When Do I Start Planning For College?

You can start planning for college as early as the first year of high school. Your high school guidance counselor can help you chart your future by choosing the right college for your personality, interests and abilities. If your counselor is given the sufficient time and opportunities to know you, he or she can provide quite a bit of help to you in different ways.

Guidance counselors can help you by the following ways to get you on the right track:

Determining Your Abilities And Interests: Looking at your IQ scores, and your past and present grades, your guidance counselor can determine which subjects that you naturally excel in. If your grades and scores have not been too good, then, your counselor will work with you until he/she finds the skills that you might have. Once your counselor has helped you to identify your interests and abilities, he or she will help to you plan your academic load to fit your interests. For example, if you are interested in the field of Journalism, your counselor might suggest that you sign up for more advanced writing or English classes or encourage you to join the yearbook committee or write for the school newspaper.

Your Emotional State: Emotions may very well play a role in your future planning. It is generally part of every school curriculum to allow high school counselors to gauge your present emotional and psychological well being to determine your ability to handle certain amounts of pressure as well as certain types of study environments and other factors.

Family Interests vs Your Own Interests: Sadly, it does happen that conflicts may arise when the student may want to study one a certain subject in college while their parents want them so study something different. This can cause confusion in the student in planning their future, especially if the student tries to please everyone. In cases such as this, your counselor will act as a mediator to help you and your parents see eye to eye on your college choices and convince your parents into truly listening to what you have to say about your education.

Picking The Right College For You: Your counselor will help you decide what academic path you need to take in order to attain your degree in your desired field. By working together, he/she will help you choose the college that fits your needs whether it is starting with a community college and later going to a small university, going to a large institution after high school or perhaps other options such as international study.

Choosing The Right Career For You: Many students might not know what they want to do because there are so many options out there. By taking the time to know you, your strengths and interest, your high school counselor will be able to narrow down the career choices for you until you are able to zero on something that engages your interest while making the most out of your skills and abilities.

By making an appointment with your guidance counselor, you will know which direction to take for your future as well as going to the right schools. This will save a lot of time, money and headaches.

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When doing research into your post-secondary education options, you will quickly learn that there is an almost overwhelming number of options for both career training and obtaining an advanced degree. No matter where you live, it is likely that you have access to number of both private and traditional colleges which offer programs of study related to your area of interest.

There are many differences between private colleges and traditional colleges. One major difference between these two types of institutions is the quality of education. For those focused on obtaining the high quality skills and training required for career success in the shortest and most efficient manner, private colleges tend to be the better choice. There are a number of benefits associated with private colleges.

Benefit: Smaller Classes

Classes at private colleges tend to be much smaller than those of traditional colleges. When classes are smaller, the instructor-to-student ratio is much lower, allowing for more individual attention in class. The learning environment also tends to be much more interactive in smaller classes than in larger ones.

Benefit: Emphasis on Teaching Rather than Research

In traditional colleges, faculty members are not only assigned to teach classes, but are also required to emphasize academic research. Typically, faculty members in traditional colleges are required to devote a significant amount of time and energy to conducting and publishing academic research designed to advance the body of knowledge in their particular area of expertise.

In private colleges, however, the primary role of a faculty member is to teach classes and to help students acquire the skills they need to become successful in their chosen fields. As a working adult, it can be much more beneficial to learn in an environment where teaching, not research, is the primary focus.

Benefit: Emphasis on Skills Development

Most private colleges tend to emphasize the development of practical skills that can be applied in the workplace. For working adults who are seeking post-secondary education as a means of advancing their careers, this is of the utmost importance.

Many traditional colleges focus more on preparing learners for graduate-level study. Because of this, the training is often more theoretical in nature than the training one would receive at a private college.

Benefit: Responsiveness to Change

When seeking post-secondary training that can be directly applicable in the workplace, it is important to make sure that the training you receive is as up-to-date is possible.

Because private colleges function more along the lines of a business model than of an educational institution, private colleges tend to be quicker to adapt their curricula to the rapidly changing demands of the job market than do traditional colleges.

