August 2008 - Posts

Climbing the Ladder
Friday, August 01, 2008 2:29 PM

Can Online Courses Help My Career?

The allure of an online degree is strong for many working adults. The time and money required for traditional education in a classroom is not always available. But many dedicated 9-5ers are willing to sit down in front of a computer for a few hours a night to learn, and possibly improve their career prospects.

Question is, how much can one learn online and how much does an online degree help one’s career prospects? Essentially, are online courses worth it?

According to a recent www.vault.com survey of human resource professionals, 61% believed that an online bachelor’s degree was not as credible as a traditional degree, but was acceptable. For graduate degrees, that number falls slightly to 54%.

That same survey shows that 77% believe an online degree from a traditional institution like Duke or Stanford is more valuable than one earned from an “Internet-only” school like Jones International University.

Bottom line is that there is an acceptance of online degrees that is likely to grow. And if you’re looking to get one, a degree from a traditional school with a good reputation is the way to go.

The good news is that more and more traditional universities are offering online degrees, mostly at the graduate level. Professionals can earn graduate degrees in everything from nursing to business administration. Check out http://www.college-scholarships.com/ssac.htm for a list of the universities that offer online degrees.

Online degrees, especially for working professionals, can be a lot of work. But the knowledge and confidence gained from a degree can be indispensable.

“I was educated as an engineer. During the 12 years of professional activity before I had my MBA, I had confronted challenges involving business planning and finance but I felt I lacked formal training in those areas,” said Marco Marinucci in the recent article, “The Online MBA Comes of Age” on the Wharton School of Business Web site.

The experience of earning the MBA gave him the “confidence to know that the professional options in my career are all open now. I only have to choose.”

Do you or someone you know have an online degree? Tell us about it!

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News You Can Use
Friday, August 01, 2008 8:24 AM

 

National Night Out

In 1984, the National Association of Town Watch introduced National Night Out in an effort to unite neighborhoods across the country to send the message, “We’re organized and we’re going to fight back!” to local criminals.

National Night Out started small with only 400 communities in 23 states participating, but since then has grown to 11,125 communities from 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.

This year, National Night Out is scheduled to take place Tuesday, August 5, with the hope of increasing crime and drug prevention awareness, generating support for anti-crime programs and strengthening police and community relationships.

In addition to the traditional National Night Out “lights on” and front porch vigils, communities will participate in block parties, neighborhood walks, safety fairs and even parades!

Get involved! Your community could win top honors and be featured on the National Night Out homepage!

For more information about National Night Out or to get your community involved, go to www.nationalnightout.org.

Is your community doing something for National Night Out? If so, tell us about it!

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Admin’s Assistant
Friday, August 01, 2008 8:15 AM

Women's Networking Groups

In the corporate world, great success for women also means success for the company.  That's why more and more companies are putting a lot of effort and heart into their own women's networking organizations.  Providing female employees with a resource for lessons in leadership and hands-on problem solving not only gives them a springboard for personal professional advancement, but also gives the company a boost as women become more powerful in their roles as business partners.  It's a win-win: invest in us and we will invest in you.

For large corporations, like General Electric, women's networks can reach a national-and even international-level.  Every year GE hosts a leadership conference that attracts senior business women from the U.S. and Europe.  The event brings together GE employees and GE customers, all women, to interact on a more personal level and build better business relationships.  It's a forum for women to share with and learn from each other, and a source of support and encouragement for those in high-level, high-stress positions.

All companies, whether international like GE or corner-shop mom ‘n' pop, can benefit from a woman's perspective as a problem solver.  Best Buy, for example, has a regional network for female employees-at all levels of responsibility-that focuses mainly on getting women involved in solving real business issues.  As a predominantly male-centric business, Best Buy was once having trouble garnering interest from women as employees and women as consumers.  But with ideas from its women's network, Best Buy was able to drastically cut the female turnover rate and increase sales by appearing more female friendly.

Looking for professional development outside of work? Look in the newspaper, check with your community center, or try searching online for "(your city or state) women's network."

Here are some national women's organizations that may have chapters in your area:

www.naofp.com - National Association of Female Professionals

www.nationalwomensinnetwork.com - National Women's In Network, Inc.

www.bpwusa.org - Business and Professional Women/USA

Do you, or someone you know, belong to a women's networking group?

