If you have ever considered studying education, you must have thought about this a hundred times. With the long list of professional degrees that are available today, does it even make sense to opt for a master of education in learning program? Is it a waste of time?

The answers to those questions are yes, it does make sense to study education even in this time and age, and no, it isn’t a waste of time.

In order to properly understand the answer, you will need to go through the following points.

The Right Degree

Choosing the right degree is particularly essential here as you do not want to waste precious years on something that doesn’t help your career in any way. The online MELCD degree that is being offered at Rutgers Online is the kind of program that you want to enroll yourself into for a number of reasons.

A MELCD stands for Master of Education in Learning, Cognition, and Development program, it will teach you about the very core of how people think, learn, adapt, and develop in any given environment. This is true in any field of education, irrespective of who or what you are trying to teach.

Take the Course Online

This is a practical suggestion based on the fact that in order to truly launch your career in any given field, it is best if you also pursue a professional or specialization program on the side. For example, if you have an MBA as well as a MELCD degree, you will do exceptionally well as a corporate trainer and your salary will be significantly higher. I

f you want to teach subjects to children at school or young adults at a college, you will most definitely need education in the respective subjects. The flexibility of schedule which an online course offers to its students makes it possible for them to pursue two or more courses simultaneously, thereby saving years in the process. Also, the courses are cheaper and allow their students the time to hold a job on the side. It’s basically a win-win scenario in most cases.

Career Paths

In spite of what your peers may tell you, the value of someone who knows how to teach is always going to be there in every field. If you are looking for specific career paths or prospects that you can look forward to after completing your master’s degree in education, the following should help you get an idea of what to expect.

• School teacher and school principal
• Instructional coordinator/curriculum director
• Education administrator, athletics administrator, alumni director at a university
• Dean, assistant dean
• Adult educator
• Corporate trainer

In case you already have a bachelor in education, going for a master’s degree is a no-brainer. Not only will it increase your prestige and knowledge as a teacher but it will also add a substantial amount to your annual salary as well. Just make sure that it’s a good program from a well-known university.

Can a Master’s Degree in Education Really Launch Your Career? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

They mean well, but they may be doing themselves and their children a disservice with less money saved and less tax relief.

Along with the traditional ways of saving for college with a 529 or a Coverdell Education Savings Account, parents are also saving for a college education through savings accounts and their retirement plans.

45% save for college in savings account

A recent study by T. Rowe Price found that 45 percent of parents saving for their kids’ college education are using a regular savings account, and 30 percent are using their 401(k) retirement account.

The study found that 31 percent are using a 529 account that’s designed to give them the most taxable savings when saving for college.

By not using a college savings account, they’re not only losing tax benefits, but may be making a lot less money on the interest rates the accounts make. And even if they’re making more money in a retirement account, that benefit may be lost when it’s time to pay income taxes.

Using a comparison calculator at Savingforcollege.com and researching federal income tax rates and average returns, here are how different savings vehicles would help in saving for a college education:

529 Plan

Federal income tax: Non-deductible contributions; withdrawn earnings excluded from income to extent of qualified higher education expenses.

Rate of return: Returns vary by state, but the Colorado plan, for example, has a return rate of 3.09 percent per year in 2015.

Overall, an average rate of return of 6-7 percent could be expected in a 529 plan for a college education.

Coverdell

Federal income tax: Non-deductible contributions; withdrawn earnings excluded from income to extent of qualified higher education expenses and qualified K-12 expenses also excluded.

Rate of return: One online calculator puts the default return rate for a Coverdell account at 8 percent. A Franklin Templeton guide to Coverdells also puts the average annual return at 8 percent.

Making a $2,000 contribution to a Coverdell account each year for 18 years with an 8 percent average annual return, compounded monthly, would result in $16,448 more in a tax-deferred investment than in a taxable investment, according to the guide. The tax-deferred Coverdell account in this scenario would have $83,524 after 18 years.

Savings account

Federal income tax: Interest earned on savings account is taxed as income.

Rate of return: As of Sept. 10, 2015, the standard rate of return for a money market savings account at Bank of America was 0.03 percent. We only chose BoA because it’s one of the biggest banks in the country.

One-year certificates of deposit are averaging 0.23 percent. That just barely beats the U.S. inflation rate of 0.2 percent.

