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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, online learning platforms have drastically increased in popularity over recent years. Students of all levels, including those in corporate training, now rely on the internet to deliver their educational materials.

In this article, we'll discuss how online learning platforms work and which platform to choose based on your needs.

What Is an Online Learning Platform?

An online learning platform allows students to access and absorb educational content in a strictly digital fashion, in either groups or individual settings. Online learning can take place live at set times, or it can entail pre-recorded lessons for students to complete on their own time.

What Are the Different Types of Online Learning Platforms?

If you plan to take an online course or pursue another type of distance learning, you should first become familiar with a few different delivery platforms. Below, we'll discuss three of the most popular online learning platforms and a few of the best providers for each.

Learning Destination Sites

A learning destination site (LDS) allows you to access a variety of courses in one place. Udemy, a popular LDS, offers more than 185,000 video-based lessons on an array of topics. The following online learning platforms are also categorized as learning destination sites:

Coursera. A great option for those in the workplace looking to enhance skills or change careers, Coursera offers virtual courses, certifications and degree content.

Codecademy. This online coding bootcamp offers comprehensive instruction to students who want to learn how to code. Learners can choose from career paths and individual courses.

Khan Academy. This learning platform specializes in online learning for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade and includes courses for high school and college as well. Khan Academy is free and boasts a wealth of courses in topics like math, reading, computers and social and emotional development.

Learning Management Systems

Learning management systems (LMS) are software systems used by companies and organizations for learning and training.

An LMS differs from an LDS in that it's not a standalone website. Rather, an LMS is a portal through which instructors disseminate information for learners to access. An LMS can exist online or as installed software, and it can be paid or open-source.

Below, we detail a few of the most common learning management systems used today:

Blackboard (traditional). Blackboard is an LMS that serves all grade levels. Through Blackboard, instructors can build and share educational content. The provider has an associated app as well.

Canvas (traditional). Canvas is one of Blackboard's primary competitors. All Ivy League schools have adopted Canvas as their main LMS. This up-and-coming platform is feature-heavy and efficient.

Moodle (open-source). This robust learning management system is completely free to use. It works best for those who have some experience with the administrative tasks involved in setting up an LMS.

Learning Management Ecosystems

A learning management ecosystem (LME) can be thought of as a combination of an LDS and an LMS. These comprehensive learning platforms offer a variety of courses, but they are internal to particular organizations. This means you can't access an LME without being a part of the organization to which it belongs. Large colleges and universities often use their own LMEs.

Online Learning Delivery Methods

Instructors can deliver online learning through several methods. We'll go over a few types of online learning delivery methods below.

Video-Based Learning

Video-based learning involves learning from a video or series of videos. This format works best for those seeking flexibility in their learning. Students can typically view videos at any time from any location. This format combines speaking, graphics and animation to provide a 360-degree learning experience.

A great example of video-based learning is YouTube, where viewers can watch tutorials on just about any topic. Just make sure that the content creator is a credible source on their given topic.

One-on-One Learning

Online learning is not always asynchronous. With one-on-one learning, students can work with a teacher or tutor in real time. This format provides more direct interaction with students' instructors, allowing learners to ask questions and work out problems face to face.

Group Learning

Virtual classrooms, like those offered by most online colleges, are a good example of group learning. These classes typically meet at set times, during which an appointed instructor leads the class.

Group learning classes often use other mediums, like pre-recorded videos and lectures, to enhance the learning experience. Professors and instructors typically use LMSs to post grades, facilitate discussions and keep track of assignments.

Benefits of Online Learning Platforms

Online learning requires top-notch time management skills and plenty of self-discipline, and many students prefer to learn in in-person environments. That said, distance learning brings a wealth of benefits as well. Here are a few positive outcomes of online learning platforms:

Budget-Friendly Choices

Online learning often costs less than in-person instruction. Many colleges and universities offer in-state tuition rates to all remote learners, regardless of where they reside. Likewise, studying online reduces costs associated with housing and transportation.

For aspiring tech professionals, online coding bootcamps offer a cheaper alternative to traditional degree programs. And open-source learning destination sites allow anyone to dive into a subject that interests them-free of charge.

Flexibility and Convenience

Online learning often allows learners to study at their convenience. This makes it easier to hold down a full-time job while attending courses. It also means students can attend courses offered by out-of-state schools without having to travel or uproot their lives.

Options for Every Learning Style

Online learning platforms offer something for everyone. For students who want the camaraderie of in-person classes with the convenience of remote learning, group-based online learning combines the best of both worlds. On the other hand, those who feel overwhelmed in group learning settings might prefer one-on-one online courses. And learners with unpredictable work schedules who need lots of flexibility can find what they need in video-based courses.

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Online Learning Platforms: The Different Types And Their Benefits

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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, online learning platforms have drastically increased in popularity over recent years. Students of all levels, including those in corporate training, now rely on the internet to deliver their educational materials. In this article, we'll discuss how online learning pl

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Learn the money management skills you need with this free tutorial, which covers money management, banking, and retirement planning.

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Mistakes to avoid when writing your cover letter

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Mistakes to avoid when writing your cover letter

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What are your job/career goals for the summer?

How will these help you achieve your long-term goals?

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1. Go to www.newsela.com

2. Log in with class information

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5+ Common Job Scams in 2023 [& How to Avoid Them!]

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Wondering why that job offer looks too good to be true? Cause it’s probably a scam. Here are the most common job scams & how to avoid them!

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Job scams have become one of the fastest growing frauds in the U.S.

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Job scams on the rise: What you need to know before you apply

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Scammers luring job hunters with fake remote jobs | DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY

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1. develop a routine

2. be people-oriented

3. be health-oriented

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Daily Habits Of Successful People - Brian Tracy

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Job vs Career - Difference between job and career

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Roth IRA vs 401(K): The Best Investment For You | NerdWallet

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Official Google Workspace User Help Center where you can find tips and tutorials on using Google Workspace User and other answers to frequently asked questions.

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16 Skills You Need To be Successful at Work

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Discover what technical, professional and interpersonal skills are and review a list of 16 skills to be successful in the workplace, including listening skills and leadership skills.

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1. What is this person's salary?

2. What was their greatest expense?

3. How many months did they have a surplus?

4. During which season did the most deficit occur?

5. How much did they spend on clothing for the whole year? On vacations?

6. What is the difference between when their savings was highest and when it was lowest?

7. What other expenses might they add to give an even clearer picture of their budget?

8. What advice would you give them?

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1. How much can this person expect to save after 12 months?

2. What are some simple ways to cut expenses without deleting any categories completely?

3. How much does this person make per hour if they are working 25 hours a week?

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This article is part of NerdWallet's plain-language explainer on how to build, grow and manage your money.

Investing 101: A summary of the basics

It's time to make your savings multiply. First, a few investing basics for beginners:

How much money you need to start investing: Not a lot. In fact, it's mathematically proven that it's better to start small than to wait until you have more to deploy - even if you try to play catch-up down the road. That little eye-opener is thanks to a magic formula called compound interest. (We'll get into how that works in a minute and - yep - we've got a calculator for it.)

What to invest in: Stocks. Or at least investment vehicles that provide exposure to the stock market. The stock market is the place that will deliver the best long-term return on your money.

The easiest way to start investing in stocks, and the most common, is to buy a mutual fund - a type of investment that pools money from many investors and invests it in a group of different stocks; call it the "eggs in many baskets" approach.

