Log of what of Elena Vecchio has learned at Techie Youth

Throughout my journey, so far at working for Techie Youth, I have learned so much about how to apply to virtual jobs online and the plethora of virtual careers out there but today I will go into the darker side of things: remote job scams. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made scammers want to pray on people that are trying to desperately find work. Don't worry though I can teach you all about the tricks to look out for! Also was able to pass the "beware of scams" quiz immediately!

If they are offering much higher pay than other companies within the same field and do so without asking for your resume or credentials it is a scam. No company will want to hire someone with no experience for higher pay. These scams may even ask you to pay a huge sum of money upfront so that they can "teach" you about how to enter high-level paying jobs but there is no magic shortcut that can get you this. If you see in the job listing they use vague terminology such as "Unlimited earning potential,” “Investment opportunities and seminars” or “Quick money" then it is a scam. Also, scammers may ask for personal or financial information such as social security number, credit card information, etc do not under any circumstances provide such information to them. It is normal however that after you are hired for the job they ask for your social security card but they would never ask for it before you've even applied or even during the pre-application/interview itself. Also, if you have never applied to a job and they all of a sudden call or email you saying that you've received a job opportunity it is a scam so do not pick up or even click any links in the email. Scammers are so smart they can pose as if they are actually reputable people from actual companies which fall into the identity theft section. No credible company or person(s) from said company would ever ask you for personal information. If you have not applied to the place it is a scam if they are contacting you regardless. If you have applied still be careful because no honest company would ask for any information or money over email. The only thing they may ask over the phone or email is to come in for an interview.

Please make sure to read the fine print for any job opportunity before you pay for anything and do your research. Type the company name into google alongside the word "scam" to see if maybe this is a scam that is going around. Check the company's social media and especially their LinkedIn to see if all the information matches up. You can also use US Better Bureau to see if a company is legitimate and US Federal Trade Commission to search scams by country, city, state, postal code, etc as well as to report any scams that you know of. I have an example of an in-person scam job that would've been bad if I took it. I did apply for the job through my college school's website and went in for an interview but the building was extremely hard to find and it was not in a good area. When I did the interview it was very short and the person told me I have to do a few days of unpaid orientation as a new job seeker, this confused me I had never heard of such a thing. Luckily I did tell my parents and they told me it was a scam but I wanted to let you all know that there should NEVER be a few days of unpaid job orientation they have to pay. Of course, I also did inform my school of exactly what happened and they told me that a company should not be asking me to do an unpaid job orientation.

However, job scams are unfortunately not the only types of scams that exist out there there are also sales scams in which someone will charge an outrageously lower price for something such as a laptop, car, etc than what is being sold for other people. This is a red flag because that means the product could be damaged, broken, contain contaminants, stolen, etc. Of course, just cause the price is lower does not automatically make it a scam for example if the person/company is upfront about the condition of a car such as telling you how much mileage has been used, the damage on the car, how old the car is, model details, etc. You should always try to figure out what the motivation is for a person or company in selling the product at a much cheaper deal than everyone else. Trust your gut when it comes to these sorts of things because your gut feeling will be right. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Now I will discuss the Video Assignment I worked on. I doodled a lot of great information that is provided on the TechieYouth assignment and put it together into a photo collage edit. While I have been self-taught through youtube and have asked some friends who are good at editing for tips for a little over a year now I have never done a photo edit before. The only types of edits I have done before have been video footage edits. It was quite different doing photo edits and it was great to do it with pictures I actually drew and took myself. The quality may not be the best since I do not have a professional camera and just have my phone camera but I did try my best to make the edit as organized as possible. It was a lot of fun making an edit to promote Techie Youth that has helped me learn so much during my 6-week internship for them! I want to give a special thank you to Techie Youth for this wonderful opportunity to teach me so much valuable information it is a website I will continue to check even when I am done with my internship because there is so much more from this website that I want to learn about. Thank you for also helping me learn how to promote myself and a company (Techie Youth) through social media that social media themes assignment was fantastic and very useful. I have much to improve on that aspect as well as other aspects but Techie Youth enhanced my skills so much more than before I had started the program. Thank you and this is my last daily log. Signing off, now!

Today I got to work on my video editing assignment in which I decided to draw out what I wanted to discuss. I will be discussing the causes that Techie Youth has to offer to at-risk and foster care youths. I discussed in my drawings about information that is listed on the Techie Youth site which goes into the statistics and background information as to how these kids end up in foster care and what happens to them after they age out of the system. I felt in my video discussing the causes of what Techie Youth helps to do it is important to discuss this information because in order to help people or promote the company better it is vital to see the why and how these individuals need help. I recorded some of the footage today in which I discuss about these exact statistics and reasons. I am now onto the part where I am explaining how bad it is for adults that age out of the foster care system and how they have no opportunities readily available to become financially independent. I will then go into drawing the many ways Techie Youth helps these kids such as teaching them how to use technology, helping them prepare for job interviews and give them the resources they need such as snacks during classes, free laptops, free suits, giving them access and resources in order to continue their high school education if they had to drop out or to even go onto college if they need to. I plan to edit this video on Animotica which is a windows based editing program that is a very beginner friendly editing program.

I also was working on the virtual assistant assignment on google sites and recorded the speech prompt that was given in the assignment. I already had created a google sites website years ago for an assignment in a class that was all about teaching college kids about technology so I already had the layout of this website done but I still need to list what skills and qualities I have that would make me a great asset to being a virtual assistant. Some of the skills I have is a bit of experience of in-person customer service and I have had to make calls through office work in the past to many important people/corporations.

Today I also learned a bit more about how to remote work or more specifically how to deal with internal conflicts. I also took a shot at taking the "how to work remote" quiz and flunked it but that's alright I know that I just need to review the material again and retake the quiz. Now onto the actual topic at hand so conflicts can happen whether in person or through virtual work. If you find that there is a conflict between you and another party ask them if you can ask for clarification on this in more detail over the phone or a video call. Never send back and forth emails trying to resolve a conflict because it will only make things worse and I have made this mistake many times with professors because I was too scared to be upfront with them in person, via video, or phone call and I am pretty sure it left a poor impression on them. Also, make sure to ask them clarifying questions such as "tell me what you are thinking" or "tell me the best way we can resolve this." You have to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume the best of them. Sometimes things slip people's minds such as deadlines and other times maybe they just aren't skilled at communicating in the most professional way over email. It is better to let them know the information they may need in order to resolve an issue than to get angry because you assumed they should've known the information at hand.

Yesterday we discussed how to write a stellar resume and cover letter. Today we will discuss the nerve-wracking daunting interview process but don't worry too much I'll give you all the tips on how to prepare before, during, and after the interview. Preparing a great resume and cover letter would count as the before preparation for the interview process but there are many other things you need to prepare for that I didn't discuss yesterday.

