Stop wasting time and make career moves that work

In thinking about what my next posting should be I decided to stick to what I know. What does this guy know you might be asking yourself, well readers "I'm glad you asked". Without boring you to sleep, I hope to give you a brief overview of of what has worked for me this far in my career. Since some of you may or may net be familiar with the medical field I will give a brief overview of what is required to work in the medical field. 

While it will vary from job to job most jobs in the medical field require a license or certificate attained from an approved school. To get the license most all medical jobs require a state mandated number of classroom hours as well as what is called clinical hours. Clinical hours are just on the job training in the specific job you are going to school for, these hours are typically done in a hospital or clinic. Once you graduate/finish (woohoo I'm done) a state approved course there is a required competency test (aww man I got to take another test now) that is issued by either the state or a national organization that the state has partnered, with in order to keep it uniform. Upon passing this test you are now considered a registered, certified or licensed and can now work in your field of training.

To start with I have been in the medical field for my entire adult life and have found many benefits and several drawbacks. I have served in many capacities throughout my time working in the medical field. I will outline my experiences and share some basic knowledge. For me I started my career as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), and worked in both the public and private sector. As an EMT you are on the front lines and are typically the first on scene to car accidents, falls, gun shot wounds, heart attacks ect... You get to see and do some very cool things, however your scope of practice (what you can legally do) will vary from state to state. For example, my first day on the job we got called to a patient that accidentally shot himself in the chest, while this is bad under any circumstance this particular instance was with a shotgun. As you can Imagine there was what seemed to me to be gallons of blood, we had to do CPR and every time we did a chest compression there was more blood shooting out of his chest. The short version of the story is that the trauma surgeon cracked his chest to attempt to stitch the heart, he was unable to stop the bleeding in time and the patient died. As exciting as EMS was it didn't pay very much at the time, so to further my career I decided to go to nursing school. My original plan was to do my LVN (licensed vocational nurse) and then do a bridge program to get my RN (registered nurse). The biggest factor that I hadn't accounted for was the fact that I might really not like doing nursing. While I did finish the schooling it was not long before I decided that I would not be happy doing Nursing and needed to make a change (best laid plans and all that).

This brings me to the next chapter in my journey down this winding road that is the medical industry. After having decided that nursing was not for me, I was half way to figuring out what was next. The problem was that left me with the all important question of, whats next? I knew two things for sure, I didn't want any more student loans and I wanted to stay in the medical field. As the no student loans naturally limited my options I finally settled on the Military as my most viable option. Shortly there after I enlisted and went to school to become a radiology tech. Being a radiology tech involves shooting X-rays on people, performing orthopedic and spine surgeries, special procedures and CT (Computed Tomography) exams. The starting pay in this field is fairly decent, but the diversity that the job brings is even more appealing. Two of the biggest Perks are that you can work in virtually any hospital or clinic in the country and you have the ability to branch into other modalities within radiology (special procedures, CT, MRI, cath lab or sonography) with just on the job training and a test. There are jobs that you can get doing strictly surgical procedures, or you could go work for one of the major manufactures as a sales rep or training rep. The beauty of doing radiology is that in most states it is an associates degree program, therefore you come out with an associates degree as well as a hugely marketable skill. On top of the degree you are eligible to take the National Registry exam which is recognized across the country as the standard in Radiology Imaging.

So in closing while I am biased to radiology, I have worked hand in hand with virtually every type of job in a given hospital setting. I can say that Radiology gives you the a ton of flexibility to expand your career to any level you want and with it to increase your pay by leaps and bounds. Additionally you will have a degree to show for it that will allow you to transfer to any 4 year school and be well on your way to a bachelors degree. The medical field is not for everyone and if a two year degree isn't what your looking then then there are always a need for: medical schedulers, medical billing, medical assistant or medical receptionist. While this is by no means a comprehensive list it is just a few alternatives that are certification based, inexpensive and can be attained with relatively little school. But whatever you decide I am a big advocate of investing in yourself and not simply a degree. So gain some skill that makes you more marketable and don't simply go to school to get a degree that says you know a lot about a given subject. For more information about medical career alternatives see my blog on the top paying medical jobs out there.

