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One of the classic dilemmas faced by students after school is the selection of the right university. With a huge number of options with varying specializations, campus facilities and of course the recognition and accreditations, the selections become really puzzling.
While selecting remember to consider:
1. Your aptitude and your past records on subjects
2. Compare courses of your choices across university to see if they offer the ones you want to go ahead with and their relevance
3. Accreditations
4. Facilities
5. Industry acceptance
The choices are more than enough for students with the right aptitude and skills and I am not talking just about the toppers. After all a lot of mediocre students do make it big, at times bigger than the toppers just because they made the right selections along the path.
The opportunities for university education have enhanced with the upcoming of online universities. Online universities like Almeda University, offer students access to a larger number of options and flexibility, as physical presence is either not required or just about minimal.
One of the boons of the modern technology is the scope of online education. Online degrees from Phoenix, Purdue, Almeda, Illinois, Kaplan and many more helps thousands of students and professionals worldwide to pursue education and development that would otherwise have not been possible for various reasons. Barring a few, regulatory authorities recognize all the online programs and the programs themselves comply with industry standards and requirements.
There has been some unnecessary talk about the validity of Almeda University in the recent past. What I have found and so have about a quarter of my students and thousands of Almeda University students is not only a high degree of acceptability of the courses, but the students themselves being able to secure above average positions in top corporations.
I do not want to get into any canvassing for a certain name or type of online degree but the fact remains that management and tech degrees are indeed the ladders that run high and online and distance education degrees have consistently and successfully placed students to their deserving seats.
For students though I have a word of caution. Be it Almeda University or any other body offering you an online degree anywhere in the globe, make sure you
have checked for their accreditations in their home country and in your home country, if they are different. If they are, and beyond this, the world is your playground and an exception or two would not make much of a difference.
Life experience degrees are highly focused programs that are high on industry relevance. Students of such programs can look forward to being one of the most updated professionals as these programs are designed with the present and future in mind. The feather in the cap is the option to upgrade as relevant additions to the programs are made to offer students and easy upgrade from their current kills.
There has been a lot of hoopla over the acceptability of online universities and their programs. Let me tell you, the acceptability is all about a candidate's ability and credentials relevant to the job responsibilities. If a degree is found ornamental, with the incumbent lacking the required skills, the only way to is the door!
By: Kelli Smith
Baby boomers. They're the generation born between 1946 and 1964. They came of age in the early 70s and early 80s. They're the generation that made changes and waves, worked harder and longer, put off marriage and children, did things differently than previous generations.
Whether because of financial necessity or because they have something to offer, baby boomers are staying in the workforce longer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and projections indicate that by 2010 there should be 18.5 million boomers ages 45 to 49 in the labor force, as compared to 14.7 in 1995, and 16.8 million versus 10.6 million in the 50- to 54-years-old range.
They're still making changes. They're retiring later, or not at all. If not downsized or laid off, boomers often continue to work. When they don't choose to continue in the same career, it doesn't mean they're ready to stop contributing, and sometimes they're making transitions to new careers.
"On average there are three to five career changes in a person's lifetime and that's pretty common," says Kevin Gaw, Director of Career Development, University of Nevada, Reno. "It's pretty common that a layoff ends up being a great opportunity for someone to find something that's more suited to them, too."
But it can be challenging to a baby boomer to be suddenly confronted with a career change. They were raised in a world where you got your education, then got your job, and while you may not have stayed with the job until you retired, you would probably stay in the same profession. "It can be jarring to realize you have to transfer your skill set to another area," says Gaw.
A career change can be riddled with mistakes and ambiguity for many people, even those in mid-career. This, as a consequence, relegates them to where they are despite additions to their job and personal skill sets and the larger market scenario. This small but indicative list of career changes Dos and Don'ts will help to make things clearer.
Career Change Don'ts
- Never come out any job before you have another one. Don't quit a job on impulse, only when you have a solid plan. Leaving a job too early will have obvious negative effects. You could easily find yourself without a job with no leads in sight.
- A career change cannot be spontaneous but must be the result of a well-planned and well thought out decision. Do not plan to change your career in just minutes.
- Don't change your career just for the sake of big/instant money or glamour; rather, give some real thought as to whether you are really interested in switching to another career. Sure, the new career might seem great at first, but will you still enjoy it after several years?
- Don't have unrealistic expectations from the career that you are going to choose.
- Don't pay attention to rumors or gossip or even react to them during your job change process.
- Don't spread the word about your leaving the job until it is confirmed in writing.
- Don't leave your 'safe' job until you know where and how you will be compensated.
- Don't leave the job for until you have ensured that you will not have to pay your monthly bills from your savings
- Don't ever spread misinformation about your past employer
The Dos of Career Change
- While still in your current job, you can gather information or rather work part-time for the career you have chosen. It will give you some idea of the scope and nature of your target job.
- While still in your present career, learn as much as you can and plan to take that knowledge with you.
- List your strengths and qualities in fields you that you already excel. Identify your need for a career change.
- If it is sheer frustration or stress and all other aspects are fine in your present job, then target these two problems rather going for a career change.
- Maintain a positive relationship with your present organization and leave the job on a positive note.
- As soon as you join your new employer, get down to business without wasting time; you will have lot to learn in a new environment.
d maybe change that passion to a hobby rather than a vocation.
• Determine whether you want to make a radical career change? say from legal secretary to Web designer? or stay within the same profession.
• If you like the company you're with but feel the need for change, see if they can retain and retrain you. If it comes down to a complete career change, there are also some things you can do to help create a whole new career for yourself.
• Promote yourself rather than your age. Once you get into a position and can show off your skills, you'll be known for those skills rather than your years.
• Start slow. Before investing heavily in education, determine if it's the right career path for you.
• Network. Many non-entry level positions are found by references. Join professional organizations in the field you want to enter.
• Consider working for yourself. A job market survey conducted in 2005 by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., quoted on thematuremarket.com, indicated that of 3000 job seekers, 13 percent chose to work for themselves, and 86.6 percent of them were over 40.
Another option is to leverage your experience and teach or train. Moving into training and coaching people just entering the profession you're leaving is a fairly informal move. Teaching requires state licensing, and there are programs helping place retiring workers into teaching positions. The University of Nevada Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning takes executives through a first-time licensing program and puts them in the schools in just a couple semesters, often teaching in high-needs areas like math, science and languages. Likewise, IBM unveiled their Transition to Teaching program in September, reimbursing them for tuition and providing stipends while they student teach. Many of their executives are highly trained in math and computer sciences.
Whether making a career change to a new profession or a new position, Gaw says such changes are a normal life pattern. "It's a good thing to be open to change. The challenge is recognizing skill sets and knowing how to capitalize on them and present them to the new opportunities."