Published on February 12, 2022

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4 Ways to Find a Good Mentor in High School & During Internships

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date February 12, 2022
• No Comments on 4 Ways to Find a Good Mentor in High School & During Internships

Internships are all about exploring, learning and developing skills and interests. But at the same time each place you work in has a different work culture, and diverse employees. A number of factors contribute to successful and good internship experience (read our guide to Internships For High School Students). One of the key ones being a good mentor, someone who works in liaison with you, guides you, gives you valuable feedback and helps in your personal growth. In fact, it is advised that high schoolers be engaged in mentorship programmes to unlock their potential and build a successful career. Here’s why.

I can say with confidence that right through high school and the course of several internships what made the most difference to my growth and development was the mentors I found. These mentors were important stepping stones in my journey to learn, and they not only guided me but pushed me to reach my potential. They gave me the confidence to achieve my goals and shared their experiences.

Who Is A Mentor ?

“Mentors are not those who walk ahead to show you how they did it, but rather walk alongside you to show you what you as an individual can do.”

Mentorship itself is a long – standing concept introduced to enhance human development, and several organisations, universities and more opt for mentorship programmes to ensure the best results from their students and employees. Internships generally entail a more informal mentor, who is your point of contact throughout the internship, who you report to and work directly under. Not everyone can be a good mentor, some people though intellectual and with great experience are not equipped with the skills to pass on that knowledge.Therefore there exist certain qualities a good mentor must possess.

How To Recognise A Good Mentor ?

1. A Guide For Personal Development

Starting with  the enthusiasm and ability to share their experience, knowledge and learning with their mentee. They must possess the interest to guide, and invest time in another person’s development. This is similar to the idea that maybe a lot of us are football fans and know everything about it, but not all of us can play.

2. Fruitful Feedback

Stemming from this eagerness is also the need to be a patient and respectful critique. Mentors more than often serve as the first point of contact and thus give both good and bad feedback. This exchange of feedback must not be too harsh as to steal away the mentee’s morale, nor should it be a lie and inaccurate reflection of their work. A mentor must give you a chance to learn, through trial and error, allow space for mistakes and walk the middle path between leniency and harsh criticism.

3. Spectator & Speaker

Furthermore, a mentor should be a balanced listener and speaker. A mentor must not come off as a preacher, or simply keep imparting knowledge. Instead the mentor should actively listen to the mentees personal thoughts, inputs and give them a chance to contribute and voice their opinions.

4. Motivating & Mindful

Lastly a mentor should be able to enhance and enable growth in their mentee, through a positive outlook, and motivation. While setting goals the mentor must be mindful of the mentee’s capabilities and give them all the assistance they need. Mentors should be approachable and accessible, making the mentee feel comfortable.

Evidently, mentors have a strong role to play in our internships and lives and thus have the ability to help us or bring us down. Hence a good mentor will enable you as a student to step out of your comfort zone, giving you opportunities for growth and development. They will enable better time management and productivity by instilling a good work ethic and environment which is conducive to learning.

Signs Of A Bad Mentor

Simultaneously the absence of such a mentor or having an ineffective mentor only hinders our progress. Having a mentor who controls us, micro-manages more than teaches eventually causes a loss of confidence, and morale. Another sign of a bad mentor is unreliability, as accessibility and availability is key to provide learning opportunities as well as support to you as a student. If the mentor lacks encouragement, and is constantly ignorant of your personal needs and does not assist you with your doubts, their role as a mentor is not fulfilled.

The next time you are in a mentorship program, or internship where you have to build a relationship with a mentor keep this shortcut in mind. This shortcut will remind you what a mentor truly stands for…

M – Motivating

E – Excited to Share

N- Never absent

T – Timely Feedback

O- Open-minded & optimistic

R- Respectful & Rational

If you too have had good and bad experiences with mentors do share it with us!

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Importance Of Youth Leadership: What Teenagers Must Know

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date February 12, 2022
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Leadership is fundamental to success. A Leader is the driving force of an organization. The importance of Leadership simply cannot be overstated. Leadership is critical for an individual’s, as well as an organization’s success. Leadership has the power to build a nation.

