Online Classes Offer Balance

Online classes offer a variety of advantages for working adults who have enough on their plate without adding the stress of finding time for an education.  Probably the hardest part of attending a traditional university, for me, was finding time to fit it into my schedule.  I worked the traditional workday and then I had to make it to three-hour class four nights a week.  This was brutal because by the time I drove home and got to bed, it was close to midnight.  I would have to get up at 6 am and start all over again.  Thankfully I was in my early 20s at the time.  I honesty do not think I could handle that sort of schedule now.

Traditional courses took at least four hours out of my day (to just attend class).  Then I had an hour or two of homework each day that I had to squeeze in either before midnight or on my lunch breaks.  At minimum, I probably spent at least five hours a day dealing with school-related issues.  In online classes, since there are no lectures, and there is no driving and parking, etc., I probably spent about two hours a day.  When you are a working adult with family responsibilities, saving three hours a day is huge.

Traditional schools may be a great thing for people who have the time and money to afford them. Unfortunately many people do not have that luxury. Some students will have to obtain financial help whether they attend traditional or online courses.  The advantage of online courses is that students have more time to work to pay for the loans.

I have read many articles about the value of a traditional education versus an online education.  Many of them have been written by professors who work in brick and mortar classrooms. I understand their perspective.  There may be some wonderful things to be learned at a traditional university.  The problem is that it is not that simple.  In today’s society, traditional roles have changed. Women may have much more responsibilities outside of the home.  The stress of raising a family, working, and trying to squeeze in time for education may make the choice of a traditional college a poor option.

It is not appropriate to make blanket statements about all online courses based on limited experience. I have worked for many different online universities. They are not all the same.  Some offer a better education.  Comparing MOOCs to traditional online courses is like comparing apples to oranges.  The same is true about comparing unaccredited universities with accredited universities.

Accredited online courses offer people a quality education and a life.  I do not believe that sitting in a lecture hall adds that much to the learning experience.  All of the driving, parking and sitting in class, took away precious time that I believe did not add to my educational experience.  All it did was stress me out and leave less time for others. Thankfully I finished my traditional education before my children were born.  Once I had a family, distance education became an option and opened up incredible opportunities for me.  It is interesting that traditional universities now offer more online courses.  The same institutions that had “issues” with online education now provide it.  The good news is that everyone is waking up and realizing that online education offers the best of all worlds for those who want it.

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• Online Education Article Page
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• Students’ Perceptions of Time Requirements
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Does Your Current Job or Future Job Pay a Fair Salary?

There are a number of salary-related sites that include helpful information for the career-seeker, currently employed person, or employers to find out what jobs are actually worth.  In the past Salary.com was the go-to site for many underwriters analyzing job salaries as well as a place for job-seekers to gain helpful insight as to what jobs pay. 

Median Salary by Job – Country: United States (United States)

Compare your salary: Get a free Salary Report

Payscale.com is another free site that includes everything from salary information, career research/planning, to education help, and job listings.  What is nice about Payscale.com is the amount of charts, graphs and general helpful information that is provided in a user-friendly format. 

If you are interested in finding out what you are worth, you can take their “know your worth quiz”.  Within that quiz, you can pick options that most closely resemble your situation, i.e., if you are currently employed and want to know your market value. Should you choose that option, after answering questions about your current position, it gives you a free detailed report with information like:

• How your compensation compares to your peers
• Would more education be worth it in your profession
• Ability to browse job listings
• See career details from people like you
• Find out cost of living in other cities
• Research current or future employer
• Advice from people like you

There are also numerous charts that include information like your average salary range and your health benefits.

If you are not currently employed, there are other options on the quiz, including:

• If you have a job offer, if the offer is high enough
• What other jobs pay
• If you are the employer, are you paying people enough

There are a vast number of charts and graphs that contain helpful information for job-seekers, those currently employed as well as employers.  Some of the more helpful reports include:

• Salary Report – Find out real time salaries based on skill and experience.
• Cost of Living Calculator – Look at costs associated with living in other cities.
• Career Path Tool – See where you’ll be in 5 years.
• Meeting Miser – See if your meetings are worth the expense.
• Salary Charts – See detailed salaries of jobs

For those interested in the education information the site, you can find out if your college tuition has a good return on investment. 

If you are considering obtaining a college degree, check out the best undergrad college degrees by salary:

Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary

 

Methodology Annual pay for Bachelors graduates without higher degrees. Typical starting graduates have 2 years of experience; mid-career have 15 years. See full methodology for more.

