Weekly News: 3/10 - 3/14

Welcome to this weeks edition of colleges, degrees, and careers weekly news. The post for this week can be found here:

College, Degree, and Career Weekly News

Weekly News: 3/3 - 3/7

Welcome to another edition of the colleges, degrees, and careers weekly news. Here are this weeks articles of interest:

Choosing a Career

In this blog post, the author addresses a question asked by many at one time or another...how does one go about Choosing a Career? While the advice offered here may not give you all the answers you’ll need to answer this question, it does give you a good place to start. With the four simple steps listed here, you’ll be that much closer to deciding on the right career for you.

Top 25 Careers to Pursue in a Recession

In the post by BlueSteps Career Service, the Top 25 Careers to Pursue in a Recession are listed along with a small description about why these jobs are most able to weather an economic downturn. Though some of the careers and industries listed have a high survivability rate for obvious reasons, like healthcare and utilities, there are a few that might catch you by surprise. For instance, the gambling and alcohol industries are likely to thrive because they are outlets people use during tough times. Whether you are interested in finding a job with good security during this difficult economic time or just want to find out a little about what jobs and industries are likely to thrive during this time, this article is definitely worth your time.

Faulty Resume Can Sink You

As anyone will tell you, your resume is the first, most critical part of getting a good job. Without a good, well-prepared resume, you may never even get to meet with someone inside the company you want to work for. That is way, as the title of this article suggests, a Faulty Resume Can Sink You. In this post, the author, Carolyn Kepcher, talks about how even a relatively minor typo can end your chance at a job before you even get to walk in the door. As she points out, when 150 senior executives were asked how many typos it would take for them to dismiss a potential job candidate from consideration, half said it only took one. Of those remaining, a further 37% said they wouldn’t tolerate two. Thus, it is clear to see that, if you want to have any kind of real chance at getting that job of your dreams, you’d better be willing to go over your resume until it is perfect.

Four Steps That Will Help You Cope With a Job Loss

Losing a job can be a very stressful event. In Ruth Mantell’s article, Four Steps That Will Help You Cope With a Job Loss, he offers some useful advice for anyone who finds themself facing this situation. As he states, the first step is to avoid panicking. You need to keep calm and work out what options are available to you. How long can you live on what money you have on hand before your financial situation becomes critical? Figure out what you need to do to move forward. You’ll discover how you can begin doing this, as well as many other helpful tips, in this article.

Mobilizing an Unplanned Job Search

So, you’ve lost your job. Now what do you do? In Mobilizing an Unplanned Job Search, you’ll find some useful tips to help you get your unexpected job search off the ground. The key, as the author states, is not to panic. “You’ll need to act deliberately – not just fast.” The article goes on to offer such advice as taking stock of your finances and networking. If you have recently found yourself unemployed, are facing the possibility of being unemployed, or are just starting your search for a job in the first place, then the advice offered in this article is for you.

That’s it for this week’s news. Check in next week for the new edition.

Weekly News: 2/25 - 2/29

Thanks for stopping by to check in on this edition of the colleges, degrees, and careers weekly news. This weeks post can be found here:

College, Degree, and Career Weekly News

Four New Sites

Below are three new sites that provide a variety of information:

Homeis.net - This site is set up to give information on many topics dealing with Home, Home Improvement, and Family. While it is a new site, you can already find some articles on it here.

Outerframe - This site deals with more subjects then Homeis.net. On it, you will find articles on many different topics, including home improvement, family, and outdoor living. You can find articles that have already been added to this site here.

All Home Square - Much like Homeis.net, this site deals primarily with home-related topics, such as home improvement, family, and do-it-yourself projects. You will find the articles that have already been included on this site here.

Dynopages - Unlike the other sites mentioned above, this site's primary focus is on topics related to business, careers, and higher education. Articles that have already been added to this new site can be found on the article page here.

Weekly News: 2/18 - 2/22

Welcome to the weekly news for all topics involving careers, colleges, and degrees. Here is the news for this week:

Mortgage Crisis Makes it Tougher for Students to Make the Grade on Loans

As many people know, the downturn in the economy in recent times has had a significant impact on mortgage rates and home loans. What they don’t know, however, is that the mortgage problems faced throughout the country are also causing problems for students seeking loans to attend college. As it is pointed out in “Mortgage crisis makes it tougher for students to make the grade on loans,” lending institutions have been hurt by defaulting home loans and, thus, have become more cautious about lending money for anything, including student loans. This means that, for the near future, at least, individuals looking to finance their higher educations are going to have a harder time finding the money they need...and, when they do find it, will most likely be facing higher interest rate payments. Nobody knows how long this situation will continue for sure, but if you or someone you know is planning on attending college soon, you might want to read over the information provided here to prepare yourself for the difficult task of financing a college education.

