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Sites to Help You Choose a College or Grad Program

March 6th, 2010 Andrea

Choosing a college or graduate program involves consideration of many factors, including tuition and program rankings.  If you want free information about thousands of colleges and graduate schools, try the following sites.

US News Rankings

Each year, US News ranks colleges and graduate programs.  In addition to U.S. schools, the site also ranks the world’s best universities.  You can find rankings by location or subject area.  Although basic rankings are free, you’ll need to purchase a premium online edition for $14.95 to access detailed admissions and cost information about the graduate programs.

Princeton Review

Explore colleges and majors, prepare for standardized tests, and find scholarships at PrincetonReview.com. The Best Fit School Search suggests the best schools based on your qualifications and preferences.  Princeton Review also offers a number of interesting rankings from student surveys.

College Prowler

Register at collegeprowler.com to search for matching scholarships, calculate the real cost of your education, and find schools that match your criteria.  The site has thousands of student reviews and editorials, including what students say are the best and worst things about their schools.

Students Review

With around 70,000 reviews, StudentsReview.com is the place to find out what students really think about their colleges.  There area also alumni reviewed majors, tips for getting in, and dynamic rankings.

My Plan

My Plan provides college statistics, including most popular majors and graduation rates. Use the query feature to search for colleges by student body, location, resources, cost, campus setting, majors and admissions. Colleges are ranked by overall satisfaction, prestige, school resources, and several other factors.

College Stats

Visit Collegestats.org to find colleges that match your criteria.  You can view colleges with the lowest tuition costs, the largest colleges, and much more.

For both objective information and more subjective ratings, these websites can help you narrow down your college or graduate school choices.  In an upcoming post, I’ll list specific questions to ask when choosing a college or graduate program.

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Five High Demand Jobs for the Future

March 1st, 2010 Andrea

A common concern when choosing a career is future growth and demand. Healthcare is generally the best field for security and growth, but jobs in other fields are also experiencing rapid growth. Ten high demand jobs based on industry, job prospects*, percent growth, and numerical growth:

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for veterinary technologists and technicians is expected to grow 36 percent through 2018.   The median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians was $28,900 in 2008.  Completion of a two-year degree from a college program accredited by American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is required for working as a veterinary technician in the United States.  Every state requires future veterinary technologists to pass a credentialing exam after coursework completion, although regulation varies from state to state.

Pharmacists

Projected growth for pharmacists is 17 percent through 2018.  To practice pharmacy, one must obtain a Pharm.D. degree and pass a series of licensing exams.  Pharmacists earned a median annual wage of $106, 210 in 2008.  Visit the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy to find pharmacy education and career resources.

Computer Systems Analysts

Responsibilities of computer systems analysts include determining user requirements, reviewing system capabilities, making software recommendations, and updating existing computer systems and programs.  Projected employment growth for computer systems analysts is 20 percent through 2018 and the median annual wages were $75,500 in 2008.

Computer Software Engineers

Employment for computer software engineers is projected to grow by 32 percent through 2018.  The median annual wage of computer systems software engineers was $92, 420 in May 2008.  For computer applications software engineers the median annual wage was $85,430. Visit computer.org for more information about careers in computing.

Optometrists

An aging population contributes to increasing demand for optometrists.  Employment for optometrists is expected to grow much faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  In order to become qualified to practice optometry in the United States, one must graduate from an accredited college of optometry and obtain a state license.  There are currently 19 colleges of optometry in the United States, and admission is very competitive.  Optometrists earned a median annual wage of $96,320 in May 2008.  Visit the American Optometric Association website for more information about optometry careers and education.

Due to a variety of factors, there is no guarantee that demand will rise as expected for a given profession. Everyone should be prepared to adapt to technological advances and globalization, even those in careers with high growth projections.  Although no one can predict the future with certainty, employment projections provide the best resource for assessing job growth and demand.

Sources:

The Occupational Outlook Handbook

*Job prospect categories as defined by the OOH. Only careers with very good or excellent opportunities were chosen for this list

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Tips for Saving on Textbooks

February 25th, 2010 Andrea

A recent CNN Money article has confirmed that textbooks are huge rip-off, with prices nearly tripling from 1986 to 2004.  Not only are textbooks overpriced, but publishers will rearrange a few chapters and call it a new edition.  I have a few tips to help you save on textbooks.

Use an older edition

Even if the required textbook listed is the newest edition, ask your professor if an older edition will work. Sometimes instructors will provide updates for students if changes are small.

