On the Grid: Careers in Energy

Electricity is the fuel that powers the modern lifestyle. It eases the burden of daily chores and enhances our enjoyment of leisure activities. In business, electricity is critical to every aspect of manufacturing goods, providing services, and communicating with customers. And the development of new technology and products powered by electricity ensures continued demand into the future.

It’s difficult for most of us to imagine what our lives would be like without electricity, but occasional blackouts give us a glimpse. On August 14, 2003, a series of power failures spread across the electrical grid serving much of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Suddenly, more than 50 million people faced concerns that ranged from no traffic lights to lack of refrigeration. Many everyday activities came to a halt. By the time electricity was fully restored a few days later, financial losses were estimated at $6 billion.

Luckily, such outages are not common, thanks to the efforts of people in the electric power industry. This article gives an overview of the industry. Then, it covers the job duties and other information about the employment, outlook, wages, and training for workers in electric power generation and distribution: line workers, operators and dispatchers, and technicians. The article also includes additional details to help you decide whether you’d like to work in the industry, followed by suggestions for where to find more information about energy careers.

To read more on this article see Volume 19, Number 72, JANUARY 2009 issue of eoejournal.

Mapping The W-4 Journey

The exciting part? You got the job! The bummer? Now you have to fill out all that confusing tax paperwork that no one seems to understand anyway.

As you mull over your withholdings and mark near-random “1s,” on your W-4 form, all that keeps you going is the thought of a nice, fat refund check in the mail, right? Wrong.

While it is thrilling to receive a healthy check in the mail with your name on it, if that check is a tax refund, you’ve just loaned the IRS your hard-earned money for a full-year, without charging a penny of interest. And your income tax has beefed up the IRS’s wallet while your billfold has been anemic – all year long.

But never fear: catalogued here are the secrets to unlocking the mysteries of the W-4 and the map to navigate the form flawlessly the next time opportunity knocks.

Get out the map: What is the W-4 for?

The purpose and intent of a properly completed W-4 will allow your employer to withhold the correct amount of federal income tax from your paycheck each period.

In essence you are estimating your tax liability, ideally as accurately as possible. Claiming too much or too little can make the difference between owing money to the IRS – we all agree; this is a situation best avoided — or receiving a tax refund. While the latter may seem most appealing, the ultimate goal at the end of the year is to achieve a zero balance – you don’t owe the government and the government doesn’t owe you.

One must turn to other tools, such as Publication 919, which can assist in more complex scenarios involving non-wages such as interest, dividends, royalties, self-employment income, gambling winnings and the like.

Code word: Allowances

When filling out your W-4 you’re asked to complete a personal allowance worksheet to arrive at the number of allowances that will ultimately adjust your withheld taxes up or down. Allowances shown on a W-4 carry a variety of meanings. A personal and dependency allowance assimilates exemptions one can claim on their federal income tax return. A federal exemption serves to reduce the tax base from which tax is calculated. In other words, increased allowances serve to withhold less tax from each pay because an increased amount of exemptions on your tax return will produce less tax liability.

Typically an individual will note “1” allowance for themselves, and then possibly “1” for a dependent spouse and more for any dependents, such as children or an elderly relative.

If you are paying interest on a mortgage and have other deductions, the more allowances you may wish to claim.

Be wary of claiming too many allowances as this may inadvertently send up a wrong signal or red flag to the IRS and you may find yourself owing taxes at the end of the year.

The key is to be accurate with your allowances. You may want to consult the IRS Withholding Calculator at www.irs.gov before you fill out the W-4 to determine what you should ask your employer to withhold.

Leading the Expedition

Most of us would like to believe we are head-of-the-household, the decision maker, the head honcho, the big Kahuna — even if our job description might not read that way.

Before marking a “1” next to section E, ensure you meet the IRS’s criteria for head-of-household (HOH). In short, to qualify as HOH, you must pay for over half the support of a qualifying child or a qualifying relative (and the qualifying relative MUST also meet the strict interpretation of the relationship test). Additionally, your dependent MUST also live with you for over half of the year.

Those who make the mistake of taking this allowance for a household that includes, well, just them, might discover too late they have not withheld enough

To read more on this article see Volume 19, Number 72, JANUARY 2009 issue of eoejournal.

How To Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

Making a New Year’s resolution has turned into an exercise in futility for many Americans, but you don’t need to start the year with a broken promise. Lasting lifestyle changes are possible, and believe it or not, they can start with a New Year’s resolution. Set a realistic goal, give yourself a little time to plan and enlist the support of your friends, and you’ll be well on your way to making and keeping a New Year’s resolution.

