4-year Colleges vs. Technical Schools: Your Choice
College is not for everyone, but that does not mean you shouldn’t pursue some sort of higher education or job training. When you think about your future, what do you envision? Are you doing something you love, or are you just working for a paycheck?
If you are one of the many who is trying to make a decision about where to spend your money and invest your future, read on. This article provides a comparison of 4 year colleges and technical schools. Which one is right for you?
How to choose between 4-year colleges and technical schools:
Ask yourself these questions and then consider the benefits and disadvantages of each type of school.
What are your goals? Do you have a specific career goal? What are your educational goals? Do you want to learn as much as you can about a variety of subjects? Do you want to learn as much as you can about one specific topic (become an expert)?
What are your strengths? Weaknesses? Would you benefit from a shorter more targeted program?
Lifestyle. How will school fit into your life? Would you benefit from non-traditional scheduling such as online, evening, or distance learning? 4-year colleges and technical colleges both offer such options, but it varies by school so check with any schools you are interested in attending.
What do you need? Realistically, what sort of degree or training do you need to pursue your dreams? Research your desired field–know what the requirements are and how they compare to the programs you are considering. The US Department of Education website offers resources for career and training research.
Be a consumer. Check equipment; is it new and up-to-date? How does it compare to the equipment you will be using on the job? Trust me, this can be tedious but it is quite important. After graduation I realized I should have taken more time to research the computer programs employers expected me to know for technical writing jobs. Had I been better informed, I could have taken extra courses dealing specifically with those programs.
Investigate the following: campus size, current and former students, faculty and staff;
Find out if the school is accredited and licensed; Do they make extraordinary claims? Will your credits be transferable?
4-year Colleges
Some people like to learn just for the sake of learning, while some are more focused and driven and use school as a steppingstone for job advancement. If you are interested in more scholarly pursuits a traditional 4-year college might be your best option.
Benefits: liberal arts training applies to many fields, diverse topics to explore, prestige, “college life”
Disadvantages: expensive, time consuming, may get degree in area you no longer wish to pursue, high admission standards and prerequisites, job market may be slower upon graduation-may require additional training
Technical Schools
If college was for everyone, technical schools would not exist. Some people may feel a stigma is attached to technical schools. In a society where attending college has become standard, we lose sight of the value of skills training. People feel abnormal and may be angry if they don’t want to go to college but feel pressured to do so anyway.
Benefits: shorter duration, focused programs, easier admission standards, flexible scheduling, certifications not necessarily offered at 4-year colleges, hands on training
Disadvantages: may be viewed as less prestigious, can be expensive, may be less room for exploration of other subjects, accreditation, for-profit institutions
Many of the fastest growing jobs do not require a bachelor’s degree but do require post-secondary education (education beyond high school) These jobs include:
• Medical Assistants
• Social and human service assistants
• Home health aides
• Medical records and health information technicians
• Physical therapist aides
• Physical therapist assistants
• Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors
• Veterinary technologists and technicians
• Hazardous materials removal workers
• Dental hygienists
• Occupational therapist aides
• Dental assistants
• Personal and home care aides
• Self-enrichment education teachers
• Occupational therapist assistants
• Environmental science and protection technicians, including health
• Preschool teachers, except special education
• Respiratory therapists
For more information on job growth statistics see the Bureau of Labor Statistics webpage.
Remember, the best way to determine what is right for you is to simply know yourself and be informed.
3 Common Types Of College Scholarship Grants
For there are several college students that need some help in order to continue their studies, there are college scholarship grants given to those who are in need or with special talent on a certain field.
There are 3 common types of scholarships grants awarded to college students and soon-to-be college students: athletic scholarship grant, academic scholarship grant, and departmental awards. Each has its criteria to consider before awarding the grant. Each also has a particular group of student to target.
Academic Scholarship Grant
This type of scholarship grant is awarded to students who achieve a qualified GPA or has achieved an exceptional academic performance before entering college. This grant is usually awarded to students who have received honors. It is sometimes awarded automatically upon entering college or university but most schools require application for academic scholarship grants.
Basically, the primary focus of schools giving academic scholarship is of course the academic aspect; however, some colleges and universities base the grant on either merit or need, or both.
Upon passing an academic scholarship grant, the student is required to maintain a ceiling grade. If not achieved after the end of the term, colleges and universities usually put the student on probationary status until the grades reached the prescribed level. If not achieved however, the academic scholarship grand may be terminated.
Athletic Scholarship Grant
If you are on the competitive edge, you get an athletic scholarship grant. However, this is highly sought after type of scholarship and there are many students applying for this.
An athlete of course wants to go through college for free using this type of scholarship. Some even dream to finish college as an athlete. And this dream is not far from the realizing. With good personal marketing and exceptional skill in any sport, you will be able to apply and be granted with this type of scholarship.