In preparing for an interview before it, make sure you research the company and whoever is interviewing you. Try to remember the names of the people, especially the one who is interviewing you to prove to them immediately that you have done your research on the company. This will already leave a great first impression on the interviewee. Also, you want to search up any and all social media they have so you can get an idea of what their mission values are. This way when the interview comes along you could explain how your experience and skills fit into the mission values of the company and prove how you could be a great asset to them in comparison to other candidates. Also search up common interview questions such as "What are your strengths/weaknesses," "Why are you interested in working at this company?", "Tell us more about yourself", etc. There are plenty of articles available online that go over the most common interview questions. To answer these questions it would be wise to use an elevator pitch in which you answer quickly and concisely in about a minute-long response. Elevator pitches should be all about proving why you would be a great asset to the company in accordance with their mission values. Then print out the job description and make sure that your interview answers align with the specific requirements they look for within the actual position.

Also start preparing a reference list that you can give them. A reference list is a list of previous bosses you've had and their contact information. This is important to give to the interviewee so they can contact them if they have any questions as to how your work ethic was in the past. When creating this list make sure the jobs are in very similar fields to the one you are applying for but if not include references that would fulfill some kind of requirement for the actual job description. The hirer will inform you as to how many people you need on your reference list. Prepare examples of work projects to showcase to the interviewee. Also, prepare questions that you will ask the interviewee at the end of your interview such as "What would a day-to-day look like in this job?", "How much will I get paid in my starting position? And are there any type of raises?", "What departments does this position work with regularly?" And lastly, ask what the dress code is beforehand or search the company website to find out what attire would be appropriate so that way you can prepare your interview outfit the night before or even several days in advance to make sure it fits company standards.

Finally, the day of the interview is here! Make sure you print out several copies of your resume, and cover letter, and bring a notebook and pen with you so that you can write down the answers to the questions you plan on asking the interviewer. Make sure to have proper hygiene for the interview such as clean clothes, nails, hair, etc. When you are walking to the building and even in the parking lot be polite to the people around there because you never know who you'll end up working for or who will be the interviewee. Make sure you arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to your interview but in my opinion, it is best to arrive half an hour in advance. Make sure to do simple breathing exercises beforehand and answer all interview questions truthfully and positively. Also, do not badmouth previous employers or bosses during the interview if asked about them. Showcase how passionate and excited you are to work for this company because this type of attitude will certainly increase your chances of getting hired.

After the interview, ask them what next steps you should expect whether that is a follow-up email from them as to the results of the interview. Ask the interviewer if there are any ways you can improve and other steps you can take to try to enter into a similar job field. Make sure you ask them for their business card so that you can email a thank you letter on the same day. Make sure to thank them for their time in interviewing and that you hope they will consider hiring you for the position. Also, let them know that it was a pleasure meeting them. Today, I also completed the job interview quiz and aced it. I also prepared my ideas in order to complete the video editing assignment for tomorrow.

We've all heard of resumes and cover letters but what are they? Resumes are a bullet point list of your education (major, degree, year graduated, relevant courses you have taken, extracurriculars in school), work (name of the company, job title, timespan you have worked there, and a bullet point list of the most important day-to-day tasks you achieved), extracurricular activities, language skills, certifications, or any other soft skills (programs you know how to use or qualities you have to work there). A cover letter is personalized to each company and/or individual within the said company because you can expand further as to why you feel you are a good fit for the position by putting a personal touch in there. Resumes and cover letters should be no more than a page long though cover letters can be half a page or even less than that depending on what the company wants. For resumes, you want to give a general view of what you have accomplished but for cover letters, you want to specify what qualities listed in your resume would help you be the right fit for the position. In other words, your cover letter should compliment your resume and help you stand out even more as a candidate. After all, we are so much more than what we have accomplished, and employers especially if everything is virtual love to see the human side of people. It gets very boring to them to quickly look through resumes and they may even disregard your resume at first but a strong cover letter is a second chance you could use that can change their minds.

For resumes and cover letters do NOT use the word "I" because of course while a resume and cover letter are explaining why you qualify you should not word it as "I" because you have to explain how you fit into the company not how the company is a good fit for you. For a cover letter, please include your name, phone number, and email address at the very top of the page. Also, please try to address someone specifically such as the hiring manager. You can email or call the company or check out the company website to find out who that hiring manager is by name. Once you've found out their name address them and start with "dear, *insert name*" there are other ways to address them but if you know their name it is best to use this. It is better if you can personalize your cover letter to an individual that works at the company so you can have a good start by sounding more like a human when writing. In some circumstances, you may not be able to get a name so you may address them as "To whom this may concern." In your cover letter.

Onto your very first sentence of a cover letter introduce yourself by name and express your excitement for this job position. Tell them the exact title of the job position and how you found this job position. You should also mention how you would be fit to achieve the company's mission motto. Please keep your introduction short to about 2-3 sentences. Now onto the meat of the cover letter, this is where you can discuss specific accomplishments that would aid you in being a good fit for a job position. For example, I finished and completed the LinkedIn, resume, and cover letter assignment and for my cover letter, I was applying to the job I currently am working at right now so at TechieYouth as a video editor intern. The accomplishments I mentioned is that I have been self-teaching myself how to edit for about a year through Animotica and Filmora X. I mentioned how I had previous work experience in customer service which is an asset for the team if I am meant to collaborate and help other youth students teach them technology. Expand on why you are passionate about this position and passionate about working at this company. You can mention responsibilities mentioned in the job posting that you believe you can handle This section should be about 2 paragraphs long.

For the very last paragraph aka your conclusion, you must again express your interest in this position and request an interview. Make sure you thank them for taking the time to read your cover letter and to also thank them for this opportunity and to get in touch with you if they believe you would be a good fit for not only the job you applied for but also any other job position within the company. Just because you didn't get the job you applied for doesn't mean you aren't an asset in other positions within the company so keep an open mind and mention this.

Today I focused on writing about the amazing skills that TechieYouth has taught me in this 6-week internship on my Tumblr blog and also created social media accounts to follow, share, comment, and like under Techie Youth posts as well as to create my own posts to talk about everything I've learned at this company. I did not have a lot of these social media so it took me quite a while to set up my accounts and truly think about the words of gratitude I wanted to express to TechieYouth.

In my blog, I discussed how TechieYouth has taught me about the huge world of virtual jobs and helped me figure out how I can step my foot into the wonderous world of video editing. I always believed since I have only been self-taught for a year that I would be undeserving of a video editing position but through Techie Youth I have learned this is not the case at all and that I could always start freelance video editing since I have less experience. This really gives me encouragement because I know I have the power to start making video edits for people with pay if I want to! I would have to relook at the section on Time Management before looking to do this! But working a virtual job would benefit me greatly since I am still going to school and that takes up a lot of my time. If I decided that healthcare is something I am no longer interested in I can always look into doing video editing since I am currently still learning this skill.