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A Masters degree is a post graduate degree qualification. Many people have completed their first degrees but failed to finished their master’s degree due to their job schedule or family responsibilities. With the advent of the Internet, education has developed and so it has become possible for anybody to do online masters degree, as well as bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree credentials offer you great opportunity to enter corporate industries of all kind or governmental organizations to search for senior management positions with higher salary.

The entry requirement of a masters program is to have completed a bachelor’s degree. This can be done by studying online, in regular schools or distance learning schools. After you have finished the bachelor’s degree successfully, you can now applying for the master’s degree program in the university or institution of your choice. You must submit the necessary documents and your personal details like, proof of age or birth certificate, permanent address, previous schools attended with dates and educational qualifications.

You can do master degree programs in various fields, for instance, online MBA degree, M Sc in Economics, online law masters degree, MA English Language, online post graduate degree in education, online masters in history, IT masters degree, online nursing master degree etc.

Some free information as regards to the courses and subjects offered by online distance learning colleges or universities is available online. The semester or qualifying exams are also done online at a specific time. If you pass the examinations, you will get your qualification via the Internet.

Finally, make sure you do research to get the accreditation status of the college or institution you are going to do your online masters degree. Also make sure the course you intend to read is fully accredited.

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A Master’s degree is a post graduate degree qualification. Many people have completed their first degrees but failed to finished their master’s degree due to their job schedule or family responsibilities. With the advent of the Internet, education has developed and so it has become possible for anybody to do online masters degree, as well as bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree credentials offer you great opportunity to enter corporate industries of all kind or governmental organizations to search for senior management positions with higher salary.

The entry requirement of a masters program is to have completed a bachelor’s degree. This can be done by studying online, in regular schools or distance learning schools. After you have finished the bachelor’s degree successfully, you can now applying for the master’s degree program in the university or institution of your choice. You must submit the necessary documents and your personal details like, proof of age or birth certificate, permanent address, previous schools attended with dates and educational qualifications.

You can do master degree programs in various fields, for instance, online MBA degree, M Sc in Economics, online law masters degree, MA English Language, online post graduate degree in education, online masters in history, IT masters degree, online nursing master degree etc.

Some free information as regards to the courses and subjects offered by online distance learning colleges or universities is available online. The semester or qualifying exams are also done online at a specific time. If you pass the examinations, you will get your qualification via the Internet.

Finally, make sure you do research to get the accreditation status of the college or institution you are going to do your online masters degree. Also make sure the course you intend to read is fully accredited.

There are many universities online, and many of them have unique advantages. With an online university popping up all over the net, it becomes hard to decide which university online school offers the best package for each individual so they can find the top online university.

Online Universities have grown to be a place for many busy individuals who lack time and have family responsibilities to continue their education. Here are a few important tips that you can use when considering your university online.
Accreditation

Almost all education guides will ask you to make sure that the online university of your choice or the online degree program that you are going to enroll on must be accredited by any of the agencies that are accepted by the US Department of Education. In fact, it is the main factor to be considered when you select your university online course.

In simple terms, accreditation is an official evaluation procedure on school programs and policies by one of the agencies that are accepted by the US Department of Education to see if they meet certain criteria. When a school meets the criteria, it is granted accreditation. If your degree is from an accredited online university, your degree will be accepted by most employers, eliminating the risk of unrecognized or fake degrees.

Get university online degrees that Will Look Good In Your Resume.

With so many online universities and online colleges available, you may find it hard to decide which school to choose for your degree. Put yourself in the shoes of the employer for just a minute, a degree from well known state university online like the University of Phoenix and Kaplan University would look far more appealing than a university like the University of Joe Bloggs right?

A degree from a renowned & prestigious online university will make your resume be worth its weight in gold. An applicant from a renowned online university will definitely make an impression on the hiring manager, over a graduate from Joe Bloggs university. Its easy to do some analysis and get some feedback from any of online degree forums about the online to see which is the best known and best acceptable university before you make your decision.

Lab Works Near Your Location

Some university online courses require you to complete a stipulated amount of lab hours work before you can earn your degree. If your busy working schedule will not allow you to travel far, then, you need to consider an online university that has a local facility or agreement with a local institution for you to carry out your lab work.

Credit Transfer

There are many universities online that allow you to transfer your credits earned from your previous degree to save you some credit hours and credit cost. Always check out this information from the admission officer before you enroll into the degree program.

