Huge Incentives Offered to Women With Big Ideas -- Could You Be One of Them?

Remember a time when geeks were the uncool minority? For women in science and engineering fields, they're still trying to be more Bill Gates and less Mary Katherine Gallegher (the nerdy Catholic school girl played by Molly Shannon on 'Saturday Night Live').

Many women in the sciences often remain underrepresented and unrecognized. Men graduated with 585 percent more engineering degrees than women in 2002 (according to Science and Engineering Indicators). Now theKauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation is offering a huge incentive for women to put on their thinking caps.

The organization launched its first Women in Science and Engineering Business Idea Competition. The grand prize may not be a patent certificate, but it just might get the winners a step closer to getting one. Those selected will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to TED 2011 in Long Beach, Calif.

TED, which stands for technology, entertainment, and design, is an annual conference where great thinkers get a chance to spread great ideas. It's the kind of place to rub elbows with people like Peter Gabriel, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jane Goodall, and Mae Jemison. (If those names are unfamiliar, you definitely know their work.)

The plan is to encourage women in science and engineering to think of themselves (and their fantastic ideas) as entrepreneurial. The idea is that as more women in these fields embrace entrepreneurship, they will grow more accustomed to selling their ideas, and that this evolution will allow even more women to continue to change the world.

"We know that more women than ever are leading U.S. businesses and hold a nearly three-to-one majority in undergraduate and graduate education, but too few pursue the path of huge-growth entrepreneurship," said Lesa Mitchell, vice president, Kauffman Foundation.

Entrants are invited to complete an application, which includes a video. But you better hurry: entries are due by Jan. 15, 2011.

By Carol Berman, Posted Jan 5th 2011

Want Prestigious Work?

What to Seek and What to Avoid

Let's admit it: We all need to feel special sometimes. Well, if you're a firefighter, scientist or teacher, you should.  After all, a new Harris poll indicates that plenty of Americans already think you are. 

U.S. adults, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive, see firefighters, scientists and teachers as the most prestigious occupations while bankers, actors and real estate agents are the least prestigious occupations. The 2007 "Most Prestigious Occupations" poll measured the public perceptions of 23 professions.

Participants were asked to rank these professions as having "very great prestige," "considerable prestige," "some prestige," or "hardly any prestige at all."  They could also opt not to rank them or say they weren't sure. 

Sixty-one percent of adults consider firefighters to have "very great prestige," making this occupation the most prestigious on the list. Five other occupations were ranked as having "very great prestige" by over 50 percent of the adults surveyed: Scientists and teachers are considered very prestigious by 54 percent of adults, followed by doctors and military officers, who earn the prestige of 52 percent of Americans, and nurses, whom half of all adults consider very prestigious.

Among the least prestigious occupations are real estate brokers, actors and bankers.  Only 5 percent of survey participants ranked real estate brokers as very prestigious; 9 percent gave actors this label, followed by 10 percent for bankers.  Accountants, entertainers, stockbrokers,union leaders, journalists, business executives and athletes all also ranked low on the list: Less than 20 percent of adults consider any of the aforementioned occupations to have "very great prestige."

Consequently, five occupations are perceived to have "hardly any prestige at all" by at least a quarter of adults: stockbrokers (25 percent), union leaders (30 percent), entertainers (31 percent), real estate brokers (34 percent) and actors (38 percent).

Harris Interactive started conducting its "Most Prestigious Careers" survey in 1977 and included only 11 professions. The most significant change since the survey's inception is that, with the exception of teachers and clergy, the perceived prestige of every one of the original 11 occupations has actually decreased over the years. The most drastic drop occurred among scientists, lawyers and athletes, whose prestige dropped by 12 points, 14 points and 10 points, respectively.  Clergy members are considered prestigious by one percentage point more of the population than they were 30 years ago, while teachers' perceived prestige increased by 25 percent. 

Understandably, the year-to-year changes are less drastic.  Scientists' perceived prestige hasn't changed in the last year, and despite a significant jump from 1977, teachers' perceived prestige has increased by only two percentage points.  Bankers and athletes showed the most drastic drop in prestige: Both are down seven points from last year.  The profession that saw the biggest increase in prestige from 2006 was that of farmers, who rose five points.

While the survey measures the degree to which certain occupations are considered prestigious, it offers no indication as to why people consider certain occupations more prestigious than others.   For more information and to see the complete results of the survey, visitwww.harrisinteractive.com.

