Are you in High School? You Should Really be Taking AP Classes.

So, the school year is getting ready to start, you are looking at your course options, and you see the letters "AP" before a course title. You think to yourself "no way!" and keep looking. I understand, why would you want to do more work when you are so close to getting out on your own?

Well, I want you to finish reading this article, think about it, then go and look at your class list again. Put a check next to those AP classes. That's right, I want you to do something uncomfortable. "But why?" you might ask. Well, lets start with three words: time, money, and opportunity.

Time

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, graduates from high school enrolling in college during the fall of 2016 was 67% for men and even higher for women at 72%. So chances are pretty good that college is in your future, especially if you are a woman. So, why are we talking about this?

"AP"stands for Advanced Placement. When you take an AP course, at the end of the course you'll take an AP exam. When you pass an AP exam, you can earn college credit, and depending on the course, even advanced placement in college.

In other words, you go to college ahead of the game! You possibly even have a year or two cut off. Who doesn't want that?

Money

Another thought is money. Everyone wants/needs money, but not everyone is smart with it. Here is an opportunity for you to be smarter than your friends, and not just because you are taking AP classes. Let me explain.

The average cost for one college credit is $594.46. You can expect for the most part to have 1-3 credits in a college course. If one class is worth three credits and just one credit costs $594.46, you can expect a college class to cost an average of $1,783.38 (talk about a hit on the bank account!). To take one AP exam is $94, and depending on how you do on the exam, can equal the same amount of credits as its college counterpart. Are you seeing the money yet?

Let's finish the word problem we just went over. What is the difference in cost between an AP class and a College class? $1,783.38 - $94 = $1,689.38. Not only are you saving yourself some time in college, but a LOT of money! What's not smart about that?

Opportunity

It's time to talk about my favorite word: Opportunity. Google's definition of opportunity is "a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something". In this case, some of the opportunity has already been discussed between finances and occasion, but also in standing out! The real world is a bitter cold place, especially for someone who is just trying to scrap by in high school and has no ideas for their future. These are the kids that end up with a chip on their shoulder and hate life if they don't straighten up and figure themselves out. For them, life becomes a prison. Don't become a prisoner, become a champion!

When you take control of your education, you become an agent for change in your own life. There, you will find success! Think about how taking opportunities for advanced placement or finishing college early will look on a resume. There is something to be said about creating momentum, even in education, but that is a topic for a different post.

The Affordable Education at UoPeople

Affordable Education

Imagine being able to go to school, pay $100 per class, and come out with a Bachelor's degree having only spent $4,060 ($2,060 for an associate degree). Sounds to good to be true? I thought so too. That's why I really had to do my research on this school before I joined them in studies. 

About UoPeople

I would like to introduce you to UoPeople (University of the People)! It is head-quartered in Pasadena, California and accredited by The Distance Education Accrediting Commission, recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in the USA. 

This is not your traditional go-to-class-and-sit-through-a-lecture school. While the university is head-quartered in California, there is no actual physical campus. Classes are taken completely online and many exams are proctored.

What is the Student Body Like?

Whats more interesting about going to school at UoPeople is the international student body. I have met and connected with people from other countries all over the world, such as individuals from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Philippines, China, Afghanistan, Canada. You name it, there are probably students from there. 

Age is nothing but a number too. I have met people of all different ages as well.

What's the Course Work Like?

Courses run on 8 weeks in 5 terms a year. You can take between 1-3 courses a term (depending on maintenance of your GPA). All course material is online and provided via OER (Open Educational Resources) which means that you don't have to worry about purchasing text books. You have deadlines every week for assignments, but you have the flexibility during the week to complete the assignments when you have the time. 

Course work includes weekly readings, written assignments and peer reviews, discussion board participation, study journal entries, and typically three exams a class. 

Is it Really That Affordable?

UoPeople is a non-profit educational institution. The university's president, Shai Reshef, has worked in the world where technology and education intersect. He has developed a system that involves volunteers, donations, and assessment fees. Mr. Reshef is passionate about bringing higher education to as many people as possible. The university is tuition-free, and though you don't have to pay any money up front for courses (except for the $60 registration fee), at the end of each course taken is a $100 assessment fee. If you transfer credits from another school, they also charge a $17 transfer fee for each accepted course (so, really, you could save more by transferring classes). Many students from other countries also can receive a full or partial scholarship to help them cover course costs.

