Category: Education

What's the Next Step in Your Accounting Career?

What’s the Next Step in Your Accounting Career? (Infographic)

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Becoming an Accountant takes dedication to learn what you need to know, explore the available certifications, and gain the experience that you need. When you’ve been working as an accountant for a while or even if you’re newly qualified, you should think about where you’re taking your career.

What’s the next step that you should take if you want to take your career to the next level?

Find a Niche/Specialism

If you haven’t already, choosing a specialism or niche to work with can be a smart way to take the next step in your career. It can help you to develop skills and knowledge that are in demand, and you might be able to choose a career path that allows you to earn more.

Become a Freelancer

Once you have some experience in accounting, you could also consider being a freelance accountant. Working as a self-employed accountant means you can have control over who you work with and what services you offer. It can also mean putting in a lot of work to find clients, but many of your clients will be repeat customers who need regular support.

Get a Master’s in Accounting

If you want to level up your education, a master’s degree could help you to build on your knowledge. It could present a variety of career opportunities for you, and help you to earn more money if you’re looking for a way to improve your earning potential. You can even gain your degree online if you want to study around other commitments.

What's the Next Step in Your Accounting Career? (Infographic) | UAB MACC Level Up FINAL Compressed 5.30.19
Infographic Design By University of Alabama Birmingham

Sustainable Energy Facts

Sustainable Energy Facts You Need to Know

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Sustainable Energy Facts

This post was sponsored by Douglas Healy

When the term “renewable energy” is mentioned, most of us instantly think about energy sources like the wind, water, solar or geothermal energy, and while it appears to be of importance, many people often overlook exactly what a major impact renewable can have on the lives of millions of people as well as the planet and our environment.

Have a look at these interesting sustainable energy facts to give you a better insight into why more companies and individuals should invest in renewable energy sources.

Take a look at these interesting sustainable energy facts to give you insight into why more companies and individuals should invest in renewable energy sources. #sustainableenergyfacts #renewableenergy #sponsoredpost

1.       Renewable energy equals clean energy

Sustainable energy is a type of clean energy which is generated by natural resources in nature.

2.   The primary varieties of sustainable energy are…

  • Wind
  • Hydro
  • Solar
  • Biofuel
  • Geothermal

The best thing about these resources is that they are continuously replenished.

3.     Five times more jobs are created through renewable energy, in comparison to fossil fuels

When clean energy jobs are compared to those of gas and coal, the sustainable energy industry has generated five jobs for every one job in the fossil fuels sector.

4.     China is the leader when it comes to generating wind power

Did you know that China has extensive coastlines and a substantial landmass, of which they take full advantage to capitalize on cultivating wind energy? In 2017 alone, they’ve managed to install 19.7 GW of capacity, manufacturing and erecting two wind turbines each hour.

5.     Just one wind turbine can make a significant impact

Apart from providing electricity nationwide, small local communities can also reap the benefits of wind energy. A single wind turbine of 2.5MW can produce sufficient energy to power more than a thousand four hundred households per year.

6.       Major tech corporations are taking the lead when it comes to the green movement

Large technology firms such as Facebook, Apple and Microsoft are all competing to help generate a greener internet. They are all committed to incorporate green operations and business initiatives through green energy. All three global brands were categorized A in the clean energy directory.

7.     Itaipu Dam generates electricity for Paraguay and Brazil

The largest dam worldwide, the Itaipu which is nearly two hundred metres tall and spans a massive 7919 metres across, is contributing seventy-six percent of Paraguay’s electricity while also producing seventeen percent of Brazil’s power each year.

8.     Portugal can supply the entire country with electricity through renewable energy alone

During 2016, Portugal was powered via a combination of hydro-generated, wind and solar energy for four consecutive days, a memorable clean energy milestone for Portugal to meet the EU’s sustainable objectives for 2020.

9.     Iceland, the largest energy generator per capita in the world

Iceland has an abundance of geothermal energy thanks to the string of volcanoes surrounding it. One hundred percent of the country’s electricity is generated through hydropower and geothermal resources.

10.   In some countries, sustainable energy is more cost-effective than fossil fuels

Renewable energy is far more affordable in some countries due to their capability of harnessing resources of energy that are predominant to their locations.

11.   Sunlight could meet worldwide electricity demand if harnessed properly

The sunlight that falls on earth for an hour is enough to power the energy demands worldwide for an entire year if only it could be appropriately harnessed.

