Secretaries of India

Master’s degree in the field of Commerce.

I should have a degree in MBA.

Is the CPA exam hard?

The CPA exam is not that hard. You need to dedicate your time and dedication to it. If you are severe enough to pass the CPA exam, then you will crack it surely.

How much dedication a CPA candidate need?

According to reports, A CPA candidate needs to study for 300-400 hours in general. But he needs to be dedicated to his preparation. And he should be very attentive. The candidate who possesses the given qualities is right indeed. So, this exam is not that hard for them.

What is the average salary for a CPA?

A CPA has an income of more than 66000 USD annually. So once you pass it, you don’t need any backups.

Conclusion

A good career in the commercial background gives you the respect that will be beyond your imagination. And of course, you will get an enormous bank account balance every month. Other than that a good leadership provides you the power of leading people to a brighter way, the way to maintain a company. If you are a good leader, then you will get great love from all. And no one can spell the love can they will give you. So go ahead and trust your journey.

[clothestop]

Hi, I'm not sure if this will be weird to ask but i've read that you have a math degree and knows how to code so i hope you can give me some advice regarding my career choice. If that's okay. Tbh i'm still not sure if i should take up computer science or pure mathematics. Math is my favorite subject in school and the more i study college-level theoretical math, the more i realize that i would want to do this professionally.

But i also considered computer science because i’m weighing the employability of both majors and i know that i could get a more stable job with comp sci. I’m so confused i’m sorry if my ask doesn’t make much sense but i have so many questions. May i ask what age did you start coding? And like my dilemma, i’m wondering why you went with pure mathematics and didn’t take up computer science. What put you off? Also, how did you start coding/ what made you start learning how to code? Did you take up comp sci classes? I’m a 17 yr old girl heading to university next fall but i just started learning how to code last year so i feel a bit left out. I’m really enjoying it so far but thinking of a possible career with it, i’m also scared as a woc in that kind of field. This may sound silly but like what the tumblr saying goes: i don’t want to be a sell out while i work for something i love. Lastly, i know that even if i’m still a beginner and there are a lot more things that i could learn in university. But in the meantime to prepare for that, what advice can you give to someone like me who is a beginner (words of encouragement, pros and cons, skills to develop etc etc)? Btw i’ve read that you lived in Southeast asian countries and i’m from SE asia currently living in the US so i relate to what i’ve been reading in your blog. Thank you for reading and sorry for

Hello there! No worries, I didn’t think that your ask is weird. And ofc, I’m more than glad to give you my advice :)

Well, I started with basic coding at around 12 or 11, eventually studied it extensively and moved to more complicated programming languages when I was 15 or 16—but I was already in uni during that time (uhm, yes I was younger than most of my peers). I play games a lot, and when I was younger, I dreamt of developing my own video game or website. And as a kid, you wouldn’t be surprised that I even thought of using my knowledge of coding with making cool stuffs™ like robots haha. To be honest, I wasn’t “put off” of taking up Computer Science; it’s just that my head had always been gravitating towards Pure Mathematics ever since. However, I admit that I did fancy taking up that degree because I was opting for another major that would *complement* my Pure Mathematics track, since my mum initially wanted me to have a degree that is “lucrative” to her standards. Basically, even if I didn’t end up pursuing Computer Science, we met at a compromise with me double majoring in Pure Mathematics and an applied maths major which relies on heavy programming as well. Despite being good at maths in school, programming was unarguably one of the most difficult things that I’ve studied. Not to mention that at the beginning, I was self-taught. After uni, I became more serious with my self-study, and even took up few short courses in Computer Sciences just because I’m really interested with it. Never considered to pursue it professionally, though.

If you look at the macro statistics of how students perform in different subjects, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China (particularly Shanghai) has always ranked really high in maths and sciences. Yet, until recently, most of the technological breakthroughs are happening in the West.. Or perhaps, most technological advancements that happened in Asia (mind you, not only in East Asian and Southeast Asian countries) weren’t relatively discussed and/or recognized in a global scale during the past few years. Furthermore, living in Caucasian-dominated countries, I know that minorities would always have to go through the eye of a needle to have our voices heard and our efforts recognized and properly credited; otherwise the achievements we had produced would never see the light of day, or worse, People in the Position of Power™ would take credit for what we worked hard for. (Disclaimer: I don’t live in the US)

Additionally, two years ago, reports disclosed by large tech companies like Google and Facebook show that females make up less than 20% of technical employees. Unfortunately this figure drops to single digits for the larger tech community. But you shouldn’t be fazed with these facts. Yes, this is a sad reality but we can do something to change the system. At present, females working in most industries (not just in tech companies. Believe me *sighs*) should work twice as hard as a man to get to the same place, and it was made into a norm that we should just be prepared to do that. Thus, at least eventually in the tech sector, the more girls who learn how to code, the less unequal it would get. If you think about it, apps and websites like Instagram and Facebook (and uh well, Tumblr) have a wide female user base. And I truly believe that women need to be part of the voice in creating this technology to serve the users more effectively.

