Education

The transport industry in the US is huge, to say the least. From commercial truck drivers to couriers and delivery drivers, the country is reliant on the people who are tasked with getting things from A to B. As such, employment opportunities are far-reaching and wages are generally ample, making a career in driving a very lucrative choice indeed.

One such career path that is becoming ever more popular is that of the humble school bus driver. Unlike many driving jobs, school bus driving comes with sociable and predictable hours, while still paying quite well. As of 2016, 687,200 were employed to drive school buses and this is predicted to rise by 6% over the next 7 years.

So, how do you make the leap into this much sought-after line of work? Here, we break down the five steps you need to take in order to become a school bus driver.

Step One: Understand the Licensing Laws in Your State

Before you can start applying for positions with schools, you first need to obtain proper certification.  This certification will most likely come in the form of a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). But, when it comes to obtaining your CDL, different states have different regulations and expectations, so it’s vital you do some research into what that means for you.

For instance, to obtain your CDL in Alaska you have to be at least 21 years old, while in Georgia you can apply for your CDL at 18. Alternatively, states such as Colorado, Louisiana and Minnesota require you to pass a physical examination. Other than this, it’s also important to note that almost every state has its own CDL handbook, containing state-specific information for drivers operating commercial vehicles.

You can click here to view CDL requirements state by state

Step Two: CDL Training

The road to obtaining your CDL is not exactly as straightforward as just ‘driving’ a vehicle. The skills required when operating a commercial vehicle exceed those needed when you’re driving a car. Since the path to earning your CDL is more extensive, so too is the workload.

Depending on where you live, the expected training requirements vary, with some states such

as Ohio requiring that drivers complete 160 hours of training both in the classroom and on the road. To complete your education requirements, you might want to consider completing a qualified CDL training program through a community college, private driving school or school run by a trucking company.

But, not every training program is the same, each containing different characteristics. It is probably a good idea to evaluate the pros and cons of each program before committing.

Perhaps weigh up the length of each program, as some courses can take few weeks to complete while others can take months.

Also, depending on the school you attend, the cost will vary. A program conducted through a community college is a more cost-effective option, but a program with a private school offers a quicker completion time.

Step Three: Passing Your CDL Test

Passing the test is not necessarily a walk in the park. Even with the best training program under your belt, the final CDL exam can still feel overwhelming. There is a certain combination of both determination and courage needed to successfully pass the exam. So, if you’re feeling stressed, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

The CDL test is split into two parts: a written knowledge and practical skills. Your knowledge test will take place at your local DMV office. From there, you will have 60 minutes to complete 50 multiple-choice questions. To pass this section of the test, you will need a score of 80%, so there is some room for error.

Now, the practical skills test is in a league of its own. The purpose of this test is to evaluate your execution of procedures and determine whether you can safely operate the vehicle. Expect to perform many different maneuvers throughout this exam. Some of these driving procedures could include safety checks, sharp turns, checking mirrors correctly and navigating through traffic.

Step Four: Adding Endorsements to your CDL

Once you’ve earned your CDL, you’re not home free just yet. Following federal regulations, any driver transporting 16 or more passengers, is required to earn additional endorsements to their CDL. In order to transport students from A to B, school bus drivers are required to earn a School Bus Endorsement as well as a (P) passenger endorsement and air brake endorsement, if required in your state.

While it might be easy to assume that a practical exam is all that’s needed to obtain your endorsements, this is not the case. Similar to your CDL test, an endorsement exam is separated into two parts: a written knowledge test and practical skills exam. These tests cover a range of topics, such as student management, loading and unloading procedures, approaching bus stops, post-trip and pre-trip inspection, proper use of safety devices, emergency exit and evacuation, railroad crossings; backing. Now, if you feel overwhelmed by the range of topics covered here, not to worry!

There are a number of resources available online to get you up to speed. Particularly, there’s an extensive range of practice tests you can take to give you a taste of the real deal.

Step Five: Making It Official

Once you’ve earned both your CDL and appropriate endorsements, you can start applying for work. A great place to find positions is to either search through bus driving companies or follow school district job listings

Many school districts will require you to undergo further training covering subjects like emergencies, district policies, driver and student relations, as well as first aid. This additional training is essential to ensure the school district (your employer) that you are both trustworthy and safety conscious.

As a new school bus driver, you can expect to receive a rate of between $11.00 and $16.00. That said, the more experience you gain, the more your prospective employers are willing to pay. So, if you are willing to put in the time and the work you will reap what you sow.

To read more on topics like this, check out the education category.

In the modern world, there are seemingly fixed and established paths for everything. When it comes to gaining access to the business world, the first educational route that people think about is usually a Masters of Business Administration – or MBA. However, that’s not the only way to break into the business world, and you may even find that you’re limiting yourself in the event that it focuses too much on the established routes.

There are in fact lots of other ways that you can make it in the business world and get the education you need to break through. Academic degrees in subjects other than business can offer the sort of transferable skills that are required to make a business career happen while specializing in other business skills such as administration can also help. This article will go through your options.