12.   Biomass is presently the largest renewable energy source in the US

Biomass has more than two-hundred plants in the US, delivering energy to 1.5 million American homes.

Hope these sustainable energy facts help you dream up ways you can make a difference in this space.

How has Technology Impacted Education? (Scholarship details inside)

How Has Technology Impacted Education? (Scholarship details inside)

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As a Digital Entrepreneur, technology is a very big part of my life. It’s how I learn and it’s how I teach.

I find that kind of funny because I don’t really see myself as tech-savvy.  I struggle with technology. It’s not second-nature to me.

Whenever I’m learning a new skill online that involves some new technological tool, a new piece of software or an app, I always go aaaargh first.  Because it’s a battle for me to figure out how to use any new tech.

Sometimes, I don’t win the battle.  If it’s taking too long to figure out how to use a piece of technology, I’ve been known to let that tool go and try another.  But when I click (excuse the pun) with a new tech tool, when I get the knack of it, my life online gets a whole lot easier.

Get Your Scholarship

Today’s post is sponsored by Tech Live Connect, who are offering a $2500 Scholarship to High School students who have been accepted into College or University or students who are still studying at a College or University in the States.

Students have to write a 500-word essay on “How tech has impacted your life positively.” in order to be considered for the scholarship.

How Has Technology Impacted Education?

Taking their lead, in this post, I’ll explore how technology has impacted education.

I’m not going to speak from an Educator’s perspective, or the Education System’s – but from my own – as someone who’s learning, researching and teaching online.  Because I don’t believe that education begins and ends at School or University. I believe it’s ongoing. We are continually learning, growing and developing.

It’s our thirst for knowledge, for growth that drives us to be more, do more and create more.

As the famous motivational speaker, Jim Rohn was fond of saying:

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

Sharing my perspective (as a 46-year-old Mom) on how technology has impacted education over the last 30 years. Tech Live Connect Scholarship details inside. #HowHasTechnologyImpactedEducation #Information #Innovation #SponsoredInformation

Imagine this for a second.  When I finished High School in 1990, Google didn’t exist (it only started in 1998). Neither did YouTube (1995), Amazon (1994) or Pinterest (2010).

Can you picture a world without any of these search engines?

A world where your only option was to either be taught from a textbook or go to a library to find a book or encyclopedia that contained the exact information you were seeking?  (Wikipedia only started in 2001).

I lived and studied at that time and I can barely remember how we coped without the ability to research online.

Now we can get instant answers on a laptop, a tablet or our smartphones.

The speed and accuracy and sheer volume of information available at the stroke of a key, the touch of a button, the swipe of a mouse or via voice search, has grown exponentially in the last 30 years.

According to Analyst, Mike Doria, (though the Information Age is still evolving), we have now been catapulted into a new age, the Age of Innovation.

Innovation

When I started my first job as a Junior Copywriter in 1991, straight out of school, I wrote articles on WordPerfect – MS Word was around but it wasn’t the program of choice in those days.

Now almost everyone I know (including me) uses MS Word. Or some version of it. (Here’s how to get MS Word free). I used Libre Office for a while (Open Source Software) until I bought a new laptop and upgraded to Office 365.

Open Source has changed the game.  So has Cloud Computing.

Innovation in technology makes learning much more freely available than it ever was before.

Thanks to all the new innovations in technology, you no longer have to physically be in a lecture hall or classroom to earn your degree.  More and more parents are turning to homeschooling their children and more and more students are turning to online learning environments.

YouTube is fast becoming the go-to platform to learn a new skill.

For longer online courses people are turning to top online platforms like Thinkific, Teachable, Udemy, Kajabi, Skillshare and Podia.

As new learning software and apps are developed every day to make, our learning environment is constantly changing.

Our children live in a new world

Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D Printing and Robotics are making learning more interesting, enjoyable, interactive and engaging. Which is why students the world over welcome the new age of Innovation.

Now to figure out how to harness this new wave of innovation in my own online business – as a Digital Entrepreneur.  Any ideas?

Could we live without all these advances in technology?  Well, we did. And it wasn’t that long ago. But would we want to? I think not. We’ve come to depend on our tech for communication, knowledge and our livelihood.

Over to You

How do you feel technology has impacted education and your life in a positive way?

Can You Really Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate? YES. I have PROOF. Read more at: laurenkinghorn.com

Can You Really Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate? YES. Here’s Proof.

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So let’s see… maybe you’re where I was a couple of years ago. Maybe you’re surfing the net looking for ways to make money online. And you’ve stumbled upon a few Wealthy Affiliate reviews like I did.