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Which Degree Will Make You The Most Money

 

If you are considering going to school or going back to school, check out some of these figures gathered from over 11,000 graduates.

via online.wsj.com

Website Helps Teens Prepare For College

 

Image via eduinreview.com

I am always interested in any technology that helps young adults prepare for college and beyond.  Arizona has a new website that is aimed at helping high school grads pursue a college degree. Check out this article by Eugene Scott at the Arizona Republic:

A new online portal to help high-school students prepare for college is part of a public-private education initiative aimed at boosting the number of Arizonans with a college degree.

The High School Portal, which is found at AZTransfer.com, streamlines information from all public universities and community colleges into a central source.

The portal is touted as a key tool to help students transition into college. It outlines steps that teens must take to attend college, begin earning college credit and figure out what careers may be best suited for them.

To read the full article, click here:  azcentral.com

Choosing a College Minor or Co-Major: What Degrees Pay the Most and the Least

When I received my BS in Business Management from Arizona State University in the 80s, choosing a minor was a common thing.  I chose Personnel Management at the time, because I was very interested in the human relations side of management.  It seems you don’t hear as much about students picking a minor lately.

Today, the Arizona Republic ran an article about students choosing to have a minor more often when obtaining their degree.  According to the article, “A small but growing number of Arizona college students are graduating with academic minors, hoping that concentrating in another field of study will broaden their knowledge, help them land a job or get into graduate school. This year, 13 percent of undergraduates at Arizona State University earned a minor, up from 10 percent just two years ago. The state’s largest public university is offering 92 minors in a range of different subjects compared with 67 a decade ago.”   

Keep in mind, that although the student obtains the minor, it will not be reflected on their diploma.  It will, however, be notated in their college records.  It’s important to note that not all schools even offer minors.  Yale, is a prime example of a university that does not. On the other hand, some schools actually require a minor.  Northern Arizona University (NAU) is one that has this requirement.

Another trend I’ve seen for a lot of the newer generations to go the co-major route.  ASU has a program where students can have a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies or BIS degree. According to ASU’s site, “The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree program is one of the highest-quality and best-recognized interdisciplinary studies degree programs in the country. It offers students the freedom to select two concentration areas from a rich menu of more than one hundred possibilities, and it enables students to integrate those areas into a degree with interdisciplinary breadth, intellectual cohesion, and practical value. The core curriculum of the BIS program provides students the intellectual tools needed to integrate their concentration areas, engage in interdisciplinary problem solving, and prepare for careers and graduate programs that increasingly cross academic disciplines.”

There are advantages to picking the minor or double-major route:

1. You gain different perspectives and don’t have such a single focus.
2. It may be helpful in gaining entrance to graduate school.
3. Having two areas of specialization can be advantageous for specific jobs.
4. Some employers think the minor is as important, if not more important than the major.  See this article from fastweb.com.  http://www.fastweb.com/college-search/articles/46-does-your-minor-matter
5. If you and a competing job applicant have all of the same things going for you but you have the extra minor, that could be enough to push ahead in the race.
6. Having a minor can send a message that you have a strong interest in a specific area.
7. Having a double-major can allow you to study more than one field in depth.
8. Having a double-major may open up more job possibilities for you.
9. Having a double-major means you may not have taken as many elective courses to obtain your degree, which also shows dedication. 
10. Having a double-major may be useful in a job that requires a broad range of knowledge.

For more information about advantages and disadvantages of a double-major, click here.

Are you still trying to decide on a major?  If salary is a concern, you might want to consider the following:

Top 10 College Degrees by Starting Salary from Darwinsfinance.com

1.         Petroleum Engineering $86,220

2.         Chemical Engineering $65,142

3.         Mining & Mineral Engineering $64,552

4.         Computer Science $61,205

5.         Computer Engineering $60,879

6.         Electrical/Electronics & Communications Engineering $59,074

7.         Mechanical Engineering $58,392

8.         Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering $57,734

9.         Aerospace/Aeronautical/ Astronautical Engineering $57,231

10.       Information Sciences & Systems $54,038

Bottom 10 College Degrees by Salary Start from Walletpop

1.          Social Work  $33,400

2.          Elementary Education $33,000

3.          Theology $34,800

4.          Music $34,000

5.          Spanish $35,600

6.          Horticulture $37,200

7.          Education $36,200

8.          Hospitality and Tourism $37,000

9.          Fine Arts $35,800

10.        Drama $35,600

Keirsey’s Results Show Wealthy Extroverts Are Happiest Americans

In Dr. Grupta’s blog, he wrote about: Who are the happiest Americans? According to a new study, they may be extroverted, earning more than $75,000 a year, healthy, and engaged. The analysis was conducted by Keirsey Research, an organization that looks at how personality relates to a person’s preferences in  consumer choices, political opinion, and a variety of other factors. Click here for the rest of Grupta’s article.

