¿Qué es la Técnica Pomodoro?

Tomatoes are delicious and nutritious, but did you know they can also make your work more expeditious? Feeling suspicious? Don’t be! Named after the Italian word for tomato, the Pomodoro technique is a simple but surprisingly effective way to boost focus, manage time, and get more done.

In the 1980s, university student Francesco Cirillo was burnt out. Like many learners overwhelmed by deadlines and schoolwork, he was struggling to keep motivated. Seeking a better way stay focused, Cirillo was inspired by the tomato-shaped kitchen timer in his apartment and taught himself how to study effectively by breaking down work into targeted 25-minute intervals (called pomodoros) and using short breaks as rewards.

Today, the Pomodoro technique is embraced by students and professionals alike, and it’s perfect for anyone looking to add more time management into their day and train their brain to tune out distractions—no actual tomatoes required!

What Are the Steps to the Pomodoro Technique

More than just a study hack, the Pomodoro technique can help improve concentration, boost productivity, and reduce procrastination. All you need to get started is a timer and something to write with, and you’re ready for your first pomodoro with these easy steps:

  1. Choose your task.
  2. Set your timer for 25 minutes.
  3. Work for the entire 25 minutes, no more and no less.
  4. Take a five-minute break to rest and recharge.
  5. After four pomodoro cycles, take a longer break.
  6. Keep track of each pomodoro and the tasks you worked on.

Pomodoro Technique Rules

This technique takes discipline, but one of its benefits is that it can be flexible if you need different allotments for your work and breaks. Whatever the size of your pomodoro, there are a few key rules to follow to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time.

Break Up Big Tasks

When picking a task, think small. This will help keep your work sessions focused and successful. If you have a complex job to do, use your pomodoros to break it up into manageable pieces.

Combine Small Tasks

Taking a single pomodoro to knock out several short tasks is a good way to eliminate those small items that can become distractions during your day.

Remember: A Pomodoro Is Indivisible

Your timer should run until it’s done. If you must stop in the middle, reset and start fresh at the beginning of a new 25 minutes (or whatever time period you choose). If you complete your task before the time is up, take the remainder to review your work instead of starting something new or taking a longer break.

Use Your Breaks Wisely

Pomodoro breaks are as important as work sessions, and their point is to give your eyes and mind a rest, so make sure you physically get up and away from your work.

Apply This Technique at Excelsior University

Learning online takes time management, especially if where and how you study is completely up to you. Using the structured approach of the Pomodoro technique for your courses, with its focused work sessions and short breaks, can help you do more and feel more accomplished as you complete each pomodoro. Plus, the short breaks between study intervals allow the brain to process information more effectively, leading to better memory retention for what you’re learning.

If the Pomodoro technique has you feeling inspired, Excelsior University has even more tips for studying and resources for how to be successful in college.

Learn more about Excelsior and get started today.

How to Optimize Your Customer Relationship Management System

Your customer relationship management system, or CRM for short, is a vital tool in contact management that helps you increase customer engagement. From lead management to nurturing ongoing profitable relationships, a well-optimized CRM helps you manage the customer life cycle and grow your business.

But simply having a CRM isn’t enough. When you can optimize your customer relationship management system, you can build strong and durable relationships, keep customer satisfaction high, automate workflows, and streamline communication, all while creating valuable data you can track to fuel continuous improvement. You’ll have efficiency, valuable data, and the ability to personalize customer interactions on your side. That’s good for productivity and ultimately boosts revenue—and what you can personally earn.

5 Tips to Fine-Tune Your Customer Relationship Management System

These tips, based on proven best practices, can help you get the most out of your customer relationship management system. Used correctly, your CRM can automate time-consuming repetitive tasks, support your increasing efficiency, and give you valuable insights about your customers and potential customers. Here are some essentials to keep in mind.

Integrate with Other Tools

Getting the most from your customer relationship management system means connecting it to or integrating it with an email platform, a database, and perhaps other software. When everything is integrated, you can automate lead management, run outreach campaigns, and ensure that follow-ups are timely. You can easily access data and share it across departments.

Use Effective Communication Strategies

Expert communication builds trust and keeps you and your customers in the loop. It’s about more than following up, answering questions, offering helpful information, and remembering important dates. When you also connect with customer care, you can make sure customers get what they need in a timely manner and that everyone on the team understands where the customer is in the life cycle to better serve them.

Cater Your Strategy to Your Data

A data-driven approach to your CRM gives you useful information about customer preferences, past purchases, schedules, budgets, and patterns in behavior. You can tailor your marketing efforts and cater to individual needs. The right messaging at the right time with proactive support builds relationships and customer loyalty.