U.S. savings bonds

Federal income tax: Tax-deferred for federal; tax-free for state; certain post-1989 EE and I bonds may be redeemed federal tax-free for qualified higher education expenses.

Rate of return: Series EE bonds pay 0.30 percent after 20 years, which is almost enough time before a newborn starts college.

Roth IRA

Federal income tax: Non-deductible contributions; withdrawn earnings excluded from income after age 59 1/2 – and five years; 10 percent penalty on early withdrawals waived if used for qualified higher education expenses.

Rate of return: The S&P 500 has an annual rate of return of 8.06 percent for the past 10 years. From January 1970 through December 2014 the S&P 500 has a return of 10.7 percent.

Traditional IRA

Federal income tax: Deductible or non-deductible contributions; withdrawals in excess of basis subject to tax; 10 percent penalty on early withdrawals waived if used for qualified higher education expenses.

Rate of return: Fidelity gives the example of a 7 percent rate of return for an IRA contribution.

401(k) retirement account

Federal income tax: Same as for a traditional IRA, except there isn’t a penalty waiver if the money is used for college expenses. In other words, a 401(k) shouldn’t be used to pay for college.

A loan from a 401(k) retirement plan can be taken out. Plan loans aren’t taxed or penalized if the loan is repaid within a specific period of time, generally within five years.

Rate of return: The Vanguard Wellington mutual fund, which is one of the most common balanced funds found in 401(k) plans, has an average annual five-year return rate of 12.07 percent as of June 30, 2015. Pulling money out through a loan to fund a college education would of course lessen the amount of money earning the return rate.

How to pay for a college education

Among all of these methods, borrowing or withdrawing money from a retirement account to pay for a college education seems like the biggest potential for not making as much money as you would through an education savings accounts. You might get a higher rate of return, but the tax implications could negate it.

But as college appears closer and closer, maybe that’s the best choice for parents who have put off or completely ignored saving for their child’s college education from the day they were born. Thinking seriously about it when high school graduation is only a few years away may help their kid get through college without any debt, but they may be giving up part of their retirement plans in the process.

If that’s the case, make sure your child graduates with a college education in a well-paying major so they can help support you in your old age.

Most Parents Saving for Kids’ College Education in Wrong Places is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Independent Learning

Independent learning is one of the approaches of virtual learning that facilitates one to undertake independent learning. This approach common in online learning, allows students to study with little help from tutors compared to face-to-face teaching. This can improve the student’s ability to solve problems, since there is more emphasis on goal setting. As such, students learning online are more likely to determine the pace of their studies as they identify the best strategies to meet the set goals. There is extra motivation when the goals are set individually since one then has to meet the deadlines. For students aspiring to join universities, this can mold them to utilize time management more efficiently.

Connecting with Other Learners and the Community

Online learning gives learners a platform to connect with other people, given that this allows them to understand the likely challenges in virtual learning. Learners adapt their approach over time through relying on both independent learning and the advice of instructors and other learners. It is through coordination that early involvement with the learning community that one can prepare for the university. This includes other people who have already gone through online learning by students typically go through the reading material on their own. Learning independently while also consulting with like-minded individuals is essential for preparation than either of the approaches separately.

Facilitates Planning

Online courses provide background information on different education courses, and the online courses can provide one with a firm foundation. One need first to look at the list of readings in the applied universities and compare notes, this then allows one to narrow down on specific topic, and planning in advance is critical to identifying the most relevant information that would be valuable in the actual courses. Hence, online courses make it easier to read actively before the actual university enrollment, but virtual learning does not replace what will be taught and allows for planning. Additionally, the element of time management in online courses is important since there are deadlines when to complete courses and this encourages students to plan even at the university level.

Enhancing Critical Reading Skills

Critical reading skills are necessary at the university level, and online courses emphasize on reading critically. Even though, students may not have prior experience in critically analyzing the works of different authors, online course can improve their critical reading skills. Online course allow students to plan and evaluate different topics, as they reflect on different viewpoints presented by authors. This is essential since critical thinking also enhances the ability to write on more complicated subject matters. As such, online learning is beneficial toward as it gives students the opportunity to assess the intellectual viewpoint of different authors similar to university education.

How to Prepare for University using Online Courses is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

As with most finance questions I come across, this one got me thinking about my own money mistakes and the financial lessons I wish I had taken full advantage of in my 30s. Here are six financial lessons, most of which I followed:

Buy real estate ASAP

Owning a home isn’t for everyone. Renting makes more sense if your job is mobile and you’re not sure where you’ll be living in a few years. Renting also makes sense if it’s a lot cheaper than owning a home.

