Choosing Courses for Mature Students

Choosing Courses for Mature Students How To Choose What to Study as a Mature Student ChaptersImproving Your Career by Going Back to SchoolAppraise Your SkillsWorking Out What You’ve Got to DoTalk to Former StudentsAsk Your Friends and FamilyThink About What You Want“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” - Colin PowellAccording to a 2016 study, more than a third of UK graduates regret attending university. Unfortunately, they only realise this once they’ve done it. Perhaps, the course they chose was the problem. Going back to university or starting a course once you’ve entered the world of work may seem difficult, but it’s not impossible.Whether it’s IT training, studying to be an engineer, getting some A-Levels, or studying a short course, getting your education right the second time around might be really good for your career. TraceyPersonal development Teacher 4.92 (9) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (7) £55/h1st lesson free!Dis cover all our tutors AntonellaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors IsamPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyPersonal development Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MichelePersonal development Teacher 4.73 (7) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlloydPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliverPersonal development Teacher 4.33 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsImproving Your Career by Going Back to SchoolYour decision to go back to school might be a quick decision or the result of a lot of careful consideration. You might come to this conclusion after months of thinking about your career and your daily life. Whatever your reasons for it, you need to ask yourself a few questions about how it’ll help you before you do it.You first need to think about why you’re going to study more. Lifelong learning is a great way to improve your career prospects. (Source: StockSnap)Are you changing careers or vying for a promotion?Once you’ve worked out your objectives, you can start looking for appropriate courses or training. If you’re unsure about which one to choose or don’t know where to turn, make sure the course will teach you exactly what you need to learn. Try not to choose the first course you find.Have a look at the admissions procedure for the course. You mightn’t have the necessary qualifications to get on the course and you might need to put together an application or even a portfolio if it’s a course in the arts. Additionally, you may need to brush up on certain things before you start the course or apply to it.You need to make sure that you can fit the course around your lifestyle. Juggling a family and your studies can be difficult so make sure you have a backup plan if you end up dropping up.Finally, if you’re changing careers, make sure that youâ €™re not moving into a field that’s saturated or that you’ll struggle to find work in. Make sure you carefully look at all the available opportunities.In terms of continuing education, you can choose from:University degreesProfessional trainingIndustry-specific trainingGeneral skills coursesDistance learningShort courses and evening classesEtc.Have a look at your CV and consider doing a skills appraisal to find out what you need to learn. Everyone’s needs are different and what you need to learn will vary depending on your situation. Consider noting down all your ideas to make things a little clearer.Adult learners can be successful when they return to school as they've done it all before and hopefully won't make the same mistakes that students do the first time they attend colleges and universities.  An adult learner can also apply for a student loan and student aid for childcare so have a look at all the options available to you. Similarly, if you're looking for a career cha nge, further study could help you get that new career.Learn more about the benefits of being a mature student.Appraise Your SkillsAfter having worked for a long time, it can be difficult working out what you need to study. Your skills and knowledge aren’t the same as they were when you left school. This is why it’s recommended that you appraise your skills. Appraising your skills is a good way to work out what you need to do. (Source: StockSnap)A skills appraisal can help you focus on your skills as well as your professional aspirations. By asking yourself various questions, you’ll see what skills you have and what skills you need. You’ll also see exactly how much you need to learn and the type of studies you should do.A career counsellor or career coach can do a skills appraisal for you and there are also plenty of sites and resources you can refer to online. Once you’ve done your appraisal, you’ll have a better idea of whether or not you need to study and the type of courses you can do. This will help you make the right decision for your career. Think of the appraisal as a way to answer all the questions you may have. It can help you find your way.Adult students should probably have more life experience. They are older students, after all.Find out more about the cost of being a mature student. TraceyPersonal development Teache r 4.92 (9) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (7) £55/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AntonellaPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors IsamPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyPersonal development Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MichelePersonal development Teacher 4.73 (7) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors FlloydPersonal development Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliverPersonal development Teacher 4.33 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWorking Out What You’ve Got to DoAs you’ll have understood, going back to school isn’t a decision you should take lightly. Even if the idea may pop into your head, you’ll need to think it over carefully. There are a lot of things to take into account when choosing courses or training. Once you've appraised your skills and know what your goals are, plan how you're going to achieve them. (Source: rawpixel)If you decide to enrol in a course, you’ll need to balance your family life and your life as a student as well as your career if you’re still going to be working while you study. It’s recommended that you find out how much work is involved before you start. There’ll probably also be homework, coursework, presentations, or maybe even work placements.Work placements can be complicated if you’ve already got a job so to avoid being overwhelmed, you might want to think about all of this before making your final choice. Don’t hesitate to ask the course leader or teachers about what’s involved and whether it’ll fit into your life.Returning to school isn't a decision to take lightly, especially for working adults who want to attend college, are considering earning a degree, or thinking about enrolling on a lifelong learning course.  Keep in mind that those who attend school now may have a vastly different experience to you. It might be worthwhile talking to them.Find personal development courses near me.Talk to Former StudentsAnother way to decide whether or not a course is right for you is to ask those who’ve already done the course. They’ll have a better idea of exactly how much work is involved and what the course is like.  There may also be other mature students who understand your situation and their experience could help you better understand whether the course is feasible or not.What are they doing now? Did the course help them change careers? What are the pros and cons of the course?These are all things you need to ask former students about it.  To find former students, you might want to look for groups on Facebook, for example.Most students will be happy to share their thoughts and feelings about the course. Think about getting in touch with a few of them since not everyone will have had the same experience.While you migh t think going back to college or university is easy, schooling might have changed a lot since you were there and schooling can be difficult for returning students who aren't used to it.Find out more about being a mature student.Ask Your Friends and FamilyBefore deciding to go back into formal education, you might want to ask your friends and family about it. It won’t be easy at home if you’ve got kids, for example.  You’ll need to be able to study but also ensure that everything at home runs smoothly, too. Parental support may also play a part in your decision as they might be able to watch the kids while you’re doing exams or just provide moral support.This is why it’s important to make sure that your friends and family are on board. If you don’t have their support, you’ll be more likely to give up. However, you need to choose a course that still leaves you enough time to do everything else that you need to do. Distance learning might be a good idea, for example. Balancing work and studies can be tricky. (Source: 28703)If your friends and family support you, it’ll be easier to get a few free hours to attend lessons.  They could also help you work out what you can do with your new qualifications. It’s always a good idea to have a second opinion.You should also try and get your current employer’s blessing if you’re going to study alongside work. Your boss may be more flexible when you’ve got exams.Find self confidence courses with a personal development coach.Think About What You WantIf you’re not motivated, you won’t get very far. Think about what you want to do and make sure it’s something that you’ve always been interested in.  Going back to school is a second chance that you can’t let pass you by and you wouldn’t want to change careers and find yourself in a worse place than before.Make a note of what you’d like to do more than anything else in the world. Then start looking for how you can make it a reality.  The mor e motivated you are, the more likely you’ll be successful so don’t hesitate to do what you’ve always dreamed of.Keep in mind that going to school doesn't necessarily mean that you have to earn a degree or go to college as part and do an adult learning course, there's also online learning and private tutorials.  If you can't return to university, consider looking at nontraditional courses, like an online degree or distance learning. Online classes or online courses might be the way to if you can't give up your job.