Selecting a university online for your online degree program can be a hard decision: so many options available and too many degree programs. As long as you follow the above guidelines and do your research, you will find university online degrees to suit your needs.

Choosing an accredited online university means you are getting the very best degree.

There have been so many online universities that have started to offer online degrees very recently and more are coming. So the question remains, which university online is trustworthy? The answer is easy: it is trustworthy if only if it’s an accredited online university that has a good quality, venerable reputation.

Accreditation is almost a benchmark given by the US Department of Education. It shows that a University has met academic standards essential to give its students a precise and inclusive education.

So what does that mean for you?

As most students go into an online university to progress their chances for future jobs, accreditation is vital. Many employers look at accreditation as a validation of your degree. A degree by itself is just a piece of paper, but accredited it gives the employer a sense of security, knowing that you have acquired from an online accredited university that has met all the top standards. The second reason it is important is that you are paying for a degree online and you want to make sure that you get all the credit you deserve for all that hard work you put in.

Online universities accredited by the government standard will give you degree programs that other universities who do not offer accredited online university degrees just cant compete with. Having a degree from a nationally accredited online university is like having the president going live on air and saying you can enter the whitehouse anytime you like! Because the university is accredited online you have far more clout and pulling power when you send your resume off to prospective employees.

Now you understand what exactly makes an online university trustworthy, for you to make the most of your investment in your education, you must choose an accredited online university degree program with a good quality reputation. Even though there are many universities out there that have accreditation, at least you have shortlisted your choices down to the most reliable.

In recent times, the career ground of elementary school education in the United States has become highly rewarding and the most favored occupation. In past few years, this career option has gained enough recognition and turned out to be one of the few career areas that offer better job prospects and salary that are complemented with solid benefits. In fact, this is one of the few professions that provide you with opportunities to handle important responsibilities like assisting children with educational and emotional development in the beginning of their academic years. These days many elementary school teachers primarily play the role of instructor for small children in several subjects. Adding to this, in some cases, two or more teachers also team up to cover a class.

Functioning as an elementary school teacher, you don’t just educates or teaches children, but perform the important task of making the basics of all the subjects, so that they never face any problem while studying difficult topics in the higher standards. The most important thing that you need to understand is the learning problems faced by the small school students and to offer teaching solutions to overcome from these problems. As a result, this can be only possible if you as an elementary school teacher receive proper training and education. We can certainly say that elementary school teaching is a physically and emotionally demanding occupation that requires a high level of energy. Though the profession has its own rewards, but it also demands skills so that you can perform your role more efficiently.

Now if you are looking forward to making a career as an elementary school teacher, you must be at least a graduate from a well recognized university in a subject which you would like to educate. At a minimum, you must include the completion of a bachelor’s degree. These days, many states of the United States require a specified number of education credits that needs to be earned over the course of study in order to teach in a public school. Though there are some states as well that look for teachers who have earned a master’s degree within a certain amount of time after starting to teach. Nevertheless, in recent times enrolling in a professional development school after bachelor’s degree is also increasingly more popular option.

Apart from all this, you even need to obtain a teaching certification. Today in many states of the United States the licensure is generally granted by the State Board of Education. Ultimately, this licensure can be granted to you by the State Board of Education, if you have passed all the educational requirements and completed a test based on proficiency in basic reading, writing and teaching skills. Though, it is also important to understand that the requirements may even vary by state.

There are many private schools also that do not look or require any certifications. In fact, many private schools are exempt from meeting state licensing standards, although they mostly favor candidates who have a bachelor’s degree in childhood education for elementary school teachers. They generally look for the candidates among recent college graduates. Besides this, many private schools associated with religious institutions desire candidates who share the values that are important to the institution. In addition to this, many private schools even conduct live teaching tests where you as an aspiring teacher will be asked to teach a class of students and based on your teaching process and the quality of teaching grades are given.

At times, you may even have to appear for an interview with the senior school management before you are selected as a teacher. Though, you may keep yourself updated about the elementary school teacher jobs by joining associations like the American Federation of Teachers.

The future prospect for elementary teachers is surely very good. In next few years many job openings are going to boom. The ratio of additional jobs is expected to grow as the demand of teaching jobs in poor and urban schools after a couple of years is also going to increase.