The secret to making money in stocks: Stay invested. Time (to let your investments ride out the market's inevitable short-term rough patches) and temperament (the ability to keep cool while others are freaking out) are the keys to investment success. So says a guy you might have heard of named Warren Buffett.

Now that you have the lay of the land, let's dig in.

There's (amassing money) and then there's (making it multiply). Two big differences between them: time and the type of account you use as a holding pen for your money.

Saving is what you do with the money you're going to use to pay for short-term goals - ones in the next five years or so. That money belongs in an account where it's liquid - that is, easily accessible - and safe, such as a high-yield savings account or even a CD if you're confident you won't need the funds until after a certain date.

Investing is what you do with money earmarked for long-term goals like retirement. With a long time horizon, you can make growth, rather than liquidity, the priority.
Over time, inflation erodes the purchasing power of cash. If the current inflation rate is 3%, when you go to spend the $100 bill you stashed in a coffee can last year, that money will only get you $97 worth of groceries compared to what it would have gotten you last year. In other words, the cash you've been sitting on doesn't buy as much as it used to, because everything has gotten 3% more expensive.

Now imagine the effect of decades of inflation on wads of money. Actually, you don't have to imagine. We'll show you:

That's how it's possible to save money and lose money - that is, spending power - at the same time.

You want your long-term investments to outpace inflation, right? Well...

Why you should invest in the stock market

One look at the historic rate of return of the major asset classes shows that the stock market is going to give you the biggest bang for your bucks.

Historic returns on your investment

Many people say they think it's too risky or they don't know how to invest money . While this is a valid concern, and investing does carry risk, having a diverse portfolio can better equip you to weather the market and ultimately achieve your goals.

Your dollars could become more valuable

Now's the time to learn how to invest - to let your savings dollars hitch a ride in a vehicle you can hold on to for years and have it become more valuable than when you started.

It's like reverse inflation: The hamburger you could buy for $1 when you were a kid would cost you $5 decades later. But you can't store the $1 burger away for years and sell when it's worth $5. Instead, you can buy shares in a bunch of companies involved in making that burger - the bun and beef manufacturers, packaging producers, retailers and restaurants (we'll show you how in a moment) - and reap the rewards of their growth right alongside them.

Reap the benefits of compound interest

If you're itching to get started investing, great! If you're waiting until you have enough time or money, or for the stock market to cool down or heat up, stop that. Investing any amount of money is never a futile exercise, thanks to the magic of compound interest.

What is compound interest ? It's like a runaway snowball of money growing larger and larger as it rolls along. All you need to get it going is starter money.

As interest starts to accumulate on your initial investment, it is added to your ball of cash. You continue to earn interest, your balance expands in value and picks up speed - and on and on it goes.

The sooner you get the snowball rolling, the better. Now let's go over how to make your pennies multiply.

4 ways to start investing in stocks

If you own a mutual fund (in your 401(k), for example) then - congratulations! - you already own stocks. A lot of people don't realize that.

But that's just one of the ways investors can get in on the greatest wealth-building machine on the planet. The four most common entry points into the stock market are:

Individual stocks. We won't sugarcoat it: Buying individual stocks requires a fair amount of research, ongoing diligence and a stomach for risk. Those aren't things that most retirement savers want to deal with. In fact, many 401(k) plans don't even allow participants to buy individual stocks within the plan. If buying stocks sounds exciting to you, we recommend devoting no more than 10% of your retirement portfolio's overall value to them.

Mutual funds. A mutual fund is a basket that contains a bunch of different investments - often mostly stocks - that all have something in common, be it companies that together make up a market index (see the box for more about the joys of index funds), a particular asset class (bonds, international stocks) or a specific sector (companies in the energy industry, technology stocks). There are even mutual funds that invest solely in companies that adhere to certain ethical or environmental principles (aka socially responsible funds).

What's nice about mutual funds is that in a single transaction, investors are able to purchase a neatly packaged collection of investments. It's instant, easy diversification (exposure to lots of different companies) that lets you avoid buying stocks one by one.

Automated for the people: An ode to index mutual funds

Of the roughly 8,000 mutual funds investors can purchase, we're partial to a particular type: index funds.

An index fund's sole investment objective is to mirror the performance of a market index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500 or the Nasdaq Composite.

These funds are made up entirely of the stocks contained in a particular index. (The S&P 500 index contains shares of 500 of the largest publicly traded U.S. companies, while the Nasdaq tracks a group of more than 3,000 stocks traded on a different exchange.) So the returns of these index funds mirror that of the market they track.

The investment objective of actively managed mutual funds, on the other hand, is to "beat the market's returns" (translation: to outperform a benchmark index). To do that they employ managers to pick and choose the investments in a fund.

The cost of that management, along with expenses for trades, administration, marketing materials, etc., comes out of your investment returns. Largely because of that, the majority of actively managed mutual funds actually underperform their benchmark index.

Index funds are essentially run by robots. (Okay, not literal robots, but computer algorithms programmed to automatically track the market's comings and goings.) Computer robots don't demand Wall Street-sized year-end bonuses or need corner offices, which makes them a lot cheaper.

Those savings are passed along to you. In fact, investors pay nearly nine times more in fees for actively managed mutual funds, which charge an average of 0.78% per year, than they pay in fees for index mutual funds, where the average cost is 0.09% per year.

Choose an index fund, and more of your money stays in your portfolio to grow over time.

ETFs (exchange-traded funds). Like index funds, ETFs contain a bundle of investments that can range from stocks to bonds to currencies and cash. The beauty of an ETF is that it trades like a stock, which means investors can purchase them for a share price that is often less than the $500-plus minimum investment many mutual funds require.

Practical matters

Sitting on cash that could be invested? Find out what it's costing you.

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Investing 101: A Complete Guide to Investing for Retirement - NerdWallet

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This article is part of NerdWallet's plain-language explainer on how to build, grow and manage your money. Investing 101: A summary of the basics It's time to make your savings multiply. First, a few investing basics for beginners: How much money you need to start investing: Not a lot.

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The Investment Calculator can be used to calculate a specific parameter for an investment plan. The tabs represent the desired parameter to be found. For example, to calculate the return rate needed to reach an investment goal with particular inputs, click the 'Return Rate' tab.

Investing is the act of using money to make more money. The Investment Calculator can help determine one of many different variables concerning investments with a fixed rate of return.

Variables involved

For any typical financial investment, there are four crucial elements that make up the investment.

Return rate - For many investors, this is what matters most. On the surface, it appears as a plain percentage, but it is the cold, hard number used to compare the attractiveness of various sorts of financial investments.

Starting amount - Sometimes called the principal, this is the amount apparent at the inception of the investment. In practical investing terms, it can be a large amount saved up for a home, an inheritance, or the purchase price of a quantity of gold.

End amount - The desired amount at the end of the life of the investment.

Investment length - The length of the life of the investment. Generally, the longer the investment, the riskier it becomes due to the unforeseeable future. Normally, the more periods involved in an investment, the more compounding of return is accrued and the greater the rewards.

Additional contribution - Commonly referred to as annuity payment in financial jargon, investments can be done without them. However, any additional contributions during the life of an investment towards principal will result in more accrued return and a higher end amount.

Different Types of Investments

Our Investment Calculator can be used for mostly any investment opportunity that can be simplified to the variables above. The following is a list of some common investments. The investment options available are far beyond what was listed.

