There's Never Been a Better Time to Pursue a Career in Teaching

Nothing is quite like the feeling you get when you lead a group of eager students to a new level of understanding. If you've ever considered becoming a teacher, there's never been a better time than now to follow your dreams. With an explosion of new growth in the field, you'll love the opportunities available to earn your degree online.

What Makes Teaching So Special

Without a doubt, teaching is a career with a social conscience. It takes passion, persistence, and a real desire to help young people succeed. Being a teacher means holding a position of responsibility and authority in society.
Teachers are the professionals that ready our children for a challenging world. Also, teaching is a career that will preserve your youth. When you spend your life around kids, their enthusiasm and curiosity is entirely infectious.

How to Become a Teacher

There are a variety of ways that you can earn the credentials you need to become a teacher.
Bachelor degrees are the minimum educational standard for entry into the profession.
To increase your salary, master's degrees in a variety of specialties will show your expertise in your particular subject of interest.
Accredited online colleges are a great way to earn the basic and advanced degrees you need to follow your dream and become a teacher.

The Looming Teacher Shortage

At a time when education is at the forefront of our national concerns, a teacher shortage is imminently on the horizon. There are a variety of factors contributing to this professional challenge. Retiring baby boomers that have held classroom positions will be easing out of the field.

Also, for some new teachers, the stresses of the position have influenced them to find other means of employment. And the explosion of neighborhoods across the country has increased the demand for qualified teaching professionals.

What Are School District Doing to Attract Talented Candidates into the Classroom?

Signing Perks

School districts nationwide are providing a number of perks for qualified candidates who accept teaching positions. School boards see these signing benefits as a real opportunity to increase recruiting and teacher retention in their counties.

Student loan forgiveness for teachers in low-income neighborhoods

Signing bonuses

Leadership opportunities

Tuition reimbursement

Housing Subsidies

Housing subsidies, normally associated with international teaching opportunities, are becoming increasingly available for qualified teachers. Public and private school systems are providing free or reduced housing to their teaching candidates as a way to encourage application and retention.
This can mean a serious boost to the financial status of a teacher who is concerned about the expenses of buying or renting in their school's area. Housing subsidies could mean thousands of dollars over the course of a fiscal year.

Easier Qualification

Another strategy that is being used to increase the opportunities in teaching is to make qualification for the position more streamlined. Accredited online colleges allow potential teaching candidates to earn a bachelor's degree in less time than the traditional campus program and at a reduced cost.

Benefits of Online Education
Online colleges provide a range of benefits over the traditional campus route that will interest you, including

Faster graduation rate

Lower tuition

Customizable class schedules

No dreaded campus commute

If you have an interest in this exciting career field, find out how you can get started today earning a respected education degree from one of the top accredited colleges or universities in the nation. Discover your possibilities at an accredited online college or university and get started today on a rewarding career path.

How To Talk About Work Experience For The IIM Personal Interview

The IIM panel will therefore stress most upon what
you have done in your work experience and how
you intend to utilise that towards furthering your
career goals. So your ideal preparation for the
Personal interview should be to answer the following
questions:

1) The relevance of your job in the business process
of the company: You must understand which part of
the Strategic Business Unit your work fell under and
exactly what your role was towards achieving the
goals of the SBU

2) Skill sets acquired over the process of your work
in the organisation: What kind of specific skills did
you acquire, specifically in marketing, finance,
strategy etc.

3) What kind of products/services you sold, and
what was the turnover, profitability, growth rates
over the years that you were working for the
organisation

4) What was the competition like, who were the
industry leaders and how did you recognise the
industry leaders. You should be able to specify the
defining criteria behind the peer competition. One
way of doing this is to do a SWOT analysis of the
competition. Identify the major strengths and
weaknesses vis-à-vis the competition

5) Finally have you won any awards,
commendations, business achievements that have
been worthy of merit and recognition. Having
awards makes it all the more easier for you to gain
credibility as a highly capable employee.

Preparation for the your IIM Personal Interview is not
too different from a job interview. However in the
job interviews, the interviewer may have an urgent
requirement and so may be easy on you. The IIM's
have no such requirement and if your answers
appear to be sloppy or over confident then you may
end up being rejected.

Entering a Culinary Arts School

Your kitchen career starts here.