Don't waste time, complete your degree without taking a class.

If you read my previous post you have probably heard of CLEP, DSST and ALEKS. If you haven't read my previous post "stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200 go straight back to my first post in this blog. OK I'm assuming now that if your still reading we are on the same page.

Until about 4 years ago I had never heard of CLEP, DSST or any other alternative credit gaining method. The beauty of these alternative testing  methods is that for CLEP/ DSST all you need to pass almost every exam is a score of 50%.  Yes, you read that correctly you can pass and get real college credit for a score of 50%. Where else in the world can you go spend 90 min and get the same credit as if you sat through 90 days of classes. I have personally taken and passed over 20 different exams, all on the first try.

There are 33 different exams that CLEP offers in 5 different categories. Each exam has a time limit of 90 min and covers an average of 90 question. With the exception of English (college composition) all exams are strictly five multiple choice answers per question. The exams are designed to cover all the material you would typically see in your first 2 years of college. The categories are: Business, composition/literature, foreign languages, history/social sciences, and sciences/mathematics. The complete list with the credit awarded for each exam can be found at CLEP exam list. Two important facts that you should know if you are thinking about taking a CLEP or DSST. Firstly, all exams are free for military personal and their families, this applies to all education centers on military instillation a as well as approved civilian testing centers. The military (regardless of branch will pay for your first attempt at either a CLEP or DSST , this does not mean only one exam, they will pay for as many exams as you want to take but only the first attempt, so if you fail and wish to take it again you have to pay out of pocket. Secondly there is a multitude of material out there that is designed specifically for people trying to pass one of these exams. Just to name a few things, there are study guides for each individual test, I personally used the REA study guides and had great success with them. There are also exam guides put out by Peterson's , Owl publishing and a general guide that covers all 33 exams which is put out by the test makers. All these books generally come with an exam description, study material and practice tests. The study guides can be ordered from the publisher directly but my advise would be going through Amazon or another third party site. 

As for the DSST exams there are 30+ DSST exams of which 12 are upper level, meaning they will satisfy part of your 300-400 level classes should you decide to pursue a Bachelors degree in the future. My personal preference is to take the DSST exam over the CLEP exams. There are several reasons for that, the three biggest reasons are: there are only 4 multiple choice questions instead of 5, many of the exams are upper level which means they can apply to a Bachelors degree and you get a full 120 min which gives you an extra 30 min per test over the CLEP. In all other aspects DSST exams are very similar to the previously described CLEP exams. They are also funded by the military and can be taken for free. Almost all places that offer CLEP also offer DSST testing and 90% of testing locations are Internet based so you get your results instantly. As for study guides they are out there, but depending on the subject you may or may not have many options. The official partners for DSST exams is  Peterson's and they offer many resources that are tailored to the tests. 

If you are ready to take the leap and want to take your first exam there are a couple things you should do before you do. The first thing to do confirm with your school that they accept the credit for the exams. A complete list of schools can be found on the searchable lists of the Respective websites. Assuming your school accepts it you would secondly need to find a testing location and schedule the exam you want to take. I say schedule as the second step because you need to give yourself a deadline to meet. This will help keep you focused and on track with the next step, which is studying. Studying time needed will vary based off exam and person but on average 3-4 weeks should be plenty to learn enough information to pass. Lastly, realize you got this and that your taking the first step towards saving yourself lots of time and money. 

So in closing, while this method of gaining credit is not for everyone it is certainly for some. If you have the ability to dedicate an hour a night, give days a week, to studying then you should be able to pass a class a month without any problem. So check with your schools,  consult your degree programs and go get that 50%. 

Getting credit for military service and using your school benefits.

There has been a theme of school related post in my blog thus far so let's keep it going with one more. Whether you're in the military currently, thinking about going into the military or have already retired I'm speaking to you. There is a saying that nothing in this life is free. While that may be true in the broad sense of the word you can get truly "free" college credits for your military service as well as "free"schooling if you qualify. I know what your thinking "if you only knew what I had to go through in the military you wouldn't call anything "free". I could agree with you more, I myself served in the military for 8 years and while I was proud to do it, it was very trying at times. But back to the point at hand, turning military service into college credit. 

