Local Educator

If you’re thinking about heading off to college or university, or even thinking of getting an online degree at one of the many online schools available, you absolutely have to check out FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) . If you aren’t utilizing this important resource then you may be missing out on some really great funding options. Applying for and receiving government funding can often seem like more trouble than it’s worth as the sites and processes are often confusing and buried under miles of red tape. FAFSA is a different kind of site. It’s easily navigated, which as some of you know, is not usually the norm when dealing with government websites.

Besides containing the actual application for federal aid, the site is packed with useful information for students, including a FAQ section which is always an excellent place to start. FAFSA provides future students with multiple funding options and have also included links to other sources of government funding which is incredibly helpful if you’re just starting the process and are not yet aware of all of the options available to you. There is also some great information on scholarships; where to look for them, who offers them and why and how to apply for them. They also offer tips and tricks to make sure that you are applying for valid funding. For instance, did you know that it should be free to apply for a scholarship? If you are being asked to pay an application fee, it may be a less then reputable offer. Tips like that are invaluable for the student that is attempting to navigate the funding process for the very first time.

It’s a difficult journey at the best of times and between class schedules, credits, books, and first day jitters, the last thing you need is to get tripped up when looking for a way to pay your tuition or to buy that new computer you’ll need for your online college classes. FAFSA is an excellent student resource that should not be overlooked.

An efficient and well trained accountant has always been a required component to any business or individual that has a mind to maintain a healthy financial life. Acquiring an online degree in accounting or finance is also one of the easiest ways to ensure your financial security.

As long as there is money on this planet, accountants will remain essential in providing the data required to assess present and future economic activities. Practical application and critical thinking will allow you to excel in this faced paced and challenging industry in which you will analyze and understand complex financial information. Whichever accounting degree you decide on from certification, a bachelor degree, or Masters to a PhD in accounting, the training for your online degree will provide you with the skills and the tools that you need to succeed in today’s market.

There are several avenues for future accountants to choose from with unlimited job options. If you are under the impression that accountants sit in small offices and crunch endless streams of numbers all day, then you are sadly mistaken because accounting specialties are extremely diverse. Forensic Accountants that investigate white collar crimes such as securities fraud and embezzlement, Management Accountants, Budget Analysis, Trust Accounting, Tax specialty, Audit Accountants and of course, Financial Accountants. Besides public accounting firms, there is a huge need for exceptional people in government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, professional organizations, and independent firms.

With the economic troubles of the last few years, more and more businesses and private citizens are taking proactive steps to ensure their financial safety and those steps almost always include retaining a professionally educated accountant. Your online accounting degree will ensure that you are not left behind in this hiring wave of the financial future. Your financial future.

*This is second in a series of posts regarding interview preparation and job seeking tips for recent graduate. Be sure to check out our first post, Dressing and Preparing for an Interview.

So, the summer after graduation is almost over, and while living with the parents rent free has been fun…it’s time to join the real world! That’s right, it’s time to put that hard earned degree to use, and find your dream job! But where do you start the search? There are thousands of job search engines on the web. Here are the top 5 job search sites and some tips to help you along the way.

Top 5 Job Search Engines
1.Monster.com & Careerbuilder.com
These two job search engines provide you with the ability to create a profile, post your resume, search and apply for jobs, and set up job alerts. You can even search for local job fairs! Monster and Careerbuilder also provide you with helpful advice on topics just as Career Mapping, and interviewing. It’s truly your “one stop shop” when it comes finding your new job or career!

2.Indeed.com
This site is exactly as it claims: one search, all jobs. You enter what job (keyword), and the location (city, state), and voila! You have the most complete list of jobs in your industry, created from thousands of job listings. Simple, fast, and comprehensive!

3.Usa.gov
Use this site to search all U.S. government jobs.

4. LinkedIn.com
I like to think of this site as the myspace and facebook of the job search. You create a profile with your photo, work experience, education, extracurricular activities, and search jobs. Then you invite your co-workers, bosses, and friends to join your LinkenIn network. People in your network can write recommendations for you that appear right on your profile!

5.Craigslist
This site has become a household name for many things including job search. Here you start with the location (city) you would like your job in, then you search each industry section. Perfect for the job seeker who is looking to relocate!

