Monthly Archives: November 2011

The Most Popular Education Majors

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For people who don’t mind talking to groups, are comfortable around kids (or young adults) and have a strong desire to learn and share their knowledge, education is an excellent career choice. There are currently over 13 million people employed in education in the United States; it is the second largest industry nationwide. Contrary to the popular perception that teachers receive low pay, statistics from the Bureau of Labor point out that educational administrators, counselors and teachers actually earn slightly more on average than the typical American worker.

Not surprisingly, education is also a popular choice for college major. A recent ranking of the top ten most popular college majors featured two direct educational fields of study (elementary education and general education), as well as a number of majors that are likely to lead to a career in education (psychology, English, political science, etc.). That last point makes it difficult to track which majors are the most popular in education. Often, students will study a field like math or English or history with the goal of teaching that subject, but they are not technically studying education. There are dozens of individual majors under the broad spectrum of education, and their popularity tends to fluctuate with the job market. One of the best ways to track the most popular college majors (both currently and for the near future) is to follow the jobs.

The government has recently created demand for education jobs in certain areas by funding mandates for special education and increasing the emphasis on standardized testing in schools. The special education mandates created a need for more special education teaching specialists, and this need will no doubt increase over the next decade. For this type of job, a special education major would, of course, be the most applicable. To help with improving test scores, schools are looking for child development specialists. Also, parents are seeking the services of private tutors and tutoring agencies to get their children help with the skills they need to succeed on those high-stakes tests. The tutoring agency market is really exploding right now, and it often features some innovative pay structures, including significant performance-based bonuses. Tutors, child development specialists and coaches could come from a wide variety of education majors, including early childhood education, K-12 education, reading and literature, special education or just about any specific subject (math, science, etc.).

Corporations are hiring a lot of education majors these days as well. Fortune 500 companies are recruiting education graduates to help them communicate better within their companies and with the general public. Educations students who concentrated their studies in communications. journalism or math can find jobs with private companies as policy analysts, corporate strategists or public relations specialists. There are already a large number of education majors holding positions in mass media as writers, producers and reporters, and this trend will most likely continue. Finally, those with education degrees are heavily involved in the high-growth areas of executive coaching and corporate training. Successful businesses are finding it is less costly and more effective to cultivate and train talent in their own ranks rather than to go out and recruit rising stars from elsewhere in their industry. This niche can be a very financially rewarding one. To pursue a career in the corporate world, a student could benefit from a major in corporate training, adult education or educational leadership.

One last growing area of jobs for education majors is online teaching. As online colleges have become more popular, even traditional universities have added web-based choices to their course catalogs. This creates a need for adjunct faculty. The nice thing about online teaching is that a professor can teach at multiple institutions relatively easily. In some cases, a professor teaching online can actually earn more than a tenured professor working at a single four-year institution. Adult education, education technology and specific subject majors (psychology, philosophy, literature, etc.) would be helpful for someone who wants to teach online.

There are a variety of opportunities available to students who wish to pursue a career in doctor of education. All they need to do is determine which type of career is most interesting to them and pick their major accordingly. Just about every major in education has a growing place in today’s job market, whether in the public or private sector. While this article has visited some of the most popular and fast-growing job choices and majors, it’s always a good idea to speak to a guidance counselor, recent graduate or professional within the target industry to find out what sort of future awaits a student who follows a particular course of study.

This guest post article was written and provided by Lindsey Stinson who one day hopes to become a doctor of education and is currently a freelance writer and currently finishing her online Ed.D programs early next year.

From a Rock Star to a City Engineer

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High school dreams change along the way, ranging from a wish to be on stage to spending a career in business. But this student soon discovered a passion for engineering and unlocked the key to personal success.

In high school, I didn’t really know what I planned to study once I got to college. I dreamed of being everything from a rock star to a cosmetologist. My parents tried to steer me in different directions, as did my teachers. I had absolutely no idea what field I truly wanted to enter. I did enjoy science and math, as well as history, but also leaned toward the arts. My mom always preached that my love for the arts would never pay the bills. I kept my enthusiasm for arts, but only as a hobby, playing guitar on the weekends to help pay my way through college.

