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[ad_1] – By Manoj Anaokar According to recent survey outcomes the rate of unemployment is swiftly declining. The similar trend is observed in the second largest employing sector in the country, the construction industry, which provides about 6 million job opportunities. It has been predicted that by the end of this year, the construction industry with 9 percent share in the nation’s economy will be the largest sector providing employment and it will provide 7.6 million direct or indirect employment opportunities. Because, the construction industry and especially the infrastructure sector of the industry has now been open for Foreign Direct Investment. This has paved a path for the global infra leaders and multinational companies which we observe currently in many multimodal corridors, metro projects and tunnel projects as consultants and contractors. About 2000 crore rupees have been allocated in the union budget this year for expanding the national highway network over the country and 25000 km of new road projects have been planned this year. Due to the focus of the Government on these key growth engines, the career in Civil Engineering will be more lucrative and successful. Myths and truths about Civil Engineering: The biggest and most principal misconception about Civil Engineering in students and their parents is that, a Civil Engineer is a person who needs to stand on site enduring the bash of sun, wind and rain with very low and unworthy emoluments. Also, civil engineering being a traditional branch of engineering is not tech-savy and the work therefore, is not challenging but a boredom. However, this is simply a myth. Then what’s the truth? Let’s see what it is. Now, with the entry of multinationals in the various projects not only from these employers you get good pay-packages but even to stand in the tough competitions with them the local players in construction industry are also forced to offer similar packages to retain skilled and experienced engineers. One can be a structural or a geotechnical consultant seating in an airconditioned office offering creative and challenging designs for the structures to stand in the adverse climatic and loading conditions maintaining balance between safety and economy. Civil Engineers today have to work hand in hand with Mechanical, Electronics and IT Engineers with the primary knowledge and information about these sectors. Therefore, for tapping these bright career opportunities, it is most essential to take admission in an excellent educational institution providing world class education with industry ready curriculum. Employment Opportunities in Civil Engineering: Apart from traditional job opportunities of site engineers there are several other respectable and monetarily rewarding employment opportunities. You can be a Transportation Engineer and provide the solutions over traffic jams and plan for new routes serving as better logistic solutions stimulating economic growth. You can be an Environmental Engineer and resolve the issues in the water, waste-water and solid waste management or you can provide ‘Environment Impact Assessment Report’ before starting any new project. You can be a Project Manger controlling the project activities thereby completing the projects in stipulated time. All these are office jobs with moderate visits to sites, if necessary, and you earn a lot of respect and good monitory compensations. Even though in the beginning of your career you may draw 5 to 6 lacs per annum, however, with your experience and efficiency you can get the annual pay-packages up to 15 to 18 lacs.   Business Opportunities in Civil Engineering: In other engineering sectors like heavy industry and IT sector either you require to invest very huge capital investment for starting a business or you need to sustain in a tough competition with multinationals. However, in Civil Engineering you have numerous business opportunities with affordable investment options. To name a few, for safe foundation designs of high rise and multi-storeyed buildings as well as infrastructure projects there is a huge demand of soil testing laboratories. You can start this business with an investment of 15-20 lac rupees for equipment. Similarly, you can start water and waste-water testing laboratories. You can also start a construction chemical agency or start manufacturing the building components like concrete blocks used for wall construction or concrete jalis, readymade door and window frames, or paver blocks for footpaths. You can also act as a valuer who decides the value of property while offering loans by financial institutions or in court matters. Need of Excellent Educational Institutions offering World Class Education: If you want to open the treasure of best career and employment opportunities, you need to ensure that you are taking admission to the reputed, excellent educational institutions with good track record probably accredited nationally or internationally. Also ensure that, the curriculum taught in the institute should be equivalent to the leading national and international universities and the degree program offered should be acceptable worldwide in order grab the best worldwide employment opportunities in the multinationals. Ultimately, today’s era is of tough competition and to survive in it you need to prove how you are different from others for receiving the fat pay-packages and perks and reaching new heights in your professional career. That can be achieved not only through hard work but requires a foundation of good and quality education. The author is assistant professor, civil engineering department, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering (MPSTME), NMIMS Mumbai. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] If you’re looking for some fun water toys for the kids this summer, don’t miss this Step2 Sale! Zulily is running a sale on Step2 Outdoor Water Toys right now! You can get up to 35% off regular prices, plus you’ll get $10 off any $50+ purchase today only as our reader! (Extra discount comes off automatically at checkout.) Choose from water tables, pools, sandboxes, and other outdoor toys! There are many items to choose from. Zulily sent us a water table to try and we absolutely love it! Both Kierstyn and D have spent hours outside playing with it since we got it last week. It is not only fun, but also really good for D when it comes to learning and practicing so many different skills. His therapists are thrilled that he’s spending so much time standing up and playing with it! Shipping starts at $6.99. But if you place one order today, the rest of your orders will ship for FREE through 11:59 p.m. PT tonight! Shop the Step2 Water/Outdoor Toys Sale here. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Jury deliberations in Depp, Heard case to resume on Tuesday [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] India and the EU are expected to review their respective stance and focus on low-hanging fruit first, as they are set to re-launch negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) in June after a gap of about nine years, sources told FE. “Both the sides are likely to take stock of the progress so far and discuss how to proceed further. It makes sense to focus on points of convergence first before moving on to contentious matters,” one of the sources said. After 16 rounds of talks between 2007 and 2013, formal negotiations for the FTA were stuck over stark differences, as the EU insisted that India scrap or slash hefty import duties on sensitive products such as automobiles, alcoholic beverages and dairy products. Similarly, India’s demand included greater access to the EU market for its skilled professionals, among others. However, both the sides have now decided to take the negotiations to their logical conclusion. The EU, after the Brexit, continued to be India’s largest export destination (as a bloc) in FY22. Its outbound shipments to the EU jumped 57% on year in FY22 to $65 billion, albeit on a contracted base. Similarly, India’s imports from the EU jumped 29.4% last fiscal to $51.4 billion. In April, both the sides decided to set up a trade and technology council to boost bilateral ties, as the bloc’s president Ursula von der Leyen met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. This move underscored growing co-operation between New Delhi and Brussels, as the US is the only other country that has a technical agreement with the EU, along the lines of the one signed with India now. The council is aimed at providing political-level oversight of the entire spectrum of the India-EU ties and to ensure closer coordination. Both the leaders had reviewed progress in the India-EU Strategic Partnership, which also included negotiations for the FTA, and decided to further deepen cooperation in trade, climate, digital technology and people-to-people ties. They had also discussed issues relating to climate change and the possibility of collaboration in areas like green hydrogen. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] If you’re looking for summer reading programs for kids, this is our comprehensive list of all the completely FREE programs! {Looking for other fun summer deals? Kids can bowl for free and skate for free at many participating locations this summer! Believe it or not, it’s almost that time of year again — when school is out and summer reading programs abound. Yay! (Well, some of you might not be saying “yay!”, but we do because my kids have always LOVED them some summer reading programs!) Note: We recommend calling your local stores to verify that they’re participating in these programs this year. Free Summer Reading Programs 2022 Do your kids love to read, too? If so, this is our big list of all the FREE summer reading programs that are available nationally! Barnes & Noble — Earn a free book through the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program for kids in grades 1-6. Read any eight books this summer and record them in your Summer Reading Journal (PDF download). Explain which part of the book is your favorite, and why. Bring your completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between July 1st and August 31st, 2022. Receive a FREE BOOK of your choice from the selection on the Reading Journal list. Books-A-Million — Read any four books from the Summer Reading Adventure section in-store or online, write about them in your summer reading adventure log book, and receive a free Keeper of the Lost Cities pencil pouch (while supplies last). Chuck E. Cheese — Kids can fill out their Reading Rewards Calendar when they read every day for two weeks, and then trade it in for 