Education Editorial Yo u r L i f e t i m e P a r t n e r i n L e a r n i n g
An eMagazine from The College Network速
Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, Welcome to the latest edition of The College Network’s eMagazine, Education Editorial. When you begin a new undertaking such as deciding to pursue an advanced education, it is important to develop a strategy that includes setting personal goals. You need to think about how you will get where you want to be in your pursuit of education. Can you afford to quit your job and go back to school in a traditional environment, or do you need an online program that offers more flexibility? Can you motivate yourself to complete a program in a self-paced environment, or do you need more structure? What type of education will help you land your dream job? Do you have friends and family members who will support and encourage you as you go back to school? Goals provide you with a measurement to determine whether or not progress is being made. Set measurable goals — both incremental and all-encompassing. For example, if your overarching goal is to earn your bachelor’s degree or professional certification in the next three years, an incremental goal could be setting aside a specific time to research the programs available.
Keep your focus on the benefits you will gain from achieving your goals and obtaining advanced education … a new job, better pay, inspiration for your children, etc. This edition of the magazine includes articles about self-motivation, education as an investment, new education programs available, and more. We hope you will find this magazine to be a great resource, and we encourage you to share it with a friend by forwarding it on. Submit stories about your educational journey or your experiences as a working professional for publication. You can also supply research you are working on that might be of use to other readers or information about upcoming events in your area. Information should be submitted for potential publication in future editions to editor@collegenetwork.com no later than the 15th of each month.
Enjoy this edition of Education Editorial! Sincerely,
Lindsay Schmitt, editor The College Network
Table of Contents When there is significant change‌ Paul Slack, President of Splash Media U and Author of Social Rules
Education Makes Good Cents Stefanie Kinsey, Business Analyst for The College Network
Lean Six Sigma Certification Dominque Gangemi, customer
5 Keys to Self Discipline
Hilari Luck, Program Advisor at The College Network
Lean Six Sigma Certification Through the Online Program at Purdue University Vickie J. Maris, Director, Professional Development Programs, Div. of Engineering Professional Education, Purdue University
Training for a Legal Career Ali Kral, customer
The world needs change agents. They embrace innovation and help businesses reinvent themselves and stay relevant‌and there is no better time than the present to become a change agent. The world is changing before our very eyes. Buyers today are the most educated consumers of all time. We are using the web to gather information to formulate buying criteria and to make informed purchase decisions. As buyers, we have learned how to leverage a multi-channel marketplace and jump from iPads to smartphones to computers at lightning speed in our often insatiable quest for information. We search the Internet, read reviews, ask friends, and then search again. And social media has become the hub of it all. The use of social media is exploding and consumers are relishing their newfound power to share opinions and insights with friends and family on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. What do you think social media is going to look like five years from now? That question has most businesses perplexed and shaking in their boots as they try to build a strategy around this new world of marketing that’s harder to hold on to than a bar of soap in the shower. Businesses are so locked up in their old way of thinking; they need change agents to help them if they have any chance of survival. 2013 is the year that social media marketing will become mainstream. It is expected that 70 percent of all U.S. businesses will be actively engaged in
marketing through social media at some level by the end of this year—either getting in the game for the first time or expanding existing campaigns. Without change agents involved in the process, many of these businesses will fail and end up hurting their reputations more than helping them. Social media marketing delivers value to consumers in online communities where they congregate. Change agents help businesses do this effectively. A good social media strategy will unleash the power of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to help potential customers: 1. Become aware of businesses. 2. Begin to build trust in businesses. 3. Begin to share information with their peers. 4. Ultimately begin to purchase products and services. The good news for you is that there is a shortage of social media change agents primarily because there are no owner manuals for major social media sites, which makes it difficult to learn the methods and best practices that create value. Businesses will have to rely on trained professionals to help educate and guide them through the process. To become a trained professional, you will need to acquire the skills, methods, and best practices that achieve results in the fastest way possible. Demand for qualified social media marketers is high. According to indeed.com, there are currently over 30,000 open positions, with 30 percent of those positions paying $90,000 or more. Continued on pg. 5
When there is significant change‌ contd. This is why we developed our Master Social Media Certification program, an innovative online education in social media marketing that prepares students to achieve their professional goals and improve the productivity of businesses. It is the only program available that utilizes actual experts in social media marketing as instructors, giving students real-world application of social media marketing best practices. We designed our program to take students to an expert level in delivering social media marketing strategies in just a few months. The reason the program works so well, is that the methods and best practices we teach come from over 60,000 hours of practical hands-on expertise in performing social media marketing day in and day out for hundreds of full-service clients.
