Volunteers With Heart Jim, Denise and Walker Ratchford

Volunteers With Heart Jim, Denise and Walker Ratchford Volunteers With Heart: Jim, Denise and Walker Ratchford Volunteers With Heart: Jim, Denise and Walker Ratchford April 29, 2015 Volunteering with Heart Math Tutoring is a family affair for The Ratchfords. Denise and Jim Ratchford are members of Social Venture Partners Charlotte, which helped launch Heart in 2010, and alumni of Wake Forest University. The husband and wife became partner-tutors last fall at Billingsville Leadership Academy, where they tutor two second grade students on Mondays (Denise) and Wednesdays (Jim) at lunchtime. Their son Walker, a full-time student at UNC Charlotte, started in January, “after hearing us talk about how much we enjoyed it,” said Denise. Why do you all volunteer? “We all love to work with children and believe that early intervention and one-on-one teaching pay big dividends in a childs education.” What are some of your favorite moments from working with the students? We play card games to reinforce the math skills the children are learning, and some of my favorite moments are when competitive natures come out. They forget they are learning and working but just want to win! Also, its great when youve built a relationship with a child and they share stories about their families and whats going on in their lives. Theres a level of comfort there, and real learning can begin when theyre at ease. What would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer? “Heart makes it so easy for volunteers to tutor. They have all the materials for you, and the lessons are easy to understand. Its so rewarding to invest in another person. As the children progress, they are so proud of themselves, and its great to observe that and be a part of it. With a firm foundation, theres no telling how far theyll go! *** Thank you to the Ratchfords for their dedication to students at Billingsville! At Billingsville 74 weekly volunteers are helping more than 60 Heart students in grades 1- 5 gain foundational math skills and enthusiasm towards academics. Want to volunteer? Heart Math Tutoring will need more volunteers for the 2015/2016 school year! With a commitment of one hour per week, community members can help a struggling student gain the skills and confidence he/she needs for long-term success. Click here to see times/locations and express your interest!

What to Consider When Deciding Between Two Job Offers

What to Consider When Deciding Between Two Job Offers Photo by JD Mason on Unsplash Outline what you are looking for in a job Everyone has a wish list or at least a few ideas of what they would want in their ideal job position an easy way to start out your decision is to outline what exactly you are looking for in a job. This can serve as somewhat of a guideline of what to look for in the two job offers you are deciding between. You can list out the obvious features that most people would think of: ideal pay, location, hours, and benefits like health insurance and vacation time. Think of what kind of expectations are placed on you when you accept the position. Are you working an entry-level job where you are just going to be making copies and doing coffee runs? Or are you going to be expected to already have an advanced skill set coming into the job? Pick the job that will give you the amount of work (and pressure) you want and are willing to accept. Something that isnt often considered, especially with people so worried about their salary, is the type of  work environment  that each job offers. Between every person, the ideal work environment can differ vastly and its important to consider each job offers work environment before accepting because it can affect how you view each job. For example, if you prefer to work best in a collaborative environment with friendly coworkers, you wont want to be accepting a job offer that has you confined to your own cubicle and crunching numbers. Or if you prefer to rely on yourself, consider what your job description entails and the type of tasks you will be expected to perform on a daily basis. Where can this job take you? This question is especially important for recent college graduates considering their first full-time job post-graduation. You most likely wont be working at your first job for the rest of your career, so it is important to consider where each job offer can take you career-wise before accepting. Consider the type of work you are expected to do in the position and how that will help you build experience for later in your career. Working at a larger-known company may sound more appealing, but if you are only going to be going on coffee runs, you may be better off accepting a job offer from a smaller company that is willing to work with recent college graduates and give them experience. You dont want to stay stagnant once you take either job offer, so try inquiring what the possibilities for upward mobility or increases in pay are. If you expect to stay at the job for long, or maybe each job offer isnt quite offering what you want in terms of experience or pay, possibilities to improve either one can make an initial job offer much more appealing. When you think of the position that comes with each job offer, how does it contribute to your overall career? It can be a good starting point a stepping stone until a better offer comes along, offering you hands-on experience in your field, networking opportunities, or another few lines on your resume. Think of your ideal endgame situation and what kind of company or position you want to end up at in the peak of your career. Think of how each job position affects your ideal path. Do you get a lot of hands-on work with one job, but have low pay or a less-than-ideal location. Or are you going to be receiving a good starting salary but not be given the type of work you need? Its important to define what you are willing to give up in order to get places prior to accepting any job offer. No job is going to be perfect, so dont burden yourself with thinking that the job offer you are going to be taking is going to be the one to make or break your career. Remember to take your individual preferences into consideration when deciding between two job offers and that you alone have the power to choose what job offer is best for you.