10 FREE play points at your local Chuck E. Cheese location. Half Price Books — Starting June 1st, Half Price Books is hosting Summer Reading Camp for kids 14 or younger. Kids are encoruageed to read 15 minutes per day to reach a total of at least 300 minutes. After that, they can turn in their completed reading log to their local store to earn Bookworm Bucks to spend. Each week they will also offer fun new printable activity sheets of all kinds! H-E-B — For Texas residents only. Read any ten books and record them on your reading log to score a free prize! Once the log is complete, mail the form to the address listed, and you’ll be rewarded with a special prize. Note one of the books read must be a Read 3 book. Pizza Hut Camp Book It — In addition to their annual school year program, Pizza Hut also has their summer reading program called Camp Book it! Simply track your child’s reading during June, July, and August. Once they reach their monthly reading goal, they can redeem for a free one-topping personal pizza at Pizza Hut! Local Libraries — Above all, don’t forget about your local library! Most of them offer fun summer reading programs with prizes and more. Bonus: Don’t forget about the Pizza Hut Book-It Program that runs each school year! Download our FREE Kid’s Summer Reading Printable Pack! Looking for a fun way to encourage and motivate your kids to read more? Or need a creative way for your kids to keep track of all the books they read through summer reading programs this year? Be sure to download our FREE Kid’s Summer Reading Printable Pack! It comes with a reading challenge, reading time tracker, and fill-in-the-blank summer reading list. Do you know of any other Summer Reading Programs we should add to this list? Let us know in the comments! [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] U.S. House panel seeks gun marketing, sales data after shootings [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 findings show how serious the learning loss from Covid-19-induced school closures has been. Performance of students of class 3, 5, 8, and 10 (part of the survey sample) saw a sharp dip, with average mathematics scores for class 3 students falling by 15 points from the 2017 showing; for class 5 students, these fell by 26 points. While the younger learners still have the time to bridge learning gaps, the problem is acute for those in the higher grades — mathematics scores fell by 14 points for class 8 and an alarming 34 points for those in class 10. The NAS survey covered close to 3.4 million students in over 100,000 schools across 720 districts, and therefore allows governments to fully grasp the scope of action needed. The Survey findings show why the country must brace for an increase in socio-economic inequities with students in urban areas, specially the older ones, outperforming their peers in rural India in quite a few subjects. For example, science scores were significantly higher for urban students in both classes 8 and 10. Curiously, the average scores of these segments didn’t vary too significantly in 2017; indeed, rural students had outperformed urban peers in science in most states then. Learning loss in the later years of school could mean a higher dropout rate given the trade-off between pursuing education and pursuing livelihood. This could translate into a failure to realise the National Education Policy’s (NEP’s) goal on raising the gross enrolment ratio at the tertiary level. The focus, thus, has to be on delivering optimised solutions to cater to ‘teaching at the learning level’ in classrooms—where the learning level of each student is mapped and customised solutions are developed for groups within the class that are roughly at a similar level of learning. This calls for going beyond bridge courses that the Centre believes can address pandemic-wrought learning losses. Even with this limited approach, only a few states have moved on the Union education ministry’s February 2022 guideline that students should be taught new material only after the completion of bridge courses. A 2021 report from the Azim Premji University had called for stakeholders in education delivery to build understanding, for instance, on “why the loss in some specific abilities is higher than in others” and tailor “effective school-level strategies” based on such research. It also called for community-based engagements to overcome learning losses. Others have called for deploying technology that aids schools in accurately identifying areas where students need assistance—Mindspark, a technology used by US- and Sweden-based researchers a few years ago to assess learning levels in government-funded schools in Delhi, and other such tools perhaps need quick adoption by the states. Some of the success stories of a few states also need to be analysed—for example, students in Punjab are ahead of the national average in every class and subject. All of this, of course, will need building teacher-capacity. This is where the states need to step up their game—with the Centre pitching in as well. It is sad that 48% of the teachers surveyed in NAS 2021 had ‘not participated’ in any professional development programme conducted by the District Institutes of Education and Training, the National Council of Education Research and Training and the Central Board of Secondary Education. As much as 42% had not participated in any discussion on the NEP, while 44% didn’t have adequate work space. This will need remedying along with efforts on reducing the learning loss for students. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] This week’s HW+ member spotlight features Jeremy Potter, chief evangelist at Stavvy, a 2022 Tech100 Mortgage winner. Potter was recently promoted after serving as head of legal and capital markets and is a thought leader in the industry, regularly sharing his insights on how the industry can move forward through the power of innovation. He has also held leadership roles at Quicken Loans, now Rocket Mortgage, and Normcom Mortgage. Below, Potter answers questions about the housing industry: HousingWire: What is your current favorite HW+ article and why? Jeremy Potter: My favorite HW+ article is Bill Conroy’s The crypto mortgage is the new kid on the block because it helped me frame up many of the emerging tech plays in the industry. HousingWire: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Jeremy Potter: “Make sure everyone is included” was my mother’s advice when I was still in elementary school. I continue to refer to this as the best piece of advice I have ever received because it reflects two key values. First, and most importantly, she was adamant that I was thoughtful and intentional to include everyone in games, activities or invitations. Her advice helped me broaden my awareness to look out for opportunities to bring people together and that trait remains one of the aspects of my success today.  Second, I am reminded daily how important it is to ensure responsible innovation. Making sure everyone is included spans from our diversity, equity & inclusion commitments to our product development where we create greater opportunities for our clients.  HousingWire: If you could have picked another career what would it have been? Jeremy Potter: If I had picked a different career path, I would likely have become a college professor. I applied for several Ph.D. programs after undergrad and thought I would study the American Presidency.  My senior thesis was on a framework of measuring Presidential decision-making in a second term when reelection was not an option. One reminder from that paper that I use today is that the best leaders invite rigorous debate and embrace those who challenge an idea or policy to make it better.   HousingWire: What are 2-3 trends that you’re closely following? Jeremy Potter: Here are the trends that I am closely following: iBuyer and Rent-to-own platforms for first-time homebuyers Blockchain and tokenization technology for smart contracts and fractionalized ownership Dad jokes on Instagram reels HousingWire: If you could change or implement one piece of housing regulation, what would it be and why? Jeremy Potter: The SECURE Act allows for fully digital mortgage closings that would unlock greater adoption of eClosing and RON. While this is integral to what we are building at Stavvy, I truly believe faster adoption will also generate the type of cost savings and incentives for investors that actually pass through lower cost mortgage options to consumers.  Yes, it’s about increasing digital assets to move us toward a more efficient, liquid secondary market, but the real win is when the savings associated with trusted, immutable loan closing & delivery benefit new loan programs for existing and potential homeowners. HousingWire: What’s one thing that people aren’t paying attention to that you think they should be paying attention to?  Jeremy Potter: Greater investment and incentives for factory-built housing.  “Jobs that create houses.” Factory-built and modular housing is more innovative and scalable than many people realize.  It’s also more modern and appealing to first-time home buyers.  We’ve all heard stories about 3-D printing but many modular builders are proving more tangible results are possible in this space. Across many markets, especially where I live in Detroit, there is a need for both employment and more affordable housing.  I don’t mean affordable housing in the HUD definition, though I know that’s needed too.  I mean, a house that working Americans can afford in their community.  We need more supply solutions that make it easier to create, build and finance mid-market housing that directly addresses historic racial and economic inequality.   To become an HW+ member, click here. For more information on HW+ benefits, click here. To view past issues of our HW+ exclusive HousingWire Magazine, go here. The post HW+ Member Spotlight: Jeremy Potter appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The post How to Get Paid to Take Pictures appeared first on Millennial Money. Selling photos is no longer reserved for people with first-class equipment and expertise. In fact, chances are you have a camera in your pocket right now that you can use to make money (hint: your cell phone). Of course, successful photography isn’t easy. It takes discipline and a very close eye for detail. If you enjoy taking pictures and are looking to turn your hobby into a side hustle — or if you’re a professional photographer looking to expand your business — there are tons of ways to sell high-quality photos online. In this post, I’ll cover the best options for both amateur and pro photographers to sell their work online. But first, let’s