Have a Follow-Up Strategy

If you don’t follow up, your customers may think you don’t care and are not interested in their business. Following up shows a willingness to help. Whether scheduling next steps after a meeting, reminding customers of deadlines, or offering timely information, you keep the conversation going. Engagement through your CRM may use methods such as phone calls and texts, email, social media touchpoints, and even traditional paper mail.

Keep It Clean and Up to Date

Customer data needs to be kept current. People change jobs, retire, or move on to other companies. For accurate keep-in-touch data, lead management, and business strategy information, you should regularly scrub the CRM to remove duplicates, outdated information, and empty fields. You’ll enjoy more productivity and usefulness.

How You Can Do More with Excelsior University

Lead management, customer engagement, and uncovering opportunities through data analysis are all made easier by your CRM. However, as invaluable as this software is to modern business, like any tool, it’s only as good as the people who use it. How you optimize your customer relationship management system depends on the kind of knowledge, skills, and insight you possess—the kind on offer in Excelsior University’s MBA program.

Take your career to the next level with a 100% online program that fits into your busy life; there’s no need to pause your career or your other commitments to earn your degree. And if you already are a seasoned professional, consider Excelsior’s executive MBA program, an excellent option for those looking for a unique hybrid learning experience that can be completed in 12 months.

Relationships with customers are the heart of business administration at every level and function. An optimized CRM ensures you’re doing your best to engage and nurture them. And with Excelsior as your education partner, you can be confident in the decisions you make to improve customer relationships, your business, and your career.

¿Es la carrera de Psicología adecuada para usted?

Are you interested in human behavior and how and why people think, feel, and act the way they do? Do you often find yourself trying to help others navigate everyday challenges? A career in psychology could be right for you. Psychology isn’t just about studying the mind; it’s about understanding people on a deep level and helping to make an impact in their lives. You can follow many different paths in this career field, from counseling to research and lots more in between.

But how can you be sure this field is for you? Let’s take a closer look.

What Does a Psychologist Do?

Psychologists study human emotions, thoughts, and actions by observing and interviewing patients as well as conducting studies and tests. They diagnose and treat psychological, emotional, and behavioral conditions and disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other issues using psychotherapy, behavior modification techniques, and assessments.

There are many different types of psychologists that specialize in various fields. Clinical and counseling psychologists diagnose and treat mental health disorders, industrial-organizational psychologists help in workplaces, school psychologists focus on educational and developmental behaviors, and forensic psychologists work on legal cases. What specific kind of psychology you should pursue depends on your career and goal aspirations.

6 Signs a Career in Psychology Would Be Right for You

Empathy and active listening are two of six important skills you need for a career in psychology.

A career in psychology can be a rewarding way to make a meaningful impact on other peoples’ lives. Let’s explore some of the skills and traits that make for a good psychology professional.

You Are Curious

Being naturally curious is a good trait to have if you want to be successful in psychology. It drives your desire to understand human thoughts, emotions, and actions and pushes you to explore patterns of behavior and seek answers to complex questions about mental health. Being inquisitive is a positive indicator that psychology is the career path for you.

You Are an Active Listener

It’s essential in psychology to be a good listener. It helps you build trust; you spend a lot of time listening to a patient’s problems and concerns and need to analyze and interpret their words carefully before responding. Active listening makes for productive communication and therefore effective diagnosis and treatment.

You Are Empathetic

Psychologists are masters at empathy and showing genuine concern. Through their active listening and body language, they can create a safe place for patients. They are also able to notice subtle clues in their patients’ tone of voice and body language so they can respond appropriately to put them at ease.

You Are a Great Confidant

If you’re the friend everyone turns to for reliable advice, you’re likely a trustworthy person. This is an important trait to be successful in psychology. Building trust with clients is essential. A psychologist’s ability to maintain confidentiality and offer nonjudgmental support helps foster strong relationships and leads to better insights and treatment.

You Are Open-Minded

Open-mindedness is an excellent way to build trust and offer effective care as a psychologist. In this role, you must approach each client without bias and remain open to diverse perspectives and be able to adapt to novel ideas. Being easy to talk to can be a strong asset for you.

You Are a Great Communicator

Strong communication skills are essential for psychologists. Effective communication allows you to explain and share complex ideas, build good rapport, and ensure patients understand their treatment plans. If you’re skilled at expressing yourself clearly and reading other people’s verbal and nonverbal clues, you are likely able to build strong therapeutic relationships.

