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'Mini' Master's Classes Are One Way Some Job Hunters Seek an Edge

Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:27:00 -0700

If an MBA is a major asset in getting a good job, hundreds of students in the Twin Cities hope a mini MBA will give them at least a minor edge in their job hunts.

At the University of St. Thomas, the Mini MBA Program is a 52-hour version of the master's in business administration degree, typically a two-year program. The mini MBA is geared more to people who want to sharpen their skills and freshen their resumes. Increasingly, students who sign up for the class are either unemployed or nervous about the possibility.

Of the 24 students in one mini-MBA class that started last month, 18 are jobless. These aren't kids fresh out of school: If their demographics track with those of the other 4,000 St. Thomas students taking nondegree business programs, their average age is 44, and nearly nine of 10 already have a bachelor's degree or better, including about four in 10 who have a postgraduate degree. Coming from backgrounds in sales, marketing, information technology, insurance and real estate, the students think the program will give them an edge.

As part of the "Watchdog: Your Next Job" project, the Watchdog is examining ways job seekers are coping in this economy. This piece looks at how people who already have a good education are returning to school to enhance their skills.

Thousands of students, many of them subsidized by state and federal funds, are in short-time noncredit business classes around the Twin Cities.

The University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management's programs have no prerequisites and are designed for students who want to focus on specific knowledge or skills, rather than a degree or a credential; the bulk of these programs are conducted in 2 1/2 to four days. Often it's the company that sends the employee to the class -- and pays the tuition. But, like at the University of St. Thomas, individuals also sign up.

"Many people are taking our programs specifically because they want to shore themselves up and secure their careers," said Mark Kizilos, assistant dean for executive education at Carlson. But most of the U's students are still employed, he said: "They're wanting to get or maintain an edge as opposed to get back into the game."

Steve Koenig, of Edina, graduated from college 21 years ago and most recently worked at a manufacturing firm until he was laid off in August. During his job hunt, he has noticed many job postings indicate a master's degree in business administration is preferred.

"They have too many people (applying)," he said. "They've just got to draw a line in the sand."

So he's hoping a fresh academic credential -- even if it's not a full MBA -- will set him apart from the pack.

Kim Ritter, of Apple Valley, wants to change her line of work, from real estate property management to compliance monitoring and auditing.

"I always dreamed of getting a business degree," she said, and this course will get her started.

For both Koenig and Ritter, networking with other students and the instructors is another reason to sign up for the $2,495 course.

St. Thomas, whose business graduate school is in downtown Minneapolis, has offered a mini MBA since the 1980s. But a simulation business game, introduced last year, brings a new dynamic. It was developed by David Steenstra, a professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., who teaches the first class and picks the eventual winner.

Students split into teams of about six, and they all start with the same hiking shoe company with identical financials. Their competing companies immediately become different as each team makes its own decisions, such as how much of the budget to put into research and development versus dividends. During each class, the students also wrestle with ethical scenarios facing their companies.

Their decisions are run through a computer model after each class, and students learn from their companies' successes and mistakes, as well as from lectures on finance, marketing, strategic planning and other business elements.

At the first class, students were quiet, and some seemed shy. Many hadn't been in a formal academic setting in decades and found the concepts and vocabulary a bit unclear. But by the fourth class, the teams were in tense discussions, whispering among themselves to keep the other teams from stealing their strategies for the next round of decisions.

"You make the learning experience rigorous and relevant, and give them a chance to apply it," said Durwin Long, assistant dean of executive and professional development.

Since 1988, about 10,000 students have gone through St. Thomas' various "minis": from a mini master's of marketing management to a mini master's of faith-based programs. This year, the university is offering about 200 noncredit executive-education and professional-development courses, some as short as a day or two and others spread out over a full week or in the evening for several weeks.

Thomas Van Eaton, of Marine on St. Croix, joined 3M fresh out of college and was laid off after nearly 25 years, most recently as a business manager in the optical systems division. Last fall, he went through the mini-MBA program, fully paid by state and federal funds, and credits it with helping him land a new job -- and with keeping up his spirits during the 14 months he was job hunting.

"(You) have to demonstrate what you have been doing to your potential employer ... keeping your technical and business skills up to date," he said. The program caught interviewers' attention, he said.

At his new job, Van Eaton is a district manager for Maxcell International, which manufactures and sells equipment used on Web processing equipment.

Taking the short program has made him interested in earning a full MBA. For now, though, he has signed up for another course, this one the mini master's in marketing.

BACK TO SCHOOL

The University of St. Thomas offers about 200 executive-education and professional-development courses throughout the year. The courses, which have no prerequisites, cost from $500 to more than $3,000. The university provides all of its programs to dislocated workers at a 15 percent discount. And alumni get a 33 percent price break. For more information, go to StThomas.edu/ExecEd or call 651-962-4600.

The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota offers open-enrollment classes as short as a half-day, for $495, to three weeks ($14,000). Carlson School alumni receive a 20 percent discount, and dislocated workers receive an additional 15 percent off. For more information, see csom.umn.edu/Page5244.aspx.

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3 Tips to Start Building a College Savings Account

Associated Press — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:39:00 -0700

A new survey by online brokerage TD Ameritrade says college is the top reasons teens save their money. The results were a pleasant surprise to educators who are focusing on getting personal finance taught in schools. The survey indicated 78 percent of teens say they want to share the cost of college with their parents.

To start building your college savings, here are a few tips:

1. Assess the Details.

The first step is for parents and teens to analyze their current situation together, taking into account what they already have saved for college and how long it will be before the first year of school begins. Online calculators are available at: http://apps.finra.org/Calcs/1/CollegeSavings and http://planning.tdameritrade.com/sites/client/tda/tdap/calculator.vm?siteContent5234&topic5025

2. Select an Appropriate Account.

After assessing your financial status and determining what you'll need, the next step is to compare the benefits of different savings options. A 529 college savings plan, for example offers a prepaid tuition option, which locks in costs of tuition and mandatory fees or a savings plan, which doesn't lock in tuition costs but also covers room and board, books and mandatory fees.

Other options include a Coverdell education savings account, which is similar to a Roth IRA in which taxes are paid up front but the savings grows tax-free and are taken out with no taxes due.

Custodial savings accounts are also available, which typically help families set aside money for additional expenses not covered in the other plans such as sorority dues or music lessons.

3. Monitor Your Financial Progress Together.

Once a savings plan is established, monitor your progress along the way to ensure your strategy is helping you meet your financial goals. Keeping score along the way is an important responsibility that can be shared by both parents and teens. This includes checking the earnings statements to see how the investments are performing and make adjustments or consult with an adviser about maximizing gains.

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Hard Times Are Driving People Back to School: Enrollment Rises As Many Retrain, Prepare for Future

Detroit Free Press — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:48:00 -0700

The way Matt Spurrier sees it, a troubled economy is the perfect time to head back to class.

Which School
is Right
for You?

The Pontiac man, who recently finished up five years in the Marines, is one of the many students who are driving up enrollment at metro Detroit community colleges and universities, despite concerns that shrinking paychecks would force students to head back home.

Instead, nearly every state university and several metro Detroit community colleges have seen an increased head count—preliminary totals that might slip slightly as the semester wears on, but are promising nonetheless.

At Oakland Community College, where enrollment has climbed 12.7% from last fall, Spurrier, 24, is taking classes that he plans to transfer to Oakland University for a 4-year degree in exercise science.

"I figure I can go spend the time looking for a job that I probably wouldn't get right now in this economy," he said, "or I can go to school, build up the resume, and -- when things turn around again -- I can step back into the job market and be more prepared."

Michigan's colleges continue to pack in students, despite earlier concerns about shrinking family budgets and increasing tuition.

Nearly every one of the state's 15 universities have reported an enrollment increase this year, and metro Detroit's community colleges are full, too.

"It's the economy. Money is speaking," said Ron Hughes, director of enrollment services at Macomb Community College, where enrollment jumped 6.2%, to 24,500 this year.

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Among the biggest winners? Eastern Michigan University, which had been on a five-year enrollment slump. It was something that Sue Martin pledged to change when she became president last year after a string of leadership turnover, the mishandling of a murder case and a lawsuit between the former president and board members.

Under Martin's watch, EMU ratcheted up its recruitment efforts, buying more billboards and radio spots. It enlisted more alumni to reach out to prospective students. And like many schools, it reached out to veterans who are in line for tuition and other benefits under the new, expanded GI Bill.

The efforts—in addition to the expansion and renovation of old buildings—paid off. This year, student head count jumped 4.3%, to 22,859, according to EMU officials.

"We've done a better job ... of letting people know that Eastern is a good deal and a quality product," Martin said.

And there was this: EMU was the first to set tuition rates this summer, raising its in-state, undergraduate tuition by just 3.8%—lower than any other state university.

That made an impact for students like Ryan Vaughan, 18, a music education major. He looked elsewhere, weighing programs and campus size. A high school teacher mentioned EMU's tuition decision, helping to finalize his decision.

"There are a lot of reasons to choose Eastern," Vaughan said. "It came down to money."

EMU wasn't the only school worried about numbers.

Earlier this year, financial-aid requests and Michigan's unemployment numbers continued to climb at the same time the college-age population across the United States began to shrink. Additionally, employers ended tuition-reimbursement programs and cut back training.

Admissions officials worried economic woes would drive university students to schools closer to home or to community colleges. In turn, community college students might drop out altogether.

If that migration happened, you can't tell it in the housing numbers: Officials at several schools say their waiting lists for housing are as long as ever.

