Best of all, you can utilize these apps without breaking into your Ramen noodle budget. Here are five must-have mobile apps that won’t cost you a penny. They are designed to help you save money and time. Bonus: Most of them should also help you study smarter, regardless of how far from the library you roam.

Chegg – The start-of-the-semester book-buying ritual is emotionally and financially painful. Renting often makes more sense than buying, and Chegg is the place to rent textbooks online. This free app lets you search for the books you need by title, author and ISBN. Also, you can just take your phone to the campus bookstore and scan barcodes. Chegg offers several shipping options and returns are free.

myHomework – Smartphones get a bad rap for distracting us from the task at hand, but this free app helps you get organized. It features an at-a-glance dashboard that lets you see all your classes and the assignments for each class.  Plus, pop-up reminders and the calendar feature can help you plan out your workload for the semester. Track homework, exams, papers and anything else on your to-do list and never miss a deadline again.

Evernote – Whether you learn by reading, writing or listening, Evernote can help you store and recall vital information from your classes and research. It captures text, pictures or audio notes that you can sync with your computer or other devices. You can go back and access the information anytime from anywhere. This handy app even processes the contents of images, turning words in a photo into searchable text that will pop up when you need to revisit the subject but forgot you took the picture.

Graphing Calculator: Why buy a $100+ scientific calculator when you can download a free app that turns your smartphone into one? Since math and science classes are required for students regardless of major, it can be frustrating to spend so much money on a product that you will only need for a few classes.

Mint.com – For most of us, the college years are our first chance to handle our own personal finances. Mint.com is an easy to use tool for budgeting and expense tracking. Forget the old days of ledgers, spreadsheets and shoeboxes of receipts. This app connects you to the website that securely accesses your checking account and categorizes transactions so you can see where you’re spending most of your money. It will also alert you when bills are due or when you are in danger of spending more than you have. Learning how to budget properly will help you make smart financial decisions, this is vital knowledge for post-college life.

In addition, check to see if your college or university offers an app of its own. School apps are a free and easy way to stay on top of campus events, offers and even security bulletins. They may even allow you to access aspects of your account, from meal plans to overdue library books.

By stocking your smartphone with the right apps you can maximize your time and your money. Organization is the first and easiest step to academic success. You probably carry your phone with you everywhere, so the right apps can really help you unleash your potential.

Guest post provided by Erin Palmer. Erin writes about online degree programs and career topics for US News University Directory. For more information please visit http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com

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When most students idolize at the successful CEOs and breakout entrepreneurs of our time, it’s probably their vast wealth that garners the most attention. The image of Scrooge McDuck roiling around in his vast vault of gold coins comes to mind. But I think that’s precisely the wrong thing for students to think about when they ponder business success stories. While students should certainly aspire towards success, I suggest that focus more on the realities that stand between their idea and its prosperous realization. In fact, I advocate that they try imagine the humble beginnings of high power CEOs and innovators over their current stardom.

Unless they were born into a well-established family business, most successful business people will have quite a story to tell about how they got started. For Steve Jobs, it was creating the most basic computer software and devices out of a garage during his youth. Warren Buffet was brought up in a tumultuous time in Nebraska amid the Great Depression. Heck, even billionaire youth and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg grew up as a relatively normal (albeit nerdy and brilliant) kid with no way of knowing how much he’d impact the world. Nearly every success story started out as just a normal person with big dreams of doing something more, and sometimes it’s hard to keep that in mind when you only see them as leaders in their field.

See yourself in the success of others

It’s important to remember the humble beginnings of these giants because it gives perspective to your own situation. From personal experience, I know that I struggle to maintain the lifestyle of a freelancer from time to time, wondering if it’s even worth it to be self-employed when it would be so much easier to work a traditional desk job. But then I remember that literally every entrepreneur started off in the same position that I’m in; they all took the chance to invest in their own abilities rather than contribute to an already existing enterprise. It takes immense courage to strike out on your own, and that’s something that I forget all too often when I get frustrated with my work. Reading about the successes of people like me helps me remember that I’m not alone in my struggle.

