Today I learned about financial awareness and financial management. I learned about topics such as net income, cost of living, budgeting, resale value, minimizing unnecessary spending, money management, avoid purchasing on credit, investing any excess funds, and future financial planning.
Perhaps the one topic that stood out to me the most was credit. I learned that your credit score can determine if you are able to buy a house and other things, therefore it is important to closely pay attention to it. Your credit score can rise if you pay your loans back on time and if you regularly, but responsibly pay using credit. As such, that determines how much your bank can trust you when you plan to take out a mortgage for your home. However, there are interest rates when you do not pay back your loans in time which increases the amount you have to pay back. Sometimes you will have to pay back more than you have ever owed in the first place if you are not careful with your loans.
An important topic I also learned is how to split your money. You should have funds for necessities such as for your food, utilities, rent or mortgage, or car/transportation expenses. These should be prioritized over your wants. When it comes to your wants, check for the best prices such as purchasing a used car or waiting for a sale at your favorite store. Perhaps most important is having an emergency fund so that you have something to fall back on.
Today I covered chapter 11 of Intro to Earning Money Online which discussed how you can be successful at your virtual job from ensuring your professionalism during meetings to maintaining balance while working.
One of the most prominent aspects of working online is virtual meetings. You may not have virtual meetings all the time, but it is expected that you set aside a time to reach out to your colleagues and discuss the progress or any other details of your job or project. An important aspect of working virtually is communication and collaboration. Always communicate with your peers, particularly when the results of your work depend on group collaboration. Plan ahead of time if a virtual meeting is required for your group in order to optimally utilize your time and so you do not waste other's time. Make sure that you also listen to your colleagues. If an issue arises between colleagues, verbalize the issue in order to solve it. You and your colleagues cannot expect to bring about a solution if you do not identify the problem first.
The second part of working remotely is what you do outside of meetings such as how you can stay productive without burning out. Ensure that anything that may distract you is put away such as your phone which you can silence. Work in an environment that is best tailored to bring out the greatest productivity. However, also ensure that you find balance. Create a schedule or a to-do list for the day's task for efficiency and balance. Work in intervals and give yourself breaks so that you do not get fatigued easily.
Today I covered most of the second half of Intro to Earning Money online which primarily discussed how to create resumes/cover letters, the importance of social media to the application process, and how to carry yourself during the interview process.
In the very first part of the application process, you must create the resume and the cover letter. The resume details your education, past professional experience that relates to the position you are applying to, and your achievements and activities that can possibly contribute to the company. The cover letter is more personal and is meant to touch the recruiter to show them why you are the best candidate for the position. The resume and the cover letter are the first step to showing hiring managers why you are qualified and are the best person for the position.
During the application process, hiring managers may search your social media such as LinkedIn to see what kind of person you are. Your application may be very professional, but you may not be professional outside of work. They usually look out for people who post inappropriately or have spoken negatively about their previous employers. Your social media can also reinforce your application by showing how responsible and experienced you are.
The final part of the application process is the interview. There may be one interview or multiple interviews. In interviews, you should dress professionally and appropriately unless otherwise noted by the company. Next, you should be prepared for questions they may ask you by conducting mock interviews. Another way to be prepared is to be knowledgeable about the company and the position to show that you are interested in working there. Either come prepared with notes or questions to ask the interviewer to further express your interest. Afterwards, thank the interviewer for their time and further express interest in the company by reiterating what you discussed during the interview. Often, they may ask for your salary expectations. Do not give a definitive answer or a range because you may offer yourself too low or for too high that they eliminate you from their application pool early. That is what I learned during today's course.
Today I covered the first half of Intro to Earning Money Online which primarily discussed remote working, its advantages, and the financial aspect of working overall. On the topic of remote working, I divided what I learned into three categories: global talent/availability, autonomy, and productivity. On finances, I learned about the different ways to get paid and store your money.
On remote working, the one idea that stuck out to me the most was when Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress, stated, "Talent and intelligence are equally distributed in the world. But, opportunity is not." There are many talented people across the globe, but most large companies that hire and search for such talents are concentrated in one corner of the world such as Silicon Valley in California. Many people do not have the access to travel to such places to begin an exciting and life-changing career which is why remote working is integral in expanding access to such careers around the world. It increases the availability of jobs to different people, but also increases the employee pool for companies looking for more workers. Another positive aspect of remote working is autonomy. A key point made in the unit is the concept of free-will. In remote working environments, employees can better exercise their free-will through the management of their own schedules, what they eat, and where they work. They are able to manage their own workload which makes it easier for them to understand and carry out their work goals. This leads to productivity. People know in what environment they can work best in, as such, their productivity and efficiency increases. It is a positive outcome for both the employer and the employee.
On finances, I learned more about checking and savings accounts which I have and therefore, easily understood the discussions in the articles. The two topics that stood out to me the most are filling out checks and cryptocurrency. I have never filled out a check before, therefore it was important to understand why there is a specific way to fill them out to prevent theft. It was interesting to learn about endorsements as I never knew about them before. More interestingly, I began understanding cryptocurrency which is still an area of finance I am a bit wary of because of the volatility of the market.
Overall, I have been very engrossed in the unit thus far due to the amount of important information about remote working.