CDs

A simple example of a type of investment that can be used with the calculator is a certificate of deposit, or CD, which is available at most banks. A CD is a low risk investment. In U.S., most banks are insured by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a U.S. government agency. This means the CD is guaranteed by FDIC up to a certain amount. It pays a fixed interest rate for a specified amount of time, giving an easy-to-determine rate of return and investment length. Normally, the longer that money is left in a CD, the higher the rate of interest received. Other low-risk investments of this type include savings accounts and money market accounts, which pay relatively low rates of interest. We have a CD Calculator for investments involving CDs.

Bonds

Risk is a key factor when making bond investments. In general, premiums must be paid for greater risks. For example, buying the bonds or debt of some companies rated at a risky level by the agencies that determine levels of risk in corporate debt (Moody's, Fitch, Standard & Poor's) will earn a relatively high rate of interest, but there is always risk that these companies might go out of business, possibly resulting in losses on investments.

Buying bonds from companies that are highly rated for being low-risk by the mentioned agencies is much safer, but this earns a lower rate of interest. Bonds can be bought for the short or long term.

Short-term bond investors want to buy a bond when its price is low and sell it when its price has risen, rather than holding the bond to maturity. Bond prices tend to drop as interest rates rise, and they typically rise when interest rates fall. Within different parts of the bond market, differences in supply and demand can also generate short-term trading opportunities.

A conservative approach to bond investing is to hold them until maturity. This way, interest payments become available, usually twice a year, and owners receive the face value of the bond at maturity. By following a long-term bond-buying strategy, it is not a requirement to be too concerned about the impact of interest rates on a bond's price or market value. If interest rates rise and the market value of bonds change, the strategy shouldn't change unless there is a decision to sell.

One very special kind of bond is the United States Treasury inflation-protected securities, known as TIPS. TIPS offer an effective way to handle the risk of inflation. They also provide a risk-free return guaranteed by the U.S. government. For this reason, they are a very popular investment, although the return is relatively low compared to other fixed-income investments. TIPS are guaranteed to keep pace with inflation as defined by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is what makes them unique and characterizes their behavior. Please visit our Inflation Calculator for more information about inflation or TIPS.

Stocks

Equity or stocks are popular forms of investments. While they are not fixed-interest investments, they are one of the most important forms of investments for both institutional and private investors.

A stock is a share, literally a percentage of ownership, in a company. It permits a part owner of a public company to share in its profits, and shareholders receive funds in the form of dividends for as long as the shares are held (and the company pays dividends). Most stocks are traded on exchanges, and many investors purchase stocks with the intent of buying them at a low price and selling them at a higher one (hopefully). Many investors also prefer to invest in mutual funds, or other types of stock funds, which group stocks together. These funds are normally managed by a finance manager or firm. The investor pays a small fee called a "load" for the privilege of working with the manager or firm. Another kind of stock fund is the exchange traded fund (ETF), which tracks an index, sector, commodity, or other asset. An ETF fund can be purchased or sold on a stock exchange the same way as a regular stock. An ETF can be structured to track anything, such as the S&P 500 index, certain type of real estate, commodity, bonds, or other assets.

Real Estate

Another popular investment type is real estate. A popular form of investment in real estate is to buy houses or apartments. The owner can then choose to sell them (commonly called flipping), or rent them out in the meantime to maybe sell in the future at a more opportune time. Please consult our comprehensive Rental Property Calculator for more information or to do calculations involving rental properties. Also, land can be bought and made more valuable through improvements. Understandably, not everyone wants to get their hands dirty, and there exist more passive forms of real estate investing such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), which is a company or fund that owns or finances income-producing real estate. Real estate investing is usually contingent upon values going up, and there can be many reasons as to why they appreciate; examples include gentrification, an increase in development of surrounding areas, or even certain global affairs.

Real estate investing takes on many different forms, click here to find all our relevant real estate calculators.

Commodities

Last but not least are commodities. These can range from precious metals like gold and silver, to useful commodities like oil and gas. Investment in gold is complex, as the price of it is not determined by any industrial usage, but by the fact that it is valuable due to being a finite resource. It is common for investors to hold gold, particularly in times of financial uncertainty. When there is war or crisis, investors tend to buy gold and drive the price up. Investing in silver on the other hand, is very largely determined by the demand for that commodity in photovoltaics, the automobile industry, and other practical uses. Oil is a very popular investment, and demand for oil is strong as the need for gasoline is always considerable. Oil is traded around the world on spot markets, public financial markets where commodities are traded for immediate delivery, and its price goes up and down depending on the state of the global economy. Investment in commodities like gas on the other hand, is usually made through futures exchanges, of which the largest in the U.S. is the CBOT in Chicago. Futures exchanges trade options on quantities of gas and other commodities before delivery. A private investor can trade into futures and then trade out, always avoiding the terminal delivery point.

Although the vastly different types of investments listed above (among many others) can be calculated using our Investment Calculator, the real difficulty is trying to arrive at the correct value for each variable. For instance, it is feasible to use either the recent historical average return rates of similarly sold homes or a rate based on future forecasts as the "Return Rate" variable for the investment calculation of a particular house. It is also just as feasible to include all capital expenditures or only a particular stream of cash flows of the purchase of a factory as inputs for "Additional Contribution". Due to this difficulty, there really is no "right" way to arrive at accurate calculations, and results should be taken with a grain of salt. For more precise and detailed calculations, it may be worthwhile to first check out our other financial calculators to see if there is a specific calculator developed for more specific use before using this Investment Calculator.

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Free investment calculator to evaluate various investment situations and find out corresponding schedules while considering starting and ending balance, additional contributions, return rate, or investment length. Also learn more about investments or explore hundreds of other calculators addressing finance, math, fitness, health, and many more.

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A compilation of free financial calculators involving mortgages, loans, investments, debt, retirement, and more, each with related in-depth information.

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Skills Matcher | Careers | CareerOneStop

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ARTICLE: Soft skills for professional success

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ARTICLE: Soft skills for professional success

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Make a Great Impression in a Job Interview: 20 Tips

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Make a Great Impression in a Job Interview: 20 Tips

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Top 10 | Best Websites for Job Search of 2022 - 2023

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Setting short-term financial goals, as well as midterm and long-term, is an important step toward becoming financially secure. If you aren't working toward anything specific, you're likely to spend more than you should. You'll then come up short when you need money for unexpected bills, not to mention when you want to retire. You might get stuck in a vicious cycle of credit card debt and feel like you never have enough cash to get properly insured, leaving you more vulnerable than you need to be to handle some of life's major risks.

Even the most prudent person can't prepare against every crisis, as the world learned in the pandemic and many families learn every month. What thinking ahead does is give you a chance to work through things that could happen and do your best to prepare for them. This should be an ongoing process so you can shape your life and goals to fit the changes that will inevitably come.

Annual financial planning gives you an opportunity to formally review your goals, update them, and review your progress since last year. If you've never set goals before, take the opportunity to formulate them so you can get-or stay-on firm financial footing. Here are goals, from near-term to distant, that financial experts recommend setting to help you learn to live comfortably within your means, reduce your money troubles, and save for retirement.

Short-Term Financial Goals

Setting short-term financial goals gives you the foundation and the confidence boost that you'll need to achieve the bigger goals that take more time. These first steps can relatively easy to achieve in as little as a year: Create a budget and stick with it. Build an emergency fund. Pay down the credit card debt that's holding you back.

Establish a Budget

"You can't know where you are going until you really know where you are right now. That means setting up a budget," says Lauren Zangardi Haynes, a fiduciary and fee-only financial planner with Spark Financial Advisors in Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia. "You might be shocked at how much money is slipping through the cracks each month."