Shop online

You should NEVER buy textbooks from your campus bookstore.  Even if you need a new edition, you’ll probably find it cheaper at sites like textbooks.com.

Share a textbook

If you won’t need your book every day, you can share it with a classmate.  Find another student that you can rely on to come to class every time.

Check the library

College libraries usually carry copies of textbooks, so look to see if a copy of your textbook is available.  You might not be able to check the book out, but you can make copies of any pages you need to take home or to class.

Visit the publisher’s website

If you know you won’t be using the entire book for class, you might be able to buy and download individual chapters online.  It’s a great way to save paper and money.

Another way to save money is to sell back your book immediately after the semester is over.  Visit Bookscouter.com to find out where you’ll get the most for your used textbook.

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10 Sites for Better Studying

February 20th, 2010 Andrea

Good news for Internet addicts: browsing the web can help raise your GPA!  Make the most of your time online by frequenting sites that offer lectures, notes, tutorials, and study strategies. Ten of my favorite online study resources:

Study Guides and Strategies

Since 1996, Studygs.net has provided study strategies and resources to help students achieve success. You’ll find guides to time management, problem solving, decision making, memorizing, online learning, test taking, writing, math, science, and many more subjects.  Site content is available in a number of different languages.

LectureFox

LectureFox offers free lectures from colleges including Princeton, Yale, and MIT.  Topics include politics, biology, physics, history, and music. Lecture materials include audio, video, and/or notes.

Flash Card Exchange

Create, study, share, and print flashcards at FlashCardExchange.com.  You can also study flashcards created by other users, save your favorite sets, and export flashcards.

How To Study

Articles on How-to-Study.com are written by Dr. Charles Mangrum and Dr. Stephen Strichart and cover a variety of topics.  You’ll find advice on choosing a college, note taking, giving presentations, and much more .

Cramster

Cramster is an online study community where students can view lecture notes, work practice problems, and take practice tests.

Study Successful

Written by medical student Stefan Knapen,  StudySuccessful.com offers innovative tips for note taking, personal development, productivity, and time management.

Koofers

A schedule maker, access to class notes and old exams, flash card creation and professor ratings are some of the features available to members at Koofers.com.  The site has over 2000 universities and is free to join.  Instructors can also join and share course materials.

Study Hacks

Study Hacks is a blog by Cal Newport, author of two books about academic success.  The blog covers time management, stress reduction, organization, test taking, paper writing and many other topics.

HippoCampus

A project of the Monetary Institute of Technology and Education (MITE), Hippocampus provides free multimedia resources for high school and college students.  Subjects covered include statistics, calculus, environmental science, and psychology.

CliffsNotes

Although most popular for their literature guides, Cliffs Notes are available for every subject area.   In addition to subject study guides, CliffsNotes.com contains test preparation guides and college resources.

Bookmark some (or all) of these websites and stop feeling guilty about your time online.

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Book Review: Indispensable by Monday

February 18th, 2010 Andrea

I just finished reading Indispensable by Monday, a new book about profit producing behaviors employees can use to help their companies and themselves.  Author Larry Myler is the CEO of More or Less, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in profit enhancement.

For the book, Myler surveyed 1800 corporate leaders about what makes an employee indispensable.  Part one details Myler’s survey results, including the percentage of corporate leaders that rate a given behavior as advantageous.  My favorite part of the book is the Personal P&L Statement for quantifying your value. You don’t need a financial background to prepare your statement – it’s easy for anyone to create and can benefit your career no matter what your experience level or job title.  In addition, a free Profit Proposal Generator (PPG) on Myler’s website turns your ideas from the book into professional-looking proposals.

In part two, “Pulling Money out of Thin Air”, fifteen profit sources are identified. From cost cutting procedures to recovering lost customers, the techniques in this section are easy to act upon no matter your job function. The first profit source, cost cutting, tells how to save money on a variety of expenses. One example was of a janitor who discovered a way to saved his company $30,000 per year in cleaning expenses. You’ll learn how utilities billing works, how to shorten the cash conversion cycle, and much more practical information few employees bother to learn. Although most of this section is about increasing profits and reducing costs for your company, Myler writes about the importance of interpersonal communication. However, he is honest about the fact that good soft skills alone won’t make you indispensible.

