10 Movies That Show Us Why We Need Labor Day

I was searching for movies about work, and I found this great list of movies that show us why we need labor day. You can see the trailer of each one, and to have a more detailed information about each one of these movies, click here.

1. Office Space


2. Clerks


3. Falling Down


4. Waiting


5. The Devil Wears Prada


6. Nine to Five


7. Kindergarten Cop


8. Modern Times


9. Taxi Driver


10. American Beauty

I have to say that "The Devil Wears Prada" is my favourite. It's really funny and I just love how Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep work together. It shows how you get lost for a minute in the tough world of work but, fortunately, you find yourself again.

Source:
http://www.flixster.com/articles/work-sucks-10-movies-that-show-us-why-we-need-labor-day

Find your dream job

"Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life."

Today's work reality is the following: we spend almost 20 years at school to have a good education and get ready for the world of work, but then, only a little percentage of people really gets the chance of having their dream job. How many thousands of people are, at this precise moment, unhappy with their job? Most people don't care if their job pleases them; they just want to have money enough to pay the bills at the end of the month! Can you even imagine how it feels like when you have to work all your life in something you totally dislike? I think that would drive me nuts.



If you don't want it to happen to you too, you should focus. Not just think about it one minute. Oh, come on! That’s not focusing! You should sit down for a little and think “What do I really want? What would really make me feel fulfilled?” and then you should make everything you possibly can to accomplish that. And even if you fall, you’ll get up and try again. It’s your future. If you don’t fight for your future, no one else will do it for you. If you don’t do it, you’ll regret it one day, believe me. ;-)

So what is a dream job? A dream job is something you would actually do for free. You would love it so much, you would even do it for free because of the fulfillment it gives you.

Source:
http://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/imagecache/blog_image_full/files/fruganomics/blog-images/lovejob.jpg

Laywers vs. Judges

Now, I'm go to talk a little about my dream job. Each time I say that I want to study Law in the University, most of people answer immediately: 'Ah, you want to be a lawyer' But it's not true. Studying Law is not just for lawyers. Who takes the final decision is a Jugde, and it is what I want to be. Now, I'm going to explain more about these two jobs very importants in the society.

A lawyer is a person who is graduated in law and authorized by the competent institutions of each country to exercise the 'jus postulandi', it means the representation of legitimate interests of people or legal entities in court. The lawyer is an essential part for the administration of justice and the basic instrument to ensure the protection of their clients' interests in court. The word derives from the Latin word 'ad vocatus', which means ''who was called'' , which in Roman law , was the third person called by the litigant to speak for defend its interests.

(The scales means the stability, balance, the justice.)

The judge, from the Latin iudex, is who is authorised for exercise the judicial activity , judging the conflicts of people's interests.
Judges must be impartial, fair, and of course, they must respect the law. Crimes as murders, robberies, rapes or things like divorces are the ''plate of the day'' for these professionals.
In Portugal, they are distributed by some classifications, depending on their workplace. If they work in a Court of 1st Instance or Judicial District Courts, they are just nominated of Judges. If it is a Court of 2nd Instance or Courts of Appeal, they are Associate Justice or Associate Judges. But, if they work in special courts or do other things connected with their job, for example, in Brazil, a Judge of Peace is who makes the weddings. The last rank is for who works in the Supreme Courts, the courts more important. They are the Judges of Supreme Court of Justice. (I couldn't find the right translation of it, in Portuguese it's Juíz Conselheiro.)

So, what do you think? It's a job that requires a lot of responsability, but it's an interesting challenge. When we do a thing with pleasure, we do it better. ;)


Sources:
* http://hsm.updateordie.com/files/2008/03/juiz2.jpg
* http://www.machilaw.com/criminal-defense-attorney/law1.jpg
* http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_qeDi3Pipo/ShBv8zRtm2I/AAAAAAAAAJw/rdlYRZ0gNwc/s1600-h/odeio-ser-advogado.jpg

Best Part-Time Jobs

I just found a list with the best part-time jobs in case you're interested. It'll help you in the near future, because if you want to go to university you might need some extra money ;) Also, the summer is coming and you'll have plenty of free time which can be used in a wise way, like working. ;)

1. Pharmacy
Technician

2. Accounting
Firm Partner

3. Dental Assistant

4. Home
Healthcare Aide

5. Receptionist

6. Library Assistant

7. Product Demonstrator

8. Child Care Worker

9. Personal Trainer

10. Physical Therapist Aides

Sources:
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/photos/best-part-time-jobs/

10 Most and Least Satisfying Jobs

Have you ever thought about which jobs you would never have? And what about those you'd love to have? I made a little research and found the most and least satisfying jobs, and I can assure you it's quite interesting. You can click in each job to see what it is if you're not sure. ;)




Most Satisfying Jobs
1. Clergy
2. Firefighter
3. Physical Therapists
4. Authors
5. Special Education Teachers
6. Teachers
7. Education Administrators
8. Painters and Sculptors
9. Psychologists
10. Security and Financial Services Salespeople



Least Satisfying Jobs
1. Laborers (outside the field of construction)
2. Clothing Salespeople
3. Packagers
4. Food Preparers
5. Roofers
6. Cashiers
7. Furniture Salespeople
8. Bartenders
9. Freight Handlers
10. Waiters

Interesting huh? What do you think that would be the most and the least satisfying job for you?