Yes I’m Southeast Asian as well currently living in a Caucasian-dominated country (again, not the US). But I lived in different Asian countries, so I also understand how tech startups in these regions lament the lack of local talent. Universities produce graduates who are well-versed in computer science, yet the latter go after paths that only require an understanding of programming languages suited for banking and finance. Conversely, startups use something much different and more modern—something that tech companies want to see more of. Moreover, a few years ago, tech giants like Microsoft, Facebook, and SAP appealed to the European Union education ministers to tackle skills gap in information and communications technology, saying that an estimated 900,000 jobs in Europe would be left unfilled by 2020 if not addressed. The UK has since implemented computing into the national curriculum. Again, Tumblr Politics™ could make an asinine analogy of this to Destroy Capitalism™, but the reality dictates that we need this to achieve growth in the foreseeable future. (Another disclaimer: I’m very much against classism and capitalism, but I can be level-headed as well to understand the global economic and political atmosphere that we live in. Less whining, more tangible actions to abolish these systems.)

Correct me if I’m wrong (this could easily be googled), but from what I’ve read, the average salary for a good fresh graduate programmer in the Silicon Valley is around 100,000 USD. So you can verify that this is indeed an in-demand job. But I definitely agree with your outlook as well. I quit my last job despite the high pay, advantageous position, connections and opportunities in the corporate ladder™ because I lost my passion and felt like I no longer learn something of value from it. I felt like I was just a small cog of a devious capitalistic machine, operating at an auto-pilot, and can never make an actual difference to society (contrary, I felt like I was actually working against it D:). BUT! Please. Please. Please. Never fully absorb everything you read in this hellsite as a clear reflection of how the world works. Always take everything you read with a grain of salt, because despite of the positive things we could see and the amazing people we could meet here, Tumblr is a very, very problematique™ place to take inspiration from. Of course I’m not generalizing, but sadly, some people here (despite their charisma and very persuasive convictions) proclaim revolutionary™ ideologies that only promote hateful agendas. Thus, even though I would always believe that money should never supersede passion, I also understand that the system is working against us and that it wouldn’t be as easy as we imagine it to be. So, I always seek to find balance in every decision that I make. It would also help to have a concrete plan of how you would like to see yourself in a few years (I know it sounds cliché, but I promise it’ll help), and to choose to work for a company that you know would create progressive measures to aid society as a whole, and would promote sustainable growth for the planet and the human race. Sorry if that sounds so cheesy and pretentious, but I mean it. I would like to think that that wouldn’t make us corporate sellouts™, rather, we are dreamers trying to survive and thrive in this very demanding society. [Hmm. To be honest I think corporate sellouts are the ones who exploit the society, and trample over others just to achieve their goals. Soulless creatures, I tellss ya. But yeah, maybe tumblr SJW vocabulary made another revolutionary™ breakthrough.]

That said, I know that you are already in the right track. And even though you seem to be in a dilemma, I could see that you’re geared towards computer science already :) Both maths and programming are your passions, and I’m glad that you discovered that at an early age. Don’t be afraid to take the leap. And if later on you realize that perhaps the degree you pursued wasn’t where your heart is, I can only assure you that you are not the first and last person who would feel this way—and that’s perfectly okay. Lots of people end up in jobs that are radically different from what they took up in uni, and they excel and feel really satisfied in those fields. And there are others who eventually go back to school to fulfill the academic approach that they had missed. Whatever happens, don’t be afraid to troubleshoot and start again. Don’t think that you had a late start on coding. I’m in my late 20s and I know that I still have a lot more to learn—not just with programming—and that really excites me. Remember, formal education isn’t the only place where we could learn and harness our skills. We’re so lucky to have lived in this digital age where everything could be presented to us with just a click or a tap of a button, so we should take advantage of that.

My last advice to you is to master BOTH the technical and creative skills needed in this science, both of which are essential to be a good programmer—bridging the technical side of coding with the creativity to solve problems. I know I still have a long way to go, but somehow, I think I could consider myself as someone who already has a good foundation and an in-depth knowledge of programming. This skill is something that does not only aid me in my career, but it also helps me with problem solving and thinking about issues structurally. With coding, I can solve problems and think of multiple solutions for the same problem, and can see the pros and cons for each solution. Further, I’m able to challenge my own assumptions in all of these solutions. However, like I’ve said, I don’t think that programming is something that I could do professionally. Despite excelling in the technical side of it, I believe that in this industry, the creative ability of a programmer is the one that is highly sought after. I totally concur that one should never underestimate how HARD programming is, and I guess that’s the beauty and challenge of this discipline. I know that I have the dedication and patience for this skill, but even if I master the complexities and technical skills needed in programming, admittedly, I still lack the creative elegance that I see in a professional programmer. But I hope that you could find the equilibrium in these factors and excel on them.