Resources to Learn Data Analysis

Resources to Learn Data Analysis Top Resources for Data Scientists ChaptersThe History of Analysis and Machine LearningResources for Data Driven PeopleMore Online Resources for StatisticiansWhere to Take Analytics CoursesData Management and Analytics at UniversityThe world of the data analysts and scientists involves turning unstructured data into valuable data visualizations and predictive information with techniques such as data mining, deep learning and modelling. This type of work is not only important to many different disciplines, but it's applications in other fields are required in today's modern landscape in order to produce valuable information about the future. From predicting weather patterns to creating new pharmaceuticals, data analysis penetrates many different subjects and professions.Whether you already have a data science career or you're just starting on your journey to learn more data science skills, mastering the skills involved in turning large amounts of data into a creative data visualization or insightful report can be diffi cult. This is in part due to the fact that data management and predictive analytics are involved in more than just the private sector. Raw data such as your cell phone’s location data, can be used by governments and companies alike to produce information valuable to their policies, laws, businesses.The internet can be your greatest tool when it comes to refining your data analyst skills and learning more advanced analytics skills. This guide is complete with a list of the most important resources for statistics at your disposal. Starting with some of the basics of statistics, you'll be able to also learn where to take data science courses either online or at university. While data can appear simple, even the most basic data can give you valuable insights AisvaryaData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdeyemiData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdenikeData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GokhanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OlawaleData Analysis Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThanushanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AisvaranData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Muhammad umairData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe History of Analysis and Machine LearningFor statisticians, the world is made up of unstructured data. Everything you do on a daily basis has the potential to be quantified for business intelligence, informing government policy, and used to create innovative products, medicines and ideas.While many people tend to think of big data and the programs that analyse it, such as Apache Spark, when they think of modern data analysis, the history of data and data processing has much more ancient and humble roots. From farmers in some of the world's earliest civilizations gathering data on rainfall and harvests to Florence Nightingale’s revolutionary visualizations of mortality data - the field of statistics has evolved tremendously.Today, machine learning is being used worldwide in a number of different areas. This includes scientists using machine learning to determine the population of elephants with audio recordings to estimating crop growth with satellite imagery.Resources for Data Driven PeopleIt has been said that the internet is the best tool for those who seek to learn. Becoming a master in subjects like data engineering, non-technical analysis and programming skills is no different. If you thrive in an un supervised learning environment, are looking for an online master, or simply want to practice data cleaning and wrangling, the web is the best place to turn to for some help.From google cloud learning techniques to unsupervised programming tutorials, here are some of the best tools and resources you can use if you’re interested in learning data analysis and data science skills.Learn more about becoming a data scientist with our guide!Online Data Science CoursesWhether you’re searching for ideas for your capstone project, need data sources in order to aid in learning models, or simply want to get an informal specialization in more programming languages, online courses can be a great place to start.While most of the free online courses here are taught in R programming language, there are plenty of other free courses online that can be used in other languages such as Python, Stata and more. One great course you can look into if you’re interested in an informal, online Master of S cience is The Open Source Data Science Masters.With the ability to be viewed in GitHub, downloaded as a zip file and outlining the powerful skills learning data science can give you, this online course has drafted its syllabus based off many free online data science websites.If you’re interested in more statistics focused courses, here are more that you’ll be able to benefit from:Coursera's Data Science Specialization: 9-course set, taught in RSpringboard's Introduction to Data Science: 3-month program, taught in RStanford's Statistical Learning: 10-week course specializing in machine learning, taught in RBlogsWhile capstone projects analysing new data or a