Your Personal Economic Recovery Plan

Written on 12:48 PM by Robert

I know it's been a while since I posted anything. Although I'm still unemployed, I am happy to report I completed the requirements needed to receive my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. Does that change anything in my status? Not at all - not yet. I still believe you need more than a Bachelor's degree to make an impact in the job market in IT.

My road to success is a long and difficult one, but one where I see light at the end of this dark tunnel I seem to be stuck in. Phase one is complete, with my 4-year degree in hand. What's next?

1) .NET Certification - I have VB .NET experience. Unfortunately, the experience is in Windows programming. I know the industry is focused on web programming, but the fastest road to certification is to be certified in something you are already familiar with. After I'm certified in Windows programming, I can set my sights on web programming certifications down the road.

2) Continuing my education - I decided to get into my school's Master's degree program in the Fall. This means I need to prepare for the GREs fairly quickly.

3) Keep learning - I need to keep up with the latest technologies, particularly open-source programming languages. A great site to start would be Dev Shed, a site for programming tutorials. The more you learn, the better chance you have to land a programming or developer position.

4) Keep putting yourself out there - It's frustrating to keep applying to jobs that seem to be filled before you get to interview for them. I need to learn to set up informational interviews. I need to be more active on LinkedIn groups, on Facebook, and on Twitter in order to attract some attention from the right people. I need to keep refining my resume, contacting more recruiters, and going to career fairs.

Why should you care? Well, if you are in the same boat I'm in, use my example as a template to follow for your own personal situation. The U.S. unemployment rate for May was 9.4% and being one of the thousands out of work is little comfort. The bottom line is that you should have your own "economic recovery plan" so we could start pulling ourselves out of this hole we seem to be in. Good luck! Edit

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Cramer vs. Stewart

Written on 10:05 AM by Robert

The Daily Show









I have been a fan of the Daily Show for over a year. It is a surprisingly entertaining source of financial and political news for me. This week, Jon Stewart began his crusade against financial media giant CNBC, and specifically Jim Cramer of Mad Money for his presentation of misinformation on several matters, including the financial health of several companies like Bear Sterns.

All week there has been a "war of words" between these two. Cramer has been on half a dozen talk shows this week trying to present his side of the story while Stewart ripped into him with video clips from Mad Money showing Cramer making faulty financial predictions. These predictions, according to Stewart, played a part in making the general public lose money in the stock market.

Last night, Cramer appeared on the Daily Show to face the ever-ready Stewart in a debate about the state of the financial world and CNBC's role in it. Stewart's argument was that Cramer's entertaining show (and CNBC as a whole) should do more in protecting the finances of the average stock holder and less in protecting the interests of the corporations. Cramer seemed to agree with every point Steward made and explained that the information given to the people was based on facts presented by corporate CEOs, which was almost laughable in itself.

My opinion is that Cramer should not be offended by Stewart's criticisms. Stewart is a comedian with a comedic show about politics and finances. Cramer's job is supposed to be predict the future of the stock market based on the information he gets. So who's at fault? Whoever is in charge of checking the validity of corporate claims before making predictions.

What do you think about this whole mess? Oh, and before you give me your answer, here is but ONE of the dozens of clips on Youtube showing off Stewart's handling of Cramer during this past week. Enjoy!


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