Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Earn a Degree Online and Protect your Family's Future

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Despite the promises offered by President Obama’s leadership, the economy is looking worse than ever after 116 days of the new administration. Chrysler has filed bankruptcy proceedings, and GM is facing probable bankruptcy as well. For many years, our country’s workforce has depended for stability on the automobile and transportation industry, and it is becoming more obvious than ever that this just isn’t going to continue to be a viable possibility. So what’s going to happen to the tens of thousands of people who could be facing unemployment in the very near future?

If you’re working for a company in financial trouble, the idea of quitting probably seems as foreign as moving to the moon. Forgoing unemployment benefits to go back and get a college degree? Trying to earn your college degree by attending class each evening when you’re stressed and wondering if you’ll have a job next week? Taking out thousands of dollars in college loans seems just about as financially wise as buying a new home.

A college degree is more than just another expense, though. It’s an investment in your future. And thanks to the wide variety of online degree programs, you can earn a degree online without quitting your job. Rather than spending every day after work commuting to a traditional campus, you can go home, eat dinner, and sit down in your easy chair. Login to your classroom, and start learning.

Distance learning requires time and motivation, but allows you to relax and focus at home. Set an example for your children by showing them how important education is. It’s going to take some time and practice, but at the end you’ll have marketable skills that will offer you and your family the security and financial stability. Keep the American Dream alive, and share it with your children.

Hot Jobs still Hiring: Earn a Degree Online Today

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

In a few days, we’ll have a new president of the United States, and we’ll have a chance to see what kind of impact he has on the economy, and how this impact will affect students who want to earn a degree online. This will help us advise students regarding what online degree programs are likely to offer the most (and best) job opportunities in the next few years. In the meantime, though, let’s take a look at the jobs that are still hiring, and what distance learning degree programs can help you earn that job.

The healthcare profession is still hiring. As the nursing shortage continues to increase across the country, graduates with nursing degrees aren’t having trouble finding jobs after graduating. Be prepared, though, to take a part-time job, or start in a position and move your way up. Increasing numbers are also returning to school to earn a distance degree and earn a Bachelor Degree online or even finish their Master’s Degrees.

Other healthcare professions that seem to be relatively immune to the economic crisis include pharmaceutical sales reps, pharmacists, and surgical technicians. Students enrolling in these college degree programs probably won’t have much difficulty finding jobs.

Foreclosure companies are still hiring business professionals, so if you don’t mind getting your start by foreclosing on homes or businesses, you may still choose to earn a business degree online. After all, when times get better and businesses start to boom again, you’ll have a few years of experience that your colleagues didn’t get.

If you’re interested in the business world, but not interested in foreclosing on mortgages, consider earning a distance degree in accounting, or get an online business degree and work as a financial adviser or accounts manager. It may take some some hard work and energy to get your first position, but a few years from now, it will be well worth the work!

The Truth about Top Online Schools

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

Just how important is it, anyway, to be accepted at an elite college or university and get your degree? Does a business degree from Harvard really matter more than a business degree from the local community college or online degree university? Unfortunately, it really does. Most of us, though, aren’t likely to enroll in Harvard University any time soon, so what other options do we have for getting a good education online?

Probably the most important fact in any distance learning degree program is to make sure that the school is regionally accredited. If the school isn’t accredited, your degree won’t be worth much, and neither will all the time or money you spent earning it. Don’t waste your time in a degree program that isn’t accredited.

Take time to do your research. If you are already employed and seeking a promotion or wanting to advance your career through other employment, ask around to see what university degree programs are most respected in your area. Certain universities may be more well-known, and therefore carry greater weight, than other online degree programs.

If you are just beginning your career, interview accredited online university degree programs. Talk with the admissions counselors and find out what the requirements and expectations are. Tuition costs are often an important consideration. Don’t enroll in a degree program you can’t afford to finish!

There are literally thousands of distance university degree programs available. Look around and find the one that’s right for you. After all, it’s your career – not anyone else’s – that is at stake!

Have Online Degree Programs Quashed Scholarship?

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

One of the hottest debates surrounding the field of education today is how the so-called “data deluge” has affected student scholarship. Some experts argue that the overwhelming flood of information available to scholars and students has caused them to stop thinking in terms of meta-theories, algorithms, models, or even the scientific method. Instead, they think in terms of data bytes and clips of information that help them digest bits and pieces of information.