Step 1: Set a Goal

Whether or not you keep your resolution all depends on what your resolution is. You don’t need to aim low, but the rules of time, space and physical reality should come into play. Don’t expect to scale Everest by May if you haven’t been off the couch in a decade.

• 1. Make One Resolution: Dr. Richard Wiseman of Hertfordshire University recommends that you make only one resolution. Your chances of success increase if you focus your attention on one issue at a time.
• 2. Choose a Goal That’s Important to You: Without a strong, internal motivation, your resolution is meaningless. Choose a goal that you truly want for yourself not one dictated by family, friends or society.
• 3. Be Realistic: Don’t set yourself up to fail by setting an unrealistic goal. You’re not going to earn a black belt in a year if you haven’t been physically active since the Nixon administration, but you can start attending martial arts classes on a regular basis.
• 4. Be Specific: Being specific about your goals is, in part, tied to being realistic. Break down a larger goal like “losing weight” into manageable, specific baby steps. Losing 1-2 pounds a week until you reach a goal weight set by a doctor is a healthier and more achievable goal than committing to losing 50 pounds without any kind of plan in place.
• 5. Avoid Previous Resolutions: Dr. Wiseman recommends not using resolutions you’ve made and failed to stick with in the past. If you want to fall back on an old resolution, come at it at a different angle. If you resolved and failed to “lose 50 pounds,” commit to starting a regular fitness regimen or eating more healthfully instead.
• 6. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute: A study conducted by the University of Washington found that most resolutions lead to failure when the they were made at the last minute. Your resolution requires a sober-headed plan, not one fueled by the emotion of the New Year.
• 7. Don’t Use Absolutes: Another finding of the study conducted by the University of Washington was that resolutions fail when they are framed as, “I will never do X again.” Absolutes aren’t helpful; they are recipes for failure and disappointment. It’s better to make a commitment to a smoking cessation program with practical steps then it is to say, “I will never smoke again.”

Step 2: Make a Plan

Now that you’ve got your shiny, New Year’s resolution all picked out, it’s time to make a plan. Having a detailed road map is the key to making a resolution stick past January 3rd.

• 1. Set Short-Term Goals: You didn’t think your one, big resolution was it, did with measurable results. This is the best way to keep yourself motivated and on target. Give yourself check-in dates on the calendar, and reward yourself when you reach your subgoals. If your New Year’s resolution involves a weight loss plan or fitness regimen, ask your doctor for help in creating your personal road map.
• 2. Plan for the Obstacles: What might cause you to veer from your plan? Work-related stress? Family tensions? When something does happen, be ready for it. Think about what’s most likely to trip your plan up. Try to avoid those situations or brainstorm healthy ways to cope with them. Step

3: Write It Down

Writing down your resolution and plan of attack is a powerful motivator. The act of writing prevents you from leaving your resolution too vague and forces you to commit to your resolution by externalizing it. You’re essentially creating a contract with yourself. Here’s what that contract should include:

• 1. Long-Term Goal and Short-Term Goals: Write down your overarching resolution and the manageable chunks you’ve broken it into. Use action verbs.
• 2. Measurable Outcomes and Completion Dates: Assign a date to your sub-goals. Create a system for reminding yourself to check-in by using an online or hard copy calendar.

Article provided by www.mahalo.com. The direct link to this article can be found at www.mahalo.com/How_to_Keep_New_Year%27_Resolutions Reprinted with permission.

To read more on this article see Volume 19, Number 72, JANUARY 2009 issue of eoejournal.

Health Care Jobs You May Not Know About

 

As career fields go, healthcare is hot. And there are lots of cool jobs, including some that aren’t as well known. Find out about three of them here.

Healthcare careers provide the chance to help people, do interesting technical work, and earn relatively high salaries. But that’s not all. The healthcare industry also offers some of the best employment opportunities in the economy.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), wage and salary employment in the healthcare industry is projected to grow 22 percent between 2006 and 2016. That translates into about 3 million new jobs—nearly 20 percent of the total number of jobs expected to be added to the economy over the projections decade.

Of the dozens of different healthcare occupations, however, many people are familiar with only a few, such as nurse, doctor, and physical therapist. This article takes a look at some healthcare careers you might not know about. The first section describes the job duties, wages and employment, and qualifications and training requirements for each of three occupations: biostatisticians, cytotechnologists, and surgical technologists. The second section describes some pros and cons associated with these jobs. Suggestions for finding more information appear at the end.

Healthcare jobs to learn about

Healthcare careers have varying tasks, take-home pay, and training requirements. Some occupations are highly visible and involve direct patient care. Others aren’t as well known and require little or no contact with patients. Regardless of how different the occupations are, however, workers in these careers usually share a concern for patient health.

To read more on this article see Volume 19, Number 72, JANUARY 2009 issue of eoejournal.