How to Spot a Diploma Mill

With online schools popping up all over the Internet, it can sometimes be hard to differentiate between the schools that are legitimate, and the ones that are just after your money. Diploma mills plague the Internet and if you’re not careful, you can wind up with an expensive diploma that will be worthless in the real world.

While a quick and easy method of obtaining a diploma may sound like a great deal, these are fraudulent degrees that usually require little to no actual schooling. Not only could this place you in an awkward position if you do get hired due to your lack of training, most employers will immediately recognize the fake degree and promptly dismiss you.

Don’t panic though: there are many very easy ways to spot a diploma mill before you fork over any money. Here are some obvious signs of a diploma mill:

• The school is not listed on the Department of Education website, which lists all accredited colleges.

• The institution offers a degree for a very short period of study (i.e., promises like, “Get your bachelor’s degree in just six months!”).

• The tuition is based on the degree rather than quarter, semester, or credit hours.

• Tuition is discounted if the student enrolls in multiple degree programs.

• There are numerous spelling and grammar errors on the website, within communications, and even on the diploma.

• The website is not professional.

• You found the diploma mill by clicking on a pop-up Web advertisement.

• The institution’s name or website sound and look very similar to another, accredited university.

• It does not list any accrediting agencies, or it refers to a fake accrediting agencies.

• A diploma mill might list a large and impressive list of accrediting agencies even though it’s a small institution.

• The institution’s address is a P.O. box or a suite rather than having a street address or physical location.

• The professors have little to no communication with the students.

• The Institution emphasizes that they provide college credit for lifetime and work experience.

• The institution will accept any student, you may not need a high school diploma to get a bachelor’s degree, or you may not need to prove that you have a bachelor’s degree to gain a master’s or doctoral degree.

Sarah Snow is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on obtaining an online bachelor’s degree for Guide to Online Schools.

The MBA Option

When deciding on an MBA program, students do not often have the luxury of relocation, athletic scholarships, or a schedule dedicated solely to education, as is the case for many prospective undergraduates. The decision to work toward an MBA degree is frequently made in order to develop knowledge and further a career path. Given the fact that a career is a large determining factor when choosing a master of business administration program, prospective students are often working, starting a family, or are in some way settled. With these lifestyles, an online MBA program is often an attractive option, accommodating even the busiest schedules.

As with any academic endeavor, there are many preparatory steps and admission requirements when seeking an MBA. In order to be considered for an MBA program, a student must possess an earned bachelor’s degree. Many master of business administration programs require the bachelor’s degree be from an accredited university or college in order to enroll. Be sure to gain a full understanding of all U.S. Department of Education accreditations, as some academic institutions are accredited differently. Also, when conducting research, be sure to take note of any necessary minimum grade point average and/or standardized test scores.

Once a program is selected, specific coursework and concentrations will allow the student to further apply and advance knowledge based on a chosen area of study. This chosen direction is an extremely important decision, as it will shape your professional future and allow for personal growth. Most programs offer many concentrations and prospective students can find coursework in their current profession or according to new interests. These topics usually include:

• General Management
• E-business Management
• Global Management
• Information Technology Management
• Marketing Management
• Financial Management

With these courses, MBA graduates will gain business knowledge, leadership abilities, and invaluable networking resources. MBA coursework will teach you the importance of multi-disciplinary characteristics and strategic thinking. Problem solving is also extremely beneficial in today’s business environment, and through relevant courses students will not only learn effective problem solving, but also reporting and presentation skills. Many programs also include a portfolio piece, applied project, and personal web space for online development. These interactive experiences provide students with something tangible and applicable to any career.

The multi-media technology, extensive course subject matter, and hands-on business experience that master of business administration programs provide students is invaluable, making an MBA degree a clear choice to open the doors for advancement. When seeking an MBA, whether researching traditional campus locations, online colleges, full or part-time coursework; be sure to understand all of your options, and choose a program that is right for you and your career ahead. Also keep in mind that many programs offer the ability to begin courses year-round, so enroll to begin a journey to higher education and a superior career path.