Peaked Interest Yet?

To learn more about University of the People and what they have to offer, please check out UoPeople.edu. Education is an investment, why not invest with your best interest in mind?

Jump Start Your Career Before You Go To College

Start Your Career Before You Start Your Education

For most of modern America, college is a catch twenty-two. It's no secret that you can be successful without going to or completing college. However, most people, whether due to family influences, career goals, or simply trying to fit in to society, are stuck on the college expressway with only one foreseeable exit. Before you get on this road, STOP! Look around for a minute. Look ahead, look behind you, and read this set of action points to help you start on your college journey.

Evaluate Your Career Goals 

Many careers don't require college. Every career you could ever want will require special skills and abilities. Whether you have a natural abilities or obtained them some other way, you probably already have something to offer an employer or clients. 

Is your dream career in a field that even requires college? If not, why don't you go ahead and start working? I'm not saying don't go to college, I'm saying get a head start on your career and do college on the side. 

While requirements may vary state by state and city by city, it is possible that you already qualify, at least in part, for a few careers. Some examples may include construction, private investigator, police officer, firefighter, lawn care professional, elected official, martial arts instructor, artist, etc. 

If you already have the skills, why not get started now? The main push for going to college anymore is to get a good paying job. If you already have a good paying job, technically, you could just skip the college step. However, I do believe there there is still some value you can get out of going to college. For example... 

Maybe you decide that you want to start a lawn care business, a martial arts school, or something like that. Working towards a business management degree while managing your business could help enhance your business and ultimately help you make more money.

Should you decided to become a private investigator or police officer, working on a a degree in criminal justice or legal studies could actually boost your career and your pay check.

Working in the capacity of most elected officers does not require a college degree. Even the office of President of the United States doesn't have an educational requirement (Point: President Andrew Johnson had no formal education at all). But imagine how much more service you could render as president, senator, governor, mayor, judge, or sheriff, with a learning and understanding of public administration, law, criminal justice, or something in a related field. 

If you can go to college to enhance your job and ability to perform, do it!

If You Need a Degree for What You Want to Do 

So you've chosen a career path that requires a degree, whether it be an Associate, Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate. Way to go! But don't complicate your life more than you need to. For such insanity, I recommend you continue reading this article. I'm planning on a doctorate degree for myself and think you can benefit from what I've researched so far.

Find a related job or trade, then go to work, or enter an apprenticeship.

There are many careers that do require a degree. Some rightly so, others, just because someone said so. Either way, if your dream is in the field of nursing, medicine, engineering, education, psychology, or law, you need a degree. In most instances, to obtain whatever level degree, you will be required to undergo X amount of years educating yourself to receive Y career.

Why not start at the bottom and learn your way up?!

Let me explain what I mean.

Lets say you want to get in on nursing. Why not start out as a phlebotomist? You'll gain related work experience while earning your way through school. Start studying with a LPN/LVN (Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse) diploma, and start earning more. While working as an LPN/LVN, study for an ASN (Associate of Science in Nursing) to increase your pay check and knowledge. After you've completed your ASN you can progress to a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and increase your income once again. if you want to keep going on to become a nurse practitioner you can get your MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) and instantly increase your earnings. If you want more, you can finish up your formal education by getting a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice).

There are similar paths in just about any industry.

Want to become a Lawyer or a Judge? Why not start out as a paralegal or mediator/arbitrator, then earn your way through school, all the while gaining valuable working experience?

You could get an apprenticeship as an electrician, and earn your way through school to become an electrical engineer.

Get an apprenticeship in opticianry and earn your way to become an optometrist.

There are so many paths that can be taken to each ending. Why not take the path that pays you to gain valuable industry related experience? You will get a better understanding for other's roles as you work in them and will be more relatable. 

Start to Finish: Which Way is Better?

When you start your career is really up to you, it doesn't have to be when you graduate college. Most careers have a progression anyway. Why not start yours early? 

In the end, I would like you to think about how much you will have in the bank, or owe to the bank, when you finish your formal education. If you invest in yourself wisely, you will be much further ahead in your career, have more knowledge, and ultimately be more likely to have the ability to make better decisions about related work than those who went straight through school with no practical working experience. Start working hard early, work smart, and you'll be straight on the path to success.