From the Desk of Adrian

Dearest Ngoh,

Thank you for getting in touch with me. It is my pleasure to tell you that you may well be on the verge of something really empowering. Your life, for all intents and purposes is ready to begin a new course, a Transit Period, and I hope you take advantage. The changes you see take place could be immediate, but you'll never know till you take the next step...

Read on my dear, and prepare yourself for this incredible "transit" you may soon embark upon...

Your astrologer,
Adrian

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
These Timely Revelations are Reserved for: Ngoh

NAME: Ngoh

SIGN: Sagittarius

BORN: November 22, 1992

WISH: Work

BIRTH TIME: 15:02:00

Ngoh,

As you know, a time of immense importance - your Transit Period - could soon be entering into your life.

It is a time, if navigated properly, of great opportunity and is a time when you will have the ability to FINALLY ATTRACT ABUNDANCE where you feel you are struggling most.

It is in this time that is fast approaching for you, that you will be able to shake the cloud that may have been covering you and BLOCKING YOU FROM GAINING LUCK AND HAPPINESS, specifically in the areas of LOVE and ABUNDANCE.

Ngoh, you may be feeling this Transit Period right now!

You made an excellent decision asking me for help, and at the right time it seems, too.

You see, Transit Periods are an extraordinary combination of things coming together , not least the position and surrounding influences of the most influential heavenly body: Jupiter

The numerology character resulting from the date you first contacted me is: 8

You are gifted with natural leadership and the capacity to accumulate great wealth! Your path will lead you to work out the difference between money and the true value of life. You have great talent for management, and you understand the material world. You intuitively know what makes virtually any enterprise work, and you always look at the greater vision. You are born to be in charge and be a visionary! Power and authority come naturally to you -- although you will also learn that it is lonely at the top. You will be successful in any field where you can be the executive decision-maker, especially in business and financial matters.

I will divulge all in a minute, but I must tell you that it is a very special occurrence to realize one may be on the cusp of such an extraordinary period of change.

You see, by requesting your reading it tells me that you are ready to make a difference in your life and open the path to love and abundance.

There is an incredible potential inside you - a Life Force - waiting to break free. It KNOWS that its time has come to be released.

I must tell you though, there could be some not so good news in your future... I will explain that to you shortly as well.

Again, as promised, your brief yet lovely Mini-Reading has been prepared for you.

This Free Mini-Reading will paint a clear picture of how your life SHOULD appear by this time in your life's journey, but will not cover the important dates and decisions you will have to make during your coming Transit Period ( Your TRANSIT PERIOD GUIDE TO LUCK AND HAPPINESS will serve as a guiding beacon of light for you during this most auspicious time).

Although I have spent literally thousands of hours providing personalized guidance to those in need from around the globe (I'll explain more in a bit), what only matters is that your reading helps you, right now!

Keep in mind that these insights best apply when you are in touch with your TRUE SELF. The one that is apparent in your birth patterns, and the one that is always to be found inside you. If you feel that these revelations may be a bit on the optimistic side, it is because there is something that has been blocking you from reaching this TRUE POTENTIAL - the potential your coming Transit Period will be able to carry you to.

In other words, Ngoh, it's possible there has been some "fog" pursuing you practically since childhood, and that you've had one problem after another, especially as far as money is concerned. You know what I'm talking about - the anxiety and suffering you may have had to put up with, as well as your present problems too.

Some opposing influence might create an abnormal block to the way your TRUE SELF should be living, as you will see in your Free Mini-Reading.

But what's most important is that things can change, and more importantly YOU DESERVE to see them change.

I'll explain in more detail shortly, but for now, let's jump right in to the Free Mini-Reading:

Free Mini-Reading for Ngoh

You need to find the answers to certain questions that concern you personally, questions you've probably been asking yourself for quite some time. You are involved with the people around you, you're interested in your future, and you look for ways to make your daily life easier.

Let's start with the main traits that make up your psychological profile, the particularities of your character that are completely exceptional when looked at as a whole (taken separately these traits might seem ordinary, but in your case their combined effect explains much of the meaning of your life): Sense of beauty, love of life, simplicity, intelligence, grounded, ambitious, tenacious, loyal, energetic, warm hearted... and I should also mention Lucky, since luck smiles down on you naturally, and could become totally amazing if you knew how to take advantage of it!

