Finding Cheap, Accessible Textbooks You Can Afford
University textbooks are becoming increasingly expensive, with some reports citing a 186% increase in prices over the last 20 years.  If you take a standard load of 4-6 classes, you might be required to obtain as many 25-30 books per semester.  And it’s not unreasonable for the average price of these books to hover around $60 a title (sometimes more…especially for science classes).  That’s nearly $1,800 in unanticipated costs that you have to tack onto your tuition fees.  Your school bookstore might indeed have the cheapest prices in town, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find better deals if you do a little research.
(more…)

University Tuition Is on the Rise Again
Once again, college tuition (especially at public universities) is on the rise.  This is nothing new, and it’s been covered extensively elsewhere in this blog.  But perhaps it’s time to shift your thinking.  Instead of just bemoaning the fact that tuition is on the rise, maybe you should consider how best to approach this trend.  If education were a hot stock, you’d already know what to do.  Get in now, because tomorrow, this stock will be even harder to secure.  That is to say, if you knew the price wasn’t going to come down any time in the foreseeable future, then the sooner you jumped into the mix, the better off you’d be.
(more…)

Not All Online Schools Are Mac-Friendly
Like many out there, I adore my Mac.  It’s fast, sleek, and reliable.  But from time to time, I run into problems whenever I’m looking for software only made for PCs or I want to access certain pages that neither Firefox nor Safari can open.  For whereas many sites and companies have adopted open-source, cross-platform systems, not all schools (online or campus-based) are Mac-friendly.
(more…)

Public School Teachers: Gatekeepers of America’s Future
Kudos to the tens of thousands of public school teachers out there who get up every morning, rush off to school, and work with unmotivated students using out-of-date textbooks in overcrowded classrooms.  You do all of this for 5-8 hours every day, only to take home papers, tests, and quizzes to grade every evening.  Thereafter, you map out some more lesson plans and get ready for bed to repeat the process again tomorrow.  At a median salary of $44K a year, you are missionaries of academia, grossly underpaid for the sheer volume and importance of the work that you do.  It’s time to turn your missionary status into mercenary status.
(more…)

Some Artists Seem to Have Plenty to Eat. Why Is That?
The myth of the starving artist has been depicted in books, film, television, and of course, art. And although it serves as a powerful vehicle for storytelling, this myth might need some serious reworking in the digital age. For whereas demand for still-life portraits might be on the decline, graphic designers, animators, and related workers should find demand for their skills holding steady or rising. Much of this growth stems from the rapid increase in advertising spending and digital media. For every commission that Picasso may have received 100 years ago, there are probably 100,000 magazine covers, billboards, movies, commercials, and logo requests in today’s world.
(more…)

Should Education Go at the Top or Bottom of your CV?
When building your resume, should you include education before professional experience or vice versa? This is a problem that confronts many job seekers, and unfortunately, everyone seems to have his or her own take on the situation. There are pros and cons to either arrangement, so it really depends on a number of factors (industry, job, HR rep, etc). Below are some quick pointers to aid you in your CV design:
(more…)

Is High School the New Kindergarten?
If a master’s degree is the “new bachelors degree” then is high school the new kindergarten.  Not completing your high school education is professional suicide in a world increasingly driven by specialized skills and technology.  Your chances of competing for high paying jobs decrease with every year of schooling that goes unfinished.  Put more simply, your earning potential and employability go up substantially with each successive degree that you earn. With a high school diploma, you are 70% more likely to find a job than a non-graduate.  And that job pays an average of $700 more every month than a non-graduate’s job does.
(more…)

It’s Never Too Late to Go Back to School, But….
If you’re a multi-millionaire with a party streak and cutting wit, then going back to school as an adult might not seem like such a shock.  Rodney Dangerfield did it in the hilarious 1986 movie Back to School, and he was no worse for the wear.  But what about the rest of us who don’t have millions, an iron stomach, or sharp comedic timing?  They say that it’s never too late to go back, but being the only 30, 40, or 50-something in the class can seem a little uncomfortable for many.  Not going back, however, could mean not breaking that “glass ceiling” at work or switching to that career that you’ve always wanted.  Are there options?
(more…)

A Well-Rounded Education or a Narrowly Focused Skill Set?
Is it better to specialize in a narrow field while studying in college, or is your time better served by following a more liberal arts approach in which you study a little bit of everything? Most bachelors programs expose you to the latter, wanting to provide you with a well-rounded education. But in those cases where this approach is not compulsory, what are the pros and cons of specialization versus liberal arts degrees.
(more…)

Getting the Most out of Your University Experience
Some people like to go through every single option in a new cell phone just to see what cool freebies and gadgets it includes.  Most of these little options never get used, but they at least check them out.  The same can be said of education. Whether they have a full ride or have to shell out $50K a year, many people try to take full advantage of every resource available.  They check out library services, computer IT help, gym facilities, office hours, and even study abroad programs, all within their first few weeks.  But you know what the most valuable, but often overlooked aspect of higher education is?
(more…)