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Many people who want a work at home job think of data entry first. It’s hardly a surprise. Data entry is relatively easy, doesn’t require a quiet workspace or much in the line of special equipment. And many people can quickly learn to type fast enough to qualify.

However this is also one of the most common work at home scams. Because so many people feel comfortable with the idea of doing data entry at home, scammers know they can get people to pay them for opportunities that don’t exist. It really pays to know what a real data entry job looks like.

There are a few common scams. One is to disguise a business opportunity as a job. This scam is really only a scam because it pretends to be a job rather than a business opportunity. People can make money at it, but there is financial risk involved and you most certainly are not an employee of anyone, despite what these ads claim. Would you want to learn how to run a successful business from someone who lies to you about it being a job?

The opportunity is generally affiliate marketing for various products through Clickbank. Often they recommend placing pay per click ads in AdWords and other programs. As I said, people can and do earn money at this. However it is not easy and if that is what you want to do from home I strongly recommend learning about it from an honest source.

Another common scam is to request you pay a fee to show that you are serious. The supposed work is filing in forms with names and addresses to compile address lists for advertisers. However these jobs can often be done much more quickly and easily by computers.

Real data entry jobs may not sound that different at the start. I know of one company that does have you type in customer’s information from forms they filled out. That’s because you’re processing rebate forms. This particular job is limited to the Tempe, AZ area as you must pick up and drop off your work each day.

The difference, of course, is in the presence of an actual job. The scams may sometimes send you work but good luck getting paid. The real companies should have reputations you can check and you should be able to find other people who have successfully done the work in the past or are even doing it now.

You should not have to pay to get the job. The job probably will have standard equipment requirements for all contractors or employees. The most common requirement, aside from that of having a computer, which should be a given, is that you have a cable or DSL internet connection. Most companies will not accept dialup or satellite connections. Check the requirements of each company to be certain.

Caution is indicated anytime you are looking for a work at home opportunity. The scams are far easier to find than the legitimate work is. However the legitimate opportunities are out there for those who take the time to hunt for them.

The medical field has always offered great career opportunities and provides not only job security but favorable incomes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nursing is the number 1 Career in the Top Ten Occupations with the Largest Job Growth.

Nurses promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. They collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to provide the care needed by each patient as an individual. Nurses are hands-on health professionals who provide focused and highly personalized care. The field has a wide range of career opportunities, ranging from entry-level practitioner to doctoral-level researcher.

Nurses also serve as advocates for patients, families, and communities. They develop and manage nursing care plans; instruct patients and their families in proper care; and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health.

An entry-level nurse can find a job with a two-year RN degree, there is a growing national movement to require all nurses to hold a BSN. An increasing number of nursing schools are offering accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. There also are a growing number of RN-to-MSN and MSN-to-Ph.D. programs, designed to meet the increasing demand for more highly skilled nurses in the workforce.

Nursing has also four Advanced Practice clinical professions, each of which requires a master’s degree and separate certification: Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse, Anesthetist, Nurse-Midwife, Nurse Practitioner.

All States and the District of Columbia require LPNs to pass a licensing examination after completing a State-approved practical nursing program. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs), or licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), care for the sick, injured, convalescent, and disabled under the direction of physicians and registered nurses.

Most LPNs provide basic bedside care. They take vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. They also treat bedsores, prepare and give injections and enemas, apply dressings, give alcohol rubs and massages, apply ice packs and hot water bottles, and monitor catheters. LPNs observe patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. They collect samples for testing, perform routine laboratory tests, feed patients, and record food and fluid intake and output. They help patients with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene, keep them comfortable, and care for their emotional needs. In states where the law allows, they may administer prescribed medicines or start intravenous fluids. Some LPNs help deliver, care for, and feed infants. Experienced LPNs may supervise nursing assistants and aides.

In addition to providing routine bedside care, LPNs in nursing care facilities help to evaluate residents’ needs, develop care plans, and supervise the care provided by nursing aides. In doctors’ offices and clinics, they also may make appointments, keep records, and perform other clerical duties. There are many different options for you in the nursing profession. This diverse field offers you many different departments to work in. You can work hands-on with patients or you might want to work in a lab or research facility. You might choose to work in a specific field such as OB-GYN or Pediatrics. There are also many opportunities for advancement. Find a nursing job or career that utilizes your unique set of skills, talents and abilities. The career process is similar to the nursing process, which includes assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation, and they parallel each other.

