Posts Tagged ‘ Online College ’

If you are a fresh graduate, you can consider a variety of summer jobs to improve your skills and get better jobs. Summer jobs are a perfect opportunity to not only gain experience but also to add in qualifications to your CV.

Most people think summer jobs are exclusively meant for teenagers and college students, which is a misconception. With the slowdown in economy, experienced professionals looking for a career change or people getting reduced salaries should all make use of summer jobs to ease into a new career or to make use of additional income.

Looking For Summer Jobs

As competition increases, finding an appropriate summer job has become quite a challenge. It is better to develop a plan and prepare in advance as that improves your chances of getting a suitable summer job. Some tips to start searching for such a job are:

• Start Early

Most employers start looking for their candidates in spring, so you should start early to search for a summer job. Start dropping your resumes to the companies you are interested in working for by spring which is when the recruiting process starts. You can even suggest working for a short duration even before the summer sets in to your prospective employer. If you are a new grad, you can work for about 12 to 15 hours a week and get the necessary training and experience and also earn money to take care of your education expenses.

• Prepare Your Resume

You should prepare for your summer job search prior to looking for a suitable job. If you are a fresh graduate and are looking for an internship, you should create your resume specific to the new job you are interested in and put all details regarding your achievements and qualifications. You can also give details of the awards won, leadership roles and other special skills acquired. Also include a few references to add value to your resume.

• Make Use of Social Media

When you are looking for a summer job, mention this on your social media profiles so that your family and friends are aware that you are on the lookout for a new job. You can even make calls to a few businesses to check if they are hiring new grads. Even if they are not hiring, they can help you get a new job in the future.

If you really want to work for a firm but they are not recruiting for the post you are interested in, apply for some other post or work at the reception just to gain experience and make connections. If all else fails you can still work in movie theaters, restaurants, recreation facilities or even landscaping companies.

How early do you start looking for your summer job? Do let us know.

With the advent of technology, computers are extensively being used in all areas, especially in education. This has led to the popularity of online courses among students, especially students who want to pursue higher education. Though traditional campus based colleges have been around for many years now, the recent popularity of online colleges has started a debate on which is a better option.

Online Colleges versus Campus Based Colleges

College degrees offered either through distance learning or through campus based colleges help students gain knowledge and skills required to develop a successful career. Choosing a specific format of education depends on the needs and requirements of students. Both options have their pros and cons.

In terms of accessibility, online degree programs can be pursued from anywhere and at anytime irrespective of the location or time. There are no geographical boundaries and you can choose any of the top online courses. The biggest benefit of online degrees is their flexibility as you can study as well as pursue your job without discontinuing your existing career. Moreover, online degrees that are accredited are accepted by both academicians as well as employers and are acknowledged as being similar to degrees offered through campus colleges.

You need to be wary of fake online degree programs offered through `diploma mills’. These might claim to offer online courses at a much faster rate but they offer fraud degrees which will not be valued by employers. You should do adequate research on the online university offering these online degrees. You should ensure that they are accredited and offer federal student aid which proves their authenticity.

However there are some degrees that are best pursued through on-campus colleges as they require extensive hands-on experience. An example is engineering which needs practical as well as hands-on training and is difficult to access through distance learning. Campus degrees are also more structured and organized. This is easy to do in campus colleges as they are brick-mortar and will have proper infrastructure.

What Costs More? Online Colleges or Campus Colleges

One of the most important differentiating factors is the cost. With the increase in tuition costs due to recession, college tuition has soared tremendously. Because of this reason more people are showing an interest in online college degrees which are comparatively less expensive. Moreover they are also very cost effective as you can save a huge amount of money on travel costs, books and stationery, and housing while you pursue the online courses from the comfort of your home.

Though you can save huge amounts of money through online degree programs, you need to make have a personal computer and an uninterrupted internet connection to pursue the course online.

Before you commit to either one program, take a look at your needs and requirements, your learning style and preferences, then discuss with friends, family and peers before you make your final decision. Goodluck!

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.

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!

What do all students scream on Friday? “TGIF!” Come November and it changes to, “TGIBF!” (Thank Goodness it’s Black Friday!) Black Friday is to shopaholics what heaven is to the rest of us. The Friday following Thanksgiving, which falls on 25th November this year, is the busiest shopping day in the US.