Start Your Career with Excelsior University

If you’re interested in helping others live and feel their best, a career in psychology might be for you. The first step is to earn the right degree. Excelsior University’s Bachelor of Science in Psychology program can prepare you to enter the psychology field by teaching you about basic psychology and human intelligence principles, cognition, personality theories, and more. If you’re ready for a fulfilling and dynamic path in understanding human behavior and helping others, contact an Excelsior admissions counselor and get started on your psychology career.

Certificación de aprendizaje automático con AWS

Machine learning certification opens many exciting doors. Amazon Web Services (AWS) surveys of IT leaders found that 94% of them agreed that certified team members provide added value above and beyond the cost of certification. Some 73% of them are prioritizing job candidates with skills in artificial intelligence (AI). AWS has added three new certifications and resources to help you prepare for these exams. Given the high demand for these skills, there’s never been a better time to get certified.

The growth of artificial intelligence and specifically machine learning (ML) is revolutionizing nearly every field. It has the potential to reshape the world and every aspect of information technology. If you want to be part of this AI revolution, AWS machine learning certification makes sense to include in your education journey. You have a choice of AWS machine learning certifications, each with different exams.

The 3 Levels of AWS ML Certification

Amazon Web Services offers three levels of AI/machine learning certification. Which one is right for you depends on your knowledge and experience.

AWS Certified AI Practitioner

This is a basic certification that gives you a foundational understanding of core concepts in artificial intelligence and machine learning and how to use them in the AWS environment.

What You Need to Know Ahead of the Exam

Key knowledge areas covered by the exam include:

  • AI concepts and terms with practical use cases
  • Machine learning concepts, including the distinctions between supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcing learning
  • How to use common ML algorithms
  • What generative AI is
  • Using generative AI with AWS services
  • Core AWS AI and ML services and performance metrics
  • Ethical considerations around AI and ML

Tasks You Won’t Be Expected to Perform

Since this is a basic certification, you won’t be diving into the technical details such as:

  • Implementation through model development or writing code
  • Designing algorithms and their mathematical intricacies
  • In-depth AWS AI and ML services configuring

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate

This certification takes your AI and ML knowledge to the next level in developing, deploying, and managing applications using AWS services.

What You Need to Know Ahead of the Exam

The exam to earn this machine learning certification covers the following:

  • Data engineering processes like ingesting, transforming, and getting data ready for ML models
  • How to use AWS data processing services, including AWS Glue and Amazon S3
  • Analysis and visualization of datasets
  • Extracting data insights, identifying patterns, and finding anomalies
  • Selecting algorithms appropriate to business problems
  • How to train, tune, and evaluate ML models
  • How to engineer and implement features
  • Operationalizing ML models
  • Maintaining and optimizing ML applications
  • Monitoring performance metrics
  • Using MLOps for continuous ML model integration and delivery

Tasks You Won’t Be Expected to Perform

You won’t be expected to design algorithms and understand the mathematical foundations of ML. Although it helps to have some knowledge of coding at a basic level, you won’t be doing in-depth programming on the test.

AWS Certified Machine Learning — Specialty

This certification is currently the highest level offered, intended for people with at least two years of experience working on ML apps on AWS. You’ll need to demonstrate your expertise in building, training, tuning, and deploying ML through AWS services.

What You Need to Know Ahead of the Exam

You will need to show proficiency in:

  • Creating data repositories, including data warehouses and data lakes
  • Implementing ways to ingest data into ML models
  • Transforming data for ML
  • Understanding data characteristics and visualizing data
  • Framing business problems as ML tasks and training models
  • Techniques for statistical analysis and data visualization
  • Selecting and optimizing algorithms and performance metrics
  • Deploying Amazon SageMaker and other related AWS services
  • Continuous integration and delivery pipelines for ML workflows

Tasks You Won’t Be Expected to Perform

You won’t be tested on:

  • Deployment automation
  • Deep MLOps pipelines
  • DevOps tools like Terraform or Kubernetes
  • Writing ML models from scratch

Which AWS Certification Is Right for You?

A certification in machine learning opens doors and helps you stand out as a job candidate. Which is the best credential for your career goals? The AWS Certified AI Practitioner is for beginners with some familiarity with AI/ML tech and solutions on AWS; it will help you find entry-level jobs. If you have a year or so of AI or ML experience, and you seek a role as a software, MLOps, or data engineer, earning your AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate is a great option. If you have two or more years and want to roll up your sleeves designing ML solutions or working as an AI data scientist, choose the AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty credential.

How to Prepare for a Career in Machine Learning?

