Education | Higher Education Resource

How to Choose a Major

July 22, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Choosing a major can be difficult. There are so many to choose from; you want a major that will bring you a profitable career, but you also want something you enjoy.

The first thing you’ll want to consider when choosing a major is what you love to do. Find something you’re truly passionate about and enjoy doing. Many people choose something very practical that they know they can have a career with. This is fine, but many find in the end that they hate their job. You don’t want to dread going in for work every day. Others don’t have a real direction and end up having to get a master’s degree in order to have the education for the career they decide on later. If you can figure out what you want to do that you love, choosing a major is easy.

The next thing you’ll want to do is figure out what education you need to succeed in what you love. Sometimes you might need a master’s degree in your chosen profession and having a complementary bachelor’s degree, rather than a bachelor’s degree in the same field, is preferable. By choosing your path before you begin, you will have a greater focus.

While you’re in college, be sure to find internships that relate to your chosen career as well. They will help you focus on what you really want to do and increase the chances for success. It will look good on your resume when you’re applying for jobs to show that you have real-world experience in that field.

Filed Under: Majors Tagged With: Bachelor's degree, Education, Master's degree

Choosing the Right College: What to Look For

June 18, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

For hight school students it is a huge decision, one that can have an effect on the rest of their lives. What college should they go to? For some it is an easy decision, if they have a particular career in mind and there are only certain schools where they can get the education they need, the decision is made for them.

For most students though, there are hundreds of schools out there, so how do you decide which one is right for you? As students and parents start their search, here are a few things to consider.

Image by anneohirsch via Flickr

How far away from home do you want to be? Do you feel the need to be close to your family and want to go home on weekends? In this case you should target your search for schools with a fairly short ride. If you are looking to get away and make a fresh start for yourself, you can look anywhere in the country. Also take into consideration the location of the school. Do you want to be in the city or are you looking for a big rural campus?

Colleges come in all shapes and sizes. This is important to think about when searching. If you don’t want to be sitting in a class with hundreds of other students, you should narrow your search to smaller schools.

Cost is also a big factor for many students. You may be limited by schools that are less expensive or offer better financial assistance.

As you take all these things into consideration make a list of schools that fit. Then go visit and ask lots of questions to find out more.

Filed Under: Higher Education Tagged With: Education, Ivy League, Student

Benefits of Online Learning

May 11, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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In today’s ever evolving need for education there are avenues to easily access an education through the use of multimedia, the internet. Most significant is the utilization of online learning, which provides an easily accessible educational benefit to today’s businessmen and women and various individuals of the work force, as well as personnel of the Armed Forces.

Online education allows for these individuals to acquire an education, while still maintaining their commitments to their current occupation. This access provides these individuals with an opportunity to achieve the goal of receiving higher levels of education, either it be for an apprenticeship program or an academic degree.

There are many benefitsto online learning. Among them are the flexibility to study, participate, or complete assignments based on the schedule that best suits you. Online learning can also allow you to pursue your goal of further education, while still maintaining your responsibilities.

Another benefit is the option to work in an environment that best suits your comforts and lifestyle. Online learning allows those more reserved individuals the freedom to participate in their education and effectively increase their knowledge in a way that best suits their individual needs.

Online learning has demonstrated to be a resourceful tool and will continue to amplify the ability to obtain an education either at home or abroad. As today’s necessity for educational requirements for occupations increases, the demand for acquiring higher levels of education will too increase. In order to open the doors of opportunity to those seeking to better themselves and be more competitive in today’s job market, online learning allows for such prospects.

Filed Under: Higher Education, Online Learning Tagged With: Academic degree, Education, eLearning

How To Learn Online

March 23, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Online learning can be a tricky thing, but if you do it right, it can be one of the easiest things you have ever done. For many programs the universities make the programs so that they are not unit based, but rather competency based. The insider trick to this approach is that students can get classes done in as little as a weekend if they invested the time. With these programs they are not looking for mastery of the English language, rather they are looking for mastery of the topic at hand, and that is the important value to be gained. For others, they are looking for well written assignments, but many of the programs classes can be completed by just a week or so if the student is fully competent of the topic. The best feature of online learning is that all the materials are web based which means that there is less foot work in trying to gather all of your learning resources.

