Career 01 (Sep 08 - Mar 10)

[sidney]

I seen this in newspaper today. Interesting read. The taxi uncle is a Phd holder. Probably the highest educated taxi uncle in SG.

http://taxidiary.blogspot.com/

[winston]

Quiz: Are You Burned Out on Your Job? By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

It's been a while since you've felt the exhilaration that comes with starting a new job. And you're wondering: "Has that professional spark been extinguished or is it flickering faintly, waiting to be reignited?"

Take this quiz to help you identify if what you're feeling is a temporary heat wave or the telltale signs of total burnout.

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MS ... =cbmsn4792

[iam802]

Thorkil Sonne: Recruit Autistics

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/mag ... list_sonne

Most occupations require people skills. But for some, a preternatural capacity for concentration and near-total recall matter more. Those jobs, entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne says, could use a little autism.

Sonne reached this conclusion six years ago, after his youngest son was diagnosed with the mysterious developmental disorder. "At first I was in agony and despair," he recalls. "Then came the thought of what happens when he grows up."

In Sonne's native Denmark, as elsewhere, autistics are typically considered unemployable. But Sonne worked in IT, a field more suited to people with autism and related conditions like Asperger's syndrome. "As a general view, they have excellent memory and strong attention to detail. They are persistent and good at following structures and routines," he says. In other words, they're born software engineers.

In 2004, Sonne quit his job at a telecom firm and founded Specialisterne (Danish for "Specialists"), an IT consultancy that hires mostly people with autism-spectrum disorders. Its nearly 60 consultants ferret out software errors for companies like Microsoft and Cisco Systems. Recently, the firm has expanded into other detail-centered work—like keeping track of Denmark's fiber-optic network, so crews laying new lines don't accidentally cut old ones.

Turning autism into a selling point does require a little extra effort: Specialisterne employees typically complete a five-month training course, and clients must be prepared for a somewhat unusual working relationship. But once on the job, the consultants stay focused beyond the point when most minds go numb. As a result, they make far fewer mistakes.

One client who hired Specialisterne workers to do data entry found that they were five to 10 times more precise than other contractors.

Sonne recently handed off day-to-day operations to start a foundation dedicated to spreading his business model. Already, companies inspired by Specialisterne have sprouted in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Similar efforts are planned for Iceland and Scotland. "This is not cheap labor, and it's not occupational therapy," he says. "We simply do a better job."

[la papillion]

$50/hr is considered inexpensive... i used to know a chap, who is not a PhD, who charges $60/hr ..becos he used to say..."1 min = $1"

To me, all tuition is useless and pointless... if the kid is of average intelligence, willing to pay attention in school and willing to work hard, Y the need for tuition?

Yo mm,

Maybe I can shed some light on this issue. I've never had tuition before so I so couldn't understand why anyone would not open their books and start reading them. I noticed that students these days have rather short attention span (perhaps years of wi-fiing, ps-peeing and xboxing had them ingrained for short term gratifications?). Most do not just pick up a book to read (if any, they read fashion magazines and 8 days sort of short articles), so let alone their own textbooks.

They need someone to just read out to them, to explain things that they are supposed to learn in school. So why don't they learn in school? Too many distractions. I know someone who watches movies on i-touch every lessons and sleep right under the teacher's nose. Haven't even mentioned handphones with unlimited sms plans offered by telco. So why don't the teachers care? Teachers had too much on their hands. There are two kinds of inattention - passive inattention and active inattention. Teachers only control the latter kind, so as long as students do not disrupt their teaching, it's okay for them to day dream.

But then again, if they are so well disciplined, so attentive in class, so motivated to learn, there wouldn't be a job for me to do anymore

[la papillion]

I seen this in newspaper today. Interesting read. The taxi uncle is a Phd holder. Probably the highest educated taxi uncle in SG.

http://taxidiary.blogspot.com/

Oh I saw the blog. I love his stories

I'd my own chat with a taxi driver which I'd posted in my blog too...have a look:

---------------------------------------------------------------
Ever talked to taxi drivers?

I found myself in that exact position when me and gf took a cab back home. The cab driver is around 60 yrs old. He didn't look like that age at all, but perhaps the dim lighting hid his age well. My gf started to talk to him while I was basically slumping in the seats, having had a hard day of work. It was late, I just wanted to get back home and rest, so the last thing I would do is to talk to a stranger who had no interest in your life at all except for that half an hour or so that it took for the cab to go to your desired destination.

Still, on that very night, my gf started to make small talk with him. It's amazing how much information you can gleam from others, if only you ask the right questions and sound sincere enough. It's like a rusty tap - give it the right twist and all the water that had been in the pipes will flow out. I'm a good listener, especially so when I'm tired, so I just sat that with all the water flooding around me.

I started off hearing, then began listening as the information gets more and more interesting.

http://bullythebear.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... trove.html <-- is this allowed? if not, do let me know!

[LenaHuat]

Thanks la papillion
It's a very heartwarming entry in your blog. I like the driver's attitude. I always tell my family this joke abt my wanting to be St Peter's right hand man - the one who hands out the heavenly keys. I'm sure that I will give it my best effort. Always luv some kind of work. Read CBC's Andy Summer's take abt work and summer vacation :-
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/24/60minutes/main5335439.shtml

[winston]

6 tips for lazy workers to get ahead

The workplace is different today than it was 10, 20 and 30 years ago, but you should be able to pull back in some areas. You don't need to overextend yourself to the point that you never relax.

Here are some ways you can be a "slacker" at work and benefit from it:
1) E-mail can wait.
2) Saying 'no' won't get you fired.
3) Don't multitask.
4) Give yourself a break.
5) Don't eat lunch at your desk.
6) Schedule some "me" time.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/work ... index.html

[mojo_]

6 phases of work


Phase 1: You are listening to jazz -- Your first day at work is great. Your coworkers are wonderful, your cubicle is cute, and your boss is the best.



Phase 2: You are listening to pop music -- After a while you are so busy that you are not sure if you're coming or going anymore.



Phase 3: You are listening to heavy metal -- This is what you feel like at month end.



Phase 4: You are listening to hip hop -- You become bloated due to stress, feel sluggish and suffer from constipation. Your coworkers are too cheerful for your liking and the walls of your cubicle are closing in. You have started thinking 'WHATEVER' about your boss.



Phase 5: You are listening to GANGSTA RAP -- After more time passes, your eyes start to twitch, you forget what a 'good hair day' feels like as you just fall out of bed and load up on caffeine.



Phase 6: You are listening to the voices in your head -- You have build a makeshift door on your cubicle to keep people out, You have a dartboard with your bosses picture on it in your cube, You wonder why you are even here in the first place.

[kennynah]

6 tips for lazy workers to get ahead

The workplace is different today than it was 10, 20 and 30 years ago, but you should be able to pull back in some areas. You don't need to overextend yourself to the point that you never relax.

Here are some ways you can be a "slacker" at work and benefit from it:
1) E-mail can wait.
2) Saying 'no' won't get you fired.
3) Don't multitask.
4) Give yourself a break.
5) Don't eat lunch at your desk.
6) Schedule some "me" time.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/work ... index.html

simply work from home....

[LenaHuat]

Hi mojo
That was awesome

Phase 7.
You become mindful that someone had bagged you up so that you can chase your own tail:-