Month: March 2022

Perhaps It’s Time To Reconsider Undergraduate Degree Programs

When you graduated from high school nine years ago you’d had enough of formal education. You really just wanted to get a job somewhere and move on with your life and so that is what you did. You relished it too, early on, that first real job, and the apartment you were able to afford with it. It didn’t take long however before you started to feel as though you were outgrowing the job. You might have left after a few years but then you got a promotion, and along with it a good raise which helped with the eventual car payments and the security deposit on the bigger place that you and your fiance moved into.

Now, nine years in, you are unhappy and wishing that you hadn’t been so swift to settle for a pay check. You could possibly get another job of course but your practical experience would likely only land you in another job similar to the one you have now. Your partner has suggested that you return to school part time and earn a degree. You’re unsure though. Undergraduate degree programs cost a lot of money.

Here, perhaps, are a few of the questions you might want to ask yourself before you commit to a particular course of action.

• Why do I wish to go to university now, after all these years?

It is a pretty simple question but it’s well worth asking nonetheless. Your answer might shed a little light on the questions to follow. If you find that you really cannot answer this one, conceivably you should give some thought to if you want to attend at all.

• Who am I actually doing this for?

You know your mother would still be thrilled to see you get a degree after all these years. Your older brother too for that matter. Your wife suggested it only because she understands just how unhappy you are at work, but you suspect she would be rightfully proud of you if you went back to school. The the big question is, do you really feel it is something you want to pursue for your own reasons?

• What is it that I most want to do with my life?

It is essential to express this, if only to yourself, prior to contemplating undergraduate degree programs. It’s not a simple question sometimes. Don’t disregard or disqualify any response you may have to this question. If this query has you stumped perhaps what you ought to ask yourself is “What’s most fundamental to me?”

• Just how am I going to afford it?

If you do not currently have money set aside you will in all probability be forced to think about some kind of financial assistance. Make an effort to balance how much money you will be called upon to borrow versus the probability of finding work with your future degree, a realistic salary expectancy for that job, and your desire to work that career in the first place. If you cannot adequately balance at least most of those considerations in your own mind, possibly you need to rethink that course of action.

• When am I expected to attend class and study?

You do not enjoy the same broad availability you had years ago. You’ve got responsibilities that you cannot simply walk away from. You will need to attend part time. Perhaps you can get your work schedule adjusted slightly. There are always night courses not to mention online courses to think about. You could conceivably devote weekends to course work if it was something you were dedicated to. Thankfully there are lots of mature students in similar situations and the undergrad programs offered at many campuses feature incredibly flexible timetables to accommodate working schedules.

If you’re considering going back to school as a mature student your chances of success and fulfillment will be better if you have clarity of purpose on your side. Take the time to make the right choices for the right reasons. Find the undergraduate degree that will take you in the direction you most want to travel. For more information go online and perform Google searches for “undergraduate degree programs” or ‘bachelor degree programs” near you.

Become a Continuing Education Author and Earn Mailbox Money!

Most states in the country require that licensed professionals, such as architects, engineers, land surveyors, interior designers and landscape architects, complete a certain number of hours of continuing education each year in order to renew their professional license.

In years past most licensed professionals had to expend hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year to attain their state-mandated continuing education. Opportunities were limited to a handful of in-person venues lasting a day or more. Most of these seminars were held only in large cities, requiring many professionals to travel and stay overnight, costing both large sums of money and their valuable time.

With the rise of the internet more and more state licensing boards allow what is known as “distance learning.” Distance learning, as the name implies, is learning from a distance, without the need to travel to an in-person venue in another city. Mail-order courses, webinars and internet-based courses are common examples of distance learning.

As you can imagine, many professionals are opting for distance learning over in-person seminars not only because it saves them both time and money, but because it is much more convenient, allowing them to acquire their continuing education credits on their own schedule and at their own pace. Naturally, this has increased the demand, nation-wide, for internet-based continuing education course material.

Most professionals have more than enough expertise in their field to become an author. They just may not realize it. Writing these continuing education courses can be both rewarding and profitable. With a little up-front work an author can reap the rewards of his or her courses for years to come with little or no effort. Simply write a course for one or more professions, submit it to an online continuing education provider and sit back and collect your “mailbox money.” Typically, authors receive 20%, even 30%, of the sale of each course. While each provider sets the price of each course the more successful and reputable providers can charge up to $ 35 or $ 40 dollars for each one-hour course. That translates into a commission of $ 7 to $ 12 dollars to the author each and every time the course is sold! With hundreds of thousands of licensed professionals across the country constantly in search of fresh, interesting online continuing education material the potential market for your courses is huge.

Most courses are from one to three hours in length and can target more than one profession. For instance, a course about the use of heavy timbers in architectural design can qualify for continuing education credit not only for architects, but for engineers and interior designers as well, thus tripling your potential audience. A one-hour course is usually between 12 to 15 pages in a default Microsoft Word document, or about 6000 words. There is generally a test at the end of each course consisting of ten or more true/false and multiple choice questions pertaining to the course content.

If you are a state licensed professional you have an excellent opportunity to earn substantial extra income by becoming a continuing education author by sharing your expertise and experience with others. In my next article I will discuss in more detail just how to go about doing it.

Who’s Watching the Kids When You’re at School?

As an adult student balancing life, work and school, it can sometimes be difficult to find that right equilibrium. Focusing on school work can be especially difficult if you are also responsible for your family.

Here are a few childcare options that maybe you hadn’t thought of to help you have some study time.

1. Relatives

If you are lucky enough to live near your family, asking them to help you out every now and then can be beneficial. However, don’t always assume that they will provide that service just because they are your family. Explain to them how important your education is to you and how your life will be different because of the education you are receiving. And be sure to offer help when they need it as well.