Your humble beginnings and your triumphs

If you want to be an entrepreneur—whether you’re starting your own online pastry delivery service in the midst of school or you’re trying to be the next biggest thing in fashion photography—you don’t need to worry about trying to emulate the success of business superstars. Let me share a little secret with you: you’re already a success story in your own rite. You’ve managed to dodge the bullet of a traditional career with limited options by taking full responsibility for the scope and direction of your future professional life. So while it might seem like you’re stuck in the humble beginnings of a career that couldn’t possibly match the potential of Facebook or Apple, take solace in that fact that you’d be following in the footsteps of some of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world.

In the end, it’s the humble beginnings that makes us appreciate whatever success we achieve in our lives. These relatively tough times will grant you an enlightened perspective on life when you hit it big (and I hope you do!). So don’t spend all your spare time daydreaming of thriving entrepreneurs swimming in money. Think of struggles they went through to get where they are, and realize that those struggles are your own.

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Avoiding the Job Search

A job search is filled with rejection and uncertainty. It’s uncomfortable for anyone, but especially for recent graduates that must compete with more experienced applicants. Few employers are willing to train new workers, so true entry-level jobs are rare. This realization leads many students to continue with school, where things are more familiar and hard work is rewarded with good grades. Despite the appeal of an academic environment, one can only delay entry to the real world for so long. Going to grad school simply to put off finding a job is a bad decision that will cost you valuable time and money.

Lack of Career Direction

Rather than helping you choose a good career path, graduate school may bring you further in the wrong direction. Unless you’re sure that graduate school will lead you down the right career direction, don’t invest in an advanced degree. Once you’ve spent the time and money for a graduate degree, it may be harder to change career paths. Working for a few years might help you decide on a career path more than graduate school, and you’ll be earning money rather than spending it.

Graduate programs are filled with students that went for the wrong reasons. Don’t invest your money and time on something that may not pay off.

For more advice on success after college, read Getting from College to Career Rev Ed: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World.

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The overall message of the book is that finding a promising career field and saving money should be the focus of college, not going to the school of one’s dream or maintaining a perfect GPA. Rule one -a college degree is the new high school- has been stated many times. Other rules might not be as familiar or widely accepted. For example, Kerrigan Snyder recommends choosing a career path before choosing a college and starting your college visit at the career center rather than at the admissions office.

Despite rising tuition costs, many students and parents think finances shouldn’t be the main concern when choosing a college. The New College Reality asserts that money should be a major consideration and that the choice about where to attend should be made with the head rather than the heart. The book’s advice on financial aid will be particularly useful for high school students and their parents. Kerrigan Snyder also recommends doing your own research rather than trusting advice from college employees.

The New College Reality is a must-read for students and parents, mainly because it presents honest information that few other sources will provide. It may be hard for students to hear that college is not about having fun or taking interesting classes, but about gaining useful skills for a very difficult job market.

Buy  The New College Reality: Make College Work For Your Career at Amazon.com.

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Purdue OWL

Possibly the most comprehensive writing resource on the web, the OWL at Purdue provides thorough resume and cover letter advice for job seekers of all levels. Topics include creating a scannable resume, cover letter design, and writing the CV.

Emurse

Formatting and organizing a resume is often just as difficult as writing good content. Emurse proves that creating a professional resume doesn’t have to be expensive. The site allows you to easily add, remove and rearrange resume sections. You’ll also find a selection of free formats from which to choose.

Help My Resume

HelpMyResume.org offers basic resume tips and resources, including how to write an objective statement, appropriate resume fonts, and how to quantify accomplishments. The most unique feature of the site is company-specific resume advice for the most popular entry-level employers.

Resume Guidebook

Resume writing presents a particular challenge for those with little work experience or job seekers transitioning to a new field. A new resume blog to accompany CollegeCareerLife.net, Resume Guidebook offers resume tips specifically for students, recent graduates and career changers. Visit the site to learn about functional vs. chronological resumes, creating a student resume and resume mistakes students make.

When it comes to resumes, more money doesn’t always mean a bigger advantage. There are plenty of quality free resume resources online that can help you craft a professional resume.

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1. State How You Went Above and Beyond

Initially, you want to remind your employer what’s exactly in your job description. That way your employer knows exactly what you were hired to do as well as be reminded of your designated responsibilities. If you’ve managed to do what your job description entails, great. But if you somehow managed to tackle side projects that weren’t in your job description, even better. Employers will definitely take note of your ambition.