It will never be my intention to discourage you, on the contrary, I hope that with these information, you could objectively weigh the reality of the field that you would get yourself into. Which is why I’m glad that you did your research because it shows how serious and passionate you are to take time in educating yourself with these details. More importantly, I hope that you could talk to someone you look up to and trust in real life, because choosing a career is a serious life-changing decision. But feel free to DM me if you want to add or discuss something else :)

Thank you for your question, gotshineboc. I really hope that this could help you out. Very best of luck!

[claycyprien]

On to the Next Task

I haven’t been one to display a huge amount of emotion whether it’d be something unpleasant or even receiving good news altogether. For me, it would be all about moving on to the next task that’s ahead and never really giving myself much time to dwell or reflect on the path at hand. This month I got a chance to reflect on the beginning of my journey leading up to this very moment of writing these words concluding this EBMS program. As I began to look forward to the next task ahead, I couldn’t help myself not to become emotional about the milestones that I’ve come to achieve up to this point. My goals for this final project course was to complete a full business plan based on the objectives and concepts learned from the entire program, to present a formal business plan to my peers and faculty family of Full Sail University, and to graduate from the Entertainment Business Masters of Science degree program.

The thought of starting a business to most people is one of the scariest things in the world, for good reasons. Being in business for yourself is being 100% committed to the services you provide within the range of your company. One of the safety nets of having a good job is benefits like healthcare coverage and 401k account. As a business owner, you look deep into the aspects of financial managing, looking ahead to three-years of projections that you look to meet. For me, this journey has been beyond fulfilling and everything that I’ve could have asked for from an educational institution.

Last month’s courses were all about putting it all together, but this month was focused on ironing out the wrinkles and dressing up the presentation of the actual plan itself. After all, first impressions are everything whether you are seeking investment from equity funders or bank institutions. That was the month where there was a moment where the light bulb came on for me and I realized that I wasn’t just creating a plan from a business owners perspective any longer. I started looking at things from the investor's standpoint and started asking myself, “would I invest in this idea if it were presented to me?”. This is where the creative side of the idea met the logical side, but the creativity of structuring an idea to be published to the public eye came from the Media Publishing and Distribution section of the program.

In this course, I came to appreciate the flexibility of the different directions that this industry has to offer. I discovered that it is more difficult to obtain a credible agent to represent an artist's creative content than it is to reach a representative from a publishing and distribution company to solicit their work too. This allowed me to think outside the box to figure out what creative content can I make available to sell beyond me just solely focusing on ticket and admission sells. I came to realize that there could be an open window of opportunity to work with promising music producers that lack the knowledge of protecting their creative content. This allowed me to put on the hat of a talent manager and would be able to provide them with necessary tools, such as a press kit, to self-publish the media content on behalf of the architects.

Although I would have the platform and the skill set to be successful in this particular sector, there is a number of liabilities that I would have to consider if I really wanted to move in this direction. Advance Entertainment Law made this milestone very achievable along with my company as a whole. To enter such a competitive business within the live entertainment industry, one must understand all the risk that may hold serious legal liabilities. As I reflect on the journey during the month of this EBMS course, the key concepts for best practice within the field dealt with good negotiations skills. One must understand the legal lingo of protecting specific intellectual properties on any and all documents.

One of the highlights of the course, for instance, was the pleasant surprise of how aware I’ve become to be able to identify legal liabilities from a specifically proposed obstacle course competition in particular. This is a skill that demonstrates a solid understanding of identifying different liabilities, no matter what that industry field is. I also learn that it is extremely wise to take the necessary step to protect your mark by applying for a federal trademark and registering a domain name containing trademarked elements. This was something that I immediately grasp my attention with my business. I personally found it refreshingly satisfying to understand the ins and outs of the contract jargon as well as legal liabilities laws to have a more meaningful contribution when structuring my business plan. 

Looking back at the beginning of this program, I can honestly say that Product and Artist Management was one course that I really underestimated prior to taking the class. My initial impression was that it had nothing to do with what the core of my business. That was before I found out that class emphasize was about making money. Little did I know that PAM would be the course that simulates my interests in managing products and talents’ as a subdivision to my company. The internet has become a world of its own and the research that was done during this class help grasps a niche for the market that I’m targeting.

There are many different leadership styles that can be used in a wide variety of situations, including being able to adapt to all styles of leadership when communicating with different types of personalities in the industry. Product and Artist Management focuses on knowing your audience with detailed market research. It is almost mandatory for managers to stay relevant in today's music industry because it leaves the impression of knowing who's currently hot. You see, an artist manager does more than just book the gigs for their talent, they also become a life coach. PAM not only exceeded my expectations, it also allowed me to expand my thinking to maximize other areas of revenue streams.

No matter what the provisions are on a manager vs. artist's agreement, the primary goal is to create a career roadmap that is realistic and full of updated inputs from the artist and their team. This brings me back to the class teaching of Elizabeth Counsman. Reflecting on what I've learned in my Negotiation and Deal-Making course is that it's vital to be able to clearly communicate with people on a conversational level. This course has exceeded my expectations and sharpen my skill set as more than a negotiator, but a better communicator. I was able to explore different types of contracts that would be used in my industry specifically in the live entertainment field.

