With the Economic Downturn Boosting Interest in Higher Education, Some Data and Advice for College-Bound Students on Recession-Beating Career Choices
(PRWEB) February 12, 2009
Fort Lauderdale, FL – With interest in higher education sharply increasing in the wake of today’s economic slowdown, students are keenly eager to know which careers hold the promise of financial security – even in troubled economic times. According to research by online degree program expert Sheila Danzig, owner of TheCollegeDegrees.com and Degree.com, CPA firms and universities are continuing to be steady, reliable employers of new graduates, indicating two smart career choices.
For those who are good with numbers, or enjoy an educational setting, it’s your turn to get ahead. According to Jessica Mazor, an Account Manager at KForce Finance and Accounting Professional Staffing, “Although there is a hiring slowdown, both CPA firms and universities are continuing to hire. Students returning to school to earn a college degree should seriously consider exploring these career paths.”
In fact, a shortage of accountants has resulted over the past several years, according to Mazor. Whereas technical and computer jobs garnered more enrollments over the last few decades, the need for professionals holding traditional or online degrees in accounting has never decreased.
As for the rising interest in going back to school, 4CollegeDegrees.com recently conducted an informal survey to determine the motivations of students interested in online degree programs. Two-thirds of respondents shared that the recession was the primary factor behind their decision to enroll in a traditional or distance learning degree program. In July 2008, only 41 percent of those who responded cited the economy as their reason to earn a college degree.
This increase in concern over job security and the country’s economic forecast may account for why many other websites dedicated to online university degree programs are also reporting a sudden spike in queries from interested students. For example, Degree.com has reported that since January 2008, the site has experienced a 22 percent increase in the number of students interested in online Master Degree programs and online PhD programs.
Likewise, over the last several years TheDegree.com has also seen a sizable jump in interest in graduate distance education degree programs. For example, the number of visitors who want to earn an MBA online has jumped by more than 10 percent since 2008.
At TheCollegeDegrees.com and Degree.com, two sites owned and managed by education expert Sheila Danzig, interest in online accounting degree programs began to spike during this time as well. “We are seeing surges in growth in online bachelor degree programs in general as adults go back to school when they can’t find jobs,” said Sheila Danzig, founder of Degree.com, “Yet interest in accounting degrees online and graduate degrees online, however, is growing at a faster pace. People appear to know where the hiring is happening, and they are increasing their skills in those areas. It’s a good trend to see.”
College Degree Direct Adds Saint Leo University to Their Roster
Victoria, BC (PRWEB) June 26, 2006
College Degree Direct announced today that they will be working in conjunction with Saint Leo University to offer information about the university’s Masters Degree Programs. College Degree Direct will strategically match potential students with the program that suits them best at Saint Leo University. Users will now be able to directly access info about Saint Leo University’s Masters Programs at http://www.SaintLeoUniversity.CollegeDegreeDirect.com .
Saint Leo University offers Masters Programs such as:
MBA — Accounting Concentration
MBA — Criminal Justice Concentration
MBA — General Business Concentration
MBA — Human Resource Administration Concentration
“We are pleased to be able to offer such a credible and fantastic school such as Saint Leo University. We look forward to assisting them in their student recruitment efforts,” said Mike Williams, from College Degree Direct.
About College Degree Direct:
College Degree Direct is an online directory of colleges and universities. College Degree Direct matches potential students with the higher education programs that fit them best. College Degree Direct also offers students candid information and a glimpse into college lifestyle through their College Degree Blog. For more information please visit: http://www.CollegeDegreeDirect.com. College Degree Direct — Online Degree Search Made Easy!
Almeda University Caters to Working Students with Additional Guide to an Online Education
Boise, ID (PRWEB) May 15, 2008
Responding to an increasingly competitive job market in the United States and abroad, working men and women are flocking in droves to online universities to sharpen their professional skills and augment their resumes. Almeda University, a leading online educational institute for over 10 years, is serving a lion’s share of these busy individuals thanks to a new online degree guide that makes earning a college degree online a straightforward and accessible process for people from all walks of life.
