All about Online Classified

A group of teenagers in the Boston, Mass., area were scheduled to take time this summer exploring how the nanotechnology that makes iPods possible can be used to shut down cancer genes. The teens, high school sophomores and juniors, also tested local swimming waters for bacteria. They were part of a six week research internship program that’s held each year at Boston’s Northeastern University.

At Boston University, a separate group of high school seniors also participated in a six week research program. Since its 1978 inception, Boston University’s Research Internship in Science and Engineering Program has welcomed more than 500 teenagers. One of them, Neel Hajare, in 2007 designed, programmed and built a CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) scanning robot with Legos, motors, software programs, lasers, and knitting needles.

“Intellectually stimulating” is how Hajare described the experience on the Research Internship in Science and Engineering Program. It was like nothing he had done in school. He’d had to figure out how to do something, had to improvise, he said. Hajare seemed pleasantly surprised by his success with the project.

In addition to offering opportunities to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, colleges and universities throughout the country offer innovative programs with the goal of getting pre-college students like Hajare excited about the subjects. The students get to see first hand the diverse potential these subject areas have to offer. Agencies and organizations are also partnering to offer progressive STEM programs and services, in part since President Barack Obama Administration launched an “Educate to Innovate” campaign.

Science, technology, engineering and math degrees come in a variety of specialties and can lead to careers that are expected to see some of the fastest employment growth. Students who major in subjects such as science, technology, engineering and math might work with hospitals and healthcare agencies and organizations on computer technologies that can improve efficiency and patient care. They might otherwise work on ways to help secure drinking water supplies or to prevent beaches from eroding in storms and rising seas.

Many in the United States, President Barack Obama included, have expressed concerns that a lack of people in STEM careers could affect the United States’ position as an innovation and technology leader. Some contend the country’s position in this area is already slipping. In a report issued earlier this year, the National Science Board noted that the number of bachelor’s degrees in natural sciences and engineering in China has risen sharply since 2002, while those in the United States, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom have remained nearly the same.

Women and minorities are considered underrepresented in STEM fields by many, and so some schools and organizations have focused STEM programs on them. As example, Northeastern University has a “Connections” program for middle school girls and Girl Scouts that allows participants to get a microscopic view of bugs and plants and to work with Lego’s Mindstorms software to program a robot. To help enhance STEM instruction among college-level teachers, Northeastern has established a center connecting its STEM departments with its School of Education. At Boston University, a Project STAMP program that links graduate and undergraduate science, engineering, technology and math majors with area K-12 teachers involves developing classroom curricula together.

Efforts such as these have been referred to as a “pipeline” for future STEM degree candidates and professionals. By pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math through traditional and online degree programs, students might find themselves surprised by their abilities and discoveries. In obtaining their science degree and embarking on in-demand careers, they might also find themselves fulfilled by the strides they take and achievements they accomplish toward helping others or providing for a greater good.

Many moms across the nation are grabbing the bull by their horns and returning to college. This might be their first time stepping foot on a campus of higher education or it may be a continuation of a degree they’ve already started. Either way, moms are earning their degrees and their families are benefiting from their determination!

Life has a tendency to happen fast and women may sometimes look around to realize that they’ve been taking care of their families without being able to focus at all on their own needs or wants. Technology is their greatest asset, however. Women of today are able to easily balance a full course load of schoolwork with the responsibilities of running a household with absolutely no problems in between.

Women may feel a strong sense of trepidation about returning to school, based primarily in a sense of guilt. It’s easy to feel trapped in the idea that focusing on school will make it impossible to also focus on family. It’s a genuine source of stress for women who feel that making their families suffer is uncalled for and unnecessary.

Online programs are continually being added to schools’ curriculum, and moms can benefit fully from their offerings. Moms who attend schools online will find themselves able to work their academic schedule around their everyday life. Tasks like dropping the kids off at karate or putting your smallest child down for a nap don’t need to be put to the side; they can peacefully coexist with your school schedule.

Online programs aren’t just beneficial for their flexible scheduling. Those who choose to learn from a distance erase the need for a long commute – and therefore the cost of filling up the gas tank several times a week. Oftentimes, you can also rent or buy your textbooks for online courses on the web at a heavily discounted price. This means your family won’t suffer financial strain simply because you’re attending college.