Wayne State University also reversed an enrollment downturn, albeit briefer than EMU's, by increasing financial aid and boosting academic support for struggling students. This fall, 76% of last year's freshman class is returning, compared with just under 70% the previous year, said Howard Shapiro, associate vice president for undergraduate programs.

Some simply have little choice but to go to school, officials said.

At Wayne County Community College, older workers are rushing to retrain for new careers in areas such as green technology and health sciences, driving up head count 16.5%, to 25,092 students, said John Bolden, executive vice chancellor.

The economy -- rather than pricing students out of education -- drives them into it, said Lynn Blue, vice provost and dean of academic services and information technology at Grand Valley State University.

"You almost have to think that if colleges are full, it must be that education ranks pretty high in the family budget," she said.

Which School is Right for You?

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Families Still Finding Ways to Pay for College

Andrea Castillo | The Macon Telegraph, Ga. — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:34:00 -0700

After spending nearly 10 years working with cars in some capacity - as an automotive technician beginning at the age of 14, and later as a car salesman - Shaun Franks is now a full-time student at Macon State College's Warner Robins campus, studying to become a teacher.

Following a dream, the 23-year-old finally took the plunge after saving money for years and experiencing the fluctuations of the automotive market.

"A lot more people are going back," he said. "A lot more people are getting their degrees."

Franks is one of thousands of Middle Georgia college students driving up enrollment numbers in area schools this year. Coinciding with the economic downturn, financial considerations are playing a major part in their academic decisions - from taking out loans to continue their studies, to enrolling in colleges with lower tuition costs.

Franks has already earned 50 credit hours from attending Georgia Southwestern State University but he left school and moved to Middle Georgia from his hometown of Americus to take a job working at Timco Aviation Services in Macon.

"I was ready to get out of a small town," he said. "Everyone says that, but not everyone does that."

Franks also wants to follow in the footsteps of his family. His sister is an English teacher and his mother a nursing alumna of Macon State College.

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Currently, he pays for tuition with a combination of credit cards and the help of his mother. He is not eligible for financial aid until he turns 24 in November because last year he earned more than the $25,000 cutoff.

LESS EXPENSIVE OPTIONS

Though loans are a fact of life for many students and their families, a Sallie Mae poll conducted by Gallup in August revealed that 58 percent of families paid for college last year without borrowing any money. Among American families, 51 percent received grants and scholarships, 25 percent secured federal loans, 12 percent took out private education loans and 5 percent used credit cards to pay for college expenses, according to the survey.

Additionally, 67 percent of the families surveyed were confident in their ability to meet the costs for college in the current economy, according to the report.

One element contributing to the results from those surveyed is the decision of students to attend less expensive schools, cited by 48 percent of families as a cost-saving measure.

Local students such as Charles Johnston, 18, a freshman computer science and electrical engineering student at Macon State College in Warner Robins, are doing just that.

Despite being accepted to Louisiana State University, Johnston decided to complete his first two years at Macon State to save on out-of-state tuition costs. He plans to transfer to LSU afterward.

In doing so, he estimates that attending Macon State will cut his tuition costs by about 75 percent.

Technical schools provide another affordable way to build job skills in the market, said Janet Kelly, marketing & PR coordinator at Middle Georgia Technical College. Students there utilize options such as HOPE Grants and HOPE Scholarships, as well as Pell Grants and work study jobs.

Technical schools and colleges don't offer loans, since their per-credit cost is considerably lower than at a public college or university in Georgia, Kelly said.

"A lot of people have an easier time financially at technical schools because we do have all these options available," said Kelly.

Next: Students and Loans

[page]

STUDENTS AND LOANS

At Mercer University, a private institution, federal loans among students and families - such as Stafford and PLUS loans - have stayed at a consistent level with previous years, said Brian Dalton, senior vice president for enrollment management. He said the school could not track the loan amounts obtained through private lenders.

Dalton said 87 percent of students are on some sort of financial aid this year. Between merit-based scholarships, state and national aid, work study and other funding resources, Dalton said that for many families there is a significant difference between Mercer's sticker price - estimated at nearly $30,000 in tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 fall and spring semesters, according to the university's Web site - and the price families have to pay.

"[Students] should not limit themselves," he said. "The sticker price is many cases are dramatically different. Mercer is evidence of exactly that."

While Dalton said his office works with students to get maximum financial aid, he also is concerned about the amount of debt students are taking on to attend college, as well as for additional expenses. About two-thirds of college students take out loans for college, according to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, accruing an average debt of $23,186 by graduation.

"This is a generation of students saddled with debt," he said.

Dalton credits a commitment to keeping student debt down through a four-year graduation guarantee at the university, as loans for college beyond the fourth year usually become significantly higher.

"If we can get students out in four years, to graduate or professional school or in the market, then Mercer is a much better value to parents and students than schools whose graduation time is five or five and a half years," Dalton said

KaLia Burnette, 18, a sophomore biomedical engineering major from Lithonia at Mercer, depends on scholarships and loans her mother has taken out to help pay for school.

"My mom is handling the money," she said. "She doesn't want me to have loans when I graduate."

Because of the economy, a number of her friends have not been able to return to Mercer this year, Burnette said.

The economy has affected her own decisions in a number of ways, such as renting textbooks from Web sites like Textbooksrus.com or Amazon.com rather than buying them from the school bookstore.

Financial concerns also affected her summer plans, forcing her to limit her internship search to paid opportunities. She accepted a microbiology research opportunity at Auburn instead of a biomedical research opportunity at Washington University dealing with prosthetics.

"I had to take an internship not directly dealing with my major," she said.

Rashele Moore, 19, also a biomedical engineering student at Mercer from Lithonia, relies on a combination of loans, scholarships and of out-of-pocket spending to finance her education. During the summer, she took a job a Joe's Crab Shack to help cover school expenses, and now Moore said she has become more aware of her spending habits than before.

"Last year as a freshman I wasn't really worried about it," she said.

Moore mentioned the possibility of not being able to return to Mercer next year for financial reasons, though both her parents work - her father as an engineer and her mother in the health care sector.

"It depends on my engineering scholarship and financial aid," she said.

DEBT AND NECESSITY

Officials at Georgia College & State University are also concerned that more students are taking out loans to attend the school.

Georgia College has seen a 13 percent increase in financial applications received this year, said Cathy Crawley, director of financial aid and scholarships. This year, the number of Pell Grant recipients has increased by 42 percent, and the total amount of Pell dollars dispersed has increased by 67 percent.

Additionally, there has been a 45 percent increase in student loans and a 34 percent increase in the dollar amount of loans awarded.

Crawley said many parents take out loans to help cover educational costs. This year, more are being denied those loans because of bad credit. As a result, more students are taking out loans in their names instead.

In May 2008, Congress allowed students to borrow an extra $2,000 in Stafford loans, Crawley said, and many Georgia College students are taking advantage of that option and adding to their personal post-graduation debt.

"It's more than we'd like to see," she said.

Students will soon be able to benefit from more government grant dollars thanks to a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Sept. 17 with measures to end subsidies for private lenders. In doing so, the government estimates it will save $87 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Those funds would then be used to increase the maximum Pell Grant amount to $6,900 over the next decade.

About 68 percent of students at Macon State College are on some form of financial aid, according to Dee Minter, associate vice president for enrollment services,

This year, the school awarded 101 partial and full scholarships to students, up from last year's 71, Minter said. There also have been more student applicants for scholarships this year.

While more students and families are benefiting from grants and scholarships, Minter said her office has seen no decrease in student loan applications.

"One reason is because we always encourage students to look for scholarships and grants," she said. "Then, if they aren't able to procure enough of those dollars, they look at loan money to make up the difference."

Minter said the student population at the school is divided almost evenly between traditional college students who rely on their families to help pay for school and adults who are footing their own bills for educational expenses.

Despite the increase in loans among students, more are choosing to return to college to make themselves marketable, Minter said.

"The central Georgia region has come to embrace the fact that to obtain a professional job in this economy, you need at least a bachelor's degree," Minter said. "Perhaps the reason their job has not lasted, has not been the career they want it to be, is because they don't have the education. The bachelor's degree better insulates them from the fluctuation in the economy."

Find scholarships! Search $38 million worth of educational assistance.

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Two-Year-Colleges Brace for Busy Year

Debby Abe, The News Tribune — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:40:00 -0700

Class schedules for Tacoma Community College's fall quarter start arriving in Pierce County mailboxes in a few weeks. But for students who haven't registered, the booklets could end up becoming more of a wish list.

"By the time people get the printed schedule," TCC spokesman Dale Stowell said, "probably the majority of classes will be full."

Thanks to the recession, TCC and other two-year public institutions in the state are bracing for what could be unprecedented demand this fall.

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges doesn't yet have firm projections for fall enrollment at the state's 34 two-year institutions. But Charlie Earl, the board's executive director, believes it will increase, based on past recessions, a demographic surge and strong summer school numbers topping off a record year of enrollment.

Whenever unemployment rolls rise and the economy dips, college enrollment generally jumps as people look to bolster skills or prepare for a new career. "The severity of this downturn is causing an even bigger reaction," Earl said.

Last fall, public community and technical colleges enrolled the full-time-equivalent of nearly 134,000 students, a record in the state, according to a state board report. That total was 9,025 FTEs more than 2007, making it the highest annual increase in state-supported community and technical college students since the 1970s.

And those numbers didn't include another growing segment - 34,000 high school, employed workers and other students whose tuition is supported through sources other than state community and technical funding.

