Creating a High Performing Team.

One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein, who said, “I never teach my pupils, I only provide the conditions in which they can learn.”  This is a key concept to remember when you start exercising more leadership the further you get into your career.  In determining what kind of leader you will be, you need to know how to create the conditions to produce a high performing team that will grow.

Learning the ropes as a manager can be a long and difficult ride, but it doesn’t have to be.  Here are the most common tips to use to foster an atmosphere of growth within your teams.

1. Your title is not enough: Sorry to tell you but the titles of “director,” “manager” or “VP” will not move your people to outperform their past efforts. It is about learning to earn the respect of your team.  It is about getting out of your office and getting your hands dirty, showing them you are willing to work just as hard as they are to get the job done!

2. We are friends: You have to have defined lines to properly lead others. Yes, you want to have an open door policy for your team, but seek a balance that helps them to help themselves.

3. Goals? What is that: Along with defined lines, your people need to have clear goals they have to accomplish every day, week, month, quarter and year. These need to be 100% understood so they know how to prioritize their day to accomplish projects and tasks in the proper order.

4. I have to hire someone now: The impact of hiring the wrong person can only create more stress on you and your team. Take your time when hiring, make sure they are a good fit within the company and your team’s culture. Hire a team member not just a body!

5. Everyone is motivated by money: Although your employees do need to pay their bills, many of them are not solely motivated by money. Some are motivated by work/life balance and maybe telecommuting can get their performance to increase. Others may need a pat on the back, extra responsibility, or even a sense of camaraderie with the company or team. Everyone is different so help them build SMART goals and watch them shine!

We know there is so much more to being a manager, and that is why we have released our newly expanded catalog of professional enrichment courses.  Built for convenience and packed with quality instruction, our professional development and enrichment courses can help you master many of the obstacles you face when improving your career and teams.  These courses range from business and health to courses that help grow your perspective on the world.  These affordable courses can range from 1 hour of your time to just a few weeks to finish. Bama At Work, The University of Alabama partners with World Education to offer students 100% online career training programs. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website for more info and news about Professional Development, Online Training and how to improve your professional profile.

Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of the University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs.

5 ways to Stay Focused on Studies During the Holidays.

Believe it or not many people don’t get out of school during the holiday break! Most college students take their finals this week and then are done until the middle of January. Some will decide to take mini-sessions or even online courses over holiday breaks to increase their knowledge or really reach that goal for 2015 to finish school and find a new career. Whatever your reason for going to school over the holidays, this busy season provides many distractions from your studies.  To help you stay focused on your goals, here are some tips to help you stay on target while not missing out on the fun too!

1. Stay on a schedule: You have a schedule already, but make sure to modify it around holiday events and family visits. Make sure you carve out time every day to do your work or study some. This way you will not feel so far behind when January rolls around I find it best to get up early in the morning to get things done and out of the way; but, if you are more of a night person, take time then to do some homework after everyone is asleep.
2. Take Breaks: Whatever holiday you are celebrating make sure and take those big days off. Spend that day with your family and keep the computer and books closed! Go and celebrate the New Year with friends and family without having to think about math problems or an essay. Again, if you are doing something every day leading up to these big days it will not hold you back if you take the entire day off.
3. Clear your mind: Those invitations are piling up, your family is asking you what you will bring, and you also find yourself surfing through Amazon for gifts. Phew!  The best thing to do is write down what you want to think about later after you are done with your studies. Put all of your ideas, thoughts and concerns on a paper; fold it up and put it in a drawer to look at later.
4. Reward yourself: This is so important once you hit a milestone you have set. Reward yourself with a night at the movies, dinner with friends, time with family or even a nap! Make sure your rewards are not counterproductive to your goals but will help you push through until the end.
5. Stay healthy: It can be very tempting to indulge in a ton of holiday treats! Eating sugary and fatty foods can drag your metabolism down and kill your energy levels. Sometimes taking a 30 minute walk or run can help clear your head and get you focused. Also, make sure you are getting enough rest as well. All-nighters do not help before exams or getting a big project done. It leaves you exhausted the next day and will keep you from pushing forward.