Consider Hiring a Career Coach

Navigating your career path can be a difficult prospect even for the most qualified and outgoing people out there. In the article, Consider Hiring a Career Coach, Joyce Lain Kennedy answers a couple of questions from her readers about their careers. She offers advice about finding a new job with the help of a career coach and/or further research on your own of your abilities and skills. She also advises another individual on how to deal with difficult task of getting a raise from her boss. Her advice is concise and useful...definitely worth a read. If you have a question relating to your own career situation, you can submit it to Joyce to be considered for inclusion in an article later on. Be sure to check out this page.

4 Ways to Boost Your Career During a Recession

With the weakening American economy, many people are more worried about simply keeping their jobs than advancing their careers. This doesn’t have to be the case, however. In the U.S. News & World Report article “4 Ways to Boost Your Career During a Recession,” the opportunities opened up for career advancement during this difficult time are discussed. Whether you happen to be survivor of recent layoffs in your company or if you’ve recently found yourself without a job, you’ll find some useful advice on how you can go about making the best out of this bad situation.

Resume Transitions

When writing a resume, it is important to keep in mind the most important purpose of the document: to get the attention of a potential employer. While most people tend to organize resumes in the chronological format, as discussed in the article “Resume Transitions,” sometimes this isn’t the best way to present your personal information. If, for instance, you are trying to get a new job that doesn’t necissarily have much to do with your previous job, it might be better to organize you resume into a functional format. In this way, you can present your individual accomplishments, especially those related to the new job you are pursuing, more clearly and, thus, stand out more than you otherwise would. Make sure you read this article if you are considering a career move in the near future.

I hope you found some of this information useful. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check in next week for your career, college, and degree weekly news.

Types of College Degrees

In the United States, there are four primary levels of college degrees obtainable. These are:

1) The Associate's Degree:An Associate's Degree is a college degree that, typically, involves two years of study. It is most often awarded by junior colleges, community colleges, and business colleges, though some larger universities and colleges also offer these degree programs. Generally speaking, an Associate's Degree is the same as the first two years of study for a typical four-year Bachelor's Degree.

- Examples of Associate's Degrees:

• Associate of Arts Degree - Usually given to people who intend to go on to pursue a four-year Bachelor's Degree with a major in the humanities or social sciences.

• Associate of Science Degree - Study focuses in the areas of mathematics, natural sciences, or technology, depending on what the individual pursuing the degree plan to do with it.

• Associate of Fine Arts Degree - Given to students who study areas associated with Music, Theater, and Art.

• Associate of Arts in Teaching Degree - Allows students interested in becoming teachers to test their interest early in their academic careers and, by later transfering credits earned to a four-year school, decrease the amount of time required to earn a Bachelor's Degree.

• Associate in Applied Science Degree - This degree program tends to relax some of the general education requirements so the student can focus more on their area of interest. Usually obtained by students who plan to enter the work force once the degree is obtained.

• Associate in Industrial Technology Degree - While this degree can be used by those who plan to transfer to a four-year institution later on, it is most often used by students planning to work after graduation. This degree focuses on fields such as Electronics, Engineering, Radio and Television Broadcasting, and Computers.

• Associate in Business Administration Degree - Can either be used to enter the work force after graduation or to continue on to a four-year college or university, typically in pursuit of a business major.

• Associate in Occupational Studies Degree - Generally, this degree has no liberal arts requirements. It is intended primarily for those students who want to enter the work force once they graduate.

2) The Bachelor's Degree:When most people think about a college degree, the type of degree they have in mind is the Bachelor's Degree. This degree is the standard degree offered by the majority of colleges and universities. While, typically, a Bachelor's Degree takes four years to complete, in some areas of study, it can actually take five or six years to obtain.

- Examples of Bachelor's Degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts - In some cases, this is the degree given out for all "academic" based subjects, but most often it is reserved for students who have studied fields related to the humanities.

• Bachelor of Science - This degree is generally given to students who have taken courses in the natural sciences, though it is sometimes reserved for "professional training" courses of study.

• Bachelor of Engineering

• Bachelor of Architecture

• Bachelor of Business Administration - Students who are awarded this degree usually major in a spcific field of business administration such as marketing, entrepreneurship, economics, finance, management, or public administration.

• Bachelor of Divinity/Theology - This degree is most often pursued by those individuals who want to do something related to religion or ministry.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts - Awarded to students who have completed a course of study in the fine and/or performing arts. It is considered a professional degree, as recipients have generally received four years of study and training in their field.