I started college as a business major, thinking I could start my own company doing whatever I was interested in at the moment. But I soon found I had an interest in engineering. My dad worked for our local municipality and I spent one summer working there as an office gopher for the city’s engineer. I had so many questions about this important role in our community and was fascinated by the different areas his job entailed. I was hooked. I changed my major the next semester and never looked back. The decision to follow this route has made such a difference in my life. I am grateful I was not afraid to change my major and embark on a new career path into a field I thoroughly enjoy.

A typical day for me during college varied from year to year, with some course loads harder than others. I enjoyed and learned a great deal along the way, but found getting involved in extracurricular activities truly broadened my horizons. I acted in a school play once, got involved with organizing a fundraiser for a local foundation and learned to work together as a team with others. That, combined with the skills I learned in my courses, helped me become a more rounded adult and even helped me prepare to become a supervisor of other employees. Most days in college included meeting with friends in the college gathering spot which was our student union building. We often had coffee and studied together in a courtyard on campus. I made many friends that I still keep in touch with to this day. I had some professors I liked more than others and have a couple I call on now for advice on my job.

I attended some job fairs during my senior year in the hopes of finding a job before graduation, but did not find anything that particularly appealed to me. I visited a couple different communities in other states and applied directly, hoping something would become available. These were cities of choice that I thought would be a perfect fit, but nothing was available at the time. Fortunately, I applied for and received an internship at a city complex in a nearby town close to my college and that led to a job offer upon graduation. I wound up working there for five years assisting a city engineer before accepting another job offer.

I currently work as a city engineer which is exactly what I hoped to do when I changed my major. I enjoy impacting my community and working together with downtown revitalization groups to restore historic sections of our city. In addition, I supervise some of our work crews and enjoy the people on my team. It is a challenging position and no two days are the same, but I truly enjoy what I do.

After graduation, the college parties had to come to a screeching halt and I had to get adjusted to the working world. No more calls home to mom and dad for extra cash to make it through the month. I was officially on my own and I had to grow up. Fortunately, I had a good foundation and was actually excited about making my own way. Putting the books away and actually putting the skills I learned in class to work felt great.

Learning how to manage money and budget for a household is a lesson I wish I had learned before graduation. Many students do not enter the real world with that knowledge and wind up deep in debt in no time. Credit card companies come calling even while you’re still in college. It is easy to get caught in that trap. I think basic lessons in personal financial management would have helped me, as well as many of my friends and classmates, prepare for life after graduation.

If I knew then what I know now I would have definitely studied more in college. I also would have studied differently as far as the material on which I focused my time. When you enter the working world with your degree, you are equipped, but different careers in your specialty may focus on different areas of your training. Had I known for sure I would be working as a city engineer, I likely would have added some different subjects to my course load just to fill in some gaps I have had to spend some extra time reading up on since becoming employed.

This city engineer shares with JustJobs.org some of the interesting things he learned throughout his career. You can also find other career stories, like and interview with a mechanical engineer.

Sowing the Right Seeds with an Interview Follow-Up Strategy

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Most people when they walk out of an interview just want to sink into a comfortable chair, breathe, and get their mind off whether they just made an absolute fool of themselves or not.  But the interview itself is only one part of a larger process that some people, to their later disappointment, neglect. 

The next chapter of the interview process, after the physical interview is over, can be just as important as the interview itself, even if it seems insignificant: the follow-up.  Generally people think companies mechanically pick the candidate who is best qualified on paper, never straying from some hiring formula that the HR department cooked up.  This is partly true; companies do seek out the best candidate, but they also want to be impressed by the resourcefulness and dedication of potential employees.

This means that the system can be manipulated.

Show the company that you are serious about the position by following up after your interview, and they are more likely to bend the rules to hire you, even if there is a more highly qualified candidate. 

However, there are some rules to following up.  You don’t want to sound desperate or creepy by calling every day or every hour to “follow up”; that is called stalking.  To get an idea of what your interview follow up strategy should look like, review this follow-up timeline:

1 Hour After Interview

Send a handwritten “Thank You” note expressing your gratitude for their time.  Also, try to recall anything funny, touching, or significant that came up in the interview and include that as well.  Be friendly, and show your potential employer how thoughtful you are, how closely you pay attention, and how much of a people person you are.  (But don’t be gushy or fake; they will see right through that.)

