With the cost of college tuition on the rise and more and more college students finding the need to obtain a job in the workforce sooner than later, it’s no wonder many look for careers where you do not need a four year degree. Believe it or not, you can make really good money with only an Associates Degree or less. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by 2010, two-thirds of all projected job openings will require only on-the-job training.
REAL ESTATE AGENT
In most states, in order to become a real estate broker, the only thing you need to do is attend a real estate training class and then take a state test to be licensed. Once you pass your test and receive your license you can have your foot in the door of real estate. You can take your license even further by taking the real estate brokers training and adding that to your license as well. There are many successful real estate agents in today’s housing market that have nothing more than a high school diploma.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
In some states you can become certified as a substitute teacher with as little as sixty college credits. Better yet, your college credits do not have to be focused on any particular major. In some areas substitute teachers can make anywhere from $80 or more per day depending on the school district. Of course if you want to be a permanent teacher you would have to continue your education, however you can still make decent money by substitute teaching.
POSTAL EMPLOYEE
Have you ever visited your local post office and wondered how the postmaster with the big office in the back got their job? Well they worked their way up the ladder, but they did not need a degree to do so. You can start out at the post office on the front line as a clerk or carrier and you can use your experience in those positions to apply for jobs within the post office, such as supervisor and postmaster. You can make good money with a good job, as jobs with the USPS usually pay well.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER
One of the most popular jobs where no degree is needed is an air traffic controller. A college degree is preferred, however if you do not have one you can substitute three years of work experience instead. Once you are screened for employment, you attend a FAA academy to learn the job and if you pass all the necessary tests and qualifications, you can be on your way to making over 100K per year.
Do not get discouraged or frustrated thinking you can’t obtain a high paying job if you only have your Associates degree. In today’s society where technology is booming and customer service is key, you can turn almost any job into a good career by climbing the ladder and learning new on the job skills. If all you have is an Associates Degree, then take it and use it to your advantage to score a good job in today’s highly competitive job market. Remember, in many cases, it’s not what you know, but who you know.
During your college career, you will need to learn one important study tactic: outlining. This will help you take better notes and study more effectively. Some professors even require outlines before rough drafts of important research papers and other writing assignments. So it is better if you are familiar with the basic concept of outlining so that you will be successful at note taking and studying during your college years.
What Does an Outline Do?
An outline basically “lays out” your notes, thoughts and information in a hierarchical style. Outlines are usually used to help a student organize their thoughts and their notes before writing an essay or research paper. By outlining before you write, you will find that your paper is easier to write and will flow better.
THESIS
Your thesis or main idea should be the first section of your outline. Since the thesis is usually the introductory paragraph of your paper, it only makes sense that it comes first in your outline. By having your thesis first, you can use this to build main points for your paper.
POINTS/IDEAS
You will need main points and ideas that support your thesis. These will come in the next section of your outline. If you are writing an argumentative paper then your argumentative points would go in this section. If you are defending your thesis, you would put all of the reasons in this section as well. This is usually the middle or the “chunk” of your outline, which ultimately will be the bulk of your paper as well.
CONCLUSIONS
Usually you will end your paper with a closing paragraph. This usually sums up your thesis, and ties in all your main ideas. In this paragraph you would bring the whole paper together. This is usually the last section of your outline.
How to Construct the Outline
Each section listed above should be labeled with a Roman numeral, ie: I, II, III, IV etc. Each sub-category within each section should be given a capital letter, ie: A, B, C, D etc. The ideas and points in the sub-category should use numbers ie: 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. Any points after that should use lower case letters, ie: a, b, c, d.
EXAMPLE OUTLINE
I. THESIS
II. Section 1
A. Point made
B. Another point made
1. supports the point made above
a. additional support
TIPS
Try to keep your outline logical and in order. This will help you construct your paper in a way that makes sense and will help it flow nicer.
Keep your outlines for reference in the future. Use them as a study guide for tests.
If you need help developing an outline for a research paper, check with your college or university tutoring or writing center. There you can obtain assistance in writing your outline.
Remember, an efficient well planned outline will make for an easy to write paper.
A study method that is very common on college campuses and preferred by a multitude of students is the PQRST method. It allows a student to focus on studying and allows him to correlate the information to how it is going to be used on the test. This method also allows for better time management practices since it breaks down the study process into five different steps, so instead of allotting time to study for a whole topic, the student has the option to break it down into five separate steps while still retaining the information.
Below are the five steps involved in the PQRST Study Method:
Preview – Look through the topic you have to learn and glance over all of the important information. If you are using your textbook and need to memorize a chapter, glance through the major headings and key points outlined throughout it.
