There’s nothing like a New Year’s party to boost up your optimism and catapult you into forming New Year’s resolutions. However once the booze starts to wear off, it’s difficult to hang on to the positivity unless you have objective, concrete steps towards your career.  Here are five steps you can take to ensure 2012 is your best year yet, career wise.

Have a tete to tete…with yourself

Sometimes we are so focused on just finding a job, starting work and making money that we bounce on the first job vacancy we find. Fast forward a couple of years and many of us find ourselves stuck in a career that doesn’t speak to us. As this year comes to an end, take the time out to reconnect with yourself and find out what exactly is it that makes you feel fulfilled and satisfied. Take the top down rather than the bottom up approach and understand how you can express your creativity and talents to the world. Once you are clear about that, move on to the following tips to convert your passion into a career.

Continue to learn

You either grow or you stagnate, there is no middle ground in this competitive age. Whether it’s an online certification (http://aboutonlinedegrees.org/onlinecertificate.php) or a diploma or an advanced degree like an online master’s, always keep updating your skills and knowledge. If there is one thing that can guarantee 2012 will be better than 2011, its constant and never ending improvement, Tony Robbins style.

Network

This one cannot be emphasized enough as your network can really help you out in the job hunt.  You need to mark out a certain amount of time each week for networking purposes. Use social media and networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and leverage it to your advantage. Join clubs and associations that are related to your field.

Bounce on opportunity

You might be saying this goes directly against number one but it doesn’t. What I meant was that you shouldn’t pick up the first job that falls in your lap till you are clear about. Once you are, scream “Bring it on!” it’s time to pounce on every opportunity, or better yet create one. Get to know all about your field through college brochures, intern, do freelance work, and do contract work or whatever else it takes to get a head start.

Review last year objectively

Hindsight is always 20/20. You need to carve out time to carry out an objective SWOT analysis of last year. Chart your progress, see how many goals you managed to achieve last years, look at the misses, learn from the mistakes and above all thrive on the feedback that you get.

If 2012 is going to be the end of the world as we know it ;p , why not end it on a high note?

What is the biggest time waster these days? Facebook! However did you know that Facebook is also a treasure trove of various high-end applications that can help college students excel. These apps enhance productivity, organization and time management, and allow communication and networking with like-minded people. Here we present half a dozen Facebook apps that can help college students, especially online college students, enhance their productivity.

6 Facebook Apps to Ace Your College

Statistics indicate that Facebook is used by over 160 million people daily. Out of this large number, most users are college students. Initially, it was launched with the intention of being a student-based social networking website and hence it contains various apps specifically for students. Some of them are:

1. Weekly Schedule – This Facebook app caters to online students who need to keep a track of their weekly schedule. It enables students to find out when their friends or classmates are free and has a schedule comparison feature. College students claim that this app helps them manage their time more effectively.
2. Yearbook -Yearbook is a virtual classroom which can help students connect to their classmates and students from both college and university. It can help students to improve upon and develop an assignment which they can pass on to their friends for suggestions and advice.
3. Quiz Monster – This app can help college students prepare for various exams. Students can create their own exams and evaluate themselves. As online education involves self-study, this Facebook app can help you get the necessary practice.
4. CourseTopia – CourseTopia helps students keep a track of the schedule for classes within a specific course. This ensures that there are no gaps and that no classes are missed.
5. Docs – This is a collection of assignments, schoolwork and lecture notes. It includes over 50,000 documents and has over 70,000 monthly users. However, special care should be taken to use Docs only as reference material and not for plagiarism as online instructors also make use of this app.
6. Scholarium – This app specifically caters to the needs of online students especially those attending university. It enables them to share their timetable with friends, search for their classmates and rate their professors. This can be then referred by other students so that they can find out more details about a specific professor.

There are many other Facebook apps as well which can help students ace their studies. These help students save valuable time, allow them to schedule their online courses and lets them complete it at their own pace. The best Facebook apps are those that utilize the tremendous networking power of Facebook and allow students to use this to become more productive.

If you are already working full time and want to change your career, you can opt for various online degree programs. Distance learning offers you maximum flexibility so that you can plan your schedule and study at your own pace.

Preparing For a New Career without Discontinuing Your Job

Students choose online degree programs for various reasons; predominantly due to the convenience they offer. For those working full time, online degrees help them in developing a career or in revamping their existing one without discontinuing their existing jobs and allows them to avoid a break of two- or four-year from work which they would otherwise have had to take in order to pursue higher education.

Online colleges help you to opt for online degrees at any place and can help you complete the course from the comfort of your home. According to the statics, in the fall 2009 term, over 5.6 million college students opted for at least one online course.

Getting Ready For a New Career

People working fulltime who are pursuing an online degree in a specific field need to follow certain things to ensure that they are ready for a new career. Firstly, they should be careful to opt for the degree that can help them revamp their career.

Moreover, they should not get distracted and stay focused. Though they are working, they should spend adequate amount of time on their assignments which are related to their online degree program. They should be disciplined and should manage their time effectively. They should dedicate enough time for their online degree program and plan a schedule that allows them to give proper time to the everyday activities.

Apart from gaining knowledge, they should also develop the necessary skills required for a new career. If need be, they can even opt for internship or on-the-job training specific to the chosen career. Online certification programs are also beneficial in developing careers in niche areas.

Are you an online teacher looking for a few suggestions on what your New Year’s Resolutions should be? Take a look at my top New Year’s Resolutions as an online teacher for 2012.