Top 10 Reasons to Pursue a BSN Online

Whether you’re just graduating high school or have been out in the working world for a few years, earning a BSN online could be the right choice for you. A bachelor’s degree in nursing can open many employment doors and give you a great deal of personal satisfaction as you work to improve the lives of others–and pursuing one online means you do it on your own time and at your own pace.

And there are many more benefits of pursuing a BSN online; here are the:

Top 10 Reasons to Pursue a BSN Online

1. Great chances of finding a job after you graduate.
The health care industry is known as recession-proof as professionals are needed no matter the state of the economy, and nursing is especially always in need of qualified individuals.

2. Excellent job growth.
The U.S. Department of Labor predicts much faster than average growth in the nursing profession, with job opportunities particularly excellent for registered nurses in physicians’ offices and home health care services.

3. Potentially great salaries.
Registered nurses can make good money. According the the U.S. Department of Labor, registered nurses had median annual earnings of $57,280 in May 2006.

4. Management opportunities.
With a BSN, you’ll make yourself eligible for management positions, which often pay higher than RN salaries, and, of course, afford more responsibility.

5. The opportunity to work in various employment settings.
Registered nurses can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, nursing homes, rehabilitation settings, government agencies, and more.

6. The opportunity to travel.
If you choose to become a traveling nurse or even work abroad, you can stay in places you had only dreamed of visiting–and get paid to do it.

7. Flexible scheduling.
Although you may not have much of option when you first start working somewhere, nursing may offer the opportunity to work different shifts and hours that fit with your schedule (or your children’s schedules).

8. It’s never boring!
Say what you will about nursing, but there’s hardly ever a dull day on the floor. No matter what your specialty, you’ll be required to think on your feet and make important decisions all the time.

9. Specialize in one area of nursing.
If you like children, you can focus on pediatrics; if you want to work in the emergency room, you can choose that as well. Even better, you can also change specialties throughout your career to keep things interesting.

10. Help others.
Although this is last on this list, it’s probably the most important reason that many people enter nursing. There are very few professions that offer you the chance to positively impact other people’s lives every single day, but nursing is one of them.

Guest post by freelance writer Michelle Fabio, who writes for the education channel at About.com and for several online education websites.

5 Steps to Finding the Right Career for You

If you know you’re ready for a career change but haven’t yet pinpointed which direction you should follow, it’s time to sit down, weigh your options, and follow these five steps to finding the right career for you:

1. Make lists of what you enjoy doing and what you’re good at.

Grab a pen and paper and write down anything and everything you enjoy doing–or used to enjoy doing when you had more free time–and also all the things you excel at doing.

Did you have dreams of pursuing a certain career as a child? Write it down! No matter how silly something seems, include it in the list; you never know what can spark career ideas for you. Ideally, the lists will overlap in some places, and that’s where you should start exploring career options.

2. Take career tests.

Another great way to find some career direction is by taking self-discovery quizzes and tests, which can help elucidate your skills, talents, goals, and values. While there are many career and personality tests you can take and pay to get your results analyzed, here are some free ones you can do online:

• The Big Five Personality Test
• Career Decision-Making Tool
• Career Values Test
• Motivated Skills Test
• Various tests from TestingRoom.com

3. Research possible new career paths.

Once you’ve narrowed down your field of potential careers paths, it’s time to do some research. Find out as much as possible about the work, salary, job outlook, and educational training and experience required to pursue the careers you’re considering. The Bureau of Labor Statistics

4. Talk to people in your new chosen field, take an entry-level job in the sector, or volunteer.

When you’ve further narrowed down your career choices, you should get out and get some firsthand information. Talk to people in the profession about what the job is really like, what day to day activities are involved, and if possible, get some experience yourself by volunteering or shadowing someone if you can’t get a paying position. Along with gaining valuable experience and information, you can also start making valuable contacts for potential future employment.

5. Get your ducks in a row.

This is a very general way of saying that now it’s time to make sure you have the time, energy, and financial resources necessary to make this career change. Changing careers can be exciting and, well, life-changing, but they take a lot of planning, patience, and mental and emotional toughness, so be sure you’re ready for the challenge.

Guest post by Michelle Fabio, About.com Guide to Law School, who also writes aboutcounseling degrees at CounselingDegrees.org.

