Escaping the Grip of Unemployment Rates

It may not seem like a surprise to you that during these current times of national hardship, people with a college degree are more likely to be able to find work than people with only a high school diploma. It should also serve as no surprise that month after month the Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting an encouraging outlook for individuals with higher academic qualifications. In fact, as you've probably guessed, the more education you have the better off you'll be.

The numbers speak for themselves. If you're a college grad under 25, you're only experiencing an 8% unemployment rate. If you only hold a high school diploma and are under 25, your group holds a 24.5% rate. Since 2000, tuition rates have risen 92%. For many, this giant leap is too large a blow to the checking account to feel that earning an education is worth the trouble, but with so many people walking from the high school graduation stage to the unemployment line, can you really afford not to get an education? After this recessionary period ends, will you be prepared to move forward?

Earning an Undergraduate Degree

It's no secret that over the last few years the Federal Government has devoted large amounts of stimulus spending towards helping the country bounce back from these difficult times. Many, however, fail to realize that this funding could directly correlate to potential job opportunities. Not only is a generous portion of the stimulus program going towards education, but also an effort to create jobs in fields like education, healthcare and green industries. With so much outside assistance available, there's no better time to earn an Associates' or Bachelors' Degree.

One other thing worth noting is that even at the Undergraduate-level, 24% of 2010 college graduates who applied for a job before graduation had one waiting for them as soon as they received their Degree - even in the middle of our topsy-turvy job market. That's a 20% increase from 2009. Obviously, the odds are getting better for some people, but the only way to be a part of that group is to increase your education and improve your credentials.

Earning a Graduate Degree

The fickle state of the current job market has left many men and women with a bad taste in their mouths. For many Americans who have Bachelors' Degrees, the career prospects still don't seem entirely satisfactory. Others worry that they should be preparing for another, more severe economic downturn. Regardless of the reasoning, a large part of the nation's working population are enrolling in Graduate-level Degree programs to help improve their job outlook and increase their earning potential. While adding to the resume, many Graduate students benefit from publishing research that gets their names out into the field they're studying, making them an even more desirable candidate for prospective employers.

However, it may be that even though you have earned your undergraduate degree and desire to improve you credentials, you are currently working and do not desire to quit the labor force or focus on solely earning the second degree. In this case, it may be beneficial to focus your search for graduate studies on online masters degree that provide a greater degree of flexibility and reduce the amount of time spent commuting to campus.

A point of note is also the type of graduate program to which you are considering entering. Technical programs, especially computer science masters programs and certificates, are more often accepting of online students. Notable programs are Stanford's Online Master of Computer Science. This program is one of many online Masters of Computer Science offered from top ranked school. Online master programs in the liberal arts are more difficult to find as they are not as trusting of new online educational methods. They prefer students to attend class physically and participate in discussion.