For many people, an interesting and varied choice often means a career within the electrical industry. Whilst the original term is \’Electro-Mechanical Engineering\’ we will simply refer to the subject as the Electrical Industry. As there are a wide variety of global standards, we will focus on those from the UK and in particular those relating to the domestic and commercial markets. As this is such a wide ranging subject matter we\’ll begin by sticking to the main area first and come back to the \’add-ons\’ later.

Essentially, we see two distinct forms of entry into the electrical market. To being with we have the older apprentice course and then secondly we have the option for those who wish to make a career change to join the industry. To clarify, we\’ll label each of them as the \’Mature Entrants\’ and the \’Junior Entrants\’.

Mature Entrants who join the industry later on do so with the aim of working for themselves, usually as a one person business. Those who join as Junior Entrants, on the other hand, appear to do so with the aim of joining an established electrical firm – in order to gain further qualifications and experience whilst picking up practical and other work-place skills. To be fair, young apprentices leaving school will have a lot of supplementary skills to learn during their early years as a working adult.

These two distinct types of entry have two separate modes of training: In essence, the Junior Entrants follow an NVQ syllabus, or SVQ syllabus in Scotland. An NVQ qualification would need to be obtained as part of the training program. \’Junior Entrants\’ will have to be in an apprenticeship of some sort in order to achieve the testing and course work required.

Mature Entrants, with the possible aim of entering the market from a self-employed perspective, seem to focus on attaining the most commercially viable qualifications (without the need for the NVQ element.) Having said that, the mature student does aim to gain the necessary skills to do the job, whilst at the same time reducing their training costs at all times. Although this may offer quicker and more commercial options, it does reduce the official requirements set for certain areas of the industry.

In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes – those relating to employment and those for self-employment. The question remains as to how much work per week a self-employed person puts in – for the sake of this review we assume that it is full time. It is recognised that competence and qualifications add to income levels as well as experience and information gained.

Although starting wages for \’Junior Entrants\’ are around 13k p.a. they can rise above 30k p.a. but this does depend on their level of experience. \’Mature Entrants\’ salaries though are often more difficult to work out, but can rise to 70.000 and above as reported in UK newspapers. Regardless of all that is the need to cover off additional costs such as tools, clothes and even a vehicle and all that goes along with that. In addition to this they will also have to allow for items such as accountancy and personal/professional insurance. That aside, whilst the work is open to market-forces to some degree, the current skills shortage in the UK means that there\’s a high work-load available. Working 7 days a week is totally achievable for most people if they want it. It should be understood that the 70-100k figures that we see thrown around in newspapers are not easily achieved, and would either require working long hours or having assistants (or both.)

There is often a considerable differential between the working expectations of Mature or Junior Entrants. \’Junior Entrants\’ would normally be required to work Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. But due to the needs of the domestic market the Mature Entrant is often more reliant upon when their client base gets back from work. Although by testing and installing various business systems, many self-employed electricians manage to work during a normal working week.

Once a Junior Entrant is employed within a company, then any follow-on knowledge they gain is often down to the employers\’ activity as opposed to anything else. However, many mature entrants gain extra skills by learning those trades such as gas and plumbing work. Without a doubt the extra skills help them in their overall employ whether this is commercial or domestic work.

\’Green Engineering\’ is another area to consider. This requires new skills and working knowledge and is one of the fastest growing areas today. The chance to win some big employment and business advantages within the governmental as well as the traditional growth sector means that this area could be attractive to both Junior and Mature Entrants alike.

(C) Scott Edwards 2009. Check out Electrician Courses or CLICK HERE.

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The Microsoft MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) course is a great basis for anybody thinking of getting into supporting networks. So if you\’re just about to join the IT industry or already have experience but need to formalise your skills with a recognised qualification, it\’s possible to achieve your goals with the right training.

To become certified at the level of MCSA it\’s necessary to achieve pass marks in four MCP\’s (Microsoft Certified Professional exams). For a newcomer to the industry, it\’s likely you\’ll be required to improve your skill-set prior to doing the first of the four MCP\’s. Find a company that has industry experts who can identify the ideal program for you and will take care to start you at the right entry level.

A lot of people are under the impression that the traditional school, college or university path is still the most effective. So why is commercial certification beginning to overtake it?

Key company training (to use industry-speak) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector has acknowledged that specialisation is essential to cope with a technologically complex world. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the dominant players.

This is done through focusing on the skill-sets required (together with a proportionate degree of background knowledge,) instead of covering masses of the background \’extras\’ that degree courses can get bogged down in – to fill a three or four year course.

Put yourself in the employer\’s position – and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. What should you do: Wade your way through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from hopeful applicants, struggling to grasp what they\’ve learned and which commercial skills have been attained, or choose a specific set of accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. Your interviews are then about personal suitability – instead of long discussions on technical suitability.

Looking at the myriad of choice out there, there\’s no surprise that nearly all newcomers to the industry have no idea which career they could be successful with.

