So You Want To Write A Book in 2017

So You Want To Write A Book in 2017 Want to write a book this year? Don’t know where to start? Get a journal.  Right now. Out ya go. Buy  a pretty, interesting, edgy, funny, odd journal and start writing. Take that journal with you everywhere as if it’s your best, coolest friend. Write in it at least once a day. What do you write about? Anything. Everything. What makes you cry? What makes you laugh? What is the worst thing that’s happened to you? What’s the second worst? What’s the best? Who’s your closest friend? Whose friendship have you lost and why? What are your secrets? How do they control you? What do you worry about? What do you like about yourself?  What are your faults? What do you want out of life? What does your dream home look like? What scares you? What do you have to change in your life to be happy? What makes you so angry you could pluck your own hair out of your head? Who ticks you off? Why do you hate them? Who do you love so much you would step in front of stampeding bulls for them? You need to pour heart into your journal as if it’s a liquid thing.   Why? Because your writing must come from an honest place. It must come from authentic emotions, tears, laughter, love, hate, vengeful thoughts, and feelings of passion and lust. If you are laughing when you write in your journal, super. If you are crying, even better because it means that your journal is helping you find more of the true you. You need the true you if you’re going to write. She’s gotta be sitting right beside you saying, “Be honest now. Go to those dark memories hidden around the corners of your brain and write ‘em down. Don’t lie to yourself, don’t be vague. Write about the adventures you want to have, the hope that still glows deep inside you, the losses of the past, the failures, the plans that you can’t share with anyone else.   Write about your childhood, including the shattering times. You have to. Do it. Write real.” When you’re ready, after a day, a week, a month, look through your journal. What strikes you the most? What interests you about your own life, your own self, so much that you want to explore it further? Run a yellow highlighter over it. If you’re writing fiction, as I do, give your character the issue(s) you deal with. Give her something from your past that you still wrestle with. Give her that horrid ex boyfriend of yours, but this time she slays that dragon, he doesn’t slay her. Give her that difficult, whiny aunt, or that whisky-drinking uncle, or that crazy cousin who works as a stripper. Give her a pet llama. Give her a life that has completely fallen apart, as yours did last year. Give her grief or self esteem issues or a wild streak that constantly gets her into trouble, but it’s so much fun. Go from there. Develop that character based on some of your answers above. Draw a picture of her in your journal. Then write down fifty different things about her, from where she lives to what toothpaste she uses to her pets and her job and if she likes sex or not. (Don’t worry, we’ll talk about developing characters next month.) Be open to visions, too, as you write in your journal. That sounds weird. But you know what I’m talkin’ about because you’ve had visions, too, I know it. Let me share with you one of my visions. When I was in college, I had a vision of a young woman throwing a fluffy, smothering white wedding dress into a scraggly tree on a deserted, dusty street in North Dakota. She was crying and flamin’ mad. She was trying to toss that wedding dress onto a branch but it kept floating back down on her head, which made her even madder. That vision made me ask, “Why the hell is she doing that?” Years later it launched my first book, “Julia’s Chocolates.” I gave Julia an abusive fiancé she was running from. I put her on a farm in Oregon with an Aunt Lydia who painted her house pink, “like a vagina,” and the front door black to “ward off seedy men.”  I put flowering toilets in her front yard and a rainbow bridge. I gave Julia three new friends â€" a minister’s wife who was suffocating in that role, a mother who was married to an alcoholic and couldn’t get the courage to leave him, and a psychic. I gave Julia a love of chocolate. All from that one vision. Sit quietly for a bit, every day, with your journal.   First, clear your mind. Then let the visions wander through. Embrace your visions, no matter how wacky, unbelievable, or ludicrous. Maybe your vision is a woman who makes donuts while crying. Why does she cry making donuts? Maybe your vision involves a crazy family. What are they hiding?  Maybe your vision involves life in the future. What does the future look like? Is there a threat to the planet?   Maybe there’s a magical element. What is it? How does it affect your characters? Maybe your vision is flat out frightening, and it would make a gripping thriller. Write those visions down in your journal. Start playing with them. Again, which one grabs you the most? Get out that yellow highlighter again. One more thing? Writing and art are closely related. In my journals I sketch pictures of people and cut out pictures from magazines for inspiration and ideas. Try it. Once a month we’ll chat about writing a book this year. If I can do it, you can do it. Truly. You can. Write on, friends. Cathy Lamb has written eleven novels and six short stories.  Her latest book is The Language of Sisters. http://cathylamb.org/ facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cathy.lamb.9/ . Image credits: Main.  All others via Author..