----------------

By MaryLorenz,

Too Good to Be True? 6 Common Job Scams

Lured by convenience and seemingly easy money, more and more people are falling prey to job scams. Particularly vulnerable are people who want or need to work from home and those who are looking supplement their income. Those who fall victim can suffer serious consequences including debt collection and criminal charges. Work-at-home scams are varied and can be more difficult to detect. They come in many different forms and change regularly. To protect yourself, it's important to be aware of the various scams lurking and what to do if you suspect you discover one. 

Here are six of today's most common job scams:

1. Nigerian Check Cashing Scam
The Nigerian check cashing scam usually involves transferring funds internationally. The scam artist attempts to reassure the victim by offering apparently legal contracts, forged or false documents bearing company letterhead, false letters of credit, payment schedules and bank drafts. Once the scammer has obtained the victim's trust, checks, money orders or wire deposits are sent to the victim for "processing." The victim is asked to cash the check or money order (wire deposits will send the money directly to the victim's account) and send a percentage of the funds back to its origination. The need for the "middle man" is often explained as being a way around international fees or taxes. Once the funds are sent back to the scammers (usually the victim is told to keep a percentage for themselves, as payment for their services), the victim's bank or financial institution learns that the check/money order/wire transfer was fraudulent. The funds are then subtracted from the victim's account and he or she is made liable for the lost money.

2. Reshipping
Reshipping scams often begin with an employment offer, usually via e-mail. As with the Nigerian scam, these "employers" offer bogus contracts and other documentation to make them appear legitimate. Once the victim's trust has been obtained, packages are shipped to the victim's residence with instructions to reship the packages to another address. Once the package has been reshipped, the victim is "guilty" of receiving and shipping stolen property. This often leads to a visit from police, as the return address or shipping receipts lead back to the victim.

3. Envelope Stuffing Scams
These scams usually incorporate a "registration fee" which must be paid before work begins. Once this fee has been paid, the "employee" is asked to post an ad -- often the exact same ad that the "employee" responded to -- using his or her own contact info. Once the "employee" receives a response to their ad, he or she will stuff an envelope with information/instructions on how to get started and mail it to the new applicant. The victim is "paid" based on the number of responses received from the ad.

4. Medical Billing
Advertisements for these prepackaged businesses always contain an initial financial investment. The ad or solicitation explains that only a small percentage of medical claims are transmitted electronically and that the market for medical billing is wide open. In reality, the medical billing industry is fierce and revolves around several large and well-established firms. Because competition is so prevalent, few consumers who purchase medical billing business opportunities are able to locate clients to generate enough revenue to profit, and they usually can't even earn enough to recover their initial financial investment.

5. Work-at-Home Job Lists
These scams claim to sell lists of companies that are hiring for work-at-home positions. These lists are rarely updated and often yield a list of worthless leads.

6. Phishing
Phishing scams are cleverly hidden attempts to get your account information. These e-mails appear legitimate -- with professional-looking company logos and information -- and often claim that there is an urgent need for you to log into your account and verify personal information. If you receive one of these e-mails, check the destination URL on the provided link before attempting to login or submit any information; the links could actually lead the recipient to a false Web site. The victim may be asked to update their banking information or other sensitive information, which the site owner (aka scammer) will use for any number of illegal purposes.

Protect yourself
Before you send any money responding to job ads or completing job placement contracts, the Better Business Bureau offers the following tips to help job seekers avoid these types of scams:

·  Avoid job listings that use these descriptions: "package forwarding," "reshipping," "money transfers," "wiring funds" and "foreign agent agreements." These and similar phrases should raise a red flag.

·  Do not be fooled by official-sounding corporate names. Some scam artists operate under names that sound like those of long-standing, reputable firms.

·  Never forward or transfer money from any of your personal accounts on behalf of your employer. Also, be suspicious if you are asked to "wire" money to an employer. If a legitimate job requires you to make money transfers, the money should be withdrawn from the employer's business account, not yours.

·  Do not give out your personal financial information. A potential legitimate employer will not request your bank account, credit card or Paypal account number. Only provide your banking information if you are hired by a legitimate company and you choose to have your paycheck direct deposited.

·  Do not fax copies of your ID or Social Security number to someone you have never met. Credit checks and fake IDs can be obtained with this information. Only give these documents to your employer when you are physically at the place of employment.

·  If you have questions about the legitimacy of a job listing, contact your Better Business Bureau, your state or local consumer agency or the Federal Trade Commission.

By Michael Hargis