Machine learning and AI roles are in high demand, making them an attractive career path in the field of computer science. A bachelor’s degree program in computer science, particularly one with a concentration in artificial intelligence, gives you not only the knowledge and skills you need to pass AWS machine learning certification exams but also a solid foundation for a variety of roles, setting you up for a career of steady advancement in the field.

Given the central role that artificial intelligence and machine learning will play in nearly all technology roles across industries, getting certified makes sense for your career. Each of the three levels of certification offered by AWS validate your skills and knowledge while helping you stand out in the job market. If you want to thrive in the AI-powered future, these certifications open a pathway.

Unlocking Education Benefits for Veterans: Excelsior University

Patrick Adcock, Excelsior University’s associate director of military outreach and veteran partnerships, was interviewed on an episode of the VET S.O.S. podcast titled “Unlocking Education Benefits for Veterans: Excelsior University.” In the episode, Patrick shares his journey from Army service to higher education advocate, and discusses ways that Excelsior supports service members, veterans, and their families.

Watch the podcast here.

7 empleos en justicia penal fuera del trabajo policial

When most people think of criminal justice, they probably think of police officers patrolling the streets or well-dressed lawyers prosecuting criminals in courtrooms. These are apt examples of careers you can land with a criminal justice degree, but while noble pursuits, they aren’t the only jobs available in the field. In fact, there are plenty of other careers that don’t relate to police work or courtrooms at all that you can set your sights on with a criminal justice degree in hand.

What Jobs Can You Get with a Criminal Justice Degree?

If you have your heart set on earning a criminal justice degree but want to explore other careers besides the common ones in law enforcement, don’t worry; there are plenty of roles to choose from. From forensics to intelligence, you’re bound to find the position that meets your interests and goals.

Criptólogo

Cryptologists use encryption and decryption tools and software to ensure secure communication. They encrypt data, design and analyze surveys, interpret and present data, create visual aids for decision-making, and apply mathematical theories to solve problems. Unlike cryptographers, who only create codes, cryptologists create and break them.

Forensics Specialist

A forensics specialist collects, analyzes, and preserves evidence at crime scenes or in labs. They work with law enforcement to identify, document, and ensure that evidence is usable in court. Some forensics specialists might focus their work in areas like forensic psychology or DNA analysis. They may also testify in court to explain their findings.

Agente de libertad condicional

If you’re interested in helping the incarcerated population reintegrate with society, a career as a parole officer might be right for you. Parole officers make sure that individuals released from prison follow parole conditions. They help parolees return to society by regularly meeting with them, overseeing drug testing, securing housing, assisting with employment or education, and connecting them to substance abuse treatment programs. They may also conduct home searches and make arrests.

Agente de libertad condicional

Probation officers also work with criminal offenders, but in a slightly different way. Probation officers supervise individuals serving community-based sentences, making sure they follow court-ordered conditions. They develop supervision plans, conduct drug testing and home visits, and provide counseling and support services. The difference between probation officers and parole officers is that probation officers work with unincarcerated people serving community sentences, whereas parole officers work with people who have already served part of their sentence in prison.

Defensor de las víctimas

If you would prefer directly helping victims of crimes, a career as a victim advocate might be for you. Victim advocates support victims of crimes by providing emotional support, information on rights, and assistance with resources and legal processes. They often support victims through criminal justice proceedings. Some advocates may even be survivors themselves.

Intelligence Analyst

Intelligence analysts monitor and analyze data to identify security threats and develop risk mitigation strategies. They monitor forms of communication for breaches, create filtering programs to identify risks, conduct risk assessments, and create reports with security recommendations. They often work with law enforcement agencies, the government, the military, private intelligence agencies, and more.

Fraud Investigator

Fraud investigators analyze credit card and insurance fraud cases. They work in industries like finance, insurance, and government. Their job is to identify threats, develop fraud prevention systems, and collaborate with banks and law enforcement. Their work includes investigating security breaches, creating fraud analysis models, documenting cases, and interviewing suspects.

7 empleos en justicia penal fuera del trabajo policial

How to Start Your Criminal Justice Career

You don’t have to become a police officer to follow a career path in criminal justice. There are myriad career opportunities for you to explore, from forensics specialist to victim advocate. All these careers have one thing in common, though: a criminal justice degree. The right program can teach you the psychological, sociological, and criminological theories of criminal justice, as well supply you with the knowledge and skills you need to start a career anywhere in the field—even if it’s not with your local police department.

Careers in Cybersecurity Without Coding

You have many paths to exciting careers in cybersecurity even if you’re not interested in a job that involves programming. Coding isn’t necessary for nontechnical cybersecurity roles that involve risk management, compliance policy analytics, and more. Protecting an organization from digital threats requires diverse skill sets in entry-level cybersecurity jobs and beyond. Here are some options to explore.