Importance of Online Colleges and Education

So, you’ve been thinking about advancing your education in United States so that you can gain that extra earning power that college graduates enjoy. It is well known that college graduates have a lower risk of unemployment, enjoy better job quality, are more likely to be in high-level positions and have much greater promotion prospects because of their advanced level of education. Perhaps you already have your bachelors and want to get your masters so that you are ready for greater opportunities that come your way. No matter what degree level you want to pursue, you can do it all from the comfort of your home through online degree programs offered by online colleges. 

If you are considering studying for an online college degree, then you are not alone. Online colleges and universities are becoming very popular as more and more people are realizing the benefits of online learning. Pursuing a college degree online is an advantageous way to study as you can learn at your own pace and on your own time. But even with all the advantages of pursing an online college degree, is an online college right for you?

Pursuing an online college degree is not for everyone. You need to have the right characteristics to study for an online college degree. Some of the characteristics needed when pursuing an online college degree are:

Self-motivation & Self-discipline
Ability to prioritize
Ability to set your own goals
Good reading comprehension
Self-Motivation & Self-Discipline

You need to be highly self-motivated and self-disciplined and thus, be able to work without supervision. Since you don’t have a set class times at online colleges, it will be up to you to set your own studying times. It will help if you plan out your day and carve the same specific time each day to study. Self-discipline is required so you resist the urge of other distractions in your home such as doing the laundry, washing the dishes or watching TV. Self-discipline will also help you stick to your deadlines.

Ability to Prioritize

If you are choosing to pursue an online college degree, then it is probably because you have many other commitments to juggle such as work and family. Once you have made the commitment to attend an online college, then you must keep in mind that your education is just as an important of a commitment. With that mentioned, you should possess the ability to prioritize your schedule. 

Just because online college degree programs are flexible, this does not mean the courses are easy, nor does it mean you can procrastinate class assignments and projects. With the many other commitments you have, it is important to prioritize your schedule, set deadlines, and as mentioned above, stick to the deadlines you set.

Ability to Set Your Own Goals

As with getting a degree through a traditional campus college, it is easy to fall off track without clear goals. Thus it is important to set both short-term and long-term goals when you pursue an online college degree. Some online colleges allow you to get a degree at your own pace and your pace will determine whether you get your online college degree in two years or ten years. When you pursue an online college degree you should set reasonable short-term goals such as taking 6-8 units (or as much as you can take) per quarter or semester. These short-term goals will help you reach your long-term goal with ease and will show the progress you are making towards achieving your long-term goal.

Good Reading Comprehension

A good level of reading comprehension is needed as online colleges teach primarily through written material written at college level. While you may have interaction with your classmates and/or instructor, the interaction will be done primarily through e-mail, chat rooms, and message boards.

If you find it difficult to attend college courses on campus, attending an online college is a great way to earn your degree. With online colleges and universities, you now have the opportunity to advance your education without having to push aside previous commitments. Just keep these characteristics in mind and you can be successful in advancing your education by earning your college degree online.

Student Loan Consolidation – The Best Financial Aid

With tuition costs rising across the country, it has become increasingly necessary for college students to take on debt in an effort to get their degree. But student loan repayments are often difficult for students to make, especially considering that early on graduates incomes are typically quite a bit lower then their ultimate earning potential. Due to these circumstances,Student Loan Consolidation is a valuable option for many recent college grads to pursue. 

How Student Loan Consolidation Works

Student Loan consolidation works like most consolidation programs. A single lender takes on the various loans you have accumulated, like Stafford, Perkins, HEAL, NSL, and private loans. While the terms and repayment conditions vary among these many different lenders, a single loan consolidation company will pay off all these loans and offer you a single, typically longer term, loan. What this means practically, is that instead of having to pay off one loan in 3 years, another in 5, and another in 10, or having one loan’s interest rate be fixed and another variable, all your loans are compiled under a single system. You can then negotiate with your loan consolidation lender, about the terms of the loan. Typically, students opt for a repayment plan of 10 to 30 years. Obviously, the longer the term of the loan, the lower your monthly payment will be. 

