I recently came across a very interesting article by Richard S. Pearson, author of 5 Necessary Skills to Keep Your Career on Track.

As I began to read the article about stressed out workers in stagnant careers, I became intrigued at the logic of this writer’s thoughts. I looked up his profile and it appears that he has plenty of corporate experience to back up his thoughts.

Just a few interesting thoughts/statistics from his article:

•    Women are becoming the dominant gender in the US workforce.
•    The long running favored role of men in business has come to an end.
•    Recent surveys show that over half of US workers feel their careers have stagnated.
•    The state of the economy is causing stress, anxiety and depression for many workers.
•    Major dynamic shifts are upending the traditional corporate workplace.
•    Traditional men-dominated jobs in construction, manufacturing, IT, and financial services have taken the deepest cuts in this recession.
•    Women-dominated industries, such as health care and education, have actually been adding jobs.
•    Women are getting more college degrees than men by more than a 3 to 2 ratio.
•    Women’s salaries still lag at 80% of men’s.

It’s a shame even though women make up such a large segment of the workforce of our country, they still make less than men for doing the same jobs. I think it’s time for a change. What about you??

If you’d like to read more, you can check out the entire article for yourself.

When you’re ready to go back to school to earn a college degree, discover the options waiting for you at Accredited-Online-Colleges.com.

So I spoke to a friend who has a diverse background and has actually worked in two different areas of law as a paralegal. She offered great information that I think would be helpful to anyone considering earning a degree as a paralegal. These are her perspectives on a career as a paralegal:

What personal characteristics should a paralegal have?

1.    Strong communication skills
2.    Creative Organizational skills
3.    Patience, Patience, Patience
4.    Multi-tasking Ability in a high stress environment

What is it like to work in a law firm as a paralegal?

Being a paralegal is very much a team effort – between the paralegal and his or her attorney or attorneys.

Paralegals communicate heavily with clients, sometimes preparing witnesses for trial, tracking & gathering evidence, reading every report and the research associated with a case, making sure that the billing goes out, keeping positive communication open with court personnel and other law offices, preparing legal briefs as needed, finding witnesses and preparing subpoenas, and plenty more.

In large law firms, there are whole departments paid to prepare & send out the billing & even subpoenas. In smaller law firms, the paralegal will be responsible for most of these duties.

What do you consider to be among the most important abilities of a successful paralegal?

The ability to calendar upcoming deadlines and events, as well as develop a filing system that makes things easy and fast to locate for both the paralegal and attorney as well as the office staff.

What are some of the career options if one earns a paralegal degree?

The legal field has almost endless possibilities for employment and can be deeply gratifying when unfairness is rectified or a client’s rights are protected. Paralegal jobs are available in all branches of the military, in the FBI, CIA, Justice Department, Federal Attorney’s Offices, District Attorneys, Prosecuting Attorneys as well as private practices in real estate, entertainment, wills & estates, criminal, etc., as well as many, many nonprofit groups protecting the rights of people & animals.

How can one prepare for a career as a Paralegal?

To be competitive you should earn an associate’s degree and/or bachelors. If the program you choose does not require an internship, it would be wise to seek out a law firm where you can practice as an intern anyway. This provides unparalleled education and experience and also makes attaining a position as a paralegal much easier.

Accredited-Online-Colleges.com is a great place to begin exploring your options for attaining a degree online to become a paralegal. Whether you want to begin by earning your Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies so you can get into the field sooner or you want to go straight for the Bachelor of Science in Paralegal studies, you can find an online program that will fit your needs. You can also earn your Master’s in Paralegal Studies online.

As I explore different areas of criminal justice, I realize there are many ways to use a degree in this field to do other things besides being a police officer. If you major in criminal justice, you can use this degree to do many different things.

You can work as a victim advocate, a correctional officer, caseworker/counselor, probation or parole officer and in many other capacities. You can work in a wide range of venues as well such as community, state or federal environments and also in the private sector in diverse capacities.