2. Highlight Accomplishments

Employers just don’t want to keep someone who is “adequate” at his or her job. They want to keep people on board who are invaluable—someone they can’t afford to lose. Prove to your supervisor that you are needed by highlighting two or three of your biggest accomplishments. Be specific on how those accomplishments help the company as a whole. For example, did the client you bring on generate an enormous amount of revenue for the business? Did your idea help with branding? Etc. Even if your accomplishment was something you did earlier in your career, make sure to document anything that will help you stand out from the rest.

3. Point Out Basic Skills

Talking about your accomplishments is great, but you also want to stress the simple things you do around the office that will make your case stronger. For example, are you always on time? Do you always turn in your assignments on the due date (or even earlier)? Are you a team player and help your co-workers we needed? If any specific example comes to mind, take this opportunity to address it.

4. Ask for Feedback

Of course you have to have something that you need improvement on, or else you’d have a perfect score. When filling out your self-evaluation you really need to be honest. Can’t find anything you need improvement on? Ask some of your closest co-workers, particularly on your team, if they have anything they’d like to add. And don’t get upset if they tell you something semi-negative. You also need to address how you plan on correcting those issues in the future as well as list any other future goals you have for yourself with the company.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities advice.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

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Internship Success

Internships are becoming increasingly important for college students seeking a job after graduation. An internship can offer experience, connections, and possibly a permanent position. All Work, No Pay: Finding an Internship, Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience by Lauren Berger (The Intern Queen) guides students and recent grads on finding internships and making the most of them.

Discover Your Ideal Career

With so many choices available, identifying the right career path for your specific personality and interests can prove challenging. Luckily, there are several books available to make the tasks easier. What Color Is Your Parachute? 2012: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers is the updated version of the classic career planning book for individuals at all career stages. With today’s high tuition costs, choosing the right career path is crucial to saving time and money.

Land a Great Job

It’s never too early to start thinking about your job search. College Students Do This! Get Hired! offers advice for students of all levels from freshmen seeking internships to professional-level graduates. The sooner you begin learning the job search rules, the better off you’ll be after graduation.

Network Like a Pro

All the experts say to network, but how do you get started? What if you hate the idea of networking? If you hate networking, read Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected.

For those who just want to get better at networking, another option is Networking Like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections. Developing connections may be the most useful career skill you ever learn, so don’t ignore the importance of it even if networking makes you uncomfortable.

Ace the Interview

The interview experience can be intimidating, especially if you haven’t been on a lot of interviews. How to Interview Like A Pro: Forty-Three Rules for Getting Your Next Job covers the basics of interviewing including how to prepare for your interview and how to answer tough interview questions. By having some answers going into the interview, you’ll greatly reduce the stress and make a better impression.

Get into Grad School

Kaplan’s comprehensive guide, Get Into Graduate School, will give you all the tools you need to get into your graduate program of choice. The book covers topics from choosing the right graduate school to meeting the entrance requirements. The earlier you begin preparing for graduate school, the greater chances you’ll have of getting into the program of your choice.

Summer is the time to take a break and have fun, but you can fit in some productive things. Reading is one of the easiest ways to make your summer months more productive. For more summer reading options for college students, visit our Amazon store.

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Make Connections

As a temporary worker, it’s easy to keep to yourself because you feel like an outsider. Instead of withdrawing into your work, take advantage of this networking opportunity and talk to your coworkers. Tell them about your experiences and your goals. A seemingly insignificant conversation could be a turning point in your career.

The Fast Track 50: The Get-Ahead Guide for Temporary Employees

Take More Responsibility

Don’t be afraid to take on more responsibility as you gain experience in your temporary position. Show your worth by stepping up to do work that’s difficult, rather than sticking with safe tasks. If a coworker looks overwhelmed, volunteer to help out by taking on some of his or her assignments. You can prove yourself to be indispensable in a short amount of time if you look beyond the typical temporary job duties.

Observe and Learn

What are the most successful people doing differently? What are the unspoken rules in the workplace? You can learn a lot about a given workplace or industry just by listening and watching. Pay attention to what’s going on around you and ask questions. Temporary work offers a variety of experience that most professionals don’t get, but you have to learn something from each job in order to benefit.

Despite the negative connotations, temping can offer many rewards. Take advantage of the opportunity to work in a variety of settings in a short period of time by making connections and doing your best work.

