Episode 12
On this episode of N3XT TV, Sabrina learns about airplane engines, Sir John A goes on a “defriending” rampage, and Dylynn learns the ins and outs of being a park warden.
N3XT News
Congratulations to our Science Fair winners!
So, we’ve been having a lot of fun hanging out at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, going on here in Charlottetown this week. So much so that we had ourselves a little contest to give away some of our coveted N3XT tees. We did a draw this evening and the following people have won themselves a t-shirt:
- Hailey (Haily, you didn’t leave a last name, but your email has a word that rhymes with “soothing” in it)
- Jordan Winter
- Rachel Brown
- Karl Zimmermann
- Corey Conforzi
- Becky Grisdale
- Brandon Whitley
- Haley Dorey-Anstey
So, if you see your name listed above, come on over to the N3XT booth Friday morning and pick out a t-shirt (we have several styles for you to choose from).
We also promised to draw for a Flipcam, tripod, and case didn’t we? Okay, then!
The winner is (Drum roll please . . . ): Katie van der Sloot. Congrats Katie! Come on by the N3XT booth Friday AM to pick up your new camera (we may also throw in a t-shirt for you too, just because we are nice like that).
N3XT Steps
What is Canada’s Best Job?
We know that you have choices when it comes to picking a career. There’s like a gazillion and fifty three different jobs out there (give or take). We don’t claim that all jobs are equal though, and while there are pros and cons to every job, some are just really really good and some are, well . . . not so much.
Now, we have opinions about really awesome jobs and we’d be more than happy to sit down and chat about them with you, but it turns out there is a national list of Canada’s Best Jobs conducted every year. It also turns out that the 2012 winners were recently announced.
Canadian Business surveyed hundreds of jobs and came up with a list of the winners. What’s just as helpful though, is that they also came up with a list of Canada’s Worst Jobs (in case reverse motivation works best for you).
They factored in such factors as salary, job growth, and job availability to get their rankings.
So who won?
[Drum roll please . . .]
Would you believe us if we said petroleum engineer? (This is the person who figures out how to get the oil out of the oilsands out in Alberta.)
This is both the fastest-growing occupation in Canada, with employment increasing by 85% between 2006 and 2011, and the second-highest in pay. (source)
Another winner? Construction manager. Those of you thinking of a career in the trades will be pleased to know that there is currently a shortage in this area. Yay—job for you!
Other top-ranking jobs include:
- Economist
- Nursing supervisor
- Electrical contractor
- Data analyst
- Chemistry specialist
- Health policy consultant
- Lawyer
- Transport manager
Any guesses on the best paying job? If you said pharmacist, give yourself a high 5. The average pharmacist makes over $90K. Nice!
To see Canada’s best jobs over $60K, click here.
And, since money isn’t everything, to see Canada’s best jobs under $60K, click here.
Curious about jobs with growth potential? Read this.
Okay, so we highlighted some of the winners. Now, what about those who didn’t come out smelling like candy?
These jobs may be loved by some, but fact is, they are facing some hard times with low wages and slow job growth.
- Knitter and weaver
- General office clerk
- Photo/film processor
- Actor
- Fish processor
- Harvest labourer
- Jewellers and watch repairers
- Nursery and greenhouse worker
- Plastic products assembler
Did your dream job make one of these lists?
To see the entire article, click here.
Photo credit: blackfeathers
N3XT Trends
If you get migraines, what we say may shock you.
Migraines suck. There’s really no nicer way to say it. Take your regular run o’ the mill headache and add in intense pressure, severe nausea, and a debilitating sensitivity to light. Some sufferers even have speech and thought affected, making them think they are quite literally having a stroke.
Forget popping an aspirin when one of those puppies freight trains hit.
Yes, they make migraine medications, but they don’t always work. Also, if a migraine comes out of the blue, the nausea that accompanies it often makes it impossible to swallow a pill. It’s a lovely position to be in: you’re too sick to take the medication that will make you feel better.
