College Money and Scholarships Tips

With unemployment still high, many people are looking at all options for jobs. Going back to college can be a great idea, and a ticket to a high paying, in demand career. Here are a few college degrees that are sought after and can lead to a quick, decent paying job. The medical field is still growing, and growing rapidly. You don't need to be a nurse or doctor to get into this field. A quick two year degree in medical assisting can get you work in a doctors office or related business. Medical assistants perform various clinical tasks, and some clerical. These positions will continue to grow as the medical field expands and gets more technical. A law degree takes years. But most law offices need legal groundwork. This is done mostly by paralegals. Becoming a paralegal is as short as a two year degree. Any law office utilizes these trained professionals, from public district attorneys, to private law firms. Law research is what they do, and your degree will make you an expert at...

Let's face it. College is expensive. Most college students squeak by on a meager budget. One thing they realize is that tuition is not the only cost. Other things can add up. Many students don't even realize how expensive other things can be. So here are a few items that college students should try and not buy. Every penny saved is a penny back in your pocket. Leave the car at home. Better yet. Sell it and pocket the cash. The college fees for parking are probably going to cost $50 a month. Or more. And your car will mostly sit. You still have to pay insurance, and car insurance for college students is not cheap. You will be tempted to take trips on the weekend, further costing you money. No doubt a car will end up costing most college students a couple of hundred dollars a month. If you insist on driving in college, here are some lower car insurance tips. College students do not need the latest fashions. You're going to spend the majority of your time on campus. Buy so...

College students feel the need to drive a car, but a car and expenses that you can incur, like insurance, can break a college budget. The best thing a college student can do is to not have a car. But, many times that's a solution that is not heeded. There are things one can do to lower their auto insurance rates. Check your current auto policy for any extras that are charged for. Like roadside assistance, towing, and other things that are not really part of the insurance for your car. Drop these and your payments should be lower. College students may be eligible for good grade discounts. Check with your insurance company and make sure you are getting all discounts, including good driver. Increasing your deductible can really take a chunk out of your car insurance costs. Try and go for the biggest deductible that you can get. You can probably save hundreds of dollars a year on this alone. Only pay for the coverage you need. Many insurance companies offer different levels of coverage...

If you are a recent college graduate, or anyone else job-hunting, you are probably sending out quite a few resumes. In the past, there were little things that you were supposed to do. Well, times have changed. Resumes have been taken into the age of the internet and doing business online. Remember, the companies you work for are probably not standing still. They have the latest technology and their employees and managers are using it. In addition, logic has taken over the resume world. For instance, you no longer need to include anything about your career goal or objective. The person hiring you does not need to know that, nor do they care. They only care if you are the perfect person for the job you are being interviewed for. In fact, putting a career goal or objective might counter what job is being offered. The hiring manager might scratch you off the list because you won't stay long. You should certainly emphasize your abilities and talents. The days of mailing your resume ...

College is expensive. Tuition rates are going up due to budget cuts. Many prospective college students and their parents are trying hard to figure out ways to finance the education. Before you scramble your finances, did you know that there are ways to almost instantly cut your college costs? By quite a large margin? If you are still in high school and planning your junior or senior year, think about taking AP classes. These classes have the potential to give you college credit for a high school class. These classes will be tougher, but they will also teach you study skills needed for college. You will have to get a passing score on the AP exam at the end of the class. Did you know that getting credit for AP classes can lead to more scholarship money? One big reason to take an AP class is that it counts as a college class. One that you would have spent time and money on in college. That's right. Tuition is expensive. By eliminating classes you need to take, you instantly lower th...

Picking a college degree can be one of the most important decisions you make in your life. It can mean the difference between getting a job, getting well paid, and make college worth it. Choose wrongly, and it is difficult to recover. Going back to school is not a thing that college graduates look forward to. One of the best things you can do is wait. Be patient. Many students do have a degree picked out, but many don't and are pressured. Even those that pick a degree before entering college have second thoughts and go through many changes before settling on exactly the right one. You can generally take the first two years of college, get your general education and graduation requirements done during this time. You normally do not have to declare a major when you first enter college anyway. After the first year, you will have a better feel as to your college life, aptitude, study habits, and overall ability to handle college. During the first year, do some serious thinking about...

College students are very vulnerable to identity theft and getting ripped off. College is expensive enough without having to pay for scams and other things. Keep a close eye on your wallet. Watch out for these things can really dent your college budget. If you buy a high priced item, like a stereo or ipad, the salesmen will try and get you to buy lots of extras to go with it. Chances are, you don't need them. And the costs will add up. You don't need a fancy carrying case, cover, stand, ear phones, or whatever other add-on they try and push on you. These items last of taken care off, so a college student should not waste money on paying for extra insurance. Chances are you will never use it. The exception is if you are prone to leave things around the dorm. You may want theft insurance, but can probably get this as part of your parents' homeowners insurance. Bottom line on that is to keep tabs on your property while in college. College students use smartphones and lapto...

You don't need a four year degree, or even a two year degree, to get a good job. There are several good paying, in demand jobs that can be gotten after a year or less of training. Here are a few. Chef: Becoming a chef, cook, food preparer, takes less than a year on average. You can enroll in a public junior college, or private culinary institute. Some big restaurants have on the job training or internships. Chefs can earn on average between $45,000 and $70,000 a year. Medical Assistant: Health care jobs are in demand. Paraprofessionals are becoming even more desirable. Medical assistants can do a wide variety of medical office tasks, like insurance forms, secretary, set up, even minor medical tasks like vital signs. Private and public career colleges have medical assistant programs that are less than one year. Earning power: $30,000-$40,000 a year. Pharmacy technicians: Pharmacy technicians work in pharmacies in drug stores and hospitals. They work filling drug orders and pre...