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Fill Resume Gaps

Temping offers a good way to fill large gaps in your resume. Even if your temporary jobs are in an industry different than your own, potential employers will view temporary work more positively than no work at all. It’s also a great way to hold out for a good permanent position while still working.

Networking Opportunities

Temping provides a great way to get your foot in the door of a specific industry or employer. While working as a temp, you can demonstrate your abilities to key people and make lasting connections that will last throughout your career.

No Commitment

If you’re unhappy in a permanent position, you feel stuck because leaving too soon may look bad on your resume and cause potential employers to question your loyalty. In a temp position, it’s expected that you’ll leave when the assignment is over. And if you like the job, there’s always a chance it can become a permanent job if you perform well and show interest in the company.

Skills Acquisition

By working  in many different positions, you’ll pick up a variety of skills. Not all companies will use the same software or have the same procedures. Every position gives the opportunity to add more skills to your resume. You may even discover a natural talent or interesting area of specialty that you hadn’t considered.

Career Planning Tool

Experience is the best career planning tool. The more experience you acquire, the more you learn about your ideal work environment. Unlike traditional jobs, temping offers a wide variety of experiences over a relatively short period of time. Even within the same industry, you’ll experience different company cultures and responsibilities.

A temp job doesn’t just have a way to make money, it can service as a gateway to better opportunities. At the very least, you will learn more about your career preferences.

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Formatting

Consistent and clean formatting is important, not just because it gives a more professional presentation but also because it makes your resume easier to read. Bullet points should be the same size and aligned uniformly, fonts should be consistent, and you should stick with the most commonly used fonts.

Summary vs. Objective

It’s fine to include an objective on a resume, but a summary is best for several reasons. Most importantly, it presents your skills in more detail than an objective, allowing an employer to quickly assess your eligibility for a given position. It also focuses on what the employer needs rather than on what you want.

Too Much Information

A resume with too much information can be just as detrimental as a resume with too much content. Leave off irrelevant hobbies and personal information (your kids, pets, marital status, etc.). Focus on the experience and skills that are relevant to the position for which you are applying. If you’re a college graduate, leave off anything from high school. Also, eliminate irrelevant jobs or responsibilities if possible. You don’t want to create gaps in your resume, but if a job was part-time or very early in your career, you can afford to leave it off. Ideally, your resume will be one page. For those with more experience, a two page resume is acceptable.

Small Details Matter

Think your cutesy email address won’t be noticed by hiring managers? Think again. Your contact information and other little details can affect the impression you make on others. Set up an email specifically for your job search, ideally one that includes your full name and nothing else. If you have a common name, use a middle initial or a number after your name.

Crafting a profession resume takes practice, but with enough effort, you can create a resume that wins over the most critical hiring manager.

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Accountant

Accountants analyze and prepare financial information for individuals, businesses and organizations. An accountant’s or auditor’s work requires concentration, a strong skill for many introverts. Also, most accounting work involves working alone. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, a growth rate of 22% is projected through 2018*.

Biomedical Engineer

With a projected growth rate of 72% through 2018, biomedical engineering offers promising opportunities. Biomedical engineers help develop artificial limbs, prostheses, instrumentation, and other health products. A four year degree is the minimum requirement for entry-level jobs, but many biomedical engineers have graduate degrees.

Clinical Laboratory Technologist

Clinical laboratory technologists help diagnose and treat diseases by analyzing  cells and body fluids. Most clinical laboratory technologist work in hospitals, while others worth in physicians’ offices or independent laboratories. Demand for clinical lab technologists is expected to exceed the supply of trained technologists, leading to excellent job prospects. A four year degree in medical technology or life sciences is required for most positions.

Environmental Scientist

Green jobs are in particularly high demand as concerns over the state of our water, soil and air continue to grow. Environmental scientists play a key roll identifying solutions to our biggest environmental problems. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for most positions, but a graduate degree can provide even more opportunities in the field.

Network Administrator

Jobs in information technology are generally good options for introverts, because most positions require working alone or in small teams. Projections point to faster-than-average job growth over the next decade for many of these jobs, including network administrators. Network administrators install and maintain network systems, including local area networks and intranet. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field is the requirement for most positions.