Traditional degrees

On the face of it, subjects like history, English and even the sciences may not seem like the most obvious options as launchpads for a business career. But when you drill down into what these subjects offer, it quickly becomes apparent that there are many transferable skills there. The sciences encourage skills like planned experiments and accurate measuring of outcomes. That is useful in the business world, as it means any expansions or other projects are likely to go more smoothly.

The skills of clear communication which are cultivated by a degree in English, meanwhile, could well make all the difference when it comes to getting a business deal over the line. And academic subjects such as math and economics offer clear and obvious overlaps with business, such as quantitative thinking and an ability to work with tools such as profit and loss sheets. So there’s no need to write off traditional subjects when it comes to a business career, in fact, they might be just the ticket.

Vocational qualifications

Business is busier than ever these days, and that means there’s more demand than ever before for support services such as administration. And in many ways, business is also more socially mobile and meritocratic than ever. Gone are the days when only men who had elite university degrees could ever hope to access the top of the business tree. Now, even if you start at the bottom rung of the ladder you can rise up if you work hard.

For those thinking of pursuing vocational qualifications including the office administration option offered by Bryant and Stratton, this combination of developments is perfect. Jobs working in administration, on reception or elsewhere in the support world can all be secured through vocational degrees, and they offer a great and accessible entry point from where you can rise further up the ranks. There’s no shame in starting in support work or another similar field, or in working in it for many years – and with office administration courses offering rigorous training in computer technology, managerial skills and more, there’s plenty to get stuck into.

School of life

While education is a good route for the vast majority of people (and offers them the added security of a qualification to fall back on), some who are successful in business simply rely on their skills and experiences outside of an academic context. By drawing on the skills you have learned through living your life, you may well be able to make a success of it in business without relying on a qualification.

Remember that entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, did not finish their degrees – and they turned out fine! Just ensure that you do your research before pulling off the educational path for good and be certain that you’ve got a plan in place and the contacts you need to ascend the business ladder without a business qualification.

Alternative education routes are designed to help you get ahead in the business world – and there’s no need to stick to the typical options, such as business degrees. Academic degrees from other fields can work just as well especially given how many transferable skills there are on offer, while there are also plenty of vocational options which can help you get to where you need to be if you’re looking to enter at the clerical or support levels. In short, there are many choices to go for – and you should never feel restricted if you’re determined to make it in this sector.

As a teacher, you may have to make videos on the various topics you covered in your classroom lessons. Video is actually a useful tool to educate the students because it allows them to refer back to the things that you have thought in the classroom. If your school don’t have a site where you can upload the video, you can just upload them to a free video sharing platform like YouTube. Before you upload, you have to first use a video compression software to compress it.

What is Video Compression?

Video compression is the process of converting it to another format like MP4 to reduce the file size. The reason is that it is hard to upload a large video with high resolution. If you compress your video, it will only take half the time to upload the video. Video compression does not improve the quality of the video. In fact, it will reduce the video quality. However, if you choose a format like MP4, the video quality will not be noticeable.

How to Convert a Video?

There are lots of ways to convert a video. People who don’t have a converter on their computer can use the online tool to convert it. The downside is that your video may be accessible to the site owner or other people when you upload it to get it converted in the online tool. You can also use a video converter browser plugin/extension to convert your video. You can load the converter by pressing the converter icon on the browser toolbar. It will then produce a download link to download the converted video to your computer.

You can also use a desktop converter to convert your video. Examples of desktop converters that you can use for converting business videos are Handbrake, and Any Video Converter, and Movavi Video Converter.

Many of these converter programs have easy to use interface so you can start using without learning how to compress a video. The software has a built-in editor that allows you to perform edits on the video. Before buying a video converter, you should always check for things like input/output files, features and user-friendliness of the interface.

Get Familiar with Video Conversion Terms

Before converting a video, you should become familiar with some terms that are used in a video converter. Frame rate refers to the frequency the frames are displayed in a video. High frame rate is required for videos with a lot of fast action scenes so that the video will look smooth with no lagging.

Aspect ratio is the width of video compared to the height. For example, a 1280×720 pixel has an aspect ratio of 16:9. When converting video, don’t save a video that is 4:3 ratio in 16:9 ratio as it will make it appear stretched. Similarly, don’t save a 16:9 video in 4:3 as the output video will become squashed.

To ensure your video is compressed correctly, you must know how to adjust the settings. Many software makes it easy for users by providing presets for different devices. For example, if you want to convert a video to MP4 for iPhone, you simply choose the MP4 preset optimized for iPhone.

Practice Video Conversion Often

You can improve your video conversion skill by making videos often and converting to another format. It is easy to press the convert button to convert the video. But, you can also practice on adjusting other settings like framerate and bitrate when converting a video.

Edit Your Video with the Build-in Converter

Finally, before uploading, make sure your video is already edited and error free. Most video converters include a built-in editor for adding different types of special effects to your video. You can also perform all the basic edits like crop, add music, animated text and watermark on the video.

To read more on topics like this, check out the education category.