Master of Science with certification training can be extremely important and exciting, data processing and analysis can get confusing and overwhelming.Luckily, there are plenty of blogs online that deal with many of the common obstacles one can encounter while exploring the world of complex data or big data analytics. Whether you’re a seasoned statistician or in your first year of an undergraduate degree, blogs can be a great resource for those looking for advice from people who’ve been stuck in your position before.Blogs can also be a great source of entertainment. If you have a passion for data, you can also benefit from keeping yourself up to date with the innovations and complexities arising from data analysis and software. One example of this is Towards Data Science, which is a blog dedicated towards helping people understand the latest in all things data science. Here are some more blogs you should check out:FiveThirtyEight: Data-journalismR-bloggers: News and tutorials related to RNo Free Hunch: The data science and competition blog for KaggleData Science 101: Many interesting posts on the world of data Get help with your data homework questions with online resourcesPython CoursesIf you want to improve your technical skills in particular data products that can process all data types, like Python, the internet is a marvellous place to start. Whether you want to analyse data to solve business problems or conduct exploratory analysis on large amounts of data, Python is one of the best languages to have in your arsenal.Here are some of the best online courses for Python online:Codecademy's Python 3 courseDataQuestGoogle's Python ClassPython for Everybody or PY4EBooksFrom using predictive algorithms on big data with software like Hadoop to using data analytics to transform a small business, there are many applications of statistics you can use in a vast array of domains. This is why understanding what to do with data sets doesn’t necessarily have to all into the job of a data scientist. Regardless of why you want to learn statistics, however, everybody has to start somewhere.If you lea rn better through self-teaching methods, you can try learning through free online textbooks. Here are some that can help you gain a foundation in statistical methods:An Introduction to Statistical Learning by Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie and Rob TibshiraniThe Elements of Statistical Learning: Data Mining, Inference, and Prediction by Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, Jerome Friedman AisvaryaData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdeyemiData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdenikeData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GokhanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OlawaleData Analysis Teacher £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThanushanData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AisvaranData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (4) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Muhammad umairData Analysis Teacher 5.00 (2) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsMore Online Resources for StatisticiansAccessing data science and statistics resources can be a great way to reinforce your knowledge, whether you're still a student or already have a data science job. Learning algorithms and applying analytic skills are hard! Here are some more resources to help you through the rough patches:Elite Data Science's list of free data science resources for beginnersHelp with programming: Stack OverflowHelp with code and concepts: Stack Exchange's Cross ValidatedWhere to Take Analytics CoursesIf you're interested in taking data science and data analysis bootcamps or courses online, there are plenty of options out there for all kinds of goals and budgets. If you're interested in taking courses, start by determining what you'd like to focus on, which can be:learning a programming languagehow to use a database management language such as SQLunderstand the basics of statistic al mathslearn what is data mining and its applicationsRead our complete guide on learning data analysis skills with online courses for more! From small business owners to multinational corporations, everyone can benefit from analytic skillsData Management and Analytics at UniversityInterested in attaining a degree in data science but aren't exactly sure where to start applying? The best place to start is by determining what fields you might be interested in. Keep in mind that statistics and data science are broad fields, not often taught in an interdisciplinary manner. The common programs you will come across will likely be:Statistical mathematicsMathematical statisticsComputer science and engineeringData scienceArtificial intelligenceMachine learningBiostatisticsDemographyBusiness AnalyticsEconometricsThese are some of the more popular fields but not at all a complete list of all the applications of statistics. Whether you're interested in a NoSQL bootcamp or want an academic degree in a particular specialization, don't hesitate to apply now as soon as you find a program you're passionate about.For a guide to statistics programs in the UK, check out our guide!