While personality is an important factor when choosing a career, values, interests, and skills should also be considered. Read What Color Is Your Parachute? 2012: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers for more information about choosing a career that’s right for you.

*All growth statistics  from BLS.gov/oco/

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1.      You’re seriously considering a career in academia.

Most graduate degrees, with the exception of professional degrees like law and medicine, are training specifically for academics (i.e., university professors and researchers). As such, say you are considering a Master’s degree in English. It won’t be English undergrad 2.0. It will be very specific study of a specific problem in English literature, coupled with pedagogy classes that train you to be a professor. As such, for most graduate-level degrees, especially in the humanities, you must seriously want to eventually become a professor. Otherwise the degree is essentially worthless.

2.      Someone else is paying for it.

The best reason for NOT going to graduate school is the often exorbitant cost. Not only will you be losing the opportunity cost of being out of the job market and not making money, but if you have to pay for tuition yourself, you’ll be adding another significant cost. On the other hand, if you are independently wealthy, have parents who have agreed to front the total cost, or you receive scholarship money that covers tuition, it may be a good idea to go to grad school, if your heart is really in it.

3.      Your dream job absolutely requires a graduate degree.

There are some career paths that do require post-graduate education, most notably law school and medical school. Other career paths that would require post-graduate degrees include library science, accounting, and certain school and government administration careers.

4.      You want to go into a field completely unrelated to your undergraduate major.

Perhaps you may find yourself in the position of having completed undergraduate degree, but you’ve decided what you studied is completely removed from what you eventually want to do. For example, say you studied history but you want to go into website design, a field that requires quite a bit of technical knowledge of which you possess none. This may be an instance in which doing at least some post-grad schooling will be necessary.

By-line:

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

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You’re already earning

If you already make money from your hobby, it’s a good sign that it could become a career. Making money is not the same as earning a profit, so be sure the costs of your hobby don’t exceed the income from it.

A good network

Having a network of contacts that know and appreciate your talents will help as you transition from hobby to career. Your contacts can provide  referrals, which means more customers or clients. Marketing is a huge challenge for any entrepreneur and your network can be a tremendous help with getting the word out.

High motivation

A high degree of motivation is necessary for anyone trying to turn a hobby into a career. You won’t have a boss standing over you or set hours you have to be at work. You’ll also need to handle the functions of a small business, including marketing and accounting.

Commitment

A passing interest shouldn’t be counted on for full-time income. You’re much more likely to succeed with a hobby that you’ve been committed to for many years. Not only will you possess more skill and knowledge with a  long-term hobby, but you’re also less likely to give up or get bored.

Turing your hobby into a full-time job takes a lot of hard work and patience, even if you’re already earning money on the side. Realistic expectations and careful planning are required before making the leap. For more on earning money from your hobby, read Home-Based Business For Dummies

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But as you begin your career as a young professional in whatever field you studied, you should know that there are many viable experiences and habits that you learned in college that will help you make a positive impression in the workforce. I’m talking about strong study habits and the keen networking skills that you acquired as you made your way through classes as an undergraduate. These two habits are among your strongest assets as you begin your career in the professional world.

A strong work ethic

This perhaps the most marketable skill you can bring into your career as you transition from an undergraduate student to a young professional. In college, you (hopefully) took advantage of your free time to study and review course material from the day’s classes. This is after all the grand idea behind a college education: giving a promising young adult unlimited free time with which they can pursue their studies at their own pace, so as to benefit any learning style a student might have. Reading assignments that took hours to complete, class projects that demanded large swaths of your personal time and all of your intellectual muscle: these are the types of experiences meant to prepare you for the fast-paced atmosphere of most professional outfits.

Many college courses are designed to prepare students for extremely tough scenarios that they may encounter in a future workplace environment. If you were able to preserve when your professors assigned you seemingly impossibly assignments, you can surely tackle the hazards of an entry-level job. And should you excel at your job duties, your employers will surely notice.

Forming relationships with your peers

This is another skill that most college students employ during their tenure as a student, and it’s not one to be overlooked by graduates in their new jobs. When you’re in college you’re encouraged to meet and collaborate with classmates and students who share the same major (indeed, sometimes you don’t have a choice in the matter). Though initially uncomfortable, is doesn’t task long for a student to realize that the task of networking and befriending their peers is something that benefits everyone. The more friends you made in your classes, the more people you had to study with and discuss the classes. And the more friends you made in college, the better you could network with other people in your desired field. A friend of a friend may have a relative with a prominent engineering firm that you could contact for a potential job, and so forth.