Armed with an acute understanding of the challenges that face working students, the staff at Almeda University works to simplify the process of achieving university degrees online. The university’s clear-cut guide to online education assists time-strapped students by offering guidance on choosing a degree, earning that degree online, and utilizing it to its highest potential. The success of their initial online degree guide has prompted the university to tailor it to working students and their unique challenges.
“Our students come to us with a wide range of situational challenges,” says Richard Franklin, Almeda University spokesman, “but one thing that many have in common is a feeling that they lack the time they think is required to improve their professional position with an online university degree.” Franklin states that these students are relieved to discover a staff that is highly responsive and a process that is well defined. “Our online degree guide has really made it possible for a large number of students to improve their job security and earning potential as it takes the guesswork out of earning university degrees online.”
With a growing uncertainty looming over the economy, many forward-thinking individuals are increasing their security by earning a university degree online. Rather than compounding the challenges faced by stressed workers, Almeda University offers solutions with a precise online degree guide that takes the stress out of achieving a higher education online.
Almeda University is an online institute that has been serving the international community since its inception in 1997. Since that time, Almeda has evolved to educate an expanding population through cutting edge curriculum design based on students’ needs and professional service. For more information on University degrees online and Almeda University visit http://www.almedauniversity.org.
Online Degree Direct Offers Path to Brighter Future
Austin, TX (PRWEB) November 6, 2006
What’s the value of a high school diploma or college degree? The answer is clearly spelled out in dollars and cents.
In a report released this week, the rewards of attaining a college degree and the financial hardship associated with not finishing high school are dramatic. In the United States, an adult with a university degree earns, on average, 72 percent more than someone with just a high school diploma, according to a study from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The annual study called “Education at a Glance” is released annually by the Paris-based organization, which compares how industrialized nations perform academically and what results economically. And, in the U.S., dropping out of high school has a steep cost. According to the report, adults who don’t finish high school in the U.S. earn 65 percent of what people who have high school degrees earn. It was the biggest gap in any of the surveyed countries.
The report underscores the absolute need for obtaining a degree or diploma, which is being done with more frequency through Internet programs like Online Degree Direct. A private company, Online Degree Direct (online-degree-direct.com) is a one-stop shop for adults looking to further their education. Online Degree Direct is committed to maintaining strict objectivity in its opinions and information regarding a database of more than 60 schools.
“Every survey and just plain common sense tells us that a degree is extremely important, especially in today’s global economy,” said Ryan Russell, spokesman for Online Degree Direct. “The U.S. is losing ground as other countries are getting a foothold in the ranks of education. Online Degree Direct is a convenient and economical pathway for those who want to improve their lives and opportunities.”
The most recent statistics report that enrollment for online education in the U.S. is at about 3 million and growing. Online Degree Direct is a portal that links students with the top instructors and institutions. ODD constantly monitors each online degree program, ensuring that it meets industry standards and is an accredited online school, not a “diploma mill.” These mills offer diplomas from bogus universities that hand out degrees after little or no academic work. The fraud has become so lucrative on the Internet that it has prompted a federal investigation.
What Online Degree Direct offers adults is access to an educational opportunity they otherwise may not have. Online education allows working adults and those with families to study at home, without the burden of commuting or the stress of overcrowded classes. The cost to attend an online university is significantly lower than the thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars paid for a campus-based education.
“Employers in today’s economy know that some of their most valuable employees are those with online degrees,” said Russell. “With today’s hurried lifestyles, people are demanding access to higher education, and that’s exactly what Online Degree Direct provides.”
