Gas Prices Boost Online College Classes

Registration for online classes is soaring as fast as prices at the pump. With gas prices hitting closer to four dollars, college students are trading time with teachers for online courses.

At one community college, enrollment for distance education grew more than ten percent this year. It doesn't take a rocket science to understand it's expensive to commute to school. "I work six 6 days a week just to keep the bills up,” said student Jessie Rule." I live half an hour away from here, so that makes it tough on gas,” said student Amy Tempus. Chemical Engineering major Amy Tempus found a smart way to cut back her driving costs. "Signing up for college classes online!" said Tempus.

Gas prices are driving students to take more distance education courses. “I’m at nine hours right now, I want to hit thirteen,” said Tempus. Administrators say it's a program so popular; students can spend less time on campus, and more time at home. "They'll take Tuesday and Thursday classes, and several online courses. So they're only coming twice a week,” said one director of distance learning. If you don't think many students are turning to the computer for classes, just look at the parking lot. Even though enrollment's up, there aren't as many students driving to class.

"I don't want to spend my hard-earned money on gas. I'd rather spend it on food or getting coffee, fun stuff," said Tempus.

Department of Defense Adopts Six Sigma

According to an article published on June 2, 2008 in Federal Computer Week magazine, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has ordered all Defense Department components to adopt Lean Six Sigma, considered a failsafe methodology for quality and cost management.

The directive issued May 15, England instructed all DOD components to use Lean Six Sigma in order to improve productivity, mission performance, safety, flexibility and energy efficiency. The Six Sigma process-improvement methodology aims to improve operations by reducing defects and eliminating waste.

The DOD implemented a large scale Lean Six Sigma project in June of 2007 combining efforts from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management to re-engineer the government’s security clearance process.

The Six Sigma system has moved to the forefront because of its overall applicability in a wide range of business environments and for revolutionizing operations for companies such as Motorola and General Electric (GE). As the number of organizations employing the Six Sigma methodology increases, so does the demand for Green and Black Belt Six Sigma quality professionals. As a Six Sigma professional, you can systematically increase the quality of an existing process with the basic Six Sigma DMAIC methodology, improving the performance of business management processes and helping to generate higher net income by lowering operating costs.

Unlike quality improvement efforts of the past, Six Sigma provides tangible business results and savings directly traceable to the bottom line. Kaplan Continuing Education (KCE) offers Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt certificates online designed for completion in just 12 months or less. For more information, call 866.542.4042 (Toll Free) or visit www.kaplancontinuingeducation.com.

Certification = Hot Careers. High Salaries.

According to Payscale.com, a career as a Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCP) or Project Management Professional (PMP) are at the top of the salary list when it comes to professional certification.



PMP's earn an average of $91,050 while MCP's earn an average of $80,538 per year. CISCO CCNA certification was also ranked among the top paying careers with professionals earning $69,482 per year on average.

As approved education providers for both the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Microsoft IT Academy, Kaplan Continuing Education (KCE) offers Project Management & Microsoft IT training online to help students achieve these high-demand certifications in just 12 months or less. For more information, visit http://www.kaplancontinuingeducation.com/.

Coming soon to KCE! CISCO CCNA certificate. July 2008! Stay tuned!

Kaplan Continuing Education is a part of Kaplan University, which is a part of Kaplan Higher Education Corporation. Kaplan Higher Education Corporation is a division of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company. Kaplan University was ranked #1 for quality and value in a survey of online students according to Higher Education Survey Report, February 2006.

Kaplan University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The HLC can be reached at 312.263.0456.

PayScale is a market leader in global online compensation data. For more information, visit http://www.payscale.com/.

Financial Adviser Best Profession to Have in a Recession

In an article dated April 8, 2008, Money Magazine ranked financial advisors as the best profession to have in a recession based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of fastest growing occupations combined with PayScale’s projections of white-collar jobs with the best combination of high salaries and high security. According to these statistics, employment for financial advisers is growing much faster than average for all occupations through the year 2016 at a rate of 41% and median income is expected to grow to $74,000 annually.

Why is Demand for CFP’s Growing Despite Recession?

oDemographic shifts - baby boomers retiring and are looking to protects their assets with investment and retirement plans planners offer
o13.8 million households expected to retire over the next 10 years
oThose households have $4.4 trillion in assets, or about a quarter of all financial assets in the country.
oRelatively few baby boomers have company pensions to supplement savings and Social Security income meaning a more important role for 401K investments.

Baby boomers are also facing:
-Increasing health care costs
-Longer life expectancies
-The uncertainty of financial markets

Kaplan Continuing Education (KCE) offers students the option of obtaining their CFP education on site, on campus, or online.

•Accelerated Traditional Classroom – this 9 month traditional classroom program combines pre-study with classroom instruction taught in major metro areas throughout the US.
•Accelerated Virtual Classroom – this 9 month virtual classroom program is delivered via the web by a live instructor. Playback feature allows you to make up missed classes and review key lectures.
•Self-Paced Online Classroom – this 12 month interactive, online program features discussion boards and email. Coursework is available 24/ 7 so students can study anytime, anywhere.
•University Partnership Program – in partnership with prestigious universities across the country, this 9 or 12 month comprehensive program features live lectures and comprehensive case studies.

For more information on KCE's Certificate in Financial Planning program, visit http://www.kaplancontinuingeducation.com/bf/FinancialPlanning.aspx.

To view the full Money Magazine Article, visit: http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/01/pf/best_careers.moneymag/index.htm?postversion=2008040809