Corporate Food & Human Backlash

The current collapse of the world financial system has revealed some structural problems in our national economy that have flourished over a period of decades as corporate interests bought politicians and lobbyists to craft legislation to remove legal roadblocks to mass theft and market manipulation. And despite some changes in the D.C. political landscape, our government remains apparently helpless to do anything about corporate malfeasance on any level. With all the bad economic news dominating the public consciousness, some issues in the food supply sector are having a difficult time being properly correlated and attended to despite the serious level of danger they present to public health.

The food supply issues didn’t begin with the market manipulations on Wall Street and from there to exchanges all over the world. Though for many people the first alarms went off as the CDS fraud crashed the economy in 2008 and the financial players went looking for other markets to wreak havoc on. They seized on commodities – staple foods from the agricultural sector increasingly dominated by multinational corporations like Monsanto, ADM and Cargill. As a traceable beginning in 2008 to what this year became the “Arab Spring” movement across North Africa and spreading to the Middle East and southern Asia, food riots broke out in Egypt and Syria and portions of India as well as elsewhere when people could no longer afford to feed themselves and their families. Things have only gotten worse in the years since, and Americans are slowly waking up.

Continue reading »

Filed under Alternatives, Community, Cooperatives, Economics, Education, Family, Food Production, Food Safety, Garden, Health, Homestead, Hunger, Livestock, Monsanto, Nutritition, Pets, Rural Development, Sustainable Living, Trade | Comment (0)

To Attend Grad School or Not to Attend Grad School-That is the Question

Why does it seem like getting an education is never done? Graduating from high school used to be enough. Then it was critical to have a four-year degree if you hoped to have a successful career. Today, more and more college students are faced with the distinct possibility of continuing their education to receive their masters degree. Trying to decide whether to attend grad school is a big question followed by an even bigger one: how to pay for it.

To Go or Not To Go

While it’s true that there are some fields where an advanced degree can mean a lot of extra money, it often isn’t the case. This especially holds true during these tough economic times. At one time, gaining a law degree was pretty much a guarantee for a safe financial future. That isn’t always the case today. Before making the decision to go, take some time to consider several important questions.

• Is it necessary to have an advanced degree in your field?
• What sort of difference will the advanced degree have on your earning potential?
• How much will it cost to earn an advanced degree?
• Is your employment field over-saturated?
• Will you finance the degree yourself or use a company like plaingreenloans.com to help you during the rough times?

Is There Another Alternative?

During the course of your research, you may find that your particular field benefits from qualifications other than an advanced degree. Think about how real-life work experience will reflect on your ability to get a job in your field. Is it better to take several years off and then return for your graduate degree? In some cases, you may find that a degree is a necessary part of your education plan, and you can move on to financing options like employer reimbursement and plaingreenloans.com.

How To Pay for It All

Once you’ve made the decision to go to graduate school and figured out how to pay for your tuition, you may find yourself wondering what to do about unexpected expenses. While in theory we budget for everything, sometimes unexpected expenses still come up. It’s important to have a plan in place to address unexpected bills. One idea is to have Mom and Dad on speed dial. A better idea is to check out plaingreenloans.com and see how they can help.

Making the decision to attend grad school is a big one. It’s one of the factors that determines what kind of job you’ll have and how secure your future will be, so take the time to explore all of your options.

Filed under Education | Comment (0)

Choosing a Degree Wisely Should Maximize Job Opportunity

Most people make the mistake of thinking that all they need is a college degree and they will have no problem finding a job. But in today’s economy, having just any old bachelor’s degree is not sufficient. In fact, many people suggest that there is a bachelor degree bubble.

Choosing a degree wisely amounts to choosing a degree that will train with the knowledge and skills you need to fill a high-demand job. So it’s important to have an idea of what sort of jobs are in high-demand and which degrees will prepare you to fill those jobs.

So how do you make this important decision?

Thankfully there are several helpful resources.

The first one is put out by the Federal Government and is called The Occupational Outlook Handbook. It provides lots of information on the sort of occupations that will need to be filled in the coming decades.

Employing the data in The Occupational Outlook Handbook, a new 18,000+ word report has been released titled The Top 51 Degrees for Getting a Job and Making Money. This report lists the degrees in terms of a metric they call “job opportunity”

One interesting fact we noticed when looking through this report is that you can get great job opportunity with only a 2 year degree. Obviously, some jobs will require 4 year degrees or even graduate education. But the important thing is to realize that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and there are great opportunities with only 2 year associate degrees. Many students could save a lot of money if they realize this.

Here are some examples of good paying jobs with high-demand job markets:

- Associate’s Degree in Respiratory Therapy
- Associate’s Degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Associate’s Degree in Physical Therapist Assistant
- Associate’s Degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology
- Associate’s Degree in Health Information Technology
- Associate’s Degree in Veterinary Technology
- Associate’s Degree in Dental Hygiene
- Associate’s Degree in Mortuary Science

Filed under Education, Jobs | Comment (1)

Harmful Education

There are a lot of traps in modern society. But none so life affecting as student debt, which can literally add up to more than a home mortgage (another trap of its own). Some people spend the rest of their lives after they finish their education, paying back their loans. Student loand debt can be a life sentence. So many life decisions get shaped by debt and a wise person always aims for freedom. And student debt is especially devastating when it’s a misallocation of resources: feeding an oversupply of job candidates.

Such is the case with MBA’s and now apparently law school degrees:

From: The Best Colleges

More and more it is becoming apparent that college education is no longer the panacea for getting a good job. Having valuable, high demand skills is really what’s important. Many of the most successful people I know today spent the four years everyone else went to college either doing apprenticeships or starting their own businesses, and four years later were doing quite well. Whereas many people who went to college are not able to find a job and quite honestly have very little skill.

Encourage your kids to get educated, but to do so in a smart way: by learning skills. Things like engineering, science, computer programming. Don’t send them to law school!

Filed under Education | Comment (0)

How Positive Leaders Affect Kids

Not everyone is born with good leadership skills, but these qualities can be vitally essential in rallying team members and getting them excited about the task at hand. Positive leaders, people capable of utilizing leadership attributes in a positive and team-building manner, can affect children in a wide variety of ways, most of them quite positive as well. When it comes to working in groups or teams, children can really thrive when working with a leader who is positive and motivating.  Here are some of the ways that positive leaders can make a difference in children’s lives.

Continue reading »

Filed under Education, Family | Comment (0)

Educational Issues Part I: Homeschooling

One of my granddaughters is graduating from high school next weekend, she won’t be 17 until a week later. Yes, she’s extremely smart and plans to be a surgeon, has already been accepted to an excellent school with most of her costs covered by scholarships. The two eldest grandsons will be starting their final year in college this coming fall, though of course no one knows in this economy if there will actually be jobs for them when they graduate.

As the world and national situations get continually worse and worse, the subject of education and its value in whatever kind of society we all end up with when the chaos of massive changes is finally over is a pressing consideration for a great many parents, not just dedicated homesteaders who are at the leading edge of change. As the reactionary forces embodied by right-wing Republicans in state governments and in D.C. seek constantly to destroy the system of public education, parents are often left to wonder if the kids are learning anything at all that might help them do well in life.

Continue reading »

Filed under Activities, Alternatives, Community, Cooperatives, Education, Family, Future Planning, Homestead, Schools | Comments (2)

Turning your Passions into a Career

Many people think of a career as just a job, but what if you could make it your passion?

Turning your passions into a career might not be as hard as you think. Before you choose a career, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself what you truly enjoy doing. The first and most important step to having a successful career is having a passion for your job and loving what you are doing.

Continue reading »

Filed under Education | Comment (0)