Almeda University Releases Step-by-Step Guide to Earning an Online Degree
Boise, ID (PRWEB) April 4, 2008
Richard Franklin thinks a lot about what online university students need. He has spent over 10 years with Almeda University, a leading provider of online college degrees, developing programs and talking with students about what they need to select the university degree online that will help them in their careers and how to complete that college degree online in a timely and positive way. “Although each student comes with a unique set of circumstances such as family, professional and personal responsibilities, what we understand after a decade of serving online university students is that they all can be assisted by a clear cut process,” says Franklin. “So we developed that process.”
The resulting guide to university degrees online helps students choose which online degree programs are right for their personal and career goals. It assists students in finding the online course of study that will further their careers or jump-start a new career. Says Franklin, “Helping a student choose the right online university degree is all about asking the right questions. At Almeda University we have been asking those questions for years with great results.”
Once an Almeda University Online student has selected the right online degree program, the guide walks them through the process of achieving that online degree. This process ensures that all requirements are completed in a way that is convenient to the online university student. “It has been my experience that making the online degree program requirements as clear as possible generates the most favorable outcome for the students,” notes Franklin. “Almeda University has truly taken the guesswork out of achieving a university degree online. Our students appreciate this detailed approach so they can complete the requirements online when it works for them.”
This guidance does not end when an Almeda University student completes the online degree requirements and receives an Associate, Bachelors, or Graduate Degree online. The online degree guide created by Almeda University offers post graduate career advice on how to land the right job or promotion as well as resume and application assistance. Richard Franklin feels that the online degree guide represents how well Almeda University understands the needs of online students. “We feel like we are really serving our student body with this online degree guide and that it will help make those students as successful as possible.”
Almeda University is an online institute that has been serving the international community since its inception in 1997. Since that time, Almeda has evolved to educate an expanding population through cutting edge curriculum design based on students’ needs and professional service. For more information on University degrees online and Almeda University visit http://www.almedauniversity.org.
In today’s job market, a college education has become the minimum bar to enter the workforce at an entry level position. Many candidates are seeking jobs with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, putting those candidates without one at a great disadvantage. What’s more, employers are less concerned with the candidate’s bachelor’s degree concentration as they are with candidates’ exemplary achievements of discipline, intelligence and focus that a degree requires. This signals to the potential employer that the applicant is more likely to be reliable and should make a good employee. Economists refer to this as a screening/signaling device for employers. Based on the assumption that having a college degree puts one at an advantage when interviewing for a job, let’s then explore why so many Americans still lack a college degree in today’s marketplace.
The cost of education is usually the foremost reason why people either never start college, or begin but later drop out. One of the main costs associated with obtaining a college education, besides tuition expenses, are books. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the cost of college textbooks have increased 200% over inflation during the past two decades. This is an astonishing figure considering textbook inflation is roughly the same as tuition inflation during that same period.
Students are certainly feeling the pinch from the increased cost of textbooks. Daniel Cooper, a student at Northlake College in Irving Texas said, “I spent about 0 on classes last semester before books. I was shocked when I went to the bookstore and found out my books cost more than my classes.” One of the problems Mr. Cooper faced at the end of the semester was selling his books back. “I went to sell my books back to the library, and out of the six books I had, three of them they wouldn’t buy back, one of them I bought for 2, and they offered me for it, and the other two combined, I sold for .” He continued, “Out of the three books they wouldn’t buy, two of them were lab manuals for biology courses at Northlake, so if they wouldn’t buy them, I have no option to sell them.”
What Mr. Cooper experienced is something that a lot of students experience at the end of each semester; the bookstore buyback issue. Most bookstores make an average profit margin of 22% on books they sell. At the end of the semester, they typically buy books back at roughly 50% of what they sold them for and then resell them for slightly less than the original sales price. In effect, they are selling the same books multiple times which in turn drives up their profits. This is a completely logical maneuver for the bookstore, but unfortunately, the student gets the short end of the stick.