5 Nontechnical Careers in Cybersecurity

Careers in cybersecurity are varied in this fast-growing, high-demand field. It’s attracting people with backgrounds in law enforcement, communications, IT support, and general business. You can find entry-level cybersecurity jobs in each area, along with paths for career growth.

Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC)

Risk management is at the heart of this role. You will work within cybersecurity frameworks and regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, NIST, and ISO 27001 and 27005 as you develop policies and procedures to stay in compliance to minimize risk. If you have strong analytical skills and are good at tracking the details of regulations, you may enjoy working as a specialist.

Security Risk Analyst

Working as a security risk analyst, you will identify, assess, and counteract cybersecurity threats. The work involves analyzing security incidents and keeping track of known issues. You will then develop strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities. You’ll thrive in this role if you enjoy solving problems to stay a step ahead of threat vectors.

Cybersecurity Content Writer

If you enjoy writing and communication, content producing roles offer rewarding careers in cybersecurity. You’ll create material that engages and informs through blog articles, white papers, training materials, webinars, and technical documents. Cybersecurity topics like phishing, data privacy, and advanced threats require that you have strong writing skills and a basic understanding of the topics.

Data Protection Officer

Data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA impose strict frameworks on organizations and also can impose serious penalties for those that fail to comply with data protection requirements. Your role as a data protection officer will involve overseeing data protection processes and policies. You may conduct regular privacy impact assessments and advise on legal requirements for protecting data. If you have a background in law or information technology, you may find a natural fit with entry-level cybersecurity jobs in this area.

Analista político

In this role, you’ll research cybersecurity issues and evaluate current regulations and frameworks. You will also track trends as part of your job recommending security strategies. You may work for organizations needing cybersecurity or for governmental entities that develop security frameworks for risk management. This is one of the careers in cybersecurity ideal for those with a background in law enforcement or policymaking.

Start Your Career in Cybersecurity

Careers in cybersecurity follow paths that are tremendously varied. If you prefer a nontechnical role, you have many doors open to you. Programming and code writing are not needed for many of them.

That said, you will need specialized knowledge and specific skills to thrive in most roles. Excelsior University’s BS in Cybersecurity program is an excellent place to start. The academic curriculum aligns with National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements. You’ll have hands-on opportunities to learn the skills you’ll need on the front lines of cyber defense.

Excelsior has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and is associated with the National Cybersecurity Institute. And the bachelor’s program prepares you to take industry certification exams such as Network+, Security+, CEH, CISP, CHFI, ESCP, and SSCP.

Start your career in cybersecurity at Excelsior University and embark on an exciting future in risk management and mitigation.

The CompTIA Security+ Certification: What It Is, Why You Mayo Need It, and How to Get It

What Is the CompTIA Security+ Certification?

The CompTIA Security+ certification is a widely recognized credential that IT professionals with two years of experience obtain to show they have the essential cybersecurity skills and knowledge necessary for job placement in intermediate roles. It is accepted by many government agencies and can be used as a stepping stone to other more advanced certifications. The certification covers a wide range of topics, too, ensuring the user is well versed in topics such as risk management, incident response, cryptography, network security, and compliance.

What Skills Are Tested on the CompTIA Security+ Exam?

When sitting for the CompTIA Security+ exam, you’ll be tested on a wide array of cybersecurity topics. Let’s explore some common skills this exam covers.

Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Cyberattacks

On the CompTIA Security+ exam, you’ll need to understand, identify, and explain different vulnerabilities, threats, and cyberattacks and how they affect various systems. Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in systems, software, or hardware that attackers can exploit; threats are potential dangers that can exploit these vulnerabilities, including malware and phishing; and cyberattacks are deliberate actions taken to exploit vulnerabilities.

Gestión de identidades y accesos

The CompTIA Security+ exam covers how organizations manage user identities, authentication, authorization, and user control to protect systems and data. The test focuses on concepts like identity controls, account types, authentication methods, and access controls, which are all critical to securing data and resources.

Cryptography and Public Key Infrastructure

The exam will cover cryptography and public key infrastructure (PKI), focusing on securing data through encryption, hashing, digital signatures, and key management, as well as testing your knowledge of cryptographic algorithms, protocols, certificate management, and security best practices. It covers areas in encryption concepts, certificate authorities, cryptographic protocols, and cryptographic attacks and defenses.