The Power Of Tomorrow

The world’s biggest power is the Youth. The youth of today is the leader of tomorrow. Though it might not always be able to build the future for the youth, it certainly is possible to build the youth for the future. The youth of today will be responsible for shaping the future of our world. So it is only logical that they, the youth, must be shaped to take on the mantle.

Youth For Effective Leadership

Unique ideas are not unique anymore. What is now unique is seeing them through to successful fruition. Most of the great ideas never make it past the conception phase. Effective Leadership is the differentiating factor that helps in the transition from the generation of an idea to its successful execution. Youth Leadership, as the custodians of tomorrow, are the hope for the future. Training them to handle the mantle of leadership and helping them make the most of every opportunity is therefore critical for success.

Giving the youth an opportunity to develop and gain experience in leading is a great way to hone their talent and set them up for a bright future. It gives them much needed confidence and trains them for collaborative working. It helps them understand what to do, when to do and how to do. Youth leaders are nurtured to handle the role of leadership in total confidence. Knowledge, know-how and credibility helps them transform creative ideas into critical results. The most important role a Leader plays is bringing an idea or potential to life with proper execution. Nurturing the youth for leadership will in turn mean that they will lead with excellence.

How Do You Hone Your Leadership Skills?

Experience and time are the best teachers. But when life is fast-paced and time and opportunity are hard to come by, missed opportunities are ill afforded. This is where a good Leadership Development Program comes in handy. A Leadership Development program can go a long way in nurturing and developing the leadership skills of the youth. There are various leadership development programs in India that are great places to indulge with qualified professionals who can help you define a purpose and educate you to reach your full potential. A good education consultant or counsellor can tap into your potential and push you in the right direction.

Unleash The Leader In YOU With YLC

Harvard (YLC) Youth Lead the Change is a leadership development program created by professors of the Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and the Harvard School of education, and held by Harvard students. Held for students in grades 8 – 12, the program aims at empowering students and unlocking their leadership capabilities as they develop tangible solutions to global problems. Over the 7 day course, the students work in a group to understand a global issue and develop a social change project to address it. Through this program, students learn about core leadership skills such as collaboration, public speaking, time management, and self-knowledge.

The Harvard trainers also hold one-on-one sessions with students who continue to serve as mentors after the program. On finishing the program, there is an opportunity to complete mentorship for an entire year, to implement their project. Presented by The Leadership Institute at Harvard College (LIHC), this Harvard student organization aims to provide and promote leadership development opportunities across the world.

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5 Major Books and Podcasts to Learn Finance in High School

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date February 12, 2022
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Managing personal finance, and planning for the future can often be tricky and confusing. When you learn about the basics of finances, you know how to save money, manage your expenses and start investing for the future. But is that it? Certainly not! The world of finance is much more vast. To build a better relationship with money, one needs to be good at managing an investment portfolio, paying off debts, managing mortgages, saving for retirement, and surviving the occasional pitfalls as well.

And how do you make that possible? By learning through experiences, gaining financial knowledge, and seeking guidance from the best. Recently, financial education books, personal finance books for students, and podcasts on finance have been trending. They have been looked upon as the source to find answers to everyday finances and how to prepare for the future.

So, let’s dig in and find out how books and podcasts will help you in your financial journey.

Psst! Before we dive right in, here’s a little task for you – Take a pen and a sheet of paper and jot down 26 terms related to finance. Easy? Now here’s the twist – all of them should start with each letter of the Alphabet. For example, A – Account, B – _____, and so on! Play this with your friends and check who gets all 26 right in the least amount of time! 

How Will Books And Podcasts Transform The Financial Horizon For You?