Nothing digests your Thanksgiving dinner better than standing at the doors of shops as early as 3 am, braving the windy night with your friends waiting to get your hands on that door buster. However not everyone can deal with the parking hassles and the long lines. So what can the faint hearted do? Shop online! Yes, now all the major stores put their Black Friday ads online, even deals from retailers that do not have an online presence can be found there. Just as online colleges seem to be coming equal to their brick and mortar counterparts, the same is happening with shopping; and online Black Friday shopping seems to be getting ahead of traditional Black Friday shopping.

Best Black Friday Websites

In order to make Black Friday shopping easy for you, we have compiled a list of sites that can really help you in your search. While there are hundreds of sites telling you about the best Black Friday deals, we have chosen the following sites as they have neat interfaces, allow you to search for products category wise as well as store wise, and have mailing lists and community forums as well.

• fatwallet.com/black-friday/
• http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/
• http://bfads.net/
• Blackfriday2011.com
• http://www.black-friday.net/
• http://dealnews.com/black-friday/
• Amazon.com/blackfriday
• http://blackfriday.dealsofamerica.com/

Best Black Friday Tech Deals

Online students can buy all the gadgets and gizmos they will need for college by bookmarking the following sites which focus on the best Black Friday tech deals (yes that includes all the tablets, HDTVs and e-readers).

• www.techsaver.pcmag.com
• Gizmodo’s Ultimate Black Friday 2010 Cheat Sheet (We’re hoping they’ll put an updated one for 2011)

Comparison Shopping To Get the Best Deals

While you are searching for Black Friday deals, don’t forget to comparison shop at the following sites to make sure that you get the lowest rates.

• http://www.pricegrabber.com/
• http://www.shopzilla.com/

Have fun and make the most of this day (don’t wait for Cyber Monday because most of the good deals would be gone by then)!

Although online learning is still somewhat in its infancy stages, it has been used to deliver a wide range of subject matters and has obtained diverse learning outcomes. Many online colleges, universities, and companies have embraced distance education as an important delivery strategy. Today, online degree has influenced and changes attitudes of many because it has proven itself to be an effective and appealing education delivery system. The concerns about online learning are slowly shifting. Here are some real facts and figures about online degree legitimacy in the United States.

The Increase in Distance Education Programs are a Fact

• Polling information has found that in the United States enrollment for online degree programs have rapidly increased at a faster pace than traditional campus registrations by approximately 14 percent.
• Nearly five million people are enrolled in at least one online degree course in the fall 2008 semester, over a 14 percent growth from 2007, and an almost three fold increase from the over 1.5 million people that registered in previous years.
• Online degree program grew faster than traditional campus registrations.
• Just a little below 30 percent of all American college level students have taken at least one online course.
• Online degree programs are flexible, convenient and are best suited for working adults who would like to continue their education but cannot attend campus due to work and family obligations.
• Due to the popularity and legitimacy of online learning, many prestigious and well known traditional brick and mortar colleges have extended their campus programs to cater to the needs of online learners.
• Online learning may not be right for young learners and those who do not have the skills required for distance learning.
• According to a Department of Education report, 84 percent of the total U.S. college enrollment is nontraditional students.

Researching Online Colleges and Universities

Though there are many legitimate and reputable online institutions out there, however there are also a few bad apples. When looking for an online degree program do your research and a thorough background check on the online school of interest. The first thing you want to check on is to see if the school is accredited. Next, check on the quality of the program by comparing other similar programs, as well as the support provided, faculty and reputation of the school.

Online Education Today

Today, online degree programs are now considered mainstream to some extent. The popularity of online education is drawing the attention of many including the influence of government policy. The legitimacy of online learning has raised many important questions which have helped to diffuse many concerns and skepticism, eliminating questions of legitimacy over the years.

The Future of Online Education

Despite any concerns and controversies, many individuals to some degree are well aware of the controversies surrounding online colleges and universities, but important factors such as maintaining full-time jobs, family responsibilities, flexibility, convenience, and freedom among other advantages lead individuals to choose online learning over traditional learning.