How To Support Your Spouse While Attending Law School

It all starts out like a dream relationship. You and your spouse graduate from college, get married, and even move into your first house. Your spouse now brings up the idea of going back to school. He has always wanted to be an attorney but put it all on the back burner. Now that things are somewhat calmed down the opportunity has presented itself. Instantly, a lot of thoughts go through your head – thinking about exactly how do you become a lawyer? How much does it cost? Or how long does it take to become a lawyer? These questions are valid and important to discuss before making a decision.

What’s Involved in Becoming an Attorney?

Graduating from high school and college are the first steps to becoming an attorney. After getting your four year degree you need to apply and attend law school to get your Juris doctorate degree. After law school the bar exam needs to be taken. Finally, after passing the bar exam a newly appointed lawyer will be sworn in. Including high school, it’s an 11 year journey to become a lawyer. Law school is typically only 3 years though.

What’s The Cost Associated With Becoming an Attorney?

Some schools can be as “inexpensive” as $20,000 a year and more prestigious schools can cost upwards to $50,000 + for each year. The good news is that there are a lot of student loan options available. Interest rates are pretty reasonable and you can take out a little more then what school costs to help cover additional living costs. Some people take out loans to make up for the lack of income the miss out on if they are going back to school later on in their life.

Paying Our Bills? Where Do We Start?

Student loans are available to individuals looking to go back to school. Most student loan programs understand that working full time while attending school isn’t plausible. For the spouse not going back to school is can sometimes be difficult for them to understand but it’s an important part to recognize in order to be supportive. Bills need to be paid but you would be amazed how much you can save by just making small cuts from your normal spending patterns. For example:

  • Making your coffee at home – each coffee from Starbucks costs $3-$5.00
  • Readjust cell phone plans – $5-$10 per month can be saved by downgrading data & texting plans.
  • Downgrade or cancel your cable – Netflix and RedBox is an extremely cheap alternative to cable saving nearly $50.00 per month.
  • Call up insurance companies – Do you need full insurance on your car? Can you raise your deductible on your house? These have their pros and cons but you’re looking to cut just a little from several bills. This option can save you hundreds of dollars each year.
  • Nobody said the money aspect of going back to school would be easy but outlined above are just a few options to easily save hundred dollars per year. When you’re living off of an income that is less then what your use to every dollar saved counts.

Being Supportive Is Hard But Rewarding

It’s never convenient for you or a spouse to go back to school. It’s a big commitment, expensive, and adds stress to the entire family. Knowing that your significant other is supportive of your career choice is very rewarding. They will remember that you stuck with them and you both can share stories and laugh about the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ experiences together. Life isn’t always meant to be easy, hopefully you both can get through this together and enjoy more good times later on in life.

Nicholas is a husband to a law school student and has gone through the debt and pressures of getting a family member going back to school. To help other aspiring lawyers he created how-to-become-a-lawyer.com which lists all the legal requirements and law schools by each state.

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Boost Your Management Potential with Online Degrees

Do you want to pursue a management career position or want to get promoted in your job? Consider going back to school to increase your education. Enrolling in an online school will help you gain valuable skills and latest knowledge in your respective field. So, if you want to qualify for management job opportunities or wish to move up in today’s marketplace. Consider the below mentioned online degree programs that could help you increase your marketability to prospective employers.

1. Online Bachelor’s in Business Administration

Opting for an online bachelor’s in business administration degree could help you get into the field of management and prepare you to get an MBA degree. A bachelor’s in business administration degree provides students a solid foundation in management strategies, operations management, accounting, economics, and business policy and strategy. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration can hone your leadership and management skills while preparing you for various lucrative careers including financial manager, personal financial adviser, accountant, financial analyst or more.

2. Online Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems

Individuals interested in pursuing leadership positions while using their computer expertise can opt for an online bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. There are various affordable online schools that offer online bachelor’s degrees in the field of information technology (IT) that could greatly help you improve your chances to find management career opportunities. Obtaining an online bachelor’s degree in management information systems can potentially prepare you for a supervisory position. You will likely take courses such as management, finance, marketing, database management, and systems design. Individuals holding a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems can work as a computer and information systems manager, chief technology officer, computer network administrator, and computer-support specialist.

3. Online Master’s in Business Administration (MBA)

Pursuing an online MBA degree might be prudent decision for individuals looking to hone their expertise. An online master’s in business administration can help individuals build management and communication competencies through course assignments and projects. In fact, an online MBA degree program prepares students to manage a whole organization while developing their communications skills and the confidence level. In order to enroll in an MBA program, students are generally required to have a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Usually, it takes two years to complete an MBA program, and students will likely take courses in finance, marketing, accounting, and management. Pursuing an online master’s in business administration can prepare you for various lucrative careers including sales manager, public relations manager, advertising manager, marketing manager, top executive and more.

4. Master’s in Health Care Administration

If you want to increase your expertise in the field of healthcare and desire a management level position, an online master’s degree in health care administration is well worth consideration. Pursuing an online master’s degree in health care administration could qualify you for various executive or managerial careers in different organizations. In a master’s degree program, students will learn how to plan, direct, and coordinate health care services in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other health care facilities. Students might take courses such as hospital organization and management, marketing, accounting, law and ethics, and health information systems. Candidates having a master’s degree in health care administration are eligible to work as a medical and health services manager, clinical manager, nursing home administrator or more.