Many moms may have the added stress of being single mothers. School may feel like an impossibility, especially the cost of tuition. However, there are so many scholarships and grants being offered specifically for single mothers this year! The 2010 – 2011 school year will distribute roughly $168 billion in financial aid, so paying for school isn’t a hopeless case.

Moms who feel stress about going back to college should be able to recognize that their decision to return to school is not only advantageous to themselves. Actually, your family will be the people who benefit the most from your decision to earn a degree. A degree means a higher paying job – someone who only has a high school education typically earns $100 a week less than someone who has a college degree. Better jobs means your kids will be healthier, happier and have more success in school. Finally, in earning a degree, you’re setting a strong example: children whose parents have earned a college degree are far more likely to attend college on their own.

Moms can’t hold on to their well-meant excuses anymore. With the popularity of distance learning degree programs and the vast abundance of financial aid, including back to school loans, a college degree is a direct path to a happier, steadier future. Explore scholarships for going back to school possibilities and set an example for your family by signing up for online classes today!

The Department of Homeland Security reports over 450,000 immigrants legally enter the U.S. every year. The largest number of people emigrating here are Mexican (15%), then Chinese (6%), and then from the Philippines (5%). Due to the recent disasters in Haiti, this nationality hasn’t been factored into their report. Still, there’s one thing all these people have in common, English is not their first language.

That’s why one of the largest growing areas of the teaching profession is ESL (English as a Second Language). While this is not a new field (it actually was formalized back in the 1930s) the current growth of immigrants has made the demand for new teachers absolutely critical.

Probably the most important thing anyone interested in ESL must realize is it’s more than just teaching how to read and write in English. ESL instructors must also teach these potential citizens many of the ways, history and rules of American citizenship. This makes them also the initial gateway for the naturalization of these folks.

There’s another misconception about the career. English doesn’t have to be an ESL’s instructors first or primary language. Many of the best instructors actually also had English as their second language. That said, one should sit down with a college career counselor as well as their state’s board of education to find out what they need in order to get proper teaching certification.

There are a number of ways one can get the necessary degree and/or certification to teach ESL. Still, the most comprehensive is to enroll in an online or on campus college, particularly one known for its language curses, such as Chinese, Spanish and English. Getting a four year degree in Education will also help with testing, consulting and things that happen in the classroom that aren’t in the syllabus.

While those who want to teach on the K-12 or vocational school level can get away with a bachelors degree in Education, those intending to teach on the college level should expect to go on for their masters degree and even their doctorate. As it happens, one should also consult with financial aid advisors as there are a number of programs that will help pay the way whatever type of institution one wants to teach in.

Wages for this profession are dependent on where and who one teaches. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports ESL teachers teaching kindergarten up to grade 12 make $41,000 to $46,000 on the average. The Bureau also estimates there will be a need for 20% more ESL teachers by 2020.

Yet one thing that will truly drive the growing need for ESL professionals is that every year the United States sees nearly a half million people gain legal residential status; many of whom want to become American citizens of good standing. Those with their languages degree are critical in many different arenas and online college programs can provide these professionals with the tools they need.

It’s an interesting conundrum. The world is getting smaller and smaller thanks to the rapid expansion of global media and information technology. In turn, the need for interpreters and translators is getting bigger and bigger. Because of this, the profession is going through a hiring surge that hasn’t been seen in many a year.

True, there are a lot of people who can speak their language of origin well and can get around with another. The thing is, a translator/interpreter must be fluent in at least two, sometimes even more. What distinguishes the two apart are translators focus on written communications, while the interpreter concentrates on oral. From there, it’s highly dependent on the languages one works with. Those who speak the more common languages (English, Spanish, French, Chinese) have more work than those who speak less common ones.

One thing most translators usually have in common is they actually grew up around more than one language. This could be due to them being immigrants from one country to another, having family who are from other lands or, like Army kids, they may have done more than the average amount of travel in their lifetimes.

Still, speaking a language and being fluent in it are two different things. Interpreters usually also took more than one language while they were in high school. They also got adept at navigating around a computer.