They say cooking is the first art. Before mankind learned to speak, draw, or write, he learned to prepare a meal. And this art is passed down to your generation, in the form of a wide and diverse field of culinary specialties to choose from. A cooking career is limitless; it can take you anywhere, and you can explore it all of your life and never find the end of it.

Applying with a culinary arts program is basically no different than applying to any other program or course at a college or a university. As a standard practice, there is a process that you need to follow and you may need to meet with a career counselor in the department to see which program is right for you, as there are plenty of options available.

Considerations with regards to the school's reputation, location, tuition, and financial aid programs available are essential in choosing what is best for you. You will be pleased to know that as a general rule, culinary arts courses go for a more reasonable fee than what you would expect for, say, a computer scientist. But the more elite schools tend to be pricey, too. Particularly if they can boast a celebrity chef on Food Network as one of their alumni.

Some small starting places are researching online via their website, or simply request their catalog by mail. These programs will range from general cooking and food safety to highly specialized positions like for pastry chefs.

Many who attend culinary arts college are aiming to become professional chefs or work in the food industry in some capacity, but don't be surprised to find several students also attend culinary arts colleges to improve their own home cooking. The "cooking renaissance" has produced a growing population of culinary arts colleges and cooking schools in the country, and plenty of interest amongst the population in attending them.

Many varieties of people and companies, even from local restaurants and supermarkets, are setting up cooking classes so that anyone can improve their kitchen crafts. For the aspiring career chef, culinary arts colleges offer the greatest opportunity to landing a great career. Some go for prestige, such as a cruise ship chef or banquet chef to the celebrities, while others are happier with a small, secure position in an institution or restaurant.

Due to this increased popularity, there are now over five hundred programs in the United States that offer top educational courses in the field of culinary arts. Colleges, universities, and private programs all offer these courses.

There will be several things to consider when choosing a culinary arts college. You should consider what avenue you want your career to follow after you have taken the course, such as restaurant managerial work or owning your own private catering company. After deciding on this, you can easily narrow your search down for the right program quite dramatically, since there are many courses set off for those specific fields.

You will need to determine what is important in a college for you. Lengths of the program may be a consideration, and also what qualifications you will need in order to be accepted. Course fees need to be heavily considered, and if you are on a tight budget you will need to find out about student or college financing as well.

This is also a good time to ask yourself if you have the right kind of skills to stick with a culinary career in the long term. A chef will need many attributes to make it. You will need physical stamina, because this is a very demanding job with the need to move fast when the time counts. Cleanliness is one of those things that goes without saying, but only the fastidiously neat need apply. The demanding maneuvers of prepping food require good fine motor dexterity.

Because the repetitiousness of much of the chef career may lead to burn-out, you need to have real enthusiasm for it. In a contrast, you need a strong tendency towards creativity, while also being conformist enough that you have the ability to follow rules and standards of the industry. Last, and this is something that's often overlooked, but math skills are also important in this job. We can't have you standing over a stove with a calculator converting milliliters to teaspoonfuls, now, can we?

Naturopathic Diplomas- Programs Today

Find Naturopathic Diplomas in the United States and Canada. Candidates interested in acquiring a healing arts education discover that a number of alternative medicine colleges and schools offer comprehensive training programs that result in naturopathic diplomas or degrees.

Colleges that offer naturopathic diplomas or degrees commonly require prospective students to have earned a minimal of a 4-year degree from an accredited school or university prior to applying.

In most cases, naturopathic diplomas or degrees (Naturopathic diplomas and degrees are awarded in the U.S.; in Canada, naturopathic diplomas are awarded.) can be accomplished after a minimum of 4,000+ classroom and clinical training hours.

Courses providing naturopathic diplomas or degrees entail in-depth instruction in anatomy, biochemistry, histology, immunology, microbiology and physiology. In addition, students will learn about naturopathic medicine philosophies and principles, clinical and physical diagnosis, radiology, Eastern medicine (acupuncture and Oriental medicine), botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, counseling, and preventive medicine.

Typically, students enrolled in naturopathic medicine programs will be committed to a minimum of 4-7 years of studies, and regularly take continuing education courses to maintain licensure.

Graduates, who have attained their naturopathic diplomas (or degrees) earn the title of Naturopathic Doctor (ND), and can work as a primary care physician in a number of states and provinces. (Check individual state/province regulations for practice licensing and laws.) While many naturopathic practitioners go into private practices, a great number may enlist in fields of research, teaching and consulting.

