How to Earn a Teaching Certification With an Associate Degree

Begin the application process a few months before the school year starts. Processing of paperwork can take awhile, and you want to avoid delays, if possible.
Contact your state's Department of Education or visit their website. Some states require early childhood teachers to have a license; others require teachers to be certified with a CDA (child development associate) credential. Get a complete list of guidelines, including information about assessment exams you may have to take.
Submit your college transcript to the state department. It will be evaluated for compliance with educational requirements. A certificate will be mailed to you. It will list grade areas in which you are eligible to teach, as well as the time period the certification is valid and date(s) of renewal.
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How to Make a Living Writing Children's Books

Read what is being published now. Books that were published in the 1980s would not be published today, said Andrea Brown, agent with Random House Children's Books. Children are more savvy and sophisticated, and current books being published reflect that. Familiarize yourself with the newest publications. Identify the publishers of books that are similar to your writing style.
Consider smaller markets. Many aspiring authors earn credentials and publishing credits by targeting children magazines. Having publishing credits to list in your query letter may get the attention of a book editor.
Write from the heart, and often. Brown notes that successful children's book publishers do not have children in the house. They write from the child within. When you have written the book, go back and revise until the story sparkles.
Join a critique group. Having feedback on the manuscript you think is perfect is vital for discovering handicaps you may be overlooking or gaining other tips on improving your writing. Critique groups can form networks and allies in your quest to be a children's book author. Find a critique group through newspaper listings, online meetup websites or by joining a professional organization, such as the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
Format your manuscript for submission. Visit the target publisher's website for details on the preferred format. Most picture book publishers will want the entire manuscript, typed double-spaced with one-inch margins. Include your last name, the title and page number in the top righthand corner of each page.
Include a query or cover letter if specified by the publisher. This can be three paragraphs: one to give the reader a hook, another to summarize your manuscript and a third to introduce yourself and your qualifications as a writer. This is where publishing credits from magazines and other small markets work in your favor.
Submit your manuscript. Note if the target publisher accepts multiple submissions. If this is not specified, you can only submit to this publisher and must wait until you hear from this publisher. Also note if a self-addressed stamped envelope needs to be included. Publishers use that to send back your manuscript if it is not needed, but recent trends stray from the SASE, with the publisher recycling your manuscript if it is not published. Publishers who do not accept a SASE will likely post a time period for contacting you on their website, usually three to six months.
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How to Become a Loan Officer

Take courses at the local colleges or universities for degrees in finance, economics or a related field. To work in banks and move up the career ladder, institutions look for degreed applicants first. If not able to get a degree, start working in the field and educate yourself on the lingo and processes. This will take much longer, and you will eventually hit a ceiling where you will need a degree.
Market yourself. Go to dinners, parties and gatherings with your business cards. Your child's school activities and extracurricular sports all have parents who may be looking for a loan now or in the near future. Don't be pushy, and don't get offended when you find your cards in the couch cushions; they may have a loan officer in the family.
Take technology-based courses to keep up with the growing need to be computer literate. This will be a huge plus on your resume since the field needs fewer loan officers due to the growing ease of finding loans on the Internet.
Be open, friendly and honest with all the potential customers and real estate contacts you make, even if you don't like the person. Word of mouth and day-to-day contacts can bring you business.
Join a team or office that consists of real estate agents, a mortgage broker and loan processors. This group of people will all be interdependent on each other to make sales and money. You may have to share your fees, but it will get your name in business circles and educate you on the processes that each person does.
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