Departmental Awards
This type of scholarship grant aims to provide the student with the option to stay or take up his or her studies on a particular department. Usually, it is offered to exceptional students with desire to take other fields. The departmental awards are given so as not to keep the students in the department. Or, it is given to attract interested students to take study at a particular department.
You can inquire about this type of scholarship directly on the department of the school.
There are other college scholarship grants that are given to students but basically, these three are the ones given by the schools themselves.
10 reasons to buy a hybrid car
Care for the environment? Want to save the planet? Then you must think in terms of fuel efficiency, non-polluting, and eco-friendly transport. The answer lies in purchasing and using a hybrid car. They not just make a statement that I care but are compact and fuel efficient.
Here are some insights that may just tempt you to buy a hybrid.
1. Made of lightweight materials hybrids are small in size. The engine is designed to be fuel efficient. When the car halts at a signal, the engine will automatically shut down and restart when the car shifts into gear.
2. These cars have the advantage of being powered by a gasoline engine and an electric motor that takes care of acceleration.
3. The batteries of the electric motor recharge automatically by harnessing the kinetic energy produced during braking.
4. Hybrid car engines produce less emission, give better mileage, idle less, and are fuel efficient.
5. The aerodynamic design reduces drag and the tires are made of a special rubber that reduces friction.
6. The battery has high capacity and is made of nickel-metal-hydride. The battery can run the hybrid when called for.
7. The power-train technology enables using two power sources and enhances fuel efficacy.
8. There are many choices. You can have a hybrid from Honda, Ford, Toyota, GMC, and Chevrolet.
9. If your transportation of choice is a hybrid then the US Government will applaud your choice by giving you significant tax breaks.
10. Using a hybrid means you are active in ensuring the air is clean and that you are a concerned citizen who wishes to save fuel which is precious.
Maximize usage by “pulse and glide.” This means finding the ideal point where electric and gas energy are equally utilized. Generally this ideal lies between 30-40 miles per hour. Stabilization of energy is learnt by practice it really cannot be taught. Another important aspect is that you benefit if you don’t rush around and drive at the prescribed speed limit. If you glide, instead of accelerate then you can make a saving of as much as 10 cents a gallon. Lastly check and maintain tire pressures. This will help lengthen the life of the tires and help you save fuel. Reduced tire pressure studies indicate reduces gas mileage by as much as 10%.
Before you say “yes” to buying a hybrid car, you must do in depth research on hybrids, the pros and cons. Talk to manufacturers and owners. Test drive the different makes and check which one would suit your life-style. Some hybrids are ideal for city driving while others are more efficient on open roads.
Even if the buying price is steep the fuel that you save along with incentives like tax breaks make a hybrid a good and sensible choice.
5 Great Reasons To Harness Solar Power
Very simply put, ‘Solar energy’ is energy that is derived from the sun. Our sun is an abundant source of energy; it gives of heat and light. The sun’s been revered by several cultures of the past and even by a few cultures still present today. The ancient Egyptians even worshiped the sun as a God.
All said and done, it was not misplaced respect; the sun certainly is an abundant and limitless source of power, at least for several generations to come; the merits for using its solar energy are numerous.
It’s free
Every morning with each dawn, the solar energy released by the sun comes filtered through our atmosphere providing light and helping to radiate heat. This has been happening for millions of years yet it is only recently that we have begun to capitalize on this abundant source of almost infinite power.
In the past the Greeks and the Egyptians have been known to harness the power of the sun to heat whatever they wished to by concentrating its radiation.
It’s non-polluting
The energy from the sun is clean and free of any pollutants; unlike various sources of energy present today like petroleum or organic fuels that leave back residues and often leave back harmful gases when utilized to create energy.
Extremely reliable
The sun has been burning for roughly four and a half billion years now and is likely to burn on for another four to five billion years to come. That’s definitely more than our lifetimes and certainly more than several generations of the future. Every morning it promptly shows up and vanishes for the evening while it lights up another portion of the globe.
The saying “as sure as day” did not come about for nothing; assuming the sun is shining brightly, depending on which part of the globe you are you can harness the energy of the sun to either store it away or utilize its energy in a different way.
Limitless
There is no restriction on how much energy we can use from the sun. Apparently, the amount of energy that comes from the sun every few minutes if successfully harnessed can power the entire United States of America for a whole year. If we were only able to harness the immense energy of the sun we would be able to solve all the worlds’ energy problems.
Why
Ever wonder why no one thought about this earlier? How come if there’s so much energy just lying around, we simply cannot seem to efficiently harness it? How it that so much of the sun energy seems to go totally unnoticed and is ultimately wasted?
Well one of the reasons that this wonderful power reserve is generally wasted is the fact that the sunlight that we actually receive is so thinly dissipated across the earth to be able to contribute substantially enough if we try to harness it.