Many of us adore children, but can you handle a large group of them at one time?  If you want to pursue a career in education, you must be passionate about children and teaching.  Demonstrating patience and understanding is crucial to becoming a successful teacher.  Still interested?  With a rewarding career such as this one, you should ask yourself, “is this the right career for me?”

A four-year bachelor’s degree in primary education is needed, and involves instruction in Children’s Psychology, Teaching Strategies and other specific courses that teachers are preparing to teach.  In fact, students have a variety of options, including taking online courses.  Along with course instruction, students are required to gain real-life experience by student teaching for approximately one semester.  Here, you will assist the teacher with classroom discussions and work closely with children.  After completing your coursework and student teaching, you will need to pass a state exam in order to hold a teaching license.  You will be tested on basic components such as reading, writing and teaching. Once you have obtained license, you are well on your way to becoming a teacher!  Although a bachelor’s degree is the most sought out degree as an elementary school teacher, you can always continue your education and pursue a master’s degree.  According to the US Department of Labor, the average salary for an elementary school teacher in 2008 was $52,240 per year.

In order to help decide if this is the right career for you, you should understand the responsibilities of an elementary school teacher.  Most elementary school teachers instruct one class of children in multiple subjects such as writing, reading, mathematics, science and social studies.  In addition to planning out curriculum, you will also be responsible for evaluating students’ work, assigning homework and tests and maintaining class discipline.  It is essential to be a clear communicator because students will rely on you to understand class concepts.  Having multiple teaching strategies is necessary because all students learn in different ways.

Becoming an elementary school student has become one of the fastest growing careers within the past decade.  Teachers should expect to work Monday through Friday and have winter, spring and summer breaks!  If you consider yourself to be a strong communicator and enjoy working with children, this career may be the perfect one for you.

For more information on determining whether or not a career in teaching is right for you, visit informative websites, like http://www.freecareerinfo.com

According Ediger (2000), elementary school career education is important. Ediger stated that “the elementary school years are not too early to begin to achieve a vision of what one desires to do in life contributing to the world of work”. Without career education, students have unrealistic perceptions of careers due to a lack of knowledge and poor decision making. Students have limited knowledge and exposure to careers. (2,3) When students look at the different industries e.g. sports, media and entertainment, most students underestimate the skills and time required to have successful careers. (3)
The Basics for Elementary School Career Education Programs
In career awareness programs, students do not make premature career choices. Elementary school career education is not career exploration or career preparation. Elementary students remain open to new career ideas and possibilities. (7,8,13,15) Elementary students build awareness of self, personal interactions, school, and the workforce. (2,15) Elementary school counselors and teachers build self-awareness, family awareness, school awareness, community awareness, career/ work awareness, attitude development, skill development, decision making strategies, and self-worth. (2,4,11)
Career awareness programs use age appropriate materials that match the developmental levels of the students. Age appropriate activities expose students to a variety of different jobs, career information sources, and the reasons why people work. Programs also incorporate academic career pathways into classroom activities. According to CareerTec (2000), the preliminary career education skills serve as foundations for future skills. As the students progress, previous skills are reinforced, developed, and expanded. (2,4,11)
As elementary students get older, the students modify career visions and goals. After completing an elementary school career awareness program, students have higher grades, higher academic achievement, improved school involvement, as well as an increase in career awareness exploration, personal, and interpersonal skills. (1,15) In addition, the students complete more complex courses and have a higher graduation rate from high school. (9)
In summary, in career programs, students:
Learn and apply the academic material

Know and value self

Build self-esteem and confidence

Identify interests and build relationships between the school environment and the work force

Build academic, communication, problem solving, and social skills

Increase awareness of the need for future jobs skills

See the connections between learning in school, academic skills, job related skills, and careers