My answer to the curious blogger about financial lessons was to buy real estate when you get the chance to. I don’t mean just when it fits into your finances and lifestyle — such as having a steady job and being married. My point, which I didn’t elaborate on in my quick response to him, was that buying real estate as an investment when you’re young can be a smart move many years later if you bought at a time when the real estate market was down.

You don’t necessarily have to live in the house you’re buying, though that does have good tax benefits.

For example: About 15 years ago a relative bought a townhouse in a nearby city. The townhouse was next to a major shopping center that would only get bigger in the coming years as more people moved to the area. Even back then, it was obvious to me that it was a growing area and that home prices would only go up. They did, and are now worth 10 times what they were 15 years ago.

I didn’t buy a townhome there then, but wish I had taken out a bank loan and got a second job, if needed, to buy one and then have tenants pay the mortgage from then on. That’s the first financial lesson I’d offer.

Save for investments

One thing I wish I did more of in my 30s financially was save more money for investing. Like everyone else, I’m busy working so I can pay the bills and hopefully have a little extra each month to enjoy dinner out or something, along with saving money for retirement and an emergency fund.

But if you can afford it in your 30s, it can help to save some fun money that you’re willing to put into an investment. The caveat is you have to be willing to lose that money. While that obviously isn’t the main objective, it’s a possibility to consider in this financial lesson.

You don’t want to look back years later and regret that you didn’t buy Apple stock at $10 a share when it was being beaten down and you knew it was going to bounce back. (Yes, this happened to me.)

While any amount is good, I’d recommend $5,000. It’s enough to hurt your bank account and enough to make you think hard about the potential investment. As you’ll see from other financial lessons I offer here, having money set aside for investments or something else is key to making the most of your finances in the long run.

You can also invest a little at a time, such as through a Dividend Reinvestment Plan, where $100 or so a month is automatically invested into a stock. I’ve done this too and have come out ahead.

Run your car forever

I owned my previous car for 23 years before buying a used car last year. I didn’t have car payments for 18 years, giving me a lot of time to save for a car when my 1991 Acura Integra finally got too old for me.

I probably could have kept using the car for another five years or more — mainly because I hardly put any miles on it each year. But too many small things kept falling apart — though no major mechanical failures — that I didn’t want to put up with the headaches anymore.

However tempting it is to buy a new car every 3-5 years, avoid it and just consider your car what it should be: A way to get from Point A to Point B. There’s little point in putting extra money into it if you don’t have to.

Don’t commute

This is as much of a lifestyle benefit as it is a financial one as a financial lesson. I’ve been working since I graduated from college, and I’ve never had to commute. Part of this is by choice, and some by luck.

I chose a career — journalism — where I thought it was important to live in the city where I worked if I was going to cover that city well. That worked out great for me as a reporter and later as an editor, allowing me to come up with stories that others who lived outside of the area didn’t think of.

Living near work allowed me to leave for work 10 minutes before starting time, and got me home a lot quicker than I would have it I commuted. I also saved on gas, car insurance and mileage, decreasing the need for a new car.

Save for your child’s education

I know I’m proposing saving a lot of money in your 30s for different purposes, but this financial lesson is one you at least owe your child in part if you want them to get ahead in the world.

I’m not saying you should save enough to pay for their entire college education, but starting a college savings plan when they’re first born should help them pay for close to half of it. The rest they can work for, either as teens or while in college.

Fund a retirement plan

If your employer offers a 401(k) retirement plan, join it, especially if it matches your contribution. Contribute as much as you can so that you feel it each month in your lifestyle.

I won’t go into all of the benefits of the power of compounding, but it should be obvious to a 30-year-old or any other adult how much better your retirement fund will be if you contribute early and often, and reinvest the returns, then if you wait 10 years or more to do it.

The last financial lesson

I could almost write a book on this subject and could include a lot more (such as buying term life insurance, having an emergency fund and buying everything at Costco), but I see that this post has already hit the 1,000-word mark, and I’m wondering if that’s too long to grab a reader’s attention span.

But for the sake of trying to be extra helpful, here’s a bonus financial lesson to take advantage of in your 30s: Negotiate your salary.