The same social skills will be a huge boon to you in your first job out of college. You’ll have a much easier time settling in with a company if you’re amiable and engaging with your employees. Networking among experts and well connecting officials in your field is critical for a young professional in any field. The experiences that you had meeting other students in college will undoubtedly help you as you form professional relationships at your workplace.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.

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Leadership

At some point in your career, you’ll need to oversee people. You may be managing a department or a group of people for project. Develop leadership skills in college by running for officer of a club or organization. An academic or career-based organization is preferable, but leadership skills can be gained anywhere. Confidence is an important part of being a good leader, and the more leadership experiences you have, the more comfortable you’ll feel in a leadership role. If you’ve never held a leadership role, start small by leading a group class project or heading a club fundraiser.

Time Management

Good time management skills are necessary if you have to balance school, work, and extracurricular activities. Get a part-time job, join an organization, or volunteer. As you add responsibilities, prioritization and scheduling become more important. Throughout your career, you’ll need to rely on these skills to get work done accurately and on time.

Communication

Employers in every industry screen for soft skills like communication. It’s important to be able to communicate with a variety of people in different settings. If business communications class and speech classes aren’t required, take them as electives. Employers obtain first impressions of job candidates through resumes, cover letters, and phone interviews which all rely on strong communication skills.

Transferable skills are as important as industry-specific skills when looking for a job. Make the most of your time in college by following the tips above to gain skills that will help throughout your career no matter your chosen industry.

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• Five Must-Have Interpersonal Skills
• Characteristics of Successful College Students
• 5 Free Apps Every College Student Should Have

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Post tags: college, communication, job search, leadership, skills, transferable skills

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California State University-Fullerton

California State Fullerton’s Career Center site features interviewing and resume tips, industry information, and salary research sources.  If you’re wondering what to do with your major, Fullerton’s career site offers plenty of options for every major(choose Career Exploration, then What can I do with this major).

Colorado State University

The Career Center site at Colorado State has occupational information, college major guides, and industry resource links. Click on the Students tab to explore career the resources, including graduate school basics and information about obtaining an MBA.

Florida State University

The employment and salary statistics will provide useful information not only to Florida State students, but to all college students. Find out which majors earn the most in full-time jobs and internships, in addition to which companies are hiring college graduates. The site also offers resume and career resources accessible to both students and non-students.

UPenn Career Services

The University of Pennsylvania’s career services site includes self assessments in skills, interests, and values. Work-life balance and career-change advice are also available.

University of Michigan

The career center website at University of Michigan includes career assessments, career guides, resume/cover letter advice, interviewing skills, and much more. Michigan’s career center site also provides application and job search advice for graduate and professional students.

The University of Washington

Need help choosing a major, getting experience, or interviewing?   The career center at the University of Washington has it all.  Explore careers, find out what jobs you can get with your major, and browse internship opportunities on the career center’s website.

Career center sites were judged on four criteria – navigation, accessibility, job and internship opportunities, and career planning resources. Only websites accessible to non-students were chosen for this list.

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Post tags: career, college

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Dropbox

Dropbox is one of those apps that everyone is writing about. Acting as an external hard drive in the cloud, Dropbox offers a great option for safely storing files and data. Create a Dropbox account for free and get up to two gigs of storage space. You can upload your documents, music, and other files to this site and then access them from any device with internet access. Making it simple to get your PowerPoint presentation to class, Dropbox can be extremely useful for a student. There is nothing more upsetting than losing your labored-over papers and presentations because your hard drive dies. Use Dropbox as a backup system for all of your important documents. Also, Dropbox has a wonderful app available for smartphones that can come in very handy.

Diigo

Diigo is a bookmarking tool and researching service that can be extremely useful for collaborative projects and lengthy individual endeavors online. Diigo is a browser add-on that allows you to highlight portions of web pages and leave behind sticky notes on those pages for better researching tactics. Use this tool to take notes while doing research online and save them for later session. Diigo will save these sticky notes in your browser, so that you or someone else can return to them later. This tool allows you to annotate a website to illuminate or discuss specific aspects of it that pertain to your needs and then save those thoughts for a later session. This is very useful tool for group projects where you want to share information with your partners on a website when they are not present with you at that time.