Distance learning degree programs have contributed to this shift in perspective. As students from online degree universities search through the Internet to find information for a course or project, they scan abstracts, browse summaries, or read excerpts of books. Rather than spending long hours in a library copying journal articles or reading reference materials, they turn to search engines to help them quickly find the information they need.

One approach that traditional and accredited online university degree programs are taking to alleviate this problem is to work together to establish data structures that can be shared, referenced, and are continuously available to students and educators alike. Although this solution has helped somewhat, issues concerning data ownership, author credit, and authorization of access continue to require resolution.

The goal of distance degree programs is not to diminish scholarship, but rather to make it more accessible to everyone. By taking it out of the libraries and off traditional college campuses, however, scholarship has become more informal and casual. Many scholars argue that this trivializes efforts at scholarship. Rather than making scholarship less important, however, educators have succeeded in making it possible for the common man or woman to access and understand scholarship, without making it an exclusive property of academicians.

In short, distance learning students aren’t causing a lower quality of education and scholarship. Instead, through the efforts of online degree universities, scholarly information is much more accessible to everyone. Distance education degree programs have not lowered the standards for education; rather, they have lowered the bar that prevents access to education for everyone.

Teachers: What Online Degree Program will Help your Career?

Monday, December 29th, 2008

If you just graduated from a Bachelor Degree program and are beginning your career in teaching, you may get only one or two job offers your first year. Don’t be discouraged, though – you have to start somewhere. Rather than wait another year or two while you finish a Master Degree, take that entry level job and start working on advancing your career.

Before you resign yourself to being stuck in a deadend job for years, though, get more information about the distance education degree programs that will help you to move into the teaching job you really want. If you’re planning on teaching at the elementary level, for example, an online graduate degree program in education can offer you the extra classroom skills and strategies necessary to excel in your profession.

If you want to teach at the secondary level, you will need at least a Master Degree. Explore the online college degree programs available at distance learning universities nationwide, and determine which of these will be most helpful to you. Be aware that most school districts prefer that you have a Master Degree in the field in which you intend to teach instead of a graduate degree in education.

Most people don’t start their careers in the job they’ve always wanted. It takes time to get where you want to be in your profession. Start where you can, and work your way into your dream job. Sometimes, the practical experience you gain is well worth your while.

Furthermore, with the availability of online degree universities, you can earn a degree online frop a top online school while you are starting your new career. Learn more about accredited online university degree programs that will help further your teaching career today!

Teach by Example: Earn a College Degree at Home

Friday, December 19th, 2008

As parents, we spend countless hours focused on our children’s education. We make sure they go to bed on time, eat breakfast before school, and do their homework each afternoon. We put our efforts and energy into making sure they get a good education, so that they are ready to enter a college degree program right after graduating from high school.

Do we ever stop to think, though, that the best way to teach is by modeling an example? Our children do what they see us do, not what we tell them to do or encourage them to do. The best way to help your child take interest in learning and value his or her education is to learn while they learn, and show your interest and appreciation for it.

Distance learning can help you get a better job, but it can also teach your children the importance of a college education. With jobs becoming scarcer in today’s economy, earning a competitive salary can be a big challenge. Help your children prepare for challenges like this by teaching them to learn from your behavior. Earn a degree online at a top online college and advance your career while you teach your children!

How can you learn as an adult? Start by taking online degree courses, or if you are sure of your career interests, enroll in an accredited online university degree program. Do your homework while your children are doing their homework, and they will see you learning. This will help to motivate them to learn.

An Online Degree Education in Real Life Lessons: Second Life

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

You’ve probably heard of Second Life, the online reality simulation that allows people to build characters who fall in love, pursue careers, buy and sell property, and even become virtually famous. But what does this reality game actually have to do with real life? This game, according to national economic experts, teaches real-life distance learning lessons that help students of the American economy to better understand, and avoid, financial mistakes.

No, this virtual reality game cannot award real-life distance degrees, or allow real people to benefit from virtual online degree programs contained within the game, but the banking crisis experienced by Second Life people can teach valuable lessons about financial markets and banking practices. Interestingly, the crisis experienced in this online game predated an American market decline into a recession.

