#adlcourses

Snakes and other reptiles require specialist care to live happy, long lives. Our course is perfect for a reptile keeper in a zoo or the discerning reptile enthusiast.

Find out more here: https://adlonlinecourses.com/courses/animal-studies/herpetology-ben209-cld

With more of our writing being digitised, the fountain pen is often thought of as a redundant instrument from a bygone era. But for me, when taking notes or writing appointments into my diary, I have found that the unparalleled smoothness provided by a fountain pen translates into a clarity of ideas.

 Because of their use in schools to teach better handwriting, and the oft-times ridiculous price tag associated with the more expensive brands, there can be trepidation that occurs when thinking about using a fountain pen. Today I’m going to dispel the fear and misconceptions about fountain pens to try and persuade you to take up this wonderful instrument.   

They Are Affordable 

Fountain pens are tools like any other piece of stationery. Their job is to write and like other writing tools, such as printers or typewriters, there are a variety of features that may increase that price. In the same way that not everyone will get the most use out of a £2,000 gaming laptop, not everyone will feel the benefit of a £200 fountain pen with a 16k gold nib and a filing system. There are many amazing pens for under £20, such as the Kaweco sport, Lamy safari and Pilot metropolitan to name a few, that make great daily writers that will last for years to come. My Kaweco sport is a very good writer and even compares to the writing of some of my more expensive fountain pens.   

They Are Clean 

Despite the horror stories that you’ve heard about tidal waves of black ink projected on your finest, whitest tablecloth, fountain pens are surprisingly clean. Fountain pens are filled with ink which will stain anything that it comes into contact with. However, years of effort on the part of fountain pen makers have refined the models to the point that they will (almost) never leak. In fact, a good way to tell whether or not a fountain pen is in need of service is that it is leaking. I’ve carried around a fountain pen for over a third of my life and I’ve never had one leak in my pocket apart from when the pen was in need of a clean. Smudging is a common sight in the school books of young fountain pen users, and while it is true that fountain pen ink needs more time to dry, smudging isn’t an intrinsic property of fountain pens. In order to avoid leaks, clean your pen roughly every 3-4 weeks by washing it through with warm water until all the ink is cleaned out of the pen.   

They Are Personal 

Your handwriting, whether neat, tidy, big or small, is unique to you and will develop over time. Much like any sensitive piece of equipment or musical instrument, over time a rapport is built up between the user and the pen. This rapport is cultivated every time you write. While the fountain pen will not automatically make your handwriting neater, by reducing the amount of pressure that you need in order to write you will be freer to move around the page. This allows for quicker writing. They are also highly customisable, there is a fountain pen for everyone’s unique writing style and a colour of ink to match the mood and tone of your writing.   If you have any questions about the wide world of fountain pens or want to post pictures of your own pens, be our guest!

With our weather becoming increasingly volatile, we’ve had a lot more interest in our Climate Science course. We thought we’d explore some of the jobs you can do within this field if you were taking your studies further.

Storm Chaser

This is as epic (and dangerous) as it sounds. Someone who literally stays out in terrible weather, such as tornados or severe lightning storms, to film, photograph and monitor these weather phenomena. While many do it as an expensive hobby, those that make careers out of this are probably Atmospheric Scientists who are taking important readings and measurements of these frightening and awesome weather incidents.

Meteorologist

A meteorologist is a scientist who specialises in predicting the weather in the short term. When you see bad weather warnings, when you look up whether it may rain or not in an app, a team of forecasters is behind that information. While the role is now made a little more accurate with the use of technology and computer programmes, you are still required to have at least a degree in meteorology or atmospheric science to get into his role.

Climatologist

Another branch of Atmospheric Science, sometimes Physical Geography, a Climatologist is someone who specialises in predicting or observing climates in a specific area or larger areas. Unlike forecasters, they are interested in the long-term patterns of weather and collate a much larger pool of data and often try to predict why these long term changes may or may not happen. A Climatologist will gather data and look at patterns of weather that can span decades.

Learning new things can be one of life’s great pleasures. As we all know, there is more to studying than getting a diploma or certificate. It is more to do with following where our personal curiosity leads us and feeling a sense of grasping a subject in depth, and gaining a sense of expertise. So how can you be sure that you are getting the best from your studies? Do you just regard coursework as a means to that diploma – or do you positively enjoy your study time? Here are six tips to help you get the best from your studies:

Our online and experiential-based learning Bird Keeping and Bird Care course is ideal for both amateur avian enthusiasts and bird-keeping professionals. With the knowledge you gain from completing this course, you will be well equipped with all the skills required to be a confident and competent Bird Keeper.

This course will be of great benefit to people working or wanting to work: as breeders, at veterinary practices, for zoos and wildlife parks, in pet shops, on bird farms, with animal shelters.

It is hotly debated whether or not one can truly own a cat. The most likely answer is that we are all slaves to our kitten overlords. We are here to help with a selection of courses to help you to treat your feline friends.

Cats are exceedingly independent animals but its important to learn where we need to help them, that's what our domestic cat care course is for. Ideal for cat owners on all scales, from the newborn kitten to a carer in a sanctuary. https://adlonlinecourses.com/courses/animal-studies/domestic-cat-care

Dogs are mankind's best friend and we should make sure that we're treating our canine companions right. In this hot weather, it's really important that dogs are kept cool and not left in cars or walked on scalding pavements. Every year news stories feature dogs that have suffered from negligent owners.

To make sure that your dog is getting the best care, enroll in our specialised dog care course today! Our course is perfect for professional dog carers or owners looking to improve their animal care skills https://adlonlinecourses.com/courses/animal-studies/dog-care-course-bag105

There are alternatives to the more traditional a-level/ university pathway. With tuition costs rising and entry becoming more competitive, why not learn more about other roots to get into your chosen career? https://adlonlinecourses.com/blog/an-introduction-to-non-traditional-education