rigorous process of becoming accredited in January 2013. Splash Media U earned accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, making our curriculum the first of its kind in the social media marketing industry. This process validates our commitment to equipping, enabling, and empowering our students for success in the real world. If you have a passion for helping customers make informed buying decisions with confidence, or you relish the role of helping companies reach and exceed their goals through emerging marketing methods, then social media marketing may be the best career path for you. The world is changing before our eyes — let us show you how Splash Media U can equip and empower you with the tools, training, and resources you need to become an agent of change that will help lead the way!
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Higher education is an investment, which many people often mistake as an expense. We’ve compiled a list of three key reasons to consider investing in education. There are long-term returns to investing in your education and earning an advanced degree including increased salary, more job opportunities, and lower unemployment. 1. Increased Earnings throughout your life According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the article “Back to College,” the median weekly earnings of workers who have earned a bachelor’s degree was 1.8 times the average amount earned by those with a high school diploma. The median weekly earnings of workers with a bachelor’s degree increased to 2.5 times the earnings of someone who did not complete high school education.
2. Better Job Opportunities In a tough economy and ever-changing job market, the best thing to have is advanced education and training. Degree and professional certification programs help you build the skills employers find most valuable for promotable positions such as management. In fact, The National Center for Education Statistics found that more than 88 percent of all persons in management, professional, and related occupations, and 64 percent of all employed persons over the age of 25 have achieved at least some college education. (See: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt1 2_394.asp) Percentage of Individuals in management and related fields
Median Weekly Earnings
U.S. News & World Report published in its article “How Higher Education Affects Lifetime Salary,” those holding a bachelor’s degree, no matter what field, can expect to earn $1.55 million more in their lifetime than someone with “some college” and $1.30 million more than a person with a maximum education level of high school diploma. Additional education beyond a bachelor’s degree further widens the gap in lifetime earnings.
3. Less likely to be unemployed Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. found in August 2012 that higher unemployment rates, especially in metropolitan areas across the country, could be the result of education gaps. The number of job openings per unemployed worker in the United States was almost twice as many for people with a bachelor’s degree or higher compared with those who reported having “some college or an associate degree.” According to Department of Numbers, the unemployment rate for individuals with a degree was one-third of the rate for individuals without a high school diploma in November 2012. (http://www.deptofnumbers.com/unemployment/d emographics/) You can see that education simply makes sense when you are considering how to invest your money. Consider a short-term financial investment for longterm gain throughout your career.
Dominique Gangemi Lean Six Sigma Certification Dominique Gangemi describes herself as someone who is always looking for ways to become more competitive. After 12 years as a successful human resources professional, she found herself out of work like so many others. Having researched Lean Six Sigma program and determined to continue to better herself, Dominique decided to search for classes. “As soon as I saw that Purdue University was listed as part of The College Network, I knew it was worth a second look,” she said. “My father attended Purdue!”
and master’s degree, she’d also like to take Purdue’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course. “I want to be everything I can be. I want to climb the HR corporate ladder for a growing company,” she said. “And, as Lean Six Sigma becomes more of a part of my .everyday thinking, I will attempt to utilize it in any way, anywhere it can be applied.”
After talking things over with her Program Advisor, Dominique was excited to begin the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt class. Three weeks into the program, she was amazed with what she had learned already. “I’ve used the principles in the past without knowing them formally, and it’s great to look back. Some of the things they teach are so common sense and leave you wondering why everyone doesn’t do that. It’s also interesting to see how visionaries really made this way of thinking better. I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned in a job,” Dominique said. “The material is interesting and engaging. The instructor exudes confidence with her in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.”
For those just starting or considering Lean Six Sigma programs from Purdue University, Dominique offers this advice: “Have an open mind, and you’ll enjoy the material. This is great. I’m so happy I did it.”