What is most beneficial about it?

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The Giving Tree
Friday, August 01, 2008 8:11 AM

 

Kids Konnected

Living and coping with a cancer diagnosis is devastating for everyone. No question. But what happens to a child whose parent is diagnosed? Who can help them understand and deal with the realities of the situation? Eleven-year-old Jon Wagner-Holtz knows the answer. He established Kids Konnected in 1993 after his mother was diagnosed with *** cancer.

Jon had no one to talk to-he didn't know any other kids who were experiencing the exact same thing.

Jon approached the Orange County, California, Race for the Cure, a part of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, which granted him $250 to start a brand new phone connection, Jon's own hotline, so he could talk to kids in his community.  The mission of Kids Konnected is to provide friendship, understanding, education and support for kids and teens that have a parent with cancer or have lost a parent to cancer. Jon says, "The success of the program lies in the tears of a child being wiped away by a caring friend, and in the quiet 'Thanks' of a sick parent that can worry less about the emotional stress their illness has on their children."

How does the program work? It starts with the annual Summer Camp program. One hundred kids from all over the U.S. are brought together with one goal in mind: being a kid. That's because when a parent is diagnosed with cancer, a greater burden falls on the kids to do more at home. They quickly lose the innocence of childhood and have to become contributors to their families in ways they never imagined. At camp, kids have the opportunity to be with kids who do understand these changes and have experienced many of the same effects that cancer has had in their life.

Another way the program works is through youth leadership training. An amazing group of kids donates their free time to helping support kids in the U.S. who have a parent with cancer or have lost a parent to cancer. Youth Leaders are trained to become e-mail/phone buddies to kids who don't have support groups in their areas, to co-lead support groups with therapists and to volunteer at social and fundraiser events.

Jon says, "Kids helping kids is what we're all about. Because of our 'Konnection' you don't have to be alone anymore."

Want to help? Go to http://www.kidskonnected.org for more information.

Know someone under the age of 18 who's started their own charity? If so, we want to know!

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It's National Inventors' Month!
Friday, August 01, 2008 7:29 AM

National Inventors' Month was created in 1995 by the United Inventors Association of the USA, the Academy of Applied Science and Inventors' Digest magazine, to help promote the positive image of innovative and entrepreneurial inventors and the real contributions they give to this world. It also teaches kids about inventing and to help those who have ideas for new products understand the process of new product development and find ethical, honest companies and people with whom to deal.  Thousands of inventors have helped to shape the world into what it is today, and choosing the best ones is no easy task. 

Computers and antibiotics are routinely listed among the best inventions of all time. While their importance is indisputable, the everyday inventions that make our lives easier, like microwave ovens, often get overlooked.  

Educators can help promote the event, explore inventors and inventions with students by using lessons to discover a world of unlimited possibilities. There are plenty of hands-on science activities to encourage creativity and engage students of all ages in learning. From catapults to artificial hearts, there's a variety of reading passages about the history and people behind innovations in technology.  

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the number of patents filed in the U.S. increases each year. IBM set the record in 2003 as having the most patents filed
in a single year: 3,415 U.S. patents.  

During National Inventors' Month, InventHelp® is proud to celebrate the inventors' who have enriched our world with their discoveries. From everyday conveniences to modern miracles, inventions change the way people live. By the time we celebrate National Inventor's Month next year, who knows how many more amazing inventions will make life better for all of us? 

Have an item you can't live without? Tell us about your favorite invention!

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Editor's Note
Friday, August 01, 2008 2:09 AM

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the latest issue of the Pen Pal…new and improved! We are still in the building stages, but we hope you enjoy our new features!

Going green is a hot topic everywhere these days and we knew by going green and discontinuing our printed version of the Pen Pal, we could do our part to help the environment. 

Going online allows us to expand the Pen Pal in interesting ways. We want to make this a community for all of you. We want to make this a place where you can freely leave your thoughts and create discussions with other readers. 

Please take some time to peek around the Pen Pal, and around Office Living. Be sure to check out our President’s blog, “Morse’s Code,” too. It is our hope to entertain you, bring you closer to us, and do a little something nice for the environment too!  

Have some thoughts about the new Pen Pal? Please let me know! We want to make this the best experience we can for you.

Christy Wolf, Editor

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