Now onto the social media assignment I also finished that one and it was great to see how each social media platform worked as well as to see what TechieYouth has been up to such as the fact they distributed free laptops and suits to kids in need! This company is doing such great things and I am glad they have given me valuable skills that I will remember for a lifetime and that they are making true changes within the local communities which is especially important in this pandemic where people are struggling to find work or falling behind in school because they do not have access to technology! Seeing how grateful and happy the people were when receiving these items motivates me even further to work in healthcare because I do want to make a difference in people's lives and good health is vital to a good life and I want to help patients as much as I can! Even though I would not be working directly with patients as a Clinical Lab Technologist the results of their fluids are vital information that every patient needs to know and I am sure they are grateful for my help even if they do not know who I am. It makes me feel proud that I am working at a company that creates such positive and impactful changes in the local community! Though it is my last week working here I am very honored and grateful to have worked here. I also wanted to thank TechieYouth and SYEP for giving me the experience and money for me to buy a brand new laptop and now I will be able to achieve my editing dreams as well as anything else my heart desires such as photoshop maybe even graphic design as well!

Yesterday we learned about the wonderful world of Premiere Pro and while there are many wonderful editing programs out there some that are even totally free I want to shift my focus. Today I will focus on exactly how to get film editing jobs and get clients. When looking into video editing positions whether freelance or traditional you have to market yourself. Of course, it is important to try your best to hone your skills on your own but not everyone learns well on their own such as myself! You can learn on your own by watching Youtube videos or even paying for online courses that teach you how to video edit. Whatever way you learn how to video edit on your own you must accept failure wholeheartedly and expect to keep failing again and again and again as you learn and continue learning how to video edit. If you want to take that initial step into the door of video editing positions reach out to someone and tell them how their work has inspired you, list your qualifications, and ask if you can have a job there. They may say no that they aren't looking for anyone and that is alright but there HAS to be a video editing company out there that sees your potential and hires you. You will then gain very valuable on-the-job experience that you may have otherwise never received if you were so discouraged to even take that initial step in the first place. The more you jump at job opportunities the more you build up your resume and then you can move on to even better positions with better pay.

Even if you feel unsure as to where your passions lie and don't know if video editing is your dream career you must jump at opportunities that intrigue you because you never know if that one leap will lead you to your dream career path. You do not have to settle for a mediocre job that you hate or a boss that treats you cruelly the world is your oyster and is filled with so many different career paths and places to work that you are guaranteed to find something that is the right fit for you. This may be an ongoing process throughout your life or maybe a very short time frame before you find a job you are finally satisfied with. What makes a great video editor is not necessarily just the skill but the willingness to learn from others, collaborate efficiently in regards to teamwork, have a kind attitude towards those around them, and try their absolute best. If someone is a so-so editor they will be closed off to learning how to better their techniques since they believe their skill set is superior to other video editors and therefore they will end up being a bad team player.

To be a great editor is to become a go-to editor one that leaps at video editing opportunities that ignite a passion within their souls and gets them excited to work. There are 3 different ways in which you can get a video editing position which is the cold call, backdoor, or the referral. The cold call is the hardest since you have to reach out to someone you don't know which gives you the least chance of actually being hired but if you are just starting off you have to start somewhere so better to give it your best shot than to not try at all. You can reach out via email, phone call, or through a posted ad in need of video editors. The email you send is more important than your actual resume because within your first paragraph you must say something about yourself that makes you stand out from the rest. Within this first paragraph, you can mention previous job opportunities doing video editing (be specific about the project so they know that you didn't just send a general template) and connect it to yourself by expressing your interest in each project. You can also talk about maybe how this specific company or employer inspired you to start video editing. If that isn't the case you can still talk about how you believe they are very qualified and how you believe in their general mission values and prove how you can be an asset to the company. Getting hired with this method is less than 3%.

The backdoor is where you find an email or contact of someone and offer some sort of value for free to build a connection to them. The last one is the referral which is the easiest method by which you can get hired but this only happens once you are established in the industry and people will recommend you to others. You also have to shift your focus on not wanting to lock down the employer but simply have a meeting with them. Your chances of getting the job when changing into this mindset guarantee you'll get the job 10x more than if you just focus solely on getting hired. You have to think of it like this in which if you are getting a meeting with someone to discuss your edit you are pretty much going to get hired. You must come off as flexible, eager, passionate about the project, and emphasis the value you bring to the table.

I am jumping back into learning about video editing and today we are learning all about Premiere Pro. I will admit I still don't quite understand Premiere Pro and it's not a program I am familiar with since I use Filmora X and Animotica. Premiere Pro in my opinion is a much more advanced and professional program so if you are just starting out and don't have the most powerful type of laptop (this is the case for me) then definitely start off with programs that don't take as much space on your computer such as the two I use. Filmora is definitely much more advanced than Animotica but for Animotica if you want to just make some simple edits without too much fancy text and just want to use simple transitions it is a great program and you can easily learn it even if you've never had prior editing experience. Filmora is definitely more of a learning curve and I'm still learning more things with that program. However, if you feel ready to use an advanced program such as Premiere Pro I'll jump into it right now.

Premiere Pro is a program that many professionals use and there are two preview windows so it is a great program to use if you have more than one monitor to work with. Although the program costs $20.99/month the cost racks up at the end of the year so please keep this in mind before buying. You can use a free trial version if you are still curious about giving the program a shot. If you want access to all of the adobe programs you can pay $52.99/mo ($599/yr) or if you have a student discount the first month will be $16.99/mo and then after that, it will be $29.99/mo. Also please research the specs for this program in comparison to the specs on your computer especially how much space you have left on your computer. I remember one time as a complete newbie I installed AfterEffects and my entire computer slowed down and the program itself didn't work. I realized when googling it that I had too little RAM and not enough space to run such a powerful program so I had to settle for a program that takes up way less space.

When you install the program you can either drag a folder from the documents tab straight into the program or you can manually through the program import whatever files or documents you want. As I mentioned before there are two video viewing preview windows but you can go to settings and click hide panel to hide one of the panels of course if you want to unhide it you can click unhide panel. If you want to play any video footage you can click the triangle play button or you can press the spacebar on your keyboard. You can also add in audio the same way you would with video footage and you can mute audio by clicking on the mute audio button. Now if you want to cut clips you would click the razor tool on the side and if you want to hide clips you click on the eye symbol. If you want to delete empty space you can either click the delete key or right-click and click ripple delete. If you need to zoom in or out of your timeline you can use the ctrl shift + or - key combinations. If you want to drag a clip or the actual timeline you can do it by clicking and dragging either or with your mouse. If you want to look for video& audio transitions and color effects you would click on the Effects tab. If you want to find or even change other keyboard shortcuts you would click ctrl + alt + "M". If the resolution of the clips is too powerful and it is causing your program to slow down you can go to the resolution-quality setting underneath the program monitor video and this will only lower the preview quality, not your final render. If you want to make sure your export goes a lot smoother you can click enable GPU acceleration.

Despite learning about Premiere Pro today it is not a program I am a fan of nor plan on using. Also, I do not believe my current laptop is powerful enough to run this program and even if it was the set-up of the program is very confusing for an amateur like myself. I just want to edit as a hobby and as I get better (and hopefully get a great laptop with my Techie Youth income) I will keep advancing into harder programs. I am okay using Filmora for the time being though I am unsure if this is the final program I want to settle on.

