Now that I lost my job, what now?

So today you woke up thinking that it was going to be a wonderful day. The sun was shining and the weather was wonderful. You were looking great when you came in the office. Then you saw it. You received a pink slip letting you know that your services were no longer needed. First you think that someone is playing a cruel joke on you, but you realize that several others are walking around in shock, just as you are.

So what do you do? The last thing to do is to stand there ans feel sorry for yourself. At this particular time, the last thing that you need to do is waste time. If this is your only job, you now have no source of income. The bills are still due, and you need to feed your family, so time is of great importance.

I have spoke to a few people who found themselves in similar situations, and there are a few things that should be done. The main thing to think about is that the paychecks will now stop coming, but the bills will not.

One young lady that I spoke with went straight to the unemployment office after she left her job. This will assure that the paychecks will keep coming in. Of course, it will not be as much, but it will be more than not receiving anything. Most people are eligible to receive unemployment benefits for up to 13 weeks. Once she left there she went to the unemployment office to find another job. She went home and looked online at monster.com and careerbuilder.com. She also registered with several temporary placement agencies. She was able to find another job within two weeks.

A second young lady solicited the help of a consulting firm to help her rewrite her resume to make her more marketable. She had been on her job for such a long time and discovered that she had not updated her resume, and was unsure how to word her experience. She was very nervous about interviewing as well. She was able to find a private human resources agency called Evolution Consulting Services who specialized in Individual Career Services. The fee was very reasonable. This company came highly recommended, and had worked with military retirees, as well as government employees that had were scheduled to go through the next BRAC round. This agency was able to help make her resume look more professional, help with mock interviews, as well as give image styling. She felt more confident in her abilities and skills, as well as her appearance. She was able to land the job after her first interview.

First 30 Days is an article that explains some of the feeling that might be felt in the first 30 days after you receive a pink slip. Another great article is How to Make a Great First Impression. There is no need to fall in a slump and feel sorry for yourself. That will definitely not get you a job. Stay proactive, positive, and productive. There is more than one job in this world. You just have to put the work in to get one.

Michael Jackson left a musical legacy that will touch lives forever

Michael Jackson has been laid to rest, now what will happen to music? Most of the pop and R&B music was stemmed from either the beats or the moves of this very talented man. Michael Jackson has long been labeled the King of Pop. His music has been around for as long as I can remember. His music has crossed racial as well as age genres. For my family, his music has crossed over 4 generations. His music from 25 years ago is still played on some of the biggest radio stations. His untimely death has left an emotional void in the lives of many people. Many people did not understand his behavior or need for secrecy. He was accused of child molestation, which caused a lot of people to stop listening to his music. At his death, he was planning a comeback to show that he was still the King of Pop. Although he did not have the opportunity to perform, his movie still made millions and was the number one movie once it was released. Time Magazine reports that Michael Jackson's "This Is It", director Kenny Ortega's compilation of rehearsal footage from the London gig that was aborted by the star's death earlier this year, earned $101 million in its first days at the worldwide box office, according to initial estimates by Sony Pictures. That set a global record for a concert film. Micheal Jackson might have been controversial, but his talents and music have touched lives. "Michael Jackson will forever and always be remembered, by me, as a truly extraordinary, incredible and iconic legend" (Rochea).


References

Corliss, Richard. "Michael Jackson Is Still 'It' — At Least Overseas." Time.com. Time Magazine, 1 Nov, 2009. Web. 10 Nov 2009.

What a beautiful day!

Today is a brand new beautiful day. It is up to you what you do with it. Slow down, take time to smell the flowers, and enjoy the beautiful day.

Now that I have graduated high school, now what?

As a high school student, it can be pretty scary thinking of jumping into that big world of adulthood. There is so much to do. There are so many responsibilities. There are so many expectations. The first thing to do is to calm down! It is not necessary to take on the entire world the day after graduation. Hopefully there has been some thought given to some of the things that you would like to do. If not, try to sit down, think about a few things that you would like to do in life, which direction you would like to go, and just start putting a little action behind your thoughts.

When you graduate from High School, it is the end of an era, not the end of your life. There are many choices, and after researching you will see that life is really just beginning. What happens in your life now totally depends on your choices. The key thing is to research all of your options, and never limit yourself.

