Work Study

While scholarships and loans are the best known ways of paying for your education, there is a very popular third option for students to consider, work study. Work study is a financial aid program where the student can work and earn money toward their college education. Similar to scholarships and some loans, you do have to qualify for work study, and, at most schools, just because you are awarded work study does not mean you will automatically have a work study job available to you. Once you have been awarded work study you must then apply for the jobs that you feel best suit your talents. Most jobs will be located on campus; however, some schools do have contracts or understandings with certain employers off-campus.

If you are interested in pursuing a work study job as a way of paying for your education there are a few things you should know. Like any financial aid program, there are both benefits and deterrents to work study.

Benefits

• Flexible hours


• Understanding employers, school is always a priority


• Experience in your career field


• Income does not effect your financial aid eligibility in future years


• Employer becomes possible reference


• Earn money while learning


• Develop work ethic


• Begin networking


• In most cases, low commute time

Deterrents

• Usually low pay, for example click here.


• You cannot earn above your Work Study award amount


• Work study positions don't always allow you to work during breaks


• You may not be able to find a job


• You have to go through a general interview process


• You have less time for social or academic activities

When you compare the benefits and deterrents it seems that utilizing work study would be more beneficial than not. However, if you already have a job it's another story. Because most work study jobs aren't paying the "big bucks", if you currently have a good paying job, you should probably stick with what you've got. The main advantage work study has over better paying jobs would be that it provides experience in your field. If that experience is worth the pay cut then the work study option would be worth trying; it all depends on your current priorities.

I had a work study job for a short time, when I was planning to go into theatre. I worked on building the set for the next play, Underpants. While I did learn some valuable skills for that field, I felt like my time was being wasted. Because I had a much better paying job at the time, I was losing money by taking the work study job. When paying for college, work study is a helpful, but slow process, and sometimes you can't afford it.

If you have any questions or additional information to share about work study feel free to leave a comment!

Emily Martin, Intern at The Business Shrink: Understanding the psychology of business and money.

Dealing with difficult people

In order to communicate with tact and skill with difficult people, you need to know what type of person they are. Here are the most commonly known difficult people types and tips on how to deal with them.

• The Know-It Alls: They have to know everything about everything and nine out ten times they are right. When they’re wrong, they get defensive. Tom Terez, an international consultant and frequent speaker on organizational performance suggests “Avoid directly challenging a know-it-all's facts or interpretation of the facts. Instead, try posing a question that can open her thinking.”

• The Passives: Passive behavior is illustrated by the desire to avoid conflict and please everyone. The passives don’t like to face problems; they are most of the time too pleasant or too eager. Dr Tony Fiore, a psychologist gives tips to cope with passive behavior, “Be on guard and don't trust what the person says or commits to. Use assertive communication skills to let a person know how what they do affect you and makes you feel.”

• The Complainers: Things are never right for them, they complain about everything. In the article, How to deal with a complainer?, Tristan Loo, an expert in conflict resolution, says “Listen to their concerns, empathize with them, and ask them what they would like you to do.”

• The "Yes" People: They want to satisfy everyone so that they never say no. The “yes” people are pleaser who promise and never deliver. They want to be loved, and that is why they agree to anything. You cannot really trust the “yes” people.

Remember when you deal with these people, either the know it-alls, passives, complainer or yes people, you need to be zen, take a break from them. If these people get on your nerves just let your anger go. As well, don’t try to change them, because you will just spend your time for nothing.

If you have any suggestions about dealing with difficult people feel free to make comments.

Aigline, The Business Shrink Intern
The Business Shrink: Understanding the Psychology of Business and Money

Educational Loans

School is a very expensive investment, and not everyone qualifies for grants or scholarships to pay for it. If you find yourself in that dilemma, Educational loans might be the direction you need to go. Unfortunately, student loans have to be repaid after graduation, with interest. If so, there are a few things you should know, in order to make the right decision about which loan you should apply for, as well as the loan process in general.

First of all, there are three major types of educational loans with different advantages and disadvantages, as well as a fourth which helps you simplify all your loan payments into one.