Many of the programs that are currently available will also automatically provide specific materials that are required for a course that you have enrolled in. The approach for many of these schools like earnmydegree.com is healthy learning, a good education, and most importantly, great customer service. They look at their students as customers for their academic business, and students are greeted with a surprisingly accommodating learning environment. The other aspect of learning online is the fact that this usually costs much less for students than a traditional university and the education that they receive is just as good because students are required to be more independent with their research, and therefore are able to learn more in a shorter amount of time.

Filed Under: Higher Education, Online Learning Tagged With: E-learning, Education, Online Learning

Multiple Majors

March 22, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Multiple majors are degree programs where students are going to be obtaining a degree for more than one thing simultaneously. This can be a very difficult task, but many are finding that for the time and money, is the most efficient way to handling their educational goals. One such example of this is with education students. If a student want to be certified for more than one subject, or in more than one area, say mainstream education and special education, then a dual major is the proper way to go. This does increase the unit weight from around 124 credits to about 152 credits, but as you can see there is only a 28 credit difference, and a student will receive two degrees. The way this is made possible is the fact that all the general education is only completed once, yet is sufficing for both degrees. The other factor with this is that because both topics are in line with the same type of field, many of the core, or capstone, classes are also completed once, but count for both. If a student were to do these degrees separately, they would have to complete a 124 unit degree program, then turn around and do it again.

For many fields today, there are dual requirements, and unless people have the time and money to spend eight years in school, dual majors are the best and most efficient way to go. Another field that has these same type of requirements also includes law. For many lawyers, they dual major, or even triple major, in history, law, and Latin. This will help provide them a well-rounded basis for completing their BAR exam, and to help them with becoming familiar with past events that could later help them in the court room. While this is becoming more of a trend, there is no requirement that dual or multiple majors have to be completed, however, more and more colleges are now accommodating this approach.

Filed Under: Majors Tagged With: Academic degree, Education, Student

Aspects of Online Learning

March 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Online learning, also called e-learning includes all type of teaching and learning that occurs in an electronic format. The electronic learning environment includes in-network and out-of-network information and communication systems that are used as specific media to employ the process of learning.

Online learning is basically the shift of knowledge and skills via a computer and network. It includes educational experiences that occur both in and out of the classroom using various types of technology.

Common abbreviations of online learning include WBT (Web-Based Training), IBT (Internet-Based Training), and CBT (Computer-Based Training).

Processes and Applications

The processes and applications of e-learning include computer-based learning, web-based learning, digital collaboration, and virtual classroom experiences.

Learning content is presented through various media such as CD-ROM, satellite television, audio or videotape, Internet, and intranet/extranet.
The content is presents in numerous forms such as text, images, audio, animation, and streaming video.
The learning material can be led by instructors or self-paced by students.

Market of Online Learning

Higher Education

An array of higher education institutions including colleges, universities, and vocational and technical schools are implementing online learning opportunities for students.
An increasing amount of institutions are offering online courses to enable students to have more flexibility in their education while attending to other obligations such as work and families.
Online education requires highly trained faculty who are competent and comfortable with using online learning environments.
Students are generally satisfied with online courses and online learning is increasing rapidly and becoming one of the predominant types of higher education in the United States.

K-12 Education

An increasing amount of public K-12 schools in the United States are using online learning strategies.
Some e-learning environments are present in traditional classrooms and others enable students to complete schoolwork from home or satellite locations.

Filed Under: Online Learning Tagged With: Education, eLearning, United States

Educational Philosophy

February 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Believe it or not, there is a philosophical principle behind online education. The idea is that students should be self-driven, motivated individuals that can handle independent learning. This is the idea behind online learning, and forcing students to exercise those skills. This is a basic principle that many brick and mortar schools expect students have as an approach to their education. This is a necessary skill in order for students to be successful in any academic setting, especially that of the online environment. Bloom’s Taxonomy states that students will be able to exhibit mastery of a learned material by exampling self learning and by using critical thinking and application. Online school simply is forcing learners, through their own choice, to be a top rung Bloom’s Taxonomy learner. This is the idea behind many of the online schools that promote their programs as competency based programs.

Such programs exist, and as a matter of fact, they have higher accreditation than many of the competitors. Online schooling is not for everyone. If a person is not an independent learner, this could be a hard way of learning material. Brick and mortar colleges provide physical support with tangible syllabi and professors that can take questions at the end of every class. If a student needs this type of support, online learning may not be an option, as there are opposing philosophical views. However, for those that can learn independently this is the optimal situation as many find that they are able to research and complete assignments. This process is furthering the educational philosophy that the success rate and completion rate is remaining high. This is a valuable aspect for many schools as they highly regard these completion rates.

