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Stock markets worldwide took a major hit Monday after Greece moved one step closer to financial chaos, raising concern it could default on its international debt.
Why save for decades to come up with the cash for a down payment on a historic inn worth almost a million dollars when you could simply win one for $125 and an essay?
That’s what one couple just did. Prince and Rose Adams, both 45, won a historic Maine inn in an essay contest. The couple, originally from Brooklyn but currently living in the Virgin Islands, will soon close their restaurant in St. John to take over the 210-year-old Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant in Lovell, Maine.
When they received the phone call to say they were the inn’s new owners, Rose first thought the caller wanted to make a reservation at their restaurant, Sweet Plantain. Then they heard the true reason for the call — and they were thrilled. “We are excited and frightened,” Prince told the Bangor Daily News.
The secret to their winning essay? They basically sold their skills and proved their competence at running an inn. They touted their 12 years running a guesthouse and restaurant, their hospitality philosophy, the importance of their marriage, their qualifications and even their TripAdvisor awards.
And they’re not the only people to win an incredible property by putting words to paper. Essay contests giving away costly properties are all the rage these days, and owners are using such competitions to part with a goat farm, a horse farm, a movie theatre and more.
Janice Sage, the current owner of the Center Lovell Inn, has a pretty good idea of how the new owners must be feeling about now. She knows what it’s like to win a business for the cost of a fancy dinner. How? Sage herself won the very same inn in a similar essay contest 22 years ago, out of a field of 5,000 entrants who each paid $100. But after decades of working the 17-hour days innkeeping required, Sage was ready to pass ownership along to someone new.
Of course, the inn isn’t exactly free. In addition to spending time managing the business and maintaining the inn, the winners must pay taxes on the $905,000 property, as well as various land transfer and attorney’s fees.
Still, the Adams family is excited for the challenge. Their plans for the inn include using Rose’s extensive culinary background to revamp the menu with a combination of Maine classics and the spicy Caribbean cuisine Rose normally cooks. And their 10-year-old son, Jacob, is thrilled about the possibility of getting a dog (preferably a Great Dane) on the spacious property.
Sage wasn’t just in it for the joy of welcoming new innkeepers into the fold; she was hoping to cash in on her investment. The contest rules announced that her goal was to receive 7,500 entries, or a total of $937,500 in entry fees. She even put a clause in the official rules reserving the right to refund everyone’s money and cancel the contest if she did not receive enough entries.
While Sage isn’t disclosing how many entries she received or how much money the contest brought in, she does say she plans to use the funds for her retirement.
Your Turn: Did you enter the contest to win the inn? Why or why not?
Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The post Remember the Essay Contest to Win a Maine Country Inn? This Couple Won appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
Over the last decade, two huge issues — rising student loan debt and the lack of entry-level jobs – have been on a collision course. Everywhere we look, we see stories about the growing number of students who accrue debt without ever earning a degree, how America’s students accrue $3,055 in student loan debt every second, and the notoriously poor job prospects for millennials.
Meanwhile, more and more jobs are being shipped overseas, including up to 3.2 million jobs to China alone since 2001.
And that’s part of the problem. In certain fields, students are racking up enormous amounts of debt to prepare for jobs that they can’t even get – at least not here.
Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” echoed that sentiment last year in a segment on Fox News. According to Rowe, today’s students are receiving conflicting advice – and even bad advice – on what it takes to get ahead in today’s economy.
Cheesy slogans like “Work smart, not hard” aren’t helping, says Rowe, whose foundation – the mikeroweWORKS Foundation – aims to prepare people for jobs in the skilled trades.
Their slogan? “Work smart and hard.”
But no matter what you’ve heard, the argument Rowe makes isn’t necessarily against college; it’s against paying huge sums of money for an education that doesn’t lead anywhere. For students to get ahead, they need to invest in education and career training that can actually lead to employment – you know, jobs that are actually in demand.
“We are lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist,” says Rowe. “That’s nuts.”
Many people would agree, but the ever-increasing levels of student loan debt tell another story. This begs the question, what should students be studying?
When it comes to the future of employment in this country, the numbers really do speak for themselves. The truth is, if you’re looking for a career with a ton of potential that simply cannot be shipped overseas, you have a wealth of options to choose from. Even better, a lot of careers with the best potential only require a two-year degree or less, which could mean fewer loans to repay when you graduate.
Using data from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we compiled this list of hot jobs that simply cannot be outsourced:
Diagnostic medical sonographers operate special imaging equipment in order to help other healthcare providers diagnose and treat injuries and illnesses. And like almost all jobs in health care, jobs in this field simply cannot be shipped overseas.
The fact that this career usually only requires an associate’s degree can also mean quick entry into the workforce. Meanwhile, the future looks extremely bright for those who earn this degree now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for diagnostic medical sonographers is expected to increase 46% nationally from 2012 to 2022 – more than four times as fast as all occupations combined. Here are some other details you should know:
We all know what carpenters do; they build and construct wooden framework, buildings, partitions, and walls. And for the most part, these jobs simply cannot be outsourced beyond our borders.
To get started in this career, you may not even need a college education at all. As the BLS notes, most carpenters get started by completing an apprenticeship, learning on the job, or starting as a helper and learning the trade over time.
