Job Hunting Blogs – A Link to Real World Experiences

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Getting your certification is a wonderful thing, but now it is time to turn your attention and efforts to finding a new position with your newly minted qualifications.  With the economy in turmoil and the effects of this volatility on the labor market, the rules of job hunting are changing day to day.  What may have been conventional wisdom about how to write a resume, how to handle interviews or how to negotiate compensation is potentially no longer relevant.  In many cases, what used to be a strategy for success has become a recipe for failure. The best way to know what is working (and what is not) in real time is to read the shared experiences of other job seekers who are also currently out there dealing with resumes, human resources, hiring managers, etc.  The best job hunting blogs have shared experiences posted daily and that fresh input can be of immense value to the job hunter.  I recommend Jobhuntingblogs.org which is a wonderful compilation of the best job hunting blogs out there. I also like guerrillajobhunting Get a fresh look at what is working for others and you can get ahead in the hunt! Also, share your experiences in the comments below to help fellow Allen School Online students in their search.

Sluggish Browser Slowing You Down?

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Browser Slower Than a Traffic Jam?

When you get a new computer the best part of the experience is that everything moves and responds so quickly.  Same goes for installing a new browser.  In the beginning, the web surfing experience is easy, breezy and satisfying.  However, after a while, it seems inevitably that the browser slows down.  Pages take longer to load.  Crashes seem to happen with greater regularity along with “Program Not Responding” messages that make you want to pull your hair out.  Yet, none of this needs to happen.  There are pretty simple reasons why this browser slowdown happens.  Whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari or something else, there are some steps you can take as part of regular system maintenance to keep you browser running swiftly. You can uninstall unnecessary extensions, change DNS servers, clear your browser cache and reinstall Java/Flash.  Any or all of these things will help to speed you back up.  But if this sounds like Greek to you and you’re not sure what this means or how to do it, visit this article from LifeHacker.com which explains what each of these things is, what each does and how to make each happen.

Starving Students Shouldn’t Suffer

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Hey, it’s hard to be a full time online student.  Especially if you’re also working full time and/or raising a family at the same time as you study to enter this exciting new field.  There frequently isn’t much do re mi left after you finish paying for all the essentials.  Lucky for you the fabulous folks at Kiplinger’s compiled this awesome list of freebies.  From meals, to books, to outings and more, there is lots to do, eat, drink, watch, listen to, read and enjoy for less than one thin dime.  Click here for the article chock full of fee-free goodness.   And if there’s nothing there that appeals to you, have a look at www.totallyfreestuff.com for even more gratis goodies.  If you’re still not satisfied, I will refund to you the full purchase price you paid for this blog.

Buying a New Laptop? Good Housekeeping’s Top Picks

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Buying a New LaptopSo Online students, anyone in the market for a new laptop?  I know I am.  My 7 year old Dell Inspiron finally bit the dust.  So I am on the hunt for the best unit at the most attractive price.  It can be awfully confusing with so many makes, models and configurations to choose from.  Luckily, Good Housekeeping magazine published their pick for best laptops on the market today.  I would recommend reading other reviews too from trusted reviewing outlets like Consumer Reports and www.cnet.com.  But here’s a link to the Good Housekeeping list.

Top 10 Cities for Medical Billing/Coding Careers

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Medical Billing and Coding, Vallejo, CAThe AllHealthCare section of Monster.com compiled a list of the top 10 best cities for people pursuing careers in medical assistant/billing/coding.   The list goes into a bit of detail for each city explaining why it made the list.  Of course, the most prominent contributing factor is the average pay for workers in the field.  But there are many other reasons to live in all of the cities listed.  Here are the top five and the average annual salary figures for each. CITY                             AVG. PAY 1)  Vallejo, CA                 $45,000 2)  Danbury, CT              $37,000 3)  San Francisco, CA   $37,000 4)  Salinas, CA                 $35,000 5)  Oakland, CA               $34,500 The rest of the list and more detailed information on the above cities can be viewed here.

Breakthrough!

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It’s always gratifying to blog about advances in the exciting medical field.  Unlike so many other fields you could have chosen to work in, medicine offers regular innovations that have dramatically positive consequences for humanity.  Take the case of the woman whose face was ripped off by an angry chimpanzee but this week unveiled the new face that doctors had successfully transplanted from a donor.  Breathtaking medical science at work no? Also of incredible value is a new treatment revealed in the AP story here and still very much in the experimental phase, which seems to be highly effective at killing leukemia.  The implications for all of humanity are significant if this cure is validated and distributed to cancer patients worldwide.  Sorry, but you’re just not going to be a part of any earth-shattering advances working at Speedy-Lube or McDougal’s Hamburger Hut.  (Both honorable jobs, just not fertile grounds for innovation.)

Drug Resistant Bacteria and Food Production

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This blog frequently covers MRSA and other drug resistant pathogens that have been increasingly threatening populations globally.  Today, we learned of the rise of a drug resistant strain of Salmonella as the news of the recall of millions of pounds of ground turkey made the rounds in the media.  We have pointed to this cause before and I think it is safe to assume again that the level of antibiotics used by agri-business to mask the effects of negligent animal husbandry practices likely contributes to the evolution of these “super germs”.

You’re In Demand!

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It’s always nice to hear information that validates your efforts.  This is one of those bits of data that you’re sure to find heartening.  In an article for Yahoo! Education, Chris Kyle makes a list of career skills that are always in demand.  You can read his excellent article here, but the short version goes like this.  The Top 3 most in demand skills in all of business are:
  1. Organizational Skills
  2. People Skills
  3. Creative Skills
Then he lists two career choices perfectly suited for people with each of these in-demand skills.  For those with strong organizational ability, Kyle offers medical assistant as a perfect field where you’ll always be welcome.  So its good to know that the traits which may have driven you to online study in the field of medical billing and coding are the very same ones which will make you attractive to employers.  Well done!

Best “Student Fuel”

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Java, Joe, Coffee, Brew, Bean Juice, Mojo, Mud, Perky, Cuppa.  Whatever you call it, coffee is the students’ best friend.  Whether to wake up for early studies or to stay up late burning the midnight oil studying for the big exam, coffee is an indispensable item.  But just like darn near everything else, its price is heading higher and higher.  Some things in life are difficult to skimp on and for this blogger, coffee is one of them.  So what is a frugal student with a coffee addiction to do?  Consumer Reports comes to the rescue with a list of the best “store brand” coffee options!  Read it and see where your favorite beans figure on the list.