1. Student loans are federal government loans with low interest rates and don't require a credit check.
   
   -The Stafford loan is the main government student loan. Can be either subsidized, which means the government pays interest while you're in school, or unsubsidized, which means the student has to pay back everything including interest after graduation. For new Stafford loans disbursed after July 1, 2006, the current interest rate is fixed at 6.8%. For Stafford loans disbursed between July 1, 1998, and June 30, 2006 the interest is 6.62% in-school and 7.22% after graduation. The repayment period begins 6 months after graduation and is generally spread out over a 10 year pay-period.
   
   -The Perkins loan is for those with exceptional financial needs, and is the best loan offered. The government pays interest while the student is in school, as well as a 9-month grace period after graduation. There are no additional fees and the interest rate is fixed at 5%.
   
   
2. Parent loans, now called Plus loans, are available to parents who's student's financial aid package was not enough to cover school. It is an unsubsidized loan with a 8.5% fixed interest rate, as well as 4% loan fees which are deducted from each disbursement. Repayment begins 60 days after full disbursement and it has 10 year payment terms as well.
   
   
3. Private Education loans or Alternative Education loans are somewhat of a last resort if student loans do not cover your education costs. Qualification for The Private Education loan is based on your credit score. It tends to cost more than those the federal governments offers, because the interest rates are variable and usually much higher.
   
   
4. Consolidation loans basically help you put all previous loans into one more simplified payment plan. If you have a mix of student, parent, or private loans, a consolidation loan lets you consolidate all those loans into one payment to one lender. In some cases you can lower your interest rates as well.
   

As you can see, if loans are a resource you must use, the student loans are the best available, specifically the Perkins loans. If you can manage to pay through student loans and other resources, it is much more beneficial than utilizing Parent and Private loans because of the higher interest rates and inconvenient repayment terms. Scholarships and grants should definitely be considered before resorting to loans for educational costs.

If you have any additional tips or resources to share, or if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comments.

Emily Martin, Intern at The Business Shrink: Understanding the psychology of business and money.

What are the dos and don’ts at a workplace?

The way you behave or interact with you boss and other employees reflects how others think and feel about you. Here are some important do and don’t you should be aware of at a workplace.

Dos at work:

• Arrive on time at meetings to show your consideration and respect for other people
• If someone has an appointment with you, and you are running late, you need to inform the person that you will be late
• Be nice and polite when meeting and greeting people.
• Use your colleagues name in conversations that demonstrate you’re interested in them.
• Listen effectively. Pay attention to what is said, and remember the important points.
• Join a conversation only if you have been invites and if you have something to contribute.
• Dress professionally and appropriately when you are at work. Remember to be treated like a professional; you must look like a professional.
• Be careful about what you say.
• Respect other people’s privacy in the workplace. Knock before you enter a work area, and ask whether it is a convenient time to talk. If the other person is on the phone when you arrive, you can leave a note saying you need to talk when his or her time permits.
• Take responsibility when problems arise that are your fault—the mark of an honest person.
• Respect the deadlines given by your boss, also when you say that you will do something try to honor your words.
• Return messages quickly. Return phone calls and e-mail within 24 hours.
• Use “Please” and “Thank you” when you need something.

Don’ts at work:

• Talk about your problem to others, you are not the only to have problems. Work is not where you should talk about what is going on in your life.

• Leave your cell phone on, at least leave it on silence.
• Brag about your accomplishments. The workplace requires you to stand up for yourself without appearing self-centered
• Dress too casual, dressy or revealing, avoid trendy or flashy clothes, just remain conservative
• Speak too loud, soft or rapid. Don’t be annoying.
• Spread gossip, avoid gossipers. My coach used to say: “Those who talk to you about others will also talk about you to others."
• Call in Sick if you are not.
• Steal Office Supplies or anything else from your workplace

Your behavior at work can explain why your colleague may give you “etiquette.” Those examples of dos and don’ts vary from place to place, but most of them are applicable to all types of work environments.

If you had additional tips or thoughts on workplace dos and don’ts, feel free to leave a comment.

Aigline, The Business Shrink Intern
The Business Shrink: Understanding the Psychology of Business and Money

The best way to learn a foreign language

 Everyone tends to take a foreign language class in college, use language software like Rosetta Stone, or even listen to Language CD-ROMs, but online language courses are not strongly recommended if you want to learn another language. Besides these techniques, the best ways to learn a foreign language would be: get a tutor, become an exchange student in that country, be an “au pair” or teach English in a foreign country.