I have been discussing the various types of remote jobs and why you should decide to work a remote position but have not yet discussed how to find remote work online. Well your in luck because I will be discussing just that today!

Firstly please make sure to research very carefully as to what job websites you plan to apply to because there are many fake job websites out there and you do not want to upload important things onto there such as your name, phone number, resume, address, etc without making certain this is a reputable website. Now, let's get into the specific scams that can occur even on the most trust-worthy websites. If you see broad, vague, too good to be true statements such as "quick money", "Unlimited earning potential, or “Investment opportunities and seminars." Also, jobs should never be asking what your social security, birth date, or personal financial information such as bank accounts, credit/debit cards, any tax information, etc. Another common scam tactic is if they ask you to pay an upfront fee before you can even apply or you are offered a job randomly without having contacted the person themselves and they start asking you for references.

Even if the job listing you see doesn't have these red flags but you still feel it is untrustworthy then you must check to see if the company is legit by looking at the Federal Trade Commission or The Bettter Business Bureau websites. When you see that on these websites the company is listed you can then do further research by looking up on social medias if the company has any and to see what kind of posts they make. You can definitely get a hint if a company is shady or not by what they post. Also, you can look on LinkedIn to see if your employer is listed on there. Make sure to of course look through the website of the actual company to get an idea of what the mission values for the company are which can help you get an idea of how you should word your resume to make sure it aligns with the missions values.

On the topic of matching resume words to what the job wants there are also many different ways the term "remote work" is referred to so make sure to use the term that is shown on the job listing. Some examples of different ways to refer to remote work such as virtual job, work from home, online job, agile workforce, etc. You should research all the different terminology to make sure you know exactly what you are applying to. This is especially important when you see jobs that say hybrid which means that it is partially in person and partially online. If you need the job to 100% be online you must make certain it does not say hybrid.

Also, some remote positions actually do want you to be working in a specific state or country, or maybe even in a certain type of area (rural, suburban, urban). There are many reasons they may want to limit you to a certain location due to needing certain licenses or certificates, tax requirements in certain places, having to constantly travel so needing to live near an airport for example, or for living near the clients' area in case you need to meet them in person. If you do not want a job in which you are limited by a geographical location then the job listing must say "work-from-anywhere." Look out for the specific keywords the company uses to refer to remote work because this can help you narrow your search results when searching for other virtual positions within that same career path niche.

Now that you feel more confident navigating not only the safety and validity of these remote job listings but also feel more confident with the terminology used to refer to the many different types of remote work positions. You've find THE job listing that you know is a legit company and you know what to expect from the general job details and know exactly what type of remote job it is so now it is time to write an amazing cover letter and resume. Now is your time to let your skills shine so if you have any previous remote experience even if it isn't necessarily in the same career path that you plan to pursue write about it anyway in your cover letter and resume. Discuss various ways you have had to manage tasks alone and exactly how you collaborated with your other coworkers for projects and then discuss any type of success you have made in these areas and more. For remote positions employers want employees who excel in time management, organization, self-motivation, determination, submitting work on time, etc. Just vaguely stating that you are organized is not enough to impress an employer so you need to go into specific examples of how you stayed organized. Let's say for example you had to juggle 15 different projects and you stayed organized by using an App to keep you on top of things and scheduled reminders of when to work on each project. There is so much more that needs to be discussed in this area but for now I will stop here! Until next time~

I've spent a ton of time discussing different types of remote jobs and what they entail but maybe that still hasn't convinced some of you to join in on the wondrous world of working remotely. While I can admit it truly is not for everyone especially if you are not very tech savvy but then again anyone can learn how to be tech savvy if dedicated enough to seek out resources to help teach them that whether that be online or through in person classes. With any skill it takes time to master it so do not beat yourself up too much if you are not naturally tech savvy. After all, most of the older generation are not familiar with technology and may feel behind but no matter your age you can still continue to learn new skills every single day even if it is as simple as learning a new word in a foreign language for that day.

Also, some people do not have homes in which it is easy to do remote work in such as if you have small children and a very noisy household but on the flip side you can spend more time with your kids and do not need to worry about spending a ton of money on babysitters, daycare sitters, or even making a friend or relative take care of the children. Another example may be people that have to take care of a sick loved one and watch them 24/7 this may be difficult to navigate but working remotely can help. Of course, if you believe you cannot be productive with a virtual job than by all means don't do it but if you are thinking about it right now and thinking "yeah that sounds really cool!" then I'll go into the many reasons why working remotely is totally awesome and something everyone should at least consider especially during these hard times in the pandemic.

Say goodbye to gas, car & car insurance, public transportation costs, bike repairs, etc since with a remote job you will pay exactly a whopping $0 in order to work remote so that means more money stays in your pocket! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! Also, if you love doing things here and there to help save the impact on the environment welp you are doing that right now by not commuting to work! According to CieloTalent, people waste about 5-15 hours per week in just commuting and that comes out of their pockets (and that's after taxes, social security, health insurance, pension, etc are taken out of your check before it even arrives for you).

You are better able to protect your health this is especially important if you are immunocompromised or have other illnesses that make you either more susceptible to making you sick or it makes it harder for you to travel because where you live isn't necessarily disabled friendly. Not only do you not have to worry about additional travel time but you now do not have to worry about coworkers coming in sick and infecting you, too. Also, unfortunately at some jobs they are not quite understanding of individuals that get sick quite often and may even fire you for this so having a remote job removes all of these types of stresses. This is especially important during a pandemic because even if you catch COVID-19 you do not have to worry about infecting your coworkers or anyone else since you can easily isolate in your house, get paid, and keep everyone and yourself safe.

Speaking of which you can literally do your job anywhere around the world! If you feel like today you all of a sudden want to go to Japan then you can go to Japan and get paid for it! Imagine being able to do work on the beaches of Japan and not having to take a vacation day off? You'll keep earning money on your vacation and don't have to worry about running low or having to leave your vacation sooner than you would like due to running out of vacation days for the year. Also, you'll get more motivation to see the world or even move to other places that you've always wanted to without fear of being unable to find a career in that specific location. As long as you live somewhere with a Wi-Fi connection then the world is your oyster!

If you get to go wherever you want to while working this will most certainly increase productivity throughout your days. The happier an individual is the more productive they will be! You don't have to have a job that you hate and commute a route that you absolutely dread you can have a job that brings you not only the necessary income you need in order to achieve your dreams outside of work but also achieve the dreams inside of work. Of course, it most certainly is not easy to keep yourself engaged with a completely virtual job but with time if you love this job you will WANT and CRAVE being productive in work because it brings you the greatest joy!

When you are happier at a company you are more productive and then you are also more loyal to the company themselves. Of course, the loyalty has to come from being treated fairly by your employer and the other employees around you. Loyalty must come from all ends and everyone has to work as a team or else this will not work. If you do not feel your virtual work environment is a healthy and productive one then please I beg of you to switch to a different company or career path altogether. Follow what your heart tells you because you only have one life so live it as happily as possible! TechieYouth has taught me so much about thinking outside the box when it comes to different career paths and I will most certainly look back on their content once my internship with them is over because with TechieYouth they provide so much good and valuable information to learn from I can work towards my dream career today!