Source:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1141115
http://psychology-careers.net/images/psychology_06.jpg
http://www.thefabricator.com/Articles/Photos/318/lead.jpg

What to Do or Not to Do at a Job Interview

Most of us never had a real job, maybe part-time jobs, but never a full-time one. When you go to your first job interview, you never know what to do/say, so I'll leave here some things you can or can't do in a job interview.

What you can do:
- Show enthusiasm in the position and the company
- Shake hands firmly
- Greet the receptionist or assistant with courtesy and respect.
- Wait until you are offered a chair before sitting.
- Make good eye contact with your interviewer.
- Avoid using poor language, slang, and pause words (such as "like", "uh", and "um")
- Show off the research you have done on the company and industry when responding to questions.
- Show what you can do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.
- Ask intelligent questions about the job, company, or industry.
- Close the interview by telling the interviewer that you want the job and asking about the next step in the process.
- Take down notes after the interview concludes so you don't forget crucial details.
- Write thank you letters within 24 hours to each person who interviewed you.



What you can't do:
- Chew gum during the interview.
- Rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you.
- Tell jokes during the interview.
- Smoke even if the interviewer does and offers you a cigarette.
- Act as you would take any job or you are desperate for employment.
- Say anything negative about former colleagues, supervisors, or employers.
- Answer questions with a simple "yes" or "no". Explain whenever possible.
- Bring up or discuss personal issues or family problems.
- Respond to an unexpected question with an extended pause or by saying something like, "boy, that's a good question".
- Answer cell phone calls during the interview.
- Inquire about salary, vacations, bonuses, retirement, or other benefits until after you've received an offer.

The more positive your first impression is, the more chances you have to be chosen.

Sources:
http://martyfahncke.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/interview.jpg
http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/13255/48_2007/Merinda_Epstein_job_interview.jpg
http://www.quintcareers.com/interviewing-dos-donts.html
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/interviewblund.htm
http://www.businessschooledge.com/35-things-to-avoid-at-your-job-interview

Unemployment

This theme is very familiar to me, because my mother is unemployed since last year.

It origines a very tough situation, because the things are getting more and more expensive, the bills needs to get paid and just a salary is not enough. It leads to an economic flexibility that can be avoid.

Now, talking in main terms, unemployment can be caused by some factors as:

• People haven't the specifics qualifications that the employer wants;
• Bad economic situation in the country;
• The integration of technology on work (it can cause unemployment too, because now, a machine, like a computer, makes the work that before was made by man.)
• Laziness (Sometimes, people say that it's crisis' fault or Government's fault , but if they don't look for a job, it will not just appear from the sky.)
  

In our country, there are a lot of unemployed people and the worse is, a big part of them have licentiates degrees and it's a serious thing that deserves all the atention. It's very bad...you spend years, studing hard at school and then, you can't find a job that fits on your area. In result of it, we see them working on supermarkets and other jobs.
It's really unfair.

Sometimes, people feel depressed and they are forced to emigrate, searching for better life conditions. I remember, when we studied the Industrial Revolution in History, we read that many people went to America and to Germany, to getting a job on factories, because they were on expansion. And also, many people who embarked on Titanic, which destiny was E.U.A, were following the American Dream, it means the promise of a job and great salaries, but they hadn't the lucky for their side and died on a terrible accident.

Here's a graphic that shows the world's unemployment rates:

(Click on the image to see it bigger)

In Portugal, the Government had launched several programs such as ''Novas Oportunidades'' to improve the Portuguese population's qualifications and to give a chance to adult people to come back to school. Visit its website: http://www.novasoportunidades.gov.pt/

Sources:
* http://lua.weblog.com.pt/hat_diploma_lg_nwm.gif
* http://ontologias.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/desemprego.jpg
* http://www.escbarcelinhos.net/apache2-default/images/M_images/novop.gif
* http://economiaonline.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/unemployment.jpg

Jobs from other centuries...

I'm sure that images like those below aren't familiar to us.
Jobs as tailors, shoemakers, among others just disappeared or are disappearing. In other centuries, they were essencial but nowadays, there are being replaced by lots of clothes' shops and shoes' stores.

I chose talk about tailors because we think they don't exist anymore, but it's not true.

It has another name...Let's see that.