The types of contracts used are Independent Contract Agreement, Performances Agreement, Rider Agreement, Personal Appearance Agreement, Non-disclosure Agreement, Venue rental Agreement and Sponsorship Agreement. Although each agreement will hold a certain value of importance on its own, it's the negotiations leading to the agreements that will be the challenge to face. Things got a bit interesting as one particular assignment involved me playing the role of a manager with a classmate and based on our conversation I had to negotiate on terms that we both would agree on. What made the assignment even more exciting, my classmate that I was paired with was actually an artist himself and turned out to be a great learning experience for the both of us. Understanding the characteristics of whom I'm negotiating with, will serve as a valuable tool moving forward in my career in the entertainment industry.

Going back in time to further reflect on this journey, was how I learn to effectively use social media platforms as a professional weapon of choice to go along with a professional portfolio website, thanks to Digital Marketing. This course taught me that there is a science behind advertising digitally and measuring the results of my marketing efforts. Creating a digital canvas was is a great learning experience in putting together a complete professional marketing campaign. This is met to introduce my business concept in an organized and concise manner. Strategically identifying who I plan to market to as well as other key categories were designed in a canvas to display information such as industry analysis, revenue stream, and pricing, competitors, campaign preplanning, etc.

Over the years, social media has become a vital platform to companies in the industry to display visual content that directly relates to there business brands and/or products. My peers and I was given a list of Lynda courses and were to watch at least one that relates to our industry and I decided to watch was Twitter for business. Some key takeaways that I will continue to use moving forward are the list section of my account profile. This is an area that will often be used to follow competitors without having them on your timeline. Other takeaways that are just as important would be advertising with Twitter and the analytics and promoting your content to a mass audience is one thing, but knowing more about who are your followers gives a different perspective of how to use this platform.

With every campaign in place for a business, there will always be the element of a budget that helps operations move according to plan. No matter what medium a person uses to control the funding, the Business Finance course of this program really makes you pay close attention to your spending in both business and personal side of the coin. This was one of the most important classes of the program for me personally. One of the biggest challenges during my past experiences where financially conveying why a transaction is needed to be made, as well as reading and understanding annual reports when it was presented to me or looked up. Although funding at the time didn’t seem to be a problem, budgeting the necessary and unnecessary expenses was becoming an issue that needed to be addressed.

In other words, financing is simply the act of bringing money into an organization. The very first day of starting this course, I quickly realized the level of importance to understanding the business financial aspect of this degree program for the business that I am creating. One of the goals accomplished was to set up a three to five-year financial plan that covers the projected income and operational budget for my live entertainment company. I have to admit that diving into companies annual report was a bit overwhelming as I overcame the task of familiarizing myself with analyzing two major companies annual reports. Being a business owner, you must have a solid understanding of the principle of finance to keep your company profitable and learning about the fundamentals of finance helped me think outside of the box in terms of thinking about proper strategies, to seek sponsorships for my business and the projects that it will produce.

The most common misconceptions about the word branding are often recognized as a logo or an identity for corporations; or maybe even a product, service, or company. However, either one of them is correct. The month's course of Business Storytelling and Brand Development was highlighted on my calendar since the beginning of this degree program for many reasons. Creativity is the bread and butter of my approach to competing in an industry filled with competitors. I have learned that an effective brand is a story that is told to a target audience in hopes for an emotional connection.

Personal branding helps with this in connection with the services and products I offer. This was the preplanning stage for my digital portfolio to organize a personal brand strategy. My brand is a reflection of my work ethic and by ensuring that my main focus relies on the quality as well as the prodigious hospitality of any work that my brand is attached to, it will stand out from competitors in the industry. The course content provided really helps me understand the importance of analyzing my industry’s growth, as well as identifying the main competitors and current trends in the industry market. One of the most important concepts that I will always carry with me professionally is the ability to give a piece of myself personally to my target audience.  

In the first week of the Project Team Management course, I was asked to pitch a project proposal based on my field and continued to build on it throughout the entire program. This is a course where I felt I was extremely engaged in and often would think that I’m putting way too much information on about my proposal. Well, the one thing that I can quickly reflect on this topic is that it was highly emphasized that there's no such thing as a project that is too organized. It was about bringing a brainstorming idea to life in a form of a project plan to be defined and break down the work structure of it. That seemed to be the fun part for me due to the passionate behind me orchestrating live events for some time now. 

Rigorous research and analyzing help me determine the benefits and drawbacks of my project, and as a result choose the most appropriate project management methodology that’s suitable. It takes preparation-months and months of careful planning and organizing to pull off a live event at the caliber that I am planning for. Solidifying the date of an event and marking a firm goal with a deadline on the work breakdown structure is a vital stage in the planning process. Everything from here on out turned into a domino effect in terms of thinking about all the necessities needs such as proper IP and liability insurances to obtain. Based on the structure created, we took in a step further to wrap up the month by focusing on creating a risk management guide and budgeting as well as creating a team and quality management plan helps break down the responsibility roles where outside help may be required.