Online Square Root of One Tutors

Online Square Root of One Tutors Square root of a number or an expression is represented by the square root radical sign and square root of numbers can be simplified by splitting the given number into its prime factors. However square root of one is equal to one itself and it is represented as 1 = 1. This is because 1 can be expressed as 1 * 1 and hence 1 = (1 * 1) = 1. Any number can be written in terms of 1 and therefore they can also be written in terms of square root of 1. Example 1: What is the value of the expression, 36 + 1? Here each square root number should be simplified further. 36= (2 * 2 * 3 * 3). Now pull out the number which is repeating twice inside the radical. This gives: 36= 2 * 3 = 6. And 1 = (1 * 1) = 1. Now adding the above both answers, we get: 36 + 1 = 6 + 1 = 7. Hence the value of the expression 36 + 1 = 7. Example 2: What is the value of the expression, 64 + 1? Here each square root number should be simplified further. 64= (2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2). Now pull out the number which is repeating twice inside the radical. This gives: 64= 2 * 2 * 2 = 8 And 1 = (1 * 1) = 1. So, 64 + 1 = 8 + 1 = 9. Hence the value of the expression 64 + 1 = 9.

Tips for Complaining in English

Tips for Complaining in English In learning a language we mostly focus on vocabulary based on the things we like along with pleasant feelings and situations. Ice cream, going to the movies, weekends…What about the things we hate? English also has a wonderful vocabulary for expressing these feelings and this should not be overlooked.For example, how do you feel when:You wake up on Monday mornings?Being able to complain in English is a useful skill.You are next in line in a queue and somebody jumps ahead of you?When a car driver (deliberately) splashes you with water on a rainy day?When you are explaining something important and the person you are talking to isn’t listening?When you walk for 20 minutes to buy your favorite magazine only to find it out of stock?VocabularyRather than repeatedly saying, I hate it when…we can sayI can’t stand it when….I loathe it when I can’t abide it when…It drives me crazy when…It drives me insane when…I go made when…I lose the plot when…I can’t handle it when†¦It’s so annoying when…It’s so irritating when…Let’s listen to a song that expresses these sentiments. The Police with Can’t Stand Losing You.How many things can you hear him being angry about in the song?Did you find this blog helpful? Share it on Facebook and Twitter.

The Importance of a GMAT Score

The Importance of a GMAT Score GMAT MBA Admissions Blog If you are applying to an MBA program, you probably already know that the business school admissions committees will look at a number of elements in your application, but also that not all components are made equal in this process. One of the most important factors when applying to business school is your score for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), which is a standardized exam developed specifically for business school applicants, intended to measure their capability in pursuing an MBA program in an objective way. Applicants to MBA programs often think that the GMAT is only important in the admissions process, to get admitted to their dream business school, but that is actually not true. Instead, it is likely that you will be asked to disclose your GMAT score after graduation, as many prospective employers, companies and talent scouts will want to see these to evaluate how suitable you are for specific jobs. In this post, however, we will be focusing on the importance of a GMAT score for MBA application purposes, as we know many MBA applicants are wondering: just how important is the GMAT score? And is it worth retaking the exam, should you get a less than perfect score? The answer to these questions is that it depends where you will be applying. Not all business schools place the same importance on the score. It is known, however, that many of the top business schools use the score to weed out applicants, before looking closely at other parts of their application. It is also said that even in cases where they do look carefully at the application as a whole, a lower than average GMAT score can often be such a hurdle that the applicant needs to be extraordinary in other areas in order to overcome the low score and even be considered for admission. Some of the top business schools known to place a lot of importance on GMAT scores are Wharton, MIT and Stanford. That doesn’t mean it is unheard of for an applicant with a low GMAT score to be admitted to these schools, it just means they will have to make up for that score in a big way in the rest of their profile. Applicants applying to such GMAT-heavy business schools may want to consider retaking the test if they end up with a less than desirable GMAT score to improve their chances of admission, and repeat if necessary. On the other hand, there are plenty of other reputable business schools that just see the score as one part of the application and are looking for a well-rounded application instead. Applicants applying to these schools need not worry as much about their GMAT score and may want to consider other ways of boosting their profile (excellent recommendations, strong essays, etc.) instead of retaking the exam. What is a “good” GMAT score then? Again, this really depends on the business school in question but for most top ranked business schools, a score above 700 is considered to be a good thing, meaning the applicant will probably not be rejected on the basis of the score alone. Anything under 700, however, for the top 10 or even top 20, and the applicant may want to consider retaking in order to maximize their chances of admission. For lower ranked business schools, the definition of “good” will vary considerably but keep in mind that an above average score may really boost your chances at these schools, including for scholarships. About the Author Michelle Miller is the CEO ofARINGO Americas, an MBA admissions consulting firm specializing in assisting candidates gain entry to the top MBA programs around the world. Michelle has worked in higher education for over 10 years and is currently writing her PhD dissertation.

