Education - How Important Is College?

This is a debate that has and will go on until the world itself stops spinning. But the truth is, the way the world is constantly changing, a college education isn't the be all and end all that it used to be. That is not to say that college isn't important. But how important? Well, that all depends on what you want to do with your life. We'll take a look at some of the factors involved in determining just how important college will be to you.
The first thing that even a good teacher will admit, is that not everybody is suited for college. Some students just don't have the smarts or the grades. That is not to say that they can't be successful in life without getting an education after high school that involves going to a fancy university.
Let's face it. A lot of this world is run by people who work with their hands. Think you're going to get through life without having a sink clog that's so bad that no amount of Liquid Plumber is going to get it out? It happens. Plus, pipes get old, rusty and fall apart. For these jobs we need plumbers. Try to imagine a life without one. Well, in case you didn't know, plumbers don't have to go to college. A good technical school specializing in things like plumbing and heating is all the education these people need. The schools specialize in just what they need to learn to get the job done. They don't have to take English Lit and Chemistry and there's no need for them to have to.
Having said that, if you want to be a doctor, well, college is pretty much the least of your worries because that is only a preview of the real work ahead of you, four years of medical school. Same thing if you're planning on being a lawyer. There's about three years of law school after that.
But what if you want to do something that's sort of in between technical and the college "professions?" For example, let's just say you want to work in a bank as a teller? Do you really need to go to college for that? Certainly everything you've needed to learn to do a job that simple has been learned in high school. So what is college going to do for you? Will it help you get the job any easier? Will it make the job itself any easier? This is where many people disagree.
The die hard college advocates argue that, because the competition is so fierce for even the simplest of jobs, not having a college education is the same as cursing yourself to a life of unemployment. The argument is that everyone goes to college today and not to go is plain suicide. Doesn't matter if you really need it or not. You just have to go in order to have any chance.
Those who aren't so gung ho college argue that there are kids that just don't belong there and to keep them from earning a living for another four years and on top of that add another $100,000 plus to their debt is just plain ridiculous. These kids should find jobs right away. Even by working in a shipping department, if you get in with a good company, you can work your way up to the point where you're making a nice living.
So who's right and who's wrong? Most likely, there is no right or wrong. Everybody is different and each student has to decide what is best for him or her.

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By Michael Russell
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Education

Compelling Reasons For Homeschooling

People choose the option of homeschooling their children for a variety of reasons.
For many years, homeschooling was the purview of those families who lived in rural areas and found the cost and/or time it would take to transport their children to school unbearable. For these people, homeschooling was and continues to be the only real option when it comes to their children’s education. Many rural families have traditionally relied on their children to help around the house, and thus homeschooling allowed them to pursue their studies around the family schedule, and work and education could be fit into the day according to a suitable timetable.
Another traditional reason for families choosing the option of homeschool was a fundamental disagreement with what was or is being taught in other schooling environments. Chief among this group are families whose religious beliefs clash with the prevailing educational methods. Families who choose the option of homeschooling are not subject to the rigid curriculum of established schools, and there are many options when it comes to homeschool resources that can offer as wide or as narrow a field of study as far as worldviews that the parent wishes.
A more recent development in the reason people choose to homeschool their children is that of safety. School ground violence seems to be increasing, and that has many parents worried. They feel that the best way to keep their children away from harm is to keep them close.
Hand-in-hand with the safety issue is a concern for the child’s self esteem. Bullying is a common issue within any school system, as any parent well remembers from their own school days. Many parents cannot bear the thought of throwing their children into the kind of system that breeds a pack mentality, and are choosing instead to have them educated at home.
A very recent development in the reasons for homeschooling is the fluidity in choices that homeschooling children allows. This is especially apparent in Generation X, who seem to be fairly insistent on independence and not being tied down to any one place or situation. Homeschooling eliminates the need to plan all vacations around established school holidays, as the pace is determined by the parent and child.
Finally, parents may choose to homeschool their children because they simply feel they can do a better job than any educational system. Parent of gifted children do not want to see the child wasted in the hard pressed for both resources and qualified teachers system that public schooling represents, and private schools are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average family. Parents who believe their children need the advantages of a more intimate education are therefore turning to the option of homeschooling.
The rise in popularity of homeschooling has meant a corresponding rise in the materials available to the parent who chooses to homeschool. There are resources available to meet any educational needs, and with a little bit of homework a parent will find the curriculum they feel will best suit their children’s needs.

