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How To Get A Higher Paid Job In the IT Industry (Updated 2017)

Do you want a high paying job in the booming market of IT industry? With some dedication and passion in the sector of computer and programming, the goal is not that far. There is no question that tech industries pay well but you need to make some effort from your side to thrive in the lucrative market.

With some academic qualification as well as technical expertise you can be a prime target of different tech giants. If you are a passionate lover of maths and science, video games, and other technical aspects of tech business, you must move toward achieving some academic qualification before targeting a tech giant.

By adopting certain norms and values, you can achieve your goal of getting high paid tech jobs.

1. Get an IT certification.

Getting a professional IT certification can be a key to move you further in big companies that can pay you huge amount of money.

You can take different certifications such as Microsoft Certification, Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Six Sigma Green Belt, Citrix Certified Professional – Virtualization (CCP-V), Cisco Certified Networking Professional (CCNP) Security.

These certification programs not only help in sharpening your skills but also in making your mark in the IT market. With the help of these certification, you can fly higher reaching your dream job.

2. Complete your degree.

Most of the high paid jobs require you to have a valid degree. Not having a valid degree poses difficulty in entering the group of tech giants. Considering Computer Science, Management Information System (MIS), Software Engineering degree can be crucial to get entry to large business firms.

So, before dreaming of a high paid job, first start by getting a suitable degree that can be your weapon to compete in the highly competitive market.

3. Gather some experience.

Gathering some experience, initially at a small venture, can be pivotal in getting into higher companies that pay you well. What makes you better than the thousands of others competing for the same job? Well, your experience can be your plus point that can drive you to the bigger ventures.

If you have enough experience at a somewhat smaller company, bigger companies wouldn’t hesitate in hiring you. With the market being highly competitive, getting some experience, at first, would be a better option before initiating a high paid job search. Get at least 2 to 5 years of experience in your related areas.

4. Move yourself towards technological hub.

Your location matters when it comes to deciding your salary. Move to the technological hubs to increase your salary as well as job prospects. New York City and Silicon Valley have always been the ones with the prospect of high tech jobs.

Moving towards such places not only assists you to thrive and prosper but also increases your chance of getting high paid jobs.

5. Your resume is your weapon.

Post your resume online. Technological recruiters are always looking for the proper tech professionals on internet. If they can find your resume on top list, there will be a better chance of your selection.

So, make sure that your resume is strong enough to compete with others. It must contain words such as ‘resume’, ‘data analysis’, ‘android’, etc. which are the keywords used by the tech giants while searching the resume on the web.

6. Move towards the management level.

You will never get to the higher level if you aren’t clever enough to exploit opportunities. While at the company, seek and apply for promotions. Maintaining a good relation with each and every employee of the company can help you a lot in the future in reaching the coveted goal.

7. Research jobs provided by the highest paying tech company.

Aim for those companies which are paying high. Analyze big companies and search for jobs provided by these companies which can be found on their websites. You can contact their human resources department.

Some even have talent acquisition manager which you can contact. With enough technical skills and expertise, you can expect a call from these companies if you have been in touch with the company.

8. Be smart.

Just understanding the codes won’t be sufficient; you will have to be smart on your part. You can impress outsiders with your outfit which can create a positive impression. Your looks will play a pivotal role.

If you aspire to be at the top position and get paid well, you must be smart with proper leadership and communication skills. Since the best paid positions of any IT job are typically found at the top level, you must maintain yourself and should adjust according to the situation.

 

8 Tips On How To Tell Your Children You’re Getting A Divorce

Well, are you getting divorced? The most challenging part being a parent is to tell your children about the situation. The conversation can be one of the most difficult to carry out concerning your children future.

You must be well prepared before initiating the conversation. It can be a conversation that can and will be remembered by your children for the rest of their life. School-age children are difficult to handle than grown adults while the conversation is growing.

Children always want both of you together. With proper game-plan full of emotion and truth, you can ease the situation. Adopting certain strategies and techniques are sure to bring better results without causing unwanted troubles.

1. Better timing

Choose a time that can be best to tell your children about your divorce. Keep it secret until that moment. If they find out about your ongoing process of separation themselves, they can get distracted which may hamper their mental condition.

You can inform their teachers or counsellor to handle the situation after you talk with them. But, do not tell them about the scenario if their exams are near or if they are in ill condition. That can cause serious problem in their physical as well as mental condition.

2. Together is better

Better tell your children about your problem together. This can ensure your children that you are providing genuine information of separation. You must be able to answer all the questions your children will be asking.