Because new developments are always being planned, demand for carpenters is only expected to increase over time. In fact, U.S. Department of Labor data shows that employment for carpenters is expected to increase 24% from 2012 to 2022. For a job that may result in a student loan balance of zero, carpentry has a lot to offer. Some other important stats:
If you want to work in an occupational therapist’s office without spending too much time in college, you may want to consider a career as an occupational therapy assistant. These workers provide support to occupational therapists, help patients with therapeutic activities, and complete administrative tasks.
Getting started in this career usually requires an associate’s degree from an accredited occupational therapy program. These are typically found at hospitals and community colleges, although you may occasionally find a program at a trade school.
Occupational therapy assistants are unlikely to see their work shipped overseas — and they also enjoy excellent job prospects. According to the BLS, employment for occupational therapy assistants is expected to increase 43% nationally from 2012 to 2022. Here are some more details:
Can you imagine leaving the country to see your dental hygienist? Nope, neither can I. These workers simply cannot be shipped overseas since they must live and work where their patients are. In most cases, getting started in this career only requires an associate’s degree in dental hygiene, which can be completed in two years. Most dental hygienists must also be licensed, however, although the requirements vary from state to state.
Here’s even better news: Because of the demand in this field, employment for dental hygienists is expected to increase 33% nationally from 2012 to 2022. Some more stats:
While this career isn’t for everyone, it is one that absolutely cannot be shipped overseas under any circumstances. When people die in the United States, morticians and undertakers must be available to care for their bodies and families. Because of this fact, demand and pay remain rather high.
Specifically, employment for funeral service managers is expected to increase 13% from 2012 to 2022. Meanwhile, jobs for all funeral service occupations are expected to surge 12%. Considering the fact that only an associate’s degree is required to work in this field in most states, the future of mortuary science looks bright. Here are some other relevant statistics:
Another construction career that isn’t going anywhere is masonry. Thanks to the fact that this industry cannot be outsourced, brickmasons and blockmasons enjoy relatively high pay and excellent job prospects. In most cases, you can get started in this career with a one- to two-year apprenticeship. However, some brickmasons and blockmasons complete one- to two-year masonry programs at trade or technical schools.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings for these workers are expected to increase 36% nationally from 2012 to 2022. Since more people generally means more houses, hospitals, and schools, brickmasons and blockmasons will remain in demand as the population grows.
Advances in medical technology bring new types of equipment into the field of healthcare all the time. Further, various types of high-tech equipment and machinery require trained Americans to work on them – a fact that makes jobs in this field relatively safe from outsourcing.
Most of the time, getting started in this field requires an associate’s degree in biomedical technology or engineering. However, depending on the specialization, candidates may need a bachelor’s degree.
Still, the job prospects and pay in this field are rather attractive. According to the most recent BLS data, employment for medical equipment repairers is expected to increase 30% nationally from 2012 to 2022. Some more details:
Petroleum engineers design and develop plans that help bring oil to the Earth’s surface. In some cases, that can mean traveling for work. However, oil extraction jobs in the U.S. and in our coastal waters cannot typically be shipped overseas.
Because of the degree of skill required for this career, pay is high and demand is spectacular. As the BLS notes, employment for these workers is expected to increase 26% from 2012 to 2022. It’s also fairly easy to figure out how to get started – in most cases, petroleum engineers begin their careers with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or a related field.
Civil engineers plan, organize, and supervise large construction projects including bridges, airports, dams, and tunnels. And because of the nature of this work, their jobs simply cannot be shipped overseas. To get started in this field, candidates need to earn a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. However, a master’s degree may be required for advanced or supervisory positions.
Because big construction projects are ongoing, demand in this field remains high. As the BLS notes, employment for civil engineers is expected to increase 20% nationally from 2012 to 2022, adding 53,700 jobs over the decade.
Although plumbers may not have the most glamorous job in the world, they do have one of the most stable. And since the work they do can only take place in our own buildings and homes, their jobs must remain here in the good ol’ US of A.
Even better, a career in plumbing could be yours in a shorter amount of time than you think. According to the BLS, most plumbers get their start by completing an apprenticeship or finishing a one- or two-year plumbing program at a trade or technical school.
Since population growth should fuel the expansion of our infrastructure and new developments, employment in this field is expected to surge. Specifically, employment for plumbers is expected to increase 21 percent from 2012 to 2022. Here are some more details you should know:
When you’re choosing a college major or career path, there is definitely more to consider beyond just college costs and employment statistics. Not only should you find a career with real potential, but it needs to be something you won’t hate doing for the next 30 years. Because, no matter what, 30 years is a long time. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a job you hate.
Still, you should at least take a look at the numbers. And you never know – you might find that careers you never even considered have a lot more potential than you ever realized. Your new career may not seem like your dream job at first, but if it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be called “work.”
Meanwhile, you should always run the numbers before you pursue a college degree. Ask yourself if your starting salary will be enough to justify the cost of your degree. If the answer is no, you should at least consider a technical or vocational education. With the right training, you may be able to work smart and hard while also enjoying a job that cannot be shipped overseas – no matter what.
Do you agree with this list? Do you worry that your job will be outsourced one day?
The post 10 Hot Jobs That Simply Cannot Be Shipped Overseas appeared first on The Simple Dollar.