911 Essay

911 Essay

Business

Curtis Cripe – A Deeper Look Into The Branches of Engineering

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Engineering has become the most popular major amongst students in the United States, for the first time in history. Engineering is a great career choice for anyone with the necessary abilities, offering a secure position, the opportunity to grow and climb the career ladder, a solid salary as well as a job which provides a great deal of personal satisfaction.

Engineers like Curtis Cripe, are the world’s designers, they create all that we see and do and they design solutions for the world in which we live. Within engineering there are many different branches which you can elect, depending on what you enjoy doing, and where your skills lie. Let’s have a deeper look into the various engineering branches, to see which one fits best.

Civil Engineering

The most populous branch of engineering is civil engineering, the discipline which deals with infrastructure such as roads, buildings, bridges and city design. Within civil engineering there are also additional sub-branches such as architecture, which you could choose to specialise in. Many who choose a career in civil engineering, will cross between these sub-branches during their career, as there are skills within each that are easily transferable.

Neuroengineering

A relatively new branch of engineering which operates within the highly niche world of neural systems. Neural systems can be found both in and outside of the living world and a neural engineering will focus on the systems and the solutions for a wide range of living and non-living constructs. This area of engineering requires high intelligence and much technical knowledge.

Chemical Engineering

The definition given to chemical engineering is the combination of chemicals in order to make something of use. Within this definition, you could be working with labs trying to find new ways of using chemicals in farm work, with drug companies finding new medicines or even within a petroleum company finding new and safer ways of utilising chemicals to extract oil. The majority of this industry is working with drug companies and government agencies, to find new cures and treatments for a wide range of illnesses.

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering is considered to be one of the most exciting, interesting and highly specialised branches of engineering. Within this sector you will be working with cutting edge technology as you seek to provide new and exciting solutions to some of the challenges within the field of aerospace. Working with planes, space shuttles and helicopters, this discipline of engineering requires a great deal of intelligence and hard work from you.

Computer Engineering

Another relatively new form of engineering is computer engineering, largely focussing on creating software and hardware to meet the requirements of businesses, individuals and governments. IF you are skilled in computing and in particular coding and computer language, you can find yourself a great career in this field, a field which will continue to grow for many years.

How to be a Leader in Business

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If you’re interested in discovering how you become an effective leader like Marc Leder, in order to help your business grow from strength to strength, keep reading to discover how to be a leader in business.

1. Be decisive

If you take on a leadership position it’s important to be able to make calculated decisions at short notice. As an example, as a leader, you may be tasked with the decision of choosing which supplier, your company will partner with. Being able to be decisive is important as if you come across as being indecisive, your employees and partners trust in your leadership will start to dwindle.

Instead, make sure that you’re able to make confident, wise decisions at the drop of a hat and your staff members will look up to you as a source of strength for your business.

2. Make sure that you operate your business or organization with integrity

The truth is that no one will be passionate about following a leader who goes back on their word or who is seen as being unethical or unfair. Instead, ensure that your name boasts a glowing reputation by conducting yourself with integrity and respect at all times while being successful in business.

3. Be able to delegate key roles, instead of trying to micromanage every task

As a leader your job is not to micromanage every task in your business or organization, rather your job is to be able to hand select individuals for leadership positions, who show that they are innovative, hardworking and capable of taking initiative when it’s needed.

You should find that if you entrust capable members of your team with important tasks, that they will try hard to live up to your expectations as every individual appreciates being recognized for their talents, work effort, and leadership skills.

As an added advantage, if you’re able to delegate key roles to individuals who you trust, you’ll free up valuable time to work on the big picture and what you’d like to see your organization or business achieve in the next decade.

4. Make sure that you treat every staff member fairly

Leaders who have established a reputation for giving perks to individuals who they favor, don’t earn the respect of their staff members. Instead, aim to treat every staff member fairly and with the utmost respect. As you’ll end up having an entire staff of individuals who respect you and are willing to work hard for you, rather than only having a select few individuals respect your leadership.

5. Invest in training opportunities for your staff members

One way to ensure that the individuals in your workforce live up to their potential is to provide regular training members for staff members who you identify as being strong candidates for future leadership positions. As by giving individuals the skills and experiences which they need to succeed as individuals, you’re also giving them valuable skills to help your business or organization grow from strength to strength.

So if your primary goal is to become an effective leader, it’s well worth following this handy leadership guide, in order to ensure that your business grows from strength to strength.