There is nothing like getting a letter in the mail.  Even today with all the many kinds of instantaneous communication, nothing shows real appreciation like a handwritten note.  It is authentic, paradoxically novel, and pleasantly surprising, and it will help you manipulate the system.

24 Hours After Interview

Send an email reiterating your appreciation for the interview opportunity.  This email should be professional and concise.  Everybody knows how to email, and a lot of people will, so don’t waste your employer’s time.  At this point in the timeline, you are finishing planting the seed you started to sow with the card.

72 Hours+ After Interview

Mix up your contact strategy with a phone call and one more email, but be sure to space them apart.  You want to reinforce the idea that you are very interested in the position, and that you aren’t just reactively sitting back waiting for them to make a decision.  You want to tip the scale in your favor, and well-timed, polite, and persistent communication will help do that.

If you follow this timeline, you can rest easy knowing that you have planted a seed in the minds of your potential employers.  After that, you wait for the harvest, which is now likelier to be bountiful. 

Byline:

This is a guest post by Kimberly Wilson. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement, time management etc.

5 Ways to Bolster Your Job Prospects — Even in a Tight Economy

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During economic slumps, many of us may be tempted to stop looking for ways to advance our careers. It seems good enough to hold on to the entry-level job we were lucky enough to get a year after college.

Yet, as the old saying goes, those who don’t try never succeed. That philosophy still applies even in the midst of a recession. You may feel like you jumped mountains to get your first job, but it might be time to start looking for the next.

Here are 5 ways you can prepare yourself for that next step:

  1. Get your degrees in order: Maybe you haven’t quite completed your bachelor’s degree. Or you’re in a field that requires more than just four years to advance to the next level. Whatever situation you find yourself in, start taking classes now to expand your skill set.  However, it’s important to continue in your current job if you’re in a field that you want to stay in. Never abandon an entry-level position in your field just to get a job that offers more flexibility.  Instead, enroll in evening and weekend classes at a local community college or take online master degree courses that allow you to work around your usual work schedule.
  2. Update your resume, online and off: Now is a great time to refine your resume. Obviously, go ahead and update your printable resume with additional accomplishments and skills, along with your current position. Besides that, though, you’ll also want to update your LinkedIn profile and add a Flavors.me landing page. It’s a great way to help get your information to jump higher in rankings if you have a fairly uncommon last name.
  3. Add to your list of achievements: If you’re in a field where competition is key, start submitting your work to various competitions for recognition, no matter how large or small they are. You’ll want to be able to add a line on your resume indicating that someone thinks you’re great at what you’re doing.
  4. Be a joiner: If your industry puts a little less emphasis on racking up blue ribbons, you can still prepare for a career move. Start joining as many groups and committees as you can. Even if they normally wouldn’t hold your attention, chances are good that you’ll get experience doing something new. This also is a great way to network within your company, since you’ll be interacting with people in other departments and your superiors. It also show you’re invested in your current company and you can let the word gently spread that you’re ripe for a promotion.
  5. Network all of your connections: Too often, we hesitate to reach out to co-workers when we’re looking for an advancement, especially if the position exists outside of the current company. But chances are good you can find mentors and sympathetic colleagues who have connections from previous jobs. Long gone are the days of staying with the same company, and likely your co-workers will understand that. Feel free to ask trustworthy officemates, but avoid gossips and your direct superiors.

Hunting down an advancement in an unstable environment seems risky, but letting your career sit dead in the water isn’t a safe bet either. Play it smart, though, and make sure you’re ready before you begin sending out your resumes.

Thinking of Becoming a Student? How to Live Well with Less Money

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In today’s economy, many working adults are returning to college. Whether it’s due to lay-off or a simple desire to enter a better career, college can be a great first step. Returning to school may mean that you need to cut back on your hours at work which, in turn, means a smaller paycheck. If you’re already living paycheck to paycheck, this can seem daunting. Follow these tips and you can live well while bringing home less.