If you get migraines, you know that there’s not much you can do, but crawl into bed, turn off all the lights, and threaten anyone in the house with a month of dish duty if they dare talk above a whisper or step above a tip-toe.
Well, there has been some shocking news recently published in the academic journal Headache (yes, there is an academic journal dedicated to headaches!) that might have you daring to shout with joy.
A group of super smart scientists in the States have found that mild electric currents help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines by 37%. While that number may seem low, even 37% less migraine is a whole lot better than 100% migraine.
The scientific name is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which means that currents can be placed directly on your head without involving surgery. Some participants in the study found that receiving tDCS had lasting effects and they could go periods of time without suffering migraines before another session was required. Others found they needed treatments more often. The good news is that this treatment is not very invasive, so people could actually zap their own heads everyday to ward off migraines, should they need to.
As one of the researchers explains,
“You can walk around with it and keep it in your desk drawer or purse. This is definitely the first technology that operates on just a 9-volt battery and can be applied at home,” said Bikson [researcher], who envisions the future development of units as small as an iPod.
Bonus side effect of the shocking treatment? Because of the area of the brain that is being shocked, there is a good chance your mathematical skills might be improved (for the short-term anyway). This might be a good time to re-take that calculus class you keep failing!
You can read more about this study and its shocking implications for migraine sufferers in the latest issue of the journal Headache.
N3XT U
How to choose the right university/college courses
There's got to be a better way to pick your courses!
Yes, it’s only spring, but for those of you starting post-secondary this fall, you’ll be registering for your courses soon. How do you pick what courses to take? Do you take courses your parents want you to? The ones your friends are taking? Or, are you one of those students who pick your courses based on the schedule, cramming them all in on 4 days a week to have Fridays off?
Some programs don’t offer much choice when it comes to what courses you take, and you’ll pick them based on what your program tells you to. But most programs do allow for what is known as an “elective” (a course that you choose to take because you want to).
An elective is a really great way to try something different. If you are up to your eyeballs in science labs and statistics, perhaps a literature course might be refreshing. Or, how about learning a second (or third) language? Or, why not appeal more to future employers and take a business class?
Sometimes electives can give you fabulous skills and sometimes electives can lead you to your future career. You think you know what you want to do now, but you may change your mind depending on what you are exposed to. You never know what you really like until you try it.
If you are still having trouble deciding, you can enlist help.
Yes, you can ask your parents and all your friends what you should do, but the best, honest advice you can get is from a school advisement centre.
Many schools have staff whose job it is specifically to help you choose courses.
At UPEI, for example, there’s the First-Year Advisement Centre (FYAC). The FYAC is staffed by upper-level students— students who have likely recently taken the very courses you are considering, so you’ll get honest advice. You may even pick up a tip about which professors are awesome and which are . . . not so much.
And even if you know exactly what program you are going into, it’s not a bad idea to run your list of courses by someone, in case you are missing something. You don’t want to get all the way to your third- year biology program, only to find out you forgot to take a first-year math course now do you?
Photo credit: MikeBehnken
N3XT ED
Could computers take over grading papers?
Could a computer make grading essays more enjoyable?
A recent study from the University of Akron has found that computers can grade papers almost on par as human teachers. This may not shock you because teachers have been using computers to grade multiple choice tests for a long time. But, what is new though, is that computers can now grade essays.
Computer software has been created that can analyze grammatical rules and can find just as many inconsistencies as most (human) teachers.
Before all you teachers run out and start looking for other jobs—relax! First of all, someone still has to teach things to all the bums in seats in your classroom. Second of all, what the computer can’t analyze is comprehension. A software program has no way of figuring out if the sentence makes sense, context wise. Only a trained teacher can give marks for that!
Read the full study here.
Do you welcome assistance with teaching tasks or does evolving technology make you feel threatened?
Photo credit: nicolee_pikita
Loading ...
Get Social!