Why Consolidate?

Consolidating your student loans offers you the opportunity to stretch out your payments, so as to take advantage of your future earning power. It is quite reasonable for students to believe that they will earn more as their careers progress, and by stretching out the length of their repayments, they won’t have to pay the most on their loan while their income is at its lowest point. Another benefit of student loan consolidation programs is that they take a lot of the confusion and problems out of student loan repayment. For recent graduates who have loans from a variety of public and private lenders, keeping up with the unique terms and conditions of every loan can often be a bit of a nuisance. For these reasons consolidation is a very popular option. But that does not mean that it is not without its costs.

Why Not Consolidate?

Loan consolidation of any variety, is so appealing for lenders because they can charge relatively high “consolidation” fees. While student loan consolidation is regulated better than most forms, loan consolidation companies still manage to add quite a bit to the principle of the loan (that you will ultimately have to pay back) in the form of fees. One way to avoid this is to insist that you be offered the opportunity to pay for ALL consolidation fees upfront. By doing this, you can ensure that you will at least be made aware of the quantity of charges being imposed upon you. Another problem with loan consolidation is that by extending the terms of your loans (say from 5 to 15 years) you dramatically increase the amount of interest you pay on your loans. Your interest payments on your loans accumulate over time. This means that the longer you take to pay your loan back, the more interest will accumulate. Many students fail to notice this, as they only focus on the interest rate, and not the total amount of interest that will be paid over the life of the loan.

Student loan consolidation is a valuable tool

students who want to defer their repayments until they earn more or for those who find the nuisance of maintaining many of their individual loans to be too troublesome. It is important for recent graduates to consider, however, that these benefits, despite what lenders may lead you to believe, do not come without negative tradeoffs. By being aware of both the positives and negatives of student loan consolidation, you can make more educated decisions about the whether student loan consolidation is the right solution for you.

An Online College Degree in No Time – Fund Your Way Through School With Student Financial Aid

There are hundreds of resources available to students who want to continue their education and receive an online college degree but are unable to pay for it up front. Whatever route you’re choosing for student financial aid – an unpaid monetary gift or re-paid financial assistance – funding your way through school is achievable. Money no longer needs to be a factor in your decision to return or even go to school the first time around!

To decide which type of student financial aid would suit your educational pursuits, the following information on loans and scholarships should come in handy. Before enrolling at any school to acquire your online college degree, however, you need to make sure that it’s accredited, the degree program you’re interested in is eligible for student financial aid, and you’ve discussed your situation with the college’s representatives in the financial aid office.

FAFSA: Student Financial Aid

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is an office of the U.S. Department of Education that provides student financial aid or monetary assistance to eligible individuals who wish to continue their educations well beyond high school and receive a traditional or online college degree. FAFSA strives to encourage all Americans to achieve a higher education and realize the power that it has within our society.

By partnering with a large number of postsecondary schools in the U.S., FAFSA is able to play a vital role in ensuring that interested individuals have ample student financial aid to continue their schooling and receive an online college degree. The program, which processes 14 million applications each year, distributes more than $80 billion per year in student financial aid to eligible applicants (1). To apply online or learn more, please visit FAFSA’s website.

Students Loans

In essence, student loans are low-interest monetary assistance from the government to help cover the cost of education (tuition) as well as books, housing, and incidentals. However, upon graduation and receipt of your online college degree, the loan must be re-paid. There are three types of student loans: federal student loans doled out to the students themselves; federal student loans to parents, which are normally referred to as PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students); and private student loans, which are funded by banks and/or financial companies rather than the government.

Advocates for private student loans say that this type of student financial aid combines the best of the low-interest rates, but with a higher loan amount and a longer grace period. Private loans have two methods of disbursement of funds – school to channel (money is distributed to the school) and direct to consumer (money is given to the individual to use as he or she sees fit). Before deciding which type of loan is appropriate for your particular situation, do your homework! Federal student loans require that you are enrolled in college for a certain amount of hours each semester, while private student loans begin accruing interest rather quickly (2).