Technology and Tools

You will be evaluated on your knowledge of various cybersecurity technologies and tools used to detect, mitigate, and prevent threats. The exam covers the different attack vectors and common vulnerabilities, network security tools, security architecture, data protection, network security tools, endpoint security and system hardening topics, command-line tools, and wireless security topics.

Risk Assessment and Management

Risk assessment and management covers identifying, analyzing, and managing risks to protect organizational assets. It includes concepts like risk management processes, risk analysis, and risk mitigation. It’s also smart to study up on cost-benefit analysis, risk frameworks and standards, and compliance and legal issues. This section ensures that test-takers are well prepared to evaluate risks, implement security controls, and maintain a secure environment.

Design and Architecture

Part of the exam concentrates on planning, deploying, and safeguarding IT infrastructures and networks. Test-takers must be able to prove their understanding of security architectures, secure network design, and the integration of security measures into an organization’s infrastructure.

How Much Can You Make with This Certification?

You might be wondering how CompTIA Security+ certification would benefit you. Aside from providing you with more education and skills training you can use on the job, this certification looks great on resumes. You can land some big-time IT jobs with this certification under your belt, like network administrator, cybersecurity engineer, security specialist, security consultant, and penetration tester.

These roles can make you more money. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, network and computer systems administrators made a 2023 median annual salary of $95,360, and information security analysts made a median salary of $120,360. If you want to grow your career and increase your pay, earning this certification is an excellent choice.

CompTIA Security+ Training at Excelsior University

Don’t feel discouraged about taking an exam to earn the CompTIA Security+ certification. There’s plenty of help out there to prepare you. Before taking the exam, CompTIA recommends earning your CompTIA Network+ certification and completing two years of experience working as a security or systems administrator, but many IT professionals choose to have a degree under their belt, as well.

A Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, for instance, provides students with the technical and theoretical knowledge needed to protect systems, networks, and data from cyberthreats. Students usually study a mix of computer science, networking, security principles, cryptography, ethical hacking, risk management, and legal aspects of cybersecurity.

You might also consider earning a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in something like cybersecurity. A typical IT program includes IT fundamentals, networking and cloud computing, computer hardware and software, etc., and your concentration would allow you to delve into cybersecurity components.

Some would-be test-takers also enroll in a course specifically geared toward passing the CompTIA Security+ exam. This option might make sense if earning a bachelor’s degree isn’t practical or if you need a refresher on some of the material.

If you want to grow your skills and education in cybersecurity and technology, taking the CompTIA Security+ exam is a solid choice. It can help take you to new career heights and improve your financial outlook. And don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to help prepare for such a big exam, including gaining real-world experience and taking courses. Soon, you’ll be on your way to becoming a certified technology professional.

Cómo aprobar el NCLEX: Consejos y estrategias de estudio para ayudarle usted superar su examen de enfermera titulada

You’ve spent countless hours devoted to study and practice to become a registered nurse, and now it all comes down to the NCLEX-RN, the exam that stands between you and your nursing license. No one said it would be easy, but there are ways to set yourself up for success. Learning how to pass the NCLEX-RN exam can save you stress, time, and money. The following NCLEX tips can help you with your test prep.

10 Tips for Passing the NCLEX-RN Exam

We’ve gathered these 10 NCLEX tips to help you pass this license exam for RNs. Test prep is the key. The right preparation can help you earn your nursing license with a lot less stress.

1. Know What Is Covered

Learn about the NCLEX as the first step. Review the NCLEX test plan in advance. The most important of NCLEX study tips is to know what will be on the test and how the process works. Also check these frequently asked questions.

2. Understand the Testing Format

The second key for how to pass the NCLEX is to be familiar with the test format. Expect question types including multiple choice, select-all-that-apply, drag-and-drop, and hot spot.

3. Have a Stress Management Plan

Anxiety is natural with this important nursing license test, so plan ways to deal with it. Get plenty of sleep the night before and eat a protein-rich breakfast. Practice ways to control anxiety like breathing in a pattern and repeating a positive mantra.

4. Find Your Study Style

How you take in and remember lessons is your study style. Perhaps you learn best visually through images, diagrams, and graphs. Auditory learners find success listening to lectures and discussions. Kinesthetic learners are hands-on, learning by doing.

5. Create a Study Plan to Fit You

If you’re visual, take notes, watch videos, and practice with flash cards. If you learn by listening, recorded lectures and podcasts are helpful. If you learn by doing, try role-playing and set up practice scenarios.

6. Study at a Regular Cadence

Studying 10 minutes a day every day is better than cramming for hours. Schedule time, ideally at the same time every day, when your mind is fresh and devote it to study.