Staying focused during the holidays is difficult, but with a clear commitment to your goals the work you do now will pay off in the end when you find that dream career!  Bama At Work wishes you Happy Holidays.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website for more info and news about Professional Development, Online Training and how to improve your professional profile.

Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of the University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs.

7 Questions to ask Your Career Coach in Online Training.

We often see the term “coach” and think about athletics or using a trainer at the gym to help us fit into our summer clothes.  Yet we rarely think about a career coach to help guide us through our pursuit of a better life at work. Let’s face it: as jobseekers, we only have so much knowledge of how to polish our resumes, put the perfect cover letter together to get the attention of a hiring manager, and find different ways to network. This is why having an experienced career coach who focuses on your success will help so much once you finish your education or certification program.

Many schools or universities offer “career coaching” as a part of their enrollment processes, but what is a career coach exactly, and what should you be looking for in a coach?  The bottom line is a career coach should help you assess your professional situation with a good amount of honesty, curiosity, empathy and compassion. With the normal amount of anxiety that comes with the job search, your career coach should help you feel comfortable and inspire you to keep going. The largest part of a career coach’s job is to bring you out of your shell and help you understand that just submitting your resume to online job search engines will not give you the kind of return you want. Career coaching is extremely personal so make sure you do your research before you commit.

Here are a few questions you should ask during your research:

1. Just like with a sports coach, you want to know a career coach’s win/loss record. If you are talking to a school or university, ask what their career services statistics are and get them to show you the following: their student graduation rate, success in passing certification exams, and their career statistics. If you want to learn more, look up Gainful Employment Regulations.
2. Find out their career path. You want to make sure that the person who is coaching you had both coaching experience and real world experience as well.
3. Geographic location is another option for you to consider. Technology like Skype gives you the opportunity to choose a coach from anywhere in the world. This is your own preference so make sure you are comfortable with your choice.
4. Interview your top two or three picks. Ask about the following: fees, rates (they may vary from $50 to $300 per hour), how often you will meet, and for how long. Most coach-client relationships last from six months to a year.
5. Whether it is a school or a career coach, you need to ask what is included in his or her “experience.” It should include some of the following: goal setting, time management, study skills, and your motivation to advance.
6. If you are working with your school or university, then there are also a few important questions you should ask and have answered. Will they help you build a solid resume? If there are certification requirements involved, ask them how they can help you. Are there hands-on job experience opportunities they can help you with such as externships or internships? Will they teach you how to market yourself and network? Also, find out if they will set up mock interview sessions with you to prepare you for that job interview.
7. More than anything chemistry and connection with your coach should be top on your list. You will have to be comfortable with sharing intimate details of your life with your coach, so it’s important that you like and see him or her as an equal.

Bama At Work and our partner World Education.net will assign our students a dedicated career coach from Day 1 who will assist them with a success plan from training to a fulfilling career. We offer our graduates career development assistance up to 1 year after course completion to make sure they are on track to find that dream job!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website for more info and news about Professional Development, Online Training and how to improve your professional profile.

Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of The University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs.

 

What to Look For in an Online Certificate Program ?

With the growing cost of a college degree, many students are leery of taking out thousands of dollars in student loans.  In looking for alternatives many of these students are turning to short certificate programs that are significantly less of an impact on the pocketbook and can be completed in 6 months to a year. These courses are short and get right to the training needed without any excess costs for the student.  As good as they are for your time and budget, how can you be sure of the quality of the program you are taking?  If you are considering a certificate program, please pay attention to these “buyer beware” tips you need to follow:

• Accreditation of the school.
  You need to ask the institution if they are regionally or nationally accredited. If the representative you are talking to starts to stutter on this question and begins to ramble about memberships and associations, then you need to be suspicious! Regional accredited schools are most of your colleges and universities, like The University of Alabama with Bama At Work. If you receive a certificate from a recognized school you are covered on the accreditation question and employers will see this as a trustworthy institution. Sometimes the best way to ask this question is “Are you approved by the Department of Education?”. Do your research!

