Welcome to May 2008. This month, as many business professionals are gearing down for the summer, it's actually a great time to analyze your career goals and perhaps 'gear up' for the

opportunity to hone your skills via a multitude of online degree offerings through Almeda University. Greet Fall 2008 with career confidence, knowing that you've experienced the best in business/technical education courses classes at Almeda University. See what's in store for you now by clicking here. As always, we encourage you to

Everybody goes through financial lumps and bumps throughout their lives. However, if you learn to build a great budget - and stick to it - you can turn those lumps and bumps into smooth little hills that don't even cause you to break a sweat.

Keep in mind that a budget doesn't have to be a rigid set of rules with no flexibility and which doesn't allow for you to live your life. Instead, it gives you a spending plan that allows you to understand and properly manage your monthly cash flow. Yes, you can still enjoy the good things in life, but you need to do things within reason, within your financial grasp, and not all at once (unless you've saved for it).

There are six primary steps to building a great budget that you can work with, and that you won't be inclined to give up (as you may have done in the past):

	Goals
	Living Expenses
	Income
	Income and Expenses Comparison
	Spending Plan (budget)
	Spending Plan Review

Setting your goals is a vital step to creating an effective budget, but it is all too frequently overlooked when establishing and working with the spending plan. As much as "saving money" is an important goal, you will want to get a bit more specific than that, or your budget won't stick.

Remember, your goals are your motivation to keep up with your spending plan.

They need to be something that you want and can realistically achieve, or you won't have the drive to stop yourself from "slipping" outside the boundaries of your spending plan.

When you come up with your goals, write them down. Not only will that solidify the budgeting idea in your head, but it will also give you a reminder of your goals every time you see them. This will renew your motivation and make it easier to stick to your spending plan.

After you've set goals, analyze your living expenses. Make a list of everything that you need to cover every month. This should include both your set expenses (i.e., rent), as well as those that change from month to month (i.e., food, personal care, phone expenses), and those that occur on a periodic basis, such as insurance, gifts and vacations.

Then, make a second list of discretionary spending, such as your morning coffee at the café, any magazines you purchase on impulse at the grocery store and other additional items. Also, add savings that you will need for future spending, such as retirement funds, a new car, a vacation, etc.

Once your spending has been recorded, review your income. If you receive the same pay every month, that makes things easy. However, if you work on commission, freelance, or your pay varies, you'll want to record your pay over time and compare from month to month.

Next, make a comparison of your income and your expenses.

If your income exceeds your spending, you'll have something to work with as far as savings goes. If your expenses exceed your income, it's time to take the proper steps to change that circumstance - right now. Speak to a professional for extra help. You may want to take on an additional job - perhaps part-time. You may want to think of additional debt help (depending on the depth of your debt), such as debt consolidation. You will most certainly want to cut back on the discretionary items in your spending. You'll need discipline, determination and sacrifice here, but once you reach your goal, you'll realize that it was well worth it.

The next step is to determine your spending plan. You're now ready to write down how much you will be spending in each expense category. Go over everything carefully and be as accurate as possible. Keep in mind, though, that this is not set in stone. As you learn more, you can update your budget.

Review your spending plan every month to make sure that it does, indeed, reflect the reality of your life. Don't expect that it will be perfect right off the bat. It will require some adjusting at first, and then again each time something changes in your life that affects your money flow.

Somewhere out there is the mind that will produce the next great American novel. If, however, that would-be author is under the age of 18, the words they write may be more of "SOZ" and "TGGTG" than beautiful, flowing prose.

"We have a whole generation being raised without communication skills," says Jacquie Ream, former teacher and author of K.I.S.S. Keep It Short and Simple. She contends that text messaging and the internet are destroying the way our kids read, think and write.

A recent National Center for Education Statistics study reports only one out of four high school seniors is a proficient writer. A College Board survey of the nation's blue-chip companies found only two thirds of their employees are capable writers.

"These kids aren't learning to spell. They're learning acronyms and short hand," says Ream. "Text messaging is destroying the written word. Students aren't writing letters; they're typing into their cell phones one line at a time. Feelings aren't communicated with words when you're texting; emotions are sideways smiley faces. Kids are typing shorthand jargon that isn't even a complete thought."

Reading may not be the problem. Neilson/NetRatings reports the average 12 to 17-year-old visits more than 1,400 web pages a month. Ask that average teenager what they read, and they may be able to tell you. Ask the average teenager what their opinion is on a blog or article, and you may find them fumbling for thoughts that are their own.

