Tristin T - Final Project

**Education**

Finding and Maintaining a Work/Life/School Balance

"Kirana Training and Development News." *Work, Study, Life… How Do You Maintain A Balance?.* Accessed November 23, 2015. http://www.kirana.edu.au/work-study-life-maintain-balance/.

This website gives the reader five key tips for maintaining a balance between school, work, and life: managing time; managing stress; giving yourself social time; creating goals; and keeping the bigger picture in mind. It reminds the reader that finding this balance is key because it will help bring your stress levels down, which will in turn make it easier to complete work and will make you a much happier person.

To me, the main value of this website is that is important to put yourself first by taking care of your health and well-being. From this website, I also found it very valuable to remember that the key to success in life is keeping a balance between all aspects by dividing your time and energy equally between school, life, and work.

  "The Institute of Commercial Management." *Maintaining a Healthy Study-Life Balance*. Accessed November 23, 2015. http://blog.icm.education/study-tip/maintaining-a-healthy-study-life-balance/.

This website suggests to its students that they should focus on time management, creating study programs, making time to relax, knowing their limitations, and staying healthy, in order to keep a balance between school and the rest of their lives. This website’s goal is to help make students realize that it is possible to maintain a healthy balance between school, family, extra-curriculars, and social life.

 I personally found that the most valuable aspect of this website is the idea that one’s mental and physical health are just as, if not more important than, one’s academic success; this is why it is so important to find a balance between school and life. I also found it valuable that this website reminds you not to overwhelm yourself, and to make sure that you are not putting more on your plate than you can handle

Achieving and Maintaining Good Grades

"Surviving Studenthood." *How to Get Good Grades in University.* Accessed November 25, 2015. https://survivingstudenthood.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/how-to-get-good-grades-in-university/.

The author of this website talks about how he helped prepare his sister for university, by giving her advice based on his personal experiences, on how to succeed in university. He lays out ten tips that he believes will help the average university student achieve good grades: stop skipping classes; adjust your attitude; never hand something in late; get readings done on time; talk to your TA’s; consider a study group; use your weekends more effectively; stop fooling around; hangout with the right crowd and learn from others; and remember it is never too late. The author then goes on to explain how all these tips helped him do well in school; he basically says that the best way to get good grades in university is to not waste your time and to focus on your work.

For me, the most valuable information from this website is the fact that it is possible to do well in university. I found it especially valuable to hear about someone’s actual university experience, as it made it seem much more real and personable. Knowing that someone who actually took these steps did well in university, makes it seem like it is quite probable to get good grades and be successful by using these techniques.

"Education Insider News Blog." *Essential Tips for Maintaining Good Grades in College.* Accessed December 5, 2015. http://study.com/articles/Essential\_Tips\_for\_Maintaining\_Good\_Grades\_in\_College.html.

This website lays out six key tips that can help one to achieve and maintain good grades in their post-secondary education. The first important tip is “do your homework”. The website explains that by doing your homework it will help you remember what you learnt, and will allow you to realize what you do not know, so you can focus on that. The next tip is to “always attend class”. This is important because missing even one class means missing a lot of crucial information. “Meet all class components” is the next tip that the website gives for achieving and maintaining good grades. It explains any extra activities or meetings are put into place to help you, so it will only hurt you if you skip them. The next tip is to “focus on what interests you”. The website says that this is important for achieving and maintaining grades because if you take courses that spark your interests, you will be more likely to get higher grades in them. The final tip that the website gives is to “be disciplined and organized”. It explains that writing down important dates, not procrastinating, taking notes, and doing the assigned readings are all essential things to do if one wishes to achieve and maintain good grades. Ultimately, this website says that if you follow these six key steps, it will help you to be successful in university.

I personally found that the most valuable part about this website is that it is brutally honest. This website does not sugar coat the university experience and is realistic with its audience. It says the university is hard, and that it is not easy to get good grades, but it is still possible; all you have to do is work hard and stay focused. I found this aspect to be of the most value to me because I like to know what I am getting myself into. I also think that this aspect of the website is very valuable because it helps prepare the reader for what is coming, and helps them realize just how much work and effort they will have to put into university if they wish to achieve and maintain the high grades.

**Employment**

How to Enter a Field of Work

 "Career FAQs – Courses and Career Resources." *Life After University: How to Get Your First ‘Real’ Job.* Accessed December 5, 2015. http://www.careerfaqs.com.au/courses/study-tips/life-after-university-how-to-get-your-first-real-job/.