Adding to the demand: The increase of 18- to 24-year-olds, the prime age group filling college classrooms. Earl pointed to data showing Washington is home to 675,000 residents in that age bracket this year, 21,000 more than two years ago.

"What you're seeing is the seriousness of students of all ages about going back to school to improve their position in the economy," he said. "They're not screwing around right now."

TCC has expanded its course offerings every quarter the past year, except for the summer, Stowell said.

"We've added more than 40 individual classes to the fall schedule," he said. "When we can find an adjunct instructor and room to put them in, we add another class."

Universities are feeling the crush of students, too. Some students who would have preferred to start working on a bachelor's degree either can't get in or can't afford that option.

"Four-year colleges are having to turn away students as well," said Brian Benedetti, spokesman for Pierce College. "Some who would have gone to a four-year institution are coming to us."

Read on: A Family Affair

[page]

FAMILY AFFAIR

Gig Harbor resident Greg Suttich and stepdaughters Lauren and Jacqueline Hendrickson represent two segments behind the enrollment explosion.

If all goes as planned, all three will attend TCC in the fall.

In late May, Suttich was laid off from his job as a real estate ad salesman. He held that position about a year after his layoff from a medical equipment company.

Lauren, who graduated in June from Gig Harbor High School, is set to start at TCC as a freshman. She said she considered starting at a university but decided to save money by living at home and going to TCC.

"I talked with people who already graduated, and they said it helped out a lot going to a two-year first," she said at a TCC orientation session this month. "You get the easy stuff out of the way and then transfer."

Sister Jacqueline is still in high school but plans to enter the Running Start program, allowing her to earn both high school and college credits by taking college-level classes.

Suttich, who holds a bachelor's degree in business, hopes to enter TCC's radiology program this fall. He thinks he has a good chance of qualifying for the federally funded "Worker Retraining" program that covers tuition and books for people who lost their jobs.

"I need to get into an area that has a little more stability," Suttich, 43, said. "I'm not getting any younger. I have to start thinking about what it is that will pay the bills until retirement."

Though people are clamoring to get in, community and technical colleges have fewer resources to offer.

To help close a $9 billion shortfall in the newly begun biennium, the state's two-year institutions are taking a $50 million hit in state funding for the upcoming school year. State funding for the 2009-10 school year totals up to $685 million, 8.3 percent less than what the institutions originally expected to receive to maintain last year's service levels.

Colleges will make up $17 million of that loss by raising tuition up to 7 percent. The other cuts will come in reduced staff and maintenance, travel, technology and whatever costs administrators can find. Class sizes will undoubtedly rise, and classes that aren't filled will risk getting cut.

Read on: Services Dropeed

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SERVICES DROPPED

At Pierce College, one of the budget casualties will be the parent education program.

"The colleges are having to limit some classes offered. But at the same time they are adding sections in the most high demand courses," Earl said. "They're working really hard to serve as many students as possible. During times of downturn this is when people need us the most."

Bates, for instance, is adding a high school diploma and job training program to serve teens in the afternoons, which could free up spaces in other academic and career courses. Clover Park officials are working to offer more Internet classes this fall. Pierce College plans to serve the full-time-equivalent of 50 more students, but still expects to see students on waiting lists.

"Students and families need us, and we want to serve them, but we need more resources to serve all of them and to serve them well," Pierce's Benedetti wrote in an e-mail.

TCC is taking pains to give students who are shut out of classes in the fall a head start in winter quarter. Instead of registering last, the shut-out students who sign up for a new priority system can register for winter classes right after returning TCC students and those with the most class credits.

Flexibility will be key for college students across Washington.

Earl advises students who don't get classes at the college of their choice this fall to try another college or take courses online.

"Keep pushing to get in," he said.

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694

debby.abe@thenewstribune.com

blogs.thenewstribune.com/street

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Despite Economy, Experts Advise Students to Major in What Interests Them

McClatchy-Tribune News Service — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:41:00 -0700

When Carter Schimpff enrolled at Texas Christian University four years ago, he began work on what he thought was a marketable degree: a bachelor of business administration with a major in finance and a minor in real estate. At the time, housing markets were booming, and millions of dollars were being made in the investment and mortgage industries.

No one has to tell Schimpff how much the economy has changed. After sending his resume or filling out applications for 250 to 300 positions since March, he is still looking for a full-time job. A bookstore even turned him down for a cashier's job, saying he was overqualified.

"You go to college so you can get a job. I never figured a degree would preclude you from getting a job," he said. The best he could do was landing a part-time job just weeks ago as a door-to-door roofing salesman.

Mindful of the worst job market in more than 25 years, many students enrolling in colleges and universities this fall are considering majors that they believe will land them stable careers.

Students with degrees in nursing, health care, accounting, computer science, economics, general science and engineering report the most success in finding jobs, say local and national experts and college placement officials. Those with degrees in finance, journalism, graphic design, and international relations have had tougher times. Liberal arts graduates also struggle.

Still, career experts say students should major in whatever area most interests them, even if it's a less specialized liberal arts field, such as English or sociology. In a national survey, communication, followed closely by a strong work ethic and teamwork skills, was rated as the most important attribute sought by employers.

"One of the things that I have always said is liberal arts teaches you how to learn," said Dan Naegeli, director of the University of North Texas career center. "When you go out into the world of work, you're going to have to continue to learn."

Texas Health Resources, one of the region's largest employers, uses a wide range of workers at its 14 hospitals and other sites. The 18,000-employee company hires about 2,000 people a year.

It looks for candidates with "promise behaviors," recruitment manager Justin Clem said.

"The resume is great. ... Education is wonderful," Clem said. "But when we interview, we really want to look at situations they were put into in the past, what actions they took, and what were the results. Do those results really support treating other people with courtesy, dignity and respect? And communicating clearly and earning people's trust? And thinking before they act?"

The company also looks for people who have a record of providing outstanding service, said Janelle Browne, vice president of human resources. If a student mowed lawns or worked in a fast-food restaurant, she said, "the things that we would want to hear is how you attended to providing service to the people that you were working with and how you were attending to the quality of the product that you have.

Read on>>

[page]

"Experience is always helpful, but it is not always the guarantee that person is going to get the job," she added. "We look at the behaviors and the attitude they bring in and their willingness to be a part of the team and to pay attention to the patients and the families and the visitors."

Lockheed Martin, which has 146,000 workers worldwide, is constantly seeking workers with a "STEM" (science, technology, engineering and math) background, said Norman Robbins, senior manager of community relations. Lockheed Martin estimates that it will hire 90,000 scientists and engineers companywide over the next five to 10 years, he said.

Lockheed Martin has all sorts of jobs in all sorts of fields. The company has its own fire department, legal staff and hospital, he said.

One of the skills recruiters consider is the ability to work in teams.

"Most of what we do is problem solving, and you get people with different kinds of skills together to solve the problem," Robbins said. "If you're real bright but you can't get along with anybody, you're not going to be as successful as you will be if you can work in teams."

The company also focuses on records of achievement. For example, Lockheed Martin will pay bonuses to students who graduate in the top quarter of their class.

"We get so many applications, we can try to pick the best, and that's what we certainly ought to do," he said.

A mistake some students make is to pick a major primarily because they think it will lead to a hot career, said Katharine Brooks, author of the book "You Majored in What?" The market changes; hence the problem finance majors have finding jobs, she points out.

"If I want to be a nurse and there's a nursing school, it makes perfect sense to enroll in the nursing school," said Brooks, director of the Liberal Arts Career Services at the University of Texas at Austin.

If students don't know what career they want to pursue, they might visit the college bookstore and see what textbooks they would most want to read, Brooks said.

"That might be a clue that that's an area of interest where they're likely to get good grades, where they're likely to enjoy the subject," Brooks said.

"When I look at where philosophy majors go, at alumni lists from here at UT and also from other schools where I've worked at, they're CEOs of companies, they're lawyers, they're doctors, they're surgeons because they're bright people," Brooks said.

Internships, jobs, contacts and the ability to market a degree can sometimes be more important than a student's field of study, experts said.

"It's not necessarily the major, but how you prepare," Naegeli said.

Read on>>

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Jorge Callado, who graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in May, received several job offers. He has a bachelor of business administration degree in finance, had a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, worked 38 hours a week while in school, held leadership positions at school organizations, can speak Spanish fluently and was a member of UT-Arlington's selective Goolsby Leadership Academy.

A key advantage was his involvement in the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting. At the group's August conference in Phoenix, Callado met with recruiters from such companies as Goldman Sachs and Disney World. He has begun a management training program with Microsoft.

"I just got really lucky," he said. "Everything fell into place."

Sometimes students might need to consider careers that don't have a direct connection to their majors, said Laurence Shatkin of New Jersey, author of several career-related books, including "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs." He said Schimpff, 22, might want to consider marketing research, a growing industry. Schimpff's analytical and real estate skills may serve him well in that field, Shatkin said.

"There are some people who have exceptional ability, and they're going to make out even in the riskiest careers," Shatkin said. "Be cognizant of the risks of what you're doing, particularly if you're going into something where there's a lot of competition."

___

Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web at http://www.star-telegram.com.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

_____

GRAPHIC (from MCT Graphics, 202-383-6064): For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. 1075974

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20 Must-Read Sales Books

SalesHQ — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:28:00 -0700

Want to learn tricks of the trade? Hear success stories from the very best sales pros? Or maybe you’re just looking for a refresher course.

Whatever your need, look no further your local library or bookstore.

The best part? Sales HQ has done all the research for you.

We’ve made a list of the 20 Best Books for sales professionals. Our editors' choices, combined with members’ picks from the community forum, come together to make a list that will delight you, in some cases surprise you, and above all else, help take your sales career to the next level.

