The problem?
Deep budget cuts are forcing colleges to lay off instructors and eliminate basic classes.  Less teachers and classes, but more returning students is making it harder to get into the courses so they can graduate on time.

More time in college doesn’t necessarily mean “more fun” to some students. It literally can mean “time is money.” And they’re losing a lot of both. In some schools, wait-listed students actually take turns standing closest to a lecture hall door so they could hear the lesson and not fall too far behind. That is, if there was any way they could get in the class in the first place.

Tough times means plenty of tough lessons
College budget cuts are becoming a bigger problem, because they hit core entry-level courses hardest, first. Students struggle to reserve seats in the core entry-level classes such as math 101 because the part-time instructors who typically teach those courses are the first to be laid off when budgets run low. Other students are shut out of crowded core courses in their majors by upperclassmen, which are usually preferred for first spots.

A perfect example of this would be the 23-campus California State higher education system. In response to a 20% budget cut, officials have raised tuition more than 30%, increased class sizes by up to a third, and quickly laid off hundreds of teachers, while slashing curriculum.

It’s about more than just money
Money isn’t necessarily the only problem. Some experts argue that traditional colleges and universities focus too much on prestigious but unessential graduate programs at the expense of the undergrad basics. Because many schools have now pushed their professors to their working limits and every class spot has been taken, some students say they are out of choices.

Sherrie Canedo, a fifth-year senior at Cal State-East Bay, was recently told she could finish her ethnic studies degree through independent study because most of the courses she needs were eliminated.

“I don’t feel that’s an acceptable way to learn,” Canedo told Terence Chea of the Associated Press, and added that she’s working two jobs and trying to string together enough financial aid to finish her education. “I’m paying to be taught in a classroom.”

Is your local college enduring budget cuts that make it harder for you to get an education? Use the powerful search engine at Career Explorer to find local career colleges that may accept your transfer credits. We’re here to help!

Many of us don’t place a postsecondary education in the same category as our other monthly bills: rent, electricity, cable, car payments, or credit card bills. Typically, expenses allotted for “education” are notably much pricier than those other monthly bills. But a company called StraighterLine is now offering an online college education at a flat rate of $99 per month – a cost that fits right in with the rest of those ordinary monthly bills. But is it the real deal? Students who have used StraighterLine say, “yes!”

Earning an advanced education can feel overwhelming in today’s economic climate. As job losses occur across almost every business sector, making serious time and financial commitments to an education might seem out of the question.

But today’s students now have a new option. StraighterLine was established to give students a new option for earning required college credits, and for making a college education more accessible. Burck Smith is StraighterLine’s founder and he’s serious about helping out today’s college student. Like many other educational experts, he recognized early on the power of technology to change the face of higher learning. With advances that are constantly being made in the online world, colleges can now provide an online education at almost no cost. In fact, the financial cost to most institutions may only be the cost of labor – paying the instructor who passes his or her expertise on to students.

So, are these institutions passing their savings on to the students? Most of the time, the answer is no. This is where Burck Smith saw an opening for StraighterLine. With a flat charge of only $99 a month, students can take online classes through StraighterLine to fulfill their college course requirements. As most college students will tell you, that $99 monthly rate is significantly cheaper than a typical university’s asking price.

Know anyone who’s used StraighterLine to earn their college credits? How do you feel about such dramatically increased accessibility and affordability in the education world?

Lately, a hot topic in the worlds of careers and education has been green construction. It’s something many of us can agree is a good thing, but some experts predict that a country-wide overhaul of the buildings we live, work and play in could take many, many years.

Now, in a somewhat unlikely place, after unfortunate circumstances, a town is giving all-green a shot. That town is Greensburg, Kansas. After a monstrous tornado wiped out this town in May 2007, residents were devastated, but they also had a chance to start fresh.

For Greensburg, that meant reconstructing the town with a clean slate – as “the greenest town in rural America.” For instance, the local John Deere dealership just earned the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certification, the highest designation. Together, windmill power, solar photo voltaic panels, and geothermal heating and cooling systems put some of the latest technology to work to power buildings and homes in Greensburg.

As residents continue to work to rebuild their town, they make new developments in green construction. Greensburg, Kansas is definitely a town that you’ll want to keep your eyes on – especially if you’re pursuing a career that will let you make our world a greener place to live.

Thinking of training for a Green Collar or renewable energy job? Look to the heartland.

The state government set some pretty lofty green energy goals for Kansas businesses. Former Governor Kathleen Sebelius and current Governor Mark Parkinson set a goal of producing 10% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2010. The business community recently met this ambitious goal much earlier than expected, and is showing signs of making even further progress.

Quick facts about Kansas Green Energy:
•    Kansas’ wind generating capacity recently surpassed 1,000 megawatts
•    Kansas’ wind generating capacity has more than tripled since the beginning of 2008
•    Hutchinson, Kansas is the site of a huge turbine factory expected to create and install 650 wind turbines by 2010
•    The state’s rapid increase in wind power infrastructure has positioned Kansas as 3rd out of all states for wind energy production

The Hutchinson factory operation is expected to create an estimated 400 Green Collar jobs, along with all of the community support services, construction and amenities jobs attached to any large-scale production facility. Even better, the new facility has an adjacent 80,000 square-foot service and repair facility. The Green Collar industry is exploding in Kansas, and it only took a few years to get it off the ground.

Types of jobs that are created to service the Green Energy industry:
•    Construction
•    Electrical infrastructure
•    HVAC
•    Trucking and Transportation
•    Real Estate
•    Medical and health care
•    Emergency Medical Response teams (EMT)
•    Business and project management

Green Energy is an excellent and profitable industry that creates new jobs for emerging technology, but also boosts traditional industries looking to expand into new markets.

If you were to move to the Hutchinson, Kansas area, what Green Energy jobs would you qualify or be able to train for? It may be easier than you think to join the renewable energy movement!

The economy’s been in rough shape over the last few months – even the last few years. Last February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed, and it’s time to look at the overall impact.

Overall, things are still pretty grim – while the rate of job loss has slowed, unemployment is still on the rise, at 9.7% in August. Some industries, however, are doing better than others – namely manufacturing, construction and retail trade. The energy sector is also on the rise – particularly with the emphasis on ‘going green’.

While things are still grim, some recruiters tend to be slightly optimistic about the future, expecting job openings to start picking up again at the beginning of 2010.

Some unemployed are using the time to try to update or freshen skills through career training. Others are attempting to take advantage of as much temporary work as possible. And almost everybody is applying everywhere they can – making this a very rough and competitive job market.

Do you feel like things are really getting better??