5. Online Master’s in Human Resource Management (HRM)

Opting for an online master’s degree in human resource management is another worthwhile option for individuals who already have experience in the field and want to purse a senior management position. An online master’s degree in human resource management focuses on helping students understand about strategic aspects of human capital management as well as train them to understand how business decisions are made. Indeed, selecting an online master’s degree in human resource management can open doors to careers in global markets. Individuals holding a master’s degree in human resources management can choose to become human resources director, vice president of human resources, director of industrial relations, human resources consultant or much, much more.
Choosing the above mentioned online degree programs are indeed a prudent choice that can not only develop your competencies but prepare you for lucrative management career positions in a myriad of business areas.

Kelly Gibson is a professional webmaster. Her main area of interest is educational research. Check out her blog for online college brochures, useful articles on online education, accredited online schools, universities and much more.

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How to finish your college homework fast

Image by ND Strupler

Like many of you, I love learning and reading. But doing my college homework is another story.

Don’t get me wrong, I always finish my paper on time. But it’s not my vibe [Writing homework can drag you].

I mean, back when I was in college, I had to watch ‘How High’ over and again to skip doing my assignment.

Damn… I wish there is a way to kill that thing; the homework.

Anyway, homework will be part of your life. Did I say life? I meant it. Even after college you will find yourself with homework. Not the best thing that can happen to you, but you must find a way of dealing with it.

So I thought, why not show you how to deal with it fast. I find myself rushing to finish mine the last minute.

Here is how you finish your college homework fast:

Take a deep breath

I am serious! You have 2 hours to finish the college homework. What good can you do to yourself than taking a deep breath? Of course you don’t have time to meditate.

It helps you to think well since it makes your mind prepared and ready. Hey…don’t take 20 minutes to inhale. Only 2 minutes. When you take a deep breath, it also removes the fear in you. It feels nervous when the clock is ticking and the assignment is due.

Heat some coffee.

Coffee is the secret weapon for concentration. If you want to finish that homework fast, you have to concentrate. So you need a cup of coffee.

Scientists have proofed that coffee is the most preferred performance booster. Besides, it is known to boost the memory. Ooh I would love to do that assignment off my head. You know…like the genius with an IQ of 160.

Close your room

You want to write that college homework without disturbance, right? Close the door and switch off your phone.

I know it hurts to see your phone off, but it’s the only way. You have 1 hour and few minutes remaining remember?

So you have to keep off distractions.

Divide your homework

I will use an example so that it is easy for you to understand. Click to continue reading…

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Treat yourself to the Corporate Flavor with an MBA

Are you in two-minds considering a career move? Well, if ‘to study or not to study’ for advancing your career in the right direction is baffling you with choices then, it is always wiser to go for the no lose situation. Yes, certainly enrolling for an educational course is never designed to offer you losses, even if it fails to reap successful prospects. Now, if you have been wondering about how to enroll in an educational program amid the strict professional schedule then, stay rest assured, as the online learning programs offering career education courses is right there at your service.

Career education courses or programs are no new kid in the educational block. These courses are specifically designed geared towards career development. In simple terms, these courses hold better job prospects and are considered to hold potentially powerful career enhancement opportunities. An MBA program often is considered an ideal career education course, especially because more and more students are enrolling for a management program for shaping up careers in the right direction. From mid-career executives to beginners at the game, everybody is seen to enroll at mangement programs for experiencing a better stand in the corporate world.

For gaining more resources on the management discipline and its acceptance globally, you can well consider browsing through the Wikipedia page on MBA offering an interesting read.
Continuing your education for uplifting your professional status stand as a significant necessity in recent times adorned with new-age working and learning approaches. The current job market and corporate employers have set their eyes on professionals featuring a wonderful blend of knowledge and skill expertise, somebody who can deliver ensuring better productivity. Since, the demand has been set for performance-oriented individuals, career enthusiast are left with no choice but to upgrade and uplift their educational status empowering skill expertise for surviving through the professional odds. The answer undeniably rests with an MBA program.

With education becoming an important flagship of developing your career, new-age learning approaches are being introduced in the educational sector to help the working executives attain things at ease. Distance learning MBA programs have come across as a boon for the career-oriented individuals, as it allows them to balance work and studies respectively without any compromises. Since, the demand is on a rise, more and more professionals are leaning towards the online educational opportunity for staying abridged with their career education course. The 21st century opens for you new roads to learning delivering promises that are to be kept.

Well, all you need to do is enroll at a career education initiated management program from an accredited institute. An accreditation enables you to taste success in the corporate world taking your career upfront without any stagnation midway. It enhances your profile making your resume powerful and acceptable internationally in the global professional market. Therefore, it is quite understandable that enrolling for an MBA program, be it through traditional course or a distance learning always lays a winning situation foe you offering less signs of losing. So, stop considering and worrying about the choices; enroll at your specialized management course form a well-known accredited institute to get to the top of the corporate world.

Mellissa likes to produce thought-provoking content on anything related to education and distance learning programs. Here, she focuses how earning an MBA degree can add new career paths to one’s professional journey and career profile.

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