How To Find A Roofing Company Like West Coast Better Homes

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While the foundation of a home is the most important thing of all, the roof is a very close second. You shouldn’t do any roofing jobs yourself, nor should you trust just anybody to do it for you. Instead, you need to find a trustworthy professional who can do it for you, a professional like West Coast Better Homes, for instance. So what are some of the things they offer that you should look for as well?

West Coast Better Homes and the Example of Best Practice

The company offers specialized services only. This includes roofing, windows, and patio covers. They have an extensive portfolio representing their body of work, including videos that showcase some of the work that they have done on different homes. Their reputation is truly unrivalled. Unfortunately, however, they only cover the West Coast, including Burbank, Los Angeles, Malibu, and Santa Monica. If you do not live there, then you will have to find a different company, but preferably one that offers the same standards.

Some of the things to look for, therefore, include:

  1. Specialization. Only work with a company that knows roofs, understanding the impact of your climate and environment. They should also be able to complete a certified inspection of the roof, whether you are buying or selling.
  2. Bonding and insurance. This is hugely important. The roof ensures that you are safe, comfortable, and sheltered in your property. Even the best service makes mistakes sometimes, however, and you need to make sure that you are protected should it be your roof that has a problem. You should not have to claim on your own home insurance for the mistakes of others.
  3. References. When you investigate West Coast Better Homes, for instance, you will quickly see that their past clients have been incredibly happy with the work that was done for them. This is very important and you need to look for reviews. Find those through third party websites, however, rather than directly through the service provider. This ensures that the reviews are truly unbiased. And make sure they review things that are relevant to you. If you want to have a full roof replaced, for instance, then a review saying that replacing one or two shingles was great is not really relevant.
  4. Additional services. Good roofing companies will also offer additional, but related services. For instance, they should be able to do things such as yearly roof maintenance that includes gutter cleaning, deck cleaning, siding power washing, and so on. It is quite common for roofing companies to offer such issues in order to make sure all their customers’ needs are met.

These are just a few of the things to look into. You should always request multiple quotations and use that to find the company that offers the best value for money. Remember that value for money does not necessary mean cheap, however. Sometimes, it is better to pay a little bit more and have a better service as well.

How to become a successful business person

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If you’re passionate about running your own business and have your sights set on achieving phenomenal success, Gordon Tang has ideas to discover a handy guide to becoming a successful business person.

How to be a successful business person:

1. Set yourself daily goals as well as long-term goals

While it’s important to have long-term goals to work towards, in order to ensure that you’re productive on a daily basis, it’s also well worth setting yourself small, attainable goals, which you can complete on daily basis. As an example, one of your daily goals may be to finish making any necessary amendments to your business plan, before meeting with a business mentor.

2. Don’t make decisions based on emotion

While it’s healthy to be passionate about your business ventures, be careful not to make business decisions based on emotion as at the end of the day business is a numbers game. So it’s far wiser to let statistics such as your operating costs and profits to influence your business decisions than to be led by your emotions.

3. Learn to delegate managerial tasks to capable individuals who you trust

While it may be tempting to try to complete as many managerial tasks as possible by yourself, you won’t be able to give each task 100% of your time and energy, so you’re far better off learning how to delegate important managerial tasks to trusted, capable individuals.

After all, to be a great business person, you have to be a great leader and the key to becoming the best leader which you can be is to be able to lead a strong team of talented individuals, in order for your business to grow from strength to strength

4. If your business employs a vast number of individuals, make sure to give your employees the necessary skills which they need to thrive in their role

If your business fails to offer adequate training opportunities for its employees, you’re currently failing to unlock untapped potential within your business. Instead see every employee as an asset which should be cared for and developed, so that you’re able to reap as many rewards from your employees as you can.

Remember that employees who are given plenty of opportunities to upskill and shine will always repay you with loyalty and hard work.

5. Make sure that you’re a confident, articulate communicator

A huge part of being a businessman or woman involves communicating with a vast amount of individuals. Examples of which include investors, business partners, suppliers, marketers, and employees. So if you’re not a confident, articulate communicator it’s well worth joining a Toastmasters club, in order to learn how to become a skilled public speaker.

6. Learn from your mistakes

In order to succeed in business, you have to be willing to make mistakes. Just remember not to make the same mistake multiple times and you’ll be far more likely to achieve great success with your business.

If you have your sights set on achieving all of your long-term business goals it’s well worth using the handy guide above in order to become a successful business person.

Michael Briese: 3 Reasons Every Brand Is Taking To Facebook Advertising

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Several years ago, email was the big tactic in online marketing. While this is still the case to an extent, there’s no doubt that Facebook has well and truly taken over.

