The New York Times recently published a piece on the classic PhD archetype: the ABD (All But Dissertation). Sound familiar? Maybe you or someone you know is stuck on this final obstacle to the doctorate degree. Sure, you’ve survived the classes and the teaching, but there’s still this many-paged monster breathing down your neck (and I’m referring here to the dissertation, not your advisor).

But there’s hope! (more…)

Okay, so I know that this title sounds like an online dating post, but it’s really not.

The social networking that is becoming commonplace online is a defining feature of the Internet and Web 2.0’s direction. The World Wide Web is more than just about making a transaction or reading the news; it’s now also about making connections with other people. (more…)

As technology becomes more firmly entrenched in every part of our daily lives, in many places we’re starting to see a wider gap between those who are “fluent” in the language of technology and those who learn it as a second language, so to speak.

The terms digital native and digital immigrant have begun to float around the academic world and the blogosphere; the former most often refers to the generation now entering college, few of whom have experienced life without the pervasive influence of computers, cell phones and the Internet.

The latter generally covers the rest of us, who might well remember vinyl records, phone books and waiting to meet friends who were running late, and having no idea if they were on their way or had been abducted by aliens. (more…)

Who has the world’s most formidable combination of brains and brawn? We’ll find out on November 3, 2007, when David “Double D” Depto meets “Anti Terror” Frank Stoldt in Berlin for the World Championship Light Heavyweight Chessboxing match.

You read it right. Chessboxing, invented circa 2003 and gaining popularity in Europe, is billed as “the Number One Fighting Sport Meets the Number One Thinking Sport” by the World Chess Boxing Organization (logo: boxing glove clutching a chess knight). (more…)

Happy Wednesday, all you readers out there. Both of you.

Today’s post brings up an important point in the debate about online education–the cons. One of our readers recently asked us to talk a bit about the drawbacks of online education, and as with anything in life, there certainly are some. To make this extra-educational, what I’d like to do in this post is tell you how to avoid the biggest pitfalls of online degrees, and ensure your educational experience is successful.

And so, don’t make these mistakes with your online degree: (more…)

Happy International Blog Action Day, everyone! Today, as it turns out, is the day when blogs all over the ’sphere join up to post about one important topic: the environment.

Going green is all the rage these days–thank goodness. There was a time (in the not so distant past) when it was a tired cliche, the province of aging hippies and Al Gore. But hey, what a difference a Nobel Prize makes!

Most Americans have finally begun to ask themselves what they can do to help reverse climate change. Every little bit does help, although frankly it seems that most people are interested in doing just that–a little. (I’ll cop to it myself; I’m not sure that a subscription to TerraPass and carpooling twice a week negates the damage of my 40-mile round trip daily commute, but it’s a start.) (more…)

I wonder when universities will catch on to the MySpace and social networking thing. In particular, I’m thinking about the online universities. A number of the social networking sites already make it easy for people to get in touch with former classmates. So why wouldn’t some smartie-pants university person pre-empt that by creating a virtual university with MySpace-type profiles so that classmates never lose touch? (more…)

Welcome to one of our new features on WorldWideBlog (ok, to be fair, everything on this blog is a new feature). Every now and again, when we find a particularly interesting career path to write about, we’ll give you a bit of a profile and tell you where you can find more info. And, as always, if you have some info of your own to share, please post it in the comments!

Why are we spotlighting careers on an education blog? Because the two are very intimately connected. Education for its own sake is a noble goal, but one really only attained by the upper class. For most of the population, education is a tool, and that tool is designed to increase your career success, whether you need some auto repair training or a PhD.

Today’s profile comes courtesy of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business, where they detail the exciting life (no, seriously) of Malcom McArthur, accountant. (more…)

…to talk to us about your experiences. (Is this because I’m too sleepy to come up with a well-thought-out, full-fledged post today? Bite your tongue.) Are you considering a college degree, either online or on-campus? In the middle of one? Already got one? What would you like to know before you get started? If you’re in the middle or the end of one, what do you wish you’d known when making your choice? (more…)

By now, I think a lot of us have realized just how critical the graduate degree is to a career. A New York Times article called “Master’s Degrees Abound as Universities and Students See Windfall talks about the fast-growing numbers of master’s degree-earners and how this is turning into big business for a lot of campuses. (more…)