Recessions can be a persuasive case to reevaluate your current career path, your income, even your current employment status. If your career path hasn’t been as rewarding as you had thought, it might be time to change careers. If your income seems too low, a college degree or graduate degree will definitely improve your income. Finally, if you’ve been laid off as a result of the recession, going back to school can perhaps be the best investment you might make. Let’s go over the top 5 reasons people have reported for going back to school.

#1 – A Recession is Temporary, an Education is Permanent
Recessions never come at a good time as their unpredictable nature is not something we typically plan for. However what is predictable is that recessions are temporary – typically 2-3 years; just enough time to finish that degree you might have started on. If you haven’t started it, now is definitely the time. An education is permanent and will carry you throughout your life, both financially and intellectually. And it only takes 4 years to almost double your income. The average high school graduate will top out at $31,000 per year while a post graduate will earn more than $75,000.

#2 - There’s No Better Time to Build a Better Future for You and Your Family
A recession, particularly a layoff, provides a ripe time for some reflection on your achievements and how they relate to your ultimate goals in life. If you find yourself without further opportunity, then it’s time to create that opportunity. To do so, you need to be competitive and increase your skills and knowledge with a degree. Employers value degrees that add value to their organization and reward them proportionately.

#3 – Find Yourself with a Career Change
During your self-reflection, you might find yourself asking whether your career is emotionally and intellectually fulfilling or if you even enjoy your current industry. Too many people go through life in misery of their job and it’s completely unnecessary. All it takes is a little planning and commitment. First find your passion, and then find out what schools and degrees can train and validate your career change.

#4 – College is More Flexible and Affordable than You Might Expect
Universities are becoming more and more flexible with class times offering morning sessions, evening sessions, even weekend classes. These same institutions are also offering full programs online eliminating the need to actually attend class in person. Furthermore, although a 4 year degree is increasing in costs, with careful planning you can achieve your education without sinking into debt. Testing out of classes with CLEP is certainly one of the most effective. Finding and obtaining scholarships from Fastweb and the Financial Aid Resources page can help tremendously. Finally, Federally Subsidized Stafford loans are a huge benefit to consider as the Government will actually pay your interest while you’re in school.

#5 - Insulate Yourself from a Poor Job Market
A recession might just be the time to commit yourself to school full time. By removing yourself from the job market altogether, you can ride out the recession without the stress of trying to make ends meet. This might require more planning and perhaps more school loans, however depending on your circumstances and with a proper cost/benefit analysis, you might find that the debt incurred by such a commitment will more than payoff in the long-term.

Ultimately you need to consider an economic recession as opportunity for advancement, rather than a gamble to keep your job. If you choose to increase your skills and knowledge with that degree you’ve always wanted, you might just find that recession over before you know it while working in an emotionally, intellectually, and financially rewarding career.

Have you considered testing out of your college classes? Well you can get ahead quickly if you do and one way to achieve this is by taking the CLEP exam, the College-Level Examination Program® tests, which most colleges and universities accept. Below you can view examples of 5 English Composition exam questions that you can expect to see on the test.

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First of all, in order to ask your boss for a raise, you’ll need to know you’re worth it. Have you made improvements at work? Have you pulled some late nights? If you’re confident in your abilities and what you’ve done for the company, then you have what it takes to follow it through.

How much am I worth?

There are some secrets to negotiating salary increases, but first do your research to find out what you think you’re worth. Find out what the industry standard for your industry, and then think about what you do. First check out Monster.com’s Read the rest of this entry »

The College-Level Examination Program® or CLEP is a little known secret for most however those that are aware of it, speed through their freshman and sophomore years while playing a lot more, and spending a lot less. The CLEP tests or exams are proficiency tests that are relatively easy to pass and enable you to earn college level credit for entire classes, for about $60, saving you perhaps thousands in tuition costs. Burn through those annoying prerequisites i.e. English, History, Math, Biology and Chemistry and go straight to your upper division units. And virtually every school accepts them.

Private schools and public schools alike accept the CLEP exam. Over 2900 colleges and universities from City Colleges to State Universities, even Vocational Schools up to Ivy League Universities. Read the rest of this entry »

Listed below are the 311 Colleges and Universities in California that accept the College-Level Examination Program® CLEP tests. These are college level tests which upon passing, grant college level credit.
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Alternatives: Video Resume, Brochure Resume, Personal Website Portfolio, Chat Sessions, Power Point CV

Keywords: Job Hunting, Resume Writing, Resume Example, CV Sample, Free Resume Help, How To Resume, Professional Resume, Format

Have you been writing your resume and wondering how you can really make it stand out? Some might format it with their best picture, and others might highlight certain spots. But one isn’t limited to paper as this is the age of the internet - websites, streaming video, chat utilities etc. Just think out of the box - and use all of the resources available today to customize and offer your prospective employers an alternative resume, Read the rest of this entry »

Announcement: Edugree presents its new Message Boards and Forums for your Career & Education Planning and Discussion. We’re starting with a very basic category structure: Grad School Forums that included Business School, Law School and Med School; Undergrad Forums sorted by majors; and Career Advice forums sorted by Career Development, Industry Discussion, and Job Search advice. We hope to find it a valuable resource as time goes on and invite you to join the discussion as either a coach with advice, or simply one who needs it.

Please visit here: http://edugree.com/forums/