While the fact that you don't get any credit or a degree through most military schooling is generally well known, the fact that almost all schooling has an ACE credit recommendations may not be. What this essentially means for you is that your particular courses have already been assessed and given a credit designation. The best example I can give you that fits everyone is that of, Basic Training. Whatever your branch you have to go through some form of a basic in order to serve. While it may seem that this is null and void in the credit department, you can actually get physical fitness credits for this. While these credits may not fit into your degree they will likely be accepted as some form of elective in one of your basic class categories.

 With the merging of the different branches of service together and the creation of the joint bases, they have also merged all the transcripts. This is the new and improved transcript service that is offered at one location to anyone regardless of branch of service. These transcripts are fittingly called Joint Service Transcripts or JST for short. The best way to see exactly what you have is to register for an account at the Transcript request site and see what credits recommendations were made. This transcript can be sent to your respective school to be evaluated for acceptable credits based off your desired degree program. This is not to say that every school will accept these credits, but there are many military friendly schools that will accept many of the credits. 

As for the free schooling if you live and served on active duty and enlisted or were a resident of Texas than you may be eligible for the Hazlewood Act which gives you 120 credit hours to any state funded school. Unlike your GI bill you don't have to have contributed to anything to be eligible and you can use it for any level degree not just a Bachelors. 

The reality is that you have served and you have options that may save much time/money so it would be silly not to at least explore your options. The worst thing that can happen is that you will spend a couple hours researching this and end up back where you are now. If you have questions about it check the links I have included or send me a message and I would be happy to help in any way I can.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28650594@N03/7980227141">Puerto Ricans commemorate 9/11 [Image 14 of 18]</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>

Debt and living free in the Millennial Generation!

Almost everyone in my generation (millennial) has or has had some amount of debt and may even consider it a way of life. If you are comfortable with your debt and don't care to see it gone then this post is not for you. If however you are looking to buy a house, be a stay at home mom or are just tired of making other people rich off the fees and interest you are paying every month then this post is for you. There are two major sources of long term debt that most households have. The first type of debt is also the highest interest and most dangerous, if you guessed credit card you are correct. The average household has roughly $16,000 worth of credit card debt with interest rates ranging from 10-30%. The second common debt is student loans coming in at $33,000 a household.

• The credit card is in my opinion the most dangerous and difficult to get rid of since it is revolving debt with high interest and many steep fees. This is a bit like a merry go round in the sense that if you don't get off the ride you will keep going in circles. My advise would be to cut the card up and don’t look back. It may well be painful however stay on the merry go round long enough and your likely to get sick. 

• Someone once told me “you can't get an education without student loans”. This is not at all true, you can get a 4 year degree and walk away with no student loans (see my other blog on the subject). I wish I had known how many alternatives there are out there when I first started school, it would literally have saved me thousands of dollars. Student loan debt as a country is currently (Aug 2015) at 1.2 Trillion dollars. How in the world does it cost in excess of the entire GDP of the country of Mexico to educate students? This number should shock you, if it doesn't then you should stop reading right now. You have options when it comes to student loan debt, you can defer the payments, get an income based repayment plan or consolidate them into one payments. None of these are particularly good options since you will still be paying interest on all of them. My advise would be to finish paying off your credit cards and then start paying down your student loans as quickly as you can. 

The bottom line is that your debt is just that YOURS. It doesn't hurt anyone but you and it's not going anywhere until you decide to get rid of it. It is a sacrifice to get out of debt, it will likely hurt at times but it's doable and the rewards are great. If I could go back and do it over I would never have borrowed a penny for school, credit cards or anything else. I can't go back but I can sure as heck change my legacy going forward. If you want to change yours I am happy to help in anyway I can, give me a call or shoot me an email and I can turn you onto some great resources. 

