ProsperityHorizons Educational Blog, Issue 7
Tuesday, June 30, 2005
Prosperity Horizons Educational Portal
http://www.prosperityhorizons.com
*How to Choose Your Ideal Career
*Distance Learning: balancing your education and busy lifestyle
Education is not the exclusive province of young children, nor just for our college aged young people. More and more of us decide to create a new career for ourselves as adults. This may entail going back to school, many times requiring a balancing act between our learning and our families. if this describes you, then read the following articles for some great hints and ideas..
Distance Learning: balancing your education and busy lifestyle
by Angela Williams
Distance Learning is a priority for
most who have already set their lives out in one way or
another in that their responsibilities have been laid out,
and in quite a few cases, would not allow for regular
College schedules. This is taken into consideration when
looking for a place to study, and this shouldn't mean below
par education. It should mean convenience for those
interested in education and furthering their portfolios.
Student Commitment
Distance Learning requires a certain amount of commitment as
the student must schedule the time to study. This is also
reflective in their work as they are not going to afford the
time unless genuinely interested in the subject matter. The
work from these students shows a clear interest in their
progression, and therefore their time is not wasted on
courses that they are only taking for UKAS points.
Flexibility
A high standard is reached as there is very little
disruption in the pupil's life, and therefore they find that
they are able to concentrate on the subject matter fully.
These courses are not as expensive as those that have to
hire out a classroom, and with the 'email' style of
assessment, the cost to complete their course assignments is
inconsequential. There is no waiting for weeks for their
assessments to be returned to them, and this makes it easier
for the student to get on with their work at their own pace.
These courses fit into lifestyles as it is usually humanly
impossible to gauge when a situation will arise that takes a
student away from their studies, but with the Distance
Learning option, these students do not have the worry of
catching up, or even having to loose out on their whole
course and fee because there has been a glitch in their
schedule. The course can be put aside, and picked up when
the situation is eradicated. For those who travel for work,
their course can be taken with them, affording them the time
to continue on with their studies.
Different options for different lifestyles
This form of education is taking a front seat for those
interested in continuing study after settling into a career,
or starting a family. There are numerous reasons for not
being able to put your life on hold to study a preferred
topic, and this option is sometimes the only way people are
able to get the training they need. This should not mean
that these people have to put up with inferior courses, or
exorbitant fees. For those who are unable to leave their
homes, or not able to physically enrol on classroom taught
courses, this form of education plays a paramount importance
in their lives. Oxford College ODL and Oxford Distance
Learning have devised a scheme for the visually impaired by
designing their courses specifically for these people's
needs, and they are in the process of setting up a program
to fit into those people's lives that have difficulty in
finding a course that caters for their special needs.
Grading
Distance learning courses are not easy. Because the student
is not required to attend classes, it is imperative that a
sound assessment of their absorption of the materials is
obtained by the tutor, and this is only obtained through
assignments that are usually more in depth than the usual
grading process that is awarded through classroom taught
courses. This takes it's form by enabling the student into
not just learning about a given subject, but also showing
their understanding of each individual step in essay form
which lends to their overall grade. This is particularly
important to the student, as the material is not the only
information that needs to be taught in a given subject. The
student needs to be able to question the material, and use
their own reasoning when it comes to analysing what they are
asked to absorb which keeps them interested in the course
work and sees that they feel more involved with the process
of their learning.
In the words of Mike Tomlinson, former chief inspector of
schools: 'Too much time is spent preparing for exams which
could be used for learning.'
Written by Angela Williams, Education Standards Reviewer 'UK Education Today'. Distance Learning Courses can be enrolled via http://www.oxforddistancelearning.com . This online college has been recognised in the UK for offering the "best tutoring program to date".
How to Choose Your Ideal Career
By Skye Thomas
They say that most people do complete
and total career changes at least once often twice in their
lifetimes. Very few people chose the ideal perfect career
for themselves when they're in high school and blissfully
happily work those same jobs for the rest of their lives.
