Today at Techie Youth, as well as the rest of the days this past week, I have focused mainly on the Crafts unit, specifically on the 3D printing topic. This is a unit that I found particularly intriguing and captivating because I’ve been around 3D printing basically my whole life. My father is a jeweler and designer, and a large part of jewelry and designing involves 3D printing. My father has used these machines various times, including a 3D wax machine, a 3D resin machine, and a 3D plastic machine. However, he doesn’t just print things. As a designer, he also uses many different programs when designing any piece of jewelry from scratch. He has taught me how to use some of them including a program called Rhino, so when I saw that there was a section on 3D printing to learn, I was excited. I was also very happy to see that there were videos teaching us how to use these programs, such as Blender. I took a little longer on this section that usual because I was interested in seeing if I could use these programs myself and once I learn how to use them, introduce them to my father as well. I wanted to make sure I got as much of an in-depth understanding as I possibly could from each video of each program. On particularly difficult sections, I paused and rewatched the videos a couple times. I am very happy that Techie Youth has this as unit, and it was definitely one of my favorites. I have learned so much from Techie Youth Learn to E-Earn and it was an excellent opportunity that I am honored to have been presented with.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about a jet setter’s lifestyle. Basically, earning money by traveling and doing what you love. Two great examples of jobs that fit this description are social media influencers and/or travel bloggers. often times, making career out of social media or traveling is deemed to be difficult, and can sometimes even be looked down upon as it can be described as the “easy way out,” since it doesn’t require a college degree. however, you can make just as much money, if not more, by taking on these jobs. On top of this, there’s also digital nomads. To be a digital nomad means to have a stable job, without necessarily living in a stable location. You can work digitally from anywhere as long as you have wifi. You can choose to travel the world and still have a steady income, or also live at home; the choice is yours.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about mentorship. To have a mentor is truly something that can sometimes go undervalued. Having a mentor means that you have someone working directly close to you who is already a professional in the desired field. Having someone in your desired field working close to you can be considered an extreme benefit as the most common reason for people quitting is fear of failure. With a mentor, a large part of this is no longer a factor. A mentor will guide you in the right direction, which will give you a sense of accountability as they aren’t doing everything for you. You still have to work for things yourself, but with the guidance of a mentor, it will become a lot easier.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about the health and stress management. Mental health is often times sweep under the rug, but what people don’t realize is that mental health is one of the most important things that you should look after in your life. With mental stability, comes success. Stress management can also tie into poor mental health because if you can’t find a way to manage the stress and deal with all the things going on in your life at once, it can end up being a lot to handle. when you are mentally healthy and are good at dealing with stress, it can help with a lot of positive things in your life. In addition to this, if we are relating it to businesses, being mentally stable will allow you to focus on your business, allowing it to thrive.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about time management. The definition of this term is pretty straight forward, as it's just discussing what to do with your time/ how to manage it. However, there's a difference between efficiently managing your time, and just doing whatever you want with it. For the 24 hours that fit in a day, many are left wondering where their time went. Fortunately, there are many good ways to keep track of your time. One of those, is a planner, whether it be a physical one, or an online one that you can keep on your phone. It can also be very beneficial to have a to-do list. This way, you can keep track of all the things that you need to get done, and have the satisfaction of checking things off once you do them. This also ensures that you never forget anything you need to do, and even allows you to have plenty of spare time, while also doing everything you need to.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about how much money a person actually makes a day. You may think about just calculating your hourly wage and multiplying it by the hours you work, but in reality, it’s better to include other facts that may lower that cost, to know how much money you’re going home with. For example, in New York City the minimum wage is $15 an hour. If you work 8 hours, you’d technically make $120 right? Well, not really. After taxes being removed as well as other facts such as Social Security, you end up making less. It’s also important to keep other facts in mind such as transportation. Prices for gasoline are currently very high, and if not gasoline, then public transportation to get to and from work. That amount must also be deducted from your check. On top of that, any food you may have bought, such as your lunch, and even the use of utilities for that day. The point is, that there are a lot of factors to take into consideration that most people don’t think about. By thinking about these and budgeting appropriately, it’ll allow you to move your money better and to not be left wondering where your money went.