A Promising Career in Building Information Modeling - CareerMetis.com

A Promising Career in Building Information Modeling If you have a close eye for details, the guts to face challenges, the expertise to handle intricate designs and proficiency in sophisticated software packages you can have a promising career in BIM. Haven’t heard about BIM yet? No worries, we can start with familiarizing BIM.What is BIM?evalBIM stands for Building Information Modeling and the textbook definition for it will sound something like “BIM Looks dorky right? Yeah, sure it does, lol. This dorkiness is the exact reason why most budding engineers stay away from BIM.Ok, let’s get going.Let’s say, you won a multi-billion bingo, and you decide to build a luxury apartment. You have a lot of plans for how it should look like in the end. Starting from what color should the walls be to the minute details in the nuke and corner of your house.You hire an engineer, and you explain your ideas and views, for which he nods his head. Then he comes up with loads of paper where lines are running in every possible direction and says th is is how it’s going to be in the end. Don’t you think that’s more than enough for a man with no technical exposure to freak out?On the other hand, imagine if some engineer could come up to you with an intelligent model resembling the way how Iron man designs his stuff. Seems cool, isn’t it?That’s what a BIM engineer does; they are all Tony starks and the software packages like Revit, AutoCAD, NavisWorks, and so on combines to from Tony’s Jarvis.What Does It Take To Have a Promising Career in BIM?The requirements for being the BIM guy in a company isn’t all about how skilled an engineer you are. The expertise in the latest construction software packages like Revit, CAD, NavisWorks, and so on matters equally.evalThough these are the minimum requirements to be a BIM engineer, to have a viable career growth you need to develop excellent managerial skills and organizational skills.The responsibility of a BIM engineer can range from designing a 3D model in Revit to carrying out coordination among the MEP, HVAC, Structural Architectural elements of the proposed design, figuring out the clashes between any elements, carrying out meetings to resolve the conflicts, and so on.This is why I believe being a BIM manager both is and will prove to be a genuinely promising career in coming years.The Potential Designations a BIM Engineer Can Have:BIM coordinatorBeing a BIM coordinator is the first step towards climbing up the ladder of BIM careers. The job profile, responsibility, and authority of a BIM coordinator varies depending upon the Industry he works within.evalThe mandatory prerequisite for being a BIM coordinator is to have an adequate level of industrial exposure, and in-depth BIM coordinators have to coordinate information and people to complete corporate and project objectives.You can’t handle this job unless you have considerable experience in the industry or you are coordinator trained for the specific designation by the more experienced project managers and coordinators.Their pay and duties can vary significantly from project management personnel to somewhat entry level designer.Part Time BIM managerEarning this post solely depends on how good your work is and how much loyal and trustworthy you are to the company. Once you are a part-time BIM manager, it means you are a trusted employee and has earned the employer’s trust.The responsibilities of a part-time BIM manager can include being responsible for standards, specific technologies, project setup, developing content, managing data coming in and out of the office, training, and much more.This is where having an adequate managerial skill set apart from the technical proficiency will be of use.Full-Time BIM managerThere is only a fine line of difference between a part-time and full-time BIM manager. The key difference is that a full-time BIM manager has to have a clear understanding of project workflow.These people have to work equally on both projects and technology, t raining, creating standards, supervising marketing initiatives, and so on.Full-time managers have additional responsibility for considering budgets, productivity, setting business goals and most importantly they should have the ability to carry out both “High level” and “Low level” technical conversation.The BIM DirectorThese guys come in the top end of the hierarchy level. They are either members of the senior management team or a trusted advisor to the senior management. This post is rare as only big firms with multiple projects happening simultaneously around the year hire them.evalThe vital prerequisite for this designation is to have excellent managerial and leadership skills. They will have to handle a team of BIM managers, along with managing the business team of a firm. These abilities come only with years of managerial experience in the AEC industry.BIM is a New Technology, So Who is Currently Working On It?BIM is the latest game changer in the AEC industry; some pe ople were working with the CADD industry shifting to BIM.These people are currently responsible for handling a plethora of responsibilities ranging from meeting with clients and contractors, doing a quality check on the BIM deliverables, running clash detection and coordination work and importantly managing the team of budding BIM engineers.They are also helping the new companies implement BIM and creating awareness among them about the benefits of implementing BIM.evalAre There Real Chances for Young BIM Engineers?The latest advancement in technology is revolutionizing the AEC industry. The industry is in grave need of young, experienced and qualified BIM engineers.evalEspecially in this period of transition, where someone who can manage development and be of assistance is critical.Creativity in young professionals makes it possible for them to push the AEC industry further forward, in turn, contributing to the growth of the global economy.With the induction of budding BIM engineer s into the industry, there is going to be a symbiotic relationship between the senior engineers and the lesser experienced ones. They both will have a lot to learn from each other.Future of BIM Engineers?Most of the European countries have already made it mandatory to implement BIM since 2016.India is a growing economy and with 11% of its GDP being contributed by the AEC sector apart from being one of the largest employers, will inevitably undergo modernization in no time.It won’t be long before the government mandates the implementation of BIM in major engineering projects. There is going to be an immense need for BIM engineers globally! If nothing else, thismakes BIM one of the highly promising career for engineers.In short, BIM engineers are going to have a successful career within a short span of 5 years. With most of the countries moving towards adopting BIM, engineers should start learning more about BIM. In addition, they should be improving their managerial skills.When BIM is the norm, they will be able to leverage their technical expertise and the managerial skills. This will allow any BIM Engineer to reap the best of their career, including you!