Loan Forgiveness Programs

While loan forgiveness is not necessarily a way to fund your way through school, it is an excellent way to eliminate your loan debt quickly once you’ve received your traditional or online college degree. The government has devised a way to purge most (and sometimes all) debt for students who involve themselves in community or military service or work for AmeriCorps, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), Teach for America, Peace Corps, National Health Service Corps, or teach students in a low-income area (3).

Most of these programs, which serve underprivileged families and individuals, will forgive a large portion of your loan debt if you work full-time upon graduation. The National Health Service Corps, for instance, pays up to $25,000 per year towards your debt. To learn more, visit the Sallie Mae website.

Scholarships

Attend the college of your choice and acquire your online college degree – for free! How is that possible? Student financial aid in the form of scholarships from organizations, clubs, and fund programs all over the United States offer billions of dollars to students around the nation to help them realize their dreams. Scholarships recognize scholastic achievements or merits, while some focus on personal interests, community involvement, and/or financial need. You may be required to write at length on a topic or simply submit some detailed information on your educational interests.

Best of all, scholarships are free money in your pocket – you do not have to re-pay this gift! To learn more about scholarships or to find a few that may be of interest to you, please visit Fastweb.com.

Realize Your Dreams with an Online College Degree

If you receive a loan, the important thing to keep in mind is that you’ve been given more money than needed. Try not to spend it all; tuck some away and save it for when you must begin re-paying the loan. Otherwise, you may find yourself with a large loan bill each month (with all the interest to boot). If you’ve received a few scholarships or other type of student financial aid, congratulations! This money is yours and you can do what you wish with it. You are off the hook and are released from re-paying these generous contributions to your educational pursuits to receive an online college degree.

Regardless which student financial aid route you decide to take, enrolling in college, learning all you can, and acquiring your online college degree are things to be proud of!

Sources

1. federalstudentaid.ed.gov

2. finaid.org

3. collegeanswer.com
Kimberly Diane, now a frequent contributor to EducationAdvancementOnline.com, previously served as a direct consultant to numerous accredited online colleges and universities for several years. Education Advancement Online, which promotes higher education for non-traditional students seeking an online college degree or certification program, is a premier online education directory that is a one-stop shop for available degree programs from institutions all over the United States. For more information on Education Advancement Online or to search for degree programs, please visit http://www.educationadvancementonline.com

— By Kimberly Diane

Online Nursing Degrees – A Gateway to Join Nursing As Career

Nursing is very respectable profession. Huge numbers of job opportunities with excellent benefit packages are available for nurses. Besides these advantages people who join nursing as a profession also find personal satisfaction because it is really a great feeling to help miserable patients. Nurses help patients in many different ways. Nurses take care of pregnant women and newborns and also help injured and sick people. They facilitate patients and families to decide best combination of health and social services such as hospitals, home care, rehabilitation, physical therapy and others. Nurses are able to design effective plan that ensures suitable nursing care.

What is Nursing?

Nursing is the combination of science and technology with caring skills. Nurses apply all the science and technology they learned during their studies. With recent advancements in technology and medical sciences nursing has become very rewarding career. Nursing education enables you to learn many skills such as diagnosis of disease, assessment of patient physical condition, emotional state, lifestyle, hopes and fear. You will also able to plan the specific goals for patient’s improvement. You will learn about how to execute treatments and prescribed drugs for the betterment of patients. You will also able to decide changes in treatment plan on the basis of regular evaluation of results of previous plan.

Working Options at Hospitals

In hospitals nurses work every where. In fact they work in all departments of hospitals. Nurses are considered as the major single component of any hospital staff. Nurses are crucial contributor of hospital patient care as well as home patient care. Following is the list of areas of hospital where nurses are actively working and providing their services.

• Bed side patient care units
• Operation theaters, trauma centers and emergency rooms
• Medical record room and other medical offices
• Intensive care units ICU
• Surgical and recovery units
• X-rays and other diagnostic units
• Pediatrics
• Newborn nurseries and neonatal intensive care unit
• Psychiatric and drug treatment centers
• Patient care in ambulances and helicopters
• Laboratories
• Obstetrics department and many more

Working Options for Nurses

Nurses have lot of options regarding choice of work they want to do, where they want to do and when they want to do. Following is the list of such option.