Nurses in rehab facilities and convalescent homes get to be part of the recovery process, and many take great pride and joy in watching a patient advance and recover. Convalescent home jobs include charge nurses, floor nurses and nursing assistants as well as physical and occupational therapy specialists.

There have been developing major changes in the practice of long term elder care. Many seniors don’t need round the clock nursing care, but do need some nursing supervision. Senior housing communities often have an on-site nurse who is available to help residents with medication problems, take care of routine medical care and be available in case of an emergency. The nurse on site will also often consult with doctors who work with individual residents to help manage any medical care that they need. The pay scale is generally quite good, and the hours closer to a regular work week than in many other geriatric nursing jobs.

Due to this high demand on this job it is easy to find many different opportunities and choose one with favorable working conditions and hours.

There are companies offering placement for nurses to meet situational requirements. You may not want the responsibility of a full-time position in a hospital, but want to work only a few weeks at a time. You have plenty of options. Choose travel nursing and spend a few days on the road each month, or a few months out at a time. Pick up part-time work or temporary positions. You have plenty of options without working full time and there are companies that do nothing but placements for people like you. Be careful to choose a reputable company and be wary of signing a long-term contract that limits your work with other companies, but this could be a viable option.

The pay is great. Bonuses are paid when you are hired. You do not have to work in the same place year after year. In fact, you can change the vocation landscape every quarter if you wish.

With the promise of meaningful work, job security and new opportunities, second-career nurses bring maturity, commitment and life experience to the workplace. Some say that after years of just making money, they want to do meaningful work. Others feel trapped in limited professions or have lost their jobs in a sliding economy and see new opportunities in nursing. To attract and keep their interest, many nursing schools have established accelerated bachelor’s degree programs for students who already have a degree in another field. In addition to a long list of prerequisite courses, mostly human sciences and psychology, most programs last three semesters and require 18 to 20 hours of coursework and another three to five hours of clinicals per week.

What is it with kids and body parts? And functions? Why are little kids, barely verbal, so fascinated with their own body parts and those of others? Do they have to discuss personal functions in such detail, and in such embarrassing company?

Because they’re darling innocents, that’s why. The world hasn’t taught them yet that such conversation with total strangers isn’t socially appropriate. If Mommy is concerned about a rash on a toddler’s pee-pee, why can’t that concern be related to the postman, the grocery store clerk, or the neighbors? Little kids just don’t comprehend the censorship that our society will eventually inflict upon them. If it can be said at home, why can’t it be said in public? Again, toddlers have no concept of personal privacy; just ask any frazzled mother whose child just has to go “number two” right this minute! Or so the child agonizingly informs everyone in the checkout lane at Wal-Mart.

So you think you’ve heard it all, do you? Here are some excerpts from real life that will have you chuckling - only because it wasn’t you in that situation.

“I was breast feeding my little girl when the doorbell rang. I covered up quickly and answered the door with my child still in my arms. To my dismay, there were two young, very polite young men; Mormon missionaries they were! My daughter, who’s a very friendly child, pulled aside my shirt and gleefully announced ‘See Mommy’s boobies!’ I’ll never forget the look on those nice young fellas’ faces. I was so embarrassed; I excused myself and shut the door. Glaring at my daughter, who looked at me with wide, innocent eyes, I started to laugh. And every time I tell this story, I still laugh!”

“I took my four-year-old son to the hardware store with me,” one red-faced father recounted. “I thought it was time to introduce him to the world of tools, like big kids. Together, we picked out a new hammer and screwdriver, and some brackets I needed to hang our new drapes. At the counter, the elderly owner of the store rang up my purchases. About this time, my son announces at the top of his lungs, ‘Daddy’s tool is a lot bigger than mine, but he says mine’s gonna grow a lot.’ The old gentleman never batted an eye. He just said ‘I sure hope so, sonny.’