Which books made the list? Find out!

20 Best Sales Books

SalesHQ — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:14:00 -0700

Little Red Book of Selling

by Jeffrey Gitomer

With The Little Red Book of Selling, Jeffrey Gitomer has created a real-world, practical, and fun book that salespeople will love and profit from. Salespeople want answers. That’s why the Little Red Book of Selling is short, sweet, and to the point. It’s packed with answers that people are searching for in order to help them make sales for the moment – and for the rest of their lives.

In the Little Red Book of Selling salespeople will learn why sales happen and a philosophy of success – long term, relationship driven, and referral oriented – nothing to do with manipulation or other old-world sales tactics. It has everything to do with understanding buying motives and taking ethical, relationship-building actions.

People don’t like to be sold but they love to buy has become more than Gitomer’s registered trademark- it’s a mantra. A mantra every salesperson needs to understand at the core of his selling success. Throughout this book the reader will begin to adopt a philosophy that drives them to a higher, value-driven purpose.

There are 12.5 powerful principles of sales mastery. These principles are at the heart of sales success. They are the difference between red (putting your heart into your career) and black (having a job, coming to work, and making a commission). Other chapters include; What’s the Difference between Failure and Success in Salespeople, The Little Salesman that Could, The Two Most Important Words in Selling, and Just Plain “How to Make a Sale.”objections and unique, insightful responses.

Excerpt: When you're in a slump, you begin to press for orders instead of working your best gameplan (which is: "sell to help the other person," and let your sincerity of purpose chine through). When you have the pressure to sell, the prospect senses it, and backs off.

Next: The Game

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The Game

by Neil Strauss

This isn't a book about sales, per se. But if a "chick repellant" can transform himself into a "babe magnet", these strategies can make your worst products become best-sellers. Filled with abbreviations and acronyms, (AFC, "average frustrated chump"; HB, "hot babe"; PUA, "pick up artist") Strauss lays out the FMAC technique, "find, meet, attact, close". You'll learn the "three second rule" (probably not what you think) and how to open a "call."

The book is also a hilarious look into the world of pick-up artists. And it's not just a book about fooling women. After seeing the misogyny of some of his fellow PUAs, he takes a hard look at what motivates men as well.

Excerpt: For years, nervous AFCs who were new to the community were told to take the newbie mission. It involved simply showering, putting on nice clothes, going to the nearest shopping center, and smiling and saying "hi" to every woman who passed by. Many AFCs found that this not only helped them overcome their shyness, but that some women actually stopped to talk.

Next: Presentation Zen

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Presentation Zen

by Garr Reynolds

To be great in sales, you need to be a presentation master. Presentation Zen is not a technical manual for PowerPoint, but a guide from a communications expert on how to create striking presentations that will leave any audience rapt.

Reynolds tries to break you of bad habits and approach your presentations differently. From preparation to design to delivery, this book will take you from an amateur presenter to an unquestionable professional.

Excerpt: Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates use slides to complement their talks. The biggest difference, however, is that Jobs's visuals are a big part of his talk. The visuals do not overpower him but they are a necessary component of the talk, not just ornamentation o rnotes to remind him what to say. Jobs uses the slides to help him tell a story and he interacts with them in a natural way, rarely turning his back on the audience.

Next: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling

by Keith Rosen

SalesHQ featured author Keith Rosen has written the quintessential book on cold calling: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling. Of course you're no idiot, but cold calling is one of the most challenging tasks for any salesperson. Rosen has coached thousands of sales people and the process he outlines in this book is a proven method for succeeding at prospecting. Outlining templates for a prospecting system, The Complete Idiot's Guide lays out in detail how you can get rid of prospect reluctance, build all-important rapport, and construct an unbeatable follow-up practice.
Following his lead, you will be able to separate yourself from the competition, by crafting propositions that will get your prospects to talk.

Excerpt: I often hear salespeople use the word "prospecting" and the phrase "cold calling" synonymously. To eliminate any further confusion as you move deeper into this book, let's draw a distinction between the two… Based on this depiction, cold calling would be defined as the act of calling on or approaching someone with the intention of converting him or her into a prospect."

Next: Sales 2.0 for Dummies

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Sales 2.0 for Dummies

by David Thompson with Elaine Marmel

As part of the first Sales 2.0 conference held in October 2007, Genius.com CEO David Thompson wrote a quick guide for integrating social media with the sales process, Sales 2.0 for Dummies. With the proliferation of online communities like Facebook, Thompson shows you what Sales 2.0 is (and can be) and offers 10 ways to boost your 2.0 abilities.

Cold calling might be going the way of the dinosaurs. Social networks can provide a warmer way to cultivate prospects and a potentially more rewarding one. Thompson shows how web conference, social networking, and prospect tracking can lead to big sales gains. But you have to know the techniques…

Excerpt: A great source of new business is your current customer base. Effectively maintaining and cultivating your existing customers is an enormous Sales 2.0 opportunity for any company. You must have an excellent Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution to manage those relationships… Just as important, you need a marketing system.

Next: How to Master the Art of Selling

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How to Master the Art of Selling

by Tom Hopkins

Whether you’re a seasoned sales pro or just starting out, How to Master the Art of Selling is a classic – an indispensable source of information that includes the five essential steps to successful selling. Guaranteed to give you the edge you need to excel in today’s competitive business environment, Master the Art of Selling is for anyone who is ready to realize their goals and fulfill their highest potential.

Tom Hopkins wasn’t born to wealth and privilege. He was a mediocre student and began his work life in construction carrying steel. At the age of 19, he was married with a child on the way and trying to find a better way to support his young family. Since he wasn’t afraid of meeting new people and was known to be somewhat talkative someone suggested he try selling. After looking around at the people who were dressed well and driving new cars, he decided on the field of real estate.

Tom’s first six months in real estate were anything but successful. He had sold only one home and averaged $42 a month in income. He was down to his last $150 in savings when a man came into the real estate office promoting a three-day sales training seminar with J. Douglas Edwards. Tom hadn’t yet heard of either “sales training” or Mr. Edwards. He decided to invest his last bit of savings in the program. Tom was so inspired by Mr. Edwards’ training that he became an avid student. He attended seminars, read books on selling and even invested in some vinyl records on self-improvement.

Tom applied everything he learned and by the time he turned 27, he was a millionaire salesperson in real estate. He set records that remained unbroken until this century. His last year as a real estate agent, he sold 365 homes—the equivalent of one each day. Grand total, he closed 1,553 real estate transactions in a period of six years.

Excerpt: I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying.

Next: Selling the Invisible

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Selling the Invisible

by Harry Beckwith

Harry Beckwith was an advertising and marketing man, but the lessons he lays out in Selling the Invisible are essential for any successful salesperson. He argues that people do not buy products for their features, but for the way their company does business.

For Beckwith, it's never about the product, it's about the business. Rather than marketing one product feature or another, you should be marketing your company and focus your messages around that. Your client interaction should be geared towards listening and building long-term relationships.

"Don't sell the steak. Sell the sizzle" may have some buzz appeal, but that approach will lead to failure.

Excerpt: The problem wasn't that the story had no appeal. It was that the story was just a story to the editor because he had never heard of Hellenic Adventures. How could he be sure the company was real and viable, his trust in me notwithstanding?

"I'm not sure I can believe in that company," he said to himself. "I've never heard of them."

Next: The Psychology of Selling

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The Psychology of Selling

by Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy's The Psychology of Selling isn't going to make you an expert on Freud, but it will help you change the way you think about sales. With visualization techniques and tried and true sales advice, Tracy will teach you how to take command of your mind and also your customers.

He describes how you can eliminate the fear of rejection and tap into the power of suggestions.

Tracy is well known in the sales world with over 300 video and audio courses selling to over one million people. He is the master of motivational sales and his book will help you get to the top of your game.

Next: Attitude 101

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Attitude 101

by John C. Maxwell

Attitude 101, part of the 101 series, is a short read but for someone looking to be a sales leader it is a good desk reference to remind you that your attitude, as much as anything else, can determine your success. Rich with stories about leadership and leadership failure, Maxwell efficiently lays out bad-attitude traps that you have to avoid.

While the book may seem like common sense, its value lays in easily keeping you focused on avoiding bad mental habits. Petty jealousy may not derive from your relationship with a client, but if you are obsessing over minor slights you will not be on top of your sales game.

Excerpt: Value people. Praise effort. Reward performance. I use that method with everyone. I even use a form of it with myself. When I'm working, I don't give myself a reward until after the job is finished. When I approach a task or project, I give it my very best, and no matter what the results are, I have a clear conscience.

Next: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

by Richard Carlson

Richard Carlson is a stress expert and in Don't Sweat the Small Stuff he lays out 100 meditations that will let you keep perspective. Drawing from the Buddhist tradition, Carlson knows how destructive negative mental energy can be. This is especially true for people in sales.

Rejection can be deflating, but sales people have to deal with it hundreds of times a day to be successful. The key for success is to not let it destroy your will and just keep trying.

Carlson also shows how you can do little things each day to improve your attitude. Compliment someone's shoes. It will make them feel good, but more importantly for Carlson, it will make you feel good. It will boost your spirits and a positive attitude and emotional outlook is the sine qua non of selling.

Excerpt: The solution is to notice what's happening in your head before your thoughts have a chance to build any momentum. The sooner you catch yourself in the act of building your mental snowball, the easier it is to stop. In our example here, you might notice your snowball thinking right when you start running through the list of what you have to do the next day. Then, instead of obsessing on your upcoming day, you say to yourself, "Whew, there I go again," and consciously nip it in the bud.

