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...

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...

We reported back in March that enrollment in online degree and professional certification programs is booming during the economic recession. For those who have been laid off (or fear being laid off), working on an online degree has proven to be an easy and convenient way to enhance their resumes while still having plenty of time to job search. Many would-be online learners have been deterred, however, by the concern that an e-degree will not be respected or accepted by future employers. That tide is turning. Recently a number of experts have joined the distance learning bandwagon. From care...

CNN reported earlier this month that enrollment in online degree programs and professional certifications is booming during the economic recession. For those who have been laid off (or fear being laid off), working on an online degree can be an easy and convenient way to enhance their resumes while still having plenty of time to job search. Online programs are upping their marketing ante to focus on attracting career changers. And it isn’t just the slogans that are changing. A number of new programs have been created to target the most in-demand, recession-proof fields, such as nursin...

Welcome to part 3 of our series on distance learning.  You can check out past posts on whether online classes are right for you and what the significance is of accreditation for distance learners. Today, I am focusing on financial aid for distance learning. Here’s the good news:  As long as you are attending a nationally accredited program (here’s a link to a list of accredited online schools), you are eligible for the same federal and state financial aid as a student attending a brick and mortar school. This also applies to most private scholarships, although some scholarship...

I’ll be back next week with the final segment in my series on Online Learning Programs.  This week, however, we’re taking a short break to look at the educational requirements of a career in the gas and oil industry.  The field offers a number of high paying opportunities, and even with the current economic crisis, these jobs are still in high demand.  That’s the good news. The less good news (well, only if you’re not the perpetual student type) is that most of these positions require an advanced degree — at least a Master’s Degree, and preferably a Ph...

Last week, I talked about the importance of keeping the course during your holiday time job search. And while that advice is true, it does not take into account just how hard it is to follow.  ‘Tis the season for joy and light, but when you are in the middle of a protracted job search, the last thing you feel is joyful light. So how do you stay positive about your careers possibilities even in the face of frustration? Here are some of my ideas. Get away from it all Yes, I did say that the holidays are a key time to stay on top of your job hunting game.  And that’s true.  But ...

As promised in last week’s post, Is An Online Degree Right For You?, I am back this Monday still talking about distance learning.  Specifically, we are going to take a look today at the accreditation of online programs — what is it and whether it’s important.  Let’s dive right in. What is accreditation? According to the U.S. Department of Education, the goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. The DOE meets this goal by publishing an annual list of accredited schools in the Uni...

Not everyone graduates from high school at the age of 17, packs up all their worldly possessions in the back of a beater car, and drives across town — or across country — to enroll at a quaint little college on the hill. Whether it’s because you need to earn money NOW, or you just aren’t sure if college is the place for you, or any of a myriad of other reasons, the traditional four-year plan to a Bachelor’s Degree at a brick-and-mortar college is definitely not for everyone. The good news is that in the last decade, your options for education have grown exponentia...