“It was Christmas,” said the mother of an adorable three-year-old daughter. “Of course all we were hearing were Christmas carols. My daughter was just learning about God and Jesus and what Christmas is really all about. When “Silent Night” came on the radio, my daughter turned to me and asked ‘Mommy, what’s a virgin?’ I thought about it for a moment - how to explain virginity to a little girl? Finally, I said ‘A virgin is a young unmarried woman.’ ‘Oh,’ said my daughter with wisdom beyond her years, ‘then my cousin CeCe is a virgin cause she’s only sixteen.’ From behind the newspaper, my husband snickered and said, ‘I wouldn’t count on it.’ From then on, every time I saw CeCe I couldn’t help laughing.”

Kids are always unpredictable and they can be embarrassing at times, but if you can keep a sense of humor about the situation, you’ll weather these little outbursts of intimate detail much better. It’s better to be as open and honest as you can with your kids - ever try hushing a toddler when they’re bent on knowing “why”? They can say “why” far longer than you can say “because,” and most likely much louder, which can end up dragging out a situation you’d rather avoid. Maybe it’s just better to give in and laugh at your kids’ social fax pas. After all, they’ll grow out of it.

For many families nowadays, the patio is the heart of their home. They entertain there, they sit back and relax on fine afternoons, and sitting around a fire pit after a hard day at work is a great way to unwind. You can relax and read a book as the kids play, or chat with friends while ribs sizzle on the barbecue. Many of us spend a substantial amount of money buying good quality patio equipment and furniture, to make sure we get as much use as possible from our patio area, and to make it elegant and comfortable for visitors and ourselves.

Sometimes, though, the great outdoors can be too much a good thing. That’s where patio awnings can be great, because they give you more options for using your patio. In summer, when the heat outside can be unbearable, a patio awning can keep your patio shaded and comfortable. More people are realizing just how useful patio awnings can be, and because of their increasing popularity, they can now be purchased in a huge range of colors, styles and options.

One of the reasons that more people are turning to patio awnings is the fact that it’s almost like adding another room to the house. The patio can be an attractive part of your house anyway, but with awnings added it can be turned into a huge outdoor room. With tasteful decorations, you get the feeling that your home has been extended out onto the patio, which gives you more options for entertaining.

You can buy patio awnings that are operated either manually or electronically. With a manual awning, you can choose exactly what depth, or pitch, you want for the awning’s fabric. Depending on the conditions, you might like to have the awning fully extended, or perhaps only partially open. Electronic, or automatic patio awnings have electronic ‘arms’ that operate at the push of a button. Some may also have a remote control for easier operation. Most automatic awnings also have a manual option, so that you can still adjust the awnings even during a power outage or if the motor fails.

Believe it or not, the most stressful part of real estate investing is making a sale. During this phase of the investment there are so many things that can go wrong, and your profit depends on making a smooth and quick sale. While most sales do go through smoothly,

the uncertainty and anticipation can keep you worrying late into the night. This is especially true if you choose to bypass an agent and sell your property on your own.

A brokerage agent does do a lot of leg work during a sale, but all of it comes at a cost. Hefty brokerage commissions turn many investors off of the idea of using an agent and onto the idea of selling the property themselves in the hopes of increasing residual income. If this sounds like something that you would like to do, follow the following steps for selling your investment property.

The first thing that you need to do to make your first sale in real estate investing is to calculate the asking price for the property. You can do this by hiring a professional appraiser to price the home or by checking the sales prices of comparable homes in the same area of your property. This is normally done at the court house by comparing similar recent real estate sales prices within a few miles of your property. You should also take into consideration the current real estate market. If the market is a buyers market, you will probably have to lower your price. If it is a sellers market, on the other hand, you might be able to fetch more than the market value of the property.

Once you have settled on a price, you need to market the property. This involves advertising the property and showing it to perspective buyers individually and at open houses. During this phase you should also contact your attorney to draw up the necessary purchase contract forms. This purchase contract will need to be signed by you and the buyer once you have negotiated an offer.

After you have negotiated an offer, the real work begins. Now it is time to close the deal. To do this, you will need an escrow company to perform the closing. This is the time of paperwork as you will need to provide the buyer with disclosure statements and he will need to provide you with a loan commitment letter. Inspections are also performed during this time and a title search will be completed by your escrow company. Next, you will need to meet with the escrow company and buyer to sign the paperwork, pay closing fees to the escrow company; pay off the mortgage; and pay or put aside any taxes owed.

As you can see, the closing phase is the busiest time of selling your first property in real estate investing. But it is also the most exciting. This is where all of your hard work pays off and you get to walk away with the profit.