An easy way to track your spending is to use a free budgeting program like Mint. It will combine the information from all your accounts into one place so you can label each expense by category. You can also create a budget the old-fashioned way by going through your bank statements and bills from the past few months and categorizing each expense with a spreadsheet or on paper.

When you see how you are spending your money and you're guided by that information, you can make better decisions about where you want your money to go in the future. Is the enjoyment and convenience of eating out worth the extra money each month to you? If so, great-as long as you can afford it. If not, you've just discovered an easy way to save money every month. You can look for ways to spend less when you dine out, replace some restaurant/takeout meals with homemade ones, or have a combination of the two.

Create an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is money you set aside specifically to pay for unexpected expenses. To get started, $500 to $1,000 is a good goal. When you meet that goal, you'll want to expand it so that your emergency fund can cover greater financial difficulties, such as unemployment. If you didn't have an emergency fund prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, you likely wished you did. And if you did have one, you may have tapped into it and need to replenish it.

Ilene Davis, a certified financial planner (CFP) with Financial Independence Services in Cocoa, Florida, recommends saving at least three months' worth of expenses to cover your financial obligations and basic needs, but preferably six months' worth-especially if you are married and work for the same company your spouse does or if you work in an area with limited job prospects. She says finding at least one thing in your budget to cut back on can help fund your emergency savings.

Another way to build emergency savings is through decluttering and organizing, says Kevin Gallegos, vice president of sales andPhoenix operations with Freedom Financial Network, an online financial services company for consumer debt settlement, mortgage shopping, and personal loans. You can make extra money by selling unneeded items on eBay or Craigslist or holding a yard sale. Consider turning a hobby into part-time work from which you can devote the income to savings.

Zangardi Haynes recommends opening a savings account and setting up an automatic transfer for the amount you've determined you can save each month (using your budget) until you hit your emergency fund goal. "If you get a bonus, tax refund, or even an 'extra' monthly paycheck-which happens two months out of the year if you are paid biweekly-save that money as soon as it comes into your checking account. If you wait until the end of the month to transfer that money, the odds are high that it will get spent instead of saved," she says.

Though you probably have other savings goals too, such as saving for retirement, creating an emergency fund should be a top priority. It's the savings account that creates the financial stability you need to achieve your other goals.

Pay Off Credit Cards

Experts disagree on whether to pay off credit card debt or create an emergency fund first. Some say that you should create an emergency fund even if you still have credit card debt because, without an emergency fund, any unexpected expense will send you further into credit card debt. Others say you should pay off credit card debt first because the interest is so costly that it makes achieving any other financial goal much more difficult. Pick the philosophy that makes the most sense to you, or do a little of both at the same time.

As a strategy for paying off credit card debt, Davis recommends listing all your debts by interest rate from lowest to highest, then paying only the minimum on all but your highest-rate debt. Use any additional funds you have to make extra payments on your highest-rate card.

The method Davis describes is called the debt avalanche. Another method to consider is called the debt snowball. With the snowball method, you pay off your debts in order of smallest to largest, regardless of the interest rate. The idea is that the sense of accomplishment you get from paying off the smallest debt will give you the momentum to tackle the next-smallest debt, and so on until you're debt-free.

Gallegos says debt negotiation or settlement is an option for those with $10,000 or more in unsecured debt (such as credit card debt) who can't afford the required minimum payments. Companies that offer these services are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission and work on the consumer's behalf to cut debt by as much as 50% in exchange for a fee, typically a percentage of the total debt or a percentage of the amount of debt reduction, which the consumer should only pay after a successful negotiation. Consumers can get out of debt in two to four years this way, Gallegos says. The drawbacks are that debt settlement can hurt your credit score, and creditors can take legal action against consumers for unpaid accounts.

Midterm Financial Goals

When you've created a budget, established an emergency fund, and paid off your credit card debt-or at least made a good dent in those three short-term goals-it's time to start working toward midterm financial goals. These goals will create a bridge between your short- and long-term financial goals.

Get Life Insurance and Disability Income Insurance

Do you have a spouse or children who depend on your income? If so, you need life insurance to provide for them in case you pass away prematurely. Term life insurance is the least complicated and least expensive type of life insurance and will meet most people's insurance needs. An insurance broker can help you find the best price on a policy. Most term life insurance requires medical underwriting, and unless you are seriously ill, you can probably find at least one company that will offer you a policy.

Gallegos also says that you should have disability insurance in place to protect your income while you are working. "Most employers provide this coverage," he says. "If they don't, individuals can obtain it themselves until retirement age."

Disability insurance will replace a portion of your income if you become seriously ill or injured to the point that you can't work. It can provide a larger benefit than Social Security disability income, allowing you (and your family, if you have one) to live more comfortably than you otherwise will if you lose your ability to earn an income. There will be a waiting period between when you become unable to work and when your insurance benefits will start to pay out, which is another reason why having an emergency fund is so important.

Pay Off Student Loans

Student loans are a major drag on many people's monthly budgets. Lowering or getting rid of those payments can free up cash that will make it easier to save for retirement and meet your other goals. One strategy that can help you pay off your student loans is refinancing into a new loan with a lower interest rate. But beware: If you refinance federal student loans with a private lender, you may lose some of the benefits associated with federal student loans, such as income-based repayment, deferment, and forbearance, which can help if you fall on hard times.﻿﻿

Consider Your Dreams

Midterm goals can also include goals like buying a first home or, later on, a vacation home. Maybe you already have a home and want to upgrade it with a major renovation-or start saving for a larger place. Saving for college expenses or the costs that come with starting a family are other examples of midterm goals.

When you've set one or more of these goals, start figuring out how much you need to save to make a dent in reaching them. Visualizing the type of future you want is the first step toward achieving it.

Long-Term Financial Goals

The biggest long-term financial goal for most people is saving enough money to retire. The common rule of thumb is that you should save 10% to 15% of every paycheck in a tax-advantaged retirement account like a 401(k) or 403(b), if you have access to one, or a traditional IRA or Roth IRA. But to make sure you're really saving enough, you need to figure out how much you'll actually need to retire.

Estimate Your Retirement Needs

Oscar Vives Ortiz, a CPA financial planner with PNC Wealth Management in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg, Florida, area, says you can do a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation to estimate your retirement readiness:

1. Estimate your desired annual living expenses during retirement. The budget you created when you started on your short-term financial goals will give you an idea of how much you need. You may need to plan for higher healthcare costs in retirement.

2. Subtract the income you will receive. Include Social Security, retirement plans, and pensions. This will leave you with the amount that needs to be funded by your investment portfolio.

3. Estimate how much in retirement assets you need for your desired retirement date. Base this on what you currently have and are saving on an annual basis. An online retirement calculator can do the math for you. If 4% or less of this balance at the time of retirement covers the remaining amount of expenses that your combined Social Security and pensions do not cover, you are on track to retire.

If, for example, you started with a portfolio of $1 million and withdrew $40,000 in year one (4% of $1 million), then increased the withdrawal by the rate of inflation each subsequent year ($40,000 plus 2% in year two, or $40,800; $40,800 plus 2% in year three, or $41,616, and so on), you would have made it through any 30-year retirement without running out of money. "This is why you often see 4% as a rule of thumb when discussing retirement," Vives Ortiz says.