With the way that technology and everything else changes so
fast, I think it's ridiculous to expect to stay in one job
from the time you leave school until you retire. Even
staying in the same company can be a huge challenge. So how
will you pick your first career? Your next major career
change?
The first thing I want you to look at is what kinds of
things do you enjoy doing and what you are naturally good
at. Imagine that you just won the lottery and you will never
have to work again for another day of your life. How would
you spend your time? After the shopping sprees and traveling
and such grows old, you're going to have to fill your days
up doing something so that you aren't bored out of your
mind. What would you do? What would consume your attention
if you could freely bury yourself in it? Is there a way to
make a living at that now? Is there a way to incorporate
some of that into your current career? Could you begin doing
it now as a hobby and grow it into a second income and
eventually quit your 'real job' to play full time at your
new hobby/career?
You obviously have to look at practicality issues. Truth be
known my very favorite thing to do is drive convertibles and
suntan at the beach. That's not likely going to ever become
a career and it sure as heck isn't going to pay my bills!
You have to look at what you like to do and take a realistic
look at whether the market is ever going to pay you an
income for doing it. Just because you love doing something
doesn't mean that the world is going to love giving you
money for doing it. There are plenty of musicians and
artists out there who can't earn enough to support
themselves. It takes more then just a love of your work.
Pick a number of different things that you love and narrow
the list down by deciding which ones would realistically
finance you at the level that you require.
Another thing to consider, especially when you're choosing
your first job is how much education or special training is
required. How many kids think that because they love to play
basketball that they'll be the next Michael Jordan? How many
put in the kind of work and practice that he did? If you
want to be a doctor, then you better seriously contemplate
the years of college and the extremely high cost of going to
medical school. Down the road, a lot of the experience you
get in one career can be transferred to your next career.
Customer service skills that you learn while waiting tables
will still serve you later when you're an entrepreneur. If
you have a lot of the skills from previous work experience,
but not all of them, then you have to figure out how to
finance going to night school or whatever else you need to
do to change careers. Additional education and skills
shouldn't stop you from changing to a great job that you
know you'll love, but you do need to take it into serious
consideration while making the choice.
Many of the community colleges have these cool placement
tests that tell you what kinds of work you'd be happy doing.
They ask you a bunch of multiple choice questions like if
you'd rather work indoors or outside. Do you want to travel
as part of your career or stay home? How much weight are you
willing to lift? How introverted or extroverted are you? How
much money do you want to make? After you answer these
questions and a bunch more, the computer system spits out a
list of careers that you would be suited to. Keep in mind
that what interested you at twenty isn't likely to be the
same as what interests you at forty. I would think that you
could do an online search and find some of those tests
online. These will give you some ideas you may have never
considered. I remember taking one when I was in my early
twenties and I ranked extremely high at "Clergy." I laughed
and thought that was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard of.
I wanted to be a motivational speaker and it took me a
couple of days before I realized that it's a very similar
job description. Whether I'm telling you about God or I'm
telling you how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, it's
the same skills and many of the same daily tasks. I'm
preaching a different topic, but I'm still up on my soapbox
telling you what to do and telling you how to live, aren't
I? So be open minded to what the test results show.
So, start out by brainstorming ideas of things that you
would love to do if money was not an issue. Then add to it
the results of one of those placement tests. Take the ideas
from those two exercises and start looking at the
practicalities of marketability and how much education and
training are necessary. If you can find a way to do what you
love and make a living at it, then you've got the key
ingredients to creating a life of abundance and prosperity
that the rest of the world only dreams of. You don't have to
stay with something just because you used to love it and now
you make a lot of money doing it. If you are bored and ready
for something new, then start dreaming and planning your
next adventure. Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas,
Tomorrow's Edge
Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow's Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books, articles, and astrological forecasts have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. To read more of her articles and to sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net. To download free previews of her books, go to http://www.SkyeThomas.com . Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net
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