From there, they should look for schools that have degree courses in linguistics, both native and foreign. What should also be noted is that they don’t necessarily have to get a degree in a language. If anything, one who goes for a business or engineering degree with a minor in their choice of languages can end up doing quite well when it’s time to enter the work world.

Yet probably the most valuable asset of all is real-life experience. To recruiters the most valuable employees are candidates or prospects who were exchange students or spent some time in another country of the language they will be interpreting in. This experience gives the translator/interpreter more knowledge of the subtleties or nuances of a different language. In other words, they can grasp both denotation as well as connotation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the mean salary of interpreters/translators as over $40,000 annually. Much is dependent on the languages spoken and who the person is working for. For instance, multinational companies and media concerns tend to pay more than universities or federal agencies and the U.N.

The Bureau also notes the U.S. employs slightly over 51,000 as of 2009. It projects the number of positions will grow to 62,000 by 2020. Because of this, it ranks the professions as “exceedingly good”. It should also be noted that 26% of all translators and interpreters are self-employed. Yet when one considers that kind of need coming over the next few years, one can expect that translators and interpreters will have a lot of work coming their way for quite a while.

Living in another country to gain experience in the language for career opportunities doesn’t mean not attending college. With on line colleges offering college degree opportunities, one can study while doing practical application in the country of the language they are learning. This is the flexibility offered by online school programs.

Usually after a criminal has done their time in prison, they are still kept under close observation. The people who keep an eye on these former inmates are parole officers and they are considered as essential a part of our criminal justice system as the police.

Also called community supervision officers, their job is to keep a steady eye on those on parole. They are often confused with probation officers, whose responsibilities are slightly different. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a probation officer only deals with those who were found guilty of a crime but not incarcerated. Parole officers deal primarily with former prisoners. It’s very common for people to do both, depending on the state they live in.

Basically, a parole officer’s responsibility is to keep an eye on released prisoners. They don’t do it alone; they often do it in conjunction with community groups. They have their charges report to their offices on a regular basis and they are also required to visit the former prisoner and anyone related to them at their homes, place of employment or wherever else is necessary. The idea is to ensure the parolee has been living up to the terms of his or her release. If not, it may involve re-incarceration.

One thing to always consider is that a parole officer is an employee of either a state or federal correction system. This means their jobs are directly affected by the state of the economy. For instance, one thing many states are now doing is releasing prisoners earlier than their full sentences due to a lack of funding. This, in turn, means a parole officer’s workload is increased proportionately.

For the moment though, it seems the general public doesn’t want their local governments to do that. They want to keep prisoners in prison and, according to the Bureau, also are demanding more of our tax dollars be spent on prisons, police and parole officers. Because of this, the federal agency anticipates a 20% increase in positions between 2008 and 2018.

Those interested in becoming parole officers will need a bachelor’s degree at a minimum. About the only way around this is if they have a certain level of experience in a comparable field, such as being a police officer. If not, they should consult with the career counselor of a brick and mortar or online college with a strong background in the humanities, social sciences, psychology or criminal justice.

Salary is highly dependent on the state one works in. On the low end it can go to just below $30,000, although the average is $45,000. Some states do pay as much as $60,000 and, again according to the Bureau, the upper 10% in the profession make around $78,000. One’s benefit package is also highly dependent on the state.

Admittedly, economic conditions currently aren’t the best. Attending distance learning degree programs will provide those interested with the education needed to enter this in-demand field. Graduates with their criminal justice degree on line will find the future of those who are entering into the diverse realm of law enforcement have a solid career in front of them.

One of the hardest things about being a new mom is deciding when to go back to work. Some moms stay at home for a few years, and some moms go back to work as soon as their maternity leave is up. There‘s no right answer, because it depends on the particular family situation a mom is in. One thing is certain though, moms everywhere want to have a good balance of work and family time, without sacrificing too much for either one.

For a lot of moms, working a typical 9 to 5 job just doesn’t fit because they want more time with their families. They might be thinking about trying to find a job that suits the schedule and life of a busy family, including school, work, soccer and more. Moms who are trying to figure out a job that’s more realistic for their lives may want to think about going back to school to get an education degree.