Today, there is no shortage of resources that will take your financial knowledge to a new level. From magazines and books to videos and podcasts, you can choose the right option at your convenience to learn about money management for students and financial literacy in schools. You can go old-school, and pick up a book to start with or get on your smartphone to listen to amazing podcasts and videos. And they will shape your financial horizon in the following ways:

1. Improves student financial literacy and builds healthy money habits for the future.

2. Guides you on great investment options and managing finances during and after high school.

3. Teaches how to focus on financial goals and start your side hustle.

4. Advises on real-world finances, and biggest money challenges faced by adults.

5. Offers magnificent insights from experts and their financial journey experiences.

According to T. Rowe Price’s ‘Parents, Kids and Money’ survey, around 75% of the kids wish their parents taught them more about money, while 72% said that their parents are always “worried about the money.” You really wouldn’t want to be a part of this figure, do you?

Which Books And Podcasts Do You Need To Add To Your List Right Away?

While there are tons of books and podcasts on finance out there, we have handpicked some of the best finance books and best finance podcasts for beginners that you need to get hold of right now, while in high school.

Books

Rich Dad-Poor Dad For Teens: The Secrets About Money

You would’ve probably heard about Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad-Poor Dad, but its youth companion Rich Dad-Poor Dad for Teens is bound to hit any young financial enthusiast or up-and-coming entrepreneur out there. You’re never too young to learn the language of money. And the better you understand it, the better the chances that you can have your money work hard for you, rather than the contrary. The book is packed with sidebars, quizzes and also explains why games can help you understand more about personal financial literacy, money management skills, and investment plans for students.

The Teenage Investor

As the title suggests, The Teenage Investor focuses on how, to begin with, your financial journey, start investing early, and build a lifelong portfolio. Author Timothy Olsens provides answers to the questions “What is investing?”, “How do I start investing in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds for students?” and more. He outlines a simple and unique approach on how to build wealth in the stock market and shares remarkable knowledge and insights of a market veteran to young investing enthusiasts.

I Want More Pizza

The author Steve Burkholder approaches the topics of personal finance and money management in a way that is accessible to young adults through the pizza model in I Want More Pizza. From savings, spending, goal setting, investment for students to debt, credit cards, student loans he covers some of the critical financial lessons through relatable anecdotes, real-life examples, and hypothetical questions. The ultimate goal is to help you understand that money doesn’t have to be stressful, and you can be financially literate even if you don’t like maths or planning.

Why Didn’t They Teach Me This In School?

Rather than advising the traditional budgeting or investing principles, author Cary Siegel outlines the practical principles that he learned throughout his financial life. He aims to target the larger habits and planning skills that will contribute to your future finances- the ones that you’ll never learn in high school. Why Didn’t They Teach Me This in School? comprises eight important financial lessons focusing on 99 principles that will enhance your money management skills. Unlike other books out there, it focuses on the qualitative side of money management rather than the quantitative side.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Described as a ‘wealth wizard’ by Forbes, and ‘new finance guru’ by Fortune, author Ramit Sethi brings a modern money classic- I Will Teach You to be Rich that teaches you to effectively manage finances, pay off debts, save better and build wealth through investments. The book also comes along with impressive stories of how previous readers have used the book to improve their lives. The 6-week program helps you to take care of lifelong finances through a sophisticated approach.

Podcasts

So Money

From financial freedom and managing expenses, to creating a ‘sustainable’ investment, and understanding financial abuse, financial expert and host Farnoosh Torabi, highlights the important topics of the finance world in over 1000 episodes. You can learn the basics of cryptocurrency and get answers to your pressing questions about money, life, and career. So Money also consists of some fantastic real-life financial lessons and experiences of Torabi and her guests.

Money For The Rest Of Us

Buckle up, investors cause host J. David Stein is concerned about your future and advises on investment portfolios through his podcast. Savings is just not enough if you want your money to grow in the long term. And only investing your money at the right time in the market, stock or bond will make it grow. Money for the Rest for Us is a perfect blend of personal stories with academic research to explain and give insights on key concepts of investment for students, portfolio balancing, market cycle, and more.

The College Investor

Be it mastering your personal finance skills, learning about budgets, or getting introduced to credit scores, The College Investor has everything in store for you. Entrepreneur and millennial money expert Robert Farrington addresses some of the critical issues that matter to students and graduates about finance like student loans, paying bills, and investment plans for students. He further talks about side hustling, earning more money, and building wealth.