Dominique liked the flexibility of the program but appreciated the structure and deadlines. “I made my own schedule. I usually studied for two or three hours in the afternoon or evening, depending on the difficulty of the coursework. I’m close with my family. They were a great support system” she said. “I liked the self-paced mode that goes hand-in-hand with responsive assistance and clarification as needed.”
Dominique plans to continue to challenge herself. Along with hopes of obtaining her SPHR certification
Lean Six Sigma Certification
from Purdue University • • •
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Lean Principles Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Call 1-866-249-2131 for more information.
5 Keys to By: Hilari Luck, Sr. Program Advisor We must envision where we are going before we get there, because the first step to any journey is to see the vision and believe it is for you. The first steps of success in your education starts with you, and you can't walk effectively towards success without self-discipline. If only we could have learned this lesson sooner. Many of us can talk and remember journeys we were on far too long; not because the distance was far but because we spent way too much time grumbling and complaining. We have allowed life issues to enter in and redirect our focus. Sometimes it's not until we are up against a wall that we are ready to claim our responsibility and choose our destiny to be successful. How about you? How is your self-discipline? Plato said, "The first and best victory is to conquer self." Here are a five steps, to help you conquer self and to develop your self-discipline.
1. Develop and follow your priorities. Choose you. Make your education a priority in your life. It will be much easier to follow through. Do not just begin, but FINISH your degree when you make your education a priority for you.
4. Remove rewards until you complete the job. Many of us have gotten to the point where we enjoy our desserts before we even eat our meal. If we start to reward positive and negative actions the same, I'm afraid many of us will see that our rewards are truly unearned and undeserved.
5. Stay focused on results. Anytime we focus our attention only on work instead of results, we become very discouraged. The next time you are facing the task to decide if you need to study or instead do what is convenient and easy, pay the price, change your focus and think about the benefits of completing your degree. So today, not tomorrow, continue to promote or incorporate self-discipline in your path toward your future and towards your higher degree by setting up an appointment with one of our Program Advisors. As I stated earlier, the first step to any journey is to see the vision and believe it is for you. We at The College Network have a proven record and the tools you need to succeed, so let us help you move into your vision of obtaining a higher degree.
2. Make a disciplined lifestyle your goal. To be successful in any area in your life self-discipline can't be a one-time event; it has to become a lifestyle.
3. Challenge your excuses. Eliminate any tendencies you have to make an excuse not to continue your education. We can all name reasons and excuses why we shouldn't do something — why we can't have self-discipline. Realize that this is really just a barrier to stop you and me from succeeding. All of this needs to be challenged and broken down if we want to move to the next level.
Hilari is a Senior Program Advisor who has been with The College Network for nearly 4 years. She lives and works in Southern New Jersey. She has been praised by many customers for her caring spirit and motivational support.
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Lean Six Sigma Certification Through the Online Program at Purdue University By: Vickie J. Maris, Director, Professional Development Programs, Div. of Engineering Professional Education, Purdue University Certifications in Lean Six Sigma have an ever-increasing value as the demands of the global marketplace continue to grow. Students in the online Lean Six Sigma program offered through the Partnership for Competitive Advantage in the Division of Engineering Professional Education at Purdue University report a range of benefits after earning their certifications. First and foremost, students who successfully complete one of the courses in the Lean Six Sigma program have tools and methods that are immediately applicable in the workplace and can have major impact on the bottom line. We’re hearing of more and more instances where supplier companies are being required to either, run a Lean Six Sigma organization from the top down, or have a certain percentage of Six Sigma-certified belts or Lean-certified associates on staff within the company in order to compete for contracts. The Lean and Six Sigma principles, common in manufacturing environments, are readily transferable to other professions and work environments. We see a wide range of professional disciplines represented by the students in our program. Enrollees hail from the fields of healthcare, finance, research, higher education, IT, engineering organizations, and military and other government services. We see groups enroll from the same organization as well as individuals who enroll on their own. In both cases, students are seeking to have a positive
financial impact on their organization through their work as contributors or leads on projects using cost-saving Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques. The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt program is a ten-week course that is instructor led. The weekly modules use a variety of activities to guide students toward achieving the learning outcomes of the curriculum. The course includes a case study which introduces students to several Lean and Six Sigma tools that are commonly used in projects in the work environment. Originally, the content of the Lean Principles and Tools course was built into the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt for a sixteenweek learning experience. In our alpha testing of the course, we found that the length of the course was too long for most people seeking the Green Belt level of certification. We broke out the Lean tools and concepts into a separate eight-week course, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of Lean management principles.. Within the four Lean Tools assignments in the course, students have opportunities to dig deeper into several popular tools within the Lean principles. The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course is a much more rigorous learning experience than the first two courses in the series. Students complete their own Lean Six Sigma Black Belt project during the sixteen learning modules. Typically this course spans about eighteen (including a one or two week break). Not everyone is cut out for the Black Belt course experience or Continued on page 11
Lean Six Sigma‌ contd. Black Belt-level work within a company. It requires access to a project and a company or organization that is willing to let the student gather and lead a project team, collect data, recommend improvements, put controls in place, and report progress at the end of each phase of the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) process.
