October 2012, an online search to find the current rates of a bank Certificate of Deposit (CD) resulted in yearly rates varying from 1% to 1.75% (5 year CD). Instead of socking away money into a CD, a person could buy shares of British Petroleum (BP) in the stock market. Today, one share of BP costs $41.73, and yields a quarterly dividend of 48 cents (1.15% of the share price). Hence, it is possible to exceed the 5-year return on a CD in only 6 months by collecting dividends in the stock market. While this may sound like a dream to some, the one thing worth noting is that none of the money invested in the stock market is guaranteed. Continue reading →

After graduating college, there are a huge selection of professional certifications a graduate can strive to obtain. Certifications are a way to distinguish yourself from the others in your field based on the professional’s focus or specialty. However, some folks get lost in the “alphabet” and users start to question which certifications are worth getting and which are best left alone. When deciding which certification to pursue, candidates should consider what’s required to obtain the certification and what is required to maintain the certification. Everyone will have their own reasons to obtain or not to obtain a particular certification. Continue reading →

As life becomes more hectic, we are constantly bombarded with information. For most of us, we believe our memory is pretty good, but we continue to find that we’re forgetting things from one time to another. Given the sheer volume of phone numbers, grocery lists, login passwords, birthdays, work-related activities, projects, names of friends of friends, etc., we’re all subject to information overload. The end result is the brain prioritizing what we need to remember and the minor things that we may be able to forget.

In most professional careers, there is a need to focus on details. Did the client want light blue or dark blue? Am I required to provide one dozen or two dozen spare light bulbs? Do I cut the red or blue wire? Eventually, a growing assortment of minor details can come back to ‘haunt’ us. While some folks are more proficient than others at recalling these minor details, we are all capable of reviewing any self-made notes to help us remember these minor details. The only question is — Did I have the foresight to write myself a note?

-M

Electricity can be described using the example of a water hose. The water supply pressure is the voltage, or the amount of force that is capable of pushing the water through the hose. The hose is a conductor, which is a pathway for the water to travel to a certain destination. The flow of water through the hose is the current. The amount of water that comes out of the hose is power. When talking about electricity, we replace the water in the example with charged particles. Continue reading →

When growing up, I sometimes questioned why students had to take English every year. Looking back, I can see there is some merit to taking English. The typical English education can be broken down into categories: vocabulary, grammar, and literature.

Vocabulary is a never ending life learning experience. Nobody really knows how many words there are in the English language. New words and meanings continuously appear as society develops. Some online searches attempt to estimate the language as containing over a million words. The main reason for vocabulary is so that we’re able to understand the messages that are conveyed to us. Continue reading →

My name is Mickey Jr. (Mick for short), and this is the beginning of a blogging side-hobby. Most folks have a creative tendency that strikes from time to time. Some folks engage in art, writing, Lego block building, or a combination of multiple interests. For now, I’m planning on dabbling in writing on random topics. Thanks for visiting.

-Mick