The sections in part three include choosing high value solutions, improved performance appraisals, how to increase sales, and advice for those in leadership roles.  There are several examples of resume entries that showcase profit-enhancing solutions, in addition to tips on how to present your accomplishments at a performance review using techniques from the book. The final section in part three is entitled “Everything You Need to Know about Accounting- and It’s Not Much”. Familiarity with financial statements essential for every employee and, according to Myler’s survey, corporate leaders agree.

The impression I got while reading was that, unlike many books in this category, the focus is on practical skills and knowledge as opposed to soft skills and office politics. You’ll discover strategies for making a measurable difference at your company and it applies to all employees, from new graduates to experienced professionals. Not every suggestion will be relevant to you right now, especially if you’re an entry-level employee, but there should be at least one or two techniques that will prove beneficial to you and to your employer. The other techniques can be saved for when you gain more experience or if your job responsibilities change.

To learn more about the book, visit indispensablebymonday.com

Note:    This review was based on my personal opinion and I have been completely honest in my assessment of the book. I was NOT compensated for reviewing this book.  Promotional and sponsored content will always be identified on this website.  See the About page for my full disclosure policy.

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Using the Big Five Personality Traits to Choose a Career

February 15th, 2010 Andrea

The Big Five personality dimensions are often used by human resources professionals to help place employees.  These five dimensions are thought to be the underlying traits that make up an individual’s overall personality.  A brief explanation of the five dimensions:

Extroversion - Extroverts derive energy from interaction with others, while introverts derive their energy from within.

Openness - If you enjoy new experiences and learning new things, you will probably score high on the openness dimension.

Agreeableness - Agreeable individuals are cooperative, compassionate, and friendly.  Those with low agreeableness are more aloof.

Neuroticism - The neuroticism dimension relates to one’s emotional stability and degree of negative emotions. People that score high on neuroticism often experience negative emotions like depression and anger.

Conscientiousness –  A person with a high degree of conscientiousness is prompt and reliable.  No matter what your career choice, a high degree of conscientiousness will be an asset.

The Big Five traits are often expressed as percentages, because individuals possess each in varying degrees.  How can you use these traits to choose a career?   First, determine where you fall on the scale for each dimension.  Then identify the extreme traits and focus on careers that accommodate those traits.   Assessment.com offers a Big Five test for $8.99.  If you’d like career suggestions based on the Big 5, take the career test at Similar Minds.com.  Although the names of the dimensions are different, they correlate with the Big 5 traits.

For more on the Big Five traits read The Owner’s Manual for Personality at Work: How the Big Five Personality Traits Affect Your Performance, Communication, Teamwork, Leadership, and Sales.

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Top 10 Sites for Choosing a Career

February 9th, 2010 Andrea

Today’s students and career-changers have access to more career planning information than ever before.  Researching careers, taking career assessments, and even career counseling  can be done online.  With all of the information on the Internet and the thousands of career options available, choosing a career can be overwhelming.  For reliable career planning tools and resources, consider the following sites:

About Career Planning

About.com’s career planning guide includes career profiles, quizzes, and many other resources to help you choose a career.  Read a step by step guide to choosing a career or take one of the career quizzes to see if a career is right for you.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

An important consideration when choosing a career is projected growth.  The OOH at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website offers information about job growth rates, salaries, employment by industry, and education requirements.

MyPlan.com

No, MyPlan isn’t paying me to promote their site.  It’s just so useful that I have to recommend it again.  There are four different career assessments on MyPlan.com: interest, personality, values, and skills.  The values assessment is free, and I’ve found it to be very accurate.   If you take all four tests, you can view your composite career rankings.  MyPlan also has career satisfaction ratings, salary data, and tons of other useful information.

Career Key

The career key personality and career test is based on Holland’s theory and costs $9.95.  Careerkey.org also has information about changing careers, job satisfaction, choosing a major and identifying your skills.

The Career Project

If you’re looking for honest information about careers, I recommend thecareerproject.org.   You’ll find thousands of career profiles from people that actually work in those professions.  Workers report information about income, benefits, work environment, and job satisfaction. You can also view a day in the life, where users detail their workdays hour-by-hour.

Career Planner

CareerPlanner.com has everything you need for career planning: profiles, counseling, and assessments.    The site has a page for students and a page for career changers.  The counseling and testing package (“Jumpstart Session”) is expensive ($275), but you can take a personality test and get career recommendations for $12.00 or an advanced report for $35.00.   You can also purchase a personality type coaching session or 15 minute followup career coaching session for $75 each.

