New Get Rich Quick Tip: Win $100k in cash & Prizes at Nikon Festival
The Nikon Festival will give away $125k in cash and prizes for a 240 second-long video about your life.
Alright, I’m sure a lot of you out there are beyond the point in your unemploymentality where you’re looking for that quick score. That quick ‘out’ of not only dependence on government checks and cheese, but out of the corporate rat race – them are pipe dreams for unemployment rookies. But in the next ten days there exists an opportunity to keep this pipe dream alive!
The Nikon Festival is looking for people to submit 240 second-long videos about their lives. Do it with a little style, and you could be winning a $100k prize! The kitty for second prize (audience award) isn’t so bad either, $25k. Either way, that adds up to a whole lot of unemployment checks, my friend. Consider unemployment extended again!
The theme of this festival is “A Day Through Your Lens” and prizes will be awarded by judges Dwight Schrute, err…, I mean Rainn Wilson, Chase Jarvis (the famous photographer) and iJustine (I don’t know who the hell this is, but i”m told she’s quite popular on “the internet”). Movies can be shot on any video-capturing device and must be less than 240-seconds long and submitted to nikonfestival.com by Dec 15.
So, what i’d like to see is one of our readers taking this on and creating a short film that represents “A day through the lens of the broke, the down trodden and the unemployed.” If you choose to accept this challenge, hollar back at the unemploymentality and we’ll be sure to support your submission by voting you up!
Now get out there and live the [pipe] dream!
Love,
the managment
I was contacted recently by one of the creators of the following documentary about unemployment. I really think it’s worth your time. An excellent little mediation on the ‘condition’ of being unemployed. The film is part of a 12 month project called Sparrow Songs, where the two filmmakers will create and release a new documentary on vimeo for twelve months. This is chapter two. Enjoy!
Sparrow Songs – Episode 2 from Sparrow Songs on Vimeo.
Click to see animated spread of unemployment across the country. Creepy.
For all my fallen comrades today or one year’s past. Chin up, shoulder’s back and don’t forget to fix yourself something nice for breakfast tomorrow. It is the first day of the rest of your life.
Thanks Roberto for bringing this clip to my attention, via the Facebook
The following post is contributed by Richard Hemby who frequently writes about online degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, a directory of accredited online degrees
Especially in today’s economic environment, many people have found themselves among the ranks of the unemployed through no fault of their own. Some people are fortunate enough to find other work immediately; others are not so lucky and seek work in vain for months or even years. Unemployment benefits bridge the gap for many out-of-work individuals but, over time, this can become a trap for some who become accustomed to drawing unemployment and lose touch with the working world.
Unemployment benefits are meant to be a temporary measure; workers who forget this can find themselves in serious difficulty when those benefits run out. Milking your unemployment benefits for all they are worth is not only bad for the economy; it’s harmful to your future employment prospects as well. Here are some hints on how to maximize your employment chances while minimizing your time on unemployment.
Learn new tricks
Instead of staying at home and becoming addicted to soap operas, many unemployed workers choose to brush up on basic skills or learn a new trade. Incentives and financial assistance can provide an entry point for furthering one’s education. Whether you opt for a degree program, advanced certification, or a few credit hours in a new field, these educational excursions can show prospective employers that you’re open to learning new things and willing to take risks; this can make the difference between a job offer and another polite rejection letter.
Stay in the game
Even when you feel discouraged by constant rejection, it’s essential that you continue sending out resumes and working toward the career you want. Perseverance and determination are the keys to finding the right job opportunity for you. If you want to work for a particular company, send them a resume even if they are not hiring; in most cases, your resume will be retained by the human resources staff and you’ll be the first name they see when an opportunity becomes available.
Shape up
Unemployment is not an excuse to let yourself go. Devote some time every day to fitness and health. This will improve your energy level, your self-esteem, and ensure that you stay healthy and in good shape for job interviews and other activities.
Be willing to compromise
Look into jobs that may be slightly outside your field of expertise; these can open up far more opportunities than a strict adherence to the type of work you’ve done before. If you’ve been employed in public relations, look into fundraising or human resources; the skills and experience necessary are largely the same. Don’t unnecessarily limit yourself to one specific job description. Similarly, be willing to accept a temporary or part-time job in order to get back into the marketplace. Employers tend to look with suspicion on large gaps in your job history; two part-time jobs may provide approximately the same level of income as one full-time job. By being flexible about your employment expectations, you can often find the right job far more quickly.
Most importantly, don’t give up. Don’t relax and collect your unemployment benefits, regarding this period as a vacation. It’s not. Instead, consider it as an opportunity to hone your job skills and enhance your employability. By maximizing your qualifications, persisting in your job search, and thinking outside the box, you can improve your chances of landing a job that’s precisely right for you.
For more advice from Richard Hemby check out his site.
