Gift #1

A business suit is actually a good idea. This will work well for your grad when going on interviews. For males, select a black, navy, or grey suit with a conservative shirt and tie. Choose something conservative for female graduates too. You can go with something a bit trendy remembering that stylish is good. You don’t want your graduate to be remembered as the one in the hot pink suit with the lime green flip flops and matching accessories.

Gift #2

Any graduate will benefit from a well written resume. If it gets your graduate a telephone or personal interview, fantastic! The resume is a marketing piece and of the most effective ways for your graduate to showcase (s)he strengths, abilities, practical experience, and accomplishments. Without a well written resume, there’s no chance to stand out above the competition. A resume is best left up to a certified professional resume writer. Look for someone who understands how to tailor a resume to a specific industry and to the role your graduate is targeting.

Gift #3

Another terrific gift is giving your graduate the gift of communication. If (s)he struggles with public speaking, hiring a communication and speaking coach will open up a new world and some pretty great opportunities. This is a perfect gift for anyone who wants to end up in a leadership role. A communication and speaking will work with your graduate on appropriate behavior in social settings, networking, and public speaking. And, the coach will tailor strategy sessions to your graduate’s personal style, needs, and budget.

Gift #4

Speaking another language is an excellent way for your graduate to advance. There are many affordable classes, online offerings, and prerecorded products available. This is a great way for your grad to gain the advantage over other applicants. Many employers seek out candidates with additional language skills.

Gift #5

Finally, hiring a career coach is a terrific way to enable your graduate to identify personal strengths, map out a comprehensive career plan, and set challenging career goals focused on personal and professional aspirations. A career coach will work with your graduate to map out the transition from school to work. The partnership that your graduate forms with a career coach will be instrumental in making a lifetime of well-informed career decisions.

Granted, these gifts are probably not at the top of your graduate’s list. However, choosing one or two of these items will give your grad an edge over the competition. That said, you still might want to make one of those gifts the iPhone – it’s the only way you know you’ll get calls even after s(he) lands that dream job!

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Online Degree Programs – Are They As Good As Those Earned On Campus?

Online education programs have been gaining more recognition due to the increase in online courses provided by well-respected schools, such as Harvard and Yale. However, there has been a running debate as to whether or not online degree programs are as good as traditional, on-campus versions. There have been studies done on this, and we’ll take a look at some of those here.

A study performed by Thomas L. Russell of North Carolina State University showed that there’s hardly any perceptible difference in the quality of education provided by online programs when compared to traditional programs. Another study, performed by John Losak from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, showed that not only did students in online programs perform as well as their on-campus peers, but in many cases they did even better.

The Study:

• A study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, which included a meta-analysis of 551 reports on online instruction, compared the outcomes from online, blended, and traditional classes.
• The study showed that students who took all or part of their courses online performed better.
• Also, the degree of effectiveness of online and blended instruction varied greatly across types of students, education programs, and content areas.

Programs Better Suited For The Campus

Some programs, like those that require laboratory work or hands-on training, are generally better suited for traditional campuses. Also, internships are not available in many online programs. If they are, students are required to find their own. Internships provide valuable networking opportunities and experience. Some companies hire their good interns as soon as they graduate.

Do Some Research:

• Prospective students should check with companies in their chosen industry to see how they feel about online degrees. Some experts suggest companies in fields such as medicine and the law are less likely to accept online degrees.
• Some programs such as marketing and media are well suited for online learning. Knowledge-based online education programs seem to be better accepted than other online programs.

Accreditation

Because there are hundreds of diploma mills operating on the Internet, it’s vital that online students attend a school accredited by an agency approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education.

Employers Thoughts On Online Degrees

In 2008, a Zogby study surveyed 1500 CEOs and small business owners regarding their thoughts about online education. Only 45 percent thought that online programs are as credible as traditional college programs. However, among those familiar with online schools, 83 percent thought the programs were just as credible.

A major factor in the perception of online degrees is the quality of the schools providing them. Studies from Vault.com, a career network website, showed that 77 percent of human resources professionals value online degrees from established, accredited schools rather than from unknown virtual schools.

In general, online graduate degrees are viewed as more credible than online bachelor’s degrees. For the sake of credibility, some experts suggest attending the online division of a well known school with a good reputation.

Len Dreifort writes about careers in school administration, among other career fields one can enter into with an online degree, for Work Coach Cafe.

Thanks for your very informative contribution, Len! I hope to hear from you again! ***Patricia***