Have you thought about working in IT? Information Techonology is a rapidly growing field that’s only going to be expanding in the future. The thing with jobs in IT is that they are pretty stable. Who doesn’t want steady work in this economy? These days everyone reading this wants a source of income that they can rely on. We all have bills to pay and mouths to feed. There are also many other reasons why you should consider working in IT.

Why should you consider working a job in IT?

The field holds many transferrable skills.

You can learn a lot working in the field. Most of these skills can be transferrable to other jobs or to eventually start our own business. There are many freelance consultants in IT out there that started off by working in the field. They slowly ventured off on their own and built their own business from the skills that they learned on the job.

It’s challenging work.

The work itself is fairly challenging and rewarding. There are always new systems and improvements being implemented. This provides a challenge for those of you that want to be constantly evolving in a field. If you’re afraid of challenging work, then this isn’t the field for you. If you love to push yourself, then consider IT.

You get to help people.

You get to work with people and help them out. This is a job that allows you to help others solve their technological issues. Do you love to help people?

High demand.

The demand isn’t the highest right now, but the demand is always fairly high. While many fields are laying off employees, you can always find some sort of work in IT. The reason that the demand is fairly high is because the industry is always changing. Things are always on the go. Innovative individuals are always in demand in this field.

You can be location independent.

Have you want to travel the world while making money? Many jobs in IT allow you to be location independent and work on your own. This is because most of the work is can be done from a laptop in a remote location. You don’t have to be in the same stationery office every single day. You can move around and be on the go while you continue to earn an income.

Those are the many reasons that you should think about working in IT. What do you think about this field?

Good Morning Everyone.  It’s Tuesday and it’s time for another post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  So far we have talked about how to chose the best college for us, how important it is to chose the right program of study, how to use our time wisely while in College, as well as how to graduate from College (nearly) debt free.

Today we are discussing how we can succeed in college.  Today Green Panda is going to provide you with a base plan and the necessary tools to help you get the most out of your time in college and how to succeed while in college as well as after graduation.

Stay Focused in College

Our primary focus in college is of course getting a great education.  But the truth is that there are so many other important aspects that we have to learn about in college.  As a college graduate trust me when I say that if you only keep your nose in the books for four years and you don’t make any friends or experience the college social life then you will be very sorry after graduation.

I know that we will get out of our college education what we put into our time in college, and I am thankful that I have a great job to show for my hard work during my college years.  However, I spent so much time working and studying in college that I really didn’t get to have a real college experience. I wish that I could have made more great friends and that I could have more free time and time to socialize.  I wish that I wasn’t always running from class to work then back to class during my four years of college, but I know that working during college is a reality for a lot of college students.

Make The Most out of Your College Years

We have to make the most out of our short four years in college, this includes getting a great education but it also includes making great professional and personal connections.  We all go to college to get a good job.  But nowadays being a college graduate is not enough to guarantee that we will automatically get a job right after graduation.  Employers are looking for intelligence, relevant work experience, as well as someone with a great personality.  In my experience our resume with our education, work experience, personal skills, and volunteer activities can only get us an interview.  Our personality and our ability to communicate with others are the qualities that will get us the job.

In order to get a great job we have to make the right connections in college; in order to do this we have to make the most out of our college years by meeting people.  The best way to meet people in college is to join student associations.  We can also join a mentoring program in our program of study which will allow us to meet and get guidance from older students who have lived through our experiences.

One of the most valuable assets in college is our relationship with our professors. Although I already had a job in my field while studying in college, I still benefited greatly from the relationships that I formed with a few of my college professors.  As I performed well in their classes they asked me to assist them with various administrative tasks in my final years of college, this allowed me to gain work experience as well as spend time in my professor’s office to build a relationship with them and their colleagues.  I definitely built up a nice network of contacts from the relationships with my college professors.

Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series:

The Best College Professors

Attending an Ivy League School

The Best College For You

Choices in College that We have to Make

Use Your Time in College Wisely

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free

Photo by BeneathB1ue

Good Morning Green Panda Friends.  I hope that you all had a nice weekend.  Today we are continuing on with the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  Today we are discussing what you are really paying for in college; we are discussing the valuable information that we learn during our four years at college, and we are discussing the people who provide us with our higher education.  Today we are discussing everything about our College Professors from their great teaching tactics and their passion to help students to their boring lectures and lack of interest in student’s lives.

Throughout my four years at college I had a few really great Professors, but I also had a lot of really bad Professors.  I also had some average Professors who were not great and not bad but I don’t really remember any of them.  During our four years in College we want to get a great education from experienced Professors who work or who have worked in our field of study.  What good are book smarts if we don’t have any real life experience? My favourite College Professors taught real life case studies and shared their real life work experiences with their students.

My Favourite College Professors

My all time favourite College Professor was Mr. Sook, he was a tall dark and handsome man who only taught part time at my University because he also had a 9 to 5 full time career.  Teaching at the University was Mr. Sook’s part time job; he worked full time as a Business Development Consultant for a major Financial Institution.  This is actually a funny story because after graduation I ended up working in the Investment Division of that same Financial Institution.