Today in the Improving Quality of Life unit in the writing part of this unit I learned about tips on writing grants as well as what types of jobs you can get remotely through grant writing. I also completed and passed the grant writing quiz on the first try.

Grant writing is when you write to foundations or organizations asking them to fund your project that directly aligns with the foundation/organization's mission values. Before you get into writing your grant proposal you must first foster a connection with the funder by giving them a phone call and explaining what it is you wish to accomplish and as well as using this to get to know the funder themselves. If the funder gives you the okay to submit your grant proposal to their foundation/organization.

Then you must make sure that your planned grant proposal must meet all the eligibility requirements. Sometimes on their website they will say which types of applications or projects they disqualify right away. It is better to check this before you begin a grant proposal because if not you will waste time writing it for nothing. Each grant proposal is like a unique story in which you make it special and unique to each foundation you are sending it to. Each foundation or organization has different guidelines that they expect their grant maker to follow. If you do not follow every specific guideline you will instantly be disqualified and it does not matter if you know who the funder is and have a close connection to them your proposal will still be rejected.

Of course, when writing a grant proposal you must use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. You also must use complete sentences but type one main idea per several short sentences rather than one big complex idea in a single run-on sentence. This way it is much easier for the potential funder to read. Using active voice in your writing is ideal when writing grant proposals. What you want accomplished overall in your paper is for the funder to get the main idea of what you plan to do with this project if the funder decides to accept the proposal.

When writing a grant proposal it is important to write about a direct correlation between what your project plans to accomplish alongside the organization's mission values. If you have something to showcase this whether through previous funding experiences, degrees, certificates, or other types of projects within that niche you will have a much higher chance of having your grant proposal accepted. Also, you must always showcase your gratitude towards the funder themselves and talk about how you wish them the very best in the future and how you wish to foster a partnership with them. It is vital to do this because although maybe your proposal is rejected now you do want to leave them with a good impression of you in cause you decide to write another grant proposal with them in the future.

Another part that has less to do with the writing is to showcase specific figures and numbers to show why you are qualified to be running such a project. You should go into as many past accomplishments, projects, etc that you have done within that specific niche or even if this is your very first time exploring this niche explain why this niche speaks to you as a person. You need not only prove that you are qualified but prove that you are truly passionate about this cause.

A technical writer is an expert in the field of the topic they are writing about. They write in a neutral tone with concise, accurate, and detailed information. How detailed this information will very much depend on the intended audience so for example if they are writing a proposal to get funding on something they would either be speaking with other experts or executives who have some knowledge of what is being written about. Another example is if you are trying to show people how to use an Iphone and write an Iphone software manual. The audience are not people that are experts on using Iphones or technology in general so you must use easy to understand language especially if the person's first language may not be English. Being a technical writer is a job in which you are mostly inside your office but it is not an antisocial job because you do have to communicate with other people since even if you are a tech writer and are experienced in that topic you do not know everything and will need to ask other experts to help you out. Being a tech writer is also about sharing expert advice amongst one another and this type of writing is intended to help the general or experienced public understand topics in either further or more basic detail depending on who you are writing for. If you want this to be your career choice make sure to volunteer to write tech papers for classes in the specific niche you want to pursue for this career or even volunteering to write this stuff for non profit organizations. The more experience you have even if it is unpaid the more likely the staff looking to hire technical writers will hire you in comparison to someone who has written for multiple industries even if they happen to be experienced in the same niche you are looking into. Also, lastly I did take the technical writing quiz and passed it on the first try.

Today we will be discussing how to work customer service. This skill in my opinion is a very important skill because a lot of other careers rely on not only being able to speak professionally over the phone but also in text and email too. Customer service skills are now moreso than ever even more important due to the ongoing pandemic. There are all kinds of customer service aside from just talking on the phone there are also email and text-chat-based customer service jobs as well that will pay you.

In customer service whether by text or by email, you want to introduce yourself with your name and even have your face as your profile picture to humanize the experience for your customer. You then must use complete sentences and proper punctuation and grammar. It is alright to be casual sometimes in text or email but do not use a casual tone when a customer is expressing a very serious concern or when you need to deliver bad news. Address the customer's issues one at a time and explain how to remedy the situation as if you were talking to a young child. You do not want to assume they will automatically know what you are talking about so it is better to assume they know nothing than to assume they know too much because then they feel they are being treated as if they are dumb. If you explain things in short sufficient sentences in a very simple style this will help your customer understand you better especially if the customer's first language is not English.

Also if you can hear in their tone via text or email that they are anxious or frustrated acknowledge their feelings and tell them you understand why they are feeling this way and that you are doing everything you can to assist them. Make sure by the end of your conversation you have addressed all their concerns but if you need more time in order to address other concerns just let them know you need x amount of time and you will get back to them after discussing this with your team. Also, when you make suggestions please make sure you have tried these methods yourself to see if they actually help the situation or not. If they do not help the situation then do not suggest these ways to your customer. Also, thank the customer for their time and for reaching out and letting them know you hope they have a wonderful day/night/weekend, etc. Let them know also that if they ever need help again to reach out to you or any other customer service reps to showcase that you and the company are there to help with any of your customer's concerns.

Today I decided to take a bit of a break from learning about video editing and went back to the Improve Quality of Life unit in the writing unit and decided to learn about SEO and Backlinking. It intrigued me because I have never heard of these concepts before and decided to learn about them. I seem to enjoy switching between different units to keep my mind entertained while learning all these new amazing things. I took the SEO quiz and passed it after the second time. However, this topic was very confusing to me so I do not know very much about this topic despite watching and looking through the articles.

SEO stands for Search engine optimization and it is the system used to make sure your backlinks rank higher in search engines. Now, what are backlinks? Backlinks are links that lead you from one site to another. I'll use an everyday example let's say I write a blog post about items within a shop that I sell bracelets in. The blog post was all about the ins and outs of the bracelet industry and then I use a backlink to promote my shop to lead interested people onto my shop in hopes they'll buy stuff. If I want to make sure my SEO is higher I have to make quality content and make sure to repeat phrases and keywords in my article. This way when people search for certain words or key phrases they will be able to find my content easily. Another way I can make sure my SEO ranking is high is to promote my backlinks by asking big companies like NY Times or NY Post to use my backlink in their article. Of course, this is much harder but if you are successful in being able to get them to use your backlink you will skyrocket to the #1 search result on google. However, they aren't likely to oblige and I would have a better chance of asking independent bloggers to use my backlink it will be much harder to climb up to the #1 search result using this method but that doesn't mean it is downright impossible.

Make sure to also follow your competitors by subscribing to their email newsletters to see what kinds of backlinks and articles they are using so you can use these things as inspiration in order to write content within the niche you are in and to use backlinks and hopefully be able to drive their customer's over your way and be able to beat your competitors. However, if you feel these methods are not working for you then fear not because you can also use infographics in order to drive traffic to your website. It is statistically shown that more traffic is driven to a website if there is any type of visual such as infographics. Don't just make infographics about random things make sure they are trending topics for the specific demographic you plan to target. Once you get them hooked and tell an interesting story through your infographic then you can link your backlink in hopes they will click on it.