Just like any other profession, you always need to be able to stand out from the rest especially as a CEO of a company. That executive is considered the red apple, inside of an all green apples classroom that can communicate with other members of different departments, and will naturally obtain a business suaveness towards each project at hand. The Executive Leadership course has prepared me to expect the unexpected from a wide range of situations by defining what kind of leadership style I can take into my profession. Now that I think about it, this course was the beginning stages of preparing for my final business presentation by being introduced to the Pecha Kucha Presentation assignment in that second month of the program. Telling a story with practically just pictures and very little words paints the picture of exactly the message or point I’m trying to get across to the viewer.

Being prepared for any situation starts by being knowledgeable of all theories or traits. However, within my field, you’re likely to be exposed to a wide range of different situations where I have to be ready for mentally. 48 Laws of Power was a book that I have always want to read but often found all the reason in the world to not make time to begin reading it. Universe has a funny way of putting want right in front of you, as that turned out to be one of the two class textbooks throughout the month. My journey was set in virtual stone as I prepared a road map of goals, that I wished to accomplish from this master’s program and now set to create a whole new set moving forward.

As I reflect at the very beginning of this entire program, it's crazy how the same dreams that brought me to this purse my vision have evolved within its approach. There is always a moment in a person’s life, where they can imagine doing something that revitalizes their thought process. A moment where they can imagine doing something that they love doing every single day. That very moment is when they realize whether they are on their path or away from it. That moment came to me when I completed a turning point video assignment that gives viewers an exclusive introduction to myself.

Classic recording to say the least, but I could remember exactly how I was feeling when I first did that assignment. I was confident in what it was I wanted to do, but I could clearly see that I didn’t really have the identity of who I was as a business owner and how I wanted to make things happen. Mastering my craft on this journey that I'm on requires me to blend the two discipline and a childlike spirit together into what we know as the Dimensional Mind. Personally, I think there's always something to learn and for me that will always make me a student of the industry. If there is one thing I can take away from the first month, it's that my purpose for my idea is bigger than myself.

The growth from where I started to where I am now is a huge milestone that I’ve accomplished. I have incorporated my business in my hometown state, I have constructed a full blueprint of my operations in the form of a business plan, I can effectively defend my business concept in a logical manner to make sense to potential investors and although I can go on, the big take away is that I am as confident than ever moving on to the next phase of my journey. I am extremely grateful for the wonderful instructors that played a part of the process of getting me to the end of this road trip of the EBMS. Now that the arrangements of family and loved ones are set for them to witness me walk across a graduation stage, this is merely just the beginning. Now I am in the position to take action in ways I once couldn’t have imagined.      

There were obstacles along the way that could have derailed my train off the tracks, yet again and again, I continue to fight through it all with resilience. No one will ever feel the pain that motivates me but everyone will see the passion I bring to the table with the know-how and knowledge to reach the maximum potential in every project that I am involved with. The picture is crystal clear now as I continue my journey of operating a live entertainment company. The dreams are reachable goals, now that it's all put together. Although there is always another task ahead, I’m going to enjoying this moment and be grateful all I have and will accomplish.

[kennithblakey37-blog]

SEO Firm Maxim Edge Looking Forward To A Tremendous 2010.

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Connection marketing entails nothing expensive and also just calls for a little extra persistence however it is one hell from a way to enhance sales online. Secondly you took on those marketing techniques that are actually tied to deliver positive lead to your business. A firm embellishments when there is close collaboration between the marketing components and the technological elements. A slight example on the online marketing degree is actually the Bachelor of Science in Company Administration - Advertising (B.S.B.A./ MKT.) which puts working experts on a very clear road to long-lasting knowing as well as effectiveness. Our Master's programmes are designed to prepare you for a productive career, everywhere on earth you plan to operate.

[makeitwithmike]

Riding the Digital Wave

By Crowdfire

Crowdfire Spotlight: From building computers as a child to working for Ashley Madison and starting his own company, this is Anthony Neal Macri’s story.

There’s nothing quite like starting your career at a controversial dating agency whose tagline once read, “Life is short. Have an affair.”

Recruited fresh out of university in 2011, Anthony Neal Macri helped launch Ashley Madison’s website in over 60 countries. His remarkable four year stint at the “affair” agency would serve as a stepping stone to his foray into digital marketing.

Now, with over ten years of experience, Anthony is considered a new-age marketing expert, offering his wisdom on all things digital as a global speaker, coach, author, and consultant.

Where it all began

Born to Italian parents in Thunder Bay, Canada, Anthony moved to Italy when he was a year old. He attended the Liceo Leonardo Da Vinci School and earned a diploma in Computer Science.

His parents were always very supportive of his passions. As is typical for a child, he would get fanatical about the most random things, his obsessions lasting a few months at a time. But his parents encouraged his curiosity, allowing him to chase after whatever he was interested in. Anthony recounts a tale from his childhood when the delivery company, UPS, showed up at his door with 20 old computers from companies that were going out of business and he paid for them with his parents’ credit card.