Getting an education degree may be the right move for moms who want more flexibility in their schedules. Being a teacher means a different set of working hours and days that better matches what their children’s school schedule is. While a teacher still works from Monday through Friday, there are a lot of other days off during the year, too. Most of the days off that a teacher has match with the kids’ days off, except for teacher in service days or other scheduled workdays when kids don’t go to school, but teachers do.

If your kids are home from school from June until mid-August, you will be, too, except for preparatory days immediately before and after the school year. School holidays won’t be a childcare nightmare anymore, because you’ll be out enjoying time with your family. The added expense of paying for childcare on days off from school will largely be a non-existent worry, because you’ll be at home and in charge.

There are several different kinds of teaching degrees you can seek. If you want to teach young children at the Pre-K level, you can complete an early childhood education degree at the associate degree level, which is about two years long. In most programs, the graduation requirement includes the state certification to teach children in that age group.

Teachers who teach at the elementary school level and higher need to complete a bachelor’s degree in order to teach. Students who get a bachelor’s degree in a particular subject such as English or history will also need to complete an education certification with the state they will be teaching in before they will be allowed to teach. Other aspiring teachers will work to receive a bachelor’s degree in education, often with a specialized focus, like K – 5 education or science education. Your college will be able to help guide you in choosing your major and education specialty. Another good source of information is your state’s department of education website.

People who want to teach also have lots of opportunities to get money to help them pay for school. There are federal programs that are specifically for education students, like the TEACH grant. The TEACH grant provides funding for college in exchange for four years of teaching at a designated low-income school. The TEACH grant can give aspiring teachers a chance to walk away from college with far less student debt, as well as the opportunity to teach in an environment in which they can create a lasting effect on student’s and their families.

For moms, their degree in education can be an ideal tool to have the best of both worlds: time with their kids and an opportunity for a great career. If students are thinking about engaging in distance learning online degree programs in order to improve their employment opportunities, and a job with a schedule that gives time with your children, teaching may be just right as a career move. You’ll have a rewarding career that makes a difference in the life of your family and in other children’s lives as well.

It’s called “Undercover Boss,” and managers who find it enlightening might also consider free online courses in management. The reality TV series premiered earlier this year, showing how business leaders can come to discover the ways their decisions affect employees According to the “Undercover Boss” website, business leaders who work alongside employees might also find out where an organization’s problems are and who helps make the company successful.

One university professor, in fact, described leadership as a relationship, a partnership. “. . . employee engagement isn’t just a soft and fuzzy topic but has bottom line implications,” Professor Michelle Buck of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management was quoted as saying in a March 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek article. “One of the biggest responsibilities of leaders is to set other people up for success,” Buck noted.

Business leaders can enroll themselves or employees in any number of free online courses in management. In some instances, they might want to help new managers develop skills. In other instances, they might consider signing on managers who want to sharpen existing abilities. Free online courses in management are offered by colleges, universities and technical schools, as well as by private organizations.

When it comes to instruction, free management courses might come in the form of reading materials, such as those offered by Learnthat.com. The website, established by a former infrastructure and technology management consultant, contains tutorials and training dating back to 2004. Free online courses offered on Learnthat.com include Employee Goal and Performance Planning and Dealing with Conflict in the Workplace.

A Massachusetts technology institute, on the other hand, offers podcast audio and YouTube video as part of its instruction. There are free undergraduate and graduate courses from this institute that address people and organizations as well as communication. The Massachusetts institute also offers free online courses that can help managers keep up to date in areas such as global markets and environmental friendliness.

Participants in the institute’s Sustainable Business Laboratory course for graduate students, for instance, might learn how a company can minimize its ecological footprint while finding opportunities for new products and services, according to the website for this course. Managers searching the OpenCourseWare Consortium website for free online management courses from institutions throughout the world might expect to find more than 230 courses in English. Free online courses on the website include offerings from throughout the United States and then some, including a Netherlands-based institution with a course that addresses water management in urban areas.

Large corporations also offer free management workshops and seminars, in some instances to its customers and partners. For example, AT&T earlier this year held a phone in workshop on Digital Age marketing. The U.S. Small Business Administration also offers free online courses. Through the agency’s website, business owners can find courses on everything from business planning and finance to marketing and advertising. The site provides information on surviving a slow economy and more as well.