Asking for a higher salary is a request you’ll never regret. Even if you don’t get it, the request alerts your employer (or potential employer) that you think you’re worth the extra cost, and you plan to do everything you can in the coming year to prove it to them.

An extra $5,000 or so per year could be enough to encourage you to save it for an investment, such as a house in an up-and-coming neighborhood, which you can rent for years before selling it for a $500,000 profit so you can retire early.

6 Financial Lessons Worth Learning in Your 30s is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

It’s been 2 weeks since our last Friday Faves. Say what?! I guess time seems to fly by these days because of all the fun I’ve been having

Now that it’s the end of the school year, it’s time for new high school and college graduates to celebrate and get ready to take on the world. But what many of them haven’t been told (or they haven’t listened to) is all the financial changes that come along with graduating and moving on to the next stage of life.

With that in mind, today’s Friday Faves is about about graduation!

Which is Cheaper: Buy a Computer or Build Your Own? – Clever Dude – This first one may not seem directly related to graduation, but many college-bound high school graduates ask for a computer before departing for college. Here are some things to consider if your high school graduate is in need of some new technology.

The Ceremony of Graduation – Evolving PF – Here is one blogger’s account of her recent graduation ceremony. The interesting part: it was her 4th PhD celebration!

How to Manage College Life – Blonde and Balanced – For those new high school graduates going off to college soon, here are some great tips for how to manage life as a college student.

Are Unpaid Internships Illegal? – Freedom Thirty Five Blog – For many college students and college grads without job, summer internships are getting ready to start. The unfortunate part for many is that they are unpaid internships.

5 Financial Firsts for New College Graduates – Wise Dollar – In this post, John details 5 financial things that will be changing after graduation. Are you ready for them?

Our Personal Finance Work:

Aaron and I aren’t slackers. Both of us are constantly working and writing for a variety of websites about personal finance. Here are just a few places you can find some of our latest works.

The Best Green Cars for Your Budget and Driving Habits? – Cheap Car Insurance – Aaron details which cars might be good for your budget and driving habits in this post. I never knew there was a difference based on some of these driving habits!

How MLB is Ripping Off Dads on Father’s Day – Cash Smarter – Look here MLB fans as Aaron tells how the league is ripping off Dads this Father’s Day.

Why Putting 50% of Your Income Toward Debt is Better Than Saving It – Frugal Portland – I love Kathleen’s idea of only living on half your income and putting the rest toward savings, but in reality those of us in deb (like me) are making more progress with every dollar we put toward debt than those who are debt free and building savings.

Starting From Rock Bottom – Retire by 40 – In my first post on Retire by 40, I share my story from my rock bottom to where I am today.

That’s all for this time folks. If you have any graduation ceremonies this weekend, be sure to share all of this great financial advice with the new grads.

Friday Faves: Graduation Edition is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

As an English minor in college, it was work that was right up my alley and was enjoyable.

Later in life as a full-time journalist, I volunteered to work as a tutor for non-English speaking students, teaching them how to read in English. I couldn’t imagine going through life not being able to read, especially being Spanish in an English-speaking and writing country, so I worked with an older Spanish woman for free twice a week to teach her how to read in English.

Both tutoring jobs were fulfilling. The college one helped me pay some bills, but the free tutoring help I offered was much more satisfying because I could see her advancement more rapidly.

Through both of these experiences, I learned some of what it takes to be a good tutor. Except for a quick class I was given about how to teach people how to read, I was left on my own in how to be the best tutor I could be.

Here are four things I discovered:

1. You’re probably an expert at something

I didn’t consider myself an expert at anything while in college. But helping high school students showed me that even though I was only a few years out of high school, my education in English and journalism had so far taught me enough that I could tutor younger students in the basics of my future fields of expertise.

Whatever subject you get straight A’s in, chances are you can become a tutor in it — at least to younger students who are learning things you mastered years ago.

2. Patience is key as a tutor

As any teacher will probably tell you, having patience is extremely important when teaching someone a new skill. You’ve got to be willing to go over something multiple times, break it down, and watch your student learn at their pace.

I don’t think I’d ever want to be a professional teacher in a full-time job, but as a tutor I got a glimpse into how patience can be one of the best traits a tutor can have.

3. Lead by example

This lesson holds true for parents also — lead by being a good example and doing all of the legwork you expect your student to do. If you expect them to do homework, then prepare for the lesson yourself by getting your work ready and organized.