Students attending a virtual online degree university can’t receive an online degree in accounting. They can, however, learn more about the stock market, safe lending practices, and how sub-prime mortgages and loan interest rates can lead to disaster. This is just another way in which virtual reality can educate the public.

While this game will probably never result in an accredited online university degree program, students can learn valuable life lessons from the time spent in this second reality. Who knows, there may just be some lessons that we can learn from this game in the future that will turn the economy around again!

Online Degree Program Graduates: What to Include on a Resume

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

If you just graduated from a traditional or distance degree program, you’re probably ready to write – or update your resume. How do you know what to include – and what not to share? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

First, leave out any personal information such as your age, height, date of birthday, weight, etc. Don’t, however, omit any contact information that may be helpful to the potential employer – such as address, telephone number, cell phone number, etc.

Use bullet points to highlight resume information. Start with an Objective, which clearly indicates your career goals. Then, list your education. Be sure to list the full name of your traditional or online degree university, as well as the city and state in which it is located. Include the college degree program in which you majored, and the year that you graduated.

When discussing your experience, include past positions that are relevant to the current position for which you are applying, but don’t list every job you ever held, especially if your first job was a paper route when you were 14. While this can be helpful in showing responsibility when you are 22, it does nothing to highlight your degree when you are 44.

List your jobs in reverse chronological order. If you have work experience that is significant to your distance learning degree program, be sure to use words that draw attention to this information. Many employers don’t mind a second page for your resume, but don’t exceed this.

Finally, never lie on your resume. You worked hard to finish this distance education degree, don’t tarnish it with falsehoods. Be careful to spell-check everything thoroughly; mistakes don’t help graduates of traditional or online university degree programs get the job. Give your resume the professionalism it deserves – even consider asking a family member or friend to read through it to be sure that everything is exactly the way you want it. You won’t regret spending the extra few minutes on these important details.

Distance Learning Degree Programs: Knowing the Lingo

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

The increasing popularity of distance degrees has resulted in the creation of many new words. Both learners and educators have coined new terms to communicate new concepts and ideas that are completely unique to online degree programs. How well can you speak the distance learning lingo?

Are you familiar with audiographics? This is an audio technology that utilizes phone lines to relay information contained in graphs and charts. Of course, you’ll need a line that can deliver information at a high enough rate of bauds per second to do this. (The standard dial-up modem offers about 56,000 bauds per second.)

Compressed video can also be sent over a phone line; unnecessary information is removed so that the information is transmitted more quickly. Don’t be surprised, though, if you experience lag while watching. (Lag is the time delay that often occurs when these images are being transmitted, making it look as though people in the video are stuttering or taking long pauses between words.)

Even if your online degree program doesn’t involve computer science or networking, you probably are familiar with the Internet and your modem, but you may not be aware that many modern machines operate through mechatronics. (This is the use of software and computer hardware to control a machine’s mechanical functions.)

Other terms you may encounter while working to earn a degree online include twinning, parallel-time coop, or audioconferencing. Does your online degree university use other terms to explain concepts used in its distance education degree program? Share them with our readers today!

The Soaring Popularity of Online University Degree Programs

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Imagine a 12% return on your investment. In today’s struggling economy, that kind of return is something like financial wizardry. Distance learning degree programs, however, are continuing to experience that kind of phenomenal market growth.

The latest distance learning degree program surveys, conducted by the Sloan Consortium, however, concluded that enrollment in online degree courses throughout the country had in fact increased by 12 percent during the last year. As a result, more than 4 million people nationwide are enrolled in distance learning classes.

Increasing fuel costs, job losses and economic uncertainties have contributed to these rising figures, according to the survey. As more people struggle to replace lost jobs during this recession, they turn to online degree universities to find distance education degree programs to help them gain an educational edge over their competitors.

In addition, many people find themselves working harder, or working more than one job, in order to meet the financial demands of their family members. Graduating from a traditional college degree program is almost impossible for these people, who turn to distance degree programs to help them achieve these objectives. And in the end, those who are motivated and dedicated do find what they are looking for – undergraduate and graduate degree programs that provide family and job security.