9 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Refinancing Your Student Loans

9 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Refinancing Your Student Loans blog.credit.com 5. Will they combine federal and private loans? The allure of refinancing student loans is being able to group all of your loans into one. Many students took out government financed loans as well as personal loans which can be tricky because of varying payments and amounts. Refinancing usually allows you to bundle all of your loans together into one payment which can be a huge plus. 6. Have I done my research? Similar to what I said about finding the best rates, do your research on the company in general. It’s likely you’ll be working with them for five to 10 years and if you’re constantly frustrated with them, it’s a recipe for disaster. Make sure the company you have is helpful and provides personal information for you. Don’t fall into the trap of finding good rates at a company you hate dealing with. 7. What are minimum rates? Even though it may seem counter intuitive, sometimes your debt may be too low. Most times, companies require a minimum of $7,500-10,000 of minimum student loan debt. If you’re under that, it may be easier to just pay off your student loans in the traditional fashion. Again, these rates will vary based on the company you’re looking at, so if your debt ranges around those numbers, be sure to check for minimum rates. 8. What’s my income and credit score? Like many loans, refinancing companies will often require either a steady (and relatively high) income or a really nice credit score to be approved. If you’re fresh out of college, it isn’t likely that either of those will be your first priority and might be lacking. However, some companies will accept you based on timely payments in general. Because of this, you’ll probably need a cosigner on your refinancing loan. If finding someone to cosign seems like a large issue, refinancing may become an issue for you. 9. Should I shorten my loan horizon? Ultimately, as it is with any loan, the shorter the horizon of your loan, the less interest you’ll be paying. This means you’ll be paying less money than you already owe. However, this doesn’t mean that the shortest loan is always the most feasible option. If you are seriously doubting your abilities to make the monthly payments on the shortest loan plan, don’t force yourself to. Make sure you’re settled into something reasonable and safe. Ask yourself if you can seriously take on the responsibilities of the loan. With all the grey areas of student loans and debt, finding out exactly how and what to do about them seems difficult at best. Because of the varying nature of student loans in amounts, grants, loan types, and other things, no one formula works. The best thing to do is to always do your research and really understand the benefits and repercussions of any loaning option. Talk to the staff of loaning companies to get a true feel to what you should be doing and how they’ll be able to help you. Once you do decide to refinance or not, you’ll be glad you know why.

Addiction Isnt Stupid Why Stigmas Arent The Cure

Addiction Isn't 'Stupid' Why Stigmas Aren't The Cure Photos Via News.com.au and Google.com Homeless people are lazy. Online daters are desperate. Depression isnt a real disease. Rape victims deserved it. Drug addicts are stupid. Whether or not you agree with any of the following social stigmas above, there are many people in this world who do and, sadly, those people tend to speak the loudest. Following the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, there has been a mass amount of disgusting responses to the drug-induced tragedy than simply acknowledging his passing or the unfortunate reality of drug addiction and overdose. In 2010 there was an estimated 22.6 million Americans over the age of 12 that were current or former illicit drug users within the last month of when the survey was given, equating to about 8.9 percent of the population. After receiving much backlash on Twitter and other social networking platforms upon the actors death, the nation still feels the need to justify death and why people get what they deserve. If Health is much more than  not being able to find something wrong but how its about what people feel as stated by Dartmouth professor Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, then why do we still treat drug addicts like they are sinners in the hands of an angry God and not as suffers of an actual psychological disease? Photo Via Jezebel.com Well, there may be two reasons for that: 1. Humans unintentionally regress back to common negative examples of drug addictions they have seen or heard of before, also known as blindly giving into the availability heuristic. 2. Humans constantly pit against one another in terms of who has it the hardest. Using this reasoning, a human isnt allowed to feel sad or depressed if someone else has it worse than them (you have an anxiety disorder? Well guess what, there are starving children in Africa, so youre not allowed to feel bad about your crippling anxiety disorder). Photo Via Dailymail.co.uk As a culture, we are conditioned to see genocide, rape and random murders as sad, because they most certainly are. What some people fail to recognize is that the meaning of sad can be extended to accommodate other issues that may be stigmatized to be not considered sad, such as alcoholism, failing out of school, poverty, and in this particular instance, drug addiction. To justify ones idea that something is not sad, one may use the relative privation fallacy, a fallacy that attempts to make a scenario better or worse by comparing it to the best or worst case scenario. Using this justification, nothing can ever be sad if its pinned up against the Holocaust or brain cancer. Photo Via Twitter.com The reason this current controversy is, dare I say, a somewhat positive example, is because it illuminates the reality of drug addiction and aids in spreading awareness of addiction via the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. This in turn may promote others to recognize their own condition or the condition of anothers and people may consequently seek help. Many disapprove of publicizing celebrity mental illness and addiction because they believe it glamorizes their troubled and harmful lifestyles, but theres too much evidence backing up the increase of people seeking help after Demi Lovato spoke about bipolar disorder  and Magic Johnson announced he tested positive for HIV.  The key idea to opening up about these unspoken aspects of human health is to, in return, open up the minds of others to recognize the normalcy of these conditions and how seeking psychological and psychiatric help is not something to be ashamed of. If the average person takes a step back  to recognize Philip  Seymour Hoffman, or any celebrity for that matter, as a human being of flesh and blood and not a cardboard cutout at your local Regal cinema, the realization that addiction is a serious physical and psychological issue may become a deeper knife wound rather than a senseless or stupid paper cut.