Tell them everything about what will happen to them after you divorce. You must be able to show them that you love them so much.

3. Keep yourself calm

You must look calm and serene. You should be your casual self. If you feel anxious, they will get a hint that something is going on. Hence, they can feel anxious too. Try to look as normal as you can so that your children wouldn’t get a hint until you tell them.

4. Avoid blaming each other

Blaming each other while talking with your children can cause negative effect in your children’s mental condition. Keep any extra detail up to yourself such as unhealthy relation of your spouse with outsiders or any financial consideration.

Assuage the negative vibes in your children about the divorce. If both of the parents blame each other, they can feel alone and can take unnecessary stress that could eventually deteriorate their physical as well as mental condition.

5. Lying can cause problem

If you lie about the condition, your children won’t trust you thereafter. By concentrating on hiding your mistake and making up your own story to tell your children, the problem might be negotiated in the short term but you can be in problem later on. They would eventually find out about your divorce.

So, you should better tell them the truth instead of some mixed story. It can be the best option for you to show your trust in your children. Your children will eventually accept your honesty if you come up with truth.

6. Do not react emotionally

Do not present yourself being too emotional while telling your children. Your emotional attitude can mentally affect your children as they can become too emotional.

If you are thinking of weeping while telling your story about divorce, that certainly wouldn’t help. It would rather make the condition worse. Present it in a normal way. The more you behave normally, the more you can ease the situation.

7. Keep it simple

Speak in a plain and simple way so that your children can fully understand your talk. Start a talk with a short sentence. Your way of talking seriously affects the mentality of your child. Use very soft words which can make your children feel better.

Initiate with some loving words such as “Mommy and Daddy both love you honey”. Do not go with detail about the cause of the divorce. Then simply explain about with whom they will be moving such as “Mommy is going to buy you a new apartment honey”.

8. Don’t blame it on your child

Do not blame your child for your divorce. Children may blame themselves for the breakup between you and your spouse. You must ensure your child that they have nothing to do with your divorce. Tell them that divorce is an adult decision.

You must ensure your children that they are not the root cause behind your separation.

The reality that you are going to tell the children do not need to match. Even your children has something to do with your divorce, do not tell them that it’s their fault. You can deviate from the reality to show them that it’s not their fault.

Does eating bread make you gain weight?

Eating bread has been getting a lot of heat lately.  Does eating bread make you gain weight? The simple answer? Yes, it does.

Originally, diets which eschewed bread were the low carb diets only, but today we are hearing more and more about giving up all grains, like wheat, in order to be healthier and lose weight.

Gluten Free?

While going gluten free (termed ‘GF’ by those in the know) seems to be the rage these days, there is more to it than a simple diet frenzy.

The research that is out there on the forefront about gluten and weight loss was done, for the most part by two doctors: Dr. William Davis and Dr. David Perlmutter. Both of these doctors have best-selling books, ‘Wheat Belly’ and ‘Grain Brain’, respectively and if you take a moment (or two) to read the books, you will see that they are not just about getting rid of bread, or gluten.

In fact, both doctors show the research which proves that wheat is in fact doing something to our bodies that is not quite good.

Appetite Stimulant

Grains, like wheat, actually stimulate the appetite, so if you have ever been hungry 30 minutes after you finished off your bowl of cereal in the morning, it is not just you. In fact, that is what wheat does.

So, think about this: If you have bread for lunch, and/or bread for dinner, you actually may be stimulating your appetite, causing overeating and causing that need to snack later in the day.

In addition, grains (like those found in breads) raise the blood glucose level quickly because they hit the bloodstream so quickly. In order to stop this spike in the glucose levels, your body will release the hormone insulin.

This hormone then drives the glucose from your blood into the muscles (where it can be stored as energy) or the fat cells, where it will be stored as fat.  The more carbs you eat, i.e. the more bread in this case, the more insulin is released. Eventually, the muscles become resistant to that insulin storage, and it all goes right into your fat cells.

Insulin actually swells the adipose fat cells. What does that mean? It means they get bigger and can hold even more fat. This equals a rise in body fat, and causes you to gain weight.

The more carbs you eat, the more your body relies on that instant fat influx to give it energy, so it never gets a chance to actually use the stored energy. As a result that fat storage? Stays in storage, and never gets burned, or used.

