Here are some random question we’ve had from visitors to this site along with some attempts at answers:
How does a paperless office work?
A paperless office means different things to different people. Some people consider themselves paperless if they aren’t storing any paper. Other people are trying to keep from producing or consuming paper. I once worked at a hospital that switched to a paperless system in order to save a couple million dollars in medical records storage space. They still produced and consumed paper, but the eliminated the storage part.
Most people who want to move to a paperless office are going to try to find some way to scan in their existing documents so storage and retrieval is electronic. They will also try to find ways to keep from producing paper in the first place. For example, they may switch to electronic signatures in order to put signatures on documents without printing them out and they may look at using digital signatures and certificates to electronically sign email and PDFs in a legally binding way and transfer them back and forth over secure email.
Are online degrees from Harvard Extension School valuable?
Yes. You can learn a lot from them–particularly when getting a masters degree. I wouldn’t recommend an online degree for bachelors level work because so much of what you learn your first four years of college occurs outside of the classroom.
Degrees from Harvard’s Extension school don’t have the same level of prestige as degrees done onsite at Harvard. The Extension schools is much more of a merit based system–if you can do the work you can get the degree. Other Harvard colleges have much more limited resources when it comes to class size so they are more selective at the beginning in what students they let in. So where the Extension school will let anyone try for a degree, the other colleges select a very small number of people who are allowed to try to get a degree.
In addition there seems to be something of a lowered view of online degrees simply because so many people associate them with for-profit schools with a poor reputation and diploma mills. From that standpoint, if you are going to get an online degree, Harvard is probably one of your better choices because it is a very strong reputable school.
Can you get a masters degree from Harvard Extension School in 2 years?
Maybe if you do nothing else but school and take advantage of the summer semesters. Part of the problem I see is the thesis. Degree programs that require a thesis are going to give you nine months to complete it. It is probably better to not be trying to take a bunch of other classes while you work on your thesis. It is probably possible, but it could be pretty tough.
I did my masters degree while working full time and I finished the bulk of my classes in four years. I also took several classes that didn’t count toward my degree program because in the beginning I wasn’t sure I was going to get a degree–I was just taking classes that were interesting. I think I could have finished up the classes in 2.5 to 3 years and then given myself another 9 months for the thesis if I had of gone in with a definite plan. Originally I didn’t think I would be able to complete the residency requirement so I wasn’t sticking to any type of degree plan sheet.
How long does the FBI keep things on file?
Why do you ask? :) Honestly I’d assume that the FBI is going to have a data retention policy that is different depending on what the information is. Vasts amount of raw data with no particular use is likely to get purged, but the file on a specific person who is considered to be a threat will probably be kept indefinitely.
I’m just speculating here so don’t rely on this if you are planning on doing something that may put you in jail or something.
Should I get experience before pursuing an MBA?
Yes. I think MBAs without experience are greatly over-valued by small and medium sized businesses. There are probably some companies that can use freshly minted MBAs, but they are probably going to be focused only on recruits from the very top tier schools.
A few years of real world experience can go a long ways toward preparing you for an MBA education because you’ll have a better context to retain the information you learn. However, there are a lot of companies out there that will pay you a high salary with an MBA and no real experience. You may want to take advantage of this by going straight into an MBA program and getting one of those jobs.
Should I use IMAP instead of POP?
In most situations IMAP is superior to POP. This is particularly true if you have multiple devices (laptop, desktop, cell phone) that you want to have a synchronized view of your email.
How big of monitor is too big?
Well if it doesn’t fit on your desk, you might have a problem. Generally the bigger your monitor the better. Most monitors top out at 30 inches. The best cost to size ration is probably in the 24 inch range. Many people overlook that the resolution of a monitor is just as important as the size. The resolution determines the size of items on the screen. A small monitor with extremely high resolution will show things smaller than a large monitor with average resolution. On the other hand a very large monitor that has very high resolution may still make it difficult to see items on the screen–even though the monitor is large.
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