Love - Emotions

Love plays an important role in your life, and you engage yourself with fervor, wisdom and gratitude. You do a lot to deserve your happiness, and you hope that your significant other is willing to pay you back in kind. You want to see desire and passion in the face of your loved one, and you want to be the only person to benefit. But be careful not to let your sense of possession gain the upper hand, or your passion might turn into destructive jealousy. Jealousy will destroy what your lucky star wants you to build.

Here is some important advice that might help you: persevere in your intimacy, don't let just anyone into your private life, never discuss your problems with anyone you don't completely trust, and make sure the people around you leave you in peace as far as your affairs of the heart are concerned, since they concern only you.

Social Life

You have enough personality and magnetism to do without any superior authority. Have faith in yourself, in your ideas and your initiatives. Hold your head high and persevere, and you will move forward without problems, even in the most delicate or hazardous of times.

Luck

Your golden number is 4, your lucky number par excellence. Use the number 4 as often as you can: for example, when you set up an important meeting, insist on the 4th day of the month, or 4 o'clock in the afternoon; when you take a train, get in the 4th car. Use it whenever you play games etc.

If you have premonitory dreams - and you should! - 5 is your most auspicious number. It's also lucky for travel and in financial matters.

And 14, your number for happiness, can also be used to combat misfortune.

Use a combination of these three numbers as often as you can. Luck will do many things for you, and your intuition will do the rest.

Some Final Advice

We are in the midst of a period of Great Change, and the opportunities are too good for us to let them go by, without lifting a finger. Your future can truly be fabulous in all areas of your life: happiness, emotions and various other activities. And you have the great privilege today of being at the forefront of those who are going to benefit from this new harvest. With or without my help.

THE DECISION IS YOURS!

You have the potential for incredible things, which you received at birth (a potential for making the most out of your luck) which is in strong contrast to the difficult life you are leading, and the bad luck that could be unjustly affecting you at the moment.

You can easily learn secrets for dealing with the difficulties and financial stresses that follow you.

Here's why:

Venus, along with the other planets that affect your Destiny, may endow you with tremendous Lucky Power.

This should have turned out to be very positive for you in terms of love, and the realization of what you really hold dear in life. But perhaps that has not been the case.

Of course you've had a few happy moments at certain times in your life. But you may feel that you have generally been lacking in luck in many important areas of your life. Isn't that so?

You have had some periods of luck and happiness on your journey. But SOMETHING MAY WELL BE PREVENTING YOU FROM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT LUCK and you feel it has passed you by each time.

There have undoubtedly also been OPPORTUNITIES FOR GAINS THAT WERE WITHIN YOUR GRASP on many occasions, but perhaps it seems like an invisible hand seems to have prevented you from enjoying your potential success.

As things stand now you take each day as it comes, without really knowing what will happen to you tomorrow.

Sometimes, because of a lack of self-confidence, you may make decisions that eventually have serious consequences.

You may be thinking that this is all your fault. Well, that is not exactly the case!

You have everything you need to succeed and it's possible a few unfortunate circumstances affected you, forcing you to make the wrong decisions, those that attract bad luck instead of good luck (especially when it comes to your abundance in life).

Don't say to yourself: "I've never been lucky... I just have too much bad luck... I'll never get out of my present situation!"

Believe me, based on my experience I can confidently say that is not the case at all. On the contrary!

You have a right to happiness. And you should know that there are no unlucky stars in your astral chart. All you have to do is follow THE PATH TO LUCK AND HAPPINESS as indicated by your master planets, which will soon become active and influence your destiny... if you know how to call on them.

It's too bad you didn't request a reading sooner, Ngoh. You could be living with all the fortunate events that have passed you by.

But I'm here to tell you Ngoh, that it isn't too late!

You see, the TRANSIT PERIOD THAT IS FAST APPROACHING is a very unique when the influential bodies that make up your Astral Chart align with one another in such a way that it puts your life on "steroids".

Have you ever noticed how people never seem to have a consistent amount of "luck"?

They either talk about how "things haven't been going my way lately"... or ... "I feel like I'm on a lucky streak!"