What you need to know about Homes in 78249

As a resident of the zip code 78249 and a San Antonio REALTOR, I felt it was time to get a little more personal and bring things home. What few people know is that I was born and spent many of my childhood years living in this very zip code. So when I say, “bring things home” I mean it quite literally, for as fate would have it I ended up back here almost 30 years later. That being said, I have some history as a resident and some expertise as a San Antonio Realtor that I would like to impart to those who are curious to learn a bit about the zip code that is 78249.

As many people do, my wife and I wanted to move from the side of town we were living on to be closer to our jobs. The goal was to get into a central location and into an area/neighborhood that we would feel comfortable raising a family in, but that would not break the bank. Our search led us to look at a variety of homes in 78249 and surrounding zip codes, however we were attracted to 78249 homes specifically because of their diversity and character.

The appealing thing about 78249 is that it is in the center of the city with easy access to three major highways, UTSA, The Rim shopping center and a straight shot to the South Texas Medical Center. The homes in this zip are generally all homes in well-established neighborhoods that range from the low $100's, to multi-million mansions. You will find everything from the traditional starter homes, garden homes and Villas to multi-million dollar homes. Interested in a brand new 78249 home? We got that as well, with a brand new subdivision of 78249 homes being built, you can get your new home starting at around 200k. If new is not your thing then there are many different and unique neighborhoods that are well established with mature trees, quiet streets and friendly neighbors.

In closing, I want to share the numbers i.e. median home prices. According to Realtor Property Resource the median home price for 78249 homes is $194,500 (at the time of this writing), which reflects home prices/values having risen by 7.7% over the last 12 months. The median days on the market for 78249 homes was 51 days, which is three weeks below the median for Bexar County as a whole. What this means for those of you who are considering a move into a 78249 home, the longer you wait the more you are likely to have to pay and the greater your risk of losing the home you want. The real estate market in this zip, as in most of the city, is active and showing no signs of slowing down so don't miss the opportunity to own a piece of this pie. As your San Antonio Realtor I am here to answer any questions you may have and to handle all your real estate needs, so call today! 

What you need to know about flipping houses in San Antonio

If any of you are like me, you have probably come across one of the seemingly hundreds of do it yourself (DIY) or house flipping TV shows that seem to have popped up overnight. The question is why do people get into growing trend; is it for the money or do they get some thrill out of the experience? A common theme in many of these shows is that if you find the right home you can make a hefty sum of money seemingly overnight. Let's be honest though, they are filming this entire process that takes weeks if, not months and are cutting it down to mere 30 or 60 minute segments. I am not saying that they do not make decent money on some of those properties, however if they are paying cash for it then they are in a situation many are not. If they are, on the other hand, not paying cash and using debt to finance it they are playing a dangerous game in which they could lose everything. So what's an ordinary person supposed to do in this situation? When one cannot afford to pay cash for a home and repairs but also isn't willing to finance an investment property? As your San Antonio Realtor I would offer you some alternatives; there is the obvious solution of don't do it and leave it to the pros, but then what fun is that. Maybe you could find some willing and able investor to front the money, but unless you are going to do all the work yourself then the said investor does not have much use for you. The safest alternative would be to go against the urge that screams "I want instant satisfaction" and start at your house. What better place than your home to try your handyman skills out and see if you are ready for the big flip. It can be a win-win of you select the right projects that will add value to your home. As a San Antonio Realtor I can give you ideas that will not only gain you equity but also experience, both of which will have the potential to pay off in the log run. The beauty of it is that there are plenty of resources for those willing to go to it alone, Home Depot offers classes, there are literally hundreds of blogs and then there is YouTube. With a little skill, the right tools and some determination you really can make a world of difference in your current home. There is a wealth of knowledge out there that is at your fingertips all you have to do is "search". Start on pinterest, you can literally find thousands of ideas with the click of a mouse. If you are serious about breaking into the real estate investment world then I would start reading on bigger pockets, it has a vast amount of information on the subject.  As always if you need a free consultation with a San Antonio Realtor I offer that as a service to homeowners with no obligation. photo credit

