What Will A College Degree Get Me?

With the economic state that the country is currently in, many high school seniors are asking themselves if getting a college degree will benefit them. At one time getting your college degree mean finding a job in your field and ensuring that position for many years to come. On top of job security it also meant that you would be making more money in that field and that you would move up the corporate ladder much faster than someone else in the company that did not have a degree.

During the last couple of years we have witnessed a great increase in the unemployment status of this country. The majority of these individuals are those that worked hard through college with the hopes of obtaining a secure employment and steady advancement. These individual found themselves at a disadvantage, however, when companies were looking to downsize and reduce expenditures. They were let go and replaced with new individuals for lower salaries. This left the college graduates to take the lower income positions that they were over qualified for just so they could bring home a paycheck. Each month when these men and women make a payment on their student loans they question if it was even worth it.

Even though this is how things may have turned over the past few years it is still a wise choice to seek a higher education. Things are going to turn back around and when they do you will be the one that companies are fighting over. When you have a college degree you appear more professional, you have a better looking resume and you are more attractive to businesses than someone that does not have a degree.

Higher education not only provides an individual with an opportunity to get ahead but also with the higher thought process to get a job and keep a job. When it comes to getting a higher education of course it is best to choose a field and then plow forward but it is also important to obtain whatever financial assistance you can from the government as well as to make sure that you find ways to keep the cost of your college education way down.

When you leave college you so not want to have more student loans then you can afford. A college degree is something that should be capitalized on, not something that you need to work to pay off and get a second job just to pay your other monthly bills. You don't want to have to pay for that degree when you are retiring at 65, after all the whole reason you got the degree was so that you can get ahead in the world not get further behind.

The Best Present Ever

" All the stockings were hung by the chimney with care
    In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there"


With the holiday break now upon us, all that remains is the anticipation of opening some special present Christmas morning. Or perhaps, with work commitments complete, there's some last minute shopping still to complete in the search for that perfect present for someone else.  Regardless of whether its trying to figure out what someone has picked for you, or pondering what to get for someone else, everyone would like to find the best present ever.

One way to go is to give a better you to the world. Dr. Leslie Becker- Phelps of Psychology Today summarizes this approach nicely. Concentrating on the four domains of better organizing personal and professional commitments, taking care of one's health, accepting present personal limitations and setting realistic goals for the future can help make a person more present, and subsequently more of a gift to be around.


Diane Dutchin makes a different pitch at The Positivity Blog. She suggests that time is the greatest gift people can give or receive, and using it wisely is the best way to reward ourselves. So this holiday, now that we have some time away from the work place, I encourage everyone to give themselves some time for reflection on how to improve things for ourselves and for others. I'll be following my own advice and taking a break from Education Matters too. Watch for my next posting just before New Year's.  May the Christmas holiday be all you hoped for and the New Year bring you much joy and laughter!  
"And I heard him exclaim, ere he rode out of sight,
      Merry Christmas to All, and to All a goodnight!"

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Reducing the Stress of the Season

"God rest ye merry, gentlemen
                      Let nothing ye dismay!"
                                                      Victorian Christmas Carol 

The Christmas countdown is nearly done. A few more sleeps and the holidays begin. For some the break will be a welcome change. For others it may be like leaping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Holiday breaks can sometimes be more stressful than the work place! It is not uncommon to hear relief in people's voices when they get back to work when they say that the stress of the holidays is finally behind them!

It need not be that way. The whole point of a break is to allow folks to relax and recharge, not run themselves ragged with a rush of holiday events and travel. Christmas can be a particularly stressful holiday.  With its continuous messaging of family togetherness and the need to give the perfect gift, Christmas can become a pressure cooker, magnifying personal and family issues to the boiling point. 

Signs of Christmas stress in both children and adults can include emotional outbursts, anxiety, anger, physical illness, withdrawal and depression. Despite the calls of carols wishing a merry Christmas to all and exhorting "Joy to the World", mental health workers consistently cite December as their busiest month. Christmas has the dubious honor of being both the most anticipated and most dreaded holiday on the calendar. A recent blog in "Psychology Today" reports nearly 50% of people polled about holiday stress, experienced a significant degree of Christmas anxiety.

So what's to be done? Moderation, organization and staying connected can be key to a happy holiday. Not doing anything to excess, maintaining a good balance of recreational, restorative, social and festive activities, and keeping one's expectations and commitments in check can reduce the holiday pressure. Planning ahead and being selective in maintaining regular routines, and doing things with people you like and trust will also help keep the holidays from becoming overwhelming. Sharing the good times is important, but keeping in touch with folks who care about you can be vital.

Being sensitive to stress, and finding our own ways to deal with it, can help to make the holidays the break we all hope for. Check out a list of ways to reduce Christmas anxiety at 65 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress. Better yet, develop your own set of sure fire stress busters. Whatever your holiday plans, here's wishing you a calm, restful and joyful holiday season so that after the break you can return to education matters healthy, happy and ready to take on the challenges of a new year.