Whether you are selling Rolex watches or providing a service to other businesses, the flexible nature of Facebook means that it’s suited to pretty much everyone who wants to get their company name out there. Furthermore, while certain marketing platforms like AdWords might cost you a fortune, you don’t necessarily feel like you have committed a heist when taking advantage of Facebook ads.

This is a topic that Michael Briese knows all about. He was one of the first to tap into the benefits of Facebook ads, and he has shared with us the main reasons why brands are opting for the Facebook-first approach.

Reason #1 – It’s super targeted

The main reason so many companies are using these ads is due to the super targeted approach that the platform uses. We’re not just talking about the ability to target users in New York, or your city of choice, either. Instead, this targeting can become even more granular.

Facebook advertising can target by location, demographic behavior or even a lookalike audience. The last factor can be pretty important for businesses, as it allows them to effectively mirror existing customers. In traditional forms of marketing you would have had to busted a gut to be able to get anywhere close to achieving this.

Reason #2 – It’s analytics are laid bare

On some platforms, it’s nigh-on impossible to find out any statistics regarding the performance of an advertisement. On Facebook, no such issues exist. Their reporting platform is one of the best in the business and the insights that are available can provide you with the knowledge to really optimize your campaign. It’s possible to see everything from your weekly reach, to the amount of time that your posts have been liked. Not only this, but when you delve deeper into the advertising platform, you can quickly see what people interacted with your ad – and if these correlate with what you initially targeted when you set up your campaign.

Reason #3 – The rise of mobile

In truth, whether you are advertising via email or Facebook, mobile should be at the forefront of your mind. When it comes to the latter, there’s no doubt that Facebook is one of the best around though.

Their website has been designed to load in super-fast speeds on mobile devices – and this is something that hinders a lot of rival advertising platforms. Not only this, but the system has umpteen different types of mobile advertisements, which can fit on screen sizes of multiple sizes.

Finally, there’s the fact that Facebook has billions of mobile users. That’s right, not only is their platform geared towards people on mobile, users actively use a mobile device to access the website. At a recent count, it was thought that between 1.5 billion and 2 billion users fell into this category.

Finding A Good Fit For Your VPS Needs

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As a business, you will need your own server at some point of time, but you might not be at the point where you want to host your own website, or where it is feasible to do so. Especially when high–quality parts, technical assistance, and security, all add a large amount to the overall cost. This is why so many companies choose to go with virtual private servers or VPS for all of their business needs. But knowing what you need and getting the support that you deserve isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Here are a few things to look for in a VPS company to ensure that you get the best possible results for your business. 

1. High–Quality Hardware

A VPS is only as good as the hardware that it runs on. While everything might go through the cloud, it will only go as fast as the hardware allows it to. This will also control how safe your data is, how easy it is for clients to access things they need, and any number of different variables. Any company that isn’t using high–quality hardware simply isn’t looking out for their customers. 

2. Adjustable Space Plans

Space needs can change rapidly, and if you have an issue that requires more memory space quickly, then you want to have a plan that allows you to adjust for that need on the fly. Any company that makes you wait days or weeks for even the smallest amount of extra space is the one that isn’t going to work well for you. To avoid this, there are like Memset offer options like block storage or storage additions from within your control panel. 

3. Built-in Support and Security

Your data is important, the ability to access it is important, and letting your customers know that they can trust you is important. Any company that doesn’t offer you built-in support and security with your package isn’t looking out for your best interest. This is especially true if you are leasing a smaller VPS, as you are attempting to save money by employing your own security and technical support teams.

4. Fail-Safe Backups

While everyone likes to think that their systems could never fail, there is always the possibility that they will. A good company will have a back-up set up to ensure that all of your data will never be lost. This can’t be kept in the exact same way as the original, but it still needs to be extremely strong and safe. Always choose a company that can offer you fail-safe backups over one that won’t disclose the methods that they use to protect your information. 

Overall, a good VPS will ensure that they are offering the best possible services to all of their customers, going out of their way to keep them safe at all times. If a company isn’t going to ensure that they will meet your needs, then they aren’t a company that you should be doing business with. There are too many options out there to settle for service that is less than perfect. 

Starting A Career In Skilled Trades

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Becoming a skilled tradesman is one of the best ways of setting a reliable career path. With a skilled trade career, you can work as a freelance contractor or seek employment in a company. The careers are highly marketable and their pay continues to increase as time goes by. Skilled trade courses are widely available and can be taken as the first step towards a rewarding tradesman career path.

There are many skilled trades available and this may make it hard for you to choose the best one to pursue. Fortunately, because there is such a demand there is no need for layoffs or the worry of losing your job. The following is a review of the best skilled trades. You can use it as a guide when starting a career in skilled trades.