3 Signs Its Time for a Career Change - CareerAlley

3 Signs Its Time for a Career Change - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again. Bikram Choudhury. Many of us are unsatisfied with our jobs. Thats just the way things go sometimes. However, it is important to determine if your dissatisfaction with your job is something that can be remedied or if it is time to consider a change. It makes sense that so many of us fuss about disliking our jobs. We set goals and aspirations in our mind that are always one step out of reach. This is good. It keeps us trying. However, it is important to realize that just because your job isnt your dream career doesnt mean you have to hate it or even dislike it. Be sure you are getting the absolute most that you can out of your work experience. Pinpointing whether or not it is time to consider a career change is a difficult process. Pay attention to these four signs that you might want to consider a new job or profession. You Dont Fit In This can mean several different things. Getting along with your peers and your boss at your job is a very important aspect of your job satisfaction. If you find that you have little in common with your coworkers, it can be a good sign that you just arent a good fit with them. Of course, you dont want to make your entire professional decision based on how many friends you have at work, but if you find that you are feeling isolated or excluded from the inner workings of your organization, thats not a good sign. Even more significant, if your values do not align with your companys values, that can be a sure sign that you need to consider a new path. Feeling morally secure about your career is a very important aspect of remaining happy with yourself and your job. Your Work Doesnt Demonstrate Your Full Potential We want a position that uses and showcases all of our best qualities. There is nothing more disheartening than performing tasks that are significantly below your ability over and over again. Though it means more work, you want to receive projects at work that challenge you while also highlighting your strongest qualities. Repeatedly getting projects and assignments that play to your weaknesses or are beneath your level is a good sign that you should look for work elsewhere. Working in an environment that continually asks you to perform tasks that dont interest you or that discredit you is not a sustainable situation. You Only Think About Work from 9 to 5 Individuals who are truly passionate about their work think about their jobs outside of their regular work hours. Part of being excited and passionate about what you do is dreaming up ideas and strategies on your down time. If you find yourself only thinking about your work when you are at work from nine to five, you may want to evaluate your work situation. You may just be skating by with your job, rather than feeling truly passionate about your work. Do you take time outside of your work hours to learn more about your industry or area of expertise? If you do not, you may not be as inspired by your work as you should be. It may be time to look for a position or career that will truly ignite some excitement and inspiration in you. Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges.She welcomes your comments at her email Id: [emailprotected] This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search.Visit me on Facebook

