Page 72 of 92

      Taipei Gaming Companies Recruit Cream of the Crop

      February 21, 2011 /

      Taipei

      Although Taiwan’s gaming market is smaller than China’s, the Island’s industry is worth $42.2 billion, which is up 20 percent over 2009. Growth in the industry has been spurred by ways to consume games from PCs, game consoles and online games, to smartphones and games on social networking sites such as Facebook and more, according to PCWorld. Because growth in Taiwan’s gaming industry is so great, 15 of the islands’ top gaming companies are now looking to fill 50 spots for gamers, programmers, graphic artists, and research and development professionals. PCWorld reports that some jobs even offered the chance to play computer games for a living with a salary of around NT$35,000 (US$1,194) a month, which is about average in Taiwan.

      Jamesina Lin, a representative at Chinese Gamer International, one of Taiwan’s biggest online gaming companies said “people hired to play games would be heavily involved in game development.”

      Chinese Gamer and other companies teamed with Taiwanese employment website, Job Bank, to host the Taiwan Game Job fair at the same time as Taipei’s biggest gaming show. “We had over 2,000 people apply at the job fair on Saturday and over 2,600 applications in all,” said Charlene Chang, spokesperson for Job Bank, which ran the job fair. Taiwanese gaming companies are serious about their work.

      A total of 2,600 people applied for the 50 positions. Two thousand applied at the job fair, which took place Saturday, February 19, 2011 at the Taiwan Game Show at Taipei World Trade Center.

      Your Career

      A Guide to Student Loan Consolidation

      February 18, 2011 /

      Graduate

      The federal government offers many options for financing your education from Federal Pell Grants and the Monetary Award Program (MAP) to PLUS Loans, Stafford Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans. Pell Grants and MAP awards do not have to be repaid, but student loans do.

      Stafford Loans are low-interest student loans guaranteed by the government. Perkins Loans are campus-based loans with a fixed 5% interest rate, and a nine month grace period. Perkins loans are also guaranteed by the federal government. PLUS Loans (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Student) are granted to students based on the parents creditworthiness.

      To cover the costs of tuition and education related expenses, most students will have to take out a number of loans from multiple lenders. The amounts, repayment terms, and repayment schedules will vary. Students may find that repaying several different lenders is not only taxing, but the payments may be too high after graduation and beyond. Fortunately, relief is possible through student loan consolidation.

      Student loan consolidation is the refinancing of multiple student loans guaranteed by the federal government. The Higher Education Act (HEA) provides for a loan consolidation program under the Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program. Under these programs, the student’s loans are paid off and a new consolidated loan is created. The loan consolidation program is a good option because:

      -It simplifies the loan repayment process by combining all of the student’s Federal student loans into one loan, meaning there’s only one place to pay each month
      -The interest rate will be lower than one or all of the original loans
      -The monthly payments are typically lower, possibly 50% lower than the original monthly payments
      -The amount of time to repay the loan will be extended beyond the original time period
      -Consolidation may act as a safeguard against default

      Applying for student loan consolidation is easy. Before applying, use an online calculator to estimate what your new monthly payments would be under one of four repayment plans including:

      -Standard Repayment Plan
      -Graduated Repayment Plan
      -Extended Repayment Plan
      -Income Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR)

      Under the Standard Repayment Plan, you will pay a fixed amount each month and your payments will be no less than $50 a month for 10-30 years, based on total debt. Under the Graduated Repayment Plan, your minimum payment amount will equal the amount of interest accrued monthly. Payments will start out on the low end, then gradually increase every two years for 10-30 years.

      The Extended Repayment Plan is for students with student loan debt that exceeds $30,000. Under this plan, you will have a maximum of 25 years to repay the loan and you can choose a fixed rate payment option (same amount each month) or a graduated monthly payment option, as discussed above. Under the Income Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR), monthly payments are based on several factors including yearly income, Direct Loan Balance, and family size. Payments will be spread out over a time period not to exceed 25 years.

      To apply for student loan consolidation, gather the following documents:

      -Your monthly billing statement
      -Your annual statement or quarterly interest statement
      -Your coupon book
      -Website of your lender or servicer
      -Your school’s financial aid office information (if you are currently in school)

      Once you have all of the information listed here, visit the Federal Student Aid Programs Student Loan Consolidation Website to apply.

      Your Education

      Both parties shill for the for-profit college industry

      February 17, 2011 /

      Some Democrats and Republicans are trying to scuttle attempts by the Obama administration to impose new rules on for-profit colleges to prevent abuses against students to rack up huge debt for dubious degrees.

      The Department of Education is tired of federally subsidized student loans going to shady for-profit colleges that have poor track records of getting the students who do graduates good work — often leaving them stuck with mountains of debt. To curb this phenomenon, the agency has been moving along with a new regulation they call the “Gainful Employment” rule.

      Under “Gainful Employment” rules, for profit schools would have to show that their students can find work without getting stuck with unreasonable debt in order to qualify for federal loans.

      But behind the scenes, a bipartisan bloc of House members see things differently. They say the rule would reach too far and clamp down on institutions that do a decent job of educating and preparing students. But they want to tie the Department of Education’s hands completely, and block the funds they’d need to implement the rules at all.

      Fortunately, many members of Congress are with the administration on this, and Obama could veto any bill with this language.

      Your Career, Your Education

      Employers Rejecting the Unemployed

      February 16, 2011 /

      Unemployed Man

      Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, promotes jobs for lower-wage workers. She, along with worker advocates, claims that employers are screening out job applicants who are unemployed.

      Owens said a telephone company in Atlanta, which she didn’t identify, ran an help-wanted ad saying only the employed should apply. Jobless applicants were also turned down by a temporary staffing firm and a Texas recruiter because they were unemployed, she said.

      “What’s startling are the lengths to which companies are going to communicate this such as including the phrase ‘unemployed candidates will not be considered’ right in the posting,” she said.

      The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is investigating similar claims after media reports revealed that some employers are keeping applicants without jobs from being considered. The practice has also raised concerns about discrimination. Still, many others feel that the practice just doesn’t exist.

      The Society for Human Resource Management, which represents more than 250,000 personnel managers, is “unaware of widespread recruiting practices” that exclude the jobless, said Fernan R. Cepero, representing the Alexandria, Virginia-based group.

      Applicants who have been out of work may struggle because their skills are more obsolete than those who are employed, said Cepero, vice president for human resources at the YMCA of Greater Rochester in New York.

      If you feel you have been discriminated against by an employer, contact the EEOC at 1.800.669.4000 or email info@eeoc.gov.

      Your Career, Your Workplace

      Are Work Relationships Really That Important?

      February 15, 2011 /

      Business_People_Socializing

      Just when you thought the workplace was supposed to be for, well—work, someone comes along and says otherwise. Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D. and author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office 101: Unconscious Decisions Women Make That Sabotage Their Career, claims that workers need to build relationships on the job in order to advance their careers. She also mentions that it only takes 5% of your day, which is around 20 minutes or so a day, to build strong 360-degree relationships. How? Frankel provides the following tips on how to work on relationship building without neglecting your responsibilities at work:

      -Take a moment to compliment someone on a particular accomplishment.
      -During a business phone call.
      -On the way to or from the parking lot.
      -Over lunch (even if it’s lunch at your desk).
      -Before, during or after a meeting.
      -In a brief doorway conversation.
      -After work at professional association meetings.

      If you’re confused about how this can help advance your career in today’s shaky workplace, it’s probably a good idea to pick up a copy of Frankel’s book. Let us know what you think.

      Your Career, Your Network, Your Team, Your Workplace

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 Professional Journey

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