Though his bewildered parents wondered what he was up to in the garage, they never stopped him. The only thing they expected from him was to go to school and get an education. Thereon he could do whatever he wanted. There wasn’t any job they deemed good or bad. All they wanted was that their son keep learning and following his passions.

Anthony is starkly different from his sister, who’s seven years his senior. “Having an older sister is interesting. They almost behave like a second mother.” His sister is a psychotherapist and a social worker, miles apart from the “guy who worked for Ashley Madison”. While she was always the one that studied hard in school, Anthony was the one finding shortcuts and ways to optimise his studies so he’d have more time to do other things. He quips, “She’s very by the book and I’m very outside the box.”

At the age of fourteen, Anthony built his first website. At fifteen, he made enough money from the internet to be able to travel. He continued being involved in the space throughout university, though he didn’t always find the time with his studies and part time jobs.

After graduating from high school not knowing much about the country of his birth, he was encouraged by his parents to pursue higher studies in Canada. They contended that he had family there and it would allow him to reconnect with the land he was born in.

An affair to remember

Anthony went on to attend Lakehead University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science & Economics, with Minors in Business & Sociology. Taking up part time jobs here and there like most students, he found himself looking for a full-time prospect upon graduation.

Avid Media, which owned AshleyMadison.com, was preparing to launch in Italy as part of their expansion. They offered him a job as their first Italian speaking employee — acting as a launching pad for his career and helping him nurture his passion. Now as one can imagine, his parents weren’t exactly thrilled about this. They doubted it being a good career move, but they understood his excitement and encouraged him to go for it. “They saw that I was happy, so they were happy,” he says simply.

“I was involved in digital marketing my entire life,” Anthony declares. “During the dot-com bubble, I was very involved in how the internet and digital marketing all started, with affiliate programs and different advertising platforms popping up.”

His time at Ashley Madison was the chance he got to put his knowledge of digital marketing, SEO, and social media marketing to work. “Of course,” he clarifies, “I made many many mistakes, but also, many many victories. When you’re doing it for yourself from the comfort of your home is different from when you’re doing it on an international scale for an extremely large company. But they allowed me to grow and become a better marketer.”

For Anthony, that’s where everything started. He looks back at the Ashley Madison years as probably the most important and formative years of his career, and of his life.

In fact, there’s one significant difference between Anthony and any other digital marketer in the industry. And he owes that difference completely to Ashley Madison.

“When you’re trying to market a product that advertisers don’t want to let you advertise, you have to figure out ways around it, on how you can get in front of people. That then becomes an art of always trying to find a different way to do things. The traditional ways didn’t work for us. I don’t know if it would have worked for us, since we weren’t allowed to go the traditional way. We always had to find innovative and original ways to get in front of people and advertise and do PR. The only way we succeeded was by being original all the time.”

It might seem out of the ordinary for someone to start their career with Ashley Madison, but it did give him an edge on every other marketer out there.

Out with the old, in with the new

After Ashley Madison, Anthony started consulting with multiple startups in New York and Toronto, while working multiple other jobs. He then found a marketing position at QuickTapSurvey, a start up in Toronto launching web surveys at the time.

His last work experience before launching his own company full time, would be to work at Accelerated Connections Inc., one of Canada’s largest ISPs for businesses. Anthony was brought in to apply his magic to their advertising campaigns. “I was hired by the CEO. Their main concern was pretty much what every single business is concerned about — how to advertise one of the least sexy things there is, which is Internet connection for a business.”

The last few years have been extremely influential for Anthony. He’s gotten the opportunity to work with various startups across all kinds of industries, using different strategies and approaches for each.

“Coming from a place where you expect advertisers to turn you down because they don’t want to let you advertise your product, allows you to think of alternative, non-traditional ways that work for other brands as well.”

According to Anthony, not doing marketing by the book actually works out better in terms of results. He saw a growing need in the industry that not many people were tapping into.

That’s when he launched his own company, ANM Digital, finding original ways to advertise. He makes it clear that he’s not looking to reinvent the wheel, just trying to change the way we sell and interact with potential customers. “Nowadays we’re all bombarded by advertising. Advertisers have to become more and more strategic in what they say, how they say it and where. They have to constantly keep a check on how their potential customers are interacting with their message.”

For Anthony, digital marketing has evolved such that it’s less about going the old fashioned way where you bombard your audience till they give in and give you their money, and more about the subtle ways to advertise which work better in the long run.

As for building websites, Anthony prefers an involved method. “Digital marketers don’t look at websites as cute and pretty pages. They look at them from a far more functional perspective. What is the goal of this page and will this page achieve that goal and at what rate? Is that rate affordable?” Since Anthony has hands-on experience with web-design building his own websites, he understands the importance of providing a holistic approach to all his clients which includes a plethora of services under the digital marketing umbrella.

Anthony’s mantra for his business is, “Everything we design is designed with a purpose”, something he makes sure all his clients know. “We look at the entire operation in the digital space as one living entity, instead of splitting into different tasks — design team will prepare something, then the digital marketing team will have to plug in the content to make it work from an SEO perspective.”