1 - Craigslist is a great source of information to look for tutoring in your area. Get on Craigslist and post an ad looking for a tutor. It is so easy to find one or post your ad.

2 - “Au Pair” is to live with a host family in a foreign country. This is difference from being an exchange student, because the “au pair” helps the family with housework or childcare and, most of the time, he or she receives a small allowance.  The International Au Pair Association lists on their website, www.iapa.org, 152 au pair agencies, which works with 40 counties around the world.

3 -  Becoming an exchange student is another good possibility to assist you in learning a foreign language. Some universities offer studying abroad for a semester. If that is not available to you, there are a couple of student exchange organizations to look into, such as ASSE, and International Students Exchange Programs (ISEP), “a network of 275 colleges and universities in 39 countries cooperating to provide affordable access to international education for a diverse student population.”

4 - Teaching English abroad or volunteering abroad are great opportunities to learn the host country’s language while you are working or volunteering. www.globaltesol.com and Transitions Abroad propose teaching, volunteering or internships overseas.

Learning a foreign language is better when you are in contact or immerged with native speakers. You can learn the language either with a tutor, being an exchange student or an “au pair” and teach English in a foreign country.

If you have tried one of these solutions, tell us which one works the best for you and why, or if you have additional techniques for learning any foreign language, feel free to make comments.

Aigline, The Business Shrink Intern
The Business Shrink: Understanding the Psychology of Business and Money

Dealing with Dorming Dilemmas

Going to college is a new and exciting experience, but there are some issues that every student living on-campus will have to deal with. Learning to live with someone new is definitely at the top of that list, because everyone has a certain way of doing things. In order to make transitions from home more comfortable, there are certain precautions that students can take.

• First of all, most schools have different dorms to satisfy different students’ wants and needs. You should get information about each in order to find out which best suits you. Going with whatever dorm they assign you can cause a lot of issues once you move in.


• Get informed about your dorm's rules and regulations before you get there. Don't just assume you can bring everything that will make you feel more at home.


• Get to know your roommates beforehand. Try to find out about them, what they like and dislike, to make sure the match will work out before you move in.


• You no longer have a "maid" (mother) to take care of your laundry and food; therefore, you will need to set responsibilities. For example, one person agrees to clean the bathroom as long as the other person will keep the kitchen clean; or you will alternate grocery buying every week. (These responsibilities will vary depending on how much space you have.)


• Everyone needs to have boundaries. Even if you're dorming with your best friend, you will need to set space and personal boundaries. No one likes a "snoop" or a "space hog". Also, let your roomies know what they can borrow and what's "hands-off". The more communication the better.

Even when you "lay down the law" problems are bound to come up. Miscommunication is usually the cause of most dorming problems; that's why you must make responsibilities and boundaries clear to one another from the beginning. One college grad shares a good example of how roommates can miscommunicate:

When Allison went to college, a bunch of girls decided to get a house together. They were all friends, and it seemed everything would work out fine. One of the girl's parents paid for all of her share, and this is where the problem began. Because she didn't have to pay for anything, she wanted to get the best of everything. She wanted the heat on high when it was cold, the best food brands, the best toiletries, etc. Of course, because everyone's "sharing,” she wants everyone else to pay an equal share of everything she "needs.” Since everyone else was paying for their own school and living expenses, they obviously couldn't afford everything she wanted.

Now that we have the problem, there are a few different ways to deal with it.

1. They could tell her to find somewhere else to live, because they can't afford her high priced "necessities".


2. They could sit down with her and explain how they feel about the situation; figure out a reasonable compromise.


3. They could complain amongst themselves about how ridiculous she is.

In Allison’s situation, they utilized the second solution by talking with her about the problem. They made it clear to her they could not afford to spend like she wanted to, and they came to the understanding that she would buy non-necessities on her one, while they continued to share the responsibility of buying all house necessities.

What do you think they should've done?

If you are, or ever have been, in a situation like this one, or if you have any additional tips or comments about dorming, feel free to leave us a comment!

Emily Martin, Intern at
The Business Shrink: Understanding the psychology of business and money.