Next: Dog Eat Dog and Vice Versa

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Dog Eat Dog and Vice Versa

by Jerry Rossi

America's largest companies spend billions on advertising every year. The ad agencies that get their clients' products sold use nine secrets that Jerry Rossi reveals in Dog Eat Dog and Vice Versa. According to Rossi, many sales strategies are stuck in the 20th Century and have not adapted as times have changed. His former boss, Doyle D. Pargin of CRB attests to the quality of his methods, saying that he "made more money in the first six months on the job than any salesman I had ever previously hired."

Many sales books rely on "wisdom" that their authors assume are timelessly true. Rossi disagrees with that approach and shows you how you can and have to evolve in how you sell.

Tips from Rossi: "NEVER turn your back to the audience and read the visual! In Hawaii, the room was set for 700 people and it was packed. It was set up with my computer at the back of the room, stage left. I could barley see it, let alone pick up clues as to what it said. I elected to leave it as to change it would delay the already time-filled program. I, therefore, had to turn my back to the audience to see which slide was up. BAD FORM."

Next: Secrets of Closing the Sale

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Secrets of Closing the Sale

by Zig Zigler

Make ’em say YES! All of us are involved in selling every day. Whenever we present a product or a principle, inform a client, or instruct a child, we are engaging in the art of effective persuasion. In Secrets of Closing the Sale, Ziglar explains proven, practical sales techniques all of us can use every day. He provides vital strategies for specific closes, hundred of sales questions, and dozens of persuasion procedures to help everyone sell their ideas, or themselves.

Excerpt: Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.

Next: Secrets of Question Based Selling

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Secrets of Question Based Selling

by Thomas Freese

Do you want to read Secrets of Question Based Selling? Have you tried opening every statement with a sentence? If you haven't, Thomas Freese thinks you should. He lays out every stage of a selling process that begins and ends with a question. His approach is designed to keep the customer engaged from beginning to end.

Freese not only shows you how questions can work to keep the customer engaged, but how they can effectively close a sale before you give away too much. A question opens the door to an answer, but that answer can just as easily be "Thank you, that will work perfectly for me" than a new manifestation of reluctance.

Excerpt: The "kill 'em with customer service" closing mentality isn't restricted to department stor clerks. It's alive and well in large account corporate sales, insurance sales, medical sales, technology sales, and many other types of selling. Instead of identifying obstacles in the sale and then addressing the outstanding deficiencies, too many sellers try to close by asking questions like, "What else can I do?"

Next: The Greatest Salesman in the World

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The Greatest Salesman in the World

by Og Mandino

Og Mandino's The Greatest Salesman in the World offers a spiritual philosophy of salesmanship, which involves a message of honesty and believing in what you are selling.
Augustine “Og” Mandino (December 12, 1923 – September 3, 1996) remains one of the best-selling inspirational authors today. His books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into over twenty-five different languages. He was the president of Success Unlimited magazine until 1976.

Mandino found sales accidentally. After his WWII military duties, Mandino discovered that many companies were not hiring former bomber pilots. As a result, he became an insurance salesman. Traveling on the road and sitting in bars at night, Mandino became an alcoholic. As a result, he was unable to keep a job, and was left by his wife and child. One morning Mandino’s life changed when he became compelled to attempt suicide. But as he sorted through several books in a library, volumes of self-help, success and motivation books captured his attention. He selected some titles, went to a table and began reading. Mandino began to read hundreds of books that dealt with success, a pastime that help him alleviate his alcoholism. Eventually became a writer. His works were inspired by the Bible and influenced by Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Emmet Fox.

Excerpt: Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

Next: Selling to Big Companies

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Selling to Big Companies

by Jill Konrath

Sales may be one of the easiest industries to get into, but selling to the Fortune 500 is not an easy feat. In this economy, in particular, getting meetings with corporate decision makers is one of the biggest challenges any salesperson faces. SalesHQ featured writer Jill Konrath shows you how to stop wasting your time with cold calling through sure-fire strategies that will get you into the board room.

Selling to Big Companies will show you how to rise above the rest and become a resource to these corporations, not just a product pusher. These strategies are more complex than many direct sales approaches, and they have to be. Your customers at this level are some of the savviest prospects out there and they know a salesperson's standard practices and how to evade them.

Excerpt: The challenge of getting into big companies is formidable, but the payback can be huge. Preparing enticing voice mail messages requires some serious thinking, a good understanding of your business case, and the panache to pull it off as a professional.

Next: How to Win Friends and Influence People

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How to Win Friends and Influence People

by Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegies classic best seller was first published in 1937. More than 70 years later it is still the go-to-guide for developing advanced "people skills." Carnegie's key message was that only 15% of business success comes from professional ability, the rest from you "ability to express ideas…and to arouse enthusiasm."

Carnegie, with more aplomb and depth than the entire self-help industry offers today, outlines three techniques for handling people, six ways to make people like you, twelve ways to win people over to your way of thinking, and nine ways to change opinions without generating resentment.

Excerpt: My guess is—and this is only a guess—that after writing that letter, Lincoln looked out of the window and said to himself, "Just a minute. Maybe I ought not to be so hasty. It is easy enough for me to sit here in the quiet of the White House and order Meade to attack; but if I had been up at Gettysburg, and if I had seen as much blood as Meade has seen during the last week, and if my ears had been pierced with the screams and shrieks of the wounded and dying, maybe I wouldn't be so anxious to attack either.

Next: The Art of War

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The Art of War

by Sun Tzu

What can a 2,500 year-old book on Chinese military strategy teach you about sales? Everything. You have to begin by seeing your prospect as "the enemy," always rebuffing your broadsides. That may seem a little extreme, but if you take sales as a game and not as seriously as war, you are unlikely to succeed.

On cold calling: "Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."

On closing: "According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans."

On value-added: "Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."

On leadership: "The commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness."

On qualifying leads: "By means of these seven consideration I can forecast victory or defeat."

Next: Covert Persuasion

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Covert Persuasion

by Kevin Hogan

Though salespeople don't pride themselves on tricking customers, Kevin Hogan's Covert Persuasion still provides invaluable insights into buyer motivation and how purchasing decisions are made. You can make the most logically persuasive case to a prospect on why he should buy, but reason isn't driving him. Instead, he is motivated by subconscious thoughts and feelings.

Hogan offers insights into human behavior that help expose these real motivations. Bringing together the latest research in psychology, linguistics, and sales, Hogan's book offers a more rigorous evaluation of customers than most anecdote-based sales tracts.

In truth, mastering these techniques won't teach you how to lie, it will show you how clients are lying to themselves. With a real understanding of how they are thinking, you sales will soar.

Excerpt: We like people who we think are just like us. We become quick friends. We trust and follow our friends. We all have a deep desire to be liked. This is why friends will often dress in very similar clothes, travel in the same social circles, and even drive similar cars. We want to be liked, so we think, act, and do what our friends are doing.

Next: The Definitive Book of Body Language

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The Definitive Book of Body Language

by Barbara Pease

We all know that our body language can convey as much, if not more, information than the words coming out of our mouths. For salespeople, Barbara Pease's The Definitive Book of Body Language provides two guides in one: how to master your own body language and how to read your clients'.

Synthesizing research in biology, psychology and medicine, Pease gives you scientifically grounded strategies to gain the upper hand in human interaction. The right handshake can literally and figuratively give you the upper hand. Legs can say more about intentions than any other part of the body. How you smile sends a message to clients.

Excerpt: Body language is an outward reflection of a person's emotional condition. Each gesture or movement can be a valuable key to an emotion a person may be feeling at the time. For example, a man who is self-conscious about gaining weight may tug at the fold of skin under his chin; the woman who is aware of extra pounds on her thighs may smooth her dress down; the person who is feeling fearful or defensive might fold their arms or cross their legs or both; and a man talking with a large-breasted woman may consciously avoid staring at her breasts while, at the same time, unconsciously use groping gestures with his hands.

Next: Raven

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Raven

by Tim Reiterman

Raven is a fascinating look at Jim Jones, the cult leader from the 1970s who founded the People's Temple. Headquartered in San Francisco, Jones gained an unlikely following. Though most cult leaders prey on the weak and downtrodden, Jones recruited prominent people to his cause. Jones sought to create a "socialist paradise" and built the eponymous Jonestown in Guyana. He then brought many of his temple's members to the South American outpost and convinced them to "drink the koolaid" that was poisoned and killed over 900 people.

Why is this book on this list? Jones skills of persuasion were clearly unparalleled. It can also provide a moral guide for which sales skills to use and which might go a little far.

Excerpt: Bob welcomed the change of scenery too. In October 1973, he either had quit or been fired as a sales representative for Xerox in Mendocino and Lake Counties. Driving a beat-up old Pontiac, wearing bags under his eyes and his only suit, he had tried to be a salesman, but he could not succeed in that competitive sales world without the trappings and energy denied him by the church lifestyle.

Master's in Healthcare Administration

Peter Vogt, Monster — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:25:00 -0800

One of the more common questions on Healthcare Careers message board is, "What can I do with a master's degree in healthcare administration?"

The short answer: All kinds of things. The longer, more helpful answer: You can get your hands around the various possibilities by thinking in terms of four employment sectors specified by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration: suppliers, insurance organizations, providers, and policy organizations.

h4. Healthcare Suppliers

Healthcare facilities can't function without the organizations that provide them with essential supplies and equipment, key services, and training and development. Thus, some graduates of healthcare administration programs pursue careers with:

• Consulting firms.