Earning an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice can help you get into the field and then possibly allow the time you need to consider your options and decide in what direction you would like to take your career in the future. Then you have the basic foundation to further your degree with a Bachelor of Criminal Justice and even earn your Master’s Degree. It all depends on what you want to do.

If you’re interested in pursuing an online degree in Criminal Justice, start by exploring your options at Accredited-Online-Colleges.com. Quite a number of colleges offer Criminal Justice Degrees Online to help you earn your degree while you work or while you are completing your military duties. You can request information with no obligation to start your search for an online criminal justice program that will fit your specific needs.

In my role as an online instructor, I find some students who are very polite and respectful, and then there are others who think they are the only students in the classroom. One phone call and one message is not enough, I pick up my phone only to find FIVE phone calls and FIVE messages from the same person. Good grief, Charlie Brown! One will do and I will respond just as soon as I have a moment.

I pride myself in my responsiveness to students. I check for questions, I respond to phone calls, and most of all, from the beginning, I try to convey to students that I am there to help them succeed. So what’s this all about – demanding answers to questions within the hour or leaving a hundred messages on my phone?

I’d just like to say to all students everywhere – traditional or online – “You have classmates, and your instructor, if he or she is doing the right thing, is doing his or her best to meet your needs to provide the assistance you need.” It’s a good thing to remember that “Patience is a Virtue” and a very good one to develop.

Thinking of going back to college? Thinking that you don’t have the time or that you can’t work it into your schedule? Check out the directory of online degrees and programs available online at Accredited-Online-Colleges.com to see if there’s a program right for you offered through an accredited college or university.

When I got back to my desk, I found the most inspiring story of an online instructor/US Army National Guard Captain.

Talk about dedication! When she was called to duty to serve in Iraq last year, not only did she serve in an active war zone, she continued to teach her online classes throughout her tour of duty.

As an online instructor, I think I will remember this story next time I feel like complaining that no matter where I go or what I do (even when I go on vacation), I have to take my laptop along so I can keep up with my classes and respond to my students when they need assistance.

In almost every class I’ve taught online, I have had at least one active-duty military student enrolled. Sometimes I get messages that they have to go on a mission and various other things come up, but I am always happy to work with them to help them get their work completed.

If someone is willing to fight for my freedom and has the ambition and motivation to attend college at the same time, I’d say the least I can do is be as flexible as possible to help him or her succeed.

So these are my thoughts for today. Thanks to all online students serving in the military wherever you are and thank goodness for dedicated online instructors like Cheryl Wachenheim. Click here to read her story.

Accredited-Online-Colleges.com offers a directory of online programs designed to fit into most any schedule. The flexibility of online learning could be the perfect option for you to earn your college degree. Explore your options to prepare for a successful career.

The majority of graduates exiting high school choose one of two paths: straight to college or straight to work. And most of us know, the longer you stay out of school and put off getting back to class, the more difficult it becomes to actually find a way to go back to school for a wide range of reasons.

Online Programs Make Going Back to School Possible For Many

So the option of online education makes sense to the adult who absolutely cannot afford to quit work and go back to school full time. Online education is a good option because you don’t have to sit in a traditional classroom at certain times of the day; instead you can work your study schedule into your personal and work life in a way that you can succeed.

For those who are unaware of the huge impact online education has on our current society, here are a few statistics according to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Marc Parry. The findings are based on data collected from more than 2,500 colleges and universities by the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board:

•    There are 4.6 million online students
•    82% of the 4.6 million are undergraduate students
•    Colleges have seen a 17% increase in online enrollment
•    More than 1 in 4 students were taking at least one online class in fall ‘08
•    73% of institutions report increased demand for online courses
•    66% report increased demand for new online courses.
•    45% of institutions report growing demand for new online courses

If you’re among the many Americans searching for a way to go back to school to earn a college degree, start by exploring your options at Accredited-Online-Colleges.com, an easy-to-navigate directory of colleges and universities offering online degrees on the associate, bachelor and master’s degree levels.