When it comes to a job interview, internship, or anything that requires you to apply, one of the things you have to be the most concerned with is being an applicant that stands out. Most of the people that are applying are just as qualified as you are and it's important to understand that they are your competition. One of the ways to stand out, is by making yourself appealing to the person that's hiring you, in the sense that you can show your common ground. Even if you and the person you're talking to is the complete opposite of you, there are ways to find common ground between you two, and by making conversation this way and showing that you like the person, giving them attention, and allowing them to talk about themselves, you are making yourself more appealing and just as likable to them as well, allowing you to stand out above everyone else.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about a crucial part of starting up a new business, and that is how to obtain funding to actually get it up and running. Some businesses can actually start with little money, and that is known as shoestring startups, and while it’s possible to start a business like that, it’s also important to note that in order to improve the chances of having a successful business, it’s better to start off with an initial capital where you can reach the break even point where a business earns more than it spends. Some of the most important things to calculate when it comes to making a budget, is to estimate venture costs and profit margins, as well as time lines for spending. In addition to this, you must take into account your fixed costs which include rent, utilities, website hosting fees, insurance, and phone and internet bills. Something else to remember is the per customer/per sale expenses which is a the “cost of doing business,” or otherwise, the amount of money it costs you per customer, as a result of earning income. As one can see, there are many costs to keep in mind when it comes to starting up a new business, and these are just some of the important things to keep in mind.
After learning about the different types of businesses and companies yesterday, today I learned about one of the ones to get started on your company, and that is by making a website. Making a website can seem like an overwhelming task, with many factors involved such as coding or perhaps having to find your own domain. However, there is a website called Wix that can actually make this whole process extremely easy. With Wix, you can create your own website and it’ll generate a domain for you as well.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned about companies and the different types that exist. One type of company is a sole proprietor. This can be considered as one of the simpler types of business or companies where you are the sole owner of the business. You can create an email and a bank account for this company. There is also a fee you must pay to become a formal sole-proprietor. Additionally, there are other types of companies called corporations, and within corporations. there are also different types. Some types of corporations include C-corp, B-corp, S-Corp and even LLC. With corporations, there are also fees that you must pay, and it is possible to have a co-founder, rather than just being the only owner. A benefit of owning a corporation, however, is that if there was ever any legal trouble, your assets as the owner are safe, however, as a sole-proprietor, all your assets and everything you own is in trouble.
Today at Techie Youth, I learned an extremely valuable life lesson: failure isn't always bad. Most people are afraid of failure, and while that obviously isn't the end goal, unfortunately, failure can be a part of your journey to success. This means that in order to pick yourself back up, one needs to learn how to deal with failure, and realize that it can serve some good too. Often times, the quicker you fail at something, the better. That way you aren't left with having to grasp at straws to try to pull everything back together. Failure can even set you on your path to success.
Today, at Techie Youth, I learned what an entrepreneur is, and what it means to become one. I learned that to be an entrepreneur, you have to know and understand the risks of potential loss, but hope to gain profit.
When one thinks of money, numbers and businesses, one of the last things that may come to mind is mental health. However, what many may not know is that your mental health is crucial to all of those things, which then connects to your success. If you aren't in the right state of mind, or feel that there are obstacles in your path, the biggest one being fear of failure, it's important to remember that you miss all the shots you don't take. Don't let your fear of failure impact your mental health. Go for everything and anything. Not even the sky is the limit!
Today at Techie Youth, I learned what people mean when they say that time is money. There’s many things that you can be doing in your spare time to maximize your profit and to learn how to earn and save that money in order to invest it towards a better future!
Today, at Techie Youth, I learned about scams, and the extremities that some people may go to scam others. I also learned about the ways to do research in order to make sure I'm not getting scammed.
An important lesson that I learned today at Techie Youth is what it means to negotiate a job. I learned that when going in, you must obviously do your best to gain as much money as possible, but also to be prepared to leave with nothing, which is okay as well. Also, it is important to make sure that you are being direct with the person hiring you. Make it clear that once the job is done, that you must get paid the full amount that was offered in order to avoid getting scammed.
Today, at Techie Youth, I learned how to take advantage of the internet to find a job. I learned about many websites like Indeed that can not only help you find a job, but find a job that lets you work from home. I also learned how big companies such as Dell and Amazon can offer jobs and help you expand your networking and allow you to work from home as well.
Today I learned about the infamous website: Linked In, and all the amazing opportunities that it can present for its users. I also created an account, and with my knowledge on resumes and cover letters, I’ll be able to perfect my account!