CONTRIBUTORS TO HIGHER COSTS:
So why do textbooks prices keep going up? Textbooks, along with tuition and other fees, are affected by inflation. By nature, a new product this year is going to be less than the same new product five years from now. Inflation, however, is not the main reason why the costs of textbooks have increased in recent years. According to the GAO, one of the main reasons contributing to increased textbook costs has to do with the rising costs associated with developing products designed to accompany textbooks. These products include such things as CD-ROMs and other instructional supplements requested by the instructors of the courses. Although the instructors feel these ancillary products are important, many wholesalers, retailers, and others expressed concern that the creation of these new “supplements,” in addition to more frequent revisions, might unnecessarily increase costs to students.
WAYS TO SAVE:
Although the costs of textbooks are continually rising, there are creative ways to save. E-commerce has opened up a whole new market for college textbooks. Places like Amazon.com and Half.com (a subsidiary of eBay) allow students to purchase books over the internet which may be cheaper than their local bookstore. Once students finish a semester, they can go to these sites to re-sell their books online. Although buying books online can significantly save students money, there are some drawbacks. First, students may not be able to find the books they are looking for. Additionally, when buying and selling textbooks online, shipping cost and time can often be a major deterrent. Although small, retail websites do charge a commission for selling books.
Another alternative with similarities to the e-commerce sites, are sites like www.TradeMyText.com. This site provides students with an opportunity to buy and sell books to other students at their particular college/university with no fee. It’s simply an online marketplace that lets users locate their college or university, and either list a book they want to sell or contact someone with a book listed that they want to buy. This option makes it somewhat easier for students since they do not have to worry about shipping costs, fees, or time frames. The one drawback, like the other e-commerce sites, is book availability. However, TradeMyText can be helpful to students like Mr. Cooper, who purchased books that are only used at one particular school.
Textbooks are an essential part of obtaining a college education. They are full of knowledge and need to be continually updated if they are to remain current. By remaining focused and persistent, almost anyone has the intelligence to graduate college, and with a few of these money saving tips, they can find creative ways to pay for it too.
Save money on College Textbooks by buying/selling/trading with local students for free!
Universal Degrees and Corllins University Partner on Accredited, Affordable Online Courses
Burbank, CA (PRWEB) October 9, 2009
In the current economy, many people are heading the government’s call to continuing their education and looking for online courses to get their high school or college degrees. However, these same people are also being stymied by increasing online tuition rates that have in some cases doubled in recent years. As the economy continues to struggle, finding the money for an online degree can be difficult.
However, Universal Degrees and Corllins University have partnered to create a unique way for people to get an accredited online degree through its industry-leading services. While other online educational outlets offering degree program options for returning students have increased their tuition rates, Corllins University has decreased their costs dramatically, in some cases up to 50 percent from previous rates. This means that anyone can achieve their dream of getting a high level college degree on their own schedule without straining their financial resources. You can even get your bachelors degree upon completing your associate’s degree.
“In these difficult economic times, having an education is more critical than ever,” said Universal Degrees managing director Jed Ryle. “The partnership between Universal Degrees and Corllins University gives returning students the opportunity to gain the educational degrees they need in the current market to achieve the type of meaningful and stable employment they desire.”
The partnership between Universal Degrees and Corllins University brings together two of the most respected names in online education. Universal Degrees is able to use Prior Learning Assessment Programs to offer a life experience degree to students based on their past professional experience. And through Corllins University, Universal Degrees is also able to offer Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in a wide range of subjects through accredited, full time education programs.
Universal Degrees has become the leader in online learning because of its tremendous flexibility. Not only are there a wide range of payment options available, but classes can be taken at any time. Counselors are even available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year to give support to students. And state-of-the-art classes in more than 250 different fields of study let students work at their own pace, decreasing the pressure on people who are taking classes at home while also working.
GetEducated.com, LLC, America’s leading online degree clearinghouse, will ease the financial burden of online learning by immediately offering scholarships to site visitors who download any of their free e-books to accredited online universities.