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By All Homeschooling
copyright©2006 allhomeschooling.com. Visit for more articles on http://www.allhomeschooling.com/articles, http://www.allhomeschooling.com and http://www.allhomeschooling.com/homeschool resources.

Type Of College Degree

There is a certain sense of distinction that comes with having a college education. No matter what type of college degree you have, whether it is a 2-year associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, or a higher level graduate degree, you know that your chances for securing stable work are very high. In fact, many career fields are not even accessible to someone if her or she does not have some type of college degree. Whether you earn a technical certificate, a liberal arts degree, or a professional degree, you will be prepared to enter some field in which you will have the knowledge and the ability to excel in what you are doing.
Though not unheard of, it is unusual to see someone rise through the ranks of an organization of any kind, especially on a managerial level, without at least some formal college training. Where a high school diploma used to be enough to secure at least an entry level position and allow a person to work his or her up through the organization by hard work alone, that is just simply not the case any longer. Earning some type of college degree prepares you not only for specific subject skills, but also equips you with communications and decision-making skills that are appropriate to the professional world, no matter what the field is. Even self-employed business owners might find it tough to succeed without some type of business training. Very few people have the innate ability to understand the components of business and make them work profitably.
In a field such as medicine, you rarely, if ever, see people with successful careers on any level of employment that do not have some type of college degree. Many positions require a bachelor's degree or higher to even be considered, along with several years of practical training as well as licensing. There are, however, careers in the medical field out there that do not require years and years of education and training. Positions such as laboratory technicians, respiratory therapists, and some nursing jobs are available to those who hold a 2-year, or associate's, degree in the appropriate subject area. These types of jobs also require practical training, but not nearly as much as more advanced positions. The advantage of positions like these is that they offer stability and good pay, often with regular working hours. Higher-level medical positions, such as those of surgeons, general physicians, and psychiatrists, require highly intensive long-term training that goes beyond undergraduate studies. These positions also carry a very high liability, as well as intense stress levels.
Law is another field that largely requires individuals with some type of college degree for employment consideration. For practicing attorneys, they are required to have a professional law degree that takes several years to complete past a bachelor's degree, as well as appropriate licensing. Certain positions in the legal profession, such as paralegal and legal secretary positions, usually require only an associate's degree for employment consideration. These positions are not to be taken for granted, though. They are highly valuable jobs that require a great deal of skill and knowledge of the discipline of the law.
For fields such as business, marketing, or advertising, there is usually a minimum requirement of a bachelor's degree in an appropriate subject area for a job applicant. These fields can be highly specialized, and earning the appropriate type of college degree shows that you possess the certain knowledge base required to handle the certain rigors that are a part of the world of business. Often, the jobs that are awarded to young applicants with a degree are entry-level positions that involve a certain amount of on the job corporate training. This training is an investment of an organization that benefits the employee in that it provides eventual opportunities for advancement into higher-level (including management) positions.
Whether or not you have a college degree can affect your professional livelihood. It can determine the type of job you are capable of getting, the pay that you receive, and the opportunities you have to advance in an organization. The type of college degree you have often reflects (to potential employers) how hard you have worked, the level of knowledge that you potentially possess, and the time an organization would have to spend training you. Many organizations go by the assumption that a college-educated individual will require little training, will learn faster, and be more diligent in a position. That is why it is important to consider getting some type of college degree in order to have a stable and satisfying career.

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by: Mark Woodcock

Mark Woodcock is a director of 3 Internet Companies, is a published author and has written many articles on a widespread number of topics. All his articles may be reproduced provided that an active link is included to http://www.higher-education-online.com/

A Guide to Online Bachelors Degrees

In the past, a degree was a badge of distinction. While it still has some of the same allure today, a degree is now considered almost a necessity to make a satisfactory living. In today's competitive world, continual learning has become an integral part of success.
People serious about financial stability will find the time and exert the effort required to achieve a degree.
Individuals who were thrust into the demands of life and family responsbilities before being able to complete college in the past were at a decided disadvantage because it wasn't feasible for them to go back later and get that degree.
Thankfully, with the advent of online bachelors degrees afforded by educational institutions who have acknowledged complicated life situations such as job and family committments, people can now go back and finish that degree and move ahead in the world.
Pursuing an online accredited bachelors degree enables students to move beyond the limitations and inconveniences of attending a college campus, or university.
In short, online bachelors degrees afford people the flexibility of setting their own pace.
However, if you want your degree to be recognized by employers in the real world you should make sure you focus only on an online accredited bachelors degree. Accredited universities are the most prestigous. There are some unscrupulous degree mills out there who will take your money and offer you worthless degrees.
One should not assume that just because typical B.S and B.A degrees require 4 years that you will necessarily spend the same number of years getting an online bachelors degrees. Indeed, if you really push yourself, such degrees can be achieved in as little as 18 months.
It is determined that individuals attaining a bachelor’s degree make on an average $20,000 more dollars a year than those with only a high school diploma or equivalent.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average annual income for high school graduates is $27,038. However, those with a bachelor’s degree enjoy an average annual income of $51,206.
Online learning presents a prospective future, but there are certain universities one must know to look for. It is essential the university chosen offers a legitimate online accredited bachelors degree program.
Getting that bachelors degree can mean not only more money and a better life for you and your family, but more pride and an immense feeling of accomplishment.