Well Ngoh, that is because each person's influential bodies are in CONSTANT MOTION, moving in and out of sync with each other. There are so many factors come into play that you can compare it to being put into a maze every couple months.

Everyone goes through their "astral maze" without knowing which direction to take at each turn. Sometimes they "get lucky" and get quite far in their maze, and other times they work themselves into a corner right away, and they go through a period of bad luck until a "new maze" (a new phase of astral alignments) begins.

Then, once in a very rare while, one will enter into a MAZE UNLIKE ANY OTHER. As I said, some people are never really discovered this opportunity, but most people will enter into one at significant times in their life.

The secret key to this maze is found in the meaning of each Transit Period. In fact, this is a time when most people find their true love, get that big promotion, find that dream job or SUDDENLY FIND A SOURCE OF ABUNDANCE that puts them back on their feet - no matter how "far" they get or where they end up in the maze.

Making it to the end of the maze is very rare and difficult to do, but just by sheer odds there are those few handful of people who do reach the end, and suddenly find themselves LIVING THE LIFE THEY'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF... they've realized their Ultimate Destiny.

Remember Susan Boyle? She was briefly deprived of oxygen at birth, leaving her with learning disabilities. She was bullied in school - the kids called her "Susie Simple'.

When her mother passed in 1997, neighbors said that she stayed in the house, not answering the phone or knocks for 3 to 4 days. Up until her sudden fame in 2009, Susan described her life in West Lothian, Scotland as "mundane" and "routine".

But then, Ngoh, things changed for her. She didn't just find true love or get a raise.... she, by sheer stroke of luck, made it to the end. She solved the maze by chance... and received INTERNATIONAL STARDOM, having the top-selling debut album for a female artist of all time. She found her Ultimate Destiny, and has been living it ever since.

Ngoh... if you ask you can have your very own Transit Period Guide to Luck and Happiness prepared just for you. In other words, because your Transit Period is nearly upon us, I can grant you access to a personalized "Transit Period Guide" to show you the path the path you must take when it comes time to enter YOUR Transit Period - your Maze of Destiny.

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Type of Monkey	Year of Birth	Characteristics
Wood Monkey	1944, 2004	Always ready to help others. Compassionate, strong self-esteem but stubborn
Fire Monkey	1956, 2016	Ambitious and adventurous but irritable
Earth Monkey	1908, 1968	Frank, optimistic and fearless
Gold Monkey	1920, 1980	Smart, quick-witted and confident but also irritable and stubborn
Water Monkey	1932, 1992	Smart, quick-witted, fond of being in the limelight but haughty

Life Path Number	9
Destiny Number	5
Soul Urge Number	8
Inner Dream Number	6
Personality Number	6

Allergy
Location and symptoms:		Generalised. Often accompanied by runny nose and sore eyes.
Precipitating factors:		Seasonal - allergens, such as pollens, can trigger hay fever and sinusitis.
Treatment/prevention:		May include anti-histamine medication and decongestant nasal sprays.

Altitude Sickness
Location and symptoms:		Headache is the most frequent complaint of climbers who ascend to high altitudes without oxygen support. Commonly affects both sides of the head, but is limited to one side in about one-quarter of cases.
Precipitating factors:		Altitude.
Treatment/prevention:		May be prevented in some instances by taking drugs that alter salt and fluid balance.

Aneurysm
Location and symptoms:		Sudden, severe onset (‘thunderclap’) of pain. In early stages, may mimic migraine or cluster headaches. Symptoms may also include loss of consciousness, a stiff neck, and double vision.
Precipitating factors:		Family history, uncontrolled hypertension.
Treatment/prevention:		Urgent hospital treatment should be sought. Treatment may include surgery, and medication to keep blood pressure under control.

Arthritis
Location and symptoms:		Pain at the back of head and upper neck. Often made worse by movement.
Precipitating factors:		Bony changes in the structure of the neck.
Treatment/prevention:		May be relieved by anti-inflammatory drugs

Brain Cancer / Tumour
Location and symptoms:		Severe headaches, progressively becoming worse. It is rare that a headache is the only symptom the patient has -other symptoms may include vomiting, visual disturbances, a weakness in an arm and/or leg, speech problems, personality changes or epileptic fits.
Precipitating factors:		Unknown.
Treatment/prevention:		Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or some combination of these.

Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
Location and symptoms:		Sensations of pressure and tightness in the face, burning over the trunk, neck and shoulders; pressing pain in the chest. Headache is a pressure or throbbing over the temples and a band like sensation around the forehead, coming on 20-25 minutes after eating Chinese food and lasting for an hour.
Precipitating factors:		About 3 grams of MSG (monosodium L-glutamate) will affect sensitive individuals, contained in about 200 millilitres of wonton soup.
Treatment/prevention:		Avoid food containing MSG- ask before ordering which items on the menu contain MSG.

Chronic Daily Headache
Location and symptoms:		Pain is all over head, diffuse and dull, every day. There may be additional migraine attacks. Usually occurs in 30s and 40s. General feeling of being unwell. Types of CDH are Transformed Migraine, New Persistent Daily Headache and Hemicrania Continua.
Precipitating factors:		Daily recurrence can be the result of associated anxiety and depression, or may be associated with overuse of medication.
Treatment/prevention:		Relaxation therapy, psychological counselling, amitriptyline, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
		Read more about chronic daily headache at Virtual Medical Centre.

Chronic Migraine
Location and symptoms:		See Chronic Migraine. and Read more about chronic migraine at Virtual Medical Centre.
Precipitating factors:
Treatment/prevention:

Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania (CPH)
Location and symptoms:		A variant of cluster headache, however shorter in duration but more frequent, from 6 up to 20 attacks per day. While for cluster headaches men are more affected, it is women who are more affected by CPH.
Precipitating factors:		See cluster headache.
Treatment/prevention:		Frequent daily episodes of CPH almost always respond to the use of 25-50mg of indomethacin taken three times daily.

Cluster Headache
Location and symptoms:		Severe pain centred around one eye. May include drooping eyelid, watering eye and nasal congestion. Most frequently affects males. May be episodic or chronic.
Precipitating factors:		None known.
Treatment/prevention:		During acute attacks, treatment may include oxygen inhalation, sumatriptan subcutaneous injection, ergotamine and intranasal lignocaine. Preventative medications may include calcium channel blockers, lithium, ergotamine, methysergide and corticosteroids.
		Click here for detailed information on Cluster Headaches

Cough Headache
Location and symptoms:		A variation on exertional vascular headache, felt only when coughing, sneezing, bending or straining (including during a bowel movement).
Precipitating factors:		In small number of people an obstruction blocking the flow through the normal fluid channels of the brain (the ventricles). In older patients, narrowing of the carotid arteries should be excluded.
Treatment/prevention:		Warrants a consultation with a general practitioner and/or neurologist to rule out structural abnormality. Benign form can be presented by use of indomethacin or a beta-blocking agent such as propranolol. May improve without treatment.

Headache & Dehydration
Location and symptoms:		Generalised headache – headaches are one of the symptoms of dehydration.
Precipitating factors:		Dehydration is caused by a lack of fluid intake or excess fluid losses. You are most likely to lose fluid through vomiting, diarrhoea, sweat and urine. Many cases of dehydration are caused by: heat, vomiting and diarrhoea (i.e. ‘gastro’), fever, vigorous exercise or strenuous activity, alcohol consumption (alcohol acts as a diuretic), travel (travellers’diarrhoea, long-haul flights – dry cabin conditions, sun exposure, physical activities and alcohol consumption) or lack of food/fluid intake.
Treatment/prevention:		Under normal circumstances a ‘good hydration status’ can be adequately achieved with water and a balanced diet. However, if you are at risk of dehydration, an oral rehydration solution (Hydralyte™) will have some advantages, including - Rehydration is likely to be more rapid - The retention of water is better. - Hydralyte™ is a pleasant flavoured solution, which can be more palatable than plain water, and this can make it easier for you to consume an adequate amount of fluid daily. Click here for more information from Hydralyte

Exertional Vascular Headache
Location and symptoms:		Generalised head pain of short duration (minutes to an hour) during or following physical exertion.
Precipitating factors:		Sport, exercise, sexual intercourse.
Treatment/prevention:		Can usually be prevented by taking suitable medication, such as ergotamine tartrate or indomethacin, before the exercise starts.

Eyestrain
Location and symptoms:		Pain and feeling of heaviness around the eyes.
Precipitating factors:		Uncorrected visual problems.
Treatment/prevention:		An eye test: wearing appropriate glasses or contact lenses will often resolve the problem.

