Amid worries about job losses and problems paying the mortgage, many American families are facing another financial crisis: How to pay for college.

There’s no doubt a college education will be a necessity in the economy that emerges from the current recession. Even though a college degree can’t prevent a layoff, it will give an edge for the jobs of the future.

But what if American families can’t afford college? After all, in spite of the economy, college costs continue to rise. It’s now estimated that the four-year cost of college will be $124,000 for today’s high school seniors, with many private schools costing much more.

The College Board, which tracks average college costs, won’t release its report for the 2009-2010 school years until late October. But in 2008-2009, public college costs increased an average of 6.4 percent, and private school costs rose 5.9 percent. For years, these costs have risen far more than the most traditional measures of inflation.

A new survey by Fidelity Investments finds more parents have started saving for college. Even so, families can cover only 11 percent of the total cost of their children’s college education this year, down from 15 percent in 2008.

Families are resorting to drastic measures, according to the survey. Seventeen percent plan to have a nonworking spouse return to work, while an equal number hope to take on a second job. Half plan to have their child live at home and commute. And 43 percent of parents say they will have to delay retirement to help pay for a child’s education.

Even students are changing their tune, with 90 percent saying they believe they should help pay for at least some college costs, either out of their own savings (42 percent) or by working while in school (76 percent).

The good news, according to the survey, is that parents and students are more aware of the need to save, many taking advantage of tax-free 529 college savings plans. (A reminder here that if you want to invest outside your state’s savings plan, you can go to Fidelity or Vanguard and open an account there. You simply forgo any deduction on your state income tax for your contribution if you invest in an out-of-state plan.)

What are colleges doing?

If families are doing their best to save for college, it’s only fair to ask what colleges and universities are doing. State university tuition increases have been rising faster than those for private colleges. And the outlook is gloomy. Every state is facing budget nightmares because of the recession. The big allocations to public universities are a tempting target. In fact, many parents complain that their rising tuition bills are just being used to make up for cuts in state support.

Private schools rely on income from their endowment funds, many of which have shrunk dramatically in the market decline. They’re usually loathe to dig into principal — especially when they’re hoping for more of a stock rebound.

Colleges have not traditionally been run as a business. Few businesses offer job security like “tenure” — except for federal bureaucrats and the U.S. Postal Service (two “businesses” that continually lose money).

And few businesses can survive without reacting to market forces by cutting less-profitable product lines. Yet universities continue to offer marginal courses in the name of a “broad and diverse” education. Take a look at your child’s course catalog, and you’ll see what I mean.

Certainly, universities have rising costs of maintaining their buildings, classrooms and libraries. But university “management” and board supervision may be more focused on the profitability of the football team than the kind of prudent cost-cutting every other business faces these days.

In an era when “everyday low prices” or discount stores are the only places consumers will shop, why don’t colleges get the message that their customers cannot afford their rising prices?

How long will it take until universities recognize that their “customers” are no longer willing, or able, to go into debt to buy their educational product?

Only when market forces teach the lesson of responsible pricing will college become more affordable. Let’s hope that will not be too late for a generation of students who will be sidelined because they simply can’t afford college now.

Losing today’s students would have a terrible impact on America’s future economic growth. And that’s The Savage Truth.

source: http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=127&id=20612&t=Colleges+Must+Cut+Costs

Today “Allied Health”, is one of the busiest buzzwords in health care industry that generally refers to a wide variety of health professions, with the exclusion of doctors and nurses. In fact, allied health professionals can be considered as an important part of the medical teams which primarily aims to deliver care to patients. It is one of the few domains in health care industry that has grown gradually and resulted in the growth in the number of health professions to provide care to patients.

Allied health professions are clinical healthcare professions different from medicine and nursing. They primarily work in a healthcare team to make the healthcare system function. Looking at the current scenario, in last few years there has been a slight decrease in primary care physicians and cost control in the health care industry, as a result this profession is emerging as a good field to enter. So, if you are interested in making a career in health care, this might be yet another option that can let you enjoy a great career in medical and health care industry. Today there are many schools that offer online programs that you can choose in allied health care industry. Here, are few programs or specializations that you can choose -

Health Care Administration Online Program
Pursuing an online program in health care administration can prepare you for a promising career in the medical field. It doesn’t matter whether you are already working as a health care administrator, or simply want to enter the industry, this program can offer an excellent way to ensure future success.