With public demand for alternative and complementary medicine on the rise, successful graduates who have earned naturopathic diplomas or degrees can anticipate promising professional outlooks. According to a report in the Princeton Review, naturopathic physicians, who have an established practice can earn a range from $80,000 - $200,000 annually.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in achieving naturopathic diplomas, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs near you.

Naturopathic Diplomas: Programs Today

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Visiting Colleges With Your Teen

We are in the calm before the storm. We are visiting colleges, but the application process looms a few months down the road.

So far, the visiting process has proven a good way to see different schools but, more importantly, to see how my son reacts to different places where he will spend four, very important years of his life. We have done these visits in different stages.

What the heck, a summer afternoon: When he was entering his sophomore year, we traveled to my alma mater, about an hour away, for a tour and information session. Then we had lunch and drove home. This was a great way for him to be on a college campus and see what the info session-tour is like, with absolutely no pressure about whether he would even apply to the school. Hearing the short introductions of the other students in the room (mostly a grade or two ahead) also gave him an idea of how students are preparing to apply when the time comes.

Campus drive-throughs: Our next level was a visit to several campuses over Thanksgiving break. One huge drawback was that school was not in session, although the bookstore and student union were open at a few schools. However, the purpose was to see different types of campuses: in a "college town," in a city; large, small; public, private. He was able to realize that he did not want a real urban campus or be too tucked away in a rural area. That has helped him narrow his choices.

Scheduled tours: Now that he is finishing his junior year, we are getting more focused. We recently flew to two cities where there are schools that he identified as top choices through Web research, college fairs, and visits to our city by admissions representatives. One offered an interview, which he took advantage of. Wonder of wonders, he prepared for the interview and wrote his thank-you notes afterwards with minimal parental nagging.

Final looks: Our next step, which we have not yet encountered, will be visits to as many of the schools that he actually applies to as our schedule allows. (The life of a high-schooler is tremendously busy with school, sports, etc.) And, hopefully, the final step will be the special session next spring for admitted students at his first choice!

Give the Gift of Education

We've all had a special teacher in our lives. Maybe she helped you understand a tricky mathematical concept. Perhaps she inspired you to speak fluent French. Or maybe she just took the time to listen and be a friend, believing you were special enough to merit the attention. Whatever the circumstances, the fact is that this teacher made a difference in your childhood or teenage years. By earning your education degree, you can be that memorable teacher for someone else.

Opportunities


In the United States, there is a need for professionals with education training. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2004, the education services industry was the second largest industry in the economy, providing jobs for about 13 million workers. And, wage and salary employment growth of 17 percent is expected in the education services industry over the 2004-2014 period, higher than the 14 percent increase projected for all industries combined.

Once you have the proper education training (including a bachelor's degree and a teaching license), numerous teaching opportunities are available. In fact, teachers account for almost half of all workers in the education industry.

Career Options


Become a preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school teacher and help shape the development of children. You'll be responsible for their formal introduction to math, language, science, and social studies. But don't stress -- at this education level, you can have lots of fun with your lesson plans, using games, art, music, and computers to teach basic skills.

If you prefer to provide more in-depth instruction to older kids, an education degree for middle or high school teaching is your best bet. The fun part about teaching on this level is working in one specific subject in which you excel, rather than providing an overview of all subjects. You can teach anything from English, math, or history, to auto mechanics, business education, or computer repair. You can also supervise extracurricular activities or coach a sports team.

Do you have a heart for students with special needs? Special education might be the way to go. These teachers work with students who have a variety of learning and physical disabilities. With a special education degree, you can work in a traditional school and provide resource room and one-on-one assistance, or you can work in a special education school that serves students with more severe disabilities. With special education training, you'll learn how to accommodate students' individual needs, and help students develop the social skills needed to thrive in society.

Ivy League Schools-Getting Accepted

When I thought about writing an article about Ivy League schools, I almost felt out of my league. After reading up on these schools, I realized that I am out of my league. Ivy League schools are elite. They are the best of the best in America and have been that way since the American Revolution or earlier. With this article, I would like to share a few things that stood out about the amazing seven universities and one college, which make up the Ivy League, that are known for their academic excellence.