"In most scenarios, you actually end up with more money at the end of 30 years using 4%, but in the worst of the worst, you would have run out of money in year 30," he adds. "The only word of caution here is that just because 4% has survived every scenario in history does not guarantee it will continue to do so going forward."

Ortiz provided the following example of how to estimate whether you're on track to retire:

A 56-Year-Old Couple Who Wants to Retire in 10 Years

Desired annual living expenses

$ 65,000

Spouse No. 1's Social Security at age 66

$ (24,000)

$2,000/month

Spouse No. 2's Social Security at age 66

$ (24,000)

$2,000/month

Remaining needs (to come from investments)

$ 17,000

Total investments needed to fund remaining needs, assuming a 4% withdrawal rate ($17,000/.04)

$ 425,000

Current 401(k)/IRA balance (combined, both spouses)

$ (250,000)

Additional savings needed over the next 10 years*

$ 175,000

($17,500/year; or about $1,460/month)

* For simplicity, we have not included the rate of return that would be earned over the next 10 years on the current investments.

Increase Retirement Savings

For most people who have an employer-sponsored retirement plan, the employer will match a percentage of what you are paid, says CFP Vincent Oldre, president of Assured Retirement Group in Minneapolis. They might match 3% or even 7% of your paycheck. You can get a 100% return on your investment if you contribute enough to get your full employer match, and this is the most important step to take to fund your retirement.

"What kills me is that people do not put money into their retirement plan because either they 'can't afford to' or they are 'afraid of the stock market.' They miss out on what I call a 'no-brainer' return," Oldre says.

Michael Cirelli, a financial advisor with SAI Financial in Warrenville, Illinois, recommends making IRA contributions at the beginning of the year as opposed to the end, when most people tend to do it, to give the money more time to grow and give yourself a larger amount to retire with.

The Bottom Line

You probably won't make perfect, linear progress toward achieving any of your goals, but the important thing is to be consistent. If you are hit with an unexpected car repair or medical bill one month and can't contribute to your emergency fund but have to take money out of it instead, don't beat yourself up; That's what the fund is there for. Just get back on track as soon as you can.

The same is true if you lose your job or get sick. You'll have to create a new plan to get through that difficult period, and you may not be able to pay down debt or save for retirement during that time, but you can resume your original plan-or perhaps a revised version-when you come out on the other side.

That's the beauty of annual financial planning: You can review and update your goals and monitor your progress in reaching them throughout life's ups and downs. In the process, you will find that both the small things you do on a daily and monthly basis and the bigger things you do every year and over the decades will help you achieve your financial goals.

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Top 8 GREAT Alternatives To A College Degree!

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If college isn'tpractical or an option for you, that doesn't mean you can't find a well-paying career or that you shouldn't try to further your education. You may want to consider a certificate program.

These programs, often offered by colleges, provide training in specific fields. You can take certificate programs as a college graduate, but there are many designed for people with a high school diploma or GED and want additional training to land an entry-level position.

"For many high school students, technical certifications are the most direct route to a good career," says Tracy Levine, CEO of Advantage Talent, a professional training and coaching company in Atlanta.

"Employers have more input into the creation of certifications, so they have direct business value. Unlike college degrees, certifications provide transparency into what is taught and what skills a student will bring to their employer," Levine says.

Certificate programs are far cheaper than college, but the cost can add up. You might spend $100 per credit, give or take, so a 12-credit course to earn a certificate could cost $1,200. Still, compared with a college education that can run tens of thousands of dollars over four years, a certificate program is much less expensive.

Here are 15 certificate programs for the following careers, which all have an annual median pay above $30,000:

Surgical Technologist.

Nursing Aide.

Phlebotomist.

Paramedic.

Medical Records Technician.

Pharmacy Technician.

Medical Secretary.

Ophthalmic Medical Technician.

Solar Photovoltaic Installer.

Insurance Sales Agent.

Medical Assistant.

Landscaper and Groundskeeper.

Massage Therapist.

Wind Turbine Technician.

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse.

Surgical technologists sterilize the operating room and set out tools on the tables for procedures. They may also be involved in other ways, such as helping patients onto the table and preparing medications.

You can often get a certification for these jobs at a vocational or technical school, and at the end of your coursework you'll take an exam offered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. Obviously, it helps if you have an interest in medicine - and tend to not faint at the sight of blood.

Nursing aides work in nursing homes or hospitals, taking residents' or patients' blood pressure or temperature as well as completing other tasks.

Certifications for this job depends on the state. For instance, Ohio requires 75 hours of classwork in the Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program, followed by a state-administered competency evaluation test. Arizona requires 120 hours of training, classroom and clinical experience through the Nurse Aide Registration Program, provided by the Arizona State Board of Nursing, followed by an exam. Nursing aides also likely have to renew their certification every couple years.

Phlebotomists draw blood, learning, among other things, how to take the right amount and how to do it safely. Some states don't require certification, but most employers want applicants to complete a phlebotomy certificate program and earn professional certification. You can find these certificate programs throughout the country, often at community colleges, vocational schools or technical schools.

For instance, Pima Medical Institute, which has numerous locations in states like Colorado, Arizona and Texas, has a three-month program that teaches tasks such as how to label the drawn blood for testing or processing and how to enter patient information into a database.

Generally, to be a paramedic, you have to first train to become an EMT, or emergency medical technician. You can often get your EMT training done in about six months, but then you can expect to take another year to complete paramedic training.

You can get this training, however, without a college degree, though you will need a high school diploma or GED.

As you can imagine, as a paramedic, you'll pretty much go anywhere that someone is in need of medical attention and a ride to a hospital.

Many community colleges offer medical records technician certificates. This job involves organizing medical records, including taking the doctor's notes and putting them into the patient's medical record.

One of the many places you can get the training for this career is Johnston Community College in Smithfield, North Carolina, which offers classes in medical office administration with courses such as "Medical Legal Issues," "Medical Terminology I" and "Records Management." It's an 18-credit course taken over two semesters. You'll receive a certificate as a medical coding specialist, which is another term for medical records technician.

This is an important job that involves measuring, mixing, counting and labeling medication dosages. You might also communicate with insurance companies and help patients navigate insurance.

You can get a certification through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or the National Healthcareer Association. To find classes, look to your community college, vocational school or adult education center.

Medical secretaries manage a doctor's office. Their duties include meeting patients, collecting copays and scheduling appointments. Essentially, medical secretaries set the tone for the doctor's office and ensure that operations run smoothly.

This isn't a career in which you must have a certification, but it could make you more competitive in the job market. A certification course will also teach you the ins and outs of running a medical office. The National Healthcareer Association offers a CMAA (Certified Medical Administrative Assistant) certification. It involves a 100 multiple-choice question exam, which covers medical laws, office procedures and insurance procedures.

An ophthalmic medical technician takes a patient's history and performs some visual testing, along with other duties, before the eye doctor comes in. Many people learn how to do this on the job, but if you want to advance your career or get training, you may consider a certificate program.

This job involves installing solar panels on homes and businesses to help conserve energy.

So how do you become a solar photovoltaic installer? Check to see if your local community college or a technical school offers classes that lead to certification. You may be certified and employed within the week, though the more complex the class - like one that lasts a few months - the more likely you'll find a better-paying job.

Some organizations, like the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, require you to take continuing education classes every few years and get recertified. After all, the industry and technology behind solar panels will continue to evolve.