  1. Electrician

Electricity is now continuing to be used everywhere around the world. Installations, repairs and maintenance services are regularly required at all the places that are connected to the grid. This raises the demand for electricians. The career path is amongst the most excelling skilled trades and can be a good option for anyone who loves technology.

Certifications and licenses are important to an electrician. To earn a certificate, a person has to undergo the required training at a vocational or technical institution. Apprenticeship programs are normally available and can offer training to both fresh beginners and certified electricians. The programs are good because they at times provide payments to the trainees.

  1. Air Conditioning Repair (HVAC Technician)

Air conditioning repair specialists are normally referred to as the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) Technicians. They are responsible in the installation, repair and maintenance of air conditioning systems and refrigeration systems. The increasing application of these systems is making the career more demanding. HVAC technicians are now needed everywhere.

Licenses are important to the HVAC technicians and are awarded through the successful completion of varying tests. There are various trade schools, community colleges and vocational institutions offering the necessary training. After completing the training, students can gain experience through joining apprenticeship programs.

  1. Plumber

Plumbing career is another promising skilled trade that is required at many places. Water, sewerage and gas pipes and fixtures are normally installed, repaired and maintained by skilled plumbers. Some of the skills the plumbers should possess include pipe laying, pipe fitting and steam fitting. The skills can be learnt through various programs.

Aspiring plumbers can join technical schools, community colleges or vocational institutions for training. They can also choose to attend an apprenticeship program for the training. Apprenticeship programs are recommended because they normally give the trainees a chance to learn from professional plumbers. The programs may take a period of 4 to 5 years.

  1. Construction Manager

A construction manager is a highly awarding career. The post requires advanced construction management skills and an aspiring student may have to seek certification from a recognized college or university. Some of the construction manager’s responsibilities include planning, handling and overseeing the whole process of constructing or maintaining a building project.

There are various colleges offering construction management training programs. Students can join the programs or undergo training through the available construction industry associations. Those who would wish to take an advanced training can take any of the related university programs that lead to the award of a bachelor’s degree.

The Emergence Of Alternative Cryptocurrencies

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There are cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin that are starting to make a name for themselves. Ethereum, Litecoin. Ripple, Mintchip, Monero and Zcash are just a few of the ones that are proving successful. There are many that will never be heard of again.

Cryptocurrencies Being Embraced by the Younger Generation

It really should be no surprise that a type of internet cash is being embraced by the younger generations, as most new technology is. They are maybe not as interested in the investment side as older people might be, but they are utilizing them more in everyday life. They will use them at a local café or to buy clothes. As with most new innovations, it is the younger generation that will use them the most.

It is this use that is likely to make them successful, and will mean they are here to stay. However, nobody has a crystal ball, and it’s impossible to predict which ones will make the grade. Just like the everyday currencies we are used to, they all have different uses and properties that make each one a unique entity, and it remains to be seen which ones will still be around in a few years.

‘Wirf einen Blick in die Glaskugel’ – Marco Verch via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Zero-Knowledge Currencies

There are some cryptocurrencies known for their zero-knowledge properties, because every transaction is encrypted. Even the person on the other end of a transaction does not know who they are dealing with, unless you want them to. The two main ones that stand out among these are Zcash and Monero.

Similar to Monero, Zcash is aimed at the privacy conscious, and they both use the public blockchain without offering private information. These two have both been likened to more confidential versions of Bitcoin, and are being used in some of the most popular places for cryptocurrencies, online casinos.

‘Bitcoin Wallet’ – Marco Verch via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Shopping currencies

There are some currencies designed specifically to shop with, Dash being a perfect example. You keep your Dash coins in a wallet and then use them to pay the merchants when you are out shopping, or shopping online. Many US merchants like Dash because the transaction is instant and they do not have to wait days for the money to turn up in their account. It is also favoured because the lack of middlemen means they do not have to pay so much money in fees.

The Banks Friend

Cryptocurrencies avoid the use of the traditional banking system, and on the whole, the feeling is mutual, with most banks avoiding cryptocurrencies as well. However, this is not the case with Ripple, which was made to make bank transfers quicker and easier. Cross-border payments require banks to go through an intermediary, or sometimes several, which is why a payment from the US to China, for example, can take days. Ripple bypasses all of this, checks with the two banks about the fees, and then makes the transaction instantly, updating both accounts at the same time. Ripple has enabled banks to offer faster payment services and has simplified transactions for customers globally.