The Small Business Administration, like many colleges, universities and technical schools, makes use of technologies such as podcasts for its instruction. Credits that can be applied toward degrees aren’t typically a part of free online courses. These courses might, however, help managers in the area of lifelong learning, which educators say is important.

Those who work in business managing the profit and loss statements and the implications of a healthy balance sheet will benefit from these free programs, as well as business bachelor degree skills to propel them further up the ladder of career success. College degrees are affordable through online degree education programs and the convenience makes learning possible at every stage of employment.

Forensic science has been given a real boost with television programs like CSI because they create a stimulating picture of criminal investigation. What people need to keep in mind, though, is that most forensic scientists complete the majority of their work in a laboratory setting. It is only in particular settings that forensic scientists work in the field. People who want to get a job in a forensic science capacity will need a degree in forensic science, since it is highly technical and specialized.

Many students who are interested in forensics may not be aware that forensics degrees from accredited online colleges are available for a variety of forensics disciplines. Forensics is the application of scientific principles to law. The scientific principles are used to analyze evidence from crime scenes in order to solve criminal cases. The forensic evidence is usually very technical, so it is not uncommon for forensic scientists to testify as expert witnesses in criminal cases.

There are several types of forensics degree programs available from online colleges. Students who wish to become forensics technicians can attain a two-year associate degree in forensic science that will help them get a job as a junior technician in a lab. Depending on the place of employment, a forensics technician works in a lab analyzing a variety of collected criminal evidence; on some occasions he or she may go into the field with a more senior technician or scientist to collect evidence at the scene of the crime.

Forensic scientists and technicians works in a lab setting examining evidence that is generally collected at the scene of a crime. They may analyze various tissue or blood samples, or a variety of other things like ballistics evidence or fingerprints. From that evidence, they must write detailed reports with conclusions that are presented to the interested parties of a case, like prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys, or the particular police department or other government agency that is working the case.

Job growth for forensic technicians is much higher than for most other fields of work; the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 20% increase. The median hourly wage for forensic technicians is reported at $23.97, although more senior technicians and forensic scientists with more technical knowledge and training will earn more. All in all, the job forecast for the forensic field is very good and is unlikely to change in the near future because of technological advances.

Forensic degree programs at every level will have a strong background in chemistry, biology, genetics, and biochemistry. At the bachelor and graduate degree levels, a student will generally focus on one of the specific forensic areas that they are interested in. Students who graduate from an accredited online college with a forensics degree can expect to find work in a variety of locations, including with law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level, medical examiner’s offices, crime labs, or with prosecuting or criminal defense attorneys.

There are many types of online graduate degree programs available for people who have already achieved a science or forensics degree at the bachelor level or above. While some programs offer graduate degrees, other programs offer graduate certificate programs online that focus on a specific area of forensic study. There are a wide variety of certification programs available, including toxicology, death investigation, and DNA studies.

Students who have a strong interest in science and the application of science to legal issues will be able to combine those interests in the online college degree program in forensic science. An online degree in forensic science can take you on a variety of paths, depending on the area of forensics that interests you. Whichever path you choose, with your associate criminal justice degree you can be sure that every day will be interesting, with new challenges and evolving technology that will make each day different from the next.

Student loans can put a college, university or technical school education within greater reach. Still, it’s important that students don’t burden themselves too much with loans that they all too soon have to repay. In this respect, it helps to plan ahead.

Students should never borrow more than what they need and should first consider other ways to offset the amounts they borrow, MoneySavvy.com reports. Some students might have college funds. Students might also find that working while attending school is one way to get a handle on student loans. The individual can put away a certain amount of money each paycheck into a savings account and could amass a reasonable sum. This can help them start on the road to full loan repayment once they start working full-time.

Scholarships, fellowships and grants for college might also be utilized to offset any money that has to be borrowed. These forms of financial assistance typically don’t have to be repaid. Students might obtain scholarships, fellowships and grants from large corporations, non-profit organizations and civic and community groups. Some of these offerings are awarded based on financial need or academic grades. Others might be provided in instances where students pursue certain studies or fulfill certain demographic requirements.