Carbohydrates

One main, unifying theme in the ‘no bread’ or ‘gluten free’ diet craze is that carbohydrates equal weight gain, and that is true. We have seen this proven time and time again, from the Atkins Diet to the Paleo Diet.

Cutting carbs will help you lose weight. These carbohydrates (which are called complex carbohydrates) include bread, pasta, sugar, white flour, white rice, white potatoes and other starchy, processed foods.

There are ‘good carbs’, of course, which include fruits and vegetables, wild rice, nuts, quinoa among others.  These types of carbohydrates, called simple carbohydrates are perfectly safe for you, and can be eaten in place of the non-desirable, high sugar, carbs.

Shop the Perimeter

One of the most important things to take away from the recent ‘gluten-free’ diet craze is that you should be eating healthier.  In order to do that, simply shop the perimeter of your grocery store.  This will take you through the produce section, the dairy section and the meat section.

Be sure to eat more fruits and vegetables, as well as lean meats and low fat dairy products.

Additionally, snack on heart healthy oils, like those found in nut butters and nuts.  And of course, make sure that you steer clear of those processed, sugary snacks and foods. Also, avoid fried foods and trans fats as well.  (See also: How much fat should I eat)

Also, steer clear of versions of your favorite foods that now say ‘gluten free’. Chances are they have taken out the gluten but added in sugars, salts or other chemicals to give it a better taste.  Even gluten free breads are usually laden with preservatives or sugar to give them a taste that is not too awful.  Experiment with recipes and perhaps make your own homemade, grain-free bread and baked goods.

Almond flour, garbanzo bean flour and even coconut flour are good options in place of wheat or white flours.

The Bottom Line

So yes, bread can cause you to gain weight.  While it is not just bread that is making you fat, or causing you to gain weight, it is part of the problem. Cutting out bread and wheat completely, as well as other complex carbohydrates, will have you noticing a change in your waistline almost immediately.

In fact, wheat and other gluten-laden foods have been shown to cause our bodies to bloat.  So, if you get rid of bread, you might wake up to a less bloated figure, right away.

Add simple carbohydrates in place of complex ones, clean out your pantry and design a brand new shopping list. Ditch the bread and fit into a smaller dress size!

How to drop a dress size in two weeks

Can you really drop a dress size in two weeks? Yes, you can!  With the right eating plan, paired with a bit of exercise, the weight will come off, just in time for your big event. Yes, quick weight loss is a hot topic, but no one seems to know how to achieve it.

Fasting

Have you ever thought of fasting for weight loss?  Fasting is the process of abstaining from food, willingly, for a certain period of time.  It is almost a starvation diet.  Most people only deny themselves food, but others may fast without food or drink.

Fasts have become quite popular as a way to speed weight loss, but most started as a form of religious expression.  Sometimes they are used as a form of protest, as well.  But, are fasting diets safe?

Fasting can be done for any period of time–but most dieters fast anywhere from 24 hours to 72 hours.  When you fast, your body will use stored energy, or calories, to survive. This means you will most likely see weight loss at the end of your fasting period.  However, this is not weight loss that will be maintained.  It is mostly water weight, and as soon as you begin to drink and eat normally again, those water stores will be replaced, hence the weight will return.

As you fast, your body’s appetite will adjust, so you should not feel ravenous the entire time, but once you go back to normal eating, your appetite will come right back.

If you are planning to fast for a medical reason, or a spiritual one, they are safe in moderation. But know that if you are doing a fast for weight loss reasons, whatever pounds you may lose during the fast will return.

If you do want to drop that dress size quickly, a fast can do it for you, but note that you will gain it back rather quickly when you begin eating regularly again. (See also: Calorie cycling for weight loss)

Lose Weight Fast

If you need to lose weight fast, in less than two weeks, for say, an event or to fit into a smaller dress size, know that it can be done, and safely, too!  Yes, you can lose the weight safely and effectively!  But how?

The first step is to remember that you need to eat right and exercise.  In fact, there are certain ways of eating can actually help you shed the pounds quickly!

Low Carb Diets

While a low carbohydrate diet is nothing new, it is still around because it works.  A low carb diet will actually help you shed the pounds in as little as two weeks.  (Should I count carbs to lose weight?)

Why? It is simple, really.  When you cut back on carbohydrates, you eliminate starchy, high sugar, calorie laden foods like white flours and processed foods. These are called ‘complex carbs’ and cause the body’s glucose levels to spike. This triggers the body to release insulin and the extra insulin is stored as fat.

