Summer Classes

Over the summer I took a creative writing class at a local college. I was surprised at the diversity of writing the students offered. Some students had MBA degrees in economics, while others were just taking the class for self enrichment. All the students loved to write.

One of our main assignments was writing journal pages several days a week. One student, who was pursuing her bachelors in health administration, noted how the journal relieved some of her stress and anxiety just by writing her worries down. Journaling can be very therapeutic. Especially in this age of emailing and text mails, the written word is often lost.

When was the last time you received a hand written letter? Not just a note on a happy birthday or Christmas card, but an actually letter. I haven’t received a hand written letter in years. My grandmother sent me letters when I first moved away from the family. I tried to write my fiancé faithfully when I was studying abroad for a semester. He wrote me emails and sent me candy.
This summer I’ll be starting a master degree program online. I will miss the camaraderie of the summer writing class. Maybe I’ll write some letters.

The Growing Importance of College

College has become much more of a necessity than it used to be. I remember a colleague of mine mentioning on her blog that when she graduated from high school, some 25 or 30 years ago, college wasn’t as much of an expectation as it is today. There were still plenty of good jobs you could get without a college education. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore.

Many jobs that you could once get with just a high school diploma now require, or at least are made easier by having, a college degree. For instance, consider the golf industry. Once upon a time, no one would have considered a college education necessary -- it was enough if you just were good at golf. Now, however, if you want to pursue a golf career, you will find it is extremely helpful, if not necessary, if you have attended a golf school.

Vocational and career colleges have also expanded their programs beyond what they used to be. To continue with the same example, golf schools these days don’t just teach you how to play golf -- they also teach information and techniques that someone pursuing a career in the industry would need to know. For instance, golf course management schools teach you the ins and outs of managing a golf facility. Other subjects are things like design and construction of golf equipment, such as golf clubs, and landscaping for golf courses.

As you can see, getting a college education is more important now than ever before. If you want to guarantee your earning potential, job security, and your success in your chosen career, you should seriously consider pursuing some sort of higher education.

Distance Learning for Physical Therapists

I am a physical therapist enrolled in some physical therapy courses that make up one of the Arizona School of Health Sciences Online Programs. I'm learning a lot; deciding to use distance learning to obtain more training has proven to be a good career move for me. The orthopedic clinic where I work will be raising my salary after I finish taking the classes. Some of my fellow practitioners have also taken some distance learning courses at the same school, and they agree the experience was extremely valuable. One clinician got a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, and another enrolled in an Advanced Occupational Therapy Online program, and she'll be finishing up soon.

Our clinic is managed by administrators who are firm believers in staying abreast of the most current information and technology, something that isn't easy to do. We're expected to think progressively, so continuing education is emphasized in the practice. We're not forced to go back to school, but distance learning makes it pretty convenient, and everyone wants to get a raise in pay, so there isn't much resistance to taking extra courses. I consider myself lucky to work for people who invest so much in their employees.

Going Online for a Career in Criminal Justice

I work at a childcare center and am interested becoming a social worker or going into some area of criminal justice, like corrections. I've been checking into what sort of education is required. I've been talking to some parole officers in town who say taking courses at online colleges is a convenient way to go, and they haven't had any problem getting their credits approved, if the school is accredited. One of the parole officers majored in criminal justice, and the other one has a degree in psychology. They sometimes get online continuing education credits for courses, and they tell me people can get online criminal justice degrees or online psychology degrees at some of the same schools. Either of those degrees would be helpful in getting a job in corrections later on.

My parents say they would be happy to help with tuition, and I found out there's financial aid available for online education too. So that means I can choose to quit my present job and get an online degree faster, if I want. But I can also stay on at the childcare center while taking classes online. It's just great to know I have that choice.

Defining Your Culinary Education

There is a really diverse population that makes up the group of people who are attending a school that is teaching them about cooking. There is also some dispute among this varied group about what to call this type of school.

Some of the ways that the education that people are getting for culinary training has been defined include:

• "Cooking Schools". Many people just prefer to say that they are attending one of the nation's many cooking schools which reflects that they are interested in letting people know that they like to cook.


• "Chef Schools". This term indicates that the person is more interested in conveying the career that they plan to have ("chef") than what they like to do ("cook"). The title is what matters here.


• "Culinary Schools". There are some people who really feel that cooking is an art and that they are learning how to complete that art successfully and creatively. These people usually say that they are attending culinary school.

The way that you choose to define your culinary education really depends a lot on what aspect of a culinary career is what you want people to focus on when they think about what it is that you do.

[Tags] cooking schools, chef schools, culinary training [/Tags]