Question – Make up questions that you want to be able to answer during the exam. If your Professor has given you questions beforehand, try to mix them in to the ones you formulate. While performing this step, make sure that your questions are not more specific or open-ended than the actual exam.
Read – Read through all the reference material you have available that pertains to the topic you are studying. Make sure to place an emphasis on the material that relates to the questions you wish to know how to answer.
Summary – Summarize all of the information and ideas into whatever summarization method you feel comfortable with. You can choose from writing your own notes, spider diagrams, flow diagrams, labeled diagrams, mnemonics, recording your own voice, or any other method that you enjoy and works for you.
Test – This is the final step. Sit down and quiz yourself on the material. Try to answer all of the questions you laid out in step 2 as thoroughly and completely as possible. Using the information is a great way to remember it and it also takes the monotonous aspect out of studying. When performing this step, avoid adding questions that you did not create in step 2.
College textbooks have always made up a large chunk of the expenses students face every semester. Textbooks, which are already extremely expensive, seem to go up in price just about every day. To prove this point, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index stated that Textbook prices are increasing at more than four times the inflation rate. Also, other research performed by different state PIRGs show that publishers are exploiting the system and continue publishing new editions of their expensive textbooks that are only marginally changed and edited in an effort to make the cheaper used books obsolete. This practice forces the student to go out and buy the more expensive new edition.
In an effort to lower textbook costs, Universities are slowly trying to incorporate a textbook rental program. These programs allow you to rent a textbook for about one-third of the cost of purchasing a brand new one. While this sounds great and could provide a student with substantial benefits, the sad truth is that only 2.23% of all of the NACS members have a program such as this implemented. A few other campus bookstores have a hybrid rental program that allows students to rent from a small selection of textbooks, typically entry-level courses.
Another downfall to textbook rentals is the fact that most students already sell their used textbooks to offset some of the costs of purchasing a new one and students using a rental service will have the added cost of purchasing additional supplementary course materials such as online logins and added study guides. These costs, assuming that the student sells their used textbook, makes the baseline cost just about the same for renting. To add insult to injury, all states have contracts between the College Board and faculty associations regarding faculty’s right to select instructional material. A textbook rental service violates these rights and hence is not possible to establish in a lot of states.
These pitfalls above should not discourage you from seeking a textbook rental service if it is available in your school. Students using current textbook rental services spend about $130 to $240 per year (plus course materials), whereas students who buy their textbooks new spend an average of $800 to $900 each year. Textbook rentals are a lot cheaper than just buying a new textbook, but make sure you factor in all of the costs involved before making a decision, since renting a textbook and buying a new one could end up costing the same in the long run under certain conditions. Also, remember that only a little over 2% of all nationally accredited higher education facilities have a program like this in place so chances are that your college/university does not have this service. If that is the case, your best bet is to always sell your used textbooks when you have no more use for them. This will help you offset the costs of purchasing a new textbook. Also, if possible, try to buy used textbooks since they will usually sell for a nice 30% to 40% discount which will be a good option for students on a very tight budget.
Resources:
For renting textbooks check out Chegg.
When buying new textbooks refer to this list.
Colleges looking to establish a rental program should refer to this guide.
Every student at some point in his or her collegiate career has been affected by test taking anxiety. This is completely normal and to be expected especially from underclassmen. To an extent, anxiety can actually help you perform better on your test. Sometimes though, anxiety becomes too much to handle thus affecting the performance of a student on the test. This is when test anxiety becomes a problem and must be quickly addressed before a student’s academic career becomes jeopardized.
One of the main reasons for anxiety to become overwhelming is that a student is not prepared sufficiently for an exam. To overcome this, one must learn to develop good study habits and strategies that will allow you to achieve success. Learning how to deal with procrastination, distractions, and overall laziness can be a great start to minimizing anxiety and getting better test results.
On a similar note, keeping your academic materials organized is another great step to take. Having all of your classes bundled into a notebook will not work very well for most students. It is a good idea to invest in multiple notebooks and binders to keep each subject separate and to make sure that you can find notes and class materials on the fly. This will come extremely handy when you want to study and need to review notes; it will be readily available saving you both time and stress.
Another crucial step is learning how to overcome outside pressures. Do not get too caught up in the consequences of failing a class, graduating on time, etc. If you prepare yourself accordingly, study hard, and learn how to manage your time efficiently, success WILL come. There is no need to worry about things that you will already be taking care of by preparing yourself to be a better test taker and by putting forth the work. It is extremely unlikely not to succeed if you have a plan in hand and are willing to work to achieve success. All you have to do is make sure you follow the plan with a good attitude and the rest will all fall into place.
Some other tips to follow to reduce test anxiety:
Be confident when taking your test. Visualize yourself doing well and take the exam as an opportunity to showcase the hard work you put into it.