Be on time. A tutor’s time is limited, as is a student’s, so both of you being on time will save money and time for everyone.

4. Intrinsic rewards outweigh cash

Making extra money by tutoring is great, but don’t expect the best rewards to be financial.

I’d rather work for free and see results from my tutoring than work for money and not see results in the students I’m working with. That’s not to say that tutoring can’t be a full-time job for some people who will enjoy the work they do, but for me the intrinsic rewards were worth more than any money I got out of it.

Private tutors regularly see hourly wages of $50, and specialized tutors can make $100 an hour, according to TheNewTutor.com.

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Do You Have What it Takes to Be a Private Tutor? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

These days, taking on student loan debt to pay for college is the norm. It’s not uncommon to see students graduate college with $20-30,000 in student loans for a 4 year degree program. It’s also not uncommon to see people pay only the minimums on their student loans (when they’d at least be better off refinancing student loans) and still have a balance when they are nearing retirement age.

In fact, according to the Institute for College Access & Success, 71% of students graduating from college in 2012 had student loan debt. But that’s just the beginning. The average debt level of graduating seniors with student loans was $29,400.

Folks, I know those stats on student loans are a couple years behind, but the reason I used 2012 data is because that is the year I graduated from college.

When I graduated college, I was one of the lucky ones in my degree program that already had a full-time job lined up. The majority of my friends in my major were planning on either taking whatever job they could find while they continued to look for a “real” job, or they decided to go to grad school (mostly because they didn’t find a job).

Out of my group of friends, I also had the lowest amount of debt from student loans when we graduated. My balance was only about $7,500 (until the interest capitalized, putting the balance closer to $8k). Here’s how I managed to get away with so little student loan debt and avoid having too many student loans.

School Selection

Choosing the right college is so important. You need to make sure it’s a school you feel comfortable at, one that offers your intended major, and you should also look at the price-tag of what it will cost you to attend.

A lot of us millennials grew up with our parents telling us we could go to any school we wanted, no matter the cost. While that’s great in theory, in practice it’s not always the best financial decision. I’d argue that I got just as good an education, or better, at my in-state public university as a lot of students get at much more expensive institutions. Why? The majority of what you get out of college depends on what you put into it. I don’t mean how much money you put into it, it’s about how much effort you put in. After all, no one is making you get out of bed and go to your early morning classes, no one but yourself that is.

Motivation and Determination

While I’m talking about effort, I was unique in that I started my “freshman” year of college with a whole year’s worth of college credit under my belt. I was motivated during high school and I knew where I wanted to go to college, so I took advantage of my community college by taking general education classes there for dual credit at my high school. This decision saved me time and money. I was able to finish my 4 year degree program in only 3 years, which saved me a year’s worth of tuition and living expenses, and extra student loans.

Motivation and determination also lead to me to work my way through school. This was nothing new, I had also worked hard prior to college so went in to my first year with a decent-sized savings fund thanks to my high school job. I got a good job with a government agency and I worked about 30 hours each week during the school terms. They were kind enough to let me work full time during summer and Christmas break. This job, along with my savings account, helped me pay for my living expenses all the way through college. It also goes without saying that I wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much financial aid, in the form of merit scholarships to cover my tuition, if it weren’t for my motivation and determination in high school.

Family Support to Help Avoid Student Loans

I’m a very lucky girl, and yes the odds are stacked in my favor. I came from a middle class family. My parents are both hard workers with good jobs, and they earn decent money. But the odds are not everything they are cracked up to be either. My parents did decide to help cover the remainder of my tuition costs (after scholarships, etc.) for the first 2 years of my college education. I did not expect them to do this. It was a very generous offer and I still appreciate it to this day. The third/final year of my college education was on me and that’s when I finally had to take out my first student loan.

I do not regret taking out the student loan to finish my degree, and I do not blame my parents for not helping me pay for my last year of college. They were very generous to help me pay for the first 2 years to begin with.

There are still financial things I could’ve done better during college. I spent too much money on groceries and going out to eat (nothing new there). I bought too many clothes (nothing new there either). Plus I never once sat down and made a budget. But overall, I’m really happy to say that I graduated with such a small amount of student loans thanks to my efforts.

What other tips do you have for keeping student loans to a minimum?