At the University Mr. Sook taught a class on the economic effects of Urban Sprawl and the choice of married couples not to have children.  During his 9-5 career Mr. Sook advised the Financial Institution where to place ATMs to maximize their profitability and visibility.

I loved my semester with Mr. Sook because he brought his everyday career experience into the classroom.  It is important for Professors to be educated, but it is also important for them to be personable so they can relate their career knowledge to students in the classroom.

Dr. Singh was my second favourite professor during my four years of College.  He spoke to students as if they were actual people and not as specimens below him, which I greatly appreciated.  He also offered extended office hours for students to come and talk with him about our course load, our internships, as well as our career paths.  Dr. Singh has a PhD but he is one of the most down to earth people I have ever met.  Even though I graduated in 2005 I still say hello to him every single time that I see him on the street.

The Worst College Professor

The Professor that I avoided all throughout College was a very young “know-it-all” man who had a very high IQ but no real work experience.  He gave lectures without emotion and he spoke like a robot.  Due to his lack of social interaction he was unable to relate to students because he always put himself on a pedestal.  It is very hard to learn from someone who cannot communicate and who puts himself at an intelligence and social level above all others.

Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series:

Attending an Ivy League School

The Best College For You

Choices in College that We have to Make

Use Your Time in College Wisely

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free

Photo by UC Davis College

With the economy in such dire straits and unemployment rates in the stratosphere, many recent graduates are questioning the wisdom of having shelled out tens of thousands of dollars in order to secure a degree that doesn’t seem to be helping them jump-start a career or even land gainful employment. But sometimes it’s good to play devil’s advocate, and if you look at the situation logically, it still makes more sense than not to charge forward and get your bachelor’s degree. Here are four reasons why.

Forces you to look to the future. If you and your partner have been looking at men’s rings, then you know the importance of looking to the future. Forward thinking helps you to contextualize what you’re doing in the present. Getting your bachelor’s degree will by proxy force you to compartmentalize tasks and responsibilities that will nurture you in planning for the future.

Still looks good on a resume. It might not hold the clout it once did, as a higher percentage of the unemployed tout it on their resume, but it still signifies the makings of an educated professional to most employers, or, at the very least, someone who wants to be an educated professional. It also signifies the makings of someone who needs money in order to pay off their loans and will be willing to stay at the job for more than a month. Jobs are assets these days, the houses of yester-year.

Helps to clarify career paths. One of the major benefits of acquiring a bachelor’s degree is narrowing in on what you want to do with your life. Through trial and error, a lot of hand-wringing, and some all-night paper writing, pursuing a degree will help you eliminate what you don’t want to focus on and what you can see yourself fully immersing yourself in. Remember, you need to love what you do, otherwise you risk being miserable. The journey of getting your bachelor’s degree can help you figure out what you love.

Builds connections. Never underestimate the power of academic connections. A TA or professor you charmed in college could end up recommending you for your dream job. A professor you developed a close, respectful relationship with may write the letter of recommendation that gets you into a top-notch trade school or master’s program. Don’t burn your bridges—any one of them could lead you to higher ground.

Times are tough, but that doesn’t mean you should abandon all hope of finding your dream job and living the life of your choosing. Getting a bachelor’s degree may be more costly and dubious than it was in previous decades, but still has a lot of value and can help you to structure your life and build for a career.

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Good Morning Everyone.  Today is the next post in our “Me, My College Education and My Money” series.  Yesterday we discussed how to choose the best College for us, and today we are going to continue along with that same idea…sort of.  Yesterday we discussed factors that may help us choose which college to attend such as the proximity to home, which colleges are friends are applying to, as well as the cost of living in the city where we wish to attend college.  Today we are discussing the actual schools, their names, their reputations, and what they symbolize for potential employers in the real world.

The Ivy League

Was the name of a college a deciding factor when you were deciding which colleges to apply to? Some people dream of going to an Ivy League school because they will receive a top notch education.  But some students want to attend an Ivy League school because it looks good on their resume.

Before we continue I would like to remind you that Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, is a Harvard drop out.  I would also like to note that President Obama is a graduate of Harvard Law School. This is just something to think about.

Ivy League schools include Columbia University in New York City, Cornell University in Ithaca New York, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Yale University in Connecticut, Harvard University in Massachusetts, Princeton University in New Jersey, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and Brown University in Rhode Island.  These schools were named the Ivy League because they all have luscious green leaves of ivy plants flowing down their brick and cement walls.

Attending an Ivy League School

Attending an Ivy League School definitely looks good on our resume, and employers may be very impressed with our academic ability to be accepted at a prestigious Ivy League School.  However, does the cost of an Ivy League education really give us an advantage in the job market after graduation?

It is no secret that attending an Ivy League School can help you make valuable connections with alumni, professors, and potential employers; but who is to say that these valuable connections cannot also be made at a Community College?