Questions to ask when networking -

Questions to ask when networking - This is the third in my series about networking. Now that you have the keys to researching your networking targets, and know the fundamentals, you need to consider what to ask when you meet them! The number one thing to remember when networking is that most people have a favorite topic of discussion themselves! GL Hoffman had some useful advice at his blog, What Would Dad Say?: It truly is not about you. It is more about the other person. Ask questions, find their interesting story, learn from them, ask advice. Strive for a conversation that is 25% you, 75% them. Remember your manners. Smile a lot. Say please and thank you. Hold doors open. Make eye contact. Say “and” more than you say “but.” Be positive. These are the things your mom taught you. These are great launching off points to consider before thinking of what to ask at an informational meeting. Dont forget that its important to assess what you want to know! There is nothing worse than having a meeting and walking away without accomplishing your goals. So, have some goals! Need help learning what to say when networking? Find tips and scripts for in-person and online networks in my new book: 100 Conversations for Career Success Figure out what you need to know about the organization or the person things that you cannot find out by a quick Google search. Consider asking about the persons (or organizations) values, important skills needed to work there and about how they do business. Ask the nuanced questions you want to know. For example: What are your biggest challenges? (Or those impacting your field/company/organization?) What is the best (and worst) part of your job? What would you do differently (if anything) if you were starting over in your field? At the same time, in case you have a contact who likes to ask a lot of questions, be sure that you can also discuss your unique qualities your unique selling proposition. What are YOUR skills. Why are you interested in this field or organization? What do YOU have to offer? Be sure to bring along your resume, just in case your networking contact asks for it, or if you have an opportunity to ask for input and advice. In the long run, what exactly you ask is less important than HOW you ask it and how well prepared you appear. It is really true that you have one chance to make a first impressionBe interested and interesting and you wont have to worry! Feel free to share your great question ideas and success stories in the comments! photo by leo reynolds

Online Resume Writing Service Reviews - Who Should You Choose?

Online Resume Writing Service Reviews - Who Should You Choose?If you are working for a company, you should be very careful in choosing an online resume writing service to submit your resume. A good one will provide you with high quality information that will help you land the job of your dreams.Before hiring an online resume writing service, you need to first determine if they have a great service to offer. You can do this by reading several review sites on their work, and taking note of their feedback on their websites.Resume writing is a very complicated process, as you need to make a great first impression on your prospective employer. Your resume will play a big role in it, as they will read the details you give. To make a great first impression, you should not compromise on the quality of your resume.There are several great places where you can get hold of unbiased reviews on hundreds of sites for an individual or a company. When you read these reviews, you can judge the level o f honesty on the sites where the reviews come from. By reading the review, you can get a fair idea of how honest the review sites are and which ones you can trust.You can also find some reviews on the Yelp app for your iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. This is a very convenient way to quickly look up reviews of a specific business, restaurant, or organization. You can visit a single review site that lists many reviews, or you can browse a large number of sites to look for the perfect review of the companies you are considering.The internet is a great place to research about a company. You can find multiple reviews about their past service and results in people giving them their honest opinion. With reviews, you will be able to determine if you are getting value for your money.When choosing an online resume writing service, it is important to check their reviews and find out what customers think about the companies they recommend. You can take note of their past performance, custome r service skills, and their professionalism in the way they treat their clients.

Tricks to Help Remote Workers Stay Connected

Tricks to Help Remote Workers Stay Connected Landing a job with full or part-time telecommuting benefits is the holy grail for many workers, but once they get there, remote workers often don’t think about one critical thing: How to replace the day-to-day interaction and camaraderie that come naturally when you run into coworkers at the copy machine or microwave. Here are some recommendations from technology company executivesâ€"many of whom work with a far-flung group of employeesâ€"for ways to stay connected to your virtual colleagues. Go for a walk together. “I have started ‘walking meetings,’ which not only helps stepping away from the computer, but creates a more social experience as it seems we are walking next to each other,” says Silke Fleischer, cofounder of event app developer ATIV Software. Fleischer and her colleague both access Skype from their smartphones, then head out the door for a half-hour stroll in their respective neighborhoods. Research has suggested that standing, walking, and moving around during the day benefits both your mood and your creative process, as Fleischer will attest: “These meetings are extremely energizing, very free flowing, and more personal.” Make video chats a habit. “We hold almost all of our meetings via video conference. We’ve found it really helps build relationships and minimizes miscommunications,” says Adam Schwartz, CEO and founder of Articulate, a company that makes online learning tools. While he says his team runs through a staggering 12,000 messages a day on messaging platform Slack, video bridges the distance for more in-depth discussions. Read Next: 3 Strategies for Managing Your Team Remotely Replicate a social experience. Ryan Rogowski, CEO and cofounder of translation app Waygo, started a tradition of the “virtual happy hour” at his company. Team members log on to a video chat after the workday is over to unwind, no discussions of work topics allowed. “It’s a time where we don’t chat at all about work,” Rogowski says. “We take some time to chat about life, hobbies, and fun trips we are planning. Everyone will typically have a beer in hand,” he adds. Coworkers will share pictures of interesting vacation destinations they’ve visited or tell the group what they did with their family over the holidays. “The key part is really focusing on getting to know each other outside of day-to-day work tasks and keeping up with each other on life outside of work,” Rogowski said. Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  SharePlayback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedAudio TrackFullscreenThis is a modal window. 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This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Keep Skype on all day. During the day, “keep a Skype call running in the background,” Fleischer says. It creates an effect similar to sitting in an office with cubicles, she said. “You can’t see your coworker but you know that he or she is there, and you can ask a question or make a comment any time. It creates a very close working experience while we are thousands of miles apart.” Read next: How to Impress Your Boss When You’re Never Face-to-Face Throw a party. It might take a little more legwork, but it’s possible to plan celebrations for things like birthdays or other milestones, even if you work remotely. “Teams often meet via video chat for fun,” Schwartz says. One of his work groups even throws a virtual holiday party every year, complete with a Secret Santa gift exchange. A team member volunteers to pick names and assign teammates a Secret Santa recipient, then each person snail-mails their gift by a certain date. When party time rolls around, Schwartz says, the group hooks up to a video call and opens their gifts, then tries to guess who sent each one.