As in the absence of any previous experience in IT, in what way could we be expected to understand what a particular job actually consists of?

To come through this, we need to discuss a variety of definitive areas:

* Your personal interests and hobbies – these can point towards what possibilities will provide a happy working life.

* Are you hoping to get certified for a specific motive – e.g. are you pushing to work based at home (self-employment possibly?)?

* Is the money you make further up on your priority-scale than some other areas.

* Considering all that computing encompasses, it\’s a requirement that you can understand the differences.

* Having a good look at what commitment and time you\’ll make available.

When all is said and done, your only chance of covering these is through an in-depth discussion with an advisor who knows the industry well enough to lead you to the correct decision.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24×7 support through trained professional instructors and mentors. It\’s an all too common story to find providers that will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend.

Look for training where you can receive help at any time of day or night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You\’ll need direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – consistently being held in a queue for a call-back at a convenient time for them.

Keep your eyes open for providers that utilise many support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. All of them should be combined to enable simple one-stop access together with round-the-clock access, when it\’s convenient for you, with no fuss.

Never make do with less than you need and deserve. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only viable option when it comes to IT training. It\’s possible you don\’t intend to study late evenings; often though, we\’re out at work at the time when most support is available.

Accredited exam preparation and simulation materials are crucial – and absolutely ought to be sought from your training company.

Steer clear of depending on non-accredited exam preparation questions. Their phraseology can be completely unlike authorised versions – and this leads to huge confusion when the proper exam time arrives.

Always ask for testing modules so you\’ll be able to test your comprehension whenever you need to. Practice exams help to build your confidence – so the actual exam is much easier.

(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Pop over to InDesign Courses or Web Design Training Courses.

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If you who have dependent children that are younger than 17 by the end of the tax year then you may be eligible for a $1,000 Child Tax Credit for each child.

How to Claim the Credit – To claim the Child Tax Credit there are requirements for the qualifying child, requirements for the taxpayer and certain limits on the amount of the credit. In general, a qualifying taxpayer must follow the same rules as claiming a dependency exemption with the exception that the child must be under the age of 17 before December 31, 2009. In order for the child to qualify, the child must not have provided his or her own support during 2009 and child must have lived with the taxpayer for more than half of the year. In addition the child must be the taxpayer\’s child, stepchild, adopted child,eligible foster child, grandchild, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, etc. Further, a qualifying child must be a U.S. citizen or resident of the United States.

Income Limits – The Child Tax Credit that you can claim for a Child Tax Credit is dependent upon the your tax liability, filing status and your modified adjusted gross income. The child tax credit starts to phase out when your modified adjusted gross income is equal to $110,000 for joint filers or $75,000 for single taxpayers or $55,000 for married taxpayers who file separately. If the amount of the credit is greater than your tax liability, then the you may be eligible for a refundable credit. This extra credit is known as the \”Additional\” Child Tax Credit and is discussed below.

2009 Changes – Previously to be eligible for the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit you were required to have earned income in excess of $12,550. The Recovery Act now reduced the earned income minimum from $12,550 to $3,000 and thereby, increased the eligibility for claiming the credit.

Refund Amounts – The amount of the Child Tax Credit is not permitted to exceed your tax liability. For example, when the tax liability is zero, then the Child Tax Credit is zero because there is no liability to reduce. Fortunately if you are not able to take the full amount of the Child Tax Credit then you may be entitled to claim an \”Additional\” Child Tax Credit.

What Happens If I am Not Eligible for the Child Tax Credit – In you do not qualify for the Child Tax Credit, then you may qualify for the \”Additional\” Child tax Credit. The amount of the \”Additional\” Child Tax Credit is up to $1,000 for each qualifying child. What is good about this provision is that the \”Additional\” Child Tax Credit may be able to lower your tax liability to below zero and you may be able to obtain a refund for this excess. To qualify for this \” Additional\” Child tax Credit, you must have a tax liability that is less than the allowable child tax credit, meet the requirements of the regular Child Tax Credit and earn more than $11,750 during 2009. If this event occurs, you may be entitled to receive a refund for the \”Additional\” Child Tax Credit. In order to compute this Additional Child Tax Credit there are more limitations and requirements that are not within the scope of this article and you should read IRS Publication 972.

Conclusion – In conclusion, the Child Tax Credit is a nonrefundable credit that allows you,if you qualify, to reduce your tax liability. If you are not able to use the entire amount of the $1,000 credit then you may be eligible for the \”Additional\” Child tax Credit which is a refundable tax credit.

This article is not intended to provide legal or accounting advice. Because the tax laws are complex, change constantly and each situation is unique, the reader is advised to do his or her own due diligence and consult with professionals in these areas.

Learn more about how we can help you determine if you are eligible for the Child Tax Credit and other available income tax credits and about our competitively priced paperless and internet methodology to tax preparation at affordable prices. Sandor(Sandy) E. Lenner,CPA-MBA has been providing business and accounting services for over 35 years and works part-time at his wife\’s CPA firm

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