According to the Tailoring's History:

"During the Middle Ages clothing had been regarded as a means of concealing the body. But with the Renaissance came the accentuation of the human form. The loose robe, that standard uniform of the medieval period so easily constructed from a single piece or two of cloth, was shortened and tightened, and eventually cut, pieced, and sewn together in attempts to bring into prominence the contours of the human form. This was the birth of tailoring and, in fact, of fashion.These attempts at re-constructing the human body in fabric called for a growing expert skill and division of labor. Soon the cutter (the one who makes the pattern) and tailor (the one who does the sewing) joined other craftsmen as important members of the community."

It means that a tailor is who knows and work on the art of making clothes, always in accordance with the policies and preferences of each person, without using existing standardized numbering and it's a job that exists since long time ago. Most of who executed this job was men. Currently, the very known Clothes Designers are the ''modern version'' of them. They can influenciated fashion, creating extravagants pieces. They must have, of course, creativity and have knowledge of Sociology, Modeling, Design and History of clothing.
In Portugal, the most known Clothes Designers are Ana Salazar, Fátima Lopes, Nuno Gama, among others.

Sources:
* http://arquivomunicipal.cm-lisboa.pt/ficheiros/88/20/ficheirotn2088_pxhtgzevyjy.jpg
* http://www.fashionbubbles2.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/alfaiate.jpg
* http://www.lnstar.com/mall/literature/tailor4.htm
*http://profviseu.com/pessoal/Junho2000/Grupo%208/cesteiro2.jpg

Different types of jobs

We did an exercice, in our class, about the different types of jobs. They can be classified as:

- Blue-Collar: These jobs involve manufacturing, building, mechanical work, maintenance and repair or technical installations. A member of this class typically performs manual labor and earns lows salaries. Their clothes are, normally, light or navy blue work shirts.
- Pink-Collar - These are jobs that are considered to be, traditionally, occuped by women.
- White-Collar - This is a category whose jobs were very common on XIX century.
- Professional - If you had studied on University and you have a licentiate's degree, you belong to this category. Lawyers, Doctors, Policemen, CEO...
- Artistic - You need some talent to have a job like this. Actors, Singers, Dancers, Painters and Sculptors are some examples of people who work on this area.

Now, images for illustrate these meanings:

So, we have on these images, for Blue-Collar, Navy sailors, for Pink-Collar, a Waitress and for White-Collar, a Secretary, for Artistic , dancers and a Doctor for Professional.



Sources:
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cargo_loading,_Operation_Deep_Freeze_2007_070208-N-4868G-323.JPEG
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waitress_taking_an_order.jpg
* http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_qeDi3Pipo/ShB_PtUGz-I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/KEmBU-Yezbo/s320/200606280001picture+173.jpg
* http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_qeDi3Pipo/ShCAbAGg0vI/AAAAAAAAAKg/2PY2xIKxm5c/s1600-h/800px-HavanaDancers2.jpg
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Typhoid_inoculation2.jpg
* http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_qeDi3Pipo/ShCAM0pdpiI/AAAAAAAAAKY/JEEDOmqH-dU/s1600-h/474px-Two_dancers.jpg

[Movie] - Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire - More than a movie. A life lesson.

I saw this movie last month and now I think it's interesting to talk about it. The original title is Slumdog Millionaire and the main backgrounds are the Indian slums. It tells a story of a little boy, Jamal Malik who grew up in Mumbai and fell in love with Latika, a little girl who lost her mother like Jamal and her brother Salim. In their childhood, they go to a orphanage that uses children to earn money (They blind boys to be beggar singers and sell girls to be prostitutes). They lost contact and he will during the movie, make everything to see Latika again. A few years later, he is a tea server at a call center and he sees the opportunity he was looking for to find Latika, be a participant in the famous program ''Who wants to be a millionaire?''.

Now, back to the work topic, in this movie, we can see child labour - in the scenes that Jamal and her brother are forced to work to survive because her mother was killed when they were young. They live traveling on top of trains, selling things they stole like shoes, guns, clothes, they pick pockets and they also cheat tourists at the Taj Mahal, because they pretending be tour guides. It's a reality in our world, half super developped but it still exists lots of children suffer and working hard just for a piece of food.

These are some photos of the young actors (they are slums' children in real life):



- Ayush Khedekar as Young Jamal
- Rubina Ali as Young Latika
- Azharuddin Ismail as Young Salim


And these are the principal actors:



- Dev Patel as Jamal
- Freida Pinto as Latika
- Madhur Mittal as Salim

Considered by many people the movie of the year, it won several awards, such as Best Director, Best Original Song, Best Picture, among others.

This was directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Christian Colson and written by Simon Beaufoy.
Go to its website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/
Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q
And here's a song of its soundtrack, named ''Jai Ho'': http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x84f74_slumdog-millionaire-jai-ho-dance-sc_shortfilms

Sources:
* http://www.aceshowbiz.com/movie/slumdog_millionaire/photo.html
* http://www.youtube.com/user/FoxSearchlight
* http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/