Category: Your Career (Page 42 of 62)

      What are the Different Types of Bachelor Degrees?

      May 6, 2011 /

       

      A bachelor’s degree is awarded after completing four to five years of full-time study at a college or university. A bachelor’s degree program can take several additional years to complete if you attend part-time. There are more than a dozen different bachelor’s degree programs, but the most common are the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS).

      As the name suggests, a Bachelor of Arts requires coursework in the arts. You can expect to take courses in areas such as music, fine arts, humanities, and social science. A Bachelor of Science degree requires coursework mainly in the sciences. You can expect to take courses in the areas of physical sciences, mathematical sciences, and life sciences. Other degrees are more specific and include:

      • -Bachelor of Architecture – BArch
      • -Bachelor of Applied Science – BASc
      • -Bachelor of Business Administration  – BBA
      • -BComm – Bachelor of Commerce – BComm
      • -BCompSc – Bachelor of Computer Science – BCompSc
      • -BD – Bachelor of Divinity  – BD
      • -BDes – Bachelor of Design – BDes
      • -Bachelor of Education – BEd
      • -Bachelor of Engineering – BEng or BE
      • -Bachelor of Fine Arts – BFA
      • -Bachelor of Mathematics – BMath
      • -Bachelor of Music – BMus
      • -Bachelor of Pharmacy – Bpharm
      • -Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering – BSEE
      • -Bachelor of Science in Forestry – BSF
      • -Bachelor of Technology – Btech
      • -Bachelor of Laws- LLB

      Some degrees such as the Bachelor of Mathematics and the Bachelor of Laws are also the names of a postgraduate degree in some colleges and universities.

      Bachelor’s Degree Earning Potential

      A bachelor’s degree offers nearly double the lifetime earning potential than a high school diploma. High school graduates can expect to average  $1.2 million during their lifetime. Bachelor’s degree holders can expect to earn an average of $2.1 million. For more information about how a degree can affect your earning potential, read The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings by the U.S. Census Bureau.

      Your Career, Your Education

      Drug Testing Centers – Why Employers Want You to Visit One

      May 5, 2011 /

      It’s a common misconception that employers only request drug tests before hiring individuals to operate heavy machinery or a vehicle. These days, many employers require a drug test, credit check, and/or a full background check before they’ll hire you. Employers aren’t interested in invading your privacy or putting your lifestyle choices under a microscope. What they are interested in is maintaining a drug-free work environment and there are plenty statistics to support this interest.

      For starters, companies have a legal obligation to protect other employees from harm. Drug users are 3.6 times more likely to cause an accident at work. Next, companies also have a legal obligation to distance themselves from individuals that may put them in a position to support drug use, whether intentionally or not. Companies must also protect themselves from other issues such as high health care costs and worker’s compensation claims. When compared to drug-free co-workers, drug users are one-third less productive, they are 10 times more likely to call in sick, health care costs are three times higher, and they are more likely to file a worker’s compensation claim.

      If an employer uses tax credits and federal grant money, it must comply with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. The Act states that any company that uses federal money or tax credits must maintain a drug-free workplace. So, if you take a drug test and it comes back positive, no matter how qualified you are for the position, the company cannot hire you, period. 

      Taking a Drug Test

      If a company requires a drug test, they will likely send you to a drug testing center of their choice. They will provide a form for you to take to the drug testing center, but you can schedule your own appointment. After taking the test, the drug testing center will complete the form and send it to your potential employer. A positive result will help move the hiring process forward. A negative result will stop it in its tracks.

      It’s important to note that some employers perform random drug testing. This means that even if you’ve been in a position for years and your record is clean, a positive result at any time can still cost you your job.

      Your Career

      What are the Different Types of Insurance Jobs?

      May 3, 2011 /

      Whether you’re an insurance sales agent or underwriter, you’ll likely work with all types of insurance from auto to life. Insurance sales agents are in the business of selling insurance. Also called “producers,” insurance sales agents sell life, property and casualty, disability, health, and long-term care. They work with businesses, families, and individuals to find the best policies to protect their property, lives, and health. Some insurance agents work with all types of insurance, while others specialize in one area.

       Life insurance agents sell policies that pay beneficiaries when the policyholder dies. Health insurance agents sell health insurance policies that help cover the cost of medical care in the event of an accident, illness, or injury. Health insurance agents may also sell disability policies and dental insurance. Property and casualty insurance agents auto insurance to businesses and individuals, as well as property insurance policies that protect against loss due to theft, storms, fire, and vandalism.

      Insurance sales agents have other tasks outside of selling. They provide financial planning services and advice on minimizing risk. They maintain records, prepare reports, generate new business, and settle insurance claims. Insurance sales agents work for one company. Independent insurance agents are brokers who work for several companies. Around 21 percent of insurance agents work for insurance carriers and 51 percent work for insurance agencies and brokerages. Twenty-two percent are self-employed.

      Insurance underwriters calculate risk. They make the decision about who insurance companies should grant policies to and under what terms. Underwriters use advanced technology to analyze information provided by insurance applicants. This technology helps determine which types of risks are acceptable and won’t result in a loss. Once risk is established, underwriters prepare policies that cover the risks. Some companies are conservative in their underwriting activities while others are liberal. An insurance underwriter is expected to work under these guidelines, whether he agrees or not.

      Qualifications for Insurance Jobs

      To become an insurance sales agent, a college degree is preferred. Companies also prefer graduates that majored in economics, business, or finance. Some colleges offer insurance courses and others, such as Indiana State University and Ball State University, offer a bachelor’s degree in the field. Although a degree isn’t mandatory to become an insurance sales agent, a State-issued license is. Licensure requirements are determined on a state-by-state basis, but they require successful completion of insurance courses and a passing score on several exams. 