• Long term care centre includes rehabilitation, nursing homes and hospitals.
• Medical Offices such as eye doctors, dentists, obstetricians, surgeons, and others
• Community Health Clinics
• Home care visiting nurses, private duty nurses
• Self Supporting Outpatient and surgery Centers
• Nursing schools as professors
• Corporate health centers occupational safety, consultants and educators
• Other companies such as pharmaceutical, medical technology, biotech and others
• Insurance and managed care companies
• Research centers for example research nursing
• Schools including K-12, university clinics
• Military
• Peace Corps and international service organizations
• Hospital regulators nurses conduct surveys and inspections

Job Hours

Nurses are allowed to work any time during the whole day with restriction of specific time frame. Nurses can work in days, evenings and nights. Nursing shift can be as short as 8 hours and also continue till 12 hours. Nurses can also work for long duration that is 36 hours in 3 days and 40 hours in 4 days. Such nurses get 3 to 4 days off. Some nurses only work on weekends on part time basis. This shows that profession of nursing offers extremely flexible working hours.

Economic growth in industry/Salary Information

Statistical data shows that there is a shortage of well trained and educated nurses. This shortage is due to the fact that current nursing workforce is expected to retire over the next 10-15 years and more trained nurses are required to replace them by year 2020. Licensed Practical Nurse can earn $35,000 to $40,000 per year. Registered Practical Nurse can earn $40,000 and $60,000 per year.

How to Become a Nurse?

High school diploma holders are eligible to join nursing school. If you want to become nurse you can join any nursing school and earn required degree in nursing. Different degrees are available from entry level to advance level. Different certification and licensure exams are also available. Different top accredited universities and colleges offer all these degrees. Now a day’s different top accredited online universities and online colleges offer different nursing degrees online. These degrees include Associate Degree in Nursing Online, Bachelor Degree in Nursing Online and Master Degree in Nursing Online. Online universities offer Nursing Degrees Online with flexibility to learn. You can attend your class any time from any where whenever is convenient for you. These top accredited online universities also provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships, grants and student loans. Nursing degrees online are also value able if you obtain them from top accredited online universities.

Licensure

After completion of your degree whether you have earned it from traditional university or from any top accredited online university, you need to get license to work as (RN) Registered Nurse or (LPN) Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LVN). It is necessary to get registered in the state where you are working professionally. You will have to take the NCLEX-RN® or NCLEX-PN® license examination to become licensed nurse.

Qualities of Good Nurse

Besides having these degrees a good nurse must have following qualities.

• Nurses must have leadership and organizational skill
• They have to be polite and flexible.
• They must have courage to face crisis and stay calm in bad conditions.
• With good sense of humor nurses must have sympathetic nature.
• A good nurse should have problem solving skills to tackle any problem.

If you further need some information about online degrees in nursing you can visit this site http://www.onlinenursingdegree.ws/index.html – it will provide you independent knowledge about all online degrees available in the field of nursing.

Online College Education – The Pros and Cons You Must Know

One of the benefits of an online college education is that your chances of getting a lucrative and enjoyable job will increase. I’m specifically talking about cases where a job is only available to candidates who (for example) hold a university or college degree. The average person will see an income difference of approximately $1 million dollars over their non-degree competition over the span of a lifetime.

As you are probably already aware online learning can be a great way to get a new diploma or upgrade from your previous education. For someone considering this option the internet is a great place to find relevant and up to date information regarding learning online. The internet does not discriminate against religion, race, education, class, or background which helps build a sense of equality in bettering a student’s education.

Due to the positive atmosphere the internet can create, online education will produce a healthier learning environment and a greater quality of education to all society. Sure, you can always go back to school in a traditional setting, but you can also take classes online. The internet is a powerful education tool.

Distance education teaches various subjects through various correspondence methods. Audio and videotapes, telephone conferences, cable or satellite television, fax, electronic mail and the Internet are the main means of this type of education. It should be noted, though, that not all education programs and training over the Internet are reliable. Also if your computer is over two years old, it could be outdated and unable to handle the demands of attending an online institution.