In instances where students have access to public transportation, they might consider selling a vehicle. The money that would go toward car and insurance payments, maintenance and fuel, might be saved for student loan repayments. Of course, it’s important to be diligent about putting this money, like that of a job, aside.

Students may also want to consider looking at schools online. While many people enjoy on-campus courses, online degree programs can be a great way to save money during a master’s degree program. An individual may choose to take certain interactive, required courses at an on-campus location because they want to gain experience working directly with their peers. However, since many theory-based courses require lectures and printed materials, students can just as easily take these classes at schools online. In fact, it may even be beneficial in the long run.

The federal government offers low-interest loans. Some of these loans require that students attend school at least half-time. Students can also supplement loans such as these with a Signature Student Loan program that often features lower interest rates than private loans, the Sallie Mae website notes. The interest rates from private loans have risen to more than 10 percent, according to a Harvard Business school student-organized Graduate Leverage student debt organization.

Students working toward professional health and law studies might also consider what’s known as “transitional” loans, according to Graduate Leverage. Transitional loans are intended for expenses associated with medical and dental residencies, bar exam studies and veterinary internships, Graduate Leverage notes. Expenses associated with relocating for these studies are included, according to the organization’s website.

Many students depart college while holding at least five student loans, MoneySavvy.com reports. There are options, such as private loan consolidations, for repaying them at a lower interest rate. The parents of some students might take out home equity lines of credit that students can repay instead, the Associated Press reports. Parents might also refinance their mortgages for more than they owe on them, using the difference to repay student loans, according to the Associated Press article.

Primary in not ending up with massive funds due after earning your online college is researching all the college grants that apply to your personal situation. With costs rising, it seems those who complete their higher education with an online degree will be on the forefront of technology and the ones with the lower costs at the end.

Many students trying to earn their online degree become frustrated with what majors lead to “successful” careers in the future. Their interests may not necessarily line up with the type of degree that has a guaranteed rate of accomplishment. Students may feel discouraged by what they feel is a scholastic career that will teach them plenty of what they need to know, but not necessarily what they want to know.

Fortunately, students actually have the opportunity to learn about what they want while they’re attending an online college. Online degrees in humanities provide students with a broad and well-rounded education. Believe it or not, humanities degrees actually provide students with the ability to follow a career path in a variety of different fields.

For students who are looking to major in an online degree like humanities, they should expect to spend their education becoming acquainted with a number of subjects. Humanities degrees focus on arts, literature and general culture. Online degrees in this field make sure to encapsulate a number of cultures in their studies, from American to Asian to European.

Students attending an online school have several options when it comes to their humanities degree. They may choose to earn a degree that provides an overview of various disciplines in humanities. However, most students choose to focus on more specific fields of interest.

Actually, this type of degree earned online or traditionally will also help familiarize students with history, as well. Students with an interest in understanding how and why today’s society came to be shaped and formed the way it is may be interested in focusing on classical studies. A classical studies focus helps illuminate Ancient Greek and Roman art, literature and culture so that students can gain a fresh perspective on the historical background leading to the present.

Students may prefer a less cerebral focus, wanting to spend more time working with their hands while earning their degree. A humanities degree with a focus on visual or performing arts is perfect for students who want to experience their degree in a more tactile way. Visual arts majors will learn about and participate in a number of mediums, from photography to painting and drawing to more 3D mediums like sculpture or ceramics. A theater focus will aid students who want to learn about performance, show production and music theory.

Some students may have the passion and drive to study art, but aren’t necessarily interested in becoming artists. An online degree in humanities with a focus in art history can help prepare students for teaching or overseeing and caring for collections. An art history degree is also perfect for students who want to work in art galleries, or even eventually open their own galleries.

A degree in humanities from online education programs with or without a focus is an excellent manner for students to pursue their passion for knowledge on a variety of subjects. Students can learn a variety of things about art from a multitude of perspectives. Whether they want to create art in a variety of mediums with their own hands or they want to learn how to properly care for others’ art, these humanities degree online can be the first step towards a future career and a multitude of knowledge.