For us to be able to actually harness the power of the sun we have to be able to manipulate, focus and store the sun’s energy. While this may seem simple it is easier said than done; So far we have only managed to develop three partially successful means of collecting solar energy.
The Reflection Method – Mirrors / Parabola
The reflection method is based on the concentration of the sun’s rays through a single or a set of mirrors onto one point and then utilizing the concentrated heat energy that is produced for out need. A parabolic mirror much like a dish antenna can be used to capture the sun’s rays and focus them on a single point.
The radiation method
This is the principle behind the solar water heaters. Painted black pipes sandwiched between two layers of glass, have water inside them that is heated thanks to the rays of the sun.
Solar panels
A more recent invention the ‘solar cell’ is composed of treated silicon crystals, which when hit by the rays of the sun knock electrons out of their orbits and thereby create a void that needs to be filled by electrons from the other silicon crystals, this creates an imbalance of electrons and hence a flow of current which can be either immediately utilized or else stored away in a rechargeable battery.
What’s stopping us?
Despite the apparent benefits of using solar power it is most unfortunate that there are very few solar power plants around the world. Sadly, with today’s level of technology, cost and reliability are two major factors that are still hurdles in the way of mass usage of solar energy.
Technological limitations dictate that the most efficient solar cells created today are still not capable of generating enough power to be commercially viable without occupying huge surface areas. Furthermore, reliance exclusively on solar cells in not yet practical, for if there were to be a cloudy day it could reduce the amount of electricity generated and that would be disastrous for those people completely reliant on that energy.
On the bright side, constant innovation and research on solar energy is resulting in much more efficient solar cells that are a fraction of the size of existing cells and churn out much more power. For now they are still expensive, but not far is the day when they will be affordable and available to the common man.
“Don’t Touch It,” and other simple, nature-friendly advice
Each summer, I visit the Chequamagon National Forest in Wisconsin. An amazingly beautiful and lush forest, this place is my sanctuary. I stay at a low-key resort, in a cabin overlooking Lake Namekagon. It’s a breath of fresh air – quite literally – to spend two weeks each year at this place, away from bustling streets and busy people. It’s like a different world.
Or, at least, it was. I had a very different experience this past July. Upon entering our cabin, my fiance and I were greeted by a large television, equipped with Direct TV. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a TV-lover, through and through. There was, however, something strange about having to look around the television to see the lake.
We overlooked this; after all, we don’t own the cabin. Some resort-goers might crave 500 channels before they crave hiking and fishing. Convinced that the TV (both the sight of it and the temptation to watch it) would put a damper on things, we went out on the water.
As I started the old, rented pontoon boat, something occured to me. We were no better than the TLC, MTV, and MSNBC addicts. Yes, our boat was used for the enjoyment of the outdoors; however, it left a muddy, green wake behind it. Yes, we came to the resort to get away from everyday conveniences and to surround ourselves with nature, but we were staying in a cabin – not a tent or a sleeping bag. We cooked our breakfast every morning on a fairly modern stove, we drank coffee made in a Bunn coffeemaker, and we turned on the electric heat if the cabin got too cold. It turns out we weren’t roughing it; we were faking it.
Since this realization, I’ve been troubled. I don’t understand where our appreciation for nature went. I don’t understand how misguided travelers – myself included – consider themselves to be experiencing nature, when really all we’re doing is glancing at it between commercials. Granted, everyone experiences nature in a different way. For some, glancing at it through a window – or on a TV screen – might be enough.
I’m concerned, though, that by accepting this as a legitimate way to experience nature, we are missing something. Or, perhaps, we are missing everything. On a basic level, there is something satisfying about feeling a different kind of air on your skin, and about feeling the crunch of leaves and dirt beneath your feet. Where city lights don’t corrupt the night sky, we can see stars in a new way, and the level of darkness is foreign and exciting.
There more to this simple human/nature combination than deep satisfaction, though. There is a danger present in the ways we currently explore nature. It is common for travelers to hop on boats, jetskis, waverunners, or ATVs to travel through lakes and forests. In these cases, vacationgoers are experiencing nature – while leaving a trail of pollution behind.
And what about our cabin? Built in the middle of the forest, trees had to be removed in order for the resort to exist. There is an inherent disconnect, here: the resort was designed to house nature-loving travelers who want to see the forest’s natural beauty, and yet in order for the resort to exist, some of the forest had to be cut down. Instead of experiencing untouched and unscathed nature, vacationers are experiencing a forest marred by human interference.
This is the way with us. We, whether intentionally or accidentally, can’t help but tinker with nature in its natural forms. Even when we attempt to truly experience it, we are also hindering it. So, we must consider some simple pieces of advice if we wish….(read the full article at the link below)
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