You think it sounds like a good idea, but you’re just not sure yet because no-one seems to be answering the burning question…

Can You Really Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate?

So I’m going to answer this question for you right upfront.

The answer is YES.

YES, You Can Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate

How can I be so sure?

Because I’ve made money on Wealthy Affiliate.  As have many other Members.

You can have a look at my first two income reports if you need proof.

Income Report 1

Income Report 2

Now don’t laugh. I know $500 or $600 a month isn’t fortunes.

And I know it wasn’t the fastest business growth I’ve ever experienced as an Entrepreneur.  I hit my highest month as a Digital Entrepreneur when I made over $1000 in January 2021.

But bear with me here.

YES! You really Can Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate. I have Proof. Read on. #WealthyAffiliate #AffiliateMarketing #AffiliateReview Wealthy Affiliate is Not a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

So if you’re looking to make a fast buck, I wouldn’t recommend you go the Wealthy Affiliate route.

Having said that, I’ve only found a few ethical ways to make fast bucks online but they weren’t dependable ways. They weren’t sustainable, long-term, pay-the-bills-monthly kind of ways.

They were 5 Bucks here, 20 Bucks there… I made 50 Bucks once doing Website Testing for Userlytics (as described in my first Income Report). And that was easy money. I thought I was in the money!  I was so excited!

Only to find it was a once-off.  I’ve never made another 50 Bucks with them again.  I’ve only done one other Test for them and it was months later and they only paid me $25 this time.  This is still great considering how little time it took me, but like I said, not sustainable. I can’t live on $25 or even $50 a year.

And then there are a lot of Online Scams offering Quick, Easy Money but when I’ve looked into those I’m never prepared to do what they require me to do because well, it just seems sleazy.  You know, those companies that tell you to go make purchases and then cancel them a few days later.  I just can’t do that kind of thing.  It doesn’t seem ethical to me.

Affiliate Disclaimer: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

So How Do You Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate?

The simple answer is you make money on Wealthy Affiliate by learning how to create your own website(s) and then monetizing them.

To answer that question properly, I’ll ask and answer another one first.

What is Wealthy Affiliate?

Wealthy Affiliate is an Online University that teaches you how to build your own website or websites and monetize them.  Wealthy Affiliate is set up by these two guys, Kyle and Carson:

Wealthy Affiliate Founders Kyle and Carson

Their Step-by-Step Success Formula looks like this:

Wealthy Affiliate Formula

And you’ll learn how to do this in their very first Online Certification Training, which, by the way, is available Free to Starter Members.

You can Sign Up Free Here

Let’s Talk About Timing

I found Step 1, Choosing an Interest the easiest part. I already knew what I wanted to blog about.  If you have an existing business or passion you’d like to write about, this should be quick and easy for you too.

Step 2, Building a Website, was relatively quick and easy for me too. Kyle shows exactly how to do this in the first Online Certification Course. you set up the framework of your website in his training and even create your first couple of pages: Your About Me Page and Privacy Policy Page and write your first post.

Step 3, Attracting Visitors, is the Step that usually takes the longest time (unless of course, you’re already someone famous, with a huge social following clamouring to hear your every word), it’s going to take some time to write enough rich content to build a loyal following, i.e. Traffic to your site.

Kyle teaches you how to access organic traffic, which simply means visitors finding your site when they are searching for something on Google, Bing or Yahoo (or any of the Search Engines).  This is where Keyword Research comes in.  More about that later.

Step 4, Earning Revenue.

Kyle compares the Two Main Ways to Make Money with Your Website, namely:

  1. Advertising
  2. Affiliate Marketing

And teaches you how to set these up.

Although Affiliate Marketing is the main way Kyle recommends earning revenue from a website, there are also tons of other ways to earn money that you will learn along the way (and I’ll touch on some of these later).

What Exactly Do You Learn about Monetizing a Site?

Oh so, so much.

In Kyle’s Online Certification Training and Affiliate Bootcamp, you’ll learn:

  • How to find and join Affiliate Programs
  • How to find Affiliate Networks
  • How to add Affiliate Links to Your Pages and Posts
  • How to gain instant access to MILLIONS of products to sell
  • How to leverage Product Reviews
  • How to Get Paid for Ads on Your Site
  • How to Set up your first PPC Campaign
  • How to Scale Successful PPC Campaigns

And more… so much more.  Wealthy Affiliate doesn’t just teach you how to make money, it also offers you ways to make money.  Here are 3 more ways you can make money on Wealthy Affiliate.