start with an overview of the most popular photography hubs. Table of contents How to Make Money Taking Pictures Use photo communities Shutterstock iStock by Getty Images Adobe Stock (formerly Fotolia) Dreamstime Foap EyeEm Snapwire Snappr Freelance  Upwork  Fiverr Indeed Sell Your Art Etsy eBay Amazon  Start Your Own Blog or Website  Opportunities for Advanced Photographers  Events Sell a photography book Take portraits Tips for Selling Photos Online Don’t undersell yourself Watch out for taxes  Watch out for theft  Frequently Asked Questions Can you make a lot of money with stock photography websites? Can I get paid to travel and take pictures? How much do photographers make? The Bottom Line How to Make Money Taking Pictures Use photo communities Take a look at almost any business website and you’ll most likely see pictures of random buildings, landscapes, customers, and objects (e.g., phones, computers, and office equipment).  Many of these pictures come from ordinary photographers who know how to capture stock images and monetize them online.  So if you have a vision for a particularly compelling image — and some basic Photoshop or photo-editing skills — you can start taking pictures and make money from stock photo websites. And best of all, you don’t even need a fancy camera. Instead, your Android device or iPhone should suffice. With that in mind, here are the top stock photo sites and communities to explore. Shutterstock Shutterstock is a global photography community that pays a commission of between 25 and 38 cents every time someone downloads your work. The company also pays commissions for referring new contributors and customers. Become a Shutterstock contributor iStock by Getty Images iStock is similar to Shutterstock in that you can upload content and receive royalties when users download your work.  The app pays 15% royalties for photos, 20% for videos, and 20% for illustrations. Exclusive contributors have the opportunity to earn 25% to 45%.  Download Getty’s Contributor app to apply Adobe Stock (formerly Fotolia) Adobe Stock is one of the largest online photo contributor platforms. The company offers a royalty rate of 33% for photos and 35% for videos.   Learn how to become an Adobe Stock contributor Dreamstime Dreamstime is a popular stock photo platform that pays a revenue share between 25% and 50% of royalties on submissions. However, you must earn at least $100 before you can cash out. And at that point, you’ll have to reach out to the company to request your payment.  Apply to become a Dreamstime contributor Foap Foap is a crowdsourcing photography website that connects photographers with business-focused buyers. Every time you sell a photo on Foap, you receive 50% of the commission. And every time you participate in a Foap Mission and make a sale, you receive $50 — which is pretty sweet, if you ask me. Payment is sent securely via PayPal, which gives you quick access to your cash. Download the Foap app to get started EyeEm EyeEm is a marketplace where you can sell images for commercial use and receive royalties for your work. EyeEm has four payout levels, ranging from 25% to 55% in commission. For a complete payment breakdown and more information on how to apply, check this out. Snapwire Snapwire is a visual production platform that lets you sell photos and videos to brands and small businesses. One cool feature is that Snapwire has a leveling system that rewards top-performing creators. Learn how to join Snapwire’s global creative network Snappr Snappr is an easy-to-use photography app that lets customers book photography services at predetermined rates.  Depending on the type of shoot, you can keep 65% to 80% of the booking price, and you don’t have to pay a subscription or membership fee, either. Snappr is currently accepting applications from almost every corner of the globe.  Find out more about Snappr Freelance  Unfortunately, taking website-ready stock images isn’t as easy as it sounds.  In addition to making money selling images online, you can also get paid for more traditional photography services as a freelance photographer.  Let’s take a closer look at what I mean by that.  Organizations and individuals often hire freelance photographers for short-term gigs. For example, a local restaurant may need beautiful images of menu items to place on its new website. Similarly, a local boutique may want professional images of customers shopping at its store. You might also be able to land a gig with a local newspaper, taking pictures of community events and breaking news. By working as a freelance photographer, you can get paid for these gigs and for your time editing the photos you take. And if it goes well, you will most likely get future opportunities with your clients.  Check out the following sites to find freelance photography jobs. Upwork  Upwork is a top freelance marketplace where you can find all types of freelance photography gigs. From finding live events to shoot to taking product images for online catalogs, Upwork has hundreds of active photography opportunities at any given time. You can also list your specific photo services for sale. For example, if you enjoy taking pictures of dogs, shoes, or cars, you can list this service on Upwork so that interested customers can find you. When you land

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