• Healthcare management companies.

• Companies that develop, manufacture and market healthcare supplies and equipment.

• Pharmaceutical organizations.

• Biotechnology companies.

• Educational organizations.

Job titles to explore in this sector include: consultant, marketing manager, buyer, sales director, director of market research, faculty/instructor, product manager and analyst.

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h4. Health Insurance Organizations

One result of the expansion of healthcare offerings in the United States is the ongoing rise in associated costs. Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that insurance companies and health maintenance organizations continue to grow. With that expansion comes another career avenue for healthcare administration graduates to consider.

Some of the job titles in this sector are research analyst, utilization manager, quality improvement coordinator, client manager and director of strategic planning.

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h4. Healthcare Providers

Providers account for the most common and most obvious career paths for graduates of healthcare administration programs.

Leading the way are hospitals, which employ about 30 percent of all healthcare administrators, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. But hospitals aren't the only providers in town. Healthcare administration grads can also find jobs with:

• Group physician practices.

• Clinics.

• Nursing homes and elder-care facilities.

• Home healthcare organizations.

• Outpatient care centers.

• Mental health organizations.

• Rehabilitation centers.

Among the many job titles you might investigate in this sector: administrator, director of business development, executive director, practice manager, vice president, chief nursing officer, director of risk management and director of patient safety.

h4. Healthcare Policy Organizations

Some healthcare administration program graduates decide to address health-related issues on a broader scale by finding jobs with either government organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control at the federal level or a state public health agency, or nonprofits with health-oriented missions.

Job titles in this sector include: communications director, legislative assistant, policy analyst, community healthcare organizer and health planner.

h4. Experience Required

No matter which career path you end up pursuing, you'll need some healthcare-related experience if you want to be competitive in your job search and gain access to the full range of opportunities.

"People sometimes expect to land a management role right out of school with no healthcare experience," Turner says. "It never happens. Healthcare experience is essential."

How to get it? If you eventually want to pursue a high-level job in a clinical area, Turner says, "clinical tech, certified nursing assistant and phlebotomist roles are terrific." If you aspire to a nonclinical leadership position, on the other hand, start by working in an administrative assistant role in the business office or as a receptionist or admissions clerk, Turner advises.

Bachelor of Science, Human Resources

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:55:00 -0800

Human resource management covers a wide variety of tasks and functions within an organization, including: recruiting and hiring, employee compensation and benefits, corporate policy, employee assistance, and training. Within the field of human resource management there is an endless list of possible jobs. Some of these include: recruiters, EEO officers, employer relations specialist, benefits managers, training and development managers, and labor relations, just to name a few.

A bachelor's degree in human resources equips graduates with the necessary background and tools to enter a human resources career in a variety of business settings.

Programs typically include a comprehensive overview of human resources principles and practices, business and technology training and communication courses.

In general, course work for a bachelor's degree in human resources covers contemporary HR issues, organizational theory and design, behavioral science, legal issues in HR management, performance management and assessment, employee training and development, and compensation and benefits.

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Students can also expect a human resources bachelor's program to include core business training in areas such as accounting, finance, information technology and marketing. Additionally, most programs require an array of general education courses to meet various general studies distributions and also allow room for electives.

With a bachelor's degree in human resources, graduates qualify for human resources leadership roles in private, public and nonprofit organizations. Specific HR competencies covered in these bachelor degree programs include training and development, strategic staffing, labor and employment law, managing organizational change, compensation and benefits, leadership and team building. Undergraduates with a bachelor's degree in human resources often work as human resources generalists, corporate recruiters and employee benefits managers, while others take positions as training specialists, employee relations managers and HR information systems managers.

Jobs in the human resource industry are plentiful. Because human resource management is needed in every industry, and just about any company with 50 or more employees has human resource workers, human resource professionals have a great deal of options available to them. Specific job availability and salary depend on the specific area one pursues. However, the Bureau of Labor statistics reported that human resource jobs are expected to grow 36 percent or more through 2012, and in 2002 the average annual salary for human resource managers was just under $65,000.

Median Salary by Job - Degree: Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc/SB), Human Resources (United States)

Compare your salary: Get a free Salary Report

Increase Your Sales Effectiveness

SalesHQ.com — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:01:00 -0800

Selling is both an art and a science. Very few people are able to enter a career in sales and work at their full potential right off the bat. And unfortunately, not every organization is willing to invest the resources necessary to train their sales force to be successful. They give their workers a few pointers and the rest is up to them.

Time is money. Why waste time learning through trial and error when you can be effective immediately by adopting tested sales strategies?

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SalesHQ, in partnership with Monster and Cornerstone OnDemand, is now offering a Sales Effectiveness Online Education Bundle.

For a low cost of $139, you will have three months of access to material from four specialized courses: Field Sales Skills, Inside Sales Skills, Territorial Account Sales Skills, and Strategic Account Sales Skills.

Access over 80 hours of skills training and simulations.

Work at your own pace while you broaden your sales perspective through clear-cut strategies and sales simulations. All courses are skills based so you can instantly apply what you’ve learned when you’re on the job!

h4. The Sales Effectiveness Bundle includes training in the following:

Field Sales Skills

Learn how to:

• Maximize your efficiency in prospecting and working with existing clients

• Apply strategy to managing your territory

• Work with the six types of customers you may encounter

• Identify customer needs, sales opportunities, and decision makers in one or two calls

• Market yourself as a consultant, not as a vendor

Territorial Account Sales Skills

Learn how to:

• Apply the steps of the Territorial Account Sales (TAS) approach to your job

• Research your prospects and understand their business

• Work with a key contact to get insider advice about selling to a company

• Identify and reach company decision makers

• Communicate effectively and deliver high impact presentations

Inside Sales Skills

Learn how to:

• Utilize account profiling

• Prepare properly for sales calls

• Ask effective questions customers and set objectives for calls

• Approach each of the six types of customers you will encounter

• Handle common objections

• Field inbound sales calls and determine opportunities

Strategic Account Sales Skills

Learn how to:

• Apply the steps of the Strategic Account Sales (SAS) approach to your job

• Research your prospects and understand their business

• How to work strategically with a target account company

• Deliver high impact presentation

SalesHQ, in partnership with Monster and Cornerstone OnDemand offers affordable online training program to help you sell more and advance your career.

You will have on demand access to specialized courses over three months for only $139.

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Is Another Degree Your Ticket to Management?

By Linda Wiener | Monster Contributing Writer — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:15:00 -0700

I received my BS (1980) and MS (1982) in education and health sciences and worked in medical research until the mid-1980s. Since moving from the East Coast to California, I have changed careers and worked in computer support (three years) and mortgage banking (10 years). While these jobs paid the bills, I haven't been able to progress to a management position. I enjoy working in finance and business entrepreneurship. Would getting an MBA or JD at 46 be worthwhile?

WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS: Perhaps you have more vocational options to consider than whether an advanced degree will give you the greatest market advantage. You already have a wonderfully diverse educational and work history, and generalists are highly prized in some arenas.

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Instead of jumping right to the either/or question about graduate school, consider doing more in-depth self-assessment as well as some preliminary market research. One key question to ask yourself is whether your desire to return to school is motivated solely by career application, or in part by a desire for more personal satisfaction.

California's community colleges and universities are known for their excellent career centers. A good next step would be to make an appointment at a school near you. An experienced vocational counselor can be an invaluable partner in helping you develop a strong foundation on which to base your ultimate decisions.

After figuring out who you are and what you really want to do at this stage in your life, you're ready to begin your research. This will help you decide if you are still on target for advanced studies. In addition to job requirements, study company Web sites for other pertinent information about industries you've targeted.

You will probably also want to go on some informational interviews with folks currently doing the type of work in which you're most interested. These are not job-seeking interviews, but rather informal opportunities for you to gather additional data to help clarify your goals. You'd surely get solid insider information about new-to-you fields. Informational interviewing will help you develop your network of professional contacts and may yield leads or referrals.

Finally, have you considered revisiting your degree in education? Teaching is one of the 21st century's growth fields. Shortages in some states are so severe that school boards are trying a variety of creative techniques to recruit and certify new teachers; some are even offering signing bonuses. Not surprisingly, in many areas, more than a few mid-career (and midlife) refugees from other industries have made this career change.

Take your time, and do your homework before making a decision.

Want to Get into Graduate School? Here's How...

Bridget Kulla, FastWeb.com — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:14:00 -0700

If you’ve decided to head back to the classroom for an advanced degree, get ready to face some competition. Between 2004 and 2016, the number of masters degrees granted is expected to increase by 35 percent. To stand out from the pack, get organized to make your graduate application shine.

h4. Graduate school applications generally require:

• Transcript

• GRE or other standardized test scores

• Letters of recommendation

• Personal statement and/or admissions essay(s)

• Audition, manuscript, portfolio – usually only required for creative fields like visual arts, dance or creative writing

For students planning to start graduate school in the fall, application deadlines can range from as early as August to as late as spring, although most deadlines fall between December and March. Don’t wait until then to start your application. Follow a general timeline:

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Summer:

• Ask for letters of recommendation

• Sign up for graduate school exams like the GRE (Graduate Record Examination, required for graduate programs that do not require one of the following subject-specific tests), MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test, required for medical school), LSAT (Law School Admissions Test, required for law school), DAT (Dental Admissions Test, required for dental school), or GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test, required for business school).

Fall:

• Take graduate school exams

• Request application materials

• Research sources of financial aid

• Arrange for official transcripts to be sent

Late Fall:

• Complete your applications (Don’t forget to save a copy!)

