Make Money Playing Video Games by Raymond M. Wong

In my last blog post, I wrote about my son, Kevin, and his passion for video games. I also shared my ambivalence about encouraging him to make this a career because I have doubts about how viable this is. I mean, would an employer actually pay him or anyone else to play video games?

To find out, I did a little research. According to this article from MoneyPantry.com, there are six ways to make money playing video games:

1. Test video games
2. Sell “Gold” within a game
3. Play in eSport tournaments
4. Record “Let’s Play” videos
5. Teach about video games
6. Write about video games

The author of the above article makes it sound easy but at the end, he admits that making money at playing video games is probably more of a side job than a full-time career.

Money for Books!

For students looking to sell their books at the best prices, this website is gold. It allows you to type in an ISBN number for a book and it will provide up to 35 vendors with multiple offers to buy your book. The site even allows you to ship for free to get paid.

Career Choice: A Parent's Dilemma by Raymond M. Wong

My son, Kevin, is 16 and just finished the 10^th grade. It’s hard to imagine him that old. It seemed like just yesterday we were playing Bakugan Brawl, Yu-Gi-Oh, or racing his Hot Wheels cars down our driveway. It didn’t seem long ago that I saw him riding his Razor scooter in front of our house. Now, my wife, Quyen, and I are talking to our son about getting his driver’s permit.

Kevin just started a Japanese class at Grossmont College this summer because he found out taking one college course is equivalent to two years of high-school credit. He is really into Anime so he jumped at the opportunity to take Japanese.

I have asked him about studying Chinese, and Quyen has suggested Vietnamese but it was like trying to get him to the dentist for a root canal. This isn’t the case with the Japanese course. Kevin is taking it with a friend from high school, and they stay on campus after class to do their homework. Our son makes flashcards to go over his vocabulary, and there are times he chooses to study Japanese instead of watching YouTube videos at home. What I’ve learned is that Kevin puts a lot more effort into his work when he chooses the class.

MIlitary Dad Raises 4 Kids

"I appreciate the time we have together because I know how important it is to live." -- Jonathon Stone, who lost his wife to cancer.

Dad Keeps His 'Team' Strong appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 18, 2017.

Dangerous Cars

Which cars are involved in the most fatalities? MSN Autos gives you the scoop on America's Deadliest Cars.

Cell Phone Plans

Need help picking out a cell phone plan? How about deciding on a cell phone without the contract? Data overages making you cranky? Here are your solutions:

MSN Money helps you decide on the best cell phone plan.

CNET guides you to the best cell phones that don't require a contract.

CNBC shows you how to avoid data overages on your iPhone.

Homeless Man Saves a Life

"When the accident happened, nobody knew who I was. You'd go by and sometimes people would lock their doors, say 'Oh, my gosh, there's a homeless person, lock your door,'" Pocock said, sitting in a chair in his tent. "Well, since then, people are like, 'Oh, my gosh, there's that homeless guy. Roll down your window.'"

A Miracle Save By A Homeless Man Gives Him A New Beginning was published by ABC News on June 7, 2017.

Making A Difference

"People who don't know me gave me brand new shoes, socks and prayed for me. It's awesome. It touched my heart. People really care about people."  -- Christopher Roe, living at the Rescue Mission.

Volunteers Wash Feet and Lift Spirits appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 10, 2017.

http://www.sdrescue.org/

Men in Healthcare

"Once you're the person in the room talking to the patients, seeing the ramifications of the choices you make, I don't see how anyone can not be pulled into it." -- Chauncey Incarnato, on becoming a registered nurse.

Health Sector Drawing More Men appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 15, 2017.

Highest Paying Internships

Where can you do an internship and get paid over $50K a year? This photo gallery includes companies like Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Yelp, and Qualcomm, where an internship can pay anywhere from $5000.00 to $8000.00 a month.

Want to Make $8000 Per Month? Get an Internship at . . . was published in the San Diego Union Tribune on May 2, 2017.

Once you complete your internship, you might consider applying for a job with grocery e-tailer "Boxed." The company head, Chieh Huang, has been known to spring for his employees' weddings. This Dream Boss Pays for Workers' Weddings, Their Kids' College appeared on MSN Money.

5 Money Mistakes -- New Graduates

I made the mistake of not doing a monthly budget until very recently. Why is that a problem? If you don't know how much you're spending, there's no way to rein it in. You have to be aware of where your money is going before you can curtail your spending, and a monthly budget helps. If you're not keeping a budget, start immediately. The following article has budgeting tips and an app that makes it easier to budget.

The 5 Biggest Money Mistakes New Grads Make appeared on Yahoo Finance. 

Skills Employers Want

What are companies looking for? According to the LinkedIn articles below: technology skills. But all is not lost if you're not a techie. If you're not a software engineer or don't have "Search Engine Optimization" in your resume, learn to be a good Project Manager, which combines leadership, creativity, and people skills to get a job done.

