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...

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...

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...

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...

Winter break seems to be in full swing and the start of Chanukah and Christmas is just days away.  No doubt that the last thing you want to do right now is slave over your resume and worry about networking.  BUT… don’t let the temptation of holiday sweets and that punch bowl full of eggnog distract you from your most important mission: Finding a job.  And not just any job, a great job.  A job with a good salary, robust benefits and plenty of opportunities for growth. Maybe even something unusual and fun like a ski instructor job (seasonal but fun for sure!). If you need some ins...

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...

As promised, Mondays at JobMonkey are now going to be about education and your career. Don’t worry: You probably do not need a Ph.D. to land the job of your dreams; but most professions do require a certain level of education and/or training.  At some jobs, this can take the form of on-the-job training; but for other professions, you will need to show up with a resume that includes course work, a major or even an advanced degree in a specialized field. What all of this means is that no matter where you are at in your career path — from the high school student trying to figure o...