Financial Side Of Life: College, Retirement, And Life

Financial Planner Angie Furubotten-LaRosee concentrates on college savings plans, investments, money management skills for students, strategies on how to pay for college, build wealth, and what the idea of retirement means for different people on the Financial Side of Life. She welcomes guests from various walks of life who share their unique stories around finance. In another special episode, her dad talks about some remarkable money and life lessons.

Fairer Cents

If you’re looking for a feminist take on finances and the issues associated with it, then this is the right podcast for you. In Fairer Cents, co-hosts Tanja Hester and Kara Perez, throw light on the different economic realities facing women, people of color, and other marginalized groups. Further, they talk about how to tackle issues like the gender pay gap, women’s ambition, emotional labor, why financial feminism is necessary, and more.

Going Forward

Other than the above-mentioned finance education books and podcasts, you can check for multiple online websites, magazines, and videos to learn more about finance, and that’s the ultimate goal of every resource out there. So, whether you are new to this or looking to get more financial advice, these books and podcasts will surely help you out.

Be a part of Big Red Education now, and start a youth financial literacy journey while still in high school.

Few answers to the quiz – 

A – Assets, B – Bank, C – Cheque, D – Debt, E – Equities, F – Formula Investing, G – Government Bonds, H – Holding Period, I – Insurance, J – Joint account, K – Key Ratio, L – Liquidity, M – Mutual Funds, N – NEO banks, O – Opportunity Cost, P – Policy term, Q – Quote, R – Return on Equity, S – Systematic Investment Plans, T – Tax declaration, U – Union budget, V – Venture Capital, W – Working Capital, X- Xenocurrency, Y – Yield, Z – Zero balance

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4 Lessons That Will Help You Improve Your Financial Skills at High School

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date February 12, 2022
• No Comments on 4 Lessons That Will Help You Improve Your Financial Skills at High School

Common phrases such as ‘invest in IPOs’, ‘diversify your portfolio’, and ‘buy the dip’ have been echoing in the news throughout the year 2021. The colossal world of finance has literally exploded this year. According to an article by Business Standard, the active investor count rose by a whopping 10.4 million last year. That continued to this year and we witnessed stock market investments becoming a part of daily conversations. But amongst this fad, where were you? Did you get a chance to explore any financial instruments? Did you ask your parents about their investment strategies in the reviving market? Was finance ever a part of your academic or peer-group discussions?

There’s a high chance that your answer to one or more of these questions might be ‘No’. And, it is quite valid. Financial literacy for students still has a long way to go. But does that mean you should sit idle and wait for the ‘right time to learn about finance’? Certainly not.

Why Should Financial Literacy Be Important To You Now?

Student financial literacy is a fundamental life skill that every individual needs to be equipped with. But what’s the hurry? People learn things with time, so will you. Isn’t it?

No. That is a tale of the past. Do not let yourself be deluded by that.

Let’s face the fact – your generation is smart! On top of that, you have an abundance of resources that were a dream for the previous generations. It takes you a few hours to learn how to use a new gadget, create a smart sensor, build a cool robotics project, or even decode a cryptic message.

But the one thing that halts your racing minds is money. The Deloitte Global 2021 Millennial and Gen Z Survey revealed that nearly half of the millennial and Gen Z population are stressed about their long-term financial future.

1. Reason? Both these population groups never got a chance to develop money management skills at school.

2. Result? Millennials find themselves in a fix when it comes to day-to-day finances, let alone securing their future.

3. What about Gen Z? Well, you’ve got time in your hands! Time is the only thing that will assist you in

So, you can make money work for you! You can start improving your financial skills right away, and achieve financial independence as soon as you want. But, how?

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Battling Burnout in High School

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date February 12, 2022
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Have you ever played the game of Jenga? For those of you who haven’t let me break it down for you. Jenga is essentially a game of skill and balance where there is a tower of 3 colours of blocks and in each turn you must pull out one block from the tower without making it fall. Balancing our high school life is almost the same as that. If you remove too many blocks the tower is bound to break and the remaining pieces will become unstable and maybe even fall down completely. Similarly if we use up every single block of our energy we begin to get overwhelmed, stressed and essentially burnt out !