The last time I discussed video editing was by explaining all the different types of cuts and transitions you can use in the video editing program of your choice. Now, that we got some of the basics of video editing out of the way let's discuss how to make a living off of it.

There are two types of video editors that can earn money through this profession: freelance vs staff editor. A freelance editor is when you are self-employed and are your own boss so you would set your own hours and pay rate, get your own clients, and can work remotely. A staff editor is someone that is hired by an editing company and would have a specific pay rate, set hours to come into work, must travel to get to the office building, receive benefits such as insurance and pension, and would be working alongside other editors to do different types of tasks.

A freelance editor does not need as much experience to start off and can start off through freelancer websites in which they promote their work. Since you may not be as experienced freelancing can give you more time to build up the skills necessary to either set higher pay rates or even have enough of a portfolio to pursue a staff editing position. Also, you will not have taxes taken out of the money you earn. There is no limit to how many editing skills you can teach yourself since you are the sole editor working on this project and you have to work on all aspects of it from the graphics, dialogue, sound work, etc. Since you are training yourself in all these skills it could help build a portfolio as well if you want to promote yourself on freelancer websites or switch to staff editing. Your day starts when you want it to so you can have whatever schedule you want as long as you meet the required deadlines for your clients. There is more understanding and flexibility so if you let the client know you have other stuff that came up and your video needs to be delayed a bit they may understand though usually the clients are in a rush to get a video out. Also, since you are the sole video editor you have more creative control of your edits as long as you and your client can reach a compromise to include both of your visions. Last, but certainly not least, you have more time to spend with your loved ones and time to spend on other passions of yours.

Of course, with every positive of a career path, there are indeed downsides. Freelancing does not have a set income so you cannot receive benefits such as paid vacation days, insurance, pensions, 401k, etc. Also, your pay will vary everyday somedays you may be getting paid significantly less or more than other days. Also, if your edit is stolen and given without credit it is much harder to prove via a freelancer position and there is no guarantee that the freelancer website will do anything about it. Since you must brand yourself there are no guarantees you will receive any clients wanting to work with you so there may be extended periods of time where you are earning no income so you must have a backup income plan in order to pursue freelance editing. Also, if you do work through a freelance website there will be a percentage taken out of your paycheck to pay the website so keep this in mind when setting your own rates. If you decide to pursue something outside of your niche such as working on animations instead of VFX it will be hard to find work and you will have to rebrand yourself all over again which can lead to more delays in income.

If freelance editing does not sound as if it is for you then let us discuss the various aspects of staff editing. In staff editing, you will receive a specific paycheck every single day and receive benefits such as a pension, insurance, 401k, and have much more protections such as joining a union. You will always have work to do every single day so you never have to worry about there being gaps of time where you are not earning income as a staff editor. You can also ask your boss for pay raises and build your way up within a company. Also, you are not responsible for every single video aspect of a project since there will be more than one editor working on the same project. An example is you are in charge of graphics and another editor is focusing on VFX. There are lead editors, senior editors, junior editors, specialized editors, etc. Since you may be focusing on fewer skills all at once this gives you an opportunity to really become an expert on that one specific skill. Also, you are able to work on various different types of editing projects within the company such as music videos, wedding videos, corporate videos, etc. This really helps the creative juices keep following and since you are working with various editors you can learn and be taught quite a lot about the different aspects of video editing. Also, if you feel overloaded on a project you have the help of everyone else around you to help. Working as a staff editor can really help build your portfolio tremendously.

The downside with being a staff editor is that you do have set hours and must pay commuting costs. You also have less time with family and loved ones since you are not doing work from home. Your paychecks may be smaller than you would like since the government will take out a lot of taxes from your paycheck since you are working for a company. You also must be more experienced and have a built-up portfolio to show these editing companies before you can be hired. Also, as a staff editor, you don't have as much freedom in choosing projects that you want because the company is the one that assigns you different projects. The deadlines are also even stricter as a staff editor and everything has to be done within your set schedule since you may be working on edits for important corporations and they don't have time to waste to have you delay their edit for any reasons.

Now let's give an approximate as to how much you can make as a freelancer vs staff editor. Staff editors make about $40/hr, freelancers can make about $14-80/hr and the yearly income for both types of editors can range from 13k-80k. Now that you have this knowledge you must figure out how much you'll be spending on various video editing costs. You'll spend about $200-500 for the actual computer/laptop, on the editing software itself it is about $20/mo or $299/yr, an external hard drive would be $50-150, and a portfolio website is about $10/mo. All these costs can be either higher or lower depending on many factors but this is just a general idea as to how much you should be spending on these things. You will also need to pay for paid templates, stock images, audio clips, special additions for things within your program, headphones, lighting, camera, rentals for your edits, etc.

If editing sounds like your thing then give it a try. There aren't enough video editors within the market and companies or clients are desperately on the search to find good video editors. Be confident, work on your skills, and be able to compromise and you will be good to advance in this career path. Whether you decide on a freelance or staff editing this could be the dream career you thought you would never find. Of course, doing video editing is just as wonderful, and not everything you love needs to be turned into a career but if you want to earn income from it you definitely can!

To self-publish or publish through a company that is the question. It truly is wonderful that in today's age we are able to publish our books on our own without a publishing agency. Now let's get into it what is self-publishing well self-publishing is when you are your own publisher and have complete control of the entire process from the story to the cover and everything else in between. For traditional publishing, you would have to send them a book proposal for them to approve of your story before they would agree to be your publisher. You do not have as much creative freedom but the publishing company covers most of the costs so it is less out of pocket for you. Also, if you publish through a publishing house you can have a physical copy of a book and have it sold in many different locations. For self-publishing, you can really only have it as an E-Book and sold through sites like Amazon. In traditional publishing, you can sell it as either an E-book or as a physical copy. You can even have options from softcover, hardcover, etc. Also, in traditional publishing, all you have to worry about is writing out the content that is approved by the company and within the specific deadline. The other departments will handle the rest such as the front and back cover, the finances, marketing, etc.

Now let's talk about the downsides of both methods. For self-publishing, since you are independent you have to handle everything from the design of the cover, finances, marketing, etc so it is a much riskier business move since you have to put down so much of your own money. On the other hand with traditional publishing it can take an extremely long time for a publishing company to approve of your novel and if they don't approve of that one you may have to keep writing them novels until you see which one sticks or you would have to go to other publishing companies to see if they are willing to publish your initial book. Also, another downside is you really have to do your research to make sure the publishing house is real because you don't want them just to steal your novel and sell it and you cannot get it back because you were under contractual obligation to sell the rights of your book to the publishing company. If that happens then there will be a whole long lawsuit and you'll lose even more money so please be careful, do your research, and trust your gut. For self-publishing, there is still a huge stigma against it both by publishing companies and by general audiences. There is still the belief that traditionally published books are better than self-published books which can hurt you when trying to get into the market.