Complex carbs are not good for you anyway.  A low carb diet will help you to lose water weight, right away,   you will notice this weight loss in the first few days, and even better?  Low carb dieters actually maintain the weight loss. (See also: Can drinking lots of water help you lose weight?)

Exercise

If you couple a low carbohydrate plan with exercise, you will really see a difference.

Fat Burning Exercises

The best fat burning exercises are those that target your muscles. Resistance training actually works to firm up your problem areas, and these types of moves will tone your areas quickly. Strength training actually increases your resting metabolism, too, so you burn more calories all day long, even at rest, resulting in more pounds lost every week!

Additionally to burn more fat, do cardiovascular exercise, too.  Workouts like HiiT workouts (high intensity interval training) will help you burn the most calories in a short amount of time.

Studies have shown that both interval training and high intensity interval training are the best ways to burn body fat and lose weight quickly.  In a HiiT workout, you will work as hard as you possibly can for thirty seconds, and then rest for just eight seconds.  You will repeat this pattern for just four minutes. That is it! Four minutes.

Once you get really good at those four minutes, you will add another four minutes.   This type of workout burns nine times more than a steady state workout (which is a long workout, say, on a treadmill or elliptical trainer).  Exercises that can be done in a HiiT workout are varied–from pushups to jump squats to jumping jacks to even abdominal exercises.

Overall

Remember to eat healthy and exercise to get the results you want. Adding in lean meats, vegetables and low fat dairy are good choices as you cut out complex carbohydrates. If you do fast, do it for no more than two days.

What Affects Your Appetite for Food?

Heartbreak, stress, hormones, the weather, medicine you might be taking, even how hard your workout was during the day, all of these things can actually affect your appetite for food.

Heartbreak

Feeling blue?  Often it seems that a bad breakup can send you straight to the Ben & Jerry’s cooler in your grocery store, and then right back home to find a big spoon.  Or perhaps it is the opposite?  You find that you have had your heart broken and you just cannot eat?

You are not alone, and you are not crazy.  In fact, heartbreak actually does affect your appetite.  The mind and body are connected.  If one suffers, they both suffer.  If you are one that cannot eat when faced with a breakup, or any other sadness you may be facing, it is because your body feels as if it is in physical pain, and the idea of eating actually makes your body feel sick.

It will pass, though, and once you have completely grieved for that relationship, or gotten past whatever hurt or sadness you are facing, your body will feel healed, and will want to eat again.

If you find yourself eating in excess due to heartbreak, you are, in fact, using food as a crutch.  You focus on food (food that make you ‘feel’ good) rather than your present situation, which is why that pint of ice cream seems to be your best friend at the moment.  Again, this increased appetite will pass once you have gone through the grieving process. See also: How to break the association between food and emotions.

Exercise

While some might tell you it is a myth that increased activity equals an increased appetite, they are wrong.  In fact, science backs up these claims. The more energy your body exerts during physical activity, the more calories you burn.  If you burn enough calories, you body can go into calorie deficit, and your body will want to, it will need to, take in calories to make up for that.

Think of it this way: If you do, say, a weightlifting workout, working your muscles, you want them to grow.  If you do not feed the body after a workout, the body will actually feed on stored protein, in other words, you muscle tissue.  This means that all the hard work you just did in the gym? It was nearly for nothing, as you are pretty much destroying the muscle you just tried to build.

Additionally, the more muscle your body has, the higher your metabolism. This means your body burns more calories all day long.  If the calories are not readily available, again, it will break down that muscle tissue, and your metabolism will suffer.

So, an increased appetite after tough exercise is normal. Make sure to feed the body properly in order to see the results you want.

Hormones

Like it or not, hormones do increase the appetite, especially in women.  Once a month, hormone fluctuations can do crazy things to a woman’s body, including make her crave different foods.

A number of scientific studies have shown that premenstrual women actually crave carbohydrates during that time.  Increase in both appetite and cravings occur during this phase.

Other hormones, called ‘hunger hormones’ are present in both men and women and are the ones that let us know we are either hungry or full.  Stress can increase these hormones exponentially, which is why we often eat when we are stressed.  To be more specific, the hormone cortisol is produced when we get stressed, and this can cause overeating.  See also: Why do I always feel hungry?

Ghrelin is the most prevalent ‘hunger hormone’ in the body, and it is the one that makes your stomach growl.  Unfortunately, it is not always a great indicator of hunger, as it sometimes will act up after a high protein meal, making you feel like you need a sugary snack or dessert.