“A college degree is the second most expensive purchase most consumers will make in their lifetime,” explains GetEducated.com’s founder and national distance-learning expert Vicky Phillips. “In today’s climate it is entirely possibly to spend $ 100,000 or more for a college degree. Studying online doesn’t make college any more affordable.”
“Distance learning has made college more accessible, especially for rural and mobile workers such as those deployed in the military. Now GetEducated.com is offering America’s first online degree scholarships in an effort to help make e-learning as financially accessible as possible to all learners,” explains Phillips.
The clearinghouse will award scholarships beginning at the $ 500 level to potential e-learning students. Scholarships will be awarded quarterly from GetEducated.com’s database of registered users. Potential online students may register when downloading the clearinghouse’s free guidebooks to accredited online degrees: Best Distance Learning Graduate Schools or Best Distance Learning Undergraduate Schools.
“The scholarship campaign is a part of the clearinghouse’s efforts to help people get educated about cost effective quality e-degrees,” explains Phillips. The clearinghouse already issues Top 25 lists ranking America’s best buys in online degrees. Their most popular Top 25 list profiles America’s best buys in online MBAs, but the clearinghouse also publishes data on education, engineering, computer science, and management degrees and will expand to cover distance degrees in social services and psychology in 2006.
GetEducated.com’s free ebooks series ~ Best Distance Learning Graduate Schools and Best Distance Learning Undergraduate Schools ~ is sponsored by a select group of America’s leading, accredited, distance-learning colleges, including the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Indiana University, California State University, University of Maryland University College, and the University of Illinois Online.
Consumers wishing to register for an online degree scholarship, good for use at any accredited distance learning program headquartered in the USA, can register at the clearinghouse’s online degree scholarship page: http://www.geteducated.com/services/scholarships.asp
About: Founded in 1989, GetEducated.com, LLC is the safest place in cyberspace to shop for your online degree ™. In a nationwide campaign against online diploma mills, the clearinghouse accepts neither advertising nor listings from unaccredited online colleges or from colleges “accredited” by bogus agencies. The clearinghouse operates the Diploma Mill Police, (SM), a free online degree accreditation verification service designed to protect online degree seekers from fraud, and publishes a series of free downloadable guidebooks to online colleges.
Because there are so many online degrees to choose from, you may be somewhat unsure of how to proceed in picking the right one. Here are some tips to help you choose from online degrees that will provide you with the type of credentials that you want because you do not have to worry about geographic location you literally have thousands of programs and online universities to choose from. However, you cannot depend on name recognition alone. There are many offers out there and you need to research the subject properly before making a commitment. In addition, price is not a reliable indication of an online universities’ value. We are going to present you with helpful information to help you choose the best online college for your online degree.
The first thing you must do is check on the accreditation of the institution that issues the online degrees. The Internet is full with diploma mills with dubious accreditation mixed together with those that are worth it. To prevent this unpleasant situation you had better check with accreditation associations that are available in your country, and make sure the institution is in good standing. By making sure you pick the right e-learning institution, you will save money and time. In addition, you will not have to go through the embarrassment of having your studies rejected.
You have to research whether or not a university or college that also operates a traditional campus as well as a virtual one issues the online degrees. This can prove to be very important, because you may have to attend a certain number of hours on campus before you are awarded your degree. If this is not something, with which you feel comfortable, then it is best to pass on that program and look for online degrees that can be earned by online study.
Do some research concerning the type of financial aid programs are offered by the institution, or if there are flexible payment plans. By knowing how you will have to pay for the courses, you are more likely to complete your degree on time. Never sign up for anything that you do not reasonably think you can honor or respect the agreement on time. Because online degrees are aimed at working adults, you are sure to find a program with a payment plan that fits with your budget.
Because of online degrees, many people can pursue their dreams of a college education, even if life experience has prevented them from doing so in the past. You will soon be able to claim the title of college graduate if you take your time and make the right choice after careful consideration of the offers available on the market.
Will You Get Tech Support When You Need It?
