More and more students are discovering the advantages of online college. After all, who can beat a commute that’s as quick as the time it takes to turn on your computer? (And you don’t have to fill it up with $4 a gallon gas!) So how do you go about choosing the online school that’s right for you? Find one that offers exactly what you need and fits into your lifestyle. An online school will let you:

• Study anywhere, anytime – on your schedule
• Maintain your job and salary while pursuing your degree
• Keep the flexibility you need to spend more time with your family

So, which online college is right for you?

According to the Student Advisors at Ashworth College, you should do your homework by researching schools and asking the following questions in these 3 important areas:

Affordability

• Tuition and Fees – How do costs compare with other schools? (Either cost per program or cost per credit hour.) Are there extra student fees such as enrollment, application, registration, processing, withdrawal/transfer or lab fees
• Textbooks and Course Material Costs – Are books included in your tuition? If not, find out the added cost.
• Credit Transfer – How generous is the transfer credit policy? Do the school offer credit for work/life experience? Transferring credits means that you could be closer to completing your degree than you think, saving you plenty of time and money!
• Financing – Do they offer special financing and/or low monthly payment plans? How much student debt will you have at graduation?

Programs

• Accreditation – Are they nationally accredited? Watch out for “diploma mills!”
• Career-focused – Do they offer online degree programs in the career field you want to pursue?
• Credits – How many are required for a degree?
• Transferability – Can your course credits be transferred to another school?
• Graduate Success – Do you see success stories or satisfaction surveys indicating how alumni do after graduation?

Convenience

• Flexible Scheduling – Can you study at your own pace or must you adhere to semesters with start and end dates? Is there 24/7 online access?
• Study Help – Do they offer one-on-one guidance, tutoring and instructor assistance from enrollment to graduation?
• Virtual Campus – Do they have their own social network? How do students connect with support staff, other students, instructors, tutors, career professionals and alumni?

Bottom line? Look for an online school that offers the best return on your investment. And not just afinancial investment. Remember, you’re also investing in your time, your lifestyle, your career, and your family’s future. So choose wisely.

Image courtesy of Chris Metcalf.

We constantly hear people say they want “job security and career advancement opportunities.” The good news is that you have taken the first step toward this lofty goal as you enrolled in the Ashworth College Small Business Management program designed for entrepreneurs. Starting and operating your own business is one way to take control of your future. Is it possible to become indispensable in today’s workplace? As you recognize your strengths, you will also build confidence, realizing that you have what it takes to market yourself and your new business; yes, you can become indispensable!

The term, indispensable means that which is necessary or essential. In other words, if you are to become indispensable, then you must become necessary or essential to the marketplace. As we consider what this means for you and your new business, let’s consider your strengths. Hopefully, your strengths include what I like to call, “The 9 E’s to BEcoming Indispensable:”

1. Enthusiasm
2. Effective communication skills
3. Ethical work habits
4. Effective employees
5. Effective problem solving and decision making skills
6. Endearing customer relationships
7. Energetic work habits
8. Education
9. Experience!

Let’s take a quick look at each of these important aspects which may catapult you to becoming indispensable. There is a reason why the word, “Enthusiasm” is first on the list. Enthusiasm is contagious! If you are enthusiastic about your abilities, your company, and your product, others will “catch” the excitement, too. Don’t you just love to be around someone who is excited about their work? It isn’t necessarily the words they use; instead, it is their non-verbal language which conveys the energy and enthusiasm they have.

Effective communication skills are vital to the success of an entrepreneur. Not only must you have a good command of the English language, you must effectively practice communication skills through writing and speech. I’ve written two helpful books which have been published by Pearson Publishers of Boston. “Going from Stress to Success,” published in 2007, is a public speaking textbook. “Basic Writing for Business: A Technical Approach,” published in 2008, is a textbook which details the basic skills of business writing. A combination of the two texts should help you to become proficient in writing and in speech. Other books are available on the market. If you feel you are deficient in your writing and speaking skills, take a course or purchase a book which will help you to develop your communication skills.

Job security is out there for people who exhibit ethical work habits. Think before you say or do anything. Make sure that your actions are consistent with business principles of moral conduct. Just remember that your work should be of the caliber that you would be proud to sign your name to it at the end of the day. (more…)

Ashworth College was honored to be joined by motivational speaker, U.S. Olympic team sports psychologist, and Ashworth College Sport Psychology for Peak Performance instructor, Dr. Nicole Detling Miller on our latest Habitat for Humanity Home Build.

In this video, Dr. Miller discusses her motivation for being part of such a great cause and why she’s so excited to be the Keynote Speaker at the 2010 Ashworth College Graduation Ceremony.

Sometimes it’s fun to dream about what you might to do with your work life. Maybe you’ve fanaticized about joining the circus or owning a bed and breakfast. Maybe you fell into your current career and never got the opportunity to pursue your real passion. Wouldn’t it be great to get to a point in life when you can act on that inner ambition?

Today, many people are making a mid-career switch because they’re simply not passionate about what they do eight hours a day or they want to turn something personal into a career. One such Ashworth College graduate is doing just that.

Deborah Dykes, Jackson, MS, who recently completed the Ashworth College Teacher Assisting program is pursuing her dream of working in education, specifically with deaf and special needs children.

Dykes received her high school diploma in 1974 from the Mississippi School for the Deaf where she graduated with honors and served as her graduating classes Salutatorian.

Although she intended to go on to college, various factors lead her into the workforce instead. Dykes began a career in computers and is now long-time data entry operator for Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Over the years, Dykes has given back to her community as a volunteer to deaf youth and has decided to turn this interest into a second career when she retires.

“For years I have been volunteering with deaf children through church as well as with students at the Mississippi School for the Deaf,” Dykes commented. “I would like to combine my experience in computers and technology with my passion for working with deaf children.”

“With the encouragement of my sister, who is also my hearing interpreter, and other family members I decided to turn my volunteer work into a second career as a teachers aide and work with deaf and other special needs children.” (more…)

Hello everyone. As we’ve discussed in the past, we think it’s really important to put a “face” on our student community. Yes, we have student avatars on our MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Forum Community pages, etc.  We also have photos from past Graduation Ceremonies on our Flickr Page.  This is a good start, but I’d really like our student community to be much more dynamic in terms of photographs.There’s so much we can do with photographs, i.e. Flickr Groups, Online Year Book, Student Paper, Photoblogs, etc.  What kind of photos are we looking for? We want this community to be as authentic as possible, so we’re simply looking for amateur “point and click” photos from your everday lives—the kind of real world photos that tell everyone a little bit about yourself.

I know that a lot of students are not familiar or particularly comfortable uploading photos to online sharing sites such as Flickr. Don’t get me wrong, I know that a lot of you are, but I want to make the photo submission process as simple as possible for everyone.

For the time being, please submit your photos to the following email address:

ashworthcollegeflickr@gmail.com

Don’t worry about what format you send them in, although thumbnail size is not good.

As we collect photos, we’ll create a unique group on our Flickr page that every student will have full access to. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a virtual gallery of your classmates that you can add to at the click of a button?  I think it would be very inspiring and the possibilities are endless once we actually begin building a substantial archive of photos.

I hope to begin receiving your photos soon.  Once I collect enough, we’ll create a new Flickr group that every student can upload their photos directly to.  Every student who participates will ultimately determine how we can best utilize these photos to create a more visually dynamic student community.  Let’s just focus on getting the ball rolling right now!  Thanks everyone!

James
Ashworth College Student Life