Problem: Article: The stakes should be about 1 yard (91 cm) apart. You can use any star for this, although you'll probably want to pick one of the brighter stars. Earth's rotation from west to east causes the stars in the sky, as a whole, to rotate from east to west. Which way the star has moved with respect to its original position where you sighted it tells you which direction you're facing. If the star rose, you're facing east. If the star sank, you're facing west. If the star moved to the left, you're facing north. If the star moved to the right, you're facing south.
Summary: Drive 2 stakes in the ground. Pick any star you see in the night sky. Line the star up with the tops of both stakes. Wait for the star to move out of position with the stakes.

Problem: Article: The very first thing your pitch should do is introduce you to your listener. Immediately launching into an anecdote about your accomplishments or a list of your skills might leave your listener feeling a little bewildered. For example, you can start by saying something like, "Hi, I'm Amanda Smith. I just recently graduated from the University of Maine's marketing program," or, "Hi, I'm Ryan Long and I work in manufacturing sales." In both examples, your listener immediately learns your name and the most important thing about you. Now that your listener knows who you are, tell them why you are at the event you're both attending. It might be a job fair or an industry conference or you might just be dropping off a resume. In each situation, you should know why you're there. For example, if you're attending a job fair, your objective is probably to get a job. You could say something like "Hi, I'm Amanda Smith. I just recently graduated from the University of Maine's marketing program. I'm looking for an entry-level position in social media coordination." You could also say something like, "Our auto parts manufacturing business has been growing, but I'm looking to take our sales numbers to record-breaking heights." In both examples, your listener has learned who you are, what you do, and what you're looking for next in only two sentences. The best way to convince your listener that you can reach your stated objective is to share past successes. This tells your listener that you already have a good track record in your field. Use the CAR technique for this: Give the context for your accomplishment, the action you took, and the result of that action. For example, your accomplishment might be that you improved your company's sales over the last quarter. The context might be that sales were okay, but you believed they could be better. Your action might have been that you sat down with the sales team and reworked your entire selling strategy. Your result was that your company's sales increased. Telling your listener what skills you have allows you to emphasize what you can do for them in the future (and not just what you've already done for someone else in the past). Share both your hard skills things like degrees, certifications, and work experience and your soft skills things like being good at interpersonal communication or an excellent writer. For example, you might say something like "I have a Master's Degree in Business and worked for eight years as the assistant sales manager for a smaller auto parts manufacturer. My superiors have always commented on my ability to communicate clearly and effectively with our clients." Your call to action is basically what you can do to seal the deal after you've made the pitch. This will look differently from situation to situation, but it should set up the next step in your relationship with this new contact. For example, you can end your pitch by saying something like "Can we set up a meeting to discuss how I can increase your company's sales?" You can also end it more simply by saying "I think I could be a great asset to your company; can I give you my business card?"
Summary: Tell your listener who you are and what you do. State your objective. Share your accomplishments. Share your skills. Close with a call to action.

Problem: Article: The Internet is an amazing tool and it has revolutionized how gay people can connect. Use Tumblr and Twitter to find people with similar interests as you. If you look up to a celebrity who is out, you might have luck meeting gay teens in the comment section of their YouTube or fan page. Be careful when meeting people on the Internet. Never meet someone in person by yourself, unless it's in a public place. Share your experiences online. Write about your own coming out, your struggles dating in your school. You may inspire other teens and that may lead to friendship and a relationship down the road. If you live in a small town, statistically speaking there are other gay people there, but there are probably not many. By visiting a big city, you open yourself up to way more options, plus, you get to see how diverse the world actually is. If you live close to the city, try going in once a week to take a class and hang out. The more time you spend there, the greater the chance you'll meet someone. If you live farther away, plan a vacation with either your family or your friends. Visit traditionally gay neighborhoods, where you'll sometimes find youth centers that are designed to provide support for gay teenagers. There's no such thing as gay music, but there are bands and singers that have large gay followings. Buy tickets to a show and try to make friends there you already have the music in common, so right off the bat you have something to talk about. If the band is a local band, make friends with the musicians. Then you'll have a reason to keep coming back, plus, they'll be able to introduce you to their own gay friends and fans. You are more likely to meet people who you can connect with if you share some of the same interests. Check out the options in your area to find some other queer people who you you will enjoy being around. For example, if you are into reading, look for a book club. If you like soccer, join your school's soccer team or a team that is not affiliated with your school. If you like to go biking, look for a cycling group.
Summary:
Make queer friends online. Visit a big city. Go to concerts for gay musicians. Consider joining a special interest group.