• Bachelor of Journalism

3) The Master's Degree:A Master's Degree is, typically, the next step in the degree process after one has earned a Bachelor's Degree. It usually takes around two years to earn this degree, after a Bachelor's Degree has been obtained, and provides a higher qualification for employment along with the preparation necessary for later doctoral studies. In general, coursework for this degree can be either classroom or research-based, though, more often than not, it is a combination of the two. While admission to a Master's Degree program normally requires someone to have already earned a Bachelor's Degree, in some cases, relevant work experience may qualify a potential candidate.

- Examples of Master's Degrees:

• Master of Arts - In general, students pursuing this degree are studying subjects in the Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Theology.

• Master of Science - This degree is typically awarded to students studying the sciences and, occasionally, the social sciences.

• Master of Education - Used by education professionals to progress in their field. Specific categories of this degree include Counselor Education, Educational Administration, Adult Education, and Academic Enrichment.

• Master of Divinity - In many Christian denominations, and a few other religions, this degree is a standard requirement for ordination ot the priesthood, pastorship, or other appointments.

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) - This is one of the most popular of the Master's Degrees available. After the first year, in which a wide breadth of courses are usually covered, students attempting to obtain this degree generall concentrate on a specific area, such as accounting, human resources, corporate strategy, or marketing.

• Master of Health Administration - This degree provides training in health policy, economics, and project and program implementation. It is designed to give students of health disciplines a greater understanding of management issues as well as preparing them for senior management roles later in life.

• Master of Public Administration - Students studying for this degree learn about public policy as well as project and program implementation. It can focus on local, state/provincial, national/federal, and supranational levels, as well as in the nonprofit sector.

• Master of Engineering - This degree program is usually takes two-years to complete and is offered as a coursweork-based alternative to the more traditional research-based Master of Science Degree.

4) The Doctorate Degree:In most cases, a Doctorate degree is considered to be the highest level of degree one can earn. To earn a Doctorate, a person must prove that they are an expert in their particular field. This usually is done with the publication of research in peer-reviewed journal or other professional publication. With the research, the person in question must also present and defend a thesis or dissertation, though this can sometimes be waved in view of a large amount of quality, published work. In any case, a person attempting to earn a Doctorate must, in at least a modest way, contribute to human knowledge.

- Examples of Master's Degrees:

• Doctor of Philosophy - Better known by the abbreviation Ph.D, this degree has become the most commonly presented Doctorate Degree over the last century. It is given to students who have studied any of a number disciplines in the sciences and humanities.

• Doctor of Dental Surgery - The DDS degree is one of only a few that are awarded to students who wish to practice denistry.

• Doctor of Computer Science - This degree enables a student to enter into one of the fastest growing career fields today. It includes studies of such subjects as distributed computing and networking, optimization, natural language processing, computer graphics, and neural networks.

• Doctor of Chiropractic - In order to practice chiropractic medicine, this is the degree that must first be obtained.

• Doctor of Juridical Science - This is the highest law degree attainable in the United States.

• Doctor of Optometry - This degree is necessary for a graduate to become certified as an optometrist.

• Doctor of Medicine - Usually refered to as an MD, this is the degree needed to become a practicing Medical Doctor. Even after this degree is earned, there are still several more requirements to complete before a graduate is awarded full doctor status.

• Doctor of Social Work - This degree is usually reserved for already experienced social workers who want to further their careers by gaining a higher level of education and training in advanced practice, teaching and supervision, reasearch, and policy analysis.

For more information about college degrees, careers, and higher education, visit the Zcareer website.

Self awareness is simply to discover your unconscious actions and patterns and take them to your conscious level. In this way you can better pinpoint which patterns need to be changed by having a clearer and realistic picture of yourself. This also includes strengths, shortcomings, what you think, what you believe, your motivations, and emotional state.

Self awareness can be learned and developed through practice of focusing your attention on the details of your personality and behavior. It is simply paying attention to your actions and learning to get to know yourself better.

Awareness of your mind and how to direct its thoughts, beliefs and emotions, opens new avenues of possibilities. Whether it be relationships, a career, or a college degree, it is the first step in the creation process. Awareness is the first step in changing the way you create your own life.

And since you are capable and responsible for creating your own life, becoming aware of your thoughts is critically important. Because what you think about and how you think about it, is what will shape your life. And since most folks think and have beliefs on a negative level, it would explain why the successful in this world are the minority.

If you don’t have a clue what’s going on in your head, you can’t direct any of your thoughts. They will direct you. So you must learn to be aware of your thoughts.

Your life can be so different when you are the one directing your mind instead of letting your mind direct you. Increasing awareness will help you with emptying your mind of robotic repetitious patterns so you can see yourself and life more clearly.

As you become more self aware, you increase your ability to make changes in the thought patterns and interpretations you create in your mind. Changing the way you look at things in your mind allows you to change your emotional reactions. And then basing your actions on conscious directed thought instead of emotional unconscious reactions, Your life will move more freely in the direction you choose.