Fasting
Location and symptoms:		Dull generalised headache.
Precipitating factors:		Lowered blood sugar level.
Treatment/prevention:		Eat regular nutritious meals. Just because a headache regularly occurs in the early hours of the morning does not mean that it is caused by low blood sugar. And it is not likely to be prevented by eating before going to bed.

Fever
Location and symptoms:		Generalised pain, ranging from mild to severe, depending on the underlying illness. If accompanied by nausea and vomiting, a stiff neck and/or rash, urgent medical treatment is required.
Precipitating factors:		Viral or bacterial infection.
Treatment/prevention:		Depending on the underlying illness, treatment may include antibiotics and pain relief. If bacterial meningitis/meningococcal disease is suspected, the patient should be taken without delay to the nearest hospital emergency department, or doctor.

Goggle Headache
Location and symptoms:		So-called because the nerves running from the orbit over the forehead are compressed in swimmers wearing tight-fitting goggles.
Precipitating factors:		Constant pressure on the nerves of the scalp.
Treatment/prevention:		Such headaches can be prevented by changing the position of the goggles each day or using goggles with a single soft-rubber rim that fits around both ends and does not require a very right head strap in order to be watertight.

Hangover
Location and symptoms:		Migraine-like symptoms of throbbing pain and nausea not localised to one side.
Precipitating factors:		Alcohol, the breakdown products of which cause dilation and irritation of the blood vessels of the brain and surrounding tissue.
Treatment/prevention:		Treat with liquids (including broth and an oral rehydration solution - Hydralyte™). Consumption of fructose (honey, tomato juice are good sources) to help burn alcohol. Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Hormonal
Location and symptoms:		Severe, migraine-like headaches experienced by women.
Precipitating factors:		Fluctuations in hormonal levels around the time of menstruation or ovulation and/or in the years leading to the menopause; also experienced by some women starting oral contraceptives.
Treatment/prevention:		See Headache and Adults and Treatment of Headache.

Hot-Dog Headache
Location and symptoms:		Dilatation (expansion) of the blood vessels inside the skull leads to moderately severe headache.
Precipitating factors:		Nitrites in cured foods such as hot-dogs, salami, bacon and ham.
Treatment/prevention:		Eliminate offending foods from the diet.

Hunger
Location and symptoms:		Migraine-like headache, more common in young women.
Precipitating factors:		May be triggered by fasting, skipping meals, or oversleeping (and thus eating late).
Treatment/prevention:		Eating regular, nutritious meals.

Hypertension
Location and symptoms:		An all-over pressure or “hair band” type pain, most severe in the morning and diminishing through the day. May feel depressed and generally unwell. Can affect any age person and usually occurs daily.
Precipitating factors:		A sudden increase in blood pressure may cause the headache but there are no symptoms of slightly elevated blood pressure.
Treatment/prevention:		Don’t smoke, have an active lifestyle, relax, eat less salt and fat, have your blood pressure checked by tour doctor who may prescribe blood pressure medication. Have your blood pressure tested regularly.

Ice-Cream Headache
Location and symptoms:		Sharp pain in front of head - centre of forehead or in one temple - immediately after swallowing ice cream or a very cold drink. Occasionally may produce pain behind the ear.
Precipitating factors:		Localised pain in the palate or throat from holding ice or ice cream in the mouth or swallowing it while still very cold may refer pain to the head through the trigeminal nerve endings or the glossopharyngeal nerve. More severe and typical migraine suffers are more likely to be prone to ice-cream headache.
Treatment/prevention:		Don’t eat ice cream or have drinks that are very cold.