QuintCareers

The career exploration section at QuintCareers offers hundreds of career planning articles, links, and tools. Resources include industry magazines, checklists, and directories.  The site also has college planning, financial aid, and job search resources.  No matter what your career stage, QuintCareers is a must-visit website.

National Career Development Association

Career counseling can help you decide on a career path based on a variety of factors.  If your high school or college doesn’t have a career counselor, or if you’re considering a career change, you may need to look for an independent career counselor.  Read the guidelines for choosing a career counselor, including your rights as a consumer and responsibilities as a client.  You can also search for a career counselor near you in the National Career Development Association counselor database.

Career One Stop

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, careeronestop.org offers salary data, employment trends, and self-assessments.  You can download the work importance locator, which identifies features that are important in a job.    Skills, abilities, and interests assessments are also available.

Career Voyages

Like Career One Stop, CareerVoyages.com is run by the U.S. Department of Labor.  The site includes career videos, links, and a career compass tool to help identify your career interests.  You’ll also find in-demand jobs for each industry, including industry videos and links.

There are plenty of other excellent career planning sites on the Internet, but I chose these sites based on information accessibility and authority.  This is not a comprehensive list, and is only based on my opinion and experiences.  This list can help start your career planning process, but you should also look for other resources that suit your specific situation and preferences.

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The Best Online Colleges for 2010

February 5th, 2010 Andrea

OnlineDegreeReviews.org has named the top online colleges for 2010, based on over 2,000 user reviews.  With 2218 reviews and 1113 online degree programs, OnlineDegreeReviews.org is the site to visit if you’re considering an online education.  The top seven online schools for 2010 are as follows:

Norwich University – Visitors to OnlineDegreeReviews.org gave Norwich University the highest ratings. Seven of Norwich’s programs were rated by users, and all received four and five stars on average.

Seton Hall University – Seton Hall University offers an online RN to BSN program, in addition to several certificate and master’s programs.  It’s master’s degree program in strategic communication and leadership received especially high ratings.

Henley-Putnam University – Henley Putnam University is focused on strategic security and has programs in terrorism and counterterrorism studies, management of personal protection, and intelligence management.

Columbia Southern University – Reviewers gave high ratings to Columbia Southern University, mentioning its free textbooks and open-enrollment course format.

TUI University – TUI received an average of 3.5 out of 5 stars, in addition to remarks about it’s affordability and commitment to members of the military.

Grand Canyon University -  GCU’s graduate programs in education received excellent reviews and many accolades from former students.

American Military University – AMU offers more than 100 online certificate and degree programs for professionals in national security and public service.  Program ratings averaged between four to five stars.

Western Governors University and Capella University are two other interesting online colleges to consider.  Western Governors University offers several online teaching programs, including post-baccalaureate certificates and master’s degrees. Western Governors is also very popular among users.   Capella University has a variety of online Ph.D. programs, including educational psychology, clinical psychology, and post-secondary/adult education.  Although it didn’t make the top college list this year, Capella received very good reviews.  Visit OnlineDegreeReviews.org to learn about online degree programs and to read unbiased reviews from students.

This post was sponsored by OnlineDegreeReviews.org.

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Could You Live Off Groupons for a Year?

February 4th, 2010 Andrea

Groupon.com is offering $100,000 for the person that can live off of Groupons for a year. If chosen to participate in the Groupon.com challenge, you’ll give up your apartment, close your bank account, and put all of your belongings into storage. You’ll be given a cell phone, camera and laptop to document your experiences, in addition to unlimited Groupons.

In order to apply,  you must provide a YouTube link to a 90 second video introducing yourself and write a 400 – 500 word essay on why you should be chosen to live off Groupons for a year. You must also visit a featured Groupon business, write a short essay about your experience and videotape yourself speaking with an employee or customer you don’t know.  Candidates must be “funny, social, and resourceful”  and applicants are asked to indicate their scores in each of those categories on their resumes.

The deadline for submitting applications is February 24.  Visit LiveoffGroupon.com for more information and to apply.  Send questions to liveoffgroupon@groupon.com.

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Free ebook available

February 3rd, 2010 Andrea

Get your free copy of the College, Career, Life ebook.  Included in the ebook:

  • choosing a college
  • career interest areas
  • choosing the right work environment
  • interview tips
  • good job options for career changers
  • explaining a career change
  • identifying transferable skills

To request a copy, sign up on the right or fill out the contact form (be sure to include the email address where you would like the ebook sent).  Copies are in PDF format.

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