• 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-based learning. Distance learning is up across the board — for example, this Colorado-based e-school saw a 29% jump in enrollment.

• 2 our of 3 post-secondary institutions in the United States were offering some type of distance education courses — whether fully online or a blending online/brick-and-mortar option

• Remember, accreditation is key, especially when it comes to an online degree. No diploma mills! Learn more about accreditation from About.com’s Guide to Distance Learning, Jamie Littlefield.

To start checking out online degree programs that might work for you, read our section on distance learning and then visit Online Degree Zone.

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 credit card debt and $23K in student loan debt (of course, 1/3 of all college students manage to graduate without any debt!). Federal student loans provide a six-month grace period following graduation, after which students are expected to begin repayment.

One option, implies the CBS piece, is joining the Peace Corps, Americorps or Teach for America — all of which are seeing a record number of application and all of which offer some form of student loan repayment/forgiveness in exchange for up to two years of volunteer service.

If you are a recent grad who finds him/herself facing unemployment, check out these job search tips for the recession. You may also want to read this post from Financial Aid Finder about reducing your student loan debt through volunteering for AmeriCorps.

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. Figuring out how to finance your college degree can be an overwhelming task. The good news is there are numerous resources available to help you foot the bill. JobMonkey’s Guide to Financial Aid provides you an in-depth overview of most of them, but here’s some good information to get you started.

The Pell Grant
The government provides millions of dollars a year in free money, known as grants, to college students from low-income families. The most common of these is the Pell Grant, which is awarded to one in four American college students. The Senate is currently debating legislation, which would increase the amount of the grant from $4,800 per year to $5,500 in 2009 — and $6,900 by 2019. To qualify, you and your family must earn less than $50,000 per year.

Federal Work Study Program
One of the best ways to pay for college is with a job. Of course, if you have ever tried to work and study full-time, you know what a challenge that can be. For many students, the Federal Work Study program is the ideal solution. It allows you to earn money for college living expenses (think: room and board, text books and supplies) while still having plenty of time to study for college exams.

Student Loans
If you have to take out student loans to help pay for college (and most students do), make sure you do it the smart way. Start by learning all about government loans, such as the Stafford Loans and Perkins Loans. The federally guaranteed, low-interest Stafford loan, for example, can provide up to $57,000 over the course of your college career. Also be sure to educate yourself about payment plans, grace periods and more in our article on college loan repayment.

College Savings Programs
Are your plans for college still a few years off? Get a jumpstart on financing your college degree by stashing cash in a tax-deferred savings program, known as a 529 Plan. These vehicles are a great way to save for your education — or that of a family member.

These four programs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to financing your college education. Visit the JobMonkey to learn about all your options, from scholarships to military service and beyond.

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 or more.

And it’s not just for-profit online universities that are growing. Traditional universities are getting in on the distance learning action. The budget crisis facing state universities will likely drive the number of online degrees up as well — since per student, it costs a university significantly less to offer an online course, especially when that class is repeated numerous times.

Does going back to school online sound appealing to you? Here are some great links you should check out:

• Is an online degree right for you?
• Accreditation of online degrees
• Financial aid for distance learners
• Online degrees thriving during the recession

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 questions.

1. Give me an example of one of your most important professional accomplishments.

2. Do you prefer to work on your own or within a team of others?

3. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?

4. How do you handle conflict in the workplace? Give me an example of how you have resolved a conflict with a colleague.

5. What is your greatest strength in your professional life? What weakness causes you the greatest difficulty on the job?

6. Why do you want this job? Why do you want to work with our company/organization?

7. What kind of salary range you are looking for?

8. How do you define success?

9. What three lessons did you learn from your last job?

10. Do you have any questions for us? [Hint: Research the company and come in with at least two questions in mind.]

If you really want to improve your chances of acing your next interview, take 20 minutes of prep time to brainstorm about what questions your interviewers might want to ask you. Not sure? Take a look at the job description for some clues about what matters most.

Tell us: how do you get ready for your interviews?

Dear JobMonkey,

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.

You have taken the first step, which is to set up accounts for yourself on some of the better known social networking platforms. Now it sounds like you are wondering how these tools are going to help you find a job.

Let’s start with LinkedIn. Have you built your profile on LinkedIn? Unlike Twitter, which “forces” you to represent yourself and your thoughts in 140 characters or less, LinkedIn gives you a lot more latitude.

Plus, did you know that there are over 11 million users on LinkedIn and 75% of job recruiters say they now use LinkedIn to research prospective employees? Given that, I’d recommend that you start your social networking efforts on LinkedIn, and then branch out to other platforms when you are ready.

Step 1: Set up your profile.

• Upload a picture, and make it a professional-looking headshot. No shots of you at the beach, with a beer can in hand, ok?!

• Include recommendations from other LinkedIn users – it makes you appear more trustworthy.

• Link to your blog or website, but only if the content speaks to your professional goals. Future employers don’t need to read about your trip to Cancun or your child’s first steps.

Step 2: Start networking.

• Start with the people you know, just like when you network in person. Upload your email list, then search for college alumni (and professors), former colleagues, members of your religious community, fellow volunteers, etc. Contact each of them personally, with an individualized note to let them know that you are job searching. Ask them if they can be of assistance and follow up on every lead.