Filed Under: Higher Education Tagged With: Education, Learning, Student

Earn More With a Degree

January 21, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

The job market is more competitive everyday and getting a good job has rarely been more difficult. With bills going up and work going down, you need to take the next step toward getting a good job by getting a college degree. There are so many people without degrees that employers –now able to be as choosy as they like–are starting to list having a degree as a job requirement. A degree can put you ahead of the job-searching crowd and move you closer to a better paying job with better benefits.There are two popular ways you can get a degree:

You can attend a college or university in person, but you might have to take time away from your job and family to do so. If you’re like most Americans, you barely get to see your family as it is.

If you decide to pursue your degree online, you’ll have more flexibility than with an in-person college. Taking online classes lets you choose your own schedule and time frame, which means you can work in that important family time.

Non-degree workers earn an average of $23,000 a year, while someone with a basic Associates Degree earns around $38,000. That’s almost a two-fold difference in earnings. It’s something to think about.Online degrees can be completed much faster than in-person degrees, so you can start looking for that higher paying job even sooner.

Tuition can be paid in part by financial aid, so not being able to afford college is less of a concern. If you really want to go to college and aren’t sure of the costs, apply for financial aid first. Even if you end up having to pay for your degree on your own, remember that itwill pay for itself within a few years after you wow those potential employers and land that better paying job.

Filed Under: Online Learning Tagged With: Academic degree, Associates Degree, Distance education, E-learning, Education, Employment, online degree, United States

Are there Advanatges to Higher Education?

January 20, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Some might question the advantages to higher education, a masters or even a PhD. Employers these days are looking for the most qualified person for the position. Could you be over qualified? Some might say yes. The advantages to higher education in these economic times are simple, you are mainly out of the workforce and preparing yourself for a position few will be qualified for when the demand for employment turns around.

Most economist note that enrollment in colleges go up in a down employment market. Why? Simple, people are trying to educate themselves for a position they would normally would never be able to get or even apply for, for that matter. The demand in certain fields will actually increase in a down market, and it is those that many people will try and educate themselves for.

If you could think of one major that comes to mind what would it be? Well let’s think about this for a moment, if more people are going back to school in a down economy wouldn’t we need more educators? How about more college personnel, administrators, enrollment specialists, even counselors.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In a down employment market many companies downsize and it is not a guarantee that when the market comes back they are going to be rehiring the same people they laid off. So the cycle will start all over again and the hiring process begins with new highly educated people.

Are there disadvantages to receiving a higher education? Some will say the opposite of what i have just written. You have taken yourself out of the workforce and in that case some employers look at that as a negative. you have been out of the game for a couple of years and you arent as sharp as you were before you left.

So you make the call, what is good for one is not always good for all.

Filed Under: Higher Education Tagged With: Education, Higher education

Six Figure College Majors

January 19, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Earning more than ten thousands dollars a month right out of college does not happen for everyone immediateltly.Some students are very disappointed when they really start to work their way through their local job markets. Understanding the value of the degree in the local marketplace can help you to select the right major and more importantly know how you can have a better chance of landing a lucrative position.

Starting salaries should be researched. The salary for the same position may vary based on where it is geographically. A nurse in San Antonio, Texas may earn more than someone doing the exact same job in El Paso, Texas. When you start to search job listings that encompass the entire state or the country you will start to see a pattern.

This pattern may uncover which section of a major is the most lucrative. For example, payscale.com published a report that states the average petroleum engineers have an average starting salary of $93,000. In comparison a chemical engineer has a starting salary of $ 64,800. Knowing which sections of engineering are the most lucrative can help you decide what to major in.

Each year there are companies that research the earning power of different degrees. If your major is not in a lucrative area, but it is your passion do not despair. Minoring in a major that is more lucrative can help boost your earning potential in the global marketplace. Minoring in business or marketing can help you stand out when applying for positions that require additional skills.

Seek out online learning resources to learn more about any lucrative major or minor subject. Exploring the topic through online discussions and eBooks can help you see if that topic can be part of your degree plan. Use these tips when trying to select a lucrative college major.

Filed Under: Majors Tagged With: Academic major, Education