When did free speech cease to become free? Originally posted (April 2014)

What has the country as a whole come to when free speech is dependent on your political association or sexual orientation. With the resignation of the CEO of Mozilla due to an outcry of the lgbt community over what was done with his personal funds full article  . The gay community has turned itself into nothing short of a bully using threats and protests to remove anyone that gets in it's way. The nation as a whole has slipped so far down the slope of gay rights that people are scared to say or do anything that might be perceived as going against the all mighty gay community. While you may not agree with this it is hard to argue with the fact that the CEO was forced out do to a donation that he made in 2008. The sad reality is that this is just one of many instances in which the gay community has used threats and coercion to bulldoze anyone who dares to disagree or take a different view.

The other major instance of this that many have probably heard of is the network removing one of the main cast members of the Duck Dynasty show full article. This as in the case of the Mozilla CEO the gay community became outraged over comments that were made by the cast member. The Network "A&E" proceeded to bow to the demands of the gay community and indefinitely suspended the cast member. Fortunately this isn't the way the story ended, as it should have happened people did not sit idly by and let it happen. People came out in dropped to support the Robinson family and boycott the network unless it reinstated Phil back to the show. The sad reality is that it doesn't matter what the non-gay community says or does if the gay community feels that they were wronged they go straight to the bully tactics that they have used so many times. They claim to want equality for all and the same rights that straight people have however they refuse to accept anyone's opinion that disagrees with them. While I'm sure this is not all people of the gay community the fact of the matter is that  it has and continues to happen on a national scale. Whatever your opinion free speech is the constitutional right of every American and there is no reason that anyone should lose their job or feel threatened if they say something that offends a single group.

While the LGBT community is among the more prominent the sad reality is that our own government is doing the same thing. The U.S government that is sworn to uphold the law and protect it's citizens it is doing everything but. The tactic of this government has been to flood the airwaves with misinformation via the liberal media. The reality is that 6 years into the Obama presidency the national debt has increased by over 100%, there has been lie on top of lie relating to everything from foreign policy to cell phone recordings and healthcare. The level of corruption in this administration is staggering, to the point that it is almost a daily occurrence. America as we knew it ceased to exist when Obama took office and along with it the freedoms that were formerly thought to be untouchable. When the IRS is blatantly targeting conservative groups without consequence, promises made about healthcare that were never true and massive cover ups like Benghazi what hope is there of America remaining free. People are slowly starting to wake up and realize that the government isn't out to protect us or for our betterment, it's out for its own selfish purposes. Whatever your opinion is on things like healthcare there is no arguing with certain things. Let's say that the president had no idea that Millions of people would lose their healthcare because of his signature law and that he was as shocked as everyone else, what has he done to fix it. Further more why would we want someone in charge of this country (and our healthcare) that is so out of touch with reality. The fact that he had no idea the extreme negative impact that the law would cost over a TRILLION dollars all over the coming years. This was never about healthcare and the people that don't have it, it was always about power and control. The government now has direct control over Millions and Millions of people's healthcare, that's more subsidies, more welfare spending and more people being paid off not to better themselves.


Whatever your opinion on these issues the reality is that we are stealing from our kids and selling them into slavery. With this kind of debt that is showing no signs of slowing and the freedoms that we enjoy slowly being eroded the America out children will grow up in is not going to be a free country at all but one that is enslaved  to debt and a government that is intent on keeping its people oppressed at all costs. So stand up and fight against the bully that is the gay community, put your foot down when it comes to compromising what is right. Get involved in a cause that you believe in, write your congressman, senators and representatives. Find a petition for something you want to see changed and sign it or start one of your own and start getting signatures. There is an old saying that all it takes for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing. We need to take action, don't let even win this fight it's our country to lose and it will be if we stand idly by.


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26302301@N00/3111207407">366 - 350: You can't shut me up</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>

Want the power back? Learn how with these credit score basics

There is so much stress put on the credit score and what that means to your ability to qualify for a mortgage. Some people are even led to believe they can't buy without a particular credit score. As a San Antonio Realtor there are three things I suggest my clients think about when considering if their credit score will qualify them for a mortgage. What is the industry standard for a credit score, what is my bad score due to and what do I do if I have a bad score due to lack of credit history?