Prepare yourself for success. Study the material and make sure you know your stuff.
Make a checklist of things you need to bring to the exam and consult with it on exam day to make sure everything you need is available.
Don’t cram right before the exam.
Stay relaxed and focused on the task on hand, do not let others around you distract you.
Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam.
Incorporate an exercise routine to your lifestyle. Exercise is said to sharpen the mind.
It is no doubt that college tuition is rising. Students are graduating college with mountains of student loan debt. Parents are finding themselves taking out additional loans to assist their children in the cost of tuition and other college expenses. Fortunately, there are some savings options available so that parents can prepare financially for the cost of education for their children.
One popular plan on the rise is called the 529 College Savings Plan. Named after section 529 of the IRS code it is derived from, this plan allows you to put money aside for education related expenses in the future. Every state has some type of 529 plan, however each state administers its plan with different terms and conditions.
TYPES OF 529 PLANS
There are two general types of plans: Savings plan and Prepaid plan.
Prepaid 529 plans allow you to pay for tuition at the current tuition rates (at participating colleges and universities). Private colleges operate under an Independent plan. When your child is ready to attend college, you can cash in your units/credits for the tuition at the college. These types of plans are usually backed by the participating state and do have residency requirements.
A 529 Savings Plan is a little different as it is more of an investment type plan. You can put money in the plan and it is invested in different mutual funds. Your balance can go up and down as the stock market rises and falls. You select your investment funds and amounts. This plan operates similar to an IRA or 401K fund.
PROS AND CONS OF BOTH PLANS
Both types of plans have advantages and disadvantages.
Prepaid Plan: With the prepaid plan you are locking in the tuition rate by purchasing units/credits at the current rate. You avoid the rising tuition costs by purchasing early. However, since this is a prepaid plan, you can only enroll during certain times of the year. You also have to meet specific residency requirements and there may be age and/or grade limits on the beneficiary.
Savings 529 Plan: With this plan you are investing your money as well as saving for a future education. Of course you are at the mercy of the stock market and your balance can rise and fall depending on the funds you allocate to your plan. However, any money you put into this plan can go towards any education related expense, even computers and books. There are many tax advantages for both types of plans that make the 529 plan extremely appealing.
Since each state has its own requirements for their 529 college savings plan, you should check with the state in which you reside to see if you meet the conditions. Each state will also have different types of state tax advantages separate from the federal advantages. You will need to evaluate which type of plan is better for your current situation.
As with any financial decision you make, you can talk with a financial advisor or check with your local college/university for their recommendation of a 529 expert in your area.
Typical students entering college do not seem thrilled about dishing out their money for health insurance. Something that they think will not be necessary for them considering their young age. After all, if you take care of yourself, are never sick, and do some exercise you won’t really need health insurance would you?
No doubt about it you do. As a matter of fact, it might even be obligatory depending on what school you go to. A lot of schools have taken this to a whole new level and are actually requiring that any student who is enrolled have an active health insurance plan. Studies and medical research have shown that campus life is the ideal place for viruses and other diseases to grow and cause illness to the many tenants on campus. The very thing that makes it fun to live on campus, could lead to plenty of Doctor’s bills and hospital costs. Not to mention prescription costs which seem to go up on a daily basis. To put all of this in perspective, lets say that a student catches the common cold and needs some medications for it. By the time you go to your doctor and fill your prescription, you could be down over $350.00 without health insurance!
Sometimes students don’t even realize they no longer have health insurance because they used to be under their parent’s health plan. The truth is, these plans usually only cover local doctors so if you are attending college out of state, you just might find yourself out of luck. If you are depending on such insurance, make sure that you are still covered.
If you are not or find yourself without insurance, our recommendation is to get one as soon as possible. Many Universities offer a quick solution to this problem by providing low-cost student health insurance plans designed specifically to cover illnesses to students that are studying away from their home. These plans are sometimes offered by the University itself but most of the time are issued by a local health insurance provider through the University. In any case, these plans are generally very affordable since you typically get a group rate. Usually, you will end up paying somewhere around $1000 annually for health insurance which is a great deal considering you get the peace of mind of being covered from most injuries that could occur on campus and know that you don’t have to break the wallet every time you have to visit the doctor.
The only thing to note with these types of health insurances is their minimum hour requirement needed to maintain eligibility. All of these plans have a certain number of credits you need to be taking to qualify for the insurance. Make sure you check with your provider to know the specifics and to make sure you qualify every semester for this great deal.
In conclusion, your health should be a top priority and health insurance is not something you should try to skimp out on. The money you think you are saving by not having health insurance could evaporate and then some if something does happen to you while in college.
Selling back textbooks can be a great way to recoup some of the costs of the outrageous prices of textbooks. Unfortunately school bookstores usually...
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