The program gives you a chance to learn all of the details and significant concepts behind operating a successful health care facility and hold responsibilities that may include payroll management, benefit management, office finance responsibilities and many other roles. In addition to this, some of the key courses you will study generally include planning, quality control, research, research, communications and operations. The program actually prepares you to develop, plan, and manage health care operations and services within health care facilities and across health care systems.

Health Information Management Online Program –Working with patients in a hospital or a doctor’s office usually involves good amount of recording and storing massive amounts of information. This is one of the most interesting online programs that offer specialization in information record management. This health care course covers various areas like information systems, data analysis, decision support, and strategic management, along with overviews of important IT and business topics. Once you complete this program, here is short list of careers you can consider:

Hospital Administrator
Hospital Records Clerk
Hospital Admissions Supervisor
Computer Technology Technician
Data Systems Expert

Mental Health Counseling and Psychology Online Program
As a graduate, once you complete this course or program, you can work in a number of health care settings to study how people’s psychological and emotional states influence their physical health. This is one of the few online programs that have gained immense popularity in past few days. You can learn about how physical health is affected by variables like attitude, behavior and social conditioning. Once you complete the course, you can make your career as trained professional counselor who can provide counseling to the people either in groups or individually. In fact, you will be responsible for adopting a holistic approach while helping your patients.

Physician Assistant Online Program
This degree can be very beneficial for you if you are one of those who are looking forward to excel in heath care industry. The program usually last at least 2 years, though the admission requirements may vary from school to school. Completing an online physician assistant program may lead you enjoy a good career, as employment is expected to boost much faster. As a physician assistant you will work under the supervision of a physician. Though, at times you may be the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics where a physician is available only for one or two days each week.

These are some of the best distance learning online allied health programs that can help you enjoy the right career-path. Today shaping a career in allied health care industry can help you enjoy a better salary and job security.

source: http://www.distancelearningu.com/blog/best-online-programs-for-allied-health/

A Marketing Degree online is very similar to a regular degree in that you will need to do the same hard work and maintain a certain discipline to finish the the whole course. However, with an online degree, you can enjoy the advantages of being able to do your classes from home and setting your own pace for obtaining your degree. Instead of the traditional setting, you can attend class via the internet and attend either using the live classroom sessions or recorded and archived sessions.

Online degrees at home are becoming more popular now that the internet is a medium of communication and since many jobs are based online more and more often. Also, with more people working fulltime jobs, there is less time for them to actually go back to school physically to attend classes.

When you are looking to get your marketing degree online, make sure that you pick a good college or university that offers that online course. Also make sure that the course that you are taking is accredited by other schools and the national education board. Also, figure how you will pay for your online degree. When taking an online course you will have to consider the costs and equipment involved in taking the online degree. This may include a new computer, internet connection fees, software, and other things outside tuition and books alone.

source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Marketing-Degree-Online&id=2937391

Climbing the corporate ladder is part of being a big contender in the business world. However, to stay at par with everyone else, you have to maintain a business savvy that will make you stick out of the usual crowd. But if you want to get ahead, then the best way is to get ahead by building on your educational background.

A Administration Business degree online is one of the most practical and convenient ways to earn your degree. Through online schooling you are given the advantage of keeping your full time job while advancing your career through getting an education at the same time.

The best part about getting an Administration Business degree online is that you can earn your degrees at home. Instead of driving to the university campus daily to attend classes, all you have to do is switch on your computer and attend an online class without the hassle or the commute.

To get the Administration Business degree that will help you get ahead, always pick a degree program that is accredited by the proper national accreditation agency for educational programs and institutes. This will ensure you are getting a quality education that is recognized by other colleges and universities. Check out who is teaching the courses in the program and make sure they have the experience and professional background to back up their teaching qualifications. When looking at a degree program, also find out which successful alumni have taken the online degree course and you will be able to get a clearer idea of the quality of teaching and application that particular program has.

source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Administration-Business-Degree-Online&id=2937404

A House bill to oust private lenders from the student loan business and put the government in charge of college student loans was recently passed by a 253-171 vote, as shown in this photo by Oleg Prikhodko of Stock Xchng.

The measure goes next to the Senate, where its fate is a little less certain, according to the Associated Press.

If the bill is passed, the maximum Pell Grant for needy students will be boosted by $1,400 to $6,900 over the next decade.

However, this bill would not help reduce college costs for all students.