Online learning programs cannot afford to permit students to spend entire hours on the phone in order to fix a software mistake. Because their are students who have time do assignments at odd hours, tech support should be available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Make sure that the teachers involved in the online program are certified. You should ask what their fields of activity are and in which field are them the most experienced. Their are online universities which use adjunct faculty members who are practitioners in their fields. In this case, students would work with somebody who has both knowledge and experience. They will not only learn information but also use it in real-life situations.
If you choose to submit to an online school, it is clear that you have many things going on in your life. That is why you have to make sure you have taken the best choice. Ask what happens in the eventuality that you need to abandon a course partway through. Most of the online students have jobs and families. When you have so much to deal with life unexpectedly gets in the way of studies and the only way to deal with it is to leave a course. Before applying, ask what provisions the online degree program makes if you have to drop a course partway through. You should ask if you will get a refund and if you can later on be readmitted to the school and continue your studies.
Nowadays it is very common for students to transfer credits from one school to another. Because this is so common and helpful you need to ask what is their policy for transferring credits. Transferring credits between institutions has gotten better since online education has become more accepted as a part of the educational system. Despite this fact, not every institution will accept online credits and it is better to be informed.
Before joining, an online school in order to obtain an online degree makes sure you can afford it. Besides the tuition, you have to take into consideration the additional costs. Education is not cheap, but is worth the expenses. You should remember that you need textbooks and software too, because education is a complex process. In your effort to cover all of these costs, make sure that you take into consideration the grants, loans, scholarships, and the other financial means that are offered to you.
When you choose to be a student at a certain University, you do it because you feel that the institution will help you to achieve your goals. That is why you have to make sure that the school fits your educational goals and your career objectives. Another thing to consider is the amount of time in which the program lets you earn your degree. It should be according to your needs, no more, no less. You should make some research on the pace in which you are going to study. You have to be sure that you can handle the information volume and the pace used in that school.
Keith Londrie II is the Webmaster of http://best-online-degrees.info/ A website that specializes in providing information on Online Degrees that you can research on the internet. Please Visit http://best-online-degrees.info/ now!
The development of Internet technology is a source of help for prospective college students. The internet allows you to access an abundance of information about online degree programs. Research has shown that online teaching methods are comparable to conventional colleges. In some cases, online teaching has been shown to be even more effective than traditional classroom teaching.
For this reason, many students choose online degree programs. They are easy to complete and provide options. Research about these programs will show that they offer many different programs on many different disciplines. Schools that offer online degrees are increasingly common. Therefore, attaining a degree online is simple.
Lots of sites on the Internet are devoted to informing people about distance education. On these sites you can learn about these programs and learn more about the way an online degree in earned. Some sites about distance learning even link directly to various schools that offer online degrees. Featured on-site articles about distance education can help you make the right decision.
Once you see all these sites, you want to determine if online education will suit your needs. Successful distance education students have a great desire to learn about their subject, a desire to succeed, and the ability to show restraint. Distance education measures up favorably to traditional colleges in the opportunity they provide students to succeed.
Online programs truly give students a place to study whenever they want. They are no longer bound by limitations and can bend the hours in which they can study. Many studies have shown that online degrees are equally respected as a regular college degree.
If you are a person who is just beginning your college journey, then there are different programs that give associate degrees so that it will be the base for your online degree. After you have received the associate degree, you can go for a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree. Even PhD and MBA degree can be obtained via online programs. You will be surprised to know that you may even get an online school diploma, which is very important in order to further your educational aspirations.
For the reasons of convenience and flexibility, many students are choosing online degree programs. Information on distance education can be found on numerous websites. These websites provide students with program information and explain ways that they can complete degrees online. These websites offer helpful and informative articles that will guide you towards an appropriate decision. With an online program, students have the choice to study whenever they want at whatever speed they want. Online schooling has truly become limitless in this day and age, and it has been shown that online degrees are held in equal standing with more traditional college degrees.
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