Is Relocation An Option?

As we all complete our education is our desired feel, we come to the point where we have to decide whether or not we want to relocate. Some people have reasons that they can't just relocate themselves whether it is due to family, finances or just fear of the unknown.

Years ago, people would relocate to provide a better life for themselves with a better career but with the recent downfall and instability of the economy, it's becoming a lot harder to do so. Depending on your career industry of choice, you may see relocation as the only choice in order to make real money. When finances are already an issue for job seekers, it takes them longer to come up with the money to afford the move.

Some things to consider when choosing to relocate are listed below:

•   Look for a job that may be willing to fund, or assist, with moving expenses. There are still some companies that are willing to help when someone has to relocate for perform that job. According to Miriam Salpeter, "Sixty-five percent of firms surveyed offer relocated employees full reimbursement."

•   Consider if the job requires you to work on site or if you can work virtually. Some positions will allow the flexibility to work from home. There may be times that you have to commute to the office for particular meetings but you may be able to do them via Video Conference as well.

•   If there is no other way to do the job unless you relocate, consider doing something in a similar field that you may be qualified to do. There may be a risk in making less money but if you're able to take on a similar job, then you may be able to work on building experience that may move you into your desired position within the same company. At that point, you may be able to get the company to help out with your moving expenses at that time.

•   If all else fails, postpone your dream career. You can always look into other career fields that you can work in your current area. Then later on, you can find ways to get to your desired industry. In the meantime, you can work on networking and expressing interest with those who can help you to get where you want to be career-wise.

It can be discouraging when you can't always find the career of your dreams in your area or because you can't get to where that job is located. But it’s best to keep every possible solution in mind. Everything is all about timing so it may be best to wait for a better opportunity for you to take on that role but it’s never too late to start somewhere.

I truly hope that these tips help out anyone that may be thinking about relocation.

--- Jackee Walker


Sources:
How and What to Negotiate When Relocating for Work

Normalcy vs Fame

Which would you prefer:

To be Famous or to live a Normal Life?

According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary,

Famous means "widely known... honored for achievement"

Normal means "occurring naturally..."

I've had this debate with many of my friends numerous times are it's always been something to stun every one's thought process. We can go back and forth discussing all the pros and cons of being famous but we always realize that there is a price to pay.

We can either be rich and famous and have every detail of our person life exposed  for the entire world to see and criticize... Or we can just settle for living a normal life where we do the same things everyday (Wake up, go to work, pay bills, etc...).

But one thing that I've always wanted to know "Is there a such thing as being rich without the fame?"

We automatically associate the rich and famous to mean the same thing but there are famous people who aren't rich... As well as there are rich people who aren't famous. Is it possible to have either of two and still live a normal life? I believe that there is but I'm not rich nor famous (yet) so I can't really say which is better...

But, let's take a look at how the different lifestyles are viewed...

Celebrity Couples, such as Beyonce & Jay Z, are still getting heavily criticized due to people not believing that Beyonce was actually pregnant with their daughter, Blue Ivy. Some say that she used a surrogate to have the baby while she still states that she gave birth to her daughter. No matter which route that she took, she still has a child that she has to take care of. People are so skeptical to her actions that they have actually created videos on YouTube to "prove" that she was never really pregnant. I love Beyonce, just as much as the next Diva, but I personally don't have the time to do that much research to show whether or not she is a liar. But my point is, If Beyonce was not a celebrity, nobody would ever give two thoughts as to whether or not she actually gave birth to her own daughter. What motivates everyone else to give so much of their opinion when it comes to what Beyonce chooses to do with her own family? Are we wrong for caring so much? Would it make much of a difference if she decided to come out publicly and say that she has chosen to use a surrogate instead of experiencing another high-risk pregnancy (past miscarriages have placed her into that category while being pregnant)?

Singer Jessica Simpson has also received negative feedback from people regarding her pregnancy. People have suspected that she is pregnant but not wanting to share the details with everyone. I have yet to see why that is a problem for everyone else. She is a grown adult who is able to make her own decisions whether or not she wants to share everything with the general public. Paparazzi don't make it any better because they basically stalk these celebrities to try to find out all of their personal business. And sometimes, a person could just be gaining weight not due to any procreation practices.

Now, lets look at a person living a "normal" life...

There is a great number of couples who choose to have a surrogate mother so that they can have children of their own. There person reasons can vary from possibly being infertile, being in a same sex relationship or other various medical conditions. Yet, we do not hear about their stories on television or even read about them on the blogs. The only way that we can find out about these people is if we were to do old fashion research. But then, we still may not be able to find out exactly who these people are because most research will only provide us with numerical data of such cases. There aren't any petitions being passed around of people demanding to find out who these patients are and they aren't being followed around by other people wanting to know their stories. The question that comes to my mind is, "Is the only way to be able to have a family without everyone knowing is to live a "normal" life under the radar?

Even think about legal issues... There are thousands (if not millions) of people incarcerated at the moment. Nobody is out lobbying for their freedom or trying to find out whether or not they are truly innocent. But if you're "famous," all of your fans are willing to raise money to prove their "innocence." Many celebrities choose to believe that they are above the law but they soon realize the truth once they have been assigned a DC number (Department of Corrections ID). There are many people who are not given fair court trials because they simply cannot afford suitable legal representation to help them. They are left to just rely that your court system will provide them with proper justice and look for them. But that rarely is the case. Due to this issue, there are many cases where a defendant is proven innocent after they have served extenuating periods of time behind bars. Would this be a different scenario if they were Rich and Famous? Does Money really Talk? Take a look at The Innocence Project for various cases where people have been wrongfully convicted for a number of reasons.

Just looking at these scenarios, it's pretty obvious that there is a downside to choosing either lifestyle... You can be Famous and struggle with trying to live a normal life... Or you can be "normal" and not able to afford the "luxuries" of a rich person.

But is it truly possible to be Rich and not Famous? Can you honestly have an endless (definition is constantly changing) supply of money and live the life that you truly desire?

I hope this jogs your mind a little bit and provides you with some friendly debates while pursuing your future careers and lifestyles.


--- Jackee Walker

NARM: The Music Business Association

NARM is the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. On their website, they have up to date posts of current events of what’s going on within the association as well as things going on within the entertainment industry itself. They are known as the Music Business Association. The mission statement of the association states "NARM advances the promotion, marketing, distribution, and sale of music and entertainment by providing its members with a forum for diverse meeting and networking opportunities, information, and education to support their businesses, as well as advocating for their common interests."
 This association has been around for over 50 years and continues to expand their community to all aspects of the music industry that generates commerce. The association provides man benefits to its members such as scholarships to students, opportunities to participate in the Give the Gift of Music Campaign, and free seminars and presentations. A problem that the industry faces is the battle to remain current and up to date against all the negativity that comes up. Many stories that come out may not give the entertainment industry a flattering look but many of them can be seen as very informative. This association is perfect for artist managers so that they can continue to view media stories of other artists from a different view. These can help them to keep a close eye to their clients and help them to avoid negative feedback from the public and well as help them to prevent bad stories being put out about them. With the entertainment industry constantly shifting its focus to keep up with all the new and popular trends, this association is the best way for all professionals within the industry to stay ahead of the game. They also give them the proper insight so that that can keep up with their competition and remain relevancy within the industry at all times.  --- Jackee Walker