• Finalize your essays

Winter:

• Send in your completed applications

• File your FAFSA

• Apply for financial aid

Spring:

• Visit campuses

• Prepare for interviews

• Submit your acceptance or decline admission

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Getting your graduate application together will take some time, but it will also take money. Schools charge application fees that can range from $20 to $90, with an average cost of about $50. Additionally, you will have to cover costs of $112 to $240 for standardized test fees. Getting official copies of your transcript will set you back an average of $5 per copy. These fees tend to go up each year, so check for the latest costs. Also factor in mailing, printing and copying costs, which can add up if you are applying to more than one school. Get your application budget in order before you get your applications ready.

Admissions committees want to make sure you will be a good fit for their program. In addition to your undergraduate GPA, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statement, admissions committees also look for students who are passionate about a field of study and will succeed in graduate school and beyond. Background preparation in your field and other relevant experience will also be considered. Committees want to see that you are a hard worker and are open to academic challenges.

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Your graduate field of study will be more specific than your undergraduate major and so will the application review process. Unlike undergraduate admissions, your application will most likely be reviewed by two separate committees. In addition to the graduate office of admission, each graduate department will assess applications. Since your application will be evaluated by faculty members who are knowledgeable about your field, you will be under greater scrutiny.

Spend extra effort ensuring your application reflects your motivation and passion for your field. Your personal statement and letters of recommendation are the best venues to get this across. Have professors read and offer advice on your personal statement. Carefully choose faculty members who know you well and understand your academic goals to write your recommendation letters.

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Finally, make sure you send everything in on time. All your hard work will be for nothing if you miss the application deadline. Some graduate programs require that separate application materials be sent to the school to which you are applying and to the graduate admissions office. Check with your program to ensure that your application will reach all of the necessary offices by the deadline date. Applying with an online application can save you the trouble of going to the post office, but make sure you submit a completed application and print a hard copy for your records.

Getting organized and spending a little extra time on your application is the first step to earning a graduate degree at your top-choice school.

This article originally appeared on Fastweb, one of our sister sites.

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

SalesHQ.com — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:17:00 -0700

Do you enjoy working with computers? Have you ever been curious about the way they work and how they can accomplish all the fascinating tasks they do? These days, it's all about the people behind the magic - computer programmers. Writing code takes a certain problem-solving mindset, whether you’re writing scripts, software, or web applications. If you’re starting a career as a programmer or software developer, a Computer Science or CS degree is a great way to develop the mindset of a coder and learn a first programming language or two.

Once you’re comfortable working with that mindset, learning new languages and development environments is usually pretty easy. The best coders are good at their jobs not because they’ve memorized the ins and outs of a certain language (though that helps), but because they know how to attack problems in creative ways.

Why Do I Need a Computer Science Degree?

College graduates earn almost double the salary of non-graduates, and in technology you’ll often need a degree to open up certain career paths. While there are plenty of successful self-taught developers, engineers, and programmers, a degree is the easiest way to demonstrate to an employer that you’ve mastered the skills you need to succeed at the job you’re pursuing.

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Computer science students learn basic concepts of structured coding and object-oriented design and development. A good CS program will acquaint students with the basic elements of programming and scripting languages, usually through in-depth work with one or two key programming languages.

CS students complete various projects designed to acquaint them with different levels of software design and engineering. Any good CS program will cover both low and high-level programming languages, the differences between complied and interpreted languages, and how to properly comment and debug code.

The foundation students gain by completing a computer science degree is a critical platform for starting a programming career. Students who’ve mastered the above concepts will be well prepared to master new programming languages and solve different types of coding problems as they continue to grow in their careers.

What are starting salaries like for people with a BS in Computer Science?

Starting Median Salary: $55,900

Mid-career Median Salary: $95,500

_Source: Payscale_

Considering tech is a constantly growing industry, there are thousands of jobs available in positions such as Software Engineer / Programmer, Information Technology (IT) Manager, Software Developer, Web Applications, Programmer Analyst, Information Technology (IT) Consultant, Project Manager and more.

Median Salary by State or Province - Degree: Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc/SB), Computer Science (CS) (United States)

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Median Salary by Sales Territory - Degree: Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc/SB), Computer Science (CS) (United States)

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Bachelor of Arts in Marketing

SalesHQ.com — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:10:00 -0700

Have a creative knack? Like to think of exciting, cutting-edge ways to catch people's attention? Have you ever been curious about why people make the purchasing decisions they do? Then marketing is right up your alley!

With today's competitive job arena, it is important to be an expert in and specialty field you enter. By earning your marketing degree, you will be more desired and much more competent at your marketing position. This type of education background also sets you up for future success, by teaching you valuable economic and business skills. According to Ferris State University, "One out of every five presidents or chief executive officers in the nation's top 500 businesses was, as an undergraduate, a marketing major."

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What are starting salaries like for people with a BA in Marketing?

Starting Median Salary: $40,8000

Mid-career Median Salary: $79,600

_Source: Payscale_

Classes usually include Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Strategy, Global Marketing Management, International Business, and Entrepreneurship. Earning your Bachelor of Arts in Marketing may take 2-4 years, depending on the speed of your trac. These classes can be taken online and/or on a college campus.

Typical marketing jobs include titles like Marketing Manager, Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Director, Project Manager, Marketing, Marketing Specialist, and Account Manager. Down the line in your career, you could pursue even higher-level positions like Vice-President or even CEO of a company! With the right education, doors of possibility will open for you.

Median Salary by Job - Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA/AB), Marketing (United States)

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Is an MBA Right for You?

SalesHQ & BusinessSchools.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:51:00 -0700

The master of business administration, or MBA, is often considered the top degree in the business world, although PhDs in certain specialties are certainly available. No matter what industry you're in, an MBA degree will be a enormous asset. Some companies will provide tuition assistance or reimbursement in exchange for your commitment to continue working for them after you earn your degree.

h4. MBA's are a popular graduate degree for the following reasons:

Recent MBA graduates reportedly make 35 percent more than those without the degree (source: The Princeton Review)
• Prepare you for a promotion to management or executive positions

• Prepare you to launch your own business

• Build an invaluable network through your classmates

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In traditional 2 year business schools students typically take a core group of classes during year one, and then may pursue their own interests during the second year through elective courses.

h4. Subjects you may study in business school:

h4. The Core Curriculum may include:

• Marketing

• Business Strategy

• Organizational Behavior

• Finance

• Economics

• Accounting

• Manufacturing & Production

• Operations

h4. Some of the more common areas of specialization are:

• Entrepreneurship

• Brand Management

• International Business

• Human Resources

• Corporate Finance

• Information Technology

• Product Management

• Business Ethics

h4. Business school can fit any lifestyle. Accredited MBA programs may include:

2 Year MBA: Full-time, weekday programs for 4 semesters.

Accelerated MBA: Full-time, 1 year, with an increased course load.

Distance Learning MBA: The most flexible option for prospective MBA students. Accredited Online Programs vary in terms of schedule

Evening & Weekend MBA: Part-time; Usually over a 3 year period. Students are usually working and going to school.

Executive MBA: Part-time; designed for managers and executives who are working.

Median Salary by State - People with MBA Degrees

Median Commission by Job - People with MBA Degrees

Median Salary by Sales Territory - People with MBA Degrees

Associate and Bachelor Degrees in Business Administration

SalesHQ.com & BusinessSchools.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:42:00 -0700

Do you wind up the leader of almost every group project you get involved in? Do other people frequently ask you for financial advice? Do you watch _"The Apprentice"_ and similar TV shows and say to yourself, "I could do better than all these people"? You might never get to be the president of a multi-billion-dollar company, but businesses all over the world need people with managerial and financial skills. They can promote non-managerial employees into management or positions of financial responsibility. If you get training in business administration, you'll have skills that firms everywhere are looking for.

Whether you're finishing high school and want an important, rewarding career, or you've been working for a few years and want to improve your prospects, a business degree can be the avenue to fulfilling your dreams.

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h4. What are starting salaries like for people with a BA in Business Administration?

Starting Median Salary: $43,000

Mid-career Median Salary: $72,100

_Source: Payscale_

h4. Curriculum

To earn a bachelor's degree in business administration, students generally need to complete a “business core,” a term given to the group of classes every business student is required to complete. A degree is then rounded out through general education requirements (such as history, science, and English) and business electives. Most bachelor's degree programs take four years to complete, though there are accelerated program options at many colleges and universities.

Associate's degrees in business administration are also offered. Generally, an associate's degree program lasts two years and is comprised of the business core and electives but does not include general education requirements.

Here are some of the subjects you might learn if you choose to study business:

• You will be called on to write memos and reports, give presentations, and much more, so *business communication & correspondence* polishes your verbal and written skills to a professional level.

• *Economics* is the science of money and the distribution of resources; microeconomics examines it on the personal and small-business scale, while macroeconomics examines it on a big-business and government-policy scale.

• *Finance* teaches you how the banking, capital, and debt markets work; how to use them to raise money for your firm; and how to wisely use that money through budgeting and cash-flow and risk analysis.

• Study *accounting* to understand how to track and report your company's financial activity, and how to use those reports as a basis for business decisions.

• *Leadership and organizational behavior* show you how individuals and groups function in an organization, how to set goals for an organization, and how to lead and motivate the organization's people and groups toward those goals.

• Especially in today's business climate, *ethics & corporate responsibility* are tremendously important. You and your firm need to make decisions that are morally right, not just for yourselves but for your shareholders, employees, community, environment, and society.

• *Marketing* is the study of making customers aware of your product, making the product optimally available to them, and motivating them to buy it.