      Insurance sales agents average $45,430 per year (median). The middle 50 percent earn $33,070 to $68,730 per year. High earners average $113,930 per year. In addition to earning a good living as an insurance agent, job growth looks great. The industry expects to add 51,600 jobs over the next seven years, which is a 12 percent increase in job growth.

      Becoming an Underwriter

      Most companies prefer to hire college graduates for underwriting jobs. A degree in business administration or finance is preferred, but a bachelor’s degree in any field in addition to accounting and business law courses might get your foot in the door as well. Insurance underwriters average around $56,790 per year. The highest paid underwriters average around $99,940 per year. Although you can make a good living as an underwriter, job growth is down. The industry expects to lose 4,300 jobs over the next seven years.

      For more information about insurance jobs, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics at www.bls.gov.

      Your Career, Your Compensation

      The Coolest Jobs In Sports

      April 29, 2011 /

      Being involved with sports, in any way, form or fashion, is probably the best job that anyone can have, and there is never a lack for things to do, or to talk about. If you can manage to luck into a job in any capacity, go for it, but here are the top three jobs we’d like to take in the wonderful, wacky world of sports.

      The General Manager

      Sure, it’s a lot of pressure, but can you imagine anything being as great as the job of general manager? You’re enlisted with boosting a team’s sportsbook odds, watching players develop throughout the years (providing you don’t get canned), and you get the best seats in the house for every game. With the growing popularity of fantasy sports, people obviously would love to be in charge of a team, and there is no one who would turn down the job of GM (unless it’s the Pittsburgh Pirates).

      The Ballboys/Towelboys

      This is for the youngsters, although we’re sure a few adults would love to take the job as well, and just because we listed it for the boys, the girls can get in on the action as well. How cool is that? Free tickets to the game, seats that your friends (and their parents) would drool over, and you get to meet your heroes on a daily basis. You’re likely to make a highlight reel if you’re a ballboy who misses a foul ball, but there are worse things that could happen in life.

      The 12th Man/Utility Guy/Fourth-Line Player/Third-String Guy

      Look, we’d all love to be the star, but sometimes, hard work can only take you so far. The guys (and girls) out of the spotlight are, in some cases, the guys (and girls) who keep the team together. Take Chicago’s Brian Scalabrine, for example. He has earned a steady paycheck in the NBA since 2001 by being a good teammate, a guy who realizes he’s not going to play much, so he contributes in other ways like cheering the team on, and he can also see something on the court that some may miss if they’re busy, you know, playing. It’s not a bad gig if you can land it.

      Your Career

      Sociology Degree Jobs

      April 29, 2011 /

      Sociology is one of the most misunderstood fields of study. Tell a group of people that you’re majoring in sociology and the first question they’ll ask is “uh, what are you going to do with that?” Fortunately, the answer is “plenty.”

      Sociology is the study of the interaction, structure, collective behavior, and development of organized groups of people. Sociologists can find work in just about any area of business, and in health care, environment & society, government, demography, criminal justice, human services, education, community relations, and social science research. The list of specific job titles is extensive, but just a few are:

      • -Advocate
      • -College Administrator
      • -Community Relations Specialist
      • -Consultant
      • -Consumer Researcher
      • -Director of Advertising
      • -Law Enforcement Officer
      • -Marketing Manager
      • -Mental Health Counselor
      • -Personnel Training
      • -Public Assistance Agent
      • -Social Science Analyst
      • -Teacher
      • -Waste Manager

      Salaries for these positions vary greatly by level of education, experience, company, and location, but you can expect to make anywhere from $27,000 per year on the low end up to $95,000+ on the high end. Management, director and postsecondary education positions typically fall on the higher end of the pay scale.  

      If you are interested in a sociology career, you should enroll in an accredited bachelor’s degree program with a major or focus in sociology. Although a bachelor’s degree is a great start, many professionals in this field hold a masters degree or higher. An undergraduate program can prepare you for an entry to mid-level career and/or for a master’s program. All program’s have specific course requirements, but you can always take additional courses that will help prepare you for multiple positions.

      According to Top Online Colleges, major requirements may include, but are not limited to:

      • -Advanced Social Theory
      • -Directed Readings in Sociology
      • -Feminist Theories of Social Order
      • -Introduction of Social Theory
      • -Introduction to Society
      • -Medical Sociology
      • -Population Analysis
      • -Practicum in Applied Social Research
      • -Race and Ethnic Group Relations
      • -Religion in Society
      • -Research Methodology
      • -Rural Sociology
      • -Social Deviance
      • -Social Inequality
      • -Social Movements
      • -Social Problems
      • -Society and the Future
      • -Sociological Research
      • -Sociology of Childhood
      • -Sociology of Education
      • -Sociology of Gender Roles
      • -Sociology of Law
      • -Sociology of Sport                                                
      • -Statistics for Social Research
      • -The Family
      • -The Individual in Society 
      • -Urban Sociology
      • -Work, Industry, and Society
      • -Internship Program

      To find the best sociology program, browse through college ranking sites such as Princetonreview.com and Petersons.com. You can also try U.S. News & World Report College Rankings. If you decide to search on your own through Bing or Google, always check the schools website for accreditation, especially if you have never heard of the school or the school operates exclusively online. This does not mean that unfamiliar schools and online schools do not offer high quality programs—most do, but you have to be careful today thanks to the proliferation of diploma mills and schools that have recently lost accreditation.

      The following accrediting agencies are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It is important to note that, the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) is one of the top accrediting agencies for online colleges and programs.

      • -The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
      • -The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
      • -The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
      • -The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
      • -Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
      • -New England Association of Schools and Colleges
      • -North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
      • -Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
      • -Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

      To review the full list of recognized agencies, visit the U.S. Department of Education.

      Your Career, Your Compensation, Your Workplace

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