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by: Dan Ho

Discover the best http://www.accredited-online-university.com/online-bachelors-degrees.html or visit http://www.accredited-online-university.com to learn about more distance learning degrees and schools.

College Interview General Preparation

Lets first think of a college interview, what is it really, why do they even bother to take the time and personally meet each applicant, and what kind of power a good interview has. You have probably conducted your own national college search, and already know your preferences. Colleges have interviews for one simple reason, it works, it works for them – some data shows them that the applicants they personally meet and talk with, on average, succeed in their programs and have been succeeding in their program for some time now. So they know it works. But what is “it”? the college interview is the “it”, and it is no different than a job interview.
The college interview was not thought of as a mean to intimidate potential students, to keep them away, to embarrass and humiliate the next graduates of this college, it is meant for one simple, and very important, reason – to meet and evaluate the motivation and potential of the young person applying to the college. And that’s all it is. There is nothing personal or evil in it, other from the fact these people want to know what you are made of and how serious you are. You need to think of it as a part of your campus tour.
So a college interview is basically like a thoughtful conversation with someone you never met before and that wants to know who you really are, what you went through in your life and where you are heading. But when talking to a stranger about this you can allow yourself to be casual and say some things that you can not say in a college interview, you have to think of how you want to present yourself, and how not to get dragged to the pleasing “tell me what I want to hear” mode.
Preparation will get you a long way, it is the absolute key in getting through the college interview successfully. There is no such thing as over preparing for this, and in fact, if you do this the proper way, you will need to tell yourself at a certain moment that its time to stop preparing.
Let’s go over some of the points in the preparation procedure, things you will want to look into while getting ready for your college interview.
Try and know who your contact is – a simple thing, try and get the name (or names of the persons) that will be conducting the interview, when you will start the interview you will have a nicer way to present yourself and greet the interviewers than most applicants do. It will also show that you prepared in advance and that you are serious about getting this position, this will set you off in the right tracks. When you do your initial national college search, you can also look for the contacts interviewing applicants. No potential harm here. Only good can come out of this one.
Research - can I stress this enough? College interview success – research, research and more research. Lets ask ourselves one basic questions, if someone wants to get into his favorite spot team (any position) will he (or she) not know the names of past hero’s? The teams greatest moments? Its accomplishments? Or course the candidate will know. And you need to show that you are the same, your motivation and enthusiasm to get in to this program will shine when you provide enough evidence to prove you know everything there is to know about the place itself. Ways to get information, research the college web site, search engines for other information, people name search will give you some knowledge about the teachers and their accomplishments, any publications of the college itself are also good. If you are reading this while doing your national college search, you can enjoy the opportunity to add something to your list. Even the ordinary campus tour can give you a chance of finding a little more about the place.
In researching the college you can study materials of the college. College’s course book online, find interesting questions regarding the courses. Some students seem to think that asking questions at the interview might seem presumptuous, but in fact it makes you seem interested and sophisticated. Here are some questions you might consider asking The programs you might be interested in majoring in, construction on the campus and new facilities, financial aid, How the school treats AP tests, how they compare this college with national colleges, the campus tour, school advising, ask interviewers about their opinion of the school, what they like best, and why the courses are better than in other places (no example or names, just say other places).
Your answers – take a look at our “college interview questions” section to familiarize yourself with the potential questions you may face, and practice with family member or friend, keep answers short and sweet, know what you are saying and do not get too personal. Talk slowly, and think about each question before you answer, even if you have been practicing for this particular question for the past two months. Never cut someone when they are talking, not even if you are extremely excited about your answer.
Promoting yourself – think about a few strong points you got, and that you want the interviewer to remember about you, no need to mention these in every answer, but three or four times (with reference – “as I already told you, I think I am very good at managing people… that’s why I took the school paper publishing project”). If you have a problem identifying traits you want to promote – read your resume or application form again carefully and mark the points you think are worth focusing on. You can also try and add some humor to the interview, say something about the campus tour, and your impression of the college.

