It's no secret that education is linked to job security and salary. Those with a high school degree were likely to earn less than half the salary, and experience over twice the unemployment, as those with a master's degree according to research from Salary.com. General facts about education and employment can help your individual career choices, but you have particular ...

A professional wrestler runs for governor of Minnesota and wins. The owner and pastry chef of my neighborhood bakery is a former investment banker. A friend from college who was a computer scientist for seven years now makes her living as a sailboat captain in Seattle. How did these people get where they are today? Through a combination of luck, confidence ...

If you’ve been tuning into the news for the past few months, you’ll notice that the unemployment rate has been steadily decreasing several tenths of a percentage point from month to month. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that number had dropped to 8.3% in February. [gate] Good news for the economy, and good news for job seekers across ...

Healthcare has undergone significant changes in the past 20 years, and healthcare organizations are increasingly sensitive to cost control and productivity. Funding sources for both public and private healthcare orgzanizations have cut back reimbursement and allowable expenses. Your resume must reflect an understanding of these changes. It must show evidence of skills, experience, a commitment to quality, and an ability to ...

Growing demand for nurses makes it easy to believe that succeeding in nursing school and then landing a job is as simple as showing up with a pulse. Talk about a misdiagnosis. Yes, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics foresees the need for one million new and replacement nurses by 2012, but employers and patients still want standout nursing students. ...

Graduating from college is a major milestone. Once you have finished celebrating your student’s success, it’s time to help your student determine their next steps. Your student’s college degree is a stepping stone to other future life achievements. So what's next for your student after college? For some students, the career they want to pursue requires a graduate degree; others may ...

If you've got a serious medical problem, the US News & World Report's rankings of top hospitals can point you to the best facilities for treating cancer, heart conditions or just about any other ailment. But what if you're a nurse or allied healthcare worker, or you're considering a career in healthcare? What's different about working at a top hospital? And ...

If you’re already investing in a law degree meant to improve your career prospects, then why would you bypass the many job-hunting services offered by your law school’s career center? “Yes, there are plenty of online [job search] resources, but they’re not a substitute for visiting your school’s career services office,” says Deborah Schneider, author of Should You Really Be a ...

You've been hearing that voice again, the one that says you're not pursuing what you were born to do. That may be true, but how do you figure out what you should be doing? To begin answering this question, examine whether your current career path matches your core interests, beliefs, values, needs and skills. Professional career counselors usually undertake this strategy ...

What makes you tick? What major will fit you best? How will you find a good career? And how can you keep from going crazy trying to sort through this swirl of career-related questions? Many college students feel confused and overwhelmed by all of the career decisions they must make. Fortunately, there's a strategy you can use to make the whole ...

Take a variety of different classes. Don't pigeonhole yourself into one tight line of study. Branch out and take a good look around to see what interests you. Complete a few self-assessment tests. Self-assessment tests can tell you a lot about yourself and may help you match your skills and interests with possible careers. Develop a career inventory. What kind of ...

In some cultures, bargaining is the norm. A buyer or seller makes an offer, and the other party either accepts or counters the offer. The two negotiate until a deal is made or one of the parties walks away. When you're negotiating your pay with an employer, do you know what you're doing? Do you have any idea of what you're ...

Sometimes the harder you try to figure out what you want to do for a career, the more you wind up beating your head against the wall. Sound familiar to you? If so, then try the reverse strategy: Take a close look at what you don't want to do. That way, you can explore the opposite and start getting at least ...

If you haven’t been able to find a job and don’t want to go back to school, there’s another option you may not have considered. One that allows you to travel, pays off your student loans, allows you to help change the world, and looks GREAT on your resume. What is this dream experience you ask? The Peace Corps. The Peace ...

What a relief! Your first job offer. But before you say "yes," think about whether it's the right job for you. Start by asking your prospective employer for some time before you make your decision. Anywhere from a few days to a week is acceptable. Take that time to figure out what's most important to you and weigh the job ...

After much thought and consideration, you've finally selected a specific occupation as a career goal. Congratulations! If you're like most people, you didn't determine a career direction overnight. You probably made your decision only after a great deal of careful thinking and (hopefully) research into occupations that best match your personality. But despite all your efforts, you're probably still asking yourself, ...

Hundreds of books will tell you about getting into college, what college is like, what to do (and not do) while you’re there, and what to do when you’re done. But books won’t tell you everything. You’ll need a map of your campus, a map of your new city, a map of the region or state around you when you make ...

One MonsterTRAK member writes: "I'm just wondering: What is a good field to go into after college? I'm in my first year of college and have changed my major twice. I want to make at least $90,000 a year and will do just about anything that doesn't involve a lot of math. Could you give me some options?" These words are ...

On my shelf of forgotten and useless VHS tapes sit two videos I watched frequently as a child: "I Wanna Be a Fire Fighter" and "I Wanna Be a Heavy Equipment Operator". I don't exactly remember wanting to be a heavy equipment operator, but you just never know at that age. These educational videos depicted what a day on the job ...

Is it ever too soon to look for the postgraduation job you want? The short answer is, "No, it isn't." But the more complete answer is, "It depends on what you mean by look." Timing is critical in your job search, just as it is in many things in life. Perhaps that's why so many college students have questions like the ...