In our book about personalities, my daughter, Toni Rothpletz, and I discuss Keirsey’s temperament research.  If you are interested in reading more about the results of Keirsey’s study that showed “Wealthy Extroverts are the Happiest Americans” click here.  Some highlights from the results of this study showed:

• Personality. 63 percent of Americans rate themselves as very or somewhat happy. Extroverts (74 percent), however, are much happier than introverts (56 percent).
• Wealth. In general, the higher the household income, the happier the individual. 72 percent of those with an annual household income of $75,000 or more are very or somewhat happy, compared to 59 percent of those with an annual household income of $50,000 or less.
• Love. Not surprisingly, being engaged promotes above average happiness (71 percent very or somewhat happy). Those who are separated but not divorced are least happy when it comes to love (48 percent).
• Age. Americans get progressively happier as they get older, with one exception. Happiness takes a dip between the ages of 35-44 (58 percent are very or somewhat happy), when parental and career pressures are typically at their peak.
• Family. “Empty nesters” are most happy (73 percent very or somewhat happy), while those who are divorced and sharing custody are least happy (56 percent). Individuals who do not have children cite average happiness (62 percent).
• Education. In most cases, more education means more happiness. There was no difference, however, between the happiness of those with a bachelor’s degree and those with a graduate degree (68 percent very or somewhat happy).
• Politics. Democrats and Republicans are equally happy (roughly 70 percent very or somewhat happy), while Green Party affiliates are the least happy (52 percent).

College Online: Virtually the Same? – NYTimes.com

 

You’re an undergraduate at a select university. You spend much of your time on campus, attending class, talking with professors and peers. You maneuver daily through a sea of backpacks, bombarded by student groups trying to woo you. You sport a college sweatshirt emblazoned with your campus’s slogan and mascot.

What if that weren’t the case? What if you could graduate from an elite university without every stepping foot on campus — if instead, you had merely to open your laptop?

Online Master’s programs are already well-established. But many colleges are now testing the waters in online undergraduate studies. While the University of Illinois works toward offering equivalent online and hybrid Bachelor’s degrees, the University of California is testing what it hopes will be the premiere online program for undergraduates this fall.

The University of California will debut just 20 to 30 courses this semester, most of them large lecture classes like Biology I. But it hopes to beat out Ivy League schools by becoming the first to develop an elite-quality undergraduate program, using the university’s best faculty and the latest technology and social media.

The program will be modeled off the 1,250 online courses the school already offers through U.C. Extension, most of which are geared toward graduate and non-traditional students. Similarly, Harvard Extension offers more than 150 such courses — one-fifth of which are taught by Harvard faculty — as part of its Distance Education program.

While a virtual classroom may be a better fit for the more independently-motivated student, there is no lack of student discussion and the exchange of ideas — you just post them on a message board instead of raising your hand, according to Alexander Ritchie, a now-graduate who took an U.C. Extension online course on the History of Islam for undergraduate credit, before transferring to University of California, Berkeley. He was able to enroll in the course at his leisure and was given six months from the start date to complete it.

For the U.C., financial necessity may truly be the mother of innovation. But it’s also “the obvious next step” in making higher education more globally accessible and affordable, said Daniel Greenstein, the system’s vice provost for academic planning, programs and
coordination.

While other online programs exist at other large research universities, he said no one has successfully created a program at the scale and quality that the university has as its goal.

“The University of Illinois (at) Springfield is not Berkeley,” Mr. Greenstein said in an e-mail, before adding, “I am not an elitist snob.”

The University of Illinois Online, which comprises three campuses and enrolled 11,000 students in 2009-10 academic year, focuses on graduate degrees but also offers online Bachelor’s degrees in fields like English, History and Economics. It succeeded the failed University of Illinois Global Campus, an attempt at a virtual campus that entered its “final death throes” in 2009, according to Douglas Brewer, interim director of continuing education at the University of Illinois.

A recent article in Chronicle of Higher Education , noted there is some concern that a lack of faculty participation and the possibility that online courses which fail to make the quality mark could dilute the university‘s brand could threaten the University of California’s plan. But U.C. leaders say they plan to do extensive studies after this semester’s pilot, and online degrees would be “way downstream,” according to Mr. Greenstein. More information about the U.C.’s plan can be found here.

Meanwhile, at the University of Illinois, administrators are “trying to get rid of the barriers and blur the lines” between online and a
face-to-face degrees, Dr. Brewer said. Whether a student takes all on-campus courses, all online or a blend of the two, the hope is that
the degree will be the same.

via thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com