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by: Jonathan Mayheart

Jonathan Mayheart, specializing in BioData, has been studying and researching interviews. He recently wrote a few articles for http://www.collegeinterview.zupatips.com/ providing tips and advice regarding college interviews for students and college applicants.

College - Good Grade Obsession

Colleges have been reviewing far too many applications recently that show students are addicted to getting good grades which means they are continuously sacrificing the time to figure out what extra-curricular activities interest them. These students are becoming more and more robotic in a greatly increasing competitive atmosphere. Although a student's academic career is the main focus of the applicants, the problem lies when the college has to figure out what to do when they have too many applicants with a grade point average of 3.8-4.0. There have been several circumstances where the student with the 4.0 does not get into the college and student with the lower grade point average does.
Of course colleges are looking for those students who can do well academically, but they also want their students to come with a certain energy towards innovation. They want their students to be able to contribute creatively and receive some sort of recognition eventually. Basically, colleges need those students who can go beyond expectation. They need the students who have a love in life beyond academics. They need students who can excel outside of the classroom; at sports, volunteer work, dancing, traveling, and the list goes on and on. These students also need to be able to present this in a 4-8 page college application. Now, how do you do this? How does one go about preparing for this task?
It is very important that a student do two things while also maintaining a good grade point average. They must have personal time to themselves to breathe and relax and they also have to commit to something that they love to do outside of the classroom. The students who stay committed to one activity for three years show a much stronger level of commitment and motivation than the student that who participates in twenty activities for a short period of time. However, the students who participate in two or more activities for two or more years show even more potential than those with only one.
When colleges get applications that show various extra-curricular activities with no connection to each other, they question them. Some of these applications will have all different kinds of activities like "one month volunteering at a homeless shelter, three months at a vet hospital, 6 months in dance lessons" etc. Although these applications are full of extra curricular activities, these students show questionable motivation and a lack of commitment. This may simply mean that the student participated in the activities for the sole purpose of filling up that page in the college application. Sometimes these assumptions are clarified in the student's essay but there are times when they are not and this does not look good for the applicant no matter what his or her grades are like.
Students should always keep in mind that colleges want those students who can think critically. They want the student who can pursue an idea, not the one who simply follows the rules and meets criteria. Colleges want the student who can think outside the box.

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By Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to College

College - Good Grade Obsession

Colleges have been reviewing far too many applications recently that show students are addicted to getting good grades which means they are continuously sacrificing the time to figure out what extra-curricular activities interest them. These students are becoming more and more robotic in a greatly increasing competitive atmosphere. Although a student's academic career is the main focus of the applicants, the problem lies when the college has to figure out what to do when they have too many applicants with a grade point average of 3.8-4.0. There have been several circumstances where the student with the 4.0 does not get into the college and student with the lower grade point average does.
Of course colleges are looking for those students who can do well academically, but they also want their students to come with a certain energy towards innovation. They want their students to be able to contribute creatively and receive some sort of recognition eventually. Basically, colleges need those students who can go beyond expectation. They need the students who have a love in life beyond academics. They need students who can excel outside of the classroom; at sports, volunteer work, dancing, traveling, and the list goes on and on. These students also need to be able to present this in a 4-8 page college application. Now, how do you do this? How does one go about preparing for this task?
It is very important that a student do two things while also maintaining a good grade point average. They must have personal time to themselves to breathe and relax and they also have to commit to something that they love to do outside of the classroom. The students who stay committed to one activity for three years show a much stronger level of commitment and motivation than the student that who participates in twenty activities for a short period of time. However, the students who participate in two or more activities for two or more years show even more potential than those with only one.
When colleges get applications that show various extra-curricular activities with no connection to each other, they question them. Some of these applications will have all different kinds of activities like "one month volunteering at a homeless shelter, three months at a vet hospital, 6 months in dance lessons" etc. Although these applications are full of extra curricular activities, these students show questionable motivation and a lack of commitment. This may simply mean that the student participated in the activities for the sole purpose of filling up that page in the college application. Sometimes these assumptions are clarified in the student's essay but there are times when they are not and this does not look good for the applicant no matter what his or her grades are like.
Students should always keep in mind that colleges want those students who can think critically. They want the student who can pursue an idea, not the one who simply follows the rules and meets criteria. Colleges want the student who can think outside the box.

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By Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to College