This website explains to its audience that getting a job that is related to your field right after you graduate from university is not always easy. It gives its readers tips and tells them to stay optimistic, motivated, and positive even if they are not getting the results they desire.  Some of the tips it gives its reader is to be prepared; apply for jobs that you are interested in, make sure your resume and cover letter are up-to-date, and to remember that first impressions are everything. The website also reminds its audience that your first job will not be the perfect job; you may have to start at the bottom, but that does not mean you cannot work your way up. Ultimately, this website says that in order to get a job related to your field right out of university, you have to have reliance, great attitude, and that you have to work hard and stay determined.

I found that the most valuable aspect of this website was how it keeps its reader in a positive mind set. It does this by saying that it is possible to get a job in your field of study after graduating from university, instead of being negative and saying how unrealistic it is to get your ideal first job. With this being said, the website is still honest with its audience, which I also find very valuable. It does this by saying that if you want to get a certain job after graduating you will have to work for it. Overall, I found this website to be very valuable because it was honest and realistic, yet it was still optimistic and helpful.

Bomberger, Paul.  "Bankrate." *Find a Job in Your Field After Graduation.* Accessed December 6, 2015. http://www.bankrate.com/finance/jobs-careers/find-job-field-after-graduation.aspx#slide=6.

The author of this website gives the audience a couple tips on how to successfully find a job that is related to your field of study. He explains the importance of getting work experience throughout your university years (internships, part-time jobs, research projects, etc.), networking with the professional community within in your field, getting good grades, keeping an open mind about specific career paths within your field, and being prepared with a good resume, cover letter, and knowing how to sell yourself in a job interview. Paul Bomberger explains that these tips can and will help you land a job in your field of study after graduating university or college.

The most valuable aspect of this website for me was the fact that the author made it clear that it is possible to get a job in your field of study after you graduate. Nowadays, so many people talk about how hard it is for new graduates to land a job, let alone get a job that is remotely related to what your degree is in. All that negativity makes it hard to motivate graduates to work hard to get a job in the field they want to work; however, the author of this website makes it clear to new graduates that as long as they put the effort in, it is possible for them to get a job that is related to their degree.

How to Make Your Way Up in a Career

    Hansen, Randall S. "Quint Careers." *Moving Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted.* Accessed December 6, 2015. http://www.quintcareers.com/getting-promoted-strategies/.

This website lays out ten strategies that will help readers develop their promotion plan. These ten strategies are: develop mentoring relationships; quantify results; practice self-promotion; establish a bond with your boss; acquire new knowledge and skills; build your network; ask for more responsibilities; act professionally at all times; be a team player; and create your own opportunities. The website also gives its reader five ways that will prevent you from getting promoted: come to work without a plan for your day; do the minimum; rely on your current knowledge and do not try to expand your skill set; voice your complaints; and take all the credit for work done as a team. The author then goes on to explain that as long as you follow the ten strategies, and do the opposite of the five ways to not get promoted, you will have a good chance at moving up the ladder in your career.

I found the most value in this website was the fact that the author not only gave strategies on how to get promoted, but also gave reasons as to why one would not be getting promoted. The reason I found this so valuable is because it points out to the reader what they might be doing wrong, and how they can change their current actions so that they have a better chance at moving up in their career. This website was a very valuable resource to me because it gave more than one perspective on the strategies of to how to get promoted.

Khare, Shweta. "CareerBright." *The 4 Essential Steps to Work Your Way up the Corporate Ladder.* Accessed December 6, 2015.http://careerbright.com/career-self-help/the-4-essential-steps-to-work-your-way-up-the-corporate-ladder.

This website explains to readers that the business world is highly competitive, and one must fight and work hard if they wish to advance in their career. It gives its audience four key strategies that will help them get promoted: bring visibility to your work; broaden your skill set; push yourself; and take initiative. The website tells readers if they follow these four strategies, be themselves, work hard, stay dedicated, and be passionate about their work, it will make moving up in their career seem much less impossible and much more possible.

The most valuable part about this website for me is that it gives a very thorough description of each of the four strategies that it explains will help one move up in their career. I found this to be very valuable because the website uses a lot of detail, which makes it easier to understand what you are suppose to do, and how you are suppose to do it.  The precise explanations of how to get promoted make it seem more possible and attainable. This is because it makes you feel like you can actually follow the steps laid out for each strategy, impress your boss, and get promoted to the job you always dreamed of having.