Photo courtesy of: Carlos

How I Graduated College with Under $8K in Student Loans is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

The truth is, I probably could have spared myself upward of $20,000 in tuition, and a huge headache, if I had found something that didn’t require a degree.

image via

Almost all of the careers I’d be interested in require some sort of post-secondary education, but there are a few good options for people who aren’t interested in going to school for a long period of time and want to start their careers as soon as possible.

Small Business Owner

Of course this is quite idealistic, however one really good way to avoid having to get a degree to make money is by using one of your hobbies or talents to open a small business.

While many people will advise you to get some sort of education in entrepreneurship, you wouldn’t need formal education for this. You could take MOOC courses or learn the way you choose to.

There are also a lot of great mentorship programs out there for entrepreneurs, which is also a great learning ground.

Phone/Internet/Cable Technicians

You would think that a technician for a communications company would need some type of formal education, but that’s not the case (here in Canada, anyway). I have a friend that works for a giant communications company in Canada who got his job through a friend. He makes far over $80,000 per year and has a whole bunch of perks to his job.

There are rigorous training programs and of course safety training as well, before you can go out on your own in the field as a technician, but the earning opportunity can be quite lucrative as they often offer living-out-allowance if you want to work in a remote area (which is non-taxable, to boot).

Truck Driver

I couldn’t personally imagine being a truck driving (mainly because I hate driving in general) but I know a few people who are and who love the trade.

There are different types of truck drivers, and of course you do require some basic courses as well as a special drivers license, the class depending on the area and the type of vehicle you are driving.

You don’t need any formal education to become a truck driver, but almost every company will put you through a training or orientation program, such as the ones offered by HGV Training and Recruitment. If you’re thinking about becoming a trucker, learn how to start a trucking company.

Blogger

Apparently, blogging can bring in a lot of dough if you are doing it right. The bloggers behind sites like Young House Love and other big, popular sites make a lot of money. Many bloggers are able to quit their day jobs and work from home on their sites.

Often, however, bloggers won’t rely on blogging income for their earnings, but they use their blogs as a platform to find more business. Many freelancers start off by blogging, to show off their work (whether that’s written, design, or what have you).

You don’t need any formal education to be successful as a blogger but you sure do need to put a lot of time and attention into it.

Depending on what you are interested in doing in your career, you may be able to find an alternative that you won’t have to go to school for.

4 Careers You Don’t Need a Degree For is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

While there was a period of job creation, the unemployment rate of new graduates and students rose in the past month, and this comes as no surprise to most people. It’s always been a bit of a catch 22 in most fields; you get a degree but nobody will hire you without experience. You can’t get experience unless somebody hires you.

I spent a lot of time fretting about this in my first and second year of college; I had to work, but was stuck in a retail job instead of working at something that would enhance my resume because I didn’t have enough experience for anybody to take me seriously.

Here are some tips for new grads (and students graduating soon) around how to get a job after graduation.

Volunteer

You know what drives me mad? People that say “volunteer in anything!” No. Don’t. That’s a waste of your time if you are looking for work experience (though I would strongly encourage you to volunteer in this way to give back to the community).

A recruiter looking at your resume for a position in IT isn’t going to think “Oh, great. Jane walked dogs for the SPCA. That gives her the skills necessary for reprogramming XYZ”. The recruiter might think of you as a better person, but the bottom line is, your resume will be going straight to the shredder if walking poochies once a week is your idea of volunteering for experience.

Instead of volunteering in something unrelated, contact not-for-profit societies (there are probably a ton of them in your area) and offer up help that directly relates to your education. So, maybe you are a web designer and the XYZ Dog Rescue Society has a terribly designed website. Volunteer your services for free.

It will help build your portfolio, and your resume, and at the end of the day, nobody has to know it was a volunteer position.

Intern

Movies and tv shows portray interns as the lackies that run back and forth from the coffee shop to the photocopier, but that’s not real life so you can just push that out of your head.

If you can find an organization to take you on as an intern in your field – and there should be tons of them, because who doesn’t want free labour? – that’s really great experience.

There are many paid internships out there too, but even if they weren’t paid, try to find a way to do them. They can help land you a job after your done your term.

As far as finding an internship, you can find some tips at this other post I wrote.

Take a Temporary Gig

There are a lot of temporary gigs out there to be had. Many more experienced professionals have no interest in taking them, but as a new grad, it will give you experience and help build your skills.

