National Edition - March 9, 2008
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Newsworthy
Memory blamed for bad grades
Answer e-mails, finish quarterly report, reserve boardroom, book flight, and the list goes on. If you can't remember the next item on your mental list, chances are your brain's working memory is full. British researchers have identified working memory as a new and important benchmark in grade school children's academic development, even more so than IQ. A typical adult can retain three to five items in their working memory, and in a worst-case scenario of working memory dysfunction, reading one sentence erases the previous one.
(Source: Reuters, UK)
How many items can you typically store in your "working memory?"
To answer, click here.
Looking for Work
Finding your dream job
Sure, in theory, any hack could barge into Al Jean's office at Fox Broadcasting Company and walk out the new writer for The Simpsons. However, landing a "dream job" is not always easy – if it were, everyone would be pursuing the career of their dreams. However, a new company called VocationVacations is pairing interns with professional mentors in their areas of interest so they can try their dream jobs on for size. This excellent no-risk proposition allows individuals to put their talents to the test to see whether their dream job can become a reality.
(Source: USA Today)
Education/Training
At 38, Taking the SAT Is Tough
In the United States, the SAT Reasoning Test winnows out high school students and dampens many a dream of getting into Harvard. In fact, regardless of classroom grades, college applicants need to score at least 1200 out of 1600 in critical reading, writing and math before they can even consider attending one of the venerable Ivy League institutions. Harrumph, harrumph, harrumph. At the other end of the scale, top high school athletes looking for a full-ride scholarship to a Division One school only need a score of 710 to qualify. This article recounts the adventure of a
38-year old author armed with a 2B pencil who hits the study hall for an SAT
square-off against a pimply 17-year old.
(Source: Wired)
Apprenticeship: Getting started
While white-collar types busy themselves with post-brunch shopping for new condominium developments on weekends, the residential construction boom experienced in Canada over the majority of the past decade has been giving rise to wheelbarrow loads full of opportunities in the skilled trades. However, breaking into the skilled trades still requires some dirty work, but landing a suitable apprenticeship is an excellent way to build a career. Would-be apprentices need to take stock of a variety of factors before committing to a program, including the duration of the apprenticeship, the wages offered in their prospective field, the cost of tools, employment outlooks and whether to choose a unionized and non-unionized work environment.
(Source: Jobboom, Career Zone)
Career Options
Women build homes, confidence
Red Green was a Canadian folk hero of sorts famous for saying, "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." Well, that kernel of wisdom is becoming obsolete and handymen of all skills levels are going to need to find a new niche because an increasing number of women are now doing it for themselves. Habitat for Humanity is an organization helping women get involved in
non-traditional roles in the construction industry. In addition to developing new skills, these women are changing the gruff working environment.
(Source: Jobboom, Career Zone)
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Do you... call in sick too often? Although chewing your arm off like a coyote may be an option on weekends, perhaps you've run out of excuses for escaping from the old grind?
- Only in America: A 21-year-old man in the United States asked his friend to shoot him in the shoulder so he could skip work.
- The man took the bullet in the right shoulder so he could avoid a drug test being administered by his employer.
- The man's story unravelled when detectives were called to the hospital where he sought treatment for the bullet wound.
- It remains unclear where the man worked, or whether he still has a job.
(Source: Telegraph)
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NOTICE: Jobboom and its sponsors do not necessarily endorse the opinions conveyed in the articles selected for this e-zine and do not assume any legal liability in consequence thereof.
Comments: info@jobboom.com
Research and editing: Austin Macdonald
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