What goes around

But, like most of us, Anthony didn’t have much clarity about his path while he was growing up. As a teenager, he loved the money he was making off the internet and found it a worthy pursuit, allowing him to travel and giving him financial independence. But he never really thought too much about this passion. He didn’t think this could potentially be a career path he could walk down, a way for him to make his living. In fact, if it weren’t for Ashley Madison recruiting him, he admits he’d have ended up in the finance field, probably as a financial advisor.

But Anthony can’t remember the last time where he wasn’t working on a website or building something online. Only after Ashley Madison did he recognize this passion as a calling.

“It’s quite interesting that one small interview, one small meeting, can have such a profound impact on somebody’s career and life.”

A lot of things for Anthony happened organically, including launching his company. “One of the main reasons I’ve been invited to speak at conferences and universities is because I never say no to anybody needing my help. If my clients can’t afford me, I always tell them they’re free to message or call me and ask for my advice. I’ll always give my honest opinion, even if I don’t necessarily charge you for my time.”

Anthony has kept in touch with a few acquaintances who are not his clients, and he keeps giving them feedback and his opinions on their work as and when they need it. A very large company in the US was launching a podcast but based on their budget they couldn’t afford his web-design services. Since he’d worked in the space and was familiar with the podcast business, he offered his help pro bono. To this day, they come to him for his feedback.

“I do believe in karma. What you give out is what you receive. Part of my success is that I never turn down people who need my help.” Anthony has been invited to speak about topics like online dating and the future of digital marketing. He’s even given talks at the University of Toronto on how to launch small businesses using social media and social selling.

Make the magic happen

Anthony manages his official channels personally, writing all the articles for his blog himself. His secret is waking up early at 6 am to set aside some personal time. This is when he writes articles for his blog and schedules his posts for the day on social media. The rest of his day is dedicated to clients and work.

Anthony doesn’t see himself moving out of the industry. He wants to keep growing his agency, ANM Digital, and he wants to continue working with startups and tech ventures. “We have great ideas, and great talents, so who knows where it’ll take us.”

He has some advice for potential business owners out there. “I’d started my company at a time when I was ready, when I had the knowledge and the mental preparedness to be able to do it.”

“Starting a business is scary. It’s better to try early. If it doesn’t work, pivot, change, and keep pushing.”

For Anthony, it was all about finding his passion and chasing it to success. With a never-ending curiosity for learning and a drive to chart his own course, he’s found a way to do his own thing on his own terms. “You can’t wait your whole life for the perfect time to start your own thing, hoping it’ll materialise in front of you and be perfect. There’s never going to be a perfect time. But the time you decide to do it, it will be perfect.”

You can find Anthony on his Website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+

Ann Maria is a Content Crafter at Crowdfire. The only controversy she’s a part of is about stolen potato chips. It wasn’t her.

Riding the Digital Wave was originally published in Going Big — The Official Crowdfire Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The post Riding the Digital Wave appeared first on Make It With Michael.

from Riding the Digital Wave

[adolphkwinter]

The Rise of “The Quant” – How a Quantitative Analyst Can Improve Your Marketing Strategy

It sounds like the premise for a new sci-fi flick: an advanced species, the Quants, arrive with incredibly deep knowledge on data from a variety of sources, and can test, manipulate and model it to confirm or disprove theories, allowing a far greater understanding of what makes people (and the decisions they make) tick.

Except it’s anything but science fiction. Quants – short for quantitative analysts, are part of the innovation that powers data science. In short, a quantitative analyst looks at trends and data, or proposed models, and leverages that data to make interpretations and verify results.

Sounds deep? It is.

Until recently, most quantitative analysts found their niche in finances – helping stock traders and investors by making data-backed market predictions. Just look at the this clip from The Big Short, which chronicles the leadup to the subprime mortgage crisis:

But these “quants” have also found a surprising new home among marketing teams too – and what they have to offer can be a true game-changer. Here’s what you need to know.

Major Marketing Shifts Demand a New Kind of Scientist

Traditional marketing methods used to throw everything at the consumer in the hopes that some of it would stick. Today’s advertising demands that they be much smarter about how, where and who their ads are targeting.

Although most marketers have a pretty solid idea about who they’re marketing to, and what kinds of content they consume, having a Quant on board can also mean new tools can be developed to predict and target those audiences with greater precision and a more tailored message – the very kinds of connections that customers crave.

One of the underpinning decisions that have shifted the way advertising is handled, is how ads are bought and sold – a specialization that demands Quants chew through copious amounts of data and develop algorithms that spot purchasing opportunities across a sea of media outlets.

Even customers who have the same general interests and purchasing behaviors can vary wildly in their choice of channels through which to consume the media. A Quant, and their marketing cohorts, have to be able to predict and position themselves to take advantage of these changes as they happen.

Understanding How Ads are Bought and Placed

Savvy marketing teams know the general channels and media outlets their customers prefer – but adding Quants to the mix further narrows that laser-targeted focus, and proves it with data. No longer do advertisers have to hope that targeting an ad to a specific demographic will generally get results. With Quants on board, they can have predictive models that demonstrate precisely how the ad will perform given the data they have collected so far.