• Firstly, what is the industry standard when it comes to a mortgage worthy credit score? The industry standard for a typical credit score is 620 or better. However, this number changes based off the type of loan you are trying to qualify for as well as the individual lenders. What this score means is that you are or are not worth the risk that the bank is going to be taking by giving you a mortgage. Every lender is different but if your score is below 600 then there is a slim chance you will get a loan.

• The second thing to consider is why your credit score is bad? Is it due to a lack of history or a history of late payments, missed payments and/or collections? If your score is low due to negative marks against your credit, then you will need to get it above the mark for the loan your trying to get. Some simple things to do if you're trying to get your score up. Paying your credit cards down to below 50% of the available balance will help. If your balance is zero and stays zero, it doesn't improve your score, so put a tank of gas or charge something small every month. Don't immediately pay it off though, wait till you get your bill then pay it off and keep doing this every month...but don't be late! 

• Finally, we come to the hidden gem of this post, what to do if your score is low due to lack of history. There is a process out there that is built just for you and its called Manual underwriting. It is likely a term that you have never heard and what it means is that your ability to get a mortgage will be determined by a person. They will manually screen you on the list of factors other than credit score. This means coming up with at least four alternatives to prove your worthiness. These options could include something as simple as the history of paying your rent on time. If you have an electric bill, water bill, phone bill or insurance bills and can prove that you have paid them on time for a period of 12 months then they may qualify as substitutes. It is likely to be a more time-consuming process than merely getting qualified off of a credit score however, it is still a very viable possibility.

So whether you are attempting to qualify off your credit score or an alternative, there are options for you. If your credit score is low and you are trying to get it up, doing some of the things on this list may help you. If you have a lack of credit history then find a lender that does manual underwriting and tell them, you want to qualify without a credit score. If they don’t know what that is or tell you it is impossible then they are not the company for you.

As a San Antonio Realtor and not a mortgage professional nothing in this blog is intended as statement of fact. All content is for informational purposes only, consult a mortgage professional for the details of your particular situation.

How to get a home with bad credit!

There is so much stress put on the credit score and what that means to your ability to qualify for a mortgage. Some people believe they can't buy without a particular credit score. There are three things to think about when considering whether your credit score will qualify you for a mortgage. What is the industry standard for a credit score, what is my bad score due to and what to do if I have a bad score due to lack of credit history.

• Firstly, what is the industry standard when it comes to a mortgage worthy credit score? The industry standard for a typical credit score is 640 or better. However, this number changes based off the type of loan you are trying to qualify for as well as the individual lenders. What this score means is that you are or are not worth the risk that the bank is going to be taking by giving you a mortgage.

• The second thing to consider is why your credit score is bad? Is it due to a lack of history or a history of late payments, missed payments and/or collections? If your score is low due to negative marks against your credit then, you will need to get it above the mark for the loan your trying to get. There are simple things to do if you're trying to get your score up, such as paying your credit cards down to below 50% of the available balance. If your balance is zero and stays zero, it doesn't improve your score, so put a tank of gas or charge something small every month. Don't immediately pay it off though, wait till you get your bill then pay it off and keep doing this every month.

• Finally, we come to the hidden gem of this post, what to do if your score is due to a lack of history. There is a process designed specifically for this situation, which is called Manual underwriting. It is likely a term that you have never heard of but it simply means that your ability to get a mortgage will be determined by a person. They will manually screen you on a list of factors; other than credit score. This means coming up with at least four alternatives to prove your worthiness. These options can include something as simple as a history of paying your rent on time. If you have an electric bill, water bill, phone bill or insurance bills and can prove that you have paid them on time for a period of 12 months, then they may qualify as substitutes. It is likely to be a more time-consuming process than merely getting qualified off of a credit score however, it is still a very viable possibility.

Michael Mershon REALTOR