2. Play Dates

Play dates are a great solution because it is often an even exchange between working parents. Someone watches your children for an hour, and vice-versa. It allows for both parties to get some things done without the added responsibility.

3. After School Programs

If you have school age children, you can check out after school programs. These provide a place for children to stay while you are working or are at school late in the afternoon.

4. Church

Many local churches provide day options for their members. You can ask around, talk to other members, or check out bulletins to see. Church members may also be able to reference someone to you if you are looking for a babysitter.

5. Babysitter

Although this is the most obvious choice, maybe you cannot afford to hire a babysitter. Consider sharing babysitters with your neighbors, coworkers, or fellow students to split the cost.

Balancing life, work and school is difficult but not impossible. The rewards of a college education make it worthwhile to make the effort.

Teachers – 3 Things To Do Over a Holiday Break

Teachers, you probably spend a lot of time telling your students how to make the best use of “off” time for their studies, but how often do you make a plan for yours? Just like students, you may want to sleep in, relax, or take in a movie or two, but holiday breaks can be excellent times to find additional ways to refresh yourself, too.

One of the best ways to do this is to take up a new hobby or interest over the break. Think of your holiday breaks as your school time. If you spend some time learning new things or new skills, you’ll find that your brain remains stimulated and challenged, but because you are doing something that you are genuinely interested in, it doesn’t wear you out. For instance, maybe you take up a new exercise or dance class during this time, or you use this time to start learning a new foreign language. It can be almost anything, but try spending some time developing something new in your life.

A second way to recharge your batteries over the break is to do volunteer work, preferably through an organization that works with some segment of the population other than students. From time to time, teachers can find that their immersion in a student-driven world gives them a disconnected feeling towards adults or the “grown up” world. By spending more time with older adults, and volunteering to serve their needs, it renews your purpose and motivation for helping create leaders for the next generation. By reminding yourself of what’s at stake, it becomes easier to prepare your students to grow up wisely.

And a third thing to do to reenergize your mind and spirit over a holiday break is to hone your skills, too. Pick up that teaching methods book that you’ve been wanting to read, or visit the bookstore to see what’s new on the shelves. Review any articles that you’ve ripped out of magazines for posterity and be sure that you’ve actually been implementing those tips that you’ve found so helpful in theory. When you’ve done that, review the lessons you have planned for the first classes back after the holiday. If they don’t work with the new methods, change them up before your return.

There’s nothing wrong with sleeping in or movies, but sometimes, all that those things do is fuel your desire to do more of them, making it difficult to go back to work when the holiday is over. When this happens, you return with a sluggish, grumpy attitude rather than one of excitement and enthusiasm. The solution is in having a plan that builds in some refreshing but stimulating activities over the holiday break and to enjoy some extra sleep or a movie, too.

The Importance of Education Even When You’re Working At Home

Is formal education necessary to starting an online IM or networking marketing business?

I was in an Internet Marketing (IM) forum the other day and we were having a big discussion about the importance of education for Internet Marketers. The opinions were widely varied but there were some people who really are getting too caught up in some of these “gurus” who are blasting their products all over the ‘Net, starting with, “Watch how this high school (or college) dropout makes $5,623,500 in just one month!”

Ridiculous.

The main question came from a relatively new member to the IM industry asking if any of us would or would not recommend a formal education in studies of marketing, finance or economics and would it help in earning more money.

Now, personally, I am a high school “dropout.” I did go back and get my GED and finally went to college through an adult education program. I’ve also taken some online courses and night school courses over the years. And I’ll be honest, it wasn’t until recently that I genuinely started to appreciate the importance of education, regardless of how I’ve learned what I’ve learned over the years.

And I will say that while a formal education, meaning attending an accredited institution whether you go to a physical building or decide to enroll with one of the many online universities available today, may not be “necessary” to IM and starting your own business, education overall is extremely critical to the success of any business you decide to launch.

Why is that? Because unless you have a stash of cash to pay other people to do everything for you, you’re going to be in big trouble if you don’t have some type of post-high school education behind you. Even taking non-credit online courses or non-credit courses through one of the at-home correspondence schools, anyone deciding to launch a blog or an affiliate website absolutely needs an education in a variety of subjects.

What types courses can you take to help? First, a solid grasp of the English language, or your native language if you’re outside of the U.S. is very important. I say this because if you don’t know how to write or spell, how are you going to build your website or blog in the first place? How are people going to read your content?

So if you managed to pretty much slip and slide through high school without a solid foundation of writing, spelling and grammar, you’re going to need to have a healthy amount of cash saved up to pay ghostwriters for you.

Next, a good knowledge of computers and the Internet. It doesn’t matter if it’s MAC based or a PC, but you really need to know more than just how to turn on your computer or you’re going to waste a lot of money trying to pay people to do find things or even do things for you that you don’t know how to do yourself.

Fortunately, schools have gotten pretty advanced and most elementary school kids are now learning computers and the Internet to complete their homework. My stepdaughter isn’t even in “junior high” yet and she’s actually learned more about different software programs than I know! It’s pretty cool!

Do you need a formal education in math, marketing, finance or economics to succeed in IM? No. But it wouldn’t hurt to either take some adult courses in subjects like QuickBooks to help with keeping your revenue and expenses straight for tax time. And actually, most of the stuff you’ll need to know or learn when it comes to Internet Marketing or blogging you can actually learn on YouTube.

The bottom line is, the importance of education is largely dependent on what type of business you’re going to start, how well you did in high school and the subject areas you think you need some help with. But post-high school, a literal “formal” education isn’t critical to your success.