Some options are Colleges and Universities. If you did reasonably well in High School and developed pretty good study habits, this might be an option for you. One thing to consider would be the cost. Tuition can be very expensive. If you have received good grades, you might be able to qualify for a scholarship. There are also grants that are out there. One site to consider is fastweb.com. This site can help tremendously with financial assistance. There are also loans that can pay for tuition.

Another option is considering the United States Armed Forces. They are always looking for people who would like to serve their country. This is a most honorable career with great benefits. There are many career fields to chose from. They offer tuition assistance as well as travel around the world. You can call your local recruiter or visit military.com.

One other option to consider is good old fashioned work. It is a great starting point if you already have a family of your own on the way, or if you would like to stay close and save money. There are great success stories of starting off at the bottom and working your way up to the top. Just be careful that you do not get stuck in a dead end job and wake up with no skills to move on in your journey in life.

I have talked to several High School graduates. One stuck out particularly in my mind. A young lady went from high school straight to college. She had friends who had kids after being out of school for 2 years. Others who had been married, and still others who had joined the military. She felt that her life was not going anywhere since she still lived home with her parents, and all that she was doing was going to school everyday. I encouraged her to hold her head up and feel good about her career choice. I also told her that although she has chosen a different choice in life that will provide delayed gratification, that does not mean that she is not accomplishing anything. What she is doing is positioning herself for sucess.

There are many choices in life. Do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot be or what you need to do with your life. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the future. MSNBC ran an article earlier this year which gave some students an opportunity to share their stories of life after high school. The article gives five different stories of the obstacles that these teens faces. On thing is for sure. It will not be easy. With a lot of research and hard work, you can be anything that you want to be. Think big.

I served my time in the war, now what?

Many times our soldiers have come home from war, and they are thinking, "now what?" They have left their families, their jobs, their friends, and their environment for extended periods of time, and now, everything is different. Life has changed. Their feelings have changed. Their relationships have changed. They have changed.

As soldiers come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the military hospitals try to help with the physical wounds, but the soldiers are left with dealing with the mental wounds. No one will ever be able to imagine the horrendous thought that linger from the images that are now permanently burned into their very being. How can they go on when they awake at night in a sweat, seeing and hearing bullets flying overhead? How can they go into the office when they have to pass by the cubicle that their best friend once occupied, knowing they will be coming home from the war in a box?

Many of the most common wounds aren't seen until soldiers return home. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an often-debilitating mental condition that can produce a range of unwanted emotional responses to the trauma of combat. It can emerge weeks, months or years later. If left untreated, it can severely affect the lives not only of veterans, but their families as well. See USA TODAY.

Many websites as well as news anchors have dedicated time to discussing this issue. One thing to help these soldiers as they return home from war is to remember that they may not be comfortable or ready to talk about everything that happened while they were in Iraq. Don't overwhelm them with questions that they may not be ready to talk about with anyone yet.

Re-entry in to the job world may be difficult as well. Previous employers may still have a job waiting, but the responsibilities and skills needed to do the job
may have changed. The returning veteran will have to make a commitment to be patient, to be willing to “work” at moving beyond military life, and to remember that family and work will be different than they were prior to military deployment. See transitioning document.

Veterans can be assured that they are loved, admired, and appreciated. Show a veteran lots of love today.

Blogs that I will use for my topic

Here are some of the blogs that I feel that I can use in my upcoming blogs.

1.) Milblogging.com - This blog gives a military perspective on the topic of what now.

2.) Blog4change.org - This blog will give helpful ways to deal with issues that we face.

3.) Startingoverwithouthim.com - This blog shows opinions and loads of things to do in situations that happen in life. It covers issues such as divorce, going back to college, and lists a lot of resources.

4.) Positivity.org - Really like the energy of this site.

I think that my audience will be middle aged, male as well as female with interest that relate to getting back into the community.

My topic for the semester

For my topic I plan to discuss everyday issues that people face. Most of the issues that I will discuss and research are issues that people run into when they reach a crossroads in their life. I will interview people that are going through these issues. The media point of view will be discussed as well as ways to solve the problem. This blog will hopefully give people a look into people's mind as to exactly what they are thinking when the issues arise. This will also give some guidance as to different ways to handle the issue as well resources that should be helpful.