• *Negotiation* will prepare you to get what you want when bargaining with employees, vendors, customers, and others.

• Developing and manufacturing products is the province of *operations management*; learn *technology management* to integrate new devices and processes, especially relating to information technology, into your business.

• In *entrepreneurship*, you'll learn how to identify potential business opportunities, get the backing you'll need to start them up, and develop them into viable organizations.

• *Strategy* shows you how to evaluate the information you have about your firm and its resources, the marketplace, the industry, and society in order to make better decisions about what your firm should be doing in the future.

h4. Internships

Most college and university business programs will include an internship or practicum at an external company where you can put your education into practice. Some programs absolutely require it; a good internship can perfectly position you for a job at the same company or an even better one when you finish school.

h2. Salary Info For Associate's vs Bachelors Degree Holders

Median Salary by State or Province - Degree: Associate of Business Administration (ABA) (United States)

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Median Salary by Sales Territory - Degree: Associate of Business Administration (ABA) (United States)

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Meanwhile, if you pursue a higher degree - a Bachelor's - then you will be more competitive for higher level jobs and therefore will earn more money.

Median Salary by State or Province - Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA/AB), Business Administration (United States)

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Median Salary by Sales Territory - Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA/AB), Business Administration (United States)

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PSE Foundation Awards Over $37,000 in Scholarships for 2008

Pi Sigma Epsilon, Inc. — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:42:00 -0700

The Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) National Professional Fraternity in Marketing, Sales, and Management, through the PSE National Educational Foundation (PSE NEF) is proud to grant tuition scholarships to deserving PSE members.

Since its inception, the program has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships and grants. All members in good standing with at least one semester/ two quarters left in either an undergraduate or graduate program (or graduating with outstanding student loans to their university) are eligible to apply. The joint application form is available at www.pse.org

h4. 2008 Future Leader Team

To recognize outstanding PSE freshman and sophomores, each PSE chapter names one member showing great leadership potential to the PSE Future Leader Team. The top ten nominees will be awarded PSE Future Leader scholarships. The team award includes: a complimentary registration packet to the National Convention, a $100 travel voucher, and invitations to special networking receptions. Future Leader applications are also available under "Scholarships & Awards at www.pse.org

Fortune 100 Finance Internship Raises the Value of Your Personal Stock

By Dona DeZube | Monster Finance Career Expert — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:55:00 -0700

Most internships will improve your post-graduation marketability, but a finance internship with a Fortune 100 company will give you special cachet in the marketplace.

In the Minneapolis area, headquarters to some of the world’s largest firms including Target and 3M, Paul Stephan, director of college recruiting for UnitedHealth Group, values job seekers who’ve done internships at other Fortune 100 firms. “That makes someone look attractive, because you understand the experience they have,” he says.

h4. All Internships Are Not Equal

While many of the country’s largest firms have formal, structured internship programs, not all companies focus their internship energy on finance students. And not all internships are equally beneficial to students. While some companies hire interns to crunch out low-level work, the best internship programs expose students either to high-level executives or a variety of niches within the finance sector.

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“Some companies have internships that are mini-rotation programs,” explains Kent Burns, a partner with MRINetwork of Indianapolis - North. “Those are very good for students, because they give them a chance to assess whether they’re going down the right career paths.”

Sony Pictures Entertainment puts about two dozen undergraduate and MBA interns through an eight-week internship program that includes networking classes and weekly lectures featuring high-level executives sharing their personal take on the business. “They do get nice exposure,” says Laura Rowe, Sony vice president for staffing and diversity. “They’re not siloed or cocooned behind their desk.” Halfway through the internship, Sony interns choose another department and spend a day shadowing there, she says.

Sony has a variety of internship opportunities each summer. “This year we have openings in finance, accounting, corporate and business development, as well as marketing, sales, advertising, etc.,” Rowe says. “The number of applicants we receive varies from 50 to 250-plus, depending on position.”

Another hot finance internship is one where you have an analytical role, such as merger-and-acquisition analysis, capital expenditure analysis or even something as simple as buy-versus-lease analysis. “The ideal analysis internship would be running scenarios for a senior manager, VP-level or C-level executive,” Burns says. “That provides an opportunity to connect number crunching to the actual strategic decision-making process, which is much better than crunching numbers for just anyone in a cubicle.”

At UnitedHealth, interns are hired into several areas, including analysis, business risk and control, operations, internal audit and healthcare plan accounting. “So when you’re ready to move up and around, we have a diversity of opportunity,” Stephan says.

h4. Build a Bridge

The right internship will also build a bridge from the campus to a corporate office. “What a finance intern gets from UnitedHealth is an opportunity to build a relationship that could last longer than the internship with a Fortune 25 company,” Stephan says. “We do our internships with the hope that those individuals will join us long term.”

Sony ends up hiring some of its interns after graduation, too. “If we haven’t hired them, they’re still in contact with us,” Rowe says. “Sometimes they go to an outside firm and come back a few years after graduation, especially the MBAs.”

h4. Sell Your Extracurricular Self

Competition for the best internships is tough. What makes candidates stand out is having a passion for the industry, excellent grades in finance and accounting courses, and experience working in a team during extracurricular activities or other internships. For Sony internships, that passion might be demonstrated by taking media-based classes or through an extracurricular activity such as being the business manager for the school newspaper or theater.

Most companies want to see at least a B average, but a lower GPA isn’t a death sentence. “Some students have very compelling stories,” Stephan says. “They work 60 hours a week financing their education and can get great experience at the detriment to their GPA.”

The majority of UnitedHealth’s internships are available over the summer (to coincide with student availability); the best time to get in touch with these opportunities is in the spring.

h4. Look Past the Obvious

When searching for internships, look beyond the surface impression of Fortune 100 companies, Stephan advises. “On campuses, we are sometimes simplified down to a big insurance company, but there’s no aspect of healthcare delivery that we don’t get involved with,” he says. “With us, you’ll have the opportunity to move up and around the organization. Finance talent is involved in big decisions around here.”

Find the right finance internship, and you could not only land a front-row seat to the meetings where those decisions are made, but you could also end up with a ticket to a great job.

Bachelor's Degrees: The More You Learn, The More You Earn

By Kristina Cowan | PayScale Contributing Writer — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:08:00 -0700

Growing up, Saretta Holler always knew she wanted to write. She explored her options as college drew near, thinking she'd go into journalism. But after realizing she could pursue writing in public relations and make more money, she opted to study PR at San Diego State University and graduated in 1999.

Holler's story begs the question: What's the value of a subject-specific bachelor's degree?

That depends on the subject, experts say. In Holler's case, the PR degree paid off. She said it helped her get her current job as the marketing communications manager at Kettley, a financial technology firm, and the CEO told her as much. Other degrees, such as those in computer science or computer engineering, also equip students with specialized skill sets and lead to specific jobs and salary ranges, according to experts.
earn my degree

For example, the median salary for someone with a computer science degree and less than one year of experience is $49,756, PayScale salary information shows. Individuals with computer science degrees who work as senior software engineers report a median salary of $87,534, while those serving as computer programmers earn $48,740.

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h4. What about jobs for people with an English degree?

Liberal arts degrees in disciplines like English or economics don't necessarily lead to the same types of careers. Dr. Katharine S. Brooks, director of Liberal Arts Career Services at The University of Texas at Austin, offered the example of two recent UT grads who majored in English. One went to work at AmeriCorps, earning a $10,000 salary, while another pulled in $52,000 at a job in marketing.

"They're not career-specific majors like electrical engineers. If they major in that then they're electrical engineers, and you get a basic range of salaries in that field. But in English, it's non-specific, and their opportunities are so wide-open. It depends what they want to go into, so their salary will very much correlate with the field or the job title," Brooks said.

According to PayScale salary information, a UT-Austin graduate with up to one year of experience can expect to earn an average salary of $42,500 a year.

h4. The More You Learn, The More You Earn

A bachelor's degree is a good idea no matter what the major, experts say, because earnings tend to rise as education levels increase.

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According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, between 1980 and 2005 "young adults with at least a bachelor's degree consistently had higher median earnings than those with less education." In 2005, male workers ages 25-34 with a high school diploma or GED had a median income of $29,600, while those with a bachelor's degree or higher earned $48,400. Among women with the same characteristics, those with a high school diploma or GED made $23,500, and their counterparts with bachelor's degrees or higher earned $39,500.

And while it may be difficult to pinpoint the value of a liberal arts degree, there are some ball-park figures available. A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers offers a glimpse into the average starting salaries for a variety of majors. English majors receive an average offer of $32,553, economics majors get $48,483, and starting wages for computer science graduates are somewhat higher, at $53,396.

h4. Picking A Major: For Love or Money

Mentioning the value of a degree generally stirs thoughts of salaries and money. Ideally, though, a degree helps its owner follow his or her passions.

Holler said her initial interest was in journalism, but studying PR proved a better fit because she uses her verbal and written communication skills, which she enjoys.

Andrea Koncz, NACE's employment information manager, said the group has found "over the years that students choose their majors based upon what they 'like to do.'" She pointed to NACE's 2006 survey of graduating students and alumni, which says 67 percent of respondents indicated they chose a major because they liked the work it would enable them to do. Only 6 percent picked their majors based on earning potential.

Brooks of UT-Austin said in a past job she advised pre-med students; when some didn't get into medical school, instead of pursuing other health-related careers, they opted for investment banking or consulting.

"They wanted something high-paying, that's why they were going to medical school in the first place," she explained. "You'll look at any field that will pay you what you want to earn."

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