How to Become a Pharmacist This Year

With today's economy having a career where you are able to support you and your family is important and the health industry is growing by leaps and bounds month after month. That is why a lot of people are choosing to get into a career as a pharmacist and earning a pharmacy degree. If you want to know how to be a pharmacist you will have to go to pharmacy, but many people to not start the conventional way with all the pharmacy school requirements. Some people choose to undergo an internship while earning their Pharmacy degree.

The Education and Training of a Pharmacist

The education requirements for a pharmacist can be fairly strict. If you want to become a pharmacist today, you will most likely be required to obtain a PharmD or a doctorate of pharmacy. Before you can start a four year pharmacy program you will need to meet the pharmacy school requirements by having completed you undergraduate course work which is usually a two year program and passing the PCAT exam which is an entrance exam for pharmaceutical studies. The course work that you will be studying when you choose to learn how to become a pharmacist will be chemistry, anatomy, physics, biology and physiology. You may also be required to undergo a series of internships to meet pharmacy school requirements.

The Job of a Pharmacist

The job of a pharmacist can be a very rewarding job and you will interact with people to be able to provide them with service they need. A pharmacist job consists of dispensing medicines that people need as well as giving advice and having knowledge of what medicines do and the reactions that they can have on a person. Your job as a pharmacist will be to watch closely what patients take and be aware of potential problems that may be a doctor has made when prescribing medicine. In a family practice or a drug store you may also commonly give advice to people on everyday pharmaceutical needs.

The Salary of a Pharmacist

One of the best things about being a pharmacist is the stable career and pharmacist salary. While it is a high paying high end medical career with a salary around $100,000.00 or $50.00 per hour, it can be repetitive and you can expect to be doing the same thing for a lone time, but if helping people with their needs is something that you like to do it may be the perfect job for you with a pharmacist salary to compensate you.

How Long does it Take to Become a Pharmacist?

Depending on the route you choose, it will typically take around six to eight years to get a doctorate degree in pharmacy. It's important to note that the education requirements for pharmacists are precise and will require a student who is dedicated and hardworking. The best way to speed up time to completion would be to take more relevant courses during your undergraduate studies, in addition to getting training and internships in the field of Pharmacy.

A pharmacist's job can be both rewarding and demanding. It is very tempting to pursue a career in this field, after learning about a pharmacist's salary. Once you understand the education requirements for a pharmacist, it is easy to plan out a course of study. You can also enhance your studies with internships, work placements, and other related experiences in Pharmacy. You may also wish to visit our website with more information on how to become a pharmacist.

Christmas In The Classroom

December is here, and with it comes a building anticipation for the holiday season. This year some people will no doubt be looking forward to the holiday break  even more  than usual. Increasingly, however, there seems to be a question of just how much influence the festive season should have on classrooms. 

First, there is the annual discussion around what to call the break. While most of mainstream Canadian society continues to refer to the vacation period as Christmas break, there is a rising sensitivity to other traditions and cultures. Such sensitivity is recognized in the BC provincial government's official designation of the time off in the standard school calendar as the "Winter Vacation Period". Santa may reign supreme on tv, and in commercial advertising, but December also hosts a number of other festivals and observances including Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Pancha Ganapati, the Christian Nativity and even Festivus! Regardless of name or purpose, some time away from school to spend with family and loved ones is most welcome at this time of year.

Just how much classroom time should be dedicated to learning about and/or celebrating such events before the holidays also generates considerable debate. Some jurisdictions have gone so far as to ban Christmas celebrations from instructional time. The Fort Worth Independent school district recently put the kibosh to all forms of Christmas cheer within the boundaries of the instructional day. ( see School District Bans Christmas ) According to a district spokesperson, the reasons are twofold: Classroom time should be reserved for learning and the district doesn't want to alienate non-Christian students. Children and staff are free to observe holiday traditions before or after the bell, just not inside the instructional day.

However, the Fort Worth district's position appears to be very much in the minority. A Google search of  "Christmas in the Classroom"  returns over 119,000,000 possible websites. Like a child let loose in Santa's workshop, a teacher seeking Christmas resources has nearly endless options.  Tying activities to curricular learning objectives is easy. Many websites make the connections quite clear. 

For example, consider teAchnology. This site bills itself as "the online teachers resource" and being "all about the art and science of teaching with technology". Here educators can find links to hundreds of Christmas lesson plans. Many of these combine elements of popular culture with curricular learning objectives across a wide range of subjects and grades. Intriguing examples  include steps for proper care of reindeer, plotting the speed and trajectory required for maximum efficiency for Santa's sleigh and the utilization of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" to teach elements of literature as well as ethical questions of human nature. With a little imagination, seasonal themes are co-opted to make learning more interesting, fun and engaging.