There are many different types of insurance that agents sell, including life, health, disability, long-term care and casualty insurance. All states regulate insurance differently so there is no national standard when it comes to insurance. But when you get certified to sell insurance, in addition to a certification, you also receive a license to sell insurance.

The more types of insurance you want to sell, the more coursework you'll have to do to get your license.

Your state's department of insurance can help you locate courses.

If you're interested in being a medical assistant, which involves administrative, clinical and management tasks within health care organizations, there are a lot of certification programs to explore.

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, for instance, offers the Medical Assistant Certificate program, in which students complete supervised clinical work, including 160 hours of unpaid practicum experience. After that, students take an exam to become a certified medical assistant.

You don't need a certificate to become a landscaper or groundskeeper, but securing one may help you land the job you want.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals offers numerous certifications, including business manager, exterior technician, horticultural technician, lawn care technician and more. You can earn a certificate through a self-study program and take the exam for certification online.

A massage therapist manipulates patients' muscles to alleviate pain, relieve stress and help heal injuries. If you complete a certification program, you can become a professional and learn more than 80 different types of treatment. While you can get a certification in less than two years - and possibly within weeks - you'll probably want to take something fairly rigorous to do it right. Most programs require at least 500 hours of study, and some require 1,000 or more hours, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For instance, Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland offers an 810-hour massage therapy post-degree professional certificate. If you already have an associate degree (or a higher degree) from an accredited college or university, you can take a three-semester (one year) post-degree certificate program in massage therapy. Then you'll be eligible to apply for the State Medical Board of Ohio license (most states require you to have a license to practice).

In this job, you can climb way up the ladder of success. Wind turbine technicians, also known as wind techs, are often at the top of wind turbines, replacing parts, fixing something that has gone awry or simply doing maintenance and troubleshooting. You need to be sharp to take on this job: Wind turbines run on electrical, mechanical and hydraulic parts. If you're looking to get a certificate to be a wind turbine technician, a lot of places throughout the country offer training programs.

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses do it all, from installing catheters to delivering medicine and starting IVs. It's an important job, which is why if you're going to complete a certificate program for either a licensed practical nurse or a licensed vocational nurse (both jobs are the same thing; LVN is simply what the job is called in California and Texas), it needs to be a state-approved certificate program.

Generally, you'll find these programs at universities, colleges and nursing schools throughout the country. ( Practicalnursing.org is a good jumping-off point for research.) You'll want to make sure the school you attend is accredited by national agencies such as the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

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These programs are cheaper and less time-consuming than college, and they provide valuable career skills.

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1. GOALS GIVE YOU DIRECTION.

Goals are like a map. Having no goals would be like sailing a ship across the Atlantic with no compass.

2. GOALS GIVE YOU PURPOSE.

Goals help you to have a reason for getting up in the morning.

3. GOALS ARE MOTIVATING.

Having goals will put drive and passion in your life. They will keep you excited about your journey.

4. GOALS GIVE YOU SELF-CONFIDENCE.

Having goals will give you the confidence to push yourself outside your comfort zone to try new things. Achieving one set of goals will give you the confidence to stretch yourself a little further.

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Developing and Embracing a Growth Mindset

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Here's your mindset card! Check out more ways to use the cards and download printable versions here! Sign up for more youth entrepreneurship resources!

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Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset refer to a personality construct theorized by Carol S. Dweck (2006). People with a growth mindset assume traits such as intelligence and talent are a product of hard work, grit, determination.

Have you ever heard anyone say or have you thought yourself, "I'm just not good at math," or "I'm just not any good at writing?"

Statements like these show a 'Fixed Mindset.' If skill at math or writing is based on natural talent or intelligence, then the case is closed: One is good at writing or not. This attitude is probably most common in math, which is why most of the research on changing mindset has been done in math classes. But it's also very common in writing. And it has negative consequences for learning, leading to anxiety and avoidance behaviors. In an interview study with first year college students, Cox (**) found that most students expressed anxiety about their writing ability, and that anxiety led to avoidance behaviors. Students failed to submit assignments because they were fearful about the feedback they would get; the anxiety became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students with a fixed mindset also tend to de-value the importance of writing, for example, by saying it is not important for their intended career.

In contrast, a Growth Mindset encourages a positively reinforcing cycle. People who believe that their efforts and strategies can lead to success are likely to engage in learning activities and take on challenges with some enthusiasm, so they learn more, which reinforces their belief that they can learn to write well. In fact, according to some psychologists (Bandura, **: Pajares. **), this confidence, or self-efficacy, is central to motivation and learning. Students who are confident in their writing skills will work harder and persist through difficulties and, thus, will write better and learn more.

Here, we are not saying Attitude is Everything. As argued at the Writer's Guide to Writing Commons, writers need declarative knowledge about the discipline of Writing Studies, including, for example, knowledge of Collaboration, Genre, Information Literacy, Invention, Revision, Mindset, Organization, Research, Rhetoric, Style and Editing.

However, we do believe having a Growth Mindset rather than a Fixed Mindset is incredibly important when it comes to writing well. After all, the writer is at the very heart of the writing process. The reverse-being preoccupied with negative thoughts-can make writing extremely aversive. The bottom line is learning to write well is tough. It requires a growth mindset.

Fixed Mindset
People with a "Fixed Mindset" assume people's intelligence and talent are static. They assume these traits a product of one's birth and zip code. You have probably heard people say, "I'm just no good at writing" or even more commonly "no good at math." This is a fixed mindset.
Dweck's research found people with a fixed mindset "spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them" ( https://mindsetonline.com.)

Growth Mindset
People with a "Growth Mindset" assume that traits such as intelligence and talent are a product of hard work, grit, determination.

When they are critiqued or face failure, they take it as a challenge to improve: they try new strategies, set goals, or seek help in learning. This leads them to engage in learning activities.
Writers who adopt a Growth Mindset are more likely to succeed long term in their efforts to research, write, collaborate, revise, and effectively communicate.

Dweck's theorizing about a Growth vs. a Fixed Mindset sparked considerable academic research in psychology and educational theory (a true exemplification of Scholarship as a Conversation). Since Dweck's original ground breaking research, mindset has been a vigorous domain of research by STEM educators, learning theorists, and cognitive psychologists.

Recently, for example, after conducting an extensive review of research published in peer-reviewed journals, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2017) concluded mindset and self-efficacy are correlated with success in school:

1. Academic self-efficacy-a student's belief that he or she can succeed in academic tasks.

2. Growth mindset-a student's belief that his or her own intelligence is not a fixed entity, but a malleable quality that can grow and improve (2017).

(For a discussion of this research, see Research on Mindset & Intrapersonal Competencies.)

Over the past twenty years, a tsunami of books have been published on mindset, grit, and motivation. Angela Duckworth's Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance rested on the New York Times best seller list for 20 weeks. At the Apple store, you can purchase apps that are intended to help you transform your thinking so it's more positive and growth orientated.

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Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset refer to a personality construct theorized by Carol S. Dweck (2006). People with a growth mindset assume traits such as intelligence and talent are a product of hard work, grit, determination. Have you ever heard anyone say or have you thought yourself, "I'm just not good at math," or "I'm [...]

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The current job market might be turbulent at best, but there are still several career paths with strong projected growth trends through 2024 and beyond. In response to fluctuating job markets, job seekers are prioritizing high-growth careers and recession-proof jobs, upskilling to maintain a competitive edge.

Fortunately, some of the fastest-growing jobs in 2024 also offer stability and long-term potential. Whether you're looking to switch jobs or you're just launching your career, it's worth considering these in-demand fields.