Attainable New Year’s Resolutions for Online Teachers

Whether you are an online high school teacher, or a college professor, you must have some New Year’s resolutions that you want to accomplish in 2012. Pick a few suggestions from my list to start off with. Here they are:

1. Plan lessons in advance.
2. Be patient.
3. Give one-on–one attention to each student.
4. Make sure students understand the lesson.
5. Take control of the classroom.
6. Keep students motivated.
7. Make sure every student participates in classroom discussions.
8. Don’t compare yourself to other online teachers.
9. Incorporate different styles of teaching in your classroom.
10. Make learning fun.
11. Give students their test results more quickly.
12. Eat a healthy meal before class.
13. Get enough sleep so that you can focus in class.
14. Try new things in your classroom.
15. Search for new ways to present class material.
16. Stop worrying about whether you are liked or not.
17. Learn more about online teaching techniques and strategies.
18. Stay current with online learning.
19. Leave classroom stuff behind at the end of the day.
20. Get to know your students and fellow teachers better.

Realistic New Year’s Resolutions for Online Teachers

Are you good at keeping New Year’s resolutions? Most New Year’s resolutions are broken in the first few weeks because most of us set unrealistic goals. So the best thing to do is to set goals that you know you can accomplish and that are not too difficult for you to handle. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals. Treat yourself in 2012 by setting career goals that are attainable. That way you are much more likely to follow them through till the end. Isn’t it time you made a list of New Year’s resolutions that you can actually accomplish?

Do you have other suggestions for New Year’s Resolutions for online teachers that you would like to share with us? Go ahead and share them with us in the comments section.

Happy New Year!

Facebook is the second most popular website, just after Google. There are over 800 million active users out of which 300 million daily spend at least twenty minutes per day on Facebook. It is very popular and users tend to spend a lot of time on it as compared to other social networking sites. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Labor expects that Facebook may soon become a strong tool for job search.

Finding a job through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin is a great idea. Online college students prefer to use Facebook for job search as it is a convenient way to search for a job from the comfort of your home. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Online students should consider a few things while using social networking sites for job search.

Here are 5 smart tips for recent graduates and online students to use Facebook strategically to get hired.

1. Improve Your Online Reputation

Prospective employers and HR managers will view your profile and can see all your status updates, photos, videos and groups. Therefore, if you want to make a good impression on recruiters, remove any inappropriate pictures or content that can potentially hinder your prospects of getting hired. Make sure that your current profile is such that it makes a positive impression on potential employers.

2. Network and Interact with Companies

Students who have successfully completed their online degree programs and are looking for employment opportunities at a specific company should join their page on Facebook. This will give them a great opportunity to interact with the company. All corporations want candidates who are passionate about their organizations and grads can show their passion by being active on those Facebook pages. Students can also use Facebook to professionally contact recruiters, HR managers, and employers.

3. Participate and Get Active in Facebook Groups

After completing your online education, you can join professional groups on Facebook which discuss and post news about particular topics, or industries that you are interested in. By joining such professional groups you can actively participate in discussions, post links and other resources to the wall, moderate or manage sections of the group and so on. Participating in professional groups will create a positive impression on the minds of recruiters and prospective employers. Facebook groups can be used to network with and get noticed by professional corporations and could lead to you being considered for future job opportunities.

4. Tap into your Network to Find a Job

Facebook provides inexhaustible resources and connections for job seekers. College students and recent grads are advised to approach networking on Facebook as a way to get more information about an industry by messaging and engaging with employees and industry leaders. Building a strong personal network on Facebook platform will help you in your job search.

5. Build Strong Online Relations

It is important to build a strong online relation with relevant industry players who can advise you about your job search and will remember you for future career opportunities. Using Face book as an online platform for job hunting will show prospective employers and recruiters that you have interest and knowledge in your chosen field and are eager to improve your skills.

The social network can be a strong medium for finding employment. Did Facebook help you get hired? Please share your experience with us.

Online students: what are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2012? If you need help finding suggestions then you’re in the right place.

Realistic New Year’s Resolutions for College Students

How often do you make New Year’s resolutions that you stick to? Most New Year’s resolutions are broken in the first few weeks because they are not realistic. The very first thing you want to do is to make sure that your goals are realistic and not too difficult to accomplish. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting career goals that you know are too difficult to handle. Start off small the first year, and then increase the next.

New Year’s Resolution Wish List

When you set realistic goals, you are much more likely to stick to them. Make a list of all your New Year’s resolutions, then pick only a few easy ones that you can accomplish.

Here are some useful suggestions to add to your New Year’s Resolutions list as an online student:

• Get an extra hour of sleep every night by going to bed early.
• Spend an hour each day reviewing your notes and class material.
• Participate more in online discussions.
• Connect with other classmates.
• Don’t stay out too late on school nights.
• Spend less time watching TV.
• Spend a little less time socializing on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace
• Join online networking groups.
• Complete projects and assignments on time.
• Get up early for study online exams.
• Do your laundry more often.
• Don’t miss too much class time.
• Eat breakfast every day.
• Stay away from negative people.
• Cut back on buying unnecessary items.
• Use less credit.
• Eat healthier.
• Exercise more often.
• Get a study partner
• Sign on to your online classroom daily.

Are New Year’s Resolutions Attainable?

It all depends on what you want to accomplish and the time-frame you have. Unrealistic goals are not going to help you get to where you want to be, there are many career opportunities so make sure you pick things that are attainable. Only you know what you are capable of doing and achieving.

These are just a few simple New Year’s Resolutions that you can start off with. Don’t push yourself too hard or else you’ll get overwhelmed and will give up. Start with the easy things first, then advance to the ones that are a little more difficult to accomplish.

Do add on to the wish list by posting your suggestions in the comments below.

Happy New Year!