7. Invest in Test Prep

The NCLEX site offers test prep with downloadable sample questions and an exam preview. In addition, many websites offer free NCLEX test questions. When it comes to how to pass the NCLEX-RN, the more you practice, the better your results.

8. Review More Than Just the Basics

While you need to know the basics as part of how to pass the NCLEX-RN, you’ll need more than that. One of the most helpful NCLEX tips is to understand what computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is. The computer administering your test measures how you’re doing and increases the difficulty in response. Be ready to take on the tough questions.

9. Figure Out What You Don’t Know

Review your study guide and go through the topics. If you come across anything confusing or that you don’t remember, give that section an extra review. Quiz yourself as you go so you know what material needs your extra attention.

10. Take a Practice Test

The ultimate way to know you’re ready for the NCLEX-RN nursing license exam is to take a practice test to show exactly what you have mastered. You can then focus your further study on your weak points. If time permits, take more than one practice test so that when you take the real one, you’re completely familiar with it.

The Importance of Finding the Right Nursing Degree Program

These tips for how to pass the NCLEX-RN can make your exam experience much smoother, but there’s nothing that better prepares you for your nursing exam than attending a good nursing program. Excelsior University’s competency-driven Associate in Applied Science in Nursing program offers a flexible learning environment that mixes online classes and in-person practicums. You can better balance earning your degree with your job and be prepared with practical skills. You’ll be truly ready, not just to pass the NCLEX-RN and earn your registered nursing license, but to perform in the real world of patient care.

How to Write a Business Plan

Your business plan and marketing strategy are vital documents when growing an established business, branching out into a new area, or being an entrepreneur starting something entirely new. A good business plan serves multiple purposes, helping you get where you want to go—and potentially leading to financing. Knowing how to write a business plan and an effective executive summary sets you up for success.

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a formal document that lays out your company aims, describes how you will achieve those goals, explains the context of the business, and details the resources you will need.

Why is a business plan important? It gives you a roadmap with benchmarks for navigating through the challenges of starting a business. It gives your team clarity and keeps them aligned. It can also help you secure funding from upper management in your corporation, investors, or people willing to lend you money by conveying your vision, risks, and viability to earn a profit.

What Is a Lean Startup Business Plan?

Before explaining how to write a business plan and all its sections, you should decide what kind of plan you need. A traditional business plan is detailed and includes much thinking and research. A lean startup plan is an overview of the essentials—possibly as short as a single page. It outlines the value you will provide, the resources needed, and the steps to take.

8 Steps to Writing a Business Plan

The structure of your business plan will depend on your ideas and its purpose. That said, the essential components include:

Executive Summary

Although this section appears first, it is the last section to write. It’s an overview of your plan that concisely encapsulates the key points from the sections below. Write it so the reader can walk away with the gist of your plan without having to read anything else. But also write it to generate interest in further exploration.

Company Description

Describe the premise for your business and the value proposition. Present your vision, mission, and goals, along with a synopsis of what you’ll offer.

Market Analysis

This section provides context for your business, including why it’s needed, the current structure of the industry, important trends, who your competitors are, along with their strengths and weaknesses, and what needs are not being met.

Description of Products and Services

Go deep in describing the products and services you’ll bring to the market. Don’t just describe features. Discuss the benefits and the competitive advantages that your products and services will have.

Marketing Strategy and Sales Plan

This is where the rubber meets the road. As great as your products and services may be, you can’t make money if no one knows about them, wants them, or buys them. You need a marketing strategy and details about how you’ll generate revenue. Without a marketing strategy and a plan to sell, you don’t have a business plan—you simply have a dream.

Budget and Financial Projections

This section is as important as the marketing strategy. What will it cost to operate your business? How much money do you plan to bring in, and when? Include an income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet. It helps to be pessimistic about costs. Everything costs more than you expect. Be pessimistic about income. Making money is hard.

Organization and Management Structure

You need to build your team. What roles are necessary in your organization? Whom will you be starting with? Why are they so valuable to your coming success? This section should outline the initial structure of your organization and include resumes for key team members. It should also project how your structure will evolve with success and growth.

Action Plan

Lay out the detailed steps you’re going to take to put your business into operation. Think through each phase, from starting out to growing. The more detail you put into this section, the better. Consider if-then options that show you have thought through the realities of things never quite going to plan and that you’re flexible in adapting to challenges and opportunities.

How to Do More in Business

Learning how to write a business plan is an essential entrepreneurial, strategic, and management skill. When you earn your Bachelor of Science in Business at Excelsior University, you learn more than just business theory. You gain practical skills, from strategy to data analysis, that will power your success from the start of your career through each successive rung up the ladder. With the broad educational foundation you receive at Excelsior, you’ll be able to plan for more than just a business—you’ll be planning for your career.