Before registering for a three-course package, students are highly encouraged to spend time talking to people working as Black Belts to get a feel for the demands of a Black Belt project leader. The course simulates the experience of a Black Belt project leader in a condensed amount of time, so it is not for the faint of heart. A variety of resources are available to students in the programs, including lecture videos that can be streamed or downloaded. The greatest resource for students, however, is the instructor leading individual course sections. Each instructor adds so much value to the learning experience. Students are encouraged to engage in the discussion forums and interact in a variety of opportunities provided for gaining insight from the instructors’ years of experience. Each instructor brings his or her own personal Lean and Six Sigma experiences to a course section and adapts the materials and learning activities to best meet the needs of the class. Through the instructor and student feedback collected at the end of each course section, we are continually updating and evolving the content. For the student who is seeking to take all the courses in the Lean Six Sigma program, we recommend starting with the Lean course and then moving to the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt before completing Black Belt courses. In this progression, the Green Belt-level Six Sigma tools will be taught right before similar tools are reviewed and more advanced tools are introduced in Black Belt courses.
Online Lean Six Sigma Certification from Purdue University Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Lean Principles Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Call 1-866-249-2131 for more information.
Ali Kral spent 15 years as a personal trainer before deciding to transition to a legal career. She worked as a legal secretary for five years before deciding to become a paralegal. “I worked as a paralegal for nine months, not really cutting it. I looked into paralegal programs, and most could take up to two years. The Boston University program only took 14 weeks,” she said. Unfortunately, after quitting her job and enrolling in the Boston University program, Ali was informed that the class was overbooked. After explaining her situation to her advisor and customer service at The College Network, she was placed in the right class. “I told them that I needed this for my career. In a few hours, I got a call back saying I was in the program that I signed up for and to do well. I completed with an A- and full attendance. The College Network got me through to the next level and helped me make the program a reality,” Ali said. As a mother of six, with five still living at home, Ali is a busy woman. “I’m also a track coach and involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, so this program was absolutely right for me. Financially, it was great. I was even able to pay my loans with six kids either in college or headed to college,” she explained. Amazed at the achievable structure of the program, Ali thinks it’s a great way for anyone to pursue an education. “I thought I couldn’t work and do the program, but the way it’s structured makes it
doable. What’s amazing to me is that we choose to send our children to traditional college when distance learning is built for success. You can focus on each class and assignment in your own time without the added pressure. I would never say it’s easy. You have to be studious to make this a reality, but it works,” she said. Throughout the process, Ali never felt alone. “Professors were always available, but the detailed syllabus at the beginning of each class made contacting them constantly unnecessary. Discussion boards were the key to online coursework. Having people from all different backgrounds, presenting different situations, and a professor to keep it in line was great,” she said. When asked what the best thing she learned in the course was, Ali said, “There are many types of law a paralegal can break into. Legal research is something I excelled in. I was able to explore corporate law, which interests me.” Ali is happy with her choice to work through The College Network.” The program was short, economical and offered certification from a wellknown university. Boston University has a lot of weight. I’m interviewing in New York City and have interviewed all over New Jersey,” she said. With dreams of earning her MBA, Ali hopes to always work with The College Network. “I’m working with my advisor to find the right program for me. I’m only considering The College Network. I enjoyed having everything on my schedule and having a loan payment plan that made the program a reality. I hope to upgrade to a better job and have the education to support it. I’d love to manage a big law firm one day,” she said.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Education Editorial!
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