Having attended an Ivy League School definitely looks good on our resume, and there is no doubt that it can definitely get us an interview with potential employers.   However it is very expensive to attend an Ivy League School and education is not everything that employers look at when we are applying for jobs after graduation.  During the interview process our work experience, volunteer activities, as well as our personality can score big points for us with potential employers.

At the Financial Institution where I work we will interview almost everyone with a College Degree and some type of work experience.  However, it is really the interview and the candidates personally that determines whether they will be asked for a second interview.  It is great to have educated employees, but if they cannot work well in a team with other people or with customers then they cannot work in a Financial Institution, or almost anywhere for that matter.

Keep in mind that a good education is a key factor in getting our resume to the top of the pile, but our personality and work experience determines whether or not we get the job.

Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series:

The Best College For You

Choices in College that We have to Make

Use Your Time in College Wisely

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free

Photo by Joe

Good Morning Green Panda Readers.  It’s time for the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  I hope that you have been enjoying our series so far.  Today we are discussing applying to colleges and how to choose the best college for you.

The Best College For You

Going to College is a big decision and it is definitely a personal decision.  In my family going to college is not an option, it is a necessity; so my only decision was which college to attend and which colleges to apply to as an undergraduate student.

Different colleges are known for different qualities.  Some colleges have good athletic programs, some colleges have great social studies programs, some colleges have excellent business schools, and some colleges have great graduate programs.

The best college for us depends on what type of education we want and where we want our life to take us after graduation.  The problem is that many first year college students have no idea what they want to study, where they want to attend college, or what they want to do after graduation.

At 19 years old I had no idea what I wanted to do in life, I have always loved writing but it has always been a hobby.  I wasn’t sure that I wanted a formal education in writing. At 19 I knew that I had to go to College but I didn’t know what I wanted to study; however I did know that I didn’t want to do it close to home.

How To Choose The Best College

There are several factors that we need to consider when choosing the best college for us.  Ideally we should choose a college that offers the best choices for our program of study. However there are many other factors that we need to consider.

When choosing the best college for us we have to consider the cost of college tuition as well as the cost of living in the city where we want to attend college.  We should always apply to at least 3 colleges to make sure that we have a backup plan in case we are not accepted to our first choice college.

Other factors to consider when we are applying to colleges are the proximity to home, the safety of the city, as well as career opportunities after graduation.  Also we may want to choose a college where are friends are attending to make sure that we are not completely alone.

I went away to college and I know that my transition into college life would have been a lot easier if I had at least one close family member or friend with me.  I moved away from home to get out of my small town and away from my family, but honestly sometimes I didn’t like being alone.

Don’t Forget to Check Out the previous posts in the “Me, My College Education and My Money” series:

Choices in College that We have to Make

Use Your Time in College Wisely

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free

Photo by JustinMarty

Good Morning Green Panda Readers.  Welcome to the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  Today we are discussing an important decision, actually many important decisions, that we have to make in College.  When we are in High School we are told that our study habits will determine how we perform in College, and in College the decisions that we make will determine how we perform in the work world after graduation.

Declaring a Major in College

College is full of tough choices from deciding on our course load to choosing where to study.  The first decision that we have to make in college is choosing our major.  Declaring a major in College is a big decision because it can determine our career path as well as our job opportunities after graduation.

I suggest that students take the maximum time allowed before declaring a major in college because it will help you explore your options, discover your talents, and avoid the same mistake that I made.  I applied to College in a faculty that seemed interesting in the course book, but that I really didn’t know much about.  I wanted to attend College away from home and the application deadline was quickly approaching, so I chose a major without exploring my options.

My quick decision to declare a major was a big mistake.  I changed my major twice before I graduated in my final program of study.  Thankfully I didn’t lose too much time and I was able to allocate the courses from my first two majors as electives, but some other students that I know where not as lucky.  Declaring a major in College too soon can add a lot of time onto our college career.  Our major in College should be a general topic and our minor (if we chose to declare one) should be a more specialized subject.

Deciding To Study Abroad

Some College Programs offer the option to study abroad for a semester.  If the option to study abroad is available I definitely suggest that we take advantage of this unique opportunity.  Learning about different cultures and how business works in different parts of the world can only help us in searching for career opportunities.  Many programs such as hospitality, finance, and business administration offer the option to study abroad.

Deciding not to study abroad in College is by far my biggest regret.  I often wonder what path my life would have taken if I had spent a semester abroad in Europe, South America, Africa, or Asia.  If I could go back and change one aspect of my College Career I would definitely decide to study abroad.

Applying to Grad School

Deciding whether to apply to Grad School is another major decision that we will have to make in College.  Students apply to Grad School for a variety of reasons that include everything from not finding a job after graduation to hopefully having more job opportunities after graduating from Grad School.  Before we decide to apply to Grad School we should consider the opportunity cost versus the educational cost.  Sometimes having the three letters MBA beside our name on a business card will not bring more benefits than the cost of a higher education.

Photo by Marina Avila

 Don’t Forget to Check Out the previous posts in this series:

Use Your Time in College Wisely

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free