But do not fret! Not all is negative in the scope of the self-publishing and traditional publishing worlds! There is hope! For self-publishing, you gain so much confidence and freedom because you don't have any of the higher-ups in publishing companies berating your ideas. For traditional publishing, you get the prestige and validation from the book-selling world and are more likely to end up on the New York Best Times' Sellers and have more people know about your book.

Yesterday we discussed different ways to be able to work amongst the team when video editing and also just how to get into the video editing mindset. Today we will be diving into actual tips that will help you with video editing. here's a list of very helpful things to keep in mind while either planning out a video edit or diving into the deep end and being in the process of making this video edit:

1. When focusing on writing a stellar script here are three things you should think about and keep in mind before you immediately dive right into the script-making process:

• Keep your audience in mind by thinking to yourself about which demographic you want to target (age, race, gender, religion, etc) and what the purpose of your video is.

• Focus on one idea at a time. Figure out the key idea of your overall edit and focus on that this way you won’t get overwhelmed, and you can create a better video this way.

• Focus on what you want to be conveyed to your audience in your script. What questions, thoughts, or feelings do you want them to have, and then try to address those very things in your script writing process.

2. Choose the right color combinations for your video

Colors are very important because not only do they affect our perception and mood but there are also cultural differences depending on the colors used which is why you need to keep your target audience in mind. For example, the color white would symbolize sadness in China because this is the color of death but in the United States, the color white would stand for happiness. So how exactly would you be able to accomplish helping change the audience's mood if you don't have any clue as to how color theory works? Well I got good news for you I am going to go over two main categories of basic color theory:

• RGB: these are the colors that appear on all of your electronics including your TV, computer, phone, tablet, etc. The primary colors for this are red, green, and blue. RGBs aren’t available on Biteable.

• HEX: These are 6-digit numbers used to represent RGB colors on Biteable because HEX codes are the default ones used for the internet. For example, if you've ever played with windows paint and you're trying to change the color you'll see that there's a hex code that says #67b9f3. HEX codes have hashtags followed by 6 letters/numbers.

If you don't feel like using the colors within either of these options you can use great tools like Coolors or other types of color generators in which you can create your very own custom color palette and use whatever color rules you want.

3. Use high-quality images

If you have an image printed out this image would be in the CMYK colors (colors used in print) and you would have to have this converted into the RGB color profile by using GIMP or Photoshop. If you use Biteable it would already convert it automatically so you can also use this option as well. If you ever need to change the size and/or resolution of an image you can use either GIMP or Photoshop to achieve this. If you want to use by table sometimes they'll ask you to have a picture of a certain size/resolution so then you would have to use GIMP or Photoshop to change this. On GIMP or Photoshop all you would have to do is click canvas size, image, and then just change it.

4. Using quality audio

This can be achieved by using Biteables’ tracks or you can find free high-quality royalty-free music options elsewhere on the internet. Another option is that you could do your very own voiceovers but make sure you have the proper equipment to do so because if you don't the sound may sound very far away, echoey, or staticky. Also please don't use music that you don't own because going through lawsuits with very rich companies is not worth it and you will lose that lawsuit even if you're not making a profit off of the video. it's also illegal to use their music whether you're making a profit off of it or not so you're better off just not doing that.

5. Format your video like a pro

Three different types of video formats are on various social media websites these would be MP4, FLV, and WMV. the most common one that we all know of is MP4 and Biteable automatically exports any of your video clips into the MP4 format. MP4 is supported on all different types of social media platforms as well as other places across the Internet so this is your best option.

6. Marketing your video

• Embed your video in emails. Emailing people your video is the best way to reach your audience, increase engagement, and increase clickthrough rates.

• Add your video to your landing page because this will help increase conversion rates by up to 80% annually and create a personal connection with anyone that visits your website right away.

• Sharing your video on social media helps you get more engagement, comments, and shares so definitely follow this tip. According to hub stop, HubSpot 83% of consumers share brand videos if they find them useful or interesting so definitely use these statistics to your advantage.

• Run video ads you might as well most social media will allow you to do so and videos just tend to perform better on there so why not just use it?

Great websites to post your videos on are either YouTube or Vimeo, but there arere plenty of other options that you can use if you don't feel like using them. these just happen to be the most popular website so it most likely would be better for you to use these because more people use these two sides than other websites. however, YouTube and Vimeo are only popular within certain countries so pick whatever website you feel is the one you are most comfortable with and/or the one that is most popular in your country.

Just as a bit of an FYI, 81% of people decide to buy a product or service after watching a brand video according to HubSpot's latest data. So what are you waiting for? Go out there and make your first Biteable video!

Alright alright, I hear all of you just yelling at your screen to get to the point already! We are now going to be discussing different cuts and transitions. But what is a cut or transition you may ask? A cut is when you have a clip or clips, and you want to shorten it by taking out a certain part of it. For example, let's say I have a clip that's about a minute long, but I only need to use about 50 seconds at the very beginning of this clip so I would “cut” the last 10 seconds out. A transition is an effect to help your clip smoothly move into the next clip. Let's just use a random example of a transition, let's see I show a clip of a dog, and then at the end of the clip the transition I decided to use shows a heart zooming in and this helps lead us into the next clip of the cat.

Alright now let’s hear from the most famous Hollywood editors on what the 12 best cuts/transitions to use are:

1. Hard cut

This is the basic cut in which you clip two ends of a video but there is no transition added in between them. If you decide to use clean-cut hard cuts in your video make sure that when you show the clip after the hard cut that this shot will be at a different angle such as at a 30-degree angle referred to as the 30-angle rule or if you don't want to do that you can make sure that in the second clip maybe you can zoom in closer to the person’s face.

2. Jump cut

Where clips 1 & 2 have the same perspective, and no transition is added in between these cuts. These cuts would be considered unprofessional in most cases because it makes the audience feel as if they didn’t have enough time to film people from different angles or perspectives. However, there are specific times where it's appropriate to use such as showing the passing of time or making a long sequence go faster.

When using jump cuts if you want to use them professionally you can also use digital zooms (zoom in to a person or object more closely) to make the jump cut seem less jumpy. This gives the illusion that they were shot from different focal lengths which would make it seem as if you filmed these jump cuts from multiple cameras. You could also use a tripod so that only the subject is moving between jump cuts and not the background in this case it won’t be jarring to use because only the subject is moving.

3. The “L” cut

An “L” cut is where the audio is carried over from clip 1 into clip 2 and is most commonly used in the audio dialogue where two people are talking. While one person is talking you would cut to show the other person's reaction of them listening before this individual starts talking themselves.

4. The “J” cut

Where the audio from clip 2 is shown before the actual video of clip 2 plays. The purpose of this is to lead your audience into the next clip making the edit feel more seamless so that clips that would otherwise not flow well together seem to flow better because of the audio.

5. Cut on Action

Where you cut on the specific movement action of an object or person. For example, if you punch toward the camera you cut while the punching action happens. This takes a lot of practice and workarounds to figure out at what action point to cut in.