Mitos sobre la energía nuclear: desmentidos

Nuclear energy generates nearly a fifth of U.S. electricity, and there are currently 94 nuclear power plants in 28 states. But despite quietly and safely generating clean, affordable power for decades, nuclear energy has an image problem.

Since the development of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II, the threat of nuclear warfare has left many Americans with a significant distrust of all things nuclear. It was also during the postwar period that “nuclear” and “radioactive” started to appear in comic books, movies, and popular culture as the go-to shorthand for dangerous substances with the ability to mutate and destroy, and nuclear energy has had a hard time shaking the association.

High-profile real-life disasters like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima Daiichi haven’t helped, but beyond the big stories, nuclear power is far safer than fossil fuel energy sources. Energy produced by coal and brown coal (lignite), for instance, has a combined mortality rate nearly 2,000 times that of nuclear energy! That’s not to say that radiation isn’t dangerous. When there is a failure at a plant, the results can be extensive and enduring. But nuclear energy’s relationship with other energy sources is a bit like air travel’s to driving a car—one inspires exponentially more fear than the other while being exponentially safer.

7 Myths About Nuclear Energy

Even with the everyday uses of nuclear technology that improve our lives, misconceptions still persist. Here are the facts setting the record straight on seven of the most common myths about nuclear energy.

Nuclear Energy Myth 1: Nuclear Energy Is Dirty

Nuclear power is considered a “clean” energy source because it produces almost no greenhouse gas emissions during operation, making it a carbon-neutral option for electricity generation compared to fossil fuels. The “exhaust” you see rising from the curved towers of a plant is actually just water vapor used for cooling.

Nuclear Energy Myth 2: Nuclear Plants Emit Dangerous Levels of Radiation

Power plants do not emit more radiation than you receive naturally each year from the sun. Strict nuclear safety protocols mean that most of a plant’s radiation is blocked by the specifically designed steel and concrete structures.

Nuclear Energy Myth 3: Nuclear Reactors Are the Same as Atomic Bombs

There is nothing inherently explosive about nuclear material or in the generation of nuclear energy, and plants can’t explode like nuclear bombs. Nuclear weapons are created with very different materials and processes. In the case of the more famous accidents, toxic material was released into the environment by a fire in the plant and not an explosion.

Nuclear Energy Myth 4: Nuclear Waste Is Dangerous Forever

Nuclear waste is hazardous, but not as much of it is dangerous for as long as you might think. Nuclear material has a finite toxic half-life, and only a very small percentage is radioactive enough to need isolated underground storage for thousands of years. The rest is stable enough to be disposed of near ground level, and its toxicity decays to safe levels within decades.

Nuclear Energy Myth 5: Nuclear Plants Create Mountains of Waste

The Argonne National Laboratory, an energy, science, and engineering research center operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, states that the used nuclear fuel generated by every nuclear plant in the past 50 years would only be enough to fill a football field to a depth of less than 10 yards. About 96% of this ​waste is also recyclable.

Nuclear Energy Myth 6: Nuclear Plants Are Unreliable

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nuclear has the highest capacity factor of any other energy source, with plants being able to produce maximum power more than 92% of the time during the year. This means that nuclear energy is nearly twice as reliable as natural gas and coal, and almost 3 times more reliable than wind and solar power.

Nuclear Energy Myth 7: Glowing Green Ooze Fuels Nuclear Power Plants

Try not to be too disappointed that the truth about nuclear fuel is way more boring. Nuclear fuel is made from uranium oxide that’s pressed into pellets about the size of pencil erasers. The pellets are loaded into tubes and bundled together into grey metal rods that look the same going into the reactor as they do coming out.

In the early 1900s, it was discovered that mixing the nuclear element radium with a variety of materials could make everything from watch faces to glass dishes glow green in the dark, which is probably how the color became associated with radioactivity. It’s important to note that radium is extremely toxic and that it’s not an element used in nuclear power production!

Is a Career in Nuclear Energy Right for You?

A career in nuclear energy might be right for you if you have a strong interest in chemistry, technology, and complex systems; are comfortable working in a highly regulated environment; and are passionate about contributing to a sustainable energy future. It’s also an excellent career path for someone with military experience as a Navy Nuke.

Excelsior University’s BS in Nuclear Engineering Technology program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET and opens up new opportunities for nuclear professionals, with experienced faculty and industry-standard training simulators. If nuclear technology has you feeling energized, learn more about what you can do with an NET degree and get started today.