How To Become A Travel Blogger: 5 Tips To Help You Get Started

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If you have a talent for writing and are passionate about international travel, you may be able to carve out a career as a professional travel blogger. If you’re curious, simply continue reading to discover 5 tips on how to get started.

How to become a travel blogger: 5 Tips to help you get started

  1. Assess a wide variety of popular travel blogs

Before you publish your travel blog, it’s well worth visiting a wide variety of popular travel blogs. As you scroll through each blog, try to identify why you think each blog is so successful. As an example, a travel blog may stand out from the crowd due it’s writer’s skill for beautifully describing the destinations which they’ve explored. Or a travel blog may be successful due to it’s stunning, photographs.

Once you’ve scrolled through a wide variety of popular travel blogs, you should start to notice trends between popular travel blogs emerge. Which will help you create a travel blog which will attract a sizeable following.

  1. Pick a unique niche for your travel blog

While countless bloggers start their own travel blog, only the creme de la creme of travel blogs attract a profitable audience. So it’s crucial to ensure to start a travel blog which is centered around a unique, memorable niche.

As an example, instead of creating a general travel blog, you may want to focus on writing about destinations which are off the beaten tourist track. Alternatively, you may prefer to write about affordable accommodation options around the world or your adventures exploring bustling marketplaces throughout the world.

If in doubt choose a travel niche that you’re excited about as if you write passionately, your enthusiasm for your blog will inspire your readers.

  1. Describe your travel experiences so that your readers can imagine themselves being in your shoes

In order to become a successful travel writer, it’s crucial to be able to describe your experiences in a way which makes it easy for your readers to imagine themselves standing in your shoes.

As an example, if you write a post about exploring a busy marketplace, make a real effort to describe the noises that you heard and the smells which wafted by as you walked through the marketplace. As well as vividly describing the store owners which you interacted with.

  1. Make sure to take at least 3 photographs to display alongside every post

If you post photographs with each post, your readers will have a far easier time imagining themselves in your shoes. As humans are visual creatures, your blog will also be more successful if you frequently post high-quality travel images, which inspire your readers to travel.

  1. Start reaching out to travel-related companies for sponsorship

Once your blog has gained momentum, you may want to reach out to travel-related companies such as bed and breakfasts, hotels and tour companies, to see whether any companies are interested in giving you free accommodation or a free tour, in exchange for a review or a story posted on your blog.

So if you’d love to work as a professional travel blogger, it’s well worth taking the 5 handy tips listed above to heart and also by checking out sites like, http://wildfreedesign.com. In order to drastically increase your chances of achieving phenomenal success as a travel blogger!

Creating A Technology Plan For Your Small Business Starts Here

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Every modern day business that aims to be able to effectively satisfy its customer base, stay competitive, and experience growth requires at least three things; finances, vision, and technology. Without technology, a business is simply ill-equipped to survive, much less compete in the modern world. This is why it is generally advised that businesses take their technology as seriously as they do legal practices and taxes.

Technology is what makes it possible for a business to accomplish its objectives quickly and efficiently. But technology can only deliver such results if it is sufficient. This is why it is important that a business draws up an effective technology plan to match its short and long term goals. If you want to get started on drawing up your technology plan, the best place to start are the three steps listed below for analysing your small business’ technology needs.

  1. Draw up a technology inventory for your small business.

Create a Technology Inventory and Audit Worksheet which will contain all the various technological aspects that your business currently has and uses. This inventory will also state if your currently owned technologies are leased or fully owned by the business.

  1. Carry out a SWOT analysis for your small business.

A SWOT analysis analyses the Strengths and Weaknesses of your small business as well as the Opportunities and Threats currently facing it. Your business’ strengths might revolve around your high quality customer service or low prices, or even your market location. Your weaknesses on the other hand might include ineffective sourcing of materials or poorly trained staff. Whatever the case might be, draw up a list of your top strengths and weaknesses.

A similar list should be drawn up concerning the opportunities and risks facing your business.

  1. Align your primary business goals with appropriate technology tools.

Based on your SWOT analysis, identify your business’ top three business goals. Next step is to consider your list of available technologies and look at which can help your business achieve the listed goals. If your available technologies are insufficient, you can develop a list of technologies which are capable of helping you accomplish the defined goals. These new technologies can then be acquired by your company.

Various innovative technology tools are available to help with a variety of business circumstances. The important thing is to understand which can deliver the best results that match your business’ goals. Once you discover which technologies you need but do not have available, you can then go about acquiring what is needed by budgeting funds, and allocating time as well as man power towards facilitating the creation of your technology plan whilst ensuring the protection of your business. This will then be followed by the actual acquisition of necessary technologies that best match your business’ immediate or long term goals.