3 Colors To Wear At Work To Give A Good Impression - Work It Daily

3 Colors To Wear At Work To Give A Good Impression - Work It Daily In the workplace, image is everything. Wearing the right colors while on the job can help you boost your career in amazing ways and give you the confidence you need to move forward. Likewise, the wrong colors can give others a bad impression of you. Learn the best colors to wear for your job, and the hues to avoid. After all, you want to make the best impression you can every day, and the right style choices will do that for you. Colors To Wear At Work These types of colors all suggest different things about you, so how you use them should depend on what you're looking to portray: Bold And Beautiful If you want to make yourself appear confident while still maintaining your friendly demeanor, aim for jewel tones. Deep purples, dark blue hues, and dazzling golden tones emit a friendly and feminine attitude while still turning every head in the room. Aim for these types of colors in a single piece of clothing, like a jeweled blouse with a neutral slate gray skirt or slacks, and you won’t look like Barney the Dinosaur. However, don’t make this clothing choice backfire by wearing jewel tones from head to toe. If you are pairing accessories with bold colors, you’re more likely to come across as a crazy bag lady than a successful powerhouse, so choose your bold jewel tones with care. A common rule of thumb was mentioned above; limit your jeweled clothing to a single piece to be on the safe side. Black Is Always Back Black is a subtle constant that demands attention, and is a go-to for anyone wanting to move their way up the corporate ladder. Boost your career in all the right ways by pairing a black pencil skirt with black fishtail (or Chevron, or floral) stockings and you have yourself a fun and aggressively female style trend that is sure to take you places. Just be careful with how much black you’re trying to pull off, and make sure your black pieces fit your body without being too tight or too loose. After all, looking like a dominatrix or the Grim Reaper isn’t going to get you the promotion you are hoping for, and is more likely to get you a trip to counseling instead. You can end up with a lot of explaining to do, as BRW explains. Respect black in general, and it will respect you back. Pretty In Pastels There is nothing more soft and feminine than pretty pinks, lovely baby blues, and breathy minty greens in the workplace. You can feel approachable and eager in these type of hues, and they pair perfectly with their darker neutral counterparts of tans, grays, and even black. For the girl who wants to stand out in the workplace without looking blaringly obvious, pastels are a girl’s best friend. Pair them with a set of lovely timeless pearls and a gorgeous pair of pumps, and you have yourself a subtle yet amazing outfit. With the good comes the bad, however. Pastels are incredibly touchy and in an instant can make you look more Golden Girl than fashion-forward diva. Avoid looking like a little old lady or a throwback from the 80’s by keeping your pastels clean and solid, pairing them with more trendy pieces, and sticking to hues that complement your skin tone best. When it comes to the office, what you wear can definitely make or break your career. Wear the right colors in the right ways, and you see yourself climbing that stylish corporate ladder. Make a fashion misstep, and you might find yourself filing papers until you retire. What you wear matters, so make sure you make it count by wearing styles that make you stand out, rather than drag you down. You’ll feel great and love your promotions even more. Enjoy this article? You've got time for another! Check out these related articles: 5 Office Fashion Tricks On A Tight Budget 4 Fashion Tricks For Your Next Interview Stand Out With Style: 3 Tips For Boosting Your Personal Brand Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!