Further Ways to Make Money on Wealthy Affiliate

Wealthy Affiliate also offers a few others way to earn as well, namely:

  1. They have their own Affiliate Program where you can excellent commission either monthly or annually.
  2. They also own Jaaxy and Jaaxy also has an Affiliate Program where you can earn excellent commission.
  3. Through their Open Education Project, you can earn money by creating popular tutorials.

1. Wealthy Affiliate’s Affiliate Program

On top of teaching how to succeed with well-known Affiliate Programs such as Amazon, Clickbank etc, Wealthy Affiliate also has its very own lucrative Affiliate Program.

Know nothing about Affiliate Marketing? Don’t worry, Wealthy Affiliate has got you covered. Kyle teaches you how to make money step-by-step in Affiliate Bootcamp.

Even Starter Members (Members who sign up free) are able to take the first Phase of Affiliate Bootcamp and are entitled to the following commission.

  • Starter Members earn $ 4 for the first month when one of their Referrals goes Premium ($ 19)
  • Starter Members earn $ 11.75 every month thereafter for their Premium Referrals ($ 49)
  • Starter Members earn $ 117.50 a year when one of their Referrals opts to go Yearly ($ 495)
  • Starter Members earn $ 23.25 a month for monthly Premium Plus referrals ($ 99)
  • Starter Members earn $ 232.50 a year for yearly Premium Plus referrals ($ 995)

Premium Members earn double what Starter Members earn:

  • Premium Members earn $ 1 for every new referral who joins and completes their profile
  • Premium Members earn $ 8 for the first month when one of their Referrals goes Premium ($ 19)
  • Premium Members earn $ 23.50 every month thereafter for their Premium Referrals ($ 49)
  • Premium Members earn $ 235 per year when one of their Referrals opts to go Yearly ($ 495)
  • Premium Members earn $ 46.50 a month for monthly Premium Plus referrals ($ 99)
  • Premium Members earn $ 465 a year for yearly Premium Plus referrals ($ 995)

I created the little spreadsheet below to illustrate these figures:

So essentially, if you are very risk-averse or have no money to put down at all, you could:

  • Join as a Free Starter Member
  • Complete the First Online Certification Course
  • Complete the first Phase of Affiliate Bootcamp
  • Build a Free Website (you get a free Siterubix website on Starter Membership)
  • And EARN the Commission to pay for your first month or two at Wealthy Affiliate

This works especially well if you market offline as well as online (i.e. if you have friends who are keen to build their own websites too and jump in with you).

Think how excited you’ll be when your first website is up… and remember Enthusiasm sells.  If you show your website to someone you know has been considering setting up their own website, they may just buy in.

2. Jaaxy

Jaaxy is a brilliant Keyword, Niche Research and SiteRank Tool.  Read more about Jaaxy here.

I use Jaaxy for every single post I publish, whether it’s a guest post, contributed post or my own.

Jaaxy is a tool many bloggers use even if they are not members of Wealthy Affiliate and therefore it has a stand-alone website as well.

The awesome thing is, there is a Free Version of Jaaxy for Wealthy Affiliate Premium Members, Jaaxy Lite, which is perfect when you’re just starting out.  There are two elite versions of Jaaxy. Jaaxy Pro and Jaaxy Enterprise.

More good news is that Jaaxy these are available at Half-Price for Premium Members and Jaaxy Enterprise is free to Premium Plus Members of Weathy Affiliate.

3. The Open Education Project

Once you’ve been a Member of WA for 3 months you can start sharing your own knowledge by adding your own Tutorials or Video Training.

You can earn ongoing income this way.  Wealthy Affiliate pays you based on how many people have read or watched your entire training, liked it, commented on it and how responsive to are you to comments and questions.

Bottom line:  The more popular your Training is, the more is you earn.

This is how Wealthy Affiliate has landed up with an incredible bank of Training, other than the official courses. I even have a few Tutorials of my own (been a bit slack, I know).

My most popular tutorial by far is this one: How to Earn Money from Blogs (before you have significant traffic)

Are there other ways to make money with a website?

Sure. There are plenty of ways.  Once you have built an Authority website, you have a valuable asset.