How to Become a Professional Writing Tutor

How to Become a Professional Writing Tutor Check out this awesome  article from our good  friends at DoMyCaseStudy: How to become a professional writing tutor if you have years of experience in personal tutoring? So you’ve been providing your services as a personal tutor for a long time, and you want to branch out into something different. Perhaps, you love writing and have decided that you want to devote your time to becoming a professional writing tutor and start working for one of the writing companies such as DoMyCaseStudy.com. With writing becoming increasingly important in every discipline, there will be no shortage of demand for your services. Here are the steps to embarking on a career as a professional writing tutor. 1. Become Certified Certification with an organization like the National Tutor Association gives you that added edge of credibility. In some states, certification may be a requirement for employment. 2. Start out with a Tutoring Company Striking out as a professional writing tutor on your own can be intimidating. At the beginning stages, try working for a tutoring company. They can take care of finding clients and billing hours while you are trying to find your legs in your new profession. 3. Learn How to Be Adaptable A tutor must be responsive to the needs of their students. Every student has a different learning style, level, and course requirements. Practice adapting to their needs as necessary in the course of a tutoring session. 4. Reflect on Your Work Take the time to do some journaling about your challenges, failures, and successes. The process of self-reflection will help you build your skills and serve you well as you continue to grow and improve. 5. Observe Others Observe your peers during their tutoring sessions. Take notes of those strategies that are successful and consider adding them to your own repertoire. 6. Get as Much Experience as Possible You will need to deepen your skills not only in writing but in working with specific age groups. A fifth-grader will have different needs from those of a college student. Gain experience with the age group that you will be tutoring so that you can learn how to serve them best. 7. Set Clear Goals Write out your own personal goals as a writing tutor. Why do you want to do it? What do you hope to achieve? Articulating your own goals will give you more clarity when setting goals for your students. 8. Visit Classrooms Gain hands-on knowledge of what classroom teachers expect of your students by visiting their classrooms. In the long run, you can save yourself time during your tutoring sessions if you are familiar with the teachers’ expectations and can tailor your sessions to that. 9. Develop a Sense of Your Own Identity Who are you as a writing tutor? What is your philosophy? What are your values and beliefs? Be sure to articulate what you bring to the table as a writing tutor so that you can convey that to your clients. 10. Learn about Pedagogy Read up on the many theories about the teaching of writing. Build a strong foundational knowledge of the vocation of tutoring and develop an idea of your role within it. Follow these steps and you will quickly become the tutor that students return to over and over again.