Google Docs

Google Docs allows you to create and share documents directly in your web browser. You can access these documents from any computer or device with internet. This makes collaborative projects and papers significantly less stressful in college because you have one document that everyone can see and contribute to. The Google Doc interface allows you to see the changes that other people are making to the document as they are making them. You can easily move documents from your desktop to the online Google Docs platform. This tool is wonderful for an academic and professional setting.

Author Bio:

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

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Post tags: productivity, student, tools, web

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AT & T

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA

Categories: Engineering, Finance, IT, Management, Marketing, Research, Sales

Website: AT&T Student Programs

BDO Seidman

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Summer, Fall, Spring

Categories: Consulting, Tax, Accounting

Website: BDO Careers

Boeing

Locations: USA Nationwide

Categories: Engineering

Website: Boeing Careers

Caterpillar

Locations: Illinois, Tennessee, Kansas

Job Types: Spring, Summer, Fall

Categories: Accounting, Engineering, Communications, Marketing, Finance, IT, Supply Chain, Logistics,

Human Resources, Environmental Health & Safety, Archives

Website: Caterpillar Careers

Deloitte

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA, MPA

Categories: Consulting, IT, Accounting

Website: Deloitte USA Careers

Ford

Locations: Michigan

Job Types: Summer

Categories: Engineering, Finance, IT, Logistics, Marketing, Sales

Website: Ford Careers

GE

Locations: Worldwide

Job Types: Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA

Categories: Communications, Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Marketing, Sales

Website: GE Internships & Co-ops

Hewlett Packard

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Graduate, Undergraduate

Categories:  Engineering, Finance, IT, Management

Website: HP Internships & Co-ops

Honda

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Summer, Part-Time, Full-Time

Categories: Engineering, IT, Human Resources

Website: Honda Careers

IBM

Locations: Worldwide

Job Types: Full-Time, Part-Time

Categories: Consulting, Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Finance, Logistics, Marketing, R&D, Sales

Website: IBM University

KPMG

Locations: Worldwide

Categories: Accounting, Finance, Consulting

Website: KPMG Campus

McGladrey   

Locations: Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Job Types:  Spring, Summer, Winter

Categories: Accounting and Finance

Website: McGladrey Careers

Proctor & Gamble

Locations: Worldwide

Job Types: Full-Time, Part-Time, Summer, Spring, Fall

Categories: Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Engineering

Website: P&G Careers

Raytheon

Locations: Nationwide

Job Types: Summer, Full-Time, Part-Time

Categories: Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Logistics

Website: Raytheon Jobs

Scottrade

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Categories: Finance/Economics

Website:  Scottrade Careers

Southwest Airlines

Locations: Dallas, TX

Categories:  Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Communications, IT

Website: Southwest Careers

Target

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Full-Time, Part-Time, Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA

Categories: Pharmacy, Finance, Management, Marketing, IT

Website:Target Careers

Thomson Reuters

Locations: Worldwide

Job Types: Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA

Categories: Consulting, Finance, IT, Journalism, Legal, Sales

Website: Thompson Reuters Careers

Verizon

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Full-Time, Part-Time, Paid, Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA

Categories: Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Management, Marketing, and Sales

Website: Verizon Careers 

Walt Disney

Locations: California, Florida, Washington

Job Types: MBA, Undergraduate, Part-Time, Full-Time, Spring, Summer, Fall, Year-Round

Categories: Art & Animation, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, IT, Performing Arts, Film and Production

Website:  Disney Students Recent Grad Opportunities                                                                                                                                  

Wells Fargo

Locations: USA Nationwide

Job Types: Undergraduate, MBA

Categories: Audit, Commercial Real Estate, Finance, IT, Project Management, Securities

Website: Wells Fargo Careers

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In this fast paced, hectic world, most young women struggle to keep up with the endless list of demands required of them—college courses, job requirements, and house hold duties. With so much on their plates, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, overwrought, and exhausted.

If only there were more hours in the day, or better yet, a clone who could finish our essays before deadline, pick up the groceries for dinner, or show up for our work shifts.

Until time and space collapses, or science figures out how to duplicate us, there has to be a better way to “get it all done” without losing ourselves in the process.