6. Cross Cutting

When you cut between similar actions or between similar actions and suggest that the two scenes are happening seamlessly. It’s often used to establish the relationship between two characters or locations and often suggests that the two scenes are happening at the same time to show the intensity of the situation. These types of cuts will end in which the two characters end up meeting and confronting each other.

7. The Cutaway

This means cutting away to an insert shot different from the main piece of the action and then back again and is mainly used as a Plan B when the editor doesn’t have enough good clips at their disposal or to cover up a mistake so that the edit could cut seamlessly from clip to clip instead of using a jarring jump cut they cut to something else and then back again to the main action. “A “ roll = the main action happening and “B” roll = the something else used to hide the jump cut or mistake. This cut is used commonly in the news.

8. The Match Cut

When you cut between two shots that show similar action or framing. An example would be if someone is running in the same frame but the backgrounds are changing.

9. The Smash Cut

When you go from something intense to something calm and vice versa. An example of this is if you are running away from let's say a dinosaur and then you cut to a scene in which everything seems calm and you cannot find the dinosaur. this is a great way to keep your audience on their toes and to make sure that they aren't getting bored during the movie because this helps change up different intensity levels of whatever is going on in the film.

10. The CrossFade (Fade in/Fade Out) Transition

This is most commonly used when you begin a scene in which you would use the fade in and then when you end the scene in which you would use a fade out. A fade is when the screen slowly becomes black or white either before or after showing the image. A fade-in would be when the screen slowly goes from black to then showing the picture and a fade-out would do the same but in the opposite order. A crossfade slash dissolve is used to softly transition between two videos and can be shown into the passing of different worlds, a slower-paced nature or music video, or to show the passing of time. Do this cut as a last result and use it as a last option. This also counts in the category of using the zooming into an iris or using the wipe motion but these are old-fashioned transitions so don’t use these unless it is for a silly or old-school edit.

11. Camera Movement Cut

This is when you use similar camera movements from clip A to clip B and match them together. If clip A has a whip to the right move then clip B would start with that same movement so that way when you cut these two clips and when you combine them it will seem like one giant wiping to the right sequence. Other versions of this cut are the rise up and down one or a mix of the two to show someone falling.

12. The Invisible Cut

Utilizes an all-white or all-black frame or a lot of motion blur from something passing in the foreground. An example is walking through a door and then it cuts to show you as if you walked the whole way through the door. Another version of this would be if you are running and the screen turns black to showcase you are in a cave.

That's all for today now go out there and practice video editing with these tips and I'll chat with y'all on Monday! Have a good weekend!

Today we're going to dive into how to get into the video editing mindset. Just as a side note this is a hobby which I've been wanting to do since I was very young! Now let’s get into it! So firstly, what is video editing? Video editing is where you compile videos/images with background music playing in order to tell a story. So for example, if I wanted to showcase images of destruction after an earthquake devastated a location in a movie I would use dark filters and play sad music in order to really capture the devastating effects.

Well before we get into the actual nitty-gritty of how to go about video editing we first need to get into that video editing mindset. If you are doing video editing for a movie or even doing a collab video edit you have to respect the other person’s idea and give it a shot. You should not shoot down an idea and say that it is bad. There are no “bad” ideas in video editing because those ideas can lead to amazing results (or not) but you have to give it a shot! Do not turn down an idea of yours or the director/collaborator and say that it is a “bad idea”. Respect their opinion and try it out and when they watch your edit of it if you two can come to an agreement on things then that’s great. It’s all about compromise and these types of situations if handled in this manner can help your leadership qualities, confidence, and it’s a bonding experience.

The people who edit and the people who film the footage both work incredibly hard so the editor and other collaborators must be on good terms because if not then you two will only focus on the bad dynamic and NOT on the mood and idea behind the film/footage. You must stay respectful and open to your own ideas and their ideas as well. Also, this ties into you being confident that you know what you want in an edit and expressing those ideas clearly to whomever you are working with. Editing is more than just cutting clips out it is about cutting clips, moving clips, then putting the whole story together there are hardly any films where the editor just cuts stuff and puts all the clips in the same sequence and calls it a day. In editing, it is also highly important that you keep everything organized it not only keeps you from being overwhelmed but also if you are working with others it helps you be able to quickly pull everything up. Also, when you are required to do this as your job you will want to decrease the time it takes to pull up the actual clips and get straight into the workflow.

Another thing is thinking of editing as a muscle that you need lots and lots of practice on. Also, there are plenty of videos whether here on Techie Youth or on YouTube that can help you learn how to edit in specific programs or just give you general tips on how to edit.

Also, don’t doubt yourself no matter your skill level just go out there and make edits! Give it a shot! Of course, the first edit you ever make will not have all the technical effects down pat, but it takes a long time to learn how to edit so be proud of each edit you make, and don’t be afraid to showcase it to the world!

Yes, you heard me right! You indeed can earn income from writing blogs on this very site as well as on other websites. Before we deep dive into the money-making aspects of it let's get down to business by explaining what exactly is a blog? We've all heard of a blog and we've all seen it but what truly makes a blog well a blog?

Blog stands for "web" + "log" = "blog." A blog is anything that you write with the intention of educating an audience on a website. So for example, Tumblr is the website I am using in order to write this very blog (this post). The intention of today's blog is to teach you what a blog is and how to earn money from it. I've been saying blog so many times in a row the word itself is beginning to sound very strange in my head!

You can use blogs as personal journals (hobby blogs), creative expression, teaching and coaching others (what my blog is all about), selling products, and promoting brands. Before we get into the different types of blogs and how to earn money with them we should first discuss exactly how to make people run to your blogs. Firstly, you need to make sure the content you make is relatable to your audience and that your personality shines in your blogs because if you don't have these things down pat you won't turn as big of a profit when you try the various ways to earn income.

Now let's get into a few different types of blogs:

Personal Blog

This is where the individual truly writes about anything their heart desires because it is something that genuinely interests them. They can also write about their everyday life, who they are as a person, values, morals, politics, beliefs, etc. This is the type of blog that is most intimate because your audience truly gets to see who you are as not only a person but also as a writer.

2. Personal Brand Blog

This would be a blog in which it focuses on you as a brand. The purpose of this blog is also to build up your credibility as a coach, teacher, mentor, guidance, advice seeker, etc within a specific niche. They can sell you e-books, books, checklists, guides, courses, or other miscellaneous products in order to not only earn a profit but to help you the audience to achieve whatever goal it is that this blog mentions.

3. Corporate Blog

When the blog is focused on discussing the corporation's services or products in order to drive traffic to their business. They will pick very specific topics within the corporation's niche in order to hopefully turn a profit if they get enough traffic to their blog.

These are just a few of the many different types of blogs out there so do the research here on TechieYouth and find out which type of blog your passionate about pursuing, how to earn income from it, life skills, and much much more!

Some ways you can earn income with blogs are by putting ads on your blog, recommending products in your articles, affiliate marketing, and selling your own digital products or services (this takes the most time but can also be the most rewarding financially). also took the blog quiz and passed it on the first try hooray!

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