You can find temp work on any job board, and it’s usually term specific. Sometimes it’s there for the duration of a project, or sometimes the incumbent is going on a leave of absence and they need somebody to fill the role.

Do Something You Don’t Want to Do

As a newbie in your field, you should push aside your pride and entitlement issues, bite the bullet, and do the things you need to do to gain extra experience for your resume.

One thing that jumps to mind is commuting.

If you have an opportunity an hour drive from your house, take it. Because at the end of the day, no job is ever going to be perfect and the chances are that your willingness to go the extra mile (literally) will put you in a favorable light to any potential employers.

I once had an internship that took me 75 minutes each way to drive to it. After my internship, I was able to score a real job in the company, and don’t have to commute for that long anymore.

Ask The Company You Currently Work For

Especially for those new business grads, the company for which you currently work may have some opportunities that may help you build your portfolio. They won’t know that you’re looking until you say so, and especially if you offer to help the department you are interested in with something aside from your normal work time, they’ll usually let you (as long as you are a good employee).

Brand Yourself

In school, (almost) everyone does projects that can be considered experience. Make sure to recognize that and market yourself to show that. Put those skills that you learned in school that are directly related to your field on your resume.

Make business cards with your name, photo, and contact information on it so that people can remember you.

Make sure you have a LinkedIn account or other professional networking method. Start a blog on the topic in your field; put yourself out there and make yourself known.

Putting yourself out there is sometimes hard, especially if you lack confidence because you don’t have experience. But while it may seem impossible to get a job after graduation, it’s not.

If you recently graduated, how did you find your job? What were the crucial steps you took?

Tips for New Grads on Getting a Job is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

According to Statistics Canada, in the 2007/2008 school year, average Business Administration undergraduate program fees were $4637. In the 2011/2012 school year, we’re looking at a $1000+ spike to a $5711 average.

The discipline that experienced the largest jump in tuition fees was the dentistry undergrad, with an almost $4,000 spike in the three years between 2008-2011.

I couldn’t find any information for the US, but it is also expensive. I know that it is more dependent on what school you go to there, whereas the school is less important in Canada.

The cost of a college or university education doesn’t only include tuition costs – it also includes textbooks, which are outrageously expensive. They can vary between $80-$260 per class, depending on the subject and content. Most students spend about $500-$600 a semester on textbooks for five courses.

On top of that, the tuition costs don’t even include what colleges charge you for usage of facilities and other extras. Tuition bills are fraught with little administrative fees here and there. In fact, out of a $2750 payment I made to my college this semester for just a few courses, only $2038 of that went toward tuition. I spent $700 on extras that the colleges don’t bat an eye at charging us. These extras, taken right off my bill, include:

Student Bursary Fund
Canadian Federation of Student
Student’s Association Ext. Dental Plan
Student’s Association Advocacy Service
Student’s Association Club & Event Fee
Student Reboot Computer Service
Student Peer Counselling
Student Intramurals Fee
Student Operating Fund
Student Social Justice
Student Volunteer Program
Student Substitute Capital Fee
Student Lobby Fund
Library,Tech &Student Life Fee
Student Extended Health Plan
Student Stu Public’n Fund

Some of these expenses make sense, but some are a little extreme.

Then there are transportation costs. Colleges are typically placed in the most convenient of cities, so there is usually quite a few bus routes that go past them, but even so, public transportation isn’t cheap. Most areas have a public transport pass that starts at $80/month. If you go to school year round and don’t drive, it would still cost $960 for the full year just to ride the bus.

Then there’s all of the extras; school supplies, study group snacks, professional printing of posters and reports, etc. This is individual to each person.

When I look at this, I’m not surprised more people don’t go and get an education. It’s expensive, and unrealistic for many. Our government doesn’t make it easy for people to improve their lives. Loans are an option, but you have to fit a very specific criteria to qualify.

It is true that, after college, earning power will increase and the people who went through it will make more money. It does pay off sometimes and that’s why I’m doing it. But the initial cost is scaring off a lot of people, and many of those people don’t know exactly where their money is going unless they get a scary long tuition bill like mine listed above.

I’m not even listing the interest payment on a government loan, which is completely relevant to the cost of education as well.

Did you get an education? Did you have loans to pay for it? Do you find it worth it? If you didn’t, why not?

The Cost of Education – Hidden Fees and Expenses You Didn’t Think About is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.