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH)
Location and symptoms:		A disorder of elevated spinal fluid pressure in the brain. IIH headaches may be dull, are often at the back of the head, and tend to be worse at night or first thing in the morning.
Precipitating factors:		Tends to affect overweight individuals, especially after recent weight gain, even during pregnancy. Certain medications can also predispose individuals to the syndrome, including the antibiotic tetracycline, steroids (as they are weaned off) and vitamin A. Some people may be predisposed to IIH because of being born with a narrowed vein that drains blood from the brain; a condition that was in place since birth.
Treatment/prevention:		Medications to reduce the spinal fluid pressure or repeated lumbar punctures to keep the pressure down to a safe and tolerable level. Weight loss can cure the condition; nutritionists, medications, and weight-loss programs are often helpful. The sheath surrounding the optic nerves is sometimes surgically opened with small holes to relieve pressure and prevent deterioration of vision. In severe cases, an implantable tube (shunt) that drains the spinal fluid out of the brain needs to be surgically placed.
		Click here for detailed information on Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Marijuana
Location and symptoms:		Mild frontal headache.
Precipitating factors:		Use.
Treatment/prevention:		Analgesics. Stopping use.

Migraine
Location and symptoms:		Severe, one-sided throbbing pain, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, cold hands, sensitivity to sound, light and smells. Migraine with aura may include visual disturbances, numbness in arm or leg. May last from part of a day to three or four days. Onset in childhood, teens and 20s, usually through to 40s/50s, but may last into 60s and beyond.
Precipitating factors:		Many triggers, including dehydration, certain foods, insufficient food, hormones, environmental such as sudden changes in weather, oversleeping or too little sleep, physical factors such eye, dental problems, over-exertion or strenuous exercise, certain medications.
Treatment/prevention:		See Treatment of Headache and Migraine.
		Click here for detailed information on Migraines

Post-traumatic Headache
Location and symptoms:		Can be localised or generalised pain, can mimic migraine or tension-type headache symptoms. Headaches may occur on daily basis and are frequently resistant to treatment.
Precipitating factors:		Pain can occur after relatively minor traumas.
Treatment/prevention:		Possible treatment by use of anti-inflammatory drugs, or biofeedback.

Rebound or Withdrawal Headache
Location and symptoms:		Throbbing headache caused by rebound dilation of the blood vessels.
Precipitating factors:		Overusing and then coming off medication such as ergotamine (which constricts the blood vessels) can actually lead to headache. Caffeine and nicotine have the same effect.
Treatment/prevention:		Avoid excess consumption.

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
Location and symptoms:		A muscle-contraction type of pain, sometimes accompanied by painful “clicking” sound on opening the jaw. An infrequent cause of headache.
Precipitating factors:		Malocclusion (poor bite), stress, and jaw clenching.
Treatment/prevention:		Relaxation, biofeedback, use of bite plate and in some cases, dental treatment – correction of malocclusion.

Temporal Arteritis
Location and symptoms:		A burning or boring pain caused by inflammation of the blood vessels in the scalp, particularly the arteries in the temple. Pain is often around jaw muscles when chewing. May be accompanied by redness, swelling, and tenderness of the arteries in the scalp. Generally affects people over 55.
Precipitating factors:		Unknown.
Treatment/prevention:		Early diagnosis and treatment with steroids essential, as may lead to blindness.

Tension-type Headache
Location and symptoms:		A dull, non-throbbing pain, frequently bilateral, associated with tightness of scalp or neck. Degree of severity remains constant.
Precipitating factors:		Emotional stress, hidden depression.
Treatment/prevention:		Avoidance of stress. Use of biofeedback, relaxation techniques, psychotherapy, and treatment with tricyclic antidepressant medication. Treat with rest, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, ice packs, and muscle relaxants.
		Click here for detailed information on Tension-type headaches

Thunderclap Headache
A sudden onset of severe headache that can be caused by migraine, orgasm, or a rapid elevation of blood pressure but a cerebral haemorrhage must be excluded (see Aneurysm).
Transformed Migraine
Location and symptoms:		Typical episodic migraine may increase in frequency to the point where it recurs daily.
Precipitating factors:		May be caused by emotional disturbance or the daily dosage of ergotamine or analgesics.
Treatment/prevention:		A combination of approaches, including the attainment of a calm, relaxed state, the establishment of a satisfactory pattern of living, with regular daily exercise and the right balance of work and leisure time, and the use of tricyclic medication.

Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN, Tic Douloureux)
Location and symptoms:		Any ache that arises from a nerve is called neuralgia. The trigeminal nerve supplied the face and the front part of the brain. Spontaneous discharge of the trigeminal nerve causes sudden, severe stabbing pains in the cheek and upper gum, or in the jaw and lower gum, known as trigeminal neuralgia. Usually affects older people and women more than men. Recurs irregularly.
Precipitating factors:		Since branches of the trigeminal nerve are responsible for conveying pain sensation from the eye and sinuses, disease of these structures may cause a headache in the centre of the forehead. The trigeminal nerve can become infected by the virus of shingles (herpes zoster virus). Compression or irritation of the nerve fibres, commonly caused by the progressive lengthening of a branch of an artery as it hardens with age, multiple sclerosis, and malocclusion.
Treatment/prevention:		Medication such as anti-epileptic drugs, surgery, dental treatment.

Vestibular migraine (VM)
Vestibular migraine (VM) is a headache disorder in which typical migraine headaches occur with dizziness, vertigo and/or imbalance. Other names for VM include migrainous vertigo, migraine-related vestibulopathy, and migraine-related dizziness.

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Should you do postgraduate study?

By Josie Chun

If you are just finishing your undergraduate degree and are itching to get out into the workforce, further study may be the last thing you feel like contemplating. Or, if you’ve already entered the workforce, you may feel deterred from undertaking postgraduate study because of the sacrifices of time, income and lifestyle involved. But the costs and sacrifices are temporary and can be well worth it. Think of it as an investment in your future that could open up a whole new world of opportunities – and possibly more lucrative ones.

There is a clear association between level of education and employment, as well as salary. With job roles becoming increasingly complex, higher levels of skills and qualifications are needed, especially if job candidates are seeking a competitive edge over those with undergraduate qualifications. In 2006, only 3.2 per cent of the Australian population had a postgraduate degree, compared to 15 per cent whose highest qualification was a bachelor’s degree.

In 2009, almost one in five new bachelor degree graduates went on to continue some type of full-time study after their undergraduate degree – and this proportion is likely to rise.

Bruce Guthrie, Acting Executive Director of Graduate Careers Australia (GCA), says, ‘As the proportion of the workforce with bachelor degree qualifications continues to grow, candidates are increasingly undertaking postgraduate study to add a vocational emphasis to their initial qualifications or upgrading their qualifications to establish a competitive edge in the labour market.’

Postgrads make more money

In 2010, the median salary for all postgraduates was $70 000, as compared to $49 000 for bachelor degree graduates. This is according to statistics published in Postgraduate Destinations 2010, a report based on the annual Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) of new graduates from Australian higher education institutions.

The value of postgrad qualifications in different industries

In some industries, postgraduate qualifications are almost a necessity. For example, a Master of Accounting is required to become a Certified Practising Accountant of Australia (CPA Australia). Postgraduate qualifications are also highly favoured in industries such as engineering, education, health and science, and finance and banking.

Postgraduate qualifications can also provide a valuable way of getting ahead in the arts and media industries. Jordana Rooz, Advertising Coordinator at Cosmopolitan magazine, says, ‘I don’t think my undergraduate did so much in terms of teaching us how the journalistic world works, but my postgraduate studies definitely did. My master’s (in Arts/Journalism) taught me how to write to deadline and how to write my own stories – things like that. I guess I had the best of both worlds in that I learnt the theory as well as the practical.’

Postgraduate qualifications in the corporate world

Postgraduate qualifications are becomingly increasingly sought-after in the corporate world, especially for senior executive positions.

Stephen Scheeler, Director of Strategy and Innovation for Inchcape Australia, returned to postgraduate study as a mature-age student to complete an MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM). He believes that postgraduate qualifications definitely boost a person’s employment and earnings potential.

‘Increasingly, postgrad qualifications are becoming mandatory for most C-level (corporate title) and Director-level positions in major companies. If you don’t have the qualification, it’s harder to get the job, and therefore harder to earn that higher salary.’

Scheeler is mindful of candidates’ postgrad credentials when recruiting for his own company. ‘We place a lot of emphasis on postgrad qualifications, especially for more senior leadership roles. However, we are also interested in the quality of the degree, not just that somebody has a piece of paper.’

Launching you onto a different path

After completing his MBA at the age of 30, Scheeler worked as a strategy management consultant and went on to become Business Development Director for Lion Nathan and then Westfield, before landing his present position at Inchcape. It has been a stellar run for someone who studied history and East Asian studies for his undergraduate degree and then did a variety of jobs, including English language teaching and running a couple of small businesses.

