Shopping Secrets: Best Buy Employees

If you shop at Best Buy, here are some things you should know from employees. 6 Secrets from Best Buy Employees That'll Change How You Shop appeared in MSN Money.

Having Fun With YouTube by Raymond M. Wong

My sixteen-year-old, Kevin, is really into video games and he is drawn to one called Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO). While I’m not thrilled with him playing a first-person shooter game, I have reluctantly come to realize my son is old enough to choose the kind of recreation he wants to take part in as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or land him in jail.

Recently, Kevin told me he wants to put together videos of himself playing CS: GO and post them on YouTube. Now you have to understand where I’m coming from: I’m almost old enough to qualify for senior discounts at the Goodwill, so when I was a child, there were no computers in the house.  People talked on a rotary dialed landline and the Atari video game “Pong” was making its debut when I was ten.  Yes, this makes me feel ancient, and technology is not my strong suit.  

Honoring A Heroic Dog

Marine Dog with Cancer Gets Tear-Filled Farewell appeared in MSN News.

Millennials and Work Life

"Your job is meant to pay your bills, but your side hustle pays you in self-respect." -- Ann Shoket, Former Editor-In-Chief of Seventeen.

Millennials Are Changing the Workplace—and Everyone Is Better Off for It appeared on MSN Lifestyle.

Doctor Lives Life Fully Without Extravagance

Here is the story of an anesthesiologist who makes six figures but spends money on what is truly important and still buys from Craigslist. I Just Visited Someone With One of the Highest-Paying Jobs in the US and Was Blown Away By How Little He Spends appeared on MSN Money. 

Improve Your Resume

Want to write a good resume? Here are 7 tips including one which is absolutely essential: "Back up your skills," which means, don't just list your skills, show the effect of what you did. Also, in this post, watch the video of Emily Heyward, Co-Founder of "Red Antler," on what she looks for in an ideal job candidate.

Make Your Resume Stand Out With These Seven Simple Steps appeared on MSN Money.

10 Most Stolen Cars

If you're looking to buy a car, consider that some cars are stolen more than others. 10 Most Stolen Cars in America appeared on MSN Autos.

Honorably Discharged Veterans Can Shop Without Tax

"The intent is to really beat Amazon at their game because we have locations literally on the installations." -- Army and Air Force Exchange Service CEO, Tom Shull.

Honorably Discharged Veterans Will Soon Get to Shop Tax-Free appeared on ABC News.

https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/

Heroes Help Homeless

"It heals something in your heart to do something like this for other people." -- Jeannette Calzada-Sebastiano, Director of Altruistic Activities for Xtreme Justice League.

Super Heroes to the Rescue in Homeless Outreach was published in the San Diego Union Tribune on July 24, 2017.

A Career In Acting by Raymond M. Wong

In a previous post, I shared my daughter’s disappointment in not making it into Honors Drama in her middle school. Kristie is all of thirteen so a lot of things could happen between now and the time she is ready to start sending out resumes. At various times in her life, she wanted to be a doctor, work in a nonprofit, or be involved with nature and animals. Still, if she does decide to become an actress, I wanted to find out a little more about this field. It is a well-worn adage that acting is a difficult way to make a living so a few questions came to my mind. How difficult is it to actually make it in this profession? Would she need to supplement her income? What are some ways to do that? Would she encounter any particular challenges due to her gender or ethnicity?

Here’s what I found out. It is an understatement to say it is hard to make a living as an actor, but some people are able to make money at it. This article from Backstage.com by Piyali Syam was particularly helpful. The author provided a number of ways to earn rent money through acting, including Web series, YouTube, commercials, voiceover, cruise ship jobs, and theme parks. 

Most actors supplement their income through side jobs and this article from Balance.com by Phil Breman listed several ways to do that: Bartender, office temp, script reader, and process server, among others. 

Cancelled Wedding Has a Silver Lining

"It was really devastating to me. I called everyone, canceled, apologized, cried, called vendors, cried some more, and then I started feeling really sick about just throwing away all the food I ordered for the reception," -- Sarah Cummins

Bride-To-Be Calls Off Wedding, Invites Homeless to Reception appeared in MSN News.

Job Skills in a Short Time

Need to develop some useful job skills in a hurry? 101 Money-Making Skills You Can Learn In Less Than A Year appeared on MSN Money.

