Monday, July 25, 2011

Fastest Growing Jobs for a Second Career!






I was sitting in the doctor’s office today and was looking at the July-August 2011 AARP Bulletin. There was an article about “Jobs for a Second Career“. The projected fastest-growing jobs by 2018 that want employees ages 55 + are listed below: ( 2008 media wage and required training also listed)




1. Home health aide: 460,900 new jobs: $20,460; short-term on-the-job training.

2. Personal and Home care aide: 375,800 jobs: $19,180; short-term on-the-job training.

3. Computer software engineer, applications: 175,100 jobs: $85,430; bachelor’s degree

4. Medical assistant: 163,900 jobs: $28,300; moderate-term on-the-job training

5. Network systems and data communications analyst: 155,800 jobs: $71,100; bachelor’s degree.

6. Dental assistant: 105,600 jobs: $32,380: moderate-term on-the-job training.

7. Self-enrichment education teacher: 81,300 jobs: $35,720; work experience in a related occupation.

8. Compliance officer (except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation): 80, 80 jobs: $48,890: long-term on -the-job training.

9. Dental hygienist: 62,900 jobs, $66,570; associate degree.

10. Veterinary technologist and technician: 28,500 jobs, $28,900; associates degree.

11. Physical therapist assistant: 21,200 jobs: $46,140; associate’s degree.

12. Physical therapist aide: 16,700 jobs: $23,760: short-term on-the-job training.

13. Skin Care Specialist: 14,700 jobs: $28,730: post-secondary vocational award.

14. Biomedical engineer: 11,600 jobs: $77,400; bachelor’s degree.

15. Financial examiner: 11,100 jobs, $70,930; bachelor’s degree.

The number of 50-plus workers is soaring and now is the time to think about what you want to do as you may be finishing up one career and thinking about going into another. Think about education requirements you may want to start working on or part-time/volunteer work that may give you some of the on-the-job training that may help you. Think about what you love to do and see if that can become a career for your.

To your health and future. Leigh

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Protect Yourself from Phishing or Identity Theft!




When you open your email think about the following:


A Phisher e-mails a potential victim claiming to be from a familiar source (a bank, Paypal, credit card co, etc). The message contains a threat or question requiring the victim to go to the company site by the link in the email. The victim clicks on the link and is taken to a site that looks real but it’s a fake. The victim enters his sensitive information, (account #’s, passwords, etc). The phisher uses the data to access the real corporate site to steal money and for identity theft.


Hacking your password gets much harder if you follow these tips.


1. The longer the password the better (go for 8 characters or more)
2. Use a mix of upper and lower case letters.
3. Use numbers and at least 1 special character.

If you get an e-mail you are not sure about, contact the source (the bank, credit card co, etc)directly, do not click on any link in the e-mail. Your bank may want you to forward the email to them so that they can follow the hacker. Protect yourself by not sharing information with people you may or may not know and being a little more cautious even with people you think you know. Think about all this when you set up your social networking.


Protect yourself!

Leigh

Monday, July 18, 2011

Repel Mosquitos with Natural Plants from your Garden!




Lemon Balm, the International Herb Association’s 2007 Herb of the Year, is an ancient antidote to modern-day stress. This versatile herb can be used to calm nerves, promote restful sleep, and reduce digestive distress — plus it could be your new best friend in the great outdoors. Not only do its leaves have a rich, zippy, lemon smell, but they also contain compounds that can repel mosquitoes.


“Some northern European forms of lemon balm are high in citronellal, a compound which mimics the well-known herbal repellent citronella oil,” says Arthur Tucker, an ethnobotanist at Delaware State University. He notes that some forms of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) are nearly 38 percent citronellal. A variety called ‘Quedlinburger Niederliegende’ with this higher content of essential oil is available from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Richters.


For a quick mosquito repellent, simply crush a handful of lemon balm leaves in your hand and rub them on your exposed skin. Grow the plants near your backdoor or in your garden, where the leaves will be handy when you need them.


LEMON BALM TO THE RESCUE
In addition to keeping biting bugs at bay, lemon balm has a long history of medicinal use. Cultivated in the Mediterranean region for the past 2,000 years, this perennial herb was prized for its catchall curative properties. During the Middle Ages, King Charles V of France was said to drink lemon balm tea daily for his health. Paracelsus, a Swiss Renaissance physician, called lemon balm the “elixir of life.” And in the 17th century, the French Carmelite nuns made their famous Carmelite Water with lemon balm and other herbs to treat nervous headaches and neuralgia. Today, lemon balm is gaining acceptance as a useful herb for modern stress-related maladies.


“Weedy lemon balm, which any old brown thumb can grow, would be one of the herbs you should try before resorting to pharmaceuticals,” says James Duke, an internationally renowned herbal expert. “It’s cheap, easy, efficacious, pleasing and safe; and it makes a good tea. Lemon balm is about as safe and pleasant an herb as there is.”


Duke thinks lemon balm could compete favorably with drugs such as Ambien for insomnia, Avirax for oral herpes, Zoloft for depression and Zantac for indigestion. The German Commission E, established by the country’s Minister of Health in the ’70s to review herbal remedies, has approved lemon balm for gastrointestinal problems, as well as nervous sleeping disorders.