See career possibilities

See themselves as a future contributor to the job force

Receive empowerment

Build self-determination (2,7,9)
Examples of Elementary School Career Education Resources
Career awareness programs widely use tools are the Individual Career Plan (ICP) and the Individual Career Develop Portfolio. According to the Ohio State Department of Education (2000), Individual Career Plans (ICP) are essential for the development of self-awareness, employability skills, decision making and goal setting, community involvement, economics, and the reduction of bias. Students use the Individual Career Plans as they identify and explore initial career goals and educational plans. Elementary students use Individual Career Plan (ICP) to develop skills and to prepare to make future educational and career decisions. (12)
Another important tool is the Individual Career Develop Portfolio. Individual Career Develop Portfolios are collections of the career awareness activities and experiences that have occurred during the school year. (12) Other elementary school career awareness activities include:
Artistic displays

Career Days

Career Fairs

Career research

Career videos

Collages, murals

Community speakers

Educational games

Family group discussions

Field trips

Information interviewing

Job shadowing

Library book report

Mentors

Poetry

Phonics

Pictured dictionary

Puppets

Role playing

Scrapbook

Story reading

Student group discussions

Word search and comprehension activities (8,9,11,12,16)
Elementary school programs help students build connections between academics and real life situations. (9) Teachers and counselors use career education principles to stress the importance of language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Language arts have many uses in the workplace: Reading, writing, and listening skills. The uses for Mathematics include: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills to solve problems. In Social Studies, students gain understanding about other countries, languages, cultures, and the aspects of living in a global marketplace. Students learn the importance of Science having skills to solve problems as well as understanding how science is involved in different industries, such as food, media, agricultural, and automotive industries. (8)
Guidelines for Elementary Education Career Resources – National Career Development Guidelines
The NCDG Guidelines is a career knowledge, skills, and decision-making framework. The NCDG framework has three domains, goals, and indicators. Teachers and counselors use the domains, goals, and indicators as guidelines to design and create career resources. The three domains are: Personal Social Development (PS), Educational Achievement and Lifelong Learning (ED), and Career Management (CM). Each domain represents a developmental area in a career education program. Under each domain are goals or competencies. Under each goal, indicators highlight the knowledge and skills needed to achieve the goal. The National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG) is the foundation for career education products, research development, tests and tools. (14)
Summary
Elementary school career education programs build self-awareness, family awareness, school awareness, community awareness, career/ work awareness, attitude development, skill development, decision making strategies, and self-worth. Elementary school career awareness programs use age appropriate materials that match the developmental levels of the students. As a results of career education, schools reported that students had higher grades and academic achievement, improvement in school involvement and performance, as well as an increase in career awareness exploration, personal, and interpersonal skills. Career awareness activities include Individual Career Plan (ICP), Individual Career Develop Portfolio (ICDP), Career Days, Career Fairs, Field trips, information interviewing, and library book report.
References
1. American Counseling Association, Office of Public Policy and Legislation. (2007). Effectiveness of School Counseling. Alexandria, VA: Author.
2. Angel, N. Faye; Mooney, Marianne. (1996, December). Work-in-Progress: Career and Work Education for Elementary Students. (ED404516). Cincinnati, OH: Paper presented at the American Vocational Association Convention.
3. Benning, Cathleen; Bergt, Richard; Sausaman, Pamela. (2003, May). Improving Student Awareness of Careers through a Variety of Strategies. Thesis: Action Research Project. (ED481018). Chicago, Illinois: Saint Xavier University.
4. Career Tec. (2000). K-12 Career Awareness & Development Sequence Executive and Implementation Guide. (ED450219) .Springfield, Il: Author.
5. Carey, John. (2003, January). What are the Expected Benefits Associated with Implementing a Comprehensive Guidance Program. School counseling Research Brief 1.1. Amherst, MA: Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research.
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11. Maddy-Bernstein, Carolyn; Dare, Donna E. (1997,December).Career Guidance for Elementary and Middle School Students. Office of Student Services Brief, v9 n1. (ED415353). Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
12. Ohio Department of Education, Division of Vocational and Career Education, Ohio Career Development Blueprint, Individual Career Plan, K to 5 (ED449322). Columbus, Ohio, 2000
13. Splete, Howard; Stewart, Amy. (1990). Competency-Based Career Development Strategies and the National Career Development Guidelines. Information Series No. 345. (ED327739). Columbus, Ohio: ERIC Clearinghouse on Education and Training for Employment & Ohio State University
14. U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education. (1994, 2004). National Career Development Guidelines (NCDG). Washington, DC: Author.
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