Forever GI Bill

“We believe that all veterans who have honorably served this nation have earned education assistance as partial compensation for the sacrifices they have made. Unfortunately, many who have served in uniform are currently left behind.” -- Charles E. Schmidt, American Legion National Commander.

5 Things to Know About the Forever GI Bill appeared in The San Diego Union Tribune on July 13, 2017.

Find Your College

Are you in a swirl of confusion about picking the right college? What are you looking for in a school? Financial Aid package, scholarships, job placement? Here are some online tools to make your life easier.

Peterson's

Money Magazine

School Guides

College Board

Airbag Deaths

If you are looking for a used vehicle, beware of certain cars that have deadly airbags. Twelfth Fatality Reported From Takata Airbags appeared on MSN Money.

Pursue Your Passion by Raymond M. Wong

We had a Student Success Day for new students to City College on June 30th, and I worked with a lady (I’m going to call her Claire) at an education planning session who said she went to an earlier workshop we facilitated called “Identify Your Career.” Claire said it made her think about passion and purpose and what she should pursue. She thought of being a softball coach but she was afraid and had some doubts about her age. She looked to be in her early forties. 

At the education planning sessions, we have a lot of students we need to work with to develop a two-semester plan, so we don’t have time to do career planning. I had to advise her to schedule an hour appointment with a counselor at a later date to look at her career in more depth. It was hard for me to tell her this because she was really struggling with whether to choose coaching as her career, but I couldn’t take the time to work with her there. 

I hope that Claire scheduled an appointment to talk with a counselor but if she didn’t, here is what I would have wanted to convey:

Dear Claire,

I know it can be scary to think about going after something you feel passionate about. From my perspective, if the thought of being a softball coach brings up some fears, that’s not necessarily a bad sign. The jitters may be because you’re on the right track. If you are thinking about a career you’ve never done before, some anxiety is perfectly normal and expected. The fact that you’re nervous tells me it’s important to you, and I hope you pick a career that really means something to you because you’ll put more effort and energy into it. You’ll put your heart and soul into it and you’ll make a difference to the players you’re coaching.

A Dog Helps Veteran with PTSD

Meet Merrick, a service dog, that is helping McLean Raybon deal with his PTSD. This People.com article appeared on MSN News.

https://www.k9sforwarriors.org/

Deadly Jobs

Some jobs come with added risks. The 10 Deadliest Jobs In America appeared on MSN Money.

A Flair For The Dramatic by Raymond M. Wong

My daughter, Kristie, is thirteen and has participated in drama the last two years in middle school. She recently tried out for “Honors Drama” for the upcoming school year but didn’t get selected.  

Kristie was disappointed, especially when one of her friends did get chosen for Honors Drama. The glum expression on my daughter’s face told me how she felt when she checked the message board on the computer and her name wasn’t on it. 

Kristie tends to be quiet in school. She gets good grades because she studies hard, but comments from teachers are usually along the lines of, “Joy to have in class. Excellent effort, quiet, and dependable.”

I don’t have a problem with Kristie being quiet. I’m an introvert myself, so I understand my daughter’s personality. I don’t need her to be an outspoken candidate for student body president or a rah-rah cheerleader for the football team. I’m fine with Kristie just being herself but I’ve come to realize this can hamper her ambitions to become the next Jennifer Lawrence. 

My wife, Quyen, and I have been to a number of Kristie’s drama performances, and I’m slightly biased, but I think our daughter is pretty good. She remembers her lines, and she nails the dance steps in her routines. The thing is, she has a quiet voice and she isn’t animated to the extreme. This works against her in a field where flair and exuberance are the calling cards for success. 

Homeless Students

"I didn't have anywhere to go. I lived in my car. I didn't have my job anymore and I got evicted from my apartment," said (Jennifer) Carr, who is in her first semester at Wayne County Community College District in Detroit. "I was ashamed I was living in my car."

Homeless College Students A Growing Concern on Campuses appeared on Yahoo News on June 25, 2017.

Hungry and Homeless in College was published in the San Diego Free Press on March 27, 2017.

Help for homeless students at City College

Tally of Sheltered Homeless Falls Amid More Shelter Beds was published in the San Diego Union Tribune on July 1, 2017.

Gordon Walker Takes Helm At Homeless Task Force appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 27, 2017.

Be Happy and Make 100K

You don't have to sacrifice your soul to make good money. Here's proof; these careers pay over $100K a year and the people working in them are happy in their jobs. The Ten Happiest Six Figure Jobs 2017 appeared on MSN Money.