1. Create a Budget

If you’ve not already been living according to a budget, now is the perfect time to create one. There are several online sites that will help you and just as many applications for your iPod or smart phone. Budget in your expenses: mortgage or rent, utilities, food, transportation costs, insurance premiums and grocery items. If you find that your output is larger than your intake, decide where you can realistically cut back.

2. Eat In

You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save if you cook your meals at home rather than stopping for lunch or dinner on the go. Consider cooking on the weekend and putting meals for the week in the freezer, reduced price goods from the supermarket could also save you a packet!

3. Coupons

You don’t have to jump on the band wagon of the latest extreme couponing craze but you can save money on the items you regularly purchase by keeping an eye out for coupons. Scan the store ads each week and look for BOGO sales; you always need hygiene items so stock up if there’s a good deal.

4. Store Cards

Many stores have rewards cards that help you rack up perks for shopping at their store. Look for a store that gives you points towards gasoline and do most of your shopping at that store. You’ll not only save money on the items you buy but you’ll earn yourself a great discount towards your next tank of gas.

5. Pay off Debt

When you figure out your budget, put extra money towards any credit cards that you have and pay them off sooner. The money you save on your monthly credit card payments can be put towards something else in your budget or even into a savings account.

6. Rent Textbooks

Renting textbooks can often save you several hundred dollars, even when you factor in selling them back to the book store at the end of the semester. Textbook rental has really taken off and is available all over the Net at sites like campbusbookrentals.com and Chegg.

7. Skip Starbucks

If you have a coffee fetish, invest in a Keurig and brew your own cup of coffee to go. For about 1/3 of the price of going to the coffee magnet, you can make the same cup of coffee in your own kitchen.

8. Buy Generic

Generic, or store, brands have come a long way. Consider your options when purchasing hygiene items and food. You’ll often get a better deal if you buy the store brand rather instead of the name brand.

For New Graduates Looking For Work In The UK

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For many new graduates, looking for work can be a daunting task. However, there are a number of resources available online which are very effective in helping students find entry level and graduate jobs. Today we are looking at a regional resource called TargetJobs.

TargetJobs is a UK based website with the goal of being the definitive guide for new graduate careers in the UK. Whether you live in the UK or are considering a work term abroad, TargetJobs is a great resource for guiding you through the process.

The site has a number of tools available to students, including:

Job Search Directory

This is a directory of UK companies that offer graduate schemes, jobs, training and work experience. This is a great place to start to gather information on your job search.

Job Board

Unlike most job boards, this one focuses almost exclusively on open entry level positions. It’s an easy way to target your search for new graduate openings in the UK.

Career Sectors

This section breaks down your job hunt into different industries and categories (ie. Consulting, Engineering, Finance, etc…). Within each section you will find a list of employers, articles and other resources related to graduate training.

Overall, I would recommend this for anyone looking for work in the UK. It’s another great tool for giving you a leg up in your job search.

Welcome to Gradversity!

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Welcome to Gradversity, the leading online resource for entry level job seekers. We’ve recently revamped the site to allow anyone with quality information on the new graduate job hunt to submit articles directly for publication. So take a look around and feel free to drop us a line with any comments!

Using Your Social Media Profile To Get Headhunters To Call

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Today, with the economy the way it is, no one is secure in their jobs and having a good professional headhunter is a definite plus. www.msc-headhunters.com can help you find a new job and sometimes a new career.

One way of attracting them is through your social media profile. Your social media profile is your online business card and a headhunter or prospective employer may view it to search for clues about you. Follow these tips to make a good impression on a headhunter who is viewing your profile:

  1. It’s vital to maintain a good online reputation so remove all photos and comments about any illegal activity and change your profile photo to one that portrays you in a respectful and professional manner.
  2. A headhunter will also search further and will look for your personality strengths, therefore if you do not showcase your strong points on your social media page a headhunter will not grasp the ‘real’ you. One way of displaying your strengths is to create a blog on your profile and update it frequently with posts on your achievements, interests, and future aspirations.
  3. You should be honest about yourself so don’t try to create a persona of someone you aren’t, as headhunters will see right through it when they speak to you in person or via telephone. If you are successful in obtaining obtaining contact from a headhunter it will usually be via telephone. When they call they will know certain business information about you such as how long you’ve been in your current job, your title, and obviously your business phone number and the company you work for. They will have acquired this information from your social media profile so don’t be alarmed if they know a lot. They may then ask you more detailed questions such as particular skills you might have and other companies that you’ve worked for. It’s the headhunter’s job to gather this information about you and to determine whether or not you’re qualified for a position that they’re trying to fill.
  4. The first thing to keep in mind is that you’re in control of the situation not the headhunter. It’s up to you to give out any information or none at all. If you’re uncomfortable taking the call at the time or in the location they call you, give them your home phone number or arrange another time to have the conversation.
  5. Be upfront with the headhunter with any information that you do give them. For instance, give them your exact current salary and tell them the salary you’re looking for if you are actively seeking another position. Tell them whether or not you would consider relocating and if business travel is an option for you. All this information will be passed on to a hiring manager so you must be truthful otherwise it could be considered as falsifying your application. If you falsify your information, the hiring manager will probably disregard your application and the headhunter will not call you back for future positions.
  6. The headhunter may tell you about a particular job opportunity and describe the position to you. Ask questions if you’re interested and if the headhunter cannot answer a question, they’ll follow up and give you a call back. If the position doesn’t sound like anything you’d be interested in, then be up front and tell the headhunter that.
  7. Don’t forget to always be professional and courteous on the phone to a headhunter. If you don’t, chances are that the headhunter will not keep contact with you.

The Slightly Devious Side to Volunteering

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Many students think volunteering is either a thing of the past or something that only rich, elderly country club members do. The secret that many people don’t ever hear is that volunteering can help you find a job. It seems callous to encourage you to work with homeless people so you can network, but it is a rather pleasant side effect to helping others.

Volunteering is important partly because not enough people are doing it. Note your consistent volunteer efforts with the same organization throughout your high school career, and it’s a guaranteed way to show that you’re passionate and concerned about your community. It also illustrates that you’re responsible and able to stick with one goal for the long term. Even one semester volunteering will give you an additional line on your résumé that you can be proud of. If you’re going the online education route, you’ll find volunteering a great way to get plugged into a community.

There is one catch, though. You have to be passionate about your volunteer work. If you can’t imagine yourself caring about another human being, skip it altogether and just try for another internship at the IRS. If you don’t have enthusiasm for what you’re doing, you’re not going to be able to convince a hiring manager that you didn’t just sit in the corner and wrack up community service hours. Follow a couple guidelines when choosing volunteer work and you’re can be proud of your service and happy to share it with human resources employees.

The main trick, of course, is to pick something you’re passionate about. If you grew up dreaming of throwing paint on fur-clad pedestrians, look into working at an animal shelter. There are as many non-profits as there are goals and ambitions. Fashionistas can look into programs like Dress for Success, which help prepare women for job interviews by creating resumes for them and helping them with interview techniques and even providing an interview-appropriate outfit.

If you can’t think of anything off the top of your head that you’d be interested in, contact your local United Way agency. Tell them your skill set, and they can put you in touch with nearby non-profits that could really use your skills. Be prepared to show them a resume, submit to a background check or even have a small interview. Non-profits need help, but like any other business they need to be able to trust their employees. Don’t go in expecting to save the world, but have the attitude that you’ll be contributing to the good that they’re doing. If you come in as a team player, you’ll become a valued member of the staff.

If you feel like you can’t volunteer because you need to have an income, look into an AmeriCorps program. AmeriCorps gives participants a living stipend monthly. You’ll need to remain drug-free and not be arrested for anything through the duration of your program, but that isn’t a problem for most grads. At the completion of your hours and term of service, you’ll be granted an education award that varies based on the amount of time you put into the program. Each program handles a different theme or works with a single organization, so you’ll want to pick one that’s both local and interesting to you.

Another dirty secret to volunteering is that non-profits hire. It’s that simple. Work at a non-profit, show you have skills they need, and apply for open positions. Even volunteering at a one-employee organization will give you valuable community ties and networking opportunities.