In fact, there is a better way… We can learn how to use our energy not just our effort, to create the things we want. What does that mean? There’s the physical world we’re all familiar with, and then there’s the non physical world. Most people put all of their attention on the physical world– they focus their time and energy on actions. And while “doing” is an important aspect of getting what we want, it is just as important to pay attention to our energy.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “don’t work harder, work smarter.” Well using our energy in combination with our effort is the smartest and most efficient way to get where we want to go, in record time.

This is not as strange as it may sound, and the truth is that we all do this from time to time. Most of us have experienced those moments when life felt effortless, smooth, and fluid–solutions to problems came easily, opportunities appeared out of nowhere, or we found ourselves at the right place at the right time. Some call it being “in the zone” or being “in the flow”.

These moments are not happenstance. They can be cultivated by quieting our minds and calming our emotions.  By doing even a few minutes of inner work each day—like meditation– we gain more benefits than any outer effort alone could ever bring us.

Inner peace also provides clarity. We see clearly what paths to follow, which opportunities to take, and which methods to use to get to our goals faster and more efficiently.

So, rather than hitting the ground running each day, a much better approach is to take a moment to get centered. When we approach life from a calm and balanced place, life gets infinitely easier and the things we want get accomplished in less time, with less stress!

“Taming Your Alpha Bitch: How to be Fierce and Feminine (and get everything you want!)” will show you how to achieve the ultimate success, happiness, and fulfillment you’re seeking, without the struggle and stress.

To instantly receive great tips on how to shift from Alpha Bitch to Fierce and Feminine, and receive the download of the book for free just go here: www.alphabitchbook.com

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The New York Times published an article in 2008 about a trend toward colleges offering credit for life experience. Many types of colleges and universities, public, private, online and campus-based, are beginning to consider all past experience, rather than solely academic experience, as having the potential to count as time spent learning. According to the article, continuing education programs across the country grant prior learning credits for “knowledge acquired from activities like political work, retail management, corporate administration, writing, [and] even travel.” The skills learned must directly apply to a particular course in order to count as credit, but schools with these programs maintain that many intro-level courses can be fundamentally similar to experiences that teach the same basic knowledge. For example, starting your own business could equate to a business 101 credit, or working as an intern at a newspaper could provide the perspective and industry knowledge a student would attain in an intro journalism course.

What this means for professionals considering a career change is that they no longer have to worry about whether taking the time to pursue another degree will set them back or whether the strides they have already made professionally will be meaningless. Taking advantage of the opportunity to receive college credit for your experience can cancel out both these negatives.

First off, credit for life experience can save you a chunk of time. According to the Times, students in the adult degree program at James Madison University can receive up to a quarter of  the credits needed to graduate by applying for experiential learning credits. “More than a third of students receive prior learning credit of some kind,” the Times article reads, and “in the past three years, only one student’s portfolio was rejected without any points awarded.”

Additionally, applying for this type of credit is a great way to assess your past experience and recognize all that you’ve learned. Once you’re aware of your own skill set, you can make academic choices that will work to create a unique professional background. Kim J. Hartswick, academic director of the Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies at City University of New York (CUNY) helps students do exactly that. According to the Times article, Hartswich encourages students to “deconstruct their pasts to determine what course subjects they’ve already mastered…[one] student had founded a nonprofit organization to beautify schools and hospitals. The student was given 15 credits, for proficiency in ‘fund-raising and development,’ ‘creative art for the classroom’ and ‘Web page design.’”

There are many different types of schools that offer credit for life experience, but make sure that the program you choose does not simply give away credit easily, regardless of the type of institution you consider. American Intercontinental University is mainly online and requires students to complete a prior learning assessment to demonstrate their knowledge in any area for which they would like to gain experience credit. According to the New York Times article, if a school does not vet credit requests, take it as a major red flag and move on.

However, as long as the school is accredited, offers an academic program that fits your needs, and imposes rigorous standards for acceptance of life experience credits, it is likely to be a trustworthy program. For professionals who need to expand their career opportunities and secure their ability to handle the ups and downs of a sensitive economy, considering these types of continuing education programs could be a great way to get a head start on the competition.

Byline:

This is a guest post by Kimberly Wilson. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement, time management etc.

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Post tags: college, experience

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