Brown University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, and Cornell University comprise the Ivy League. The oldest university is Harvard University founded in 1636 and Cornell was founded last of the eight schools in 1865. The name Ivy League is said to come from the ivy that grows on the outside of these old buildings that make up the campuses.

The league has been competing against each other in sports as long as there have been sports in college. The first event held in the United States was between Harvard and Yale's boating team in 1852. Since then, they have added every sport from baseball to water polo with fencing, football, lacrosse, rowing, and squash in between, just to name a few. They officially became the Ivy League in 1954 even though they had been unofficially referred to by that name long before.

The Ivy League came to an agreement in 1954 to extend their already established agreement for football to all their intercollegiate sports. The agreement states that applicant's to the universities or college cannot be give aid because of athletic ability. Essentially, they do not award athletic scholarships. Scholarship money is given to students for their academic excellence instead. In most other colleges and universities across the nation, students can be admitted with less than standard performances in academics as long as they can perform on the court, field or whatever arena they compete in. I find it fascinating that this is not the case with Ivy League schools.

The Ivy League schools are committed to excellence in the classroom. The acceptance rates each year range from about 9% to 20% and that is the best of the best. The college admissions process can be a hard battle at any university or college across the country, but here it is downright brutal. At times, students with very high test scores are rejected from their first Ivy League school of choice for no apparent reason. These schools have such a high number of applicants that the process is never a sure thing.

I was also surprised to find out that even students with better than average test scores are sometimes not admitted to Ivy League schools. The college admissions office looks at the students as a total package. They look at grades and test scores, but also they also weigh in the extracurricular activities, leadership positions, memberships in clubs/societies, and the ever elusive "X" factor.

I have come to the conclusion that they are an excellent place to get an excellent education, but the key is getting accepted. The best way to do that is to know how to present yourself in a way that will catch the eye of the college admissions offices. Not something like Elle did on the movie Legally Blonde, but something more along the lines of putting all your information in one place where any of the universities could go to see everything about you in one quick stop.

Of course, you still have to have those good test scores and grades to even be given a chance even if you are the world's best squash player because Ivy League schools do not give out college scholarships based on athletic ability.

College Admissions Made Easy

Do you want to simplify the college admission process? If you are going through it I know I would hear a resounding yes. I had to go through it once, and I can tell you that it is not the easiest or most exciting thing to do. I played sports and high school and wanted to be recruited to play in college. However, I didn't have many opportunities to show the colleges who I really was.

Let me tell you the whole process. A recruiter from a school travels around the United States visiting high school state tournaments. Because my school didn't have the best players around I had to rely on my coach and who she knew so that my name would be the name being discussed amoung college scouts. I was limited to be recruited by only the people who knew my coach. How cool would it have been to take the power from her hands and put it into my own to show every coach around that I was ready and willing to play my heart out for them.

Good athletes who standout have coaches who find them. I had to do my own search to find a college that was best for me. I was able to compare colleges close to home after being contacted by them. Fortunately, my coach knew really well the coach at a junior college that was very noteworthy in the junior college atmosphere.

I lucked out and found a great junior college to play for, but even though I found a team, I still wonder what could have happened if I had a college search tool available to me or even a place on the internet where I could put my academic information and showcase my athletic abilities for coaches and college admissions offices.

My luck didn't end there. After I finished junior college a university in Alaska found me and offered me a full-ride college scholarship to play for them. While I feel truly blessed in how my college sports career turned out, I wondered if there was an easier way to get college scholarships or to even do a college search. I pictured a place where students could go to find a college and where colleges could go to find students or athletes in my case.

I am familiar with the recruiting process that coaches go through. They go out searching the country for players that they can recruit to their team. This costs them time and money. Even when they don't travel, they are at home trying to find players. I remember helping my own coach, the year after I finished playing, fill and address envelopes to every college, university, and junior college in the country asking if they had any players available. What a waste of time, paper, and energy.

Now, after all that here comes the exciting news. Imagine a place where students can post highlight videos of them playing basketball, baseball, golf, or whatever other sport they are involved in to be recruited by the college of their choice. Or imagine a student posting essays that he or she has written in order to impress the college admissions officers. Or if the student is musically inclined, how about imagining him or her posting a breathtaking solo performance for every college in America to hear and see. Can you see the power?!