Here 10 more ways you can make money with your website:

  1. Sponsored Posts
  2. Paid Guest Posting 
  3. Paid Membership to Your Site
  4. Sell Advertising Space
  5. Pay Per Click Advertising
  6. Sell your own eBooks
  7. Sell your own Courses
  8. E-Commerce (sell your own products online) – See my RedBubble Store
  9. Flip Websites (or sell your site once it has some Authority)
  10. Create a Paid Business Directory Page

And you can learn how to do all this in Wealthy Affiliate.  Remember, other than the core training, there are also thousands of tutorials added by Wealthy Affiliate Members, many of whom are experts in their field.

You also are learning valuable skills you can market

You might find, for example, that you actually love the first bit you learn at Wealthy Affiliate – creating the framework of a website and that’s a skill you can market.  I made a few bucks this way when a friend of mine wanted a very simple website created for her Playschool.

Here are a few skills you might learn while you’re building your own site, that others will pay you to do for them.  You can sell these skills on freelance websites like Fiverr or Upwork or to your friends.

Marketable Skills

  1. Content Writing
  2. Website Development
  3. SEO Services
  4. Keyword Research
  5. Digital Marketing
  6. Social Media Management
  7. Online Training (eg. Udemy)
  8. Designing Images for Social Media
  9. Email Marketing
  10. Copywriting
  11. Editing
  12. Proofreading

Wealthy Affiliate Success Stories

There are many members of Wealthy Affiliate who are earning money doing all kinds of things online.

I’ll highlight 5 Wealthy Affiliate Success Stories:

1. Steve of I’ve Tried That

I discovered Wealthy Affiliate when I read a review post about Steve of I’ve Tried That and so I’m actually one of his referrals. Here are a couple of his popular posts on WA:

Earnings Report: Here’s How I Made $8,871.03 from Blogging in May 2019

2. Nathaniell Brenes of One More Cup of Coffee

Here are some of my favourite posts by Nathaniell of One More Cup of Coffee.

Your First Website Doesn’t Have to be a Home Run

How $0.01 Turns Into $2178.10

3. Lynne Huysamen – Kaboutjie

Lynne Huysamen of Kaboutjie is making Thousands of Dollars a month with Sponsored Posts and Paid Guest Posting opportunities. She has also received a free washing machine and microwave to review for sponsored post opportunities.

Perks of Blogging – Free Stuff

4. Janelle B.M. aka Cashed Up Nomad

Janelle of the Cashed Up Nomad just used all the knowledge she gained at Wealthy Affiliate to sell a really big ticket item online, a Catamaran.  Don’t miss her awesome post:

I Sold a Very Big Ticket Item On My Website – hundreds of thousands of buckeroonies! 

I took a screenshot of the Pricing page as Janelle said she will be taking this website down soon, now that the Catamaran it has been sold.

As you can see below, it was priced at $212,000 AUD Negotiable (am not sure of the price the buyer settled on).

Janelle Sold a Big Ticket Item Online using knowledge gained at Wealthy Affiliate

 

 

 

 

5. Chris Myles aka Benji’s Dad

Chris Myles is a popular YouTuber who started out at Wealthy Affiliate. You can find him at Benji’s Dad.

I’m doing his Premium Plus classes on building a lucrative YouTube channel and they are awesome.

Chris also has a successful blog and is a Super Affiliate at WA,  here’s his most recent Vegas experience.

Las Vegas 2020 WA Super Affiliate Conference: A REAL Eye-Opener

More Success Stories

Here’s another great post showing Proof Of Income by Wealthy Affiliate Members. Don’t miss the Featured Comment.

Comment Here if You’ve Made $500 – Don’t miss the Featured Comment and the Comments by Loes and Marion Black about how much they earn from their Tutorials via The Open Education Project.

Wealthy Affiliate Overview

  • Name: Wealthy Affiliate
  • Owners: Kyle and Carson
  • Website: wealthyaffiliate.com
  • Price: Starter Member – Free,
  • Premium Member – $49 per month or $359 per year

Wealthy Affiliate Rankings

  1. Training: 10 out of 10
  2. Support: 10 out 10
  3. Website Builder:  10 out of 10
  4. Research Tools: 9 out of 10
  5. Site Comments Tool: 10 out 10
  6. Site Feedback Tool: 9 out of 10
  7. Site Content Editor: 10 out of 10
  8. Managed WordPress Hosting: 9 out of 10
  9. Site Support: 10 out of 10
  10. Success Stories: 10 out of 10

My Overall Ranking of Wealthy Affiliate:  98/100

Over to You

I’d love your comments below. Have you made money with Wealthy Affiliate?  

Or are you ready to give it your best shot?

Join Today