Dear Reader,

By now, you’ve probably heard about the phenomenon called “The Secret”.

Using this ’secret’ you can create anything you want in your life:
more money, bigger house, more business, find your soul mate.

Anything you want!

Well, if you didn’t know, the ’secret’ behind “The Secret” is a universal principle called the Law Of Attraction (Wikipedia). You may have heard it referred to as “like attracts like”, or “karma”, or several other things, but the concept is this: what you think about the most, becomes your reality. I agree with that.

Check this out and let me know what do YOU think.

There are many top universities that offer free courses online, did you get it?!, FREE.

Ok, here there are:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

More than 1,800 free courses are offered through the school’s OpenCourseWare project. Courses are in text, audio and video formats and translated into a number of different languages. You can even sign up for monthly updates on courses and news. Great resource.

2. Open University (open.ac.uk)
http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php

Since 1969, The Open University has been a pioneer in making learning materials freely available through its successful partnership with the BBC. Many of our television and radio programmes are already supported by free internet activities and print materials. We wanted to use our knowledge of the latest technologies in education to extend our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. The vision was free online education.

3. Carnegie Mellon University (cmu.edu)
http://www.cmu.edu/oli/

You will not receive credit from Carnegie Mellon for completing the open and free course, but of course this is ok

4. Stanford (stanford.edu)
http://itunes.stanford.edu/

This is available through iTunes, and you can download courses, faculty lectures, interviews, music and sports, and of course play on your iPod, Mac or PC.
Experience a wealth of learning from Stanford.

5. University of California, Berkeley (berkeley.edu)
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php

Available also on iTunes or you may download, copy and/or transfer to a portable listening device podcasts for your personal, non-commercial use only.

6. Utah State University (usu.edu)
http://ocw.usu.edu/
Options include everything from anthropology to physics and theater arts.
Text-based courses can be downloaded as zip files or viewed directly on the site.

We believe that all humans beings are endowed with a capacity to learn, improve, and progress. Educational opportunity is the mechanism by which we fulfill that capacity. Utah State OpenCourseWare is a collection of educational material used in our formal campus courses, and seeks to provide people around the world with an opportunity to access high quality learning opportunities.

7. University of Southern Queensland (usq.edu.au)
http://ocw.usq.edu.au/
Yet another OpenCourseWare initiative.

The University of Southern Queensland’s OpenCourseWare (USQ OCW) provides access to free and open educational resources for faculty members, students, and self-learners throughout the world. USQ OCW does not grant credits or degrees, and does not provide access to faculty members.

8. University of California, Irvine (uci.edu)
http://ocw.uci.edu/

The University of California, Irvine has a long history of social engagement. As a leading public research University, an important part of its mission is to showcase and disseminate the research and scholarship of the University to the public.

That’s it for now. If you know about others great resources (I’m sure!) please let me know.

Prepare for it, because when you have bad news to deliver in a professional environment, there are ways to do it correctly, and ways to make a mess of it.

1. No matter how bad things are, everything is presented in positive terms.
To do so effectively, you must be knowledgeable of your subject and must include other facts and issues that are close to the situation. Never, never, never give bad news first!

Dear [applicant],

Thank you for your interest in [your company name].

While we were impressed with your background and experience, we have selected another candidate whose qualifications and experience more closely meet the requirements of the position.

In future, if you see a posting that interests you, we encourage you to reapply.

We appreciate your interest in [your company name] and wish you success in your future endeavors.

Human Resources

2. Good News – Bad News – Good News
Identify the good news, the bad stuff and … really think about how you can solve it. Simple, duh?! Remember nobodies wants problems … but obstacle and ways to avoid them, is ok. Present the facts and avoid excuses and finger pointing!

Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to report that our new testing procedures have improved our failure detection by 95% over the past three months. We had one catastrophic failure which, regrettably, resulted in the loss of an expensive machine, but, this was scheduled for replacement during the next fiscal year and this event allowed us to revise our failure detection and increased quality and productivity.

For fun, try this the next time you get a rejection letter from a employer:

Dear [name of the person who signed the rejection letter],

Thank you for your letter of [date]. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me [job title].

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals. Despite [company name]’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting [applicants], I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time.

Therefore, I will initiate [employment] with your firm immediately following [graduation/job change, etc. — get creative here]. I look forward to working with you.

Best of luck in rejecting future candidates.

Sincerely,
[your name]

Today I got my Master Certificate in Project Management from University of Victoria – my first step to PMP Certification, stay tuned for that

Offered in partnership with The Schulich Executive Education Centre, this program is available in many other cities across North America, check this website: http://www.MastersCertificateInProjectManagement.com

“The Schulich program is the only Masters Certificate in Project Management program in Canada backed by not just one but nine leading Canadian Universities”

The next Masters Certificate in Project Management program starts in Vancouver and Victoria in October 2008! Hurry up, seats are limited.

Are you looking to improve your Project Management skills? Do you need PDUs?
Then listen to the Project Management Podcast – a weekly program that delivers best practices and new developments in the field of Project Management.

The host of The Project Management Podcast is Cornelius Fichtner, PMP.

Besides great content, you can earn 15 free PDUs just by listening to this podcast.
There are 89 episodes right now and you can have them:
- automatically delivered to your MP3 player/Ipod via iTunes
- listen via your computer speakers
- delivered to you by email

Great resource, great site. Thank you Cornelius! I really enjoyed your shows.

1. Arrive on time … or a little early the first day.
Halloooo?! This is very important, don’t you think? And yes, dress accordingly.

2. Do your administrative stuff: HR, papers, insurance.
Ask about company policies or procedures. Read the employee manual, if any.
Take your badge, uniform or keys.

3. Know your colleagues.
Learn names as much as possible. Man, I am so lousy on that … take notes.
Introduce yourself and ask, “who to ask?!”

4. Get used with your work area … office, kitchen, meeting room, building.
Arrange your work space for your style.
Heeey, don’t bring your pet already. Step by step.

5. Wait for lazy IT guy to install your new computer … just joking.
No, really, listen to their instructions and advice! YOU are the new guy!
Don’t be smart ass! Sooner or later you’ll need them anyway. Believe me!

6. Talk with your Boss.
Define roles and responsibilities, ask for feedback.
Open a communication channel, get involved in any meetings you can get into.

7. Now is time for work.
Already bored?! Take it easy … is your first day, anyway
Establish goals and define your objectives. Do this jointly with your supervisor.

8. Go home!
Think about your past experience, but don’t assume that your new company works the same way as your old company. Make the effort to learn what is different or new.

Good luck!