This isn’t to say, of course, that the emphasis on consumer behaviors powering marketing decisions has fallen by the wayside. If anything, it adds a new layer that magnifies those behaviors and lets marketers deep deeper to make more meaningful connections.

Marketers who forego these kinds of advertising strategies will find their brands are quickly made irrelevant or seemingly “out of touch” with what customers want. It’s a rapidly changing playing field, and advertisers who can draw definitive distinctions from the data they gather will soon be miles ahead from those who are still struggling to maintain relevance.

Benefits of Adding Quants to Your Marketing Team

Quants have seemingly limitless potential when added to marketing teams. Like the secret ingredient that truly “makes” a dish, they can develop predictive advertising models that take into account much more than a user’s location or what products they viewed.

Imagine being able to pinpoint not just a customer’s location, but what other places they tend to visit as well? Imagine being able to glean their interests from not just the social media profiles they follow, but what they post? Imagine not only being able to see current products they’ve interested in, but what they’ve bought in the past – and what they may buy in the future? How much of an impact did your current ad campaign have on them, if any?

This is the kind of data that Quants dive right into, plucking that irresistible-looking, but seemingly-out-of-reach fruit that’s ripe for the taking.

And as more traditional channels like TV, radio and newspapers begin their shift to a more programmatically advertising-backed strategy, you can expect to see the lines between these channels blur even more. The ripple effect may start with the online world, but it will eventually branch out to affect everything from how ads are bought, to how consumers shop.

Quants are traditionally hired by companies working with hedge funds, mutual funds and asset managers, as well as investment bankers. These days, it’s becoming more and more common for high level consulting companies and advertising firms to hire quants as well.

What’s the Difference Between a Quant and a Data Scientist?

When considering hiring a Quant, the question often comes up, “don’t data scientists do the same thing?” The answer is — not quite.

Data scientists know where to find data, how to analyze it and work with it in order to optimize processes and increase customer lifetime value. Data scientists can take copious amounts of convoluted, unstructured information and analyze it to pick out the gold nuggets that make an impact on companies’ bottom lines and customer retention.

Quants also analyze data, but they tend to manipulate it more to forecast potential opportunities and changes. Rather than picking out gold nuggets, quants tend to take the whole and see if they can draw conclusions from it. One specialization isn’t really replacing another or necessarily better than the other.

Also, many organizations and companies can thrive just fine with a team of data scientists — Uber, Airbnb and many others are perfect examples of this. However, if you’re in the business of gauging opportunities, making data-backed predictions and determining how to prepare for and leverage multiple outcomes, having a quant in your corner could make all the difference.

Where Can I Find Quants?

Quants typically hang out in places with large financial sectors — New York, Chicago and even Boston are some of most common locales, but they can be found across the country and around the world. Firms looking to hire quants will look for, at the very minimum, a master’s degree, but they prefer a PhD in a quantitative-related subject like mathematics, finance, statistics or economics. University towns with well-known and respected programs in these fields are also a hotbed for Quant talent.

Are There Any Drawbacks to Hiring a Quant?

Quants are in their element when it comes to data and statistics. But you can’t forget the marketing aspect, either. Quants are typically proficient at identifying patterns and trends, and then creating and implementing campaigns while measuring and verifying the results accordingly.

However, it’s also temptingly easy for them to question everything. While it’s in their nature to want to question things, and use data to uncover answers, as they dig deeper and deeper, they end up with even more questions. It becomes easier to overlook things. When the success or failure of an ad campaign hinges on their ability to accurately predict and model the outcome, there’s also a degree of stress involved.

It’s also possible for Quants to become too confident. With so much data and so much analysis going on, it’s important for them to stay grounded and collaborate with other team members to understand the big picture and the end goal.

Quants aren’t for every company. Small to medium-sized businesses without much of a focus on advertising won’t see much benefit from hiring them. Industries where Quants excel naturally have a great deal to do with math, statistics and programming, including modeling various outcomes.

How Will Quants Change the Industry?

Quants’ place in marketing is still relatively new. Tools that leverage the predictive modeling capabilities of big data and apply it to programmatic advertising are still fairly novel, and there is no “one size fits all” solution for every enterprise.

However, by using a customer behavior analysis tool like Kissmetrics, you can not only gather the kinds of impactful data that help Quants identify and act on trends and behaviors, but you can also deliver it visually – knowing precisely what events trigger opportunities, and capitalize on them at a moment’s notice.

And those are the kinds of opportunities that – Quant or not – everyone can get involved with. Do you have Quants on your marketing team? How have their strategies and findings impacted your advertising and your bottom line? Share your thoughts and perspectives with us in the comments below!

About the Author: Sherice Jacob helps business owners improve website design and increase conversion rates through compelling copywriting, user-friendly design and smart analytics analysis. Learn more at iElectrify.com and download your free web copy tune-up and conversion checklist today!

from Online Marketing Tips https://blog.kissmetrics.com/rise-of-the-quant/