Job Search Tips
While the sites listed above are some of the most used/larger sites available, they aren’t necessarily the best search tool for all industries. These commercial sites are good for jobs that saturate the market. For example, if you graduated with a computer networking degree these sites are perfect for your job search. Computer networking jobs are available in all industries and all over the world.

Now let’s say you graduated with a more particular degree, such as an interior design degree. Where do you begin your search? Using a commercial job site such as the ones listed above would make sense for you as well but, it would also be a good idea to search more niche job sites. These are job sites that are industry specific. Using the example of interior design, you may want to use interiordesignjobs.com to narrow your job search.

No matter what career you pursue after obtaining your traditional or online degree make sure you use as many job search engines as possible. Sometimes finding the perfect job, can be like finding a needle in a hay stack. Happy Hunting!

When searching for an online university or school it is always important for us to know just what quality of education we can expect from them. Now it really does not depend from where you get your education from, but what really depends is just how good of an education you actually received and this is what employers are also looking at.

In a nutshell, an accredited program is universally accepted so if you attended an online university that was accredited by an American body your degree would be accepted universally in America as well as in any other part of the world that accepts American degrees. When selecting an online school you need to ensure that its accredited by a body within the United States and you need to be really careful because there are many online universities and schools which are not accredited, so if you earned a degree from them its just worth the value of the paper its printed on since you won’t be considered as a person who has a standard quality of education.

In order for either an online school or an offline school to be accredited they need to meet the standards of the accrediting body. Getting a degree from an online collage with an accreditation will give you the same number of advantages as a person who has earned the same degree from a conventional school.

Companies like to hire people with accredited degrees and if your degree is not accredited your chances of getting hired drop dramatically. The reason for this is that there are tons of online schools that can give very professional looking diplomas and degrees but they don’t deliver the same standard of education. A degree from an accredited online college gives you a huge advantage over others and in some instances evens those who have earned their degrees from conventional universities.

For many of us who don’t have the time to attend a real collage or university earning a degree online is like a blessing. With an online degree program you move along at your own pace and convenience you choose. You are not limited by the walls of a classroom, rather you can take your lessons and your classroom where ever you like. People often just open up their laptops at work to attend a lecture and then download all the course material from the university’s website to study later. In most cases, all you need to earn a degree online is a computer and a reliable internet connection.

Course related material such as lectures and notes, as well as course assignments can all be downloaded from the university’s website or can be accessed directly online. This really takes the pain out of taking down notes. You also don’t need to go through the hassle of attending a class or live in fear of missing a class for which you might need time to catch-up.

When earning an online degree the course proceeds as fast as you want. This is especially good for people who don’t have time to study everyday. So if you are working a job or two you don’t need to adjust your schedule to fit in school.

There are a number of degrees you can earn from online schools including bachelors degrees, masters degrees etc. These degrees can be used to get a promotion at the place you are currently working at or you can apply for a new job with it. Many degrees will help you enhance your career.

Depending on the level of education you already have, you can either start by earning an online Associate degree, Online Bachelors degree or even a Masters degree. You can also take up a few courses including Law, Marketing and computer etc.

An online degree is a lot like a degree that you would earn from a physical school attending a physical class, also known as a conventional degree. The only difference between earning an online degree and a conventional degree is in the way you study in order to earn the degree. Most people who are unaware of what an online degree is are skeptical about whether it would be accepted by conventional institutions and employers. The fact is that a good online university or school will have the same accreditation as its physical counterpart makes an online degree universally acceptable.

Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can enroll in an online degree program depending on their current level of education. For instance, if you are a high school graduate you might not be able to enroll into a Bachelors program until you successfully complete an Associates program. Once you successfully enroll into an online University’s program you can begin by taking your classes online as opposed to attending university physically.

An online degree program enables you to study and move at your own pace unlike a conventional university in which you need to move along with the class or you will be left behind. You can also choose to record the lecture and watch it later in the day or even the next week which gives you enough flexibility to study when you like. The fact that you get to develop your own study schedule enables most people to become better students, and this is especially true for those people who don’t have the time to hit the books every day.

Before you decide you enroll into an online degree program you need to make sure that the school is properly accredited; apart from that you don’t need to worry about anything else.