New Office Manager
Posted on June 24, 2009
Filed Under Office Management | Leave a Comment
A friend of mine recently got a new boss. She works in an office and a new office manager was hired recently. My friend was nervous about the change at first. However, she’s been really happy with the new changes that the office manager has put into place.
The first thing that the new office manager did was that she set up a staff meeting to discuss her goals. She let everyone give their opinions during this meeting and didn’t rush anyone. Then she set up individual meetings with everyone to discuss their personal goals. My friend felt that this really made it seem like the new office manager cares about employee input.
Then the new manager did a few fun activities. She asked everyone to bring in their college diplomas so that they could make a diploma display. She held a Friday potluck outdoors to de-stress from the office. She brought in a massage therapist to teach everyone some at-desk techniques for relaxing throughout the day. These little things set a positive tone for the office. The office has needed that for awhile! My friend seems a lot happier about going to work which shows you how much difference a good manager can make.
Budget Cuts Threaten Community College Programs
Posted on June 19, 2009
Filed Under General | Leave a Comment
Only a month or two ago, Colorado lawmakers were talking about dramatically cutting back funding for community colleges and universities. My mom is a librarian at one of the local community colleges, so she was following this issue really closely, and was relieved when the Colorado legislature voted it down.
Now, however, it seems that colleges and universities are going to suffer budget cuts anyway. It’s really too bad, because community colleges offer a lot of programs that help students get licenes or certificates without going a full two or four years in school. For instance, loan officer training and other mortgage education programs are quite popular with the students.
The other reason why mom is opposed to the budget cuts (aside from the obvious reason, her salary) is because she can see, being at a community college, how enrollment is going up during the recession. Many people have decided to use this time to acquire some skills that will allow them to reenter the job force when the economy recovers, but in a stronger position than before. School is therefore an answer for many who are suffering through the recession right now.
Well, it looks like they found a way to make the budget cuts happen anyway, despite the legislature voting it down a month or two ago. It’s really too bad — if colleges are forced to close, not only may my mom be out of a job, but also many students who couldn’t otherwise afford tuition may find themselves out of an education, too!
Summer is a Great Time for Cooking Classes
Posted on June 13, 2009
Filed Under Culinary Arts | Leave a Comment
Many of us debate about whether or not we should take classes during the summer. The summer session is shorter than the fall and spring semesters. This can make it feel like we’re cramming too much learning into a short period of time. However, an intense learning period like this is actually ideal for some types of classes. Culinary arts classes are a great example of classes that are well-suited to the summer session.
The main reason that cooking classes are great for summer is because cooking is something that you can learn a lot of at once and you’ll only benefit from it. Cooking knowledge builds upon itself easily. Students who attend a formal culinary school often proceed straight through their program with few breaks because of this.
But cooking classes are also great for summer simply because they are fun. Many of us want our summer classes to be more relaxed and enjoyable than the classes that we take during the regular semester. This lets us feel like we got a summer break even if we were still in class. Taking cooking classes isn’t the same as taking math or science classes; it’s more of a pleasure and that makes it great for summer!
Green Degrees Are Increasingly Popular
Posted on May 16, 2009
Filed Under Bachelor Degrees | 2 Comments
One of the college degree areas that is growing rapidly right now is the area of green studies. All degrees that emphasize an eco-friendly approach to an area of study are popular because of the increasing attention to green issues by businesses (including those businesses that may be hiring when students graduate).
The most common green degree is the environmental science degree but this is no longer the only green degree available to students. Many schools are starting to offer specialized green degrees to students who want to truly focus their studies on today’s green issues. For example, Yale launched a program a few years back for students interested in getting a sustainable design degree. Other schools have followed suit with related programs in green design and green technology.
You don’t have to go through a complete college program to get a green education, though. Sometimes people simply get simple certifications in green topics. LEEDS is a good example of this. People get leed training in order to get certified in aspects of green building and design. This doesn’t require the individual to get a green degree but instead is a way to supplement an existing degree with a modern eco-friendly education.
Distance Learning
Posted on April 26, 2009
Filed Under Health & Medical | 5 Comments
The transitional physical therapy program that I was looking at offered a version that was a distance education program. This used to be a novelty, but these days online distance programs are becoming more commonplace than ever before. Some schools that are fully accredited like ATSU in Arizona are both a traditional university and distance education friendly. Online health doctorate programs are such a great option for busy individuals, as they career oriented people seem to be. I know for myself that distance education was something that I specifically looked for as I was considering the next step in my education career. I was very impressed with this specific school’s offering.
My sister had completed her MBA with a combination of traditional classroom based studies and an online component. She thought that the online classes were more challenging than her classroom classes. I think overall the preparation has to be a little more intense for the online classes because you have to impress what you know on an online forum, instead of in a physical setting. You need to know what you are going to say and be able to prove it immediately!
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