Famous author Vanessa Autrey in her book on burnout says “We’re totally guilty of doing too much at once, all while trying to manage the noise in our heads that says we’re not doing enough.”

As a student, juggling between academic requirements, entrance exams, extracurriculars and  applications is not an easy process. We tend to get tangled in our own web of fulfilling responsibilities. Meanwhile we neglect the stress and are unable to cope with it while simultaneously maintaining our schedules. This vicious cycle is what causes us to burnout at one of the most crucial stages;  high school life. Burnout during this stage only creates a lack of motivation and puts us at a risk for complete exhaustion and hence an inability to work. One must try their best to break and avoid this cycle right from the start.

Owing to the pandemic, burnout got a makeover and is now called the inevitable “Zoom Fatigue.” Sitting in front of the laptop screen for hours at a stretch doesn’t just give you a sore neck but also a sore mind. The impersonal and one sided zoom lectures are a complete bore and the will to learn and focus begins to fade. We stop sitting for the clases, with cameras off even our mind is turned off and we only feel the strain when exams come and we realise there’s a lot to catch up on.

There are many simple ways to avoid or even combat this feeling of burnout. Read on to pick some easy methods on how to bring balance out of your daily schedule.

Practice Prioritizing Tasks :

There are endless tasks we have to complete every single day, but we only have 24 hours, so start by setting weekly goals instead of daily ones and order them in priority of completion. Now if I have 2 assignments, 1 quiz, a club event and a practice test to do this week it would make sense to tackle one task at a time. Trying to squeeze 4 different things into a single day whilst balancing a social life and school hours is nearly impossible. So instead pause, and introspect and delegate your time wisely.

Unwind  And Unplug :

With hustle culture becoming more and more prominent people forget to just stop, and take care of themselves. After a long day of studying it becomes important to keep aside some time just to relax and rejuvenate. Allotting hours in the week completely devoted to relaxation can really help alleviate the stress and cope with workloads better. This relaxation could be anything right from watching an episode of your favorite Netflix show , going for a walk , listening to music or even just lying down. Find your self care mantra and make sure you follow it.

Find Your Stress Buster :

Every one of us has that one thing which acts like a complete stress buster, it could be painting, running, dancing, baking the options are endless. Use these activities as outlets of pent up stress, frustration and even as a way to just refresh oneself. Break the monotonous routine of online classes and commitments and indulge. Creative expression is known to boost people’s mood, and serve as an effective way to deal with anxiety. Similarly exercise of any form is an immediate dopamine kick and is scientifically proven to increase productivity.

Put Off Procrastination :

When workloads are high and exhaustion is seeping in it becomes easy to delay work. More than often if an assignment is not due for 2 weeks we tend to leave it for the last minute and most of it is written under pressure. Endless procrastination is only going to build piles and piles of work which is left pending and we are bound to drown in it. So instead break your work into smaller chunks and finish a little bit everyday instead of leaving it all for the end. Procrastination only hinders productivity so be consistent and regular with work instead of giving into the temptation of delaying it.

Look At The Bigger Picture :

A lot of times we tend to take on tasks which don’t align with our future goals but are just added work. While it may seem like unless you do everything you are not doing enough, our body and mind cannot keep up with so much. So work backwards from your ultimate goal, your dream college or career and choose to spend your time accordingly. Now, if you are  aiming to become a financial analyst it’s not necessary for you to take extra classes in design and history. While doing things out of interest and for leisure are important we must consider time commitments. Cut down on things which are not of prime importance and focus your energy on what is best for you and is a clear stepping stone to your goal.

At the end of the day your future is in your hands. If you aren’t okay all the hard work you have been putting in all these years will be fruitless. So let’s break the pattern from just ‘eat sleep study repeat’ to ‘eat sleep study relax repeat!’

Each one of us has our own unique way of dealing with stress, we would love to hear that one thing which refreshes you on a tiring day.