Education Site Content

Archive for January, 2010

As the economy suffers, many people are interested in finding a new career. Sometimes this is a personal choice, and sometimes, like in the case of people who have lost their jobs or have gotten laid off, it is a necessity. There are certain types of careers which become at risk when the economy takes a turn for the worse. A career in the medical field is not one of those risks.  If anything, a career in the medical field can be expected to increase in demand overtime, regardless of our economic situation. That is because the medical needs of the population are not necessarily driven by the status of the economy.  As the population grows the need for highly trained and qualified medical workers will rise. 

The Healthcare Job Outlook for 2008/2009 describes new job growth from 2006 – 2016 as excellent with over 3 million new jobs added for the period.  As well, the projected salary increase is 22% compared to just 11% for other industries combined.

The Department of Labor shows similar findings, projecting that medical assistant jobs are expected to increase over 35 percent over the next decade, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The health care industry is expanding as our population grows and ages, and as technology advances, so will the need for highly trained health care workers such as a surgical assistant medical assistant, vocational nurse, computerized office assist, and so on.

Private and public companies provide a range of different training courses. It can be difficult to find training courses that are suitable for your needs. This is especially true of training courses that have various levels, methods and qualifications. No matter what type of course you choose, you want to ensure it has the highest quality education. To help you narrow down your training choices we have a few tips.

You will need to determine what type of training you need. Are you changing careers, updating your knowledge for your business, etc? The right training will help you increase your knowledge, skills, and attributes in a business atmosphere. Every career has changes in the workplace. New equipment can be added or a new software system that requires training. To find the right training courses you have to know what you seek. There are training analysis tools to help you discover the type of courses you need. They will help you assess your current skills, quantify your skills, identify what you need to change careers or move forward, analyze your resources, and then help you plan for the right training courses.

There is a full range of training courses available. Professional and personal training exist to help enhance your job skills. IT skills are most popular in training courses because the industry continues to advance. IT courses are also important for a variety of other industries because a certification on Microsoft Office or other software can enhance a career.  Read more... (508 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

It’s crunch time for college students trying to secure the money they need for the fall semester. But with lenders continuing to suspend their student loan programs — the count now stands at 131 federal loan lenders and 30 private loan lenders — students may find themselves challenged to locate lenders that are still offering federal or private student loans.

In an attempt to help lenders be able to continue making new federal student loans, the government included a provision in the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act, signed into law in May, aimed at providing capital for cash-strapped lenders.

Under this legislation, the Department of Education can buy federal college loans from lenders, thereby providing these lenders with the liquidity they need to continue funding new parent and student loans. The law specifically targets lenders who, in the current credit crunch, are unable to find investors in the secondary market willing to purchase their student loan portfolios.

Even with this legislation in place, however, lenders continue to find themselves forced to suspend their student loan programs. As recently as July 28, the Brazos Higher Education Service Corp., the 26th-largest originator of federal student loans in 2007, and the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, the largest student loan issuer to Massachusetts residents, both announced that they would no longer be able to provide either new or current borrowers with student loans.  Read more... (927 words, estimated 3:42 mins reading time)

The ability to obtain an online education degree has opened the educational doors for many students who cannot afford to attend school on campus as a full-time student.  Distance learning courses definitely provide some advantages over the traditional college education. But, because of the methods of delivering and receiving the material, students must consider the 7 things necessary in approaching an online education successfully.

1. Choosing the best education online institution – Make sure the institute for higher education chosen has adequate resources and accreditation recognized by the proper authorities.  Unless authenticity can be verified, find another school.  Sadly, unscrupulous degree mills offer degrees with short-term or no real education. Thus, the diplomas are bogus and absolutely worthless. Find a school that provides solid education, ample student support, and the facilities necessary to succeed in your distance learning.

2. Evaluate the cost and benefits – Generally, obtaining an online education is a costly venture. Most people do not realize the cost is often more than a traditional education.  So, it is important to evaluate the desired online education degree, and determine whether the benefit of future income opportunities will offer the reward for gaining an online degree.  Read more... (618 words, estimated 2:28 mins reading time)