‘I was interested in doing a postgrad degree of some kind but I wanted something that would be practical and useful, not just theoretic. Eventually, I settled on doing an MBA because I thought it would be something which would be both intellectually stimulating and practical at the same time.’

Other benefits

Improving employment and salary prospects is not the only reason to pursue further study. People also undertake postgraduate study to specialise after doing a more generalist undergraduate degree, to gain professional registration, and to increase their depth of knowledge and expertise in their chosen field – so they can go on to do high-level work that is stimulating, challenging, and ultimately more rewarding.

Julia Isbister did a postgraduate medical degree after completing an undergraduate arts degree. ‘I never wanted to do undergraduate medicine. I was too interested in other things as well, like languages and politics, so I decided to do an arts degree. I got to do a bit of everything: chemistry, philosophy, maths, economics, politics and languages – Spanish, Chinese and French. It didn’t really lend itself to a smooth transition into medicine, but then again the people in my course now come from all sorts of fields.’

For Stephen Scheeler, doing an MBA wasn’t just a means to getting a high-paying corporate job – it was about learning and self-improvement. ‘It was very intellectually stimulating and opened my mind to disciplines which I hadn’t formally pursued before – like organisational behaviour, marketing and statistical analysis. I just found that interesting from a purely learning perspective.'

Networking opportunities

While doing your postgrad studies, you will probably also make some great professional and personal contacts along the way, with like-minded people who are all equally ambitious and passionate about what they do.

Bill Birtles, a news presenter at Triple J, used his postgraduate studies to make valuable industry contacts. ‘I have a media and communications degree from UNSW and I studied a Graduate Diploma in Journalism at UTS. I chose to do postgraduate studies primarily because I knew UTS has strong links to the industry, in particular the ABC. During my postgrad studies I put my head down and worked really hard, and made it very clear to the people at UTS who had a bit of sway that I was very keen to be in broadcasting and get to the ABC.’ And that’s exactly where his postgrad studies took him.

Work experience is just as important

Keep in mind that it's important to maintain a balance between study and practical work experience to maximise your opportunities.

Graham Doyle, Director of Hays Recruitment, warns that those who complete their postgraduate studies assuming they’ll be able to easily walk into better and higher paying jobs can be in for a surprise if they have no practical work experience. ‘You risk becoming too academically qualified without the relevant commercial acumen and experience to make your classroom study pay off in practice.’

Advertising guru Siimon Reynolds concurs. ‘Qualifications aren’t enough, the world’s full of unemployed people with university degrees – that’s not what gets you a job. What gets you a job is standing out and looking good.’

Jordana Rooz also discovered the importance of on-the-job experience at Cosmopolitan, despite the valuable skills she learned while doing her master’s. ‘There’s a lot you have to learn on the job too.’

Even while conducting postgrad studies, you can gain valuable work experience by working part-time while you are studying, applying for an internship or work placement, or even doing unpaid work experience. As Doyle advises, ‘On-the-job training, mentoring and volunteering for additional duties can also be beneficial. Hands-on experience gained from being involved with a specific project or team work can be invaluable.’

Postgraduate study is more accessible than ever

Postgraduate qualifications include postgraduate certificates and diplomas, master’s degrees and doctoral degrees.

Postgraduate study is particularly accessible now that many universities offer their courses by distance and online, as well as part-time, so you can study from the convenience of your own home, at your own pace and around your other work and family commitments.

Some employers will support their employees to undertake postgraduate studies by allowing flexibility with working hours and even, in some cases, offering financial aid.

It is also worth investigating postgraduate scholarships from the educational institution where you wish to study.

So whether you do it to advance in your chosen field, jump in at a higher level, change to a completely different career, or just out of sheer interest and passion, postgraduate studies can be a more than worthwhile pursuit. Don’t wait until it’s too late, or spend your life regretting that you never went for it.

As Stephen Scheeler says, ‘I think for most people a postgrad degree is an investment that they will have to make at some point in their careers. My advice would be to not wait too long to pursue one – from my observations, the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to really focus and benefit from it. I would also suggest that people think very hard about the program they choose – definitely try to get into the very best program you can. A poor-quality program won’t reflect well on you and your investment of time and money is better made with a program that is high-quality and of high repute.’

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