Like any resource, online websites need to be selected and used with care. Just because something is on the internet doesn't make it a good fit for classroom use. As always, it is the teacher who needs to determine what, why and how a resource fits into prescribed curriculum and appropriate classroom use. Rather than debate the value of seasonal activities, educators can use and adapt the opportunities the holidays present. Perhaps like the Grinch, we should spend less time considering how to keep Christmas from coming and invading our learning time, and find ways to embrace the season and enhance the learning of all !

Finding the Help We Need: The Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre

Many of us have heard the expression "it takes a whole village to raise a child. Sometimes the  combined effort can get complicated. The family of a student with special needs for example, will, over the course of the child's school career, likely deal with a bewildering number of well intentioned people and agencies. Our complex social service network can include multiple levels of contact from a myriad of ministries, community organizations and service providers.  Just knowing where to start can be a daunting task, especially if the challenge is in the mental health or addictions area.

Increasingly families are turning to the internet for information. Even online the search for help can be bewildering. What sites are reliable? Which ones can truly direct and assist families in search of help? Fortunately in BC there is a site based out of BC Children's Hospital that can offer help. The Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre is a provincial resource centre working to link children, youth and their families with appropriate resources and information in all areas of mental health and addictions.

The Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre is designed to support BC children, youth and their families to find and use the resources they need in order to make informed decisions and gain access to appropriate services. The Centre, located at Children's Hospital in Vancouver, but accessible from anywhere in the province, is a free, actual and virtual resource for all BC families.  The Centre offers information and resources on a wide range of mental health and substance use issues affecting children and youth. These include, but are not limited to; depression, anxiety, attention deficit and behavioural problems, child/youth eating disorders and substance use.  

A visit to the Kelty's website @ http://keltymentalhealth.ca immediately shows the depth and breadth of resources available not only to families, but also to educators, health professionals, individual parents and youth. Convenient pull down menus provide a visitor with straight forward direction to resources and connections around the topics of healthy living, substance use, mental health and, perhaps most importantly, how to find help.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Kelty Centre is that is can provide parents and youth with direct, live peer support. A Parent Peer Support Worker from F.O.R.C.E. (Families Organized for Recognition and Care Equity) is available to support parents/caregivers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am - 5pm. A Peer Support Worker for Eating Disorders  is available to support anyone struggling with disordered eating and eating disorders on Monday 10am-1pm and Thursdays 1-4pm (other times by appointment).

Dealing positively with issues of mental health can be a challenge. Getting connected with accurate and helpful resources can help but knowing where to start and what to believe can be a bewildering roadblock. The Kelty Centre can help. Whether one needs information, direction to resources or even more immediate assistance, the Kelty Centre is a place to start. Take a look at their site and spread the word. The Kelty is a resource that's there for the whole province. When it comes to looking after the health of our students we may be from from and wide across the province, but it still remains for all of us to work together to raise our children with all the support they need.

Best Career Choices for Women

Whether you knew what you wanted to be when you grew up, or you still have not decided on a major, choosing a career path is an incredibly important decision. Yes, it is true that you can make a career change later on if you decide your current one is not right for you. But if you waste the first years of your professional life bouncing from job to job with no real idea of what you want to do, then that means you have used up valuable time to establish yourself in a good, solid career. Being aware of the options out there, especially for women, is important in your search for a career path. It is especially important to know what kinds of career choices are best for women. Whatever you choose, going to a top college will help you to succeed in your future career.

Aerospace Engineer

Some women may not see themselves working on anything related to space, but there are definitely others who would love a career like this. If you have ever seen the movie "Apollo 13," then you have been exposed to the basics of what an aerospace engineer does for a living. Within aerospace engineering, there are 2 fields: aeronautical engineering (which deals with aircraft that do not traverse to outer space) and astronautical engineering (which deals with aircraft that do go into outer space). Whichever you choose, aerospace engineering can be an excellent field for women.

Anthropologist

Are you interested in the origins of humankind? Anthropology may be for you. Anthropologists work on uncovering the various characteristics and customs that make up our human race, especially from years past. There are 4 main fields of anthropology in which you can get involved: cultural (or socio-cultural) anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and physical (or biological) anthropology. These fields tend to speak for themselves, especially archaeology, but you should do research on each one to see which fits you best.

Computer Programmer

Being a tech-savvy woman can get you a great job as a computer programmer. Computer programming involves working within the source code of a computer program. If you know much about writing and testing code, you should look into this career and see how it suits you. Understanding how to design and debug the source code of a program is also part of the job. Basically, coding means that you are working on a set of instructions for computers so that they will perform specific operations. If this sounds like something that interests you, look into computer programming classes and jobs.

Surgeon

Women doctors have taken over the medical industry, and that is a very good thing. There used to be a time when the only reason women worked in a hospital was because they were nurses. Learning how to cut people open may sound morbid to some and fascinating to others. Surgeons do a great service for the health of millions of people every day, and if you are not squeamish about blood or bodily functions, being a surgeon may be your path. Medicine can be a very rewarding career.