In fact, college students are currently having huge issues trying to second guess what the government will do with financial aid laws.

Even though Obama is trying to help college students, many students have had their education disrupted because programs are being changed and pulled with no notice.

For example, most college students in Michigan may be losing a “Promise Scholarship” of $4000 as the government desperately tries to balance next year’s budget.

The students that may lose this money received a letter from Governor Granholm congratulating them on test scores. These students also had the money put into their college accounts, and then taken back out.

This is criminal! In addition, it’s a terrible example for our next generation.

Okay, back to the issue of the government taking over the student loan program: Will taxpayers save money if this happens?

As usual, the figures are confusing.

“Ending loan subsidies and turning control over to the government would save taxpayers an estimated $87 billion,” according to the Congressional Budget Office.

However, when administrative costs and market conditions are considered, the savings would be $47 billion instead of $87 billion.

In addition, Republicans warned that instead of saving the government money, as Democrats promise, the bill could wind up costing the government more money.

If the bill goes through, private lenders may have to lay off most of the 30,000 employees who work in the college loan departments.

Private lenders have dominated the college loan business for many years. For example, last year, private lenders made $56 billion in government-backed loans, compared with $14 billion in direct loans from the government.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-1393-Education-Examiner~y2009m9d23-College-funding-101-Financial-aid-will-drastically-change-under-proposed-bill

Typing is an important skill to have in the job market today. Since working with computers are such an integral part of just about any job today, having a good typing speed is important for any job candidate.

It’s official – Online degrees are now in the mainstream with the recently estimated demand for online learning at 20 million students. So if you’re thinking of embarking on an online course, you’re not alone. However before you start filling out forms and buying pends and notebooks, here are a few thoughts to consider:

Online education can definitely beat classroom study but it will depend on number of factors. It includes accreditation, syllabus quality, scope of practical training and your daily schedule.

Accreditation

Accreditation is the most important factor when it comes to online education. Your online degree is only going to be useful when you earn it from an online university which is accredited by the US Department of Education. When studying through classroom setup, you do not need to worry about the accreditation as most of the colleges are accredited. Same cannot be said about the online colleges and universities especially with so many of them operating with only one objective in mind, to earn money from their students.

Syllabus Quality

The quality of syllabus will have a huge impact on your career prospect. In an online environment where chances of interaction with your faculty are pretty limited, you would like to learn more things so that it can help you in your career. Online education beats classroom study in syllabus quality because unlike traditional schools and universities, online universities update syllabus on a regular basis so that students do not miss any important concepts. Another good thing about online education is that syllabus is designed by the industry experts that have a thorough knowledge of their area of expertise.

Scope of Practical Training

Online education is definitely much better than classroom study in terms of offering practical training to their students. When studying through classroom setup, you will find that all the focus is on the theoretical concepts and there is not much scope of practical training. Situation is completely different in an online environment where all the emphasis is being put on practical training. In this day and age when competition is intense in every field, you will require right kind of practical training in order to succeed. If you are not able to implement theoretical concepts into practice, your theoretical knowledge is of no use. Employers these days prefer giving jobs to individuals that have received practical training from an accredited university.

Daily Schedule

For working professionals that are looking to increase their academic qualification, online education is a much better option in comparison to classroom study. When you opt for online education, you can study at your own pace. This is not possible in a classroom study where everything is done on time. Location is not much of an issue in online education as you can study from any location you want. To do this, all you need is a laptop with good internet connection. Online education not only gives you an opportunity to increase your academic qualification but also your work experience. This is going to play a significant part in your career advancement.

Tuition Fee

In comparison to classroom study, tuition fee of online education is quite low. It means that you can easily afford it without taking any student loan. Grants and scholarships are also available for students that are studying in an accredited online university.

source: http://www.onlineedublog.com/online-edu-versus-classroom/

In this ever-changing economy, staying ahead of the educational curve is fast becoming the difference between workers who find gainful employment and those who face rejection after rejection. It is also essential for gaining recognition in an existing workplace and for keeping the door on promotions wide open. Unfortunately, busy people just do not always have the time to head back to the classroom to keep their credentials up-to-date or to advance them.

If you are interested in studying information technology but your financial condition is such that you can’t afford to take admission at top colleges and universities, then you need to find an affordable online universitity that runs information technology programs. With so many online universities in the fray right now, you will face no problem in finding an online university that is willing to give you admission without charging too much in the form of tuition fee.