“What’s most in demand and the hardest to get is the combination (tech skills and 'soft' skills),” said Comcast Cable’s EVP of HR Bill Strahan. “It’s getting, for example, someone who is highly technical, but then has that and the leadership skills or to have that and the business strategy skills.”

Here Are the Skills That Hiring Managers at the 50 LinkedIn Top Companies Want by Maya Pope-Chappell, Senior News Editor at LinkedIn.

"Project management is more than just a nice-to-have skill or even a profession. It is a way of thinking. Or, better yet, a structured approach to preventing and solving problems." -- Oliver Yarbrough, LinkedIn Learning Author.

Growing Companies Crave Techies. But They Need Good Project Managers, Too by Oliver Yarbrough, LinkedIn Learning Author.

Places to Live to Save $

If you're thinking about moving, there are better and worse places to live if you're trying to save. The 15 Best and Worst Places to Live If You're Trying to Save Money appeared on MSN Money.

Also, here are some homes to consider. These 7 Tiny Homes Are the Perfect Summer Getaway appeared on MSN Money as vacation homes, but they don't have to be for vacations. 

Most Reliable Cars

If you're looking to buy a car, it pays to find the most reliable brands because it will save you money in repairs. MSN Auto hooked up with U.S. News & World Reports to find the most reliable car brands. 11 Most Reliable Car Brands appeared on MSN Auto on May 22, 2017.

Saving at Disney

Going to Disneyland this summer? It's expensive but here are some ways to save. Hint: you can bring your own food to Disneyland. 12 Genius Ways to Save Money at Disney appeared on MSN Lifestyle.

And if you want to buy the souvenir before you go, check out the prices on Disney's Twice Upon A Year Sale.

Counseling Block Schedule by Ray Wong

My name is Ray Wong, and I am the Co-Chair of Counseling at San Diego City College with Edwin Hiel. I started counseling at City in 1994. Since the beginning of my tenure, counselors have met with students on “1-Hour Appointments” for planning and 10-Minute “Walkin” to answer short questions. The problem has been that we have not been able to provide enough Appointments to meet the student demand during registration time. So students try to get their needs met on Walkin. Counselors cannot do effective career or educational planning in a 10-minute timeframe, and we have too many students to provide an Appointment to every student who needs one at registration.

So what generally happens is students sign up for Walkin because Appointments fill up so quickly. The line for Walkin extends to two hours or longer, and students wind up seeing a counselor for 10 minutes to help select classes. I have long felt this to be an ineffective counseling model because it leaves students without a plan and counselors are not able to provide the kind of comprehensive career and educational planning that really helps students. This is frustrating for both students and counselors.  

In an attempt to address this problem, the counseling department is piloting a "block schedule" for “Appointments” and “Quick Questions” this summer in order to provide more Appointments. More Appointments means additional comprehensive services to more students, but it also means we have to limit “Quick Questions” to certain times of the day. We hope that you will be patient with us because we believe providing more appointments will lead to better service delivery.

What we have been doing in the past hasn’t been working, so we’re going to try something different. We owe it to our students to at least try. Here is our "block schedule" for summer 2017:

Mondays and Tuesdays
8:00am to 10:00am	Appointments
10:00am to 11:30am	Quick Questions
11:30am to   2:30pm	Appointments
2:30pm to   4:00pm	Quick Questions
4:00pm to   6:00pm	Appointments
6:00pm to   7:00pm	Appointments & Quick Questions
Wednesdays and Thursdays
8:00am to 10:00am	Appointments
10:00am to 11:30am	Quick Questions
11:30am to   2:30pm	Appointments
2:30pm to   4:00pm	Quick Questions
4:00pm to   5:00pm	Appointments
5:00pm to   6:00pm	Appointments & Quick Questions
Friday Schedule Only
8:00am to 10:00am	Appointments
10:00am to 11:30am	Quick Questions
11:30am to   2:30pm	Appointments
2:30pm to   3:00pm	Quick Questions

GM Buys 'Green' Tires

Kudos to General Motors, a company which is making a commitment to buy only sustainably harvested rubber for its automobile tires. "This isn't just about going green. It's about driving real business results." -- David Tulauskas, Director of Sustainability at GM. 

GM Commits To 'Green' Natural Rubber For Millions Of Tires appeared in Automotive News on May 15, 2017

Former Homeless Mother Graduates

"Every morning at 5:30 we walked three miles down a country road -- rain, shine, or snow -- just to take you to day care. Then I'd walk the three miles right back to catch the first of my three buses I had to take across town to work." -- Veronica Hughes, Commencement Speaker at Miramar College.

Once Homeless Grad Delivers Miramar Commencement was published in the San Diego Union Tribune on May 20, 2017.