Fastest-Growing Careers of 2024

We've listed eight of the fastest-growing careers of 2024 below, but this list is far from exhaustive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), other jobs slated for high growth rates include taxi drivers, home health and personal care aides, actuaries, epidemiologists, veterinary support occupations and physical therapist assistants.

Jobs with the highest projected growth rates from 2022 to 2032 include nurse practitioners, data scientists, wind turbine service technicians and physician assistants.

Below are some of the fastest-growing careers in the health, tech and trade sectors.

Fastest-Growing Health Careers

Nurse Practitioners

Growth Rate (2022-32): +38%
Median Pay: $125,900 per year
Education Requirements: Master's degree in nursing
Career Overview: Nurse practitioners' responsibilities vary widely depending on their state of licensure, but in general, nurse practitioners provide primary and urgent care services to a diverse array of patients. They work in various medical settings including hospitals, physicians' offices and clinics.

Nurse practitioners may work independently, but frequent collaboration with physicians is often necessary to ensure patients' health and wellness. Most states allow nurse practitioners to prescribe medications, diagnose conditions and order medical tests. Some nurse practitioners specialize in areas such as geriatric health, pediatrics or mental health.

Check out our guide on how to become a nurse practitioner.

Medical and Health Services Managers

Growth Rate (2022-32): +28%
Median Pay: $104,830 per year
Education Requirements: Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration or a related field
Career Overview: Medical and health services managers are responsible for planning, directing and coordinating healthcare providers' business activities. They usually manage an entire facility, a clinical area or department or a physician group medical practice.

Medical and health service managers wear many hats. Overall, they play a crucial role in ensuring their facilities run smoothly and efficiently. It's up to these professionals to set departmental goals and objectives and ensure that their staff meets those goals. They also make sure their facilities are up to date with codes and regulations.

These managers recruit and supervise staff, manage facility finances, create work schedules, prepare and monitor budgets and stay in close contact with medical staff and department heads.

Physician Assistants

Growth Rate (2022-32): +78%
Median Pay: $126,010 per year
Education Requirements: Master's degree
Career Overview: Physician assistants support physicians in examining, diagnosing and treating patients in a variety of healthcare settings, including primary care and family medicine, emergency medicine and psychiatry. Some physician assistants make house calls or visit patients in nursing homes.

Under the supervision of a physician, physician assistants are responsible for educating and counseling patients and their families, prescribing medication, assessing and recording a patient's healing progress and researching various treatments.

Fastest-Growing Tech Careers

Data Scientists

Growth Rate (2022-32): +35%
Median Pay: $103,500 per year
Education Requirements:Bachelor's degreeData scientists extract insights and knowledge from large, complex data sets. They leverage that data to make intelligent, informed decisions to help organizations improve their performance and achieve their goals.

Conducting surveys or scraping the web to collect data is a key component of a data scientist's job. From there, data scientists clean and classify raw data, using machine learning and data visualization software to demonstrate their findings. It's paramount that data scientists know how to communicate their findings effectively and in a way that's accessible to a general audience.

While only a bachelor's is required to enter the field, these professionals may hold master's degrees in data science. Some gain discipline-specific training by building on prior academic experience with a data science bootcamp.

Information Security Analysts

Growth Rate (2021-31): +35%
Median Pay: $102,600 per year
Education Requirements: Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity or a related field
Career Overview: Information security analysts are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of an organization's sensitive information and computer systems. They rigorously monitor networks for security breaches and investigate any attacks that may occur.

Information security analysts use software like firewalls and data encryption programs to safeguard sensitive assets. They are also responsible for documenting metrics and reporting attempted attacks. Information security analysts recommend security enhancements to management or senior IT staff, and they help other employees gain their footing with new security products and procedures.

Cybersecurity analysts are a type of information security analyst. For more information, check out our guides on information security vs. cybersecurity and how to become a cybersecurity analyst.

Software Developers

Growth Rate (2022-32): +25%
Median Pay: $124,200 per year
Education Requirements: Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field
Career Overview: Software developers design and develop software applications to meet a variety of user needs. These professionals may participate in all stages of the development process, from research and ideation to creating models, overseeing development teams, documenting progress, testing and quality assurance. After a product launches, software developers help maintain its functionality through upgrades and bug fixes.

Often working in the computer systems design and software publishing industries, software developers frequently collaborate with clients, programmers, engineers and other professionals such as user experience designers. They also work in sectors such as finance and manufacturing and may create applications for consumer use or proprietary programs tailored to an organization's internal needs.

Fastest-Growing Trade Careers

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

Growth Rate (2022-32): +45%$57,320 per year
Education Requirements: Professional certificateAlso known as wind techs, wind turbine service technicians install, maintain and repair wind turbines. The bulk of their work centers around maintaining wind turbines that have already been built, though these professionals may occasionally install new turbines when needed.

Wind techs inspect the exterior and physical integrity of wind turbines. They test and troubleshoot electrical, mechanical and hydraulic components and systems. They're also responsible for replacing worn or malfunctioning equipment or components, collecting turbine data and servicing underground transmission systems.

Wind techs must be comfortable working outdoors, in confined spaces and at significant heights.

Solar Photovoltaic Installers

Growth Rate (2022-32): +22%
Median Pay: $45,230 per year
Education Requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
Career Overview: Career Overview: Solar photovoltaic installers assemble, install and maintain photovoltaic (PV) systems that convert sunlight into energy. These systems might be needed in commercial, industrial or residential settings. Some are installed on rooftops; others sprawl on the ground.

Solar photovoltaic installers plan out PV system configurations based on site conditions and their customers' needs. Once a PV system is installed, the technicians hook it up to the electrical system and apply weather sealant to the equipment exposed to the elements. PV installers then test the system to ensure everything works properly.

Sometimes, installers connect the PV system to the grid, but in other cases, electricians are called in. Solar photovoltaic installers must be comfortable using a variety of power tools on the job, such as drills, wrenches, saws and screwdrivers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Fastest-Growing Careers

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The current job market might be turbulent at best, but there are still several career paths with strong projected growth trends through 2024 and beyond. In response to fluctuating job markets, job seekers are prioritizing high-growth careers and recession-proof jobs, upskilling to maintain a competi

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How to Use the O*Net Interest Profiler to Find a Career That Interests You

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MassHire: Find jobs, career info, and more

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MassHire: Find jobs, career info, and more

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MassHire creates and sustains powerful connections between businesses and jobseekers through a statewide network of employment professionals.

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You may have heard people say, "Find your passion" or "Do what you're passionate about."

Well, finding your passion is easier said than done. As Dr. Jon Tam states in the video below, the reality of finding a fulfilling career is more complex than just doing something you love. Some of you, for example, might have a lot of interests and are finding it difficult to decide. Some of you might not have found a skillset or career that you're passionate about. Whatever your mindset, it's perfectly natural.

Every one of us is different, of course, and that goes for what we prioritize in a job. Some want stability more than anything else. Others want to work in high-pressure careers or travel a lot. Still others want to be their own boss.

Dr. Tam discusses the following neurotransmitters and how they are tied to three types of intrinsic (internal) motivation.

Competence (excellence, success) is tied to serotonin. When you succeed at a task using skills you've learned, you feel proud. With each success, you deepen those skills, and your self-confidence grows.

Autonomy (independence, freedom) is tied to dopamine. This is the immediate satisfaction we get from an exciting experience. However, we don't really develop skills from this. Think scrolling through social media or watching television. Dependence on dopamine can become dangerous if we rely on it too much, but it's an essential part of what drives us.

