Starting up your own business

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Following on from the recession, where may people found themselves made redundant and unable to get another job, decided to start up their own business. This is a huge step to take if you have been used to being employed for most of your working career. There are pros and cons to being both employed and self employed that you carefully consider before making your decision.

The main downside for being self employed or owning your own business is that there is often little income security to start with and this can be enough to stop people following this route.

You need to work out what money you need to live on and therefore how much business you require each month to stay afloat. You may have managed to save some money to see you through the first few months without having to take much of a wage, but this is only a short term solution.

There are also set up costs of the business that will need to be covered, if you can start your business without having to invest thousands in to it to start with then this can eliminate a lot of the risks involved and mean that there is not really going to be many implications if the business does not succeed. If in doubt you could always talk to a business mentor that should be able to talk through your options with you in greater details.

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Does what you eat and drink before an exam really have any impact on your results?

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It’s a long standing piece of advice that you cannot work on an empty stomach and that for an exam you should eat plenty of ‘brain-food’ such as oily fish, but does any of this really help when it comes to taking your exams?

A lot of researchhas been done into how hydration effects the ability to concentrate and stay alert and the results strongly indicate that for your brain to be able to perform to its full capability you must stay hydrated by drinking 7 glasses of water daily.

Having a coffee or a tea can help if you’re feeling tired but try not to overdo it as caffeine can dehydrate you and completely avoid ‘energy drinks’ as the caffeine hit in these is far too intense and the rush of sugar means that you can crash fairly quickly after having one.

More than eating a particular food the best advice seems to be to eat enough, ensure that the morning of your exam you have a good breakfast (even if you don’t feel like it!) as with an empty stomach you certainly will feel more sick and will also loose energy and concentration during the exam. So order yourself a bacon butty, a coffee and a big glass of water then take a deep breath and try to relax and do your best.

 

Should you leave school after your GCSE’s?

There has for many years been a big debate about whether students should leave school at the age of 16 following their GCSE exams. Students can currently chose to stay on in to sixth form, go on to college or start an apprenticeship, all of which are classed as further education.

Some pupils however, decide they do not want to carry on with further education and want to leave to start working straight away. There an be many reasons for doing this and that is why I believe that for some, leaving school is the right option. Some people do not suit school lifestyle and would actually do better in a job based environment. You they can find a job that pays well and is what they want to do then why not? Others may start to work in the family business, this may have been something that was on the cards for a while and if that is what they want to do then why put themselves in thousands of pounds of debt for no reason.

Each student is different and therefor I think each case should be accessed individually.

What to do if your exams all go horribly wrong

With some much pressure being put on students to perform well in exams, it should come as no surprise that if they do not achieve the grades they require, they often fall in to depression.sad-505857_640If a student has a career path in mind or a university course that they want to attend, they may haven’t been given grades that need to be met in order to continue down that path. If these grades are not achieved, some students think that it means they need to rethink their chosen career. This is not always the case as there are often many other routes available to still end up with the same job at the end of it. The first thing to do is to contact the further education facility (University / College etc) or employer and discuss your grades. Be honest with them and explain why you feel you have not achieved what you needed to and what you would be able to do, such as go on further training courses, if they wish you to do so. You may find that they are still happy for you to attend and the worry had been for nothing. Alternatively, speak to a careers advisor who will be able to discuss you options with you in regards to alternative paths you can take.

Creating a schedule for your exam revision

Exams can be an extremely stressful time for students of all ages and knowing where to start when it comes to revising for them can be nearly as daunting as the exams themselves. The best way to structure your revision is to create a timetable of all the subjects you need to revise for and how long to spend on each. This should be as detailed as possible, as spending a night or two creating this can save you days of wasted time. Firstly write down all the subjects that you have exams for and then make a note of how long you have before the exam day. Create a timetable detailing the amount of free time you have in a day when you can study for the exam. It is often best to split these times in to one hour blocks and be sure to give yourself a 10 min break in between each block. Over revising and trying to cram to much in can actually have the opposite effect.