From the Boston Globe, by Kevin Lewis:
Peer pressure can make people, especially young people, do stupid things. New research finds that this includes one’s choice of career. A team of economists tested the hypothesis that peer groups can push college students into the wrong major. The economists analyzed data from a university program that randomly assigned students to classes (and thus classmates) for the first few semesters, after which students chose one of two majors. The data showed that students tend to gravitate to a major chosen by more of their peers. And the students whose choice was driven by their peers were then more likely to end up in lower-paying jobs that they didn’t like. Continue Reading…
From the New Yorker, by James Surowiecki
For all the uncertainty about the current state of the economy, everyone is sure of one thing: this recession has permanently remade American consumers, turning them from spendthrifts into tightwads. From cover stories on “The New Frugality” to stories about cheapness as a new status symbol and pundits’ repeated analogies to the lessons inculcated by the Great Depression, the message is the same: there has been a fundamental change in American consumer behavior, one that will endure after the recession ends, returning us, as one economist put it, to “the days of ‘Leave It to Beaver.’ ” Continue reading…
As reported by Paul Harris for The Gaurdian:
California has a special place in the American psyche. It is the Golden State: a playground of the rich and famous with perfect weather. It symbolises a lifestyle of sunshine, swimming pools and the Hollywood dream factory.
But the state that was once held up as the epitome of the boundless opportunities of America has collapsed. From its politics to its economy to its environment and way of life, California is like a patient on life support. At the start of summer the state government was so deeply in debt that it began to issue IOUs instead of wages. Its unemployment rate has soared to more than 12%, the highest figure in 70 years. Desperate to pay off a crippling budget deficit, California is slashing
spending in education and healthcare, laying off vast numbers of workers and forcing others to take unpaid leave. In a state made up of sprawling suburbs the collapse of the housing bubble has impoverished millions and kicked tens of thousands of families out of their homes. Its politicalsystem is locked in paralysis and the two-term rule of former movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen as a disaster – his approval ratings having sunk to levels that would make George W Bush blush. The crisis is so deep that Professor Kevin Starr, who has written an acclaimed history of the state, recently declared: “California is on the verge of becoming the first failed state in America.” Continue reading…
If it's good enough for Miley, it's good enough for me.
It started with YM back in ’92 and has persisted well into adulthood: my unwavering love affair with glossy women’s magazines.
They’ve stuck with me through so much — layovers, bus rides, long waits at the dentist and bored Sunday afternoons.
And my choice of title can vary, depending on my mood.
Sometimes I feel like something quick and dirty (OK, People, Star). Other times, I need something a little more sophisticated (Vogue — but mostly just for the pretty pictures).
Usually, though, it’s the run of the mill women’s glossy that combines celebrity gossip, relationship advice, fashion and beauty so satisfyingly, I can’t remember why I ever read books.
These are the Glamours and Marie Claires of the world. The magazines that make you feel ugly, then beautiful, then ugly again, all within a hundred or so ad-filled pages.
Lately I’ve noticed a very inspirational segment in Glamour called: “Hey, it’s ok!” The magazine reassures its readers that their irrational, vain or lazy behavior is, in fact, completely normal. Phew!
“Hey, it’s okay if I you only want to order the stuff on the menu you can pronounce.” Relief!
“Hey, it’s okay to be totally judge-y about plastic surgery but then whiten your teeth obsessively.” Thanks again, Glamour, I was super worried about that!
“Hey, it’s okay if you’re so00 jealous of your bestie you sometimes fantasize about killing her!” Ummm… are… you… sure about that one?
Anyhow, it got me thinking (as these magazines so often do): It’s not just us gals of a certain socio-economic status between the ages of 18 and 34 who need a bit of reassurance.
What about the men? The children? The elderly?
Most importantly for this blog, what about the unemployed?
I’ve got you covered. I’ve been jobless long enough (and read enough of this stuff) to write a list especially for you:
Hey, it’s ok if…
- …You’re willing to take what you can get at this point, and I don’t just mean job-wise.
- …You send your mom’s friend’s cousin’s wife’s best friend your resume. And then consider your weekly job search complete.
- …You don’t make your bed. Especially if you never really get out of it.
- …You’re tired of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all the other social networking sites that are supposed to help you get a job.
- …Your mom does your laundry (btw, that’s always okay, no matter your current employment status).
- …You’re jealous of people with jobs. Even people with crappy jobs.
- …You romanticize your former employer – it’s like an old lover. You complained about it incessantly at the time, but now that it’s gone all you can remember is the good stuff, like free toilet paper.
- …You despise your former employer. Who’s a romantic? Not you!
- …You stay friends with people who still work for your former employer (the one you despise). It’s not their fault you lost your job. But you can use their survivor’s guilt to your advantage.
- …You’re enjoying unemployment. Just a little bit.
