Are you thinking about going back to school, but you’re still on the fence? Here are some facts & figures that may just get you motivated to pursue a degree — especially one online. A new study has shown that the average lifetime earnings for 2-year degree holder is $1.6 million — $400,000 more than high school graduates alone are earning. 1 in 5 American students took at least one online class in 2008. That 4 million students doing some coursework at a “distance”. 10% of American post-secondary students (400,000) are enrolled in exclusively Internet-ba...

If you are a recent college graduate, odds are you are taking the brunt of these tough economic times. Two years ago, the unemployment rate among college graduates was less than 3%. Today it’s more than 9%. And with a continuing lack of job creation, those numbers are likely to increase — since the ‘08 and ‘09 grads will soon be competing with the ‘10 grads for the limited number of entry level positions. According to a recent CBS report, the problem is being compounded by the growing debt loads most graduates now have. The average student graduates with $3K in...

JobMonkey is not a college financial aid website, but many who visit us are thinking about going back to college. And for good reason: A college degree is an invaluable asset. Studies show that associate degree holders earn an average of $1.6 million over the course of their working life. Bachelor’s degree holders will earn $2.1 million, and doctoral and professional degree holders can make as much as $4.4 million. But just how much will those bumps in salary cost you? The average price tag for a four-year degree is $50,000, with annual tuition rate of inflation of more than 7% a year...

The job market is softer than it has been in decades and more and more people are returning to school. For many, the motivation in going back to school is to inoculate their careers. For others, it’s just a friendly place to wait out the recession. Whatever the reason, the higher education boom has been felt across the spectrum, but nowhere more so than in online education. According to the Sloan Consortium, online education grew much faster in 2008 than brick-and-mortar schools. There’s been a major jump in enrollment for online colleges, with some websites reporting 18 percent...

How prepared are you for your next interview? Do you find yourself blanking out, stuttering and stammering, or fumbling your answers in an interview situation? In this competitive job market, you can’t afford to be anything less than 100% when you step into that conference room for your job interview. Career coaches will charge you a pretty penny to help practice your job interview skills, but you can buff up on your interviewing prowess on your own, too. Grab a friend or just position yourself in front of a mirror and see how well you can answer these 10 traditional job interview que...

On Thursdays, I answer readers’ questions about their job search. I love hearing what is on your mind, so don’t be shy — send me an email or leave your question in the comments section. Dear JobMonkey, I’ve seen you talk a lot of networking online to help find a job, but I really don’t know how that’s supposed to work. I signed up for accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter, like you suggested, but now what? Thanks, James in Vermont Dear James in Vermont, Thanks for your letter! You know, using online networking to find a job is a lot like job networking in person...

Life-long learning is the key to a satisfying career (and probably to a satisfying life, but that might extend beyond the realm of my expertise!) Technology, business practices and even cultural norms are constantly changing and adapting. In order to stay current — or, better yet, ahead of the curve — you need to be able to understand and respond to those changes. Even if you have a PhD, your knowledge of current practices quickly becomes outdated unless you engage in career development and enrichment. Some careers even require you to undergo a certain number of hours of continu...

I haven’t shared any job searching link love with you in a while, but there are a few things I’ve found this week that are really “must reads”. We’re in for a rainy weekend, so hopefully you can curl up with a good URL (ah, how times have changed!). How to become America’s next top writer by Julie Kraut, author of the new novel, Slept Away. Julie was a featured guest poster at Lindsey Pollak’s blog and shared her advice for aspiring writers. I especially appreciate her advice to “read as much as you can, and not just from the genre you’re writi...

In an interview with Bloomberg News’ Al Hunt yesterday, President Obama confirmed what most economists are predicting — that the rate of unemployment will reach 10% by the end of this year. Although the rate of job loss has slowed over the past three months, employers have not started hiring new workers to keep pace with previous lay-offs. “We’ve got to produce 150,000 jobs every month just to keep pace,” the President told Al Hunt. In other words, the future is starting to look a little more secure for those of you who currently have a job. But for those of yo...

If you are looking for a new job or just want to stay on top of the rapidly changing job market, here is a list of the best 10 people to follow on Twitter*. (What? You’re not on Twitter yet? Head on over there to get yourself an account and start tweeting! It’s fun, but even more important, it’s a great way to network.) *in no particular order 1. Lindsey Pollak (@lindseypollak) – You know I love Lindsey, because I’m always linking to her posts. She is the author of the book Getting from College to Career and a regular contributor to ABC News on Campus 4. She...