Relatedness (teamwork, community) is tied to oxytocin. This is the comfortable feeling we get belonging to a community or family. It occurs when we work as part of a team to achieve a common goal.

People are happiest when their career offers a mix of these motivations.

Whether you have a clear idea of your career goals or not, it might be helpful to list the skills you have along with the skills you want to gain.

What do you want to learn? What are you curious about? How an entrepreneur starts a business? How a medical professional diagnoses a patients' symptoms? You might be curious about how children's minds develop, how graphic novels are created, how AI will affect financial investing, or how bridges and buildings are constructed.

The more you explore these topics, the greater chance you have in finding your passion.

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Finding my career path in my 20s when I have no passion (5 easy steps)

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Lying and typos and buzzwords, oh my!

Some resume mistakes can immediately ruin any chance of landing a job.

In this article, we break down the top ten worst resumes we've ever seen so you know what resume red flags to avoid.

10 examples of bad resumes

Here are ten resume examples from 2023 that failed to impress us. Avoid these mistakes when working on your own resume, and your chances of getting a job immediately improve.

1. The bad speller

Bad spelling and grammar are one of the quickest ways to get your resume thrown away.

If you submit a resume like the one above, employers will assume that you don't care enough about the job to proofread your work or even run it through a spell-checker.

If you can't be bothered to spellcheck your own resume, who would trust you to handle the responsibilities of a full-time job?

To avoid this classic resume mistake, read through your resume once or twice, or even get another person to check it as well.

2. The amateur graphic designer

Unnecessary and distracting graphics like the ones in this example are an easy way to make your resume look unprofessional and (in some cases) bizarre.

Even if you think they look good, flashy graphics distract from your resume's goal of clearly communicating your skills and accomplishments. This also includes putting a picture on your resume, which is considered unprofessional in the United States.

Additionally, graphics can become a serious problem when applying to companies that use software to automatically scan through job applications, otherwise known as an applicant tracking system (ATS).

If a company's ATS software can't process the graphics on your resume, then your application will likely be discarded before a hiring manager even sees it.

Ultimately, keep graphics to a minimum so that your resume is clean, professional, and easy to read. This is especially important if you work in a more formal industry, like law or accounting.

3. The non-achiever

At first glance, this resume looks strong (especially compared to the last example). However, notice that in this resume's experience section the candidate only lists passive responsibilities rather than actual achievements. This is a clear example of how not to talk about your qualifications.

Taking the time to perfect your resume now will pay off when you start landing more interviews.

Describing your previous work in vague terms like "responsible for" or "tasked with" without providing detail about your actual accomplishments or actions doesn't communicate much about your qualifications.

Instead, a good resume experience bullet point describes the specifics of your experience and uses a combination of hard numbers and action verbs to highlight what you actually accomplished in your previous position.

Here's an example of how you shouldn't and should describe the experience on your resume:

4. The font abuser

This candidate's professional experience seems impressive - at least it would if anyone could read it.

Unprofessional and hard to read fonts like the one used in this bad resume example are guaranteed to turn any hiring manager off. Additionally, stylized fonts are difficult for application software to process, making it even more likely that your resume will get rejected.

For your reference, here are some fonts that you should never use on a resume:

The best fonts for your resume are easy to read and come standard on PCs and Macs. To make a better first impression, stick to any of these classic fonts:

5. The gamer

While it's okay to include hobbies on your resume if they're relevant to the job and you lack professional experience, this bad resume takes it a step too far. Unless you're applying for a job in e-sports, information about your gaming achievements is irrelevant to your professional qualifications and should be left off your resume.

When filling out your resume skills section or experience section, only include information that's applicable to the job you're applying for. Including anecdotes about your hobbies or personal interests is, at best a waste of space, and at worst, unprofessional.

Our Career Expert breaks it down:

@resumegenius The WORST Resume I've ever seen! Pt. 1 #resumetips #resumetips2022 #badresume #resumeadvice #careertips ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

6. The autobiographer

We'll be blunt: this applicant's resume is just too long.

Hiring managers don't have much time to look at each resume. Making your resume two pages or more and listing every job you've ever held (like in this example) will overwhelm busy hiring managers.

The result? Your most important qualifications get overlooked. Not only that, but if you only have a couple of years of professional experience, making your resume too long comes across as over-confident.

So what's the right resume length?

If you have fewer than 10 years of relevant work experience, you should stick to a one page resume.

If you have over 10 years of relevant experience, a two page resume (or even a three page resume) is acceptable.

7. The buzzwords-enthusiast

"Go-getter", "hungry for success", "self-starter" - this bad resume is a classic example of a candidate trying to use resume buzzwords to make their experience sound more impressive.

Hiring managers see buzzwords like these on resumes all the time, and they're an immediate turnoff. While these phrases sound impressive, they actually communicate very little about the candidate's experience and skills. Worse, many employers think they come off as pretentious.

Gurt here really tries to make his experience sound impressive by using fancy language - he even includes an inspirational quote - but no experienced hiring manager is going to be fooled.

8. The formatting disaster

This candidate's experience looks pretty good. Unfortunately, the rest of their resume doesn't.

Inconsistent spacing, misaligned icons, random font sizes - this candidate managed to mess up nearly every part of their resume formatting.

While the content of your resume is ultimately what employers are most interested in, a sloppily formatted resume like this can immediately ruin your chances of getting an interview.

That's because employers see a poorly put-together resume like this as a reflection of the candidate's attention to detail and competence. After all, if you can't be bothered to make your job application look professional (or at least easy to read), then how can employers trust you to handle the daily responsibilities of a job?

Make sure your resume layout is easy to read and properly aligned to make sure employers don't discard your application before they even read it.

9. The exaggerator

This would-be polyglot heavily advertises their language abilities on their resume, even using their career objective to show off their skills.

The only problem? Their bragging reveals that they're exaggerating their actual fluency.

Any native German, Spanish, or Swedish speaking hiring manager would know that the correct way to phrase what the candidate is trying to say is " Ich spreche Deutsch, hablo español con fluidez, och pratar också jättebra svenska ".

If you claim to be fluent in a language, make sure you know how to form grammatically correct sentences. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting caught lying on your resume. This could end up not just costing you the job, but also putting a dent in your reputation.

10. The oversharer

The most glaring mistake this candidate makes in their resume is providing too much irrelevant personal information.

You should avoid sharing too many personal details on your resume because it comes across as unprofessional. Instead, focus on the skills and experience that will help you with the daily job responsibilities.

Your resume also definitely shouldn't include sensitive information such as your nationality, date of birth, or marital status because this information can put you at risk of employment discrimination.

The difference between a good vs bad resume

When you're writing your resume, you want to do everything you can to come off as professional and well-organized. This means avoiding mistakes that can make you look the opposite.

Want some quick tips on what resume mistakes to stay away from? Our in-house career advisor Eva breaks them down in the video below:

So how do you know when you've hit the mark?

Ultimately, you know you've written a good resume if it helps land you a job. However, there are certain qualities that the best resumes share in common:

On the other hand, you know you have a bad resume when:

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Written by Conrad Benz

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Bad Resume Examples: The 10 Worst Resumes of 2023

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Bad spelling, distracting graphics, unprofessional fonts, and more. These ten bad resume examples show you how not to write a resume.

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An HR Manager shares a few résumé and cover letter mistakes to watch out for