Thinking of a Career Change?

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

Once upon a time, a job was for life and people tended to work in the same industry or even for the same company throughout their entire career. But these days, it’s more common for people to change direction mid-way through their career. And with proper planning, there’s no reason why you can’t change career at any age.

 

Is a career change right for you?
The first step is to think about why you want to change. It may be that you don’t need to change career completely to find new challenges or better prospects. A new role in your existing company or a position at a new firm might be what you need instead.

 

 

What next?

If you have decided that you want a complete change of career, you need to think about what you’d like to do next. Think about the things you still enjoy in your current career – are there skills you could transfer to a different industry or role? Alternatively, do you have hobbies outside of work that you could build into a new career? Take time to research your options and find out what training or qualifications you might need to kick-start your new career.

 

Practical considerations

Think about the financial and practical implications of a career change. For example, changing career may mean taking a drastic pay cut whilst you establish yourself in your new job. Make sure you have adequate savings whilst you make the transition.

 

For more information about changing career, visit: www.acareerchange.co.uk

 

Categories: Career, career change, catton, change, change career, changing career, company, industry, jenny, nbsp, written

Warning: The Hidden Dangers That Are Posed By Wind Turbines

Many supporters of environmental wellness have campaigned extensively against wind turbines. Now new evidence has emerged that they could be really damaging for human health and wellbeing.

 

It has come to light that human health may be potentially damaged by the impulsive infrasound (an inaudible intermittent noise) that is produced by these wind turbines. It is also thought that the industry has known about these potentially hazardous effects for as long as a quarter of a century and yet has done nothing about it, even going so far as to cover it up in some cases.

 

A research paper has now revealed that the ‘annoyance’ that people feel towards wind turbines is a real thing and not imaginary, as the noise disturbance can result in significant psychological stress. As well as feeling disturbed in their own homes by this intermittent but inaudible noise, people are thought to become more and more sensitive to it over time, meaning that they may feel the presence of the wind turbines more keenly after a period of months or even years than they did at the start rather than getting used to it as you would to any other noise.

 

The wind industry has frequently claimed that there is no evidence to support the idea that Wind Turbine Syndrome exists, and this report appears to contradict this. Many people have in fact reported Wind Turbine Syndrome, with symptoms ranging from insomnia to anxiety, nausea and palpitations, and now it could be that these are in fact very real rather than imagined symptoms. This flies directly in the face of claims made on the website of one of the biggest wind industry firms that nobody in 68,000 years has ever been harmed by the operation of a normal wind farm.

Categories: health, human health, industry, noise, turbine, turbine syndrome, turbines, wind, wind industry, wind turbine, wind turbines

Environmental Reporting Cleans Up at Canon Media Awards

This month, the print industry celebrated some of the best journalism of the last year at the Canon Media Awards in Auckland, New Zealand. While news stories were celebrated across a range of categories, environmental wellness reporting was particularly prominent.

According to SMC Manager Peter Griffin, who attended the awards and was a judge on the best use of emerging technology and best multimedia storytelling categories, ‘What was great this year is that the awards were really opened up to outside parties, so you had the likes of ASB and Business New Zealand hosting tables. I got the feeling that although everyone acknowledges the industry faces major challenges adapting its business models to the digital world, there’s a lot less angst about making the transition.’

A speech from Sir Julian Smith was a highlight of the awards, as the Otago Daily Times publisher called for the industry to keep in mind the fundamentals of journalism. Sir Smith, the Allied Press chairman and managing director, explained that the written word is what sells, good journalism is paramount, the industry needs its readers more than ever and freedom of the press needs to be fought for.

But what of the winners? Tauranga-based New Zealand Herald reporter Jamie Morton won the best newspaper reporter in the science and environment category, for a series of features. These included a detailed look at New Zealand’s freshwater ways and rivers suffering from high levels of pollution and moves to clean them up, an extensive package looking at the twin eruptions of Mt Tongariro and White Island and how the volcanic landscape can violently change without warning at any moment, and an examination of the environmental impact of the MV Rena grounding and the ongoing clean-up effort.

Meanwhile, Herald on Sunday writer Russell Blackstock picked up the award in the Best newspaper feature writer in the science and environment category. This was based on his portfolio of work, which included an insight feature looking at New Zealand’s volatile volcanoes, coverage of a Herald on Sunday-endorsed campaign to clean up beaches and a more in-depth look at the state of New Zealand’s beaches and water quality at some favourite holiday spots.

Categories: awards, canon media, environment category, Environmental, Environmental Reporting, industry, journalism, Media Awards, New Zealand, zealand

Unregulated Anti-Wrinkle Industry a Risk to Health

The anti-wrinkle injection industry in the UK has come under fire from public health experts. Dermal fillers or Botox are used in 90% of all injected cosmetic surgery procedures in the UK but medical chiefs are concerned that the industry is unregulated, potentially putting lives at risk.

A review of cosmetic procedures in the UK has revealed that there are more than 190 different “fillers” available across the EU. That is in sharp contrast to the United States where there are just 14 available for use in an industry that is strictly regulated by federal authorities.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, chaired the independent review, which recommended that fillers should become prescription only in the UK immediately. Sir Bruce wants tighter controls on the use of substances such as Botox, which is supposed to be prescription only but can be purchased online.

The review revealed that fillers, which are injected beneath the skin to remove wrinkles and to plump up the skin, are completely unregulated in the UK with the injections often being administered by people with only the most basic of training.

Dermal fillers have become an incredibly common and affordable method of non-surgical cosmetic surgery, popularised by reality television shows where participants are regularly shown having fillers.

The review wants all non-medical practitioners who administer dermal fillers to undergo formal training and be part of a general register once qualified.

The Sir Bruce-led review was ordered after the revelations of the PIP scandal when breast implants made of low-grade silicone were found to have been used in breast enhancement surgery, contrary to EU regulations.

Unregulated Anti-Wrinkle Industry a Risk to Health

Categories: anti-wrinkle, bruce, cosmetic, cosmetic surgery, Dermal Fillers, fillers, industry, regulation, Review, sir bruce