• Join discussion groups. Use the search tool to find relevant groups. Join the conversation by starting discussion threads, responding to questions and offering resources such as relevant article links. Just enter the waters cautiously because you definitely don’t want to come off as a job searching spammer. Your goal is to contribute in a meaningful way to the group and then, once you are known, respected and trusted, members will be willing to help you out in return.

• Use the Job Search function to look for possible job opportunities. Sort the results by “degrees away from you” so you can work backwards from the job lister to someone in your network.

I hope that helps. Once you master LinkedIn, I am confident you will find it to be a huge benefit to your job search. Good luck!

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 continuing education each year. Educators, nurses and other medical professionals, for example, are required to stay abreast of new techniques and research findings. But even if your employer does not mandate career training, staying up-to-date on industry trends and developments is the best way to make yourself marketable — regardless of the economy.

Many career development classes are now being offered online, which is an increasingly popular option for busy professionals. With distance learning, you have the flexibility to fit your class work into your schedule — rather than the other way around. To learn more about online career development, be sure to visit JobMonkey’s newest section on career training.

• 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 writing.” It’s so easy for me to focus in exclusively on the job niche, but the truth is that even for this blog, inspiration can truly come from anywhere and everywhere.   Plus, as Julie writes, “seeing how others are practicing the craft can be very motivational.”

• Career Development in a Recession @ The Career Encouragement Blog. Reposted from Ryan Bortel’s Corporate Psychologists newsletter, this article is great inspiration for anyone looking for a job these days. I especially like his 7 suggestions for improving your personal brand.

Volunteer
Join a local professional organization
Take a class focused on cutting edge technologies or solutions
Teach a class within the organization or at a local business school
Build your professional network through technology
Seek feedback
Take risks by stepping outside of your comfort zone

• Military to Civilian: 3 Tips to Career Success @ Career Realism (loving that site’s tagline, “Because EVERY job is temporary”. Great advice for “selling” military experience to Corporate America from Jessie Richardson, a former Naval Officer and Director of Resume Services at www.MilitaryResumes.com. If you want more advice along these lines, check out her Military to Civilian blog.

• Boost Your Job Search with Twitter @ Alison Doyle’s job search blog on About.com. And by the way, if you want to up your social media ante, be sure you are on Twitter… and that you are following Alison and the nine folks I profiled last Friday in 10 Career Peeps to Follow on Twitter.

That’s it for me this dreary Friday afternoon. What are you reading that’s inspiring and informing your job search? Leave a comment and share you links please! Have a great weekend.

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 you still job searching, the job market is unfortunately still rather cold and will probably remain that way through the end of the year.

If you need some tips for finding a job during the recession, check out this post from last December with six tips for job hunting during tough times. A quick rundown of the tips:

1. Research recession-proof industries
Teaching, nursing, defense industry jobs – these are some of the most “recession-proof” sectors.  To learn more, check out this list of the top recession-proof careers.

2. Focus on Achievements
Rethink your resume in terms of measurable achievements. For more tips on how to do this, visit JobMonkey’s section on resume writing tips.

3. Volunteer

There are many benefits being a volunteering, from gaining real experience to getting your foot in the door with a future employer. For more on volunteering your way into your next job, check out these past blog posts:

• Volunteering More Popular Than Ever

• Tuesday Tips: Make Volunteering Work to Your Advantage

4. Network, network, network.
Open up your Contacts and start making calls. Then ask those people to make some calls too.  Here’s more on how to network:

• 5 Ways to Be a Better Networker

• How to Network Online

• What’s Networking and How to Do It

5. Freelance
Not all fields support freelancing, but if yours does, this is a great way to stay afloat financially during a job search, while strengthening your skills, enhancing your experience, and making great connections.

6.  Stay optimistic
If you are feeling downtrodden, it will show in your interactions with network connections and potential future employers. No, the economy isn’t booming yet, but your job search can be.

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’s got lots of great insights for recent grads who are job searching.

2. Alison Doyle (@alisondoyle) – About.com’s guide to Job Searching, Alison tweets great job search tips, including how to use social media, improve your resume and cover letter, and ace a job interview.

3. Heather Huhman (@heatherhuhman) – One of the best voices helping Gen Yers find internships and entry-level jobs.

4. Susan Joyce (@jobhuntorg) – Since 1996, Susan has been the owner of an award-winning employment portal, Job-Hunt.org. Great resource on everything employment-related.

5. Debra Wheatman (@DebraWheatman) – Debra is a career strategist, resume writer and featured blogger at vault.com. You’ll love her tweets on job searching, goal setting, resume writing and more.

6. eExecutives (@eExecutives) – eExecutives is a professional technology recruiter and job hunting coach, with great tweets about networking for your next job online.

7. Miriam Salpeter (@Keppie_Careers) – Miriam is a resume writer and career coach who tweets about everything and anything related to job searching. I especially love her thoughts on interviewing!

8. Jason Alba (@jasonalba) – Jason founded JibberJobber, a great job searching website, and wrote two of the books listed in our online bookstore: I’m on Linked In-Now What??? And I’m on Facebook-Now What??

9. My First Paycheck (@myfirstpaycheck) – Check out their website and then follow them on Twitter for advice and resources about finding your first job. Great for teenagers or the parents of teens!

10. JobMonkey (@jobmonkeynews) – Yes, that’s the JobMonkey, but hey, I’m entitled because it’s my list! We just joined the Twitter revolution, and now we want you to join us! Follow our tweets about new job opportunities, new content section launches, and more.

Are you on Twitter? Follow us so we can follow you!