Weather

If you live in a cold weather environment, you are probably prone to cravings during the winter months. Your body wants to hibernate, and you feel that you need to ingest high calorie items.  Why? Because your body actually does feel the need to get warmer, and calories are energy units, they keep the body warmer.

Your body actually processes food faster when it is cold out, and that increases the appetite because the stomach empties out quicker than it would on a summer day.

Medication

And finally, some medications can affect the appetite. Typically this is a side effect, listed in the small print of drugs, and not one that doctors mentioned, as it is not considered to be life threatening.
In fact, things like birth control pills (ones that control your hormones) can really increase the appetite.

If you notice that you are eating more (or, the opposite, if you find yourself without an appetite) after taking a new medication, either contact your doctor or read the small print included with the medication. Chances are, this is a side effect of the drug, and it is one that tends to pass quickly as your body gets used to the drug.

Can drinking lots of water help you lose weight?

Did you know that your metabolic rate actually increases when you drink water? And when your metabolic rate increases, your body burns more calories, no matter what you are doing: resting, working, running, it does not matter. When the metabolism increases, more calories are burned, all day long!

Scientific Evidence

Several studies have recently been reported that show this correlation between drinking water and weight loss.  One study, done in Germany, showed that increased water consumption was directly related to the increased rate at which study participants burned calories.

See also: Why is drinking water good for you

Eight Glasses a Day

Most diet plans recommend that you drink eight glasses of water a day, but this was the first time that a study showed whether or not these eight glasses could actually lead to, or speed up, weight loss.

The doctors in this study, who were from the Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center in Berlin, Germany, actually tracked the energy expenditures of its participants. These participants were 14 men and women, all in good health, who were not overweight.

They drank seventeen ounces of water, and then their metabolic rate increased by 30%, and this was the rate reported in both the men and women.  In fact, this metabolic jump took place within just ten minutes of drinking the water.

Calories per Year

According to the study, the doctors and researchers estimate that if you drank an extra one and a half liters of water per day, which is about four cups, you would burn an extra 17,400 calories. This totals weight loss of about five pounds.

Part of this weight loss comes from the work the body does to heat up the ingested water.

Drink water before you eat

Another study was done in the US, at Virginia Tech. Dr. Brenda Davy, an associate professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech, and her team, showed that when people drank two glasses of water about 30 minutes before they ate lost weight more quickly (and more significantly) than those who did not.

This Virginia Tech study was published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and it also reported that the researchers found that participants who drank water before meals actually ate about 75 fewer calories at those meal (compared to meals where they did not drink beforehand).

Just eating 75 fewer calories two meals a day for a year would result in a weight loss of just over 14 pounds.  Additionally, this could help spike metabolism, as shown in the German study.

This dip in calories is most likely due to the fact that your stomach is already partially full, from the water, before you begin to eat. And, while you might expect hunger to set in later, since you have eaten less, that did not happen. The extra water helped quench the body’s need for calories.

Dehydration

Additionally, research shows that those who do not drink enough water become dehydrate, which actually prevents weight loss, as your body holds on to water weight.

It is actually very difficult for the body to know if it is hungry or thirsty.  When you do not drink enough water throughout the day, your body may indicate that it is hungry, when all it is hungering for is water!  This can cause you to overeat, and then, of course, gain weight.

Also read: Why do I always feel hungry?

Staying hydrated is the key, then, to weight loss!  Keep the body properly hydrated, drink before meals, and eat water-based foods to help give you that additional burst of water.

Another way to stay hydrated, and take in more water, is by simply replacing all of your other caloric drinks with water.  If you do drink coffee or tea in the morning, and take them without added sugar or calories (like milk or cream), you can count that as water!

Water-based foods include vegetables and fruits, soups, and even dairy (but opt for the low fat options).  When you eat water-based foods, you are actually taking in fewer calories, as the density of these foods is water.

Water versus Soda

Additionally, when you do drink water, you tend to avoid high caloric drinks, like soda.  When you are not thirsty, you will not reach for those calorie-laden beverages, helping you cut even more calories from your diet!  See also: Are diet drinks bad for you?

Lasting Weight Loss

The studies also show that after a full year on this ‘extra water regimen’ the participants has not only kept the weight off, but had lost another pound and a half to two pounds!

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that adding extra water to your diet, especially before meals, can really lead to long term weight loss.  Remember to shoot for at least eight glasses a day, and if you already drink those eight glasses, try one to two about 30 minutes prior to your meals and see what happens!

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