"What's not taught today," says Ream, "is critical thinking skills. Teachers are forced to use what little classroom time they have to teach to the standardized tests. The kids learn how to regurgitate information to parrot it back for the correct answer, but they can't process the thought and build on it."

This generation, however, isn't a complete 'write off.' Ream says parents can make a big difference in the way their children communicate. She suggests reading the same book your teenager is reading - then trying to open a dinner table conversation about the plot of that novel.

Ream says writing is a skill that can be learned. Her book lays out a formula she says makes writing easier: Teach your kids to organize their thoughts on paper; compare the subject with others to show how the ideas are similar; contrast the subject with others to show how the concept is different; and interrelate - write the essay to show how the subject relates to the reader.

Every generation has great minds with great thoughts that can guide the rest of us, and teenagers can be taught to groom their opinions and ideas so that they can write effectively - bringing fresh, new creativity into society and ultimately into the workplace.

Jacquie Ream has been a teacher, a workshop director, a daycare owner, and is now the author of 'K.I.S.S. Keep It Short and Simple.' www.reamink.com

Throughout your working life, you will likely be provided with dozens, if not hundreds, of different pieces of "good advice" concerning your career. Indeed, it will be well intended advice, but whether it's good or not is up to you to decide.

For example, some will tell you that the best thing you can do for your career is to get in early so that you can climb the ladder from a young age and ensure that you're making a great salary early on, meaning ultimately that you can retire earlier.

On the other hand, you may also have been told that you don't really know what your true skills and interests are until you reach the age of thirty, so you may want to switch careers a few times while you're fresh out of college and then find the track that will make you the most money and give you the most pleasure.

These strategies could both work, so which one is the right one for you? Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so you'll need to consider the way you want your career path to go before you make your final decision.

out that letter of resignation and move on:

	Are you approaching the "seven year itch" time because you've been working the same job for a while now? Remember that you do need to work a few years in a company before you can know what kind of growth potential you'll have. Plus, your resume won't look very good if it appears you have a pattern of leaving jobs rather quickly.
	Have you been with the same company for a while now - even if you haven't been in the same position? This shows dedication and focus. A new employer is impressed with someone who will remain under the same roof for a while, especially if you have received promotions.

	Have you remained in your current position for at least a year? If you are constantly changing positions, even within the same company, you risk being labeled a drifter or someone who lacks stability.
	If you've changed jobs frequently within the same company, but you've stayed with each one for at least one year before moving on, then as long as the jobs were related, you can use it to your advantage by demonstrating that you have built up a broad range of foundation skills within the same industry.

Remember, there is no rule of thumb with regard to how you will best establish and build upon your career. You must decide what is best for you, and what you are comfortably able to accomplish to achieve your career goals.

Consider checking into Life Experience Program offerings with Almeda that are designed to help catapult your career to the next level.

Everybody seems to be talking about living a healthier lifestyle these days. But a lifestyle isn't just something that you can change in a day. So you may have asked yourself how you can take on your own brand of healthy living - and keep it up.

The trick is to make the right choices, and build gradually. You can't overhaul your entire way of living overnight. So start small, and add to it as you adjust to the changes. These changes mean taking additional small steps to add a healthier element to your life, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, drinking an extra glass of water every day, and quitting smoking.

The major areas on which you should be concentrating are:

	Exercise
	Eating
	Rest

The lack of exercise is one of the biggest problems we face these days - especially with an increasing number of jobs being performed behind a desk.

Not only is this kind of work hard on your body, but it also takes away the drive to move around once you do have the opportunity.

However, you need to remind yourself that adding even a bit of movement to your life will:

	Decrease your risk of stroke, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers
	Improve your flexibility and joint stability
	Maintain your bone mass and prevent fractures and osteoporosis
	Put you in a great mood and reduce stress, anxiety and depression symptoms
	Help to improve your self esteem

By adding small, regular steps of activity to your life every so often, you will make a tremendous impact on your health.

In conjunction with exercising, you'll also want to eat well. This doesn't necessarily mean putting yourself on a diet.

Instead, it means eating healthy foods, drinking water, reducing junk foods and managing your portions. By making sure you're receiving your ideal nutrition every day, you'll find that you're not hungry, but you will be more able to achieve and maintain your ideal body weight.

Beyond exercise and eating right, many people don't realize how important rest is to their lives. By getting enough sleep, you'll be better able to manage your weight, you'll have more energy for the activity level you want to achieve, and you'll reduce your stress levels dramatically - especially on the job.

Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean that you need to change everything about your life. It's more about making the right small changes every day and giving your body what it needs to function properly and prevent disease.