• Preparing for a certification exam.
  Many certificate programs prepare you for an exam that will certify you to work in a certain industry. Many careers in the health and fitness industry require you to have a certain amount of hours in training and an 80% or above on your certification exam before you can work with clients or patients. Make sure the school you choose is an approved training provider and offers vouchers to take the exam.

• Career Services.
  Many schools say they have career services that help students find a job after the training is done. However, you need to find out what services they specifically they offer. When you ask the question “How are you going to help me?” and they fumble over that question or simply give you a document, chances are you will not be happy.  However, if they offer you a personal career coach, resume writing tech, webinars for current students to attend for career development, and also stay with you at least 1 year after completion then you have found the right place!

• Cost and time commitment.
  This is where your research comes into play. Make sure you compare prices before choosing a school. Many schools will charge a premium for programs that you can take elsewhere with the same training, accreditation and vouchers, sometimes at 50 to 60% cheaper. Again, check the credentials of the schools but also make sure you are not paying more than you should for a certificate program.

Using these 4 tips should help you choose the right school and program that fits your needs and not break the bank. Make sure when it comes to your money and education you are an informed consumer!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website for more info and news about Professional Development, Online Training and how to improve your professional profile.

Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of the University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs

The Role of Simulation Software in Electronic Online Certificate Programs.

Training students to use bench top equipment, robots, PLCs, and laboratory equipment is a crucial stepping stone for their development as technicians in the industrial workplace. But how would you gain this crucial experience in an online program? Our programs accomplish this by utilizing leading commercial simulators to introduce new content, develop new designs, and learn the troubleshooting and programming skills that are fundamental in a successful student’s skill set.

 CircuitLogix Simulator running a resonance lab

The Electronics Technician Certificate and Electromechanical Technician Certificate programs make use of CircuitLogix and 3D Lab simulators.  3D Lab provides a simple bench top lab environment within which students learn introductory circuit building skills. Components and testing equipment are assembled in the virtual bench top environment, and students build and test circuits.  CircuitLogix provides a more advanced experience as students become more familiar with components and circuit building. It uses a 2 dimensional “schematic capture” environment, very similar to the actual industrial design tools used by professionals to develop their circuits. These simulation tools, integrated within the program content, introduce schematic capture, demonstrate live circuits, teach troubleshooting, and provide a design environment where you can design and test real circuits without having to step into a real bench top lab.

LogixPro simulator running an industrial silo simulation

Two different PLC simulators are integrated into our two PLC technician certificate programs These simulators provide an environment where students can gain experience with the operation of PLCs, and design ladder logic programs to solve automation problems.

The PLC Technician certificate program uses LogixPro, which simulates the Allen-Bradley 500 series PLCs, while the PLC Technician II certificate program uses PLClogix, a simulator for the Allen-Bradley Rockwell 5000 series PLCs. Our PLC technician certificate and LogixPro provide a basic introduction to PLCs in manufacturing and simulates RSLogix 500, and SLC 500 series PLC software. The PLC technician II certificate and PLCLogix covers a similar experience in PLC theory; however, it covers more advanced programming content and applications, and emulates Rockwell’s Logix 5000 series PLC software.

Our Robotics Technician Certificate utilizes RoboLogix, a simulator developed to simulate robotics systems and a control environment using to teach pendants. This program provides students with an introductory foundation in the theory and application of industrial robotics while specifically teaching how to program an industrial robot’s movement and actions in a manufacturing environment.

These simulators are yours to keep after completion of the certificate programs, allowing the student to design, test, program, and troubleshoot programs and circuits before applying them on the job in their future positions. The fundamental skills developed by students within the simulators for these programs give our graduates exceptional practical skills upon graduation that can readily be transferred and applied to the workplace.

To learn more about professional development, online training and how to improve your professional profile, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website.

Article by Scott Duncan,  Manager Business Development for George Brown College. George Brown College offers online certificate electronic online certificate programs in its partnership with Bama At Work.