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?

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!

“Green” can be considered a new spin on common sense, when you think about it. It’s a set of guidelines that people, businesses and government use to eliminate wasteful habits and practice being practical. It’s another word for progress, and progress needs people to pitch in to make it work. So why not earn a paycheck pitching in for progress?

Many businesses in the emerging Green Collar sector are beginning to receive their grants and stimulus packages to begin making impact locally, regionally and nationally. But if you’re not a business owner and are just a Regular Joe looking to help, where do you find these jobs?

•Networking through social media is no joke
There are lots of strategies for successful networking, especially in the digital age. Find a digital network like LinkedIn.com, set up your page, and then (this is important) participate in the network’s social gatherings in your area. It’ll take shoe leather and a lot of handshakes, but eventually you may make a breakthrough.

There are also professional organizations that welcome new members such as EcoTuesday and GreenDrinks that get businesses and people who want to help together for low-pressure social events. Use this opportunity to listen just as much as you use it to talk to people what kind of work you’re interested in.

•E-mail job listings
There are a number of specialized e-mail lists that distribute green job postings. The good news is, most of them are free to join including EnviroJobs on Yahoo Groups, Green Job List, and Young Non-profit Professionals Network (YNPN.org).

•Green recruiters
Because Green is now operating in the black, there are an increasing number of recruiters that focus on careers based on sustainability. A number of these organizations will post positions for which they are currently seeking candidates. Two places to start would be Commongood Careers and Bright Green Talent.

•Go to school, even if you aren’t enrolled
Academic institutions, community colleges, technical colleges and career colleges are all now on the lookout for Green Collar job postings. So if you’re enrolled currently in a one of these institutions, make sure to specifically ask about them at your career services office. If you aren’t enrolled, many times community colleges will allow anyone looking for work to enroll at their job fairs, so don’t be afraid to ask!

Find out about the next career fair at your school or in the area and make sure you’re on the list. Green Collar is becoming bigger all the time, so there are now many urban and regional job recruitment fairs dedicated specifically to Green Collar jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers.

We’ve all heard of the midlife crisis, but have you ever stopped to think how much going through one costs? I’m not talking about midlife crisis clichés – new cars, new spouses, or new wardrobes – these midlife “crises” are professional. For individuals considering a drastic career change involving a new education, deciding how to afford it can often make or break the decision to change paths.

As many of us are already aware, committing to an education can be a rewarding, yet expensive life decision. Like other big-ticket purchases, if you decide a new education is worth the financial cost, you’ll have to make room in your individual or family budget.

Kevin O’Leary, a working dad and husband, recently decided after spending ten years in an advertising career that he wanted to make a career switch. His new desired profession? A physician’s assistant. As one might expect, the world of advertising usually doesn’t teach the skills needed for the medical career lifestyle, so Kevin will soon be on his way back to school.

Before making a commitment to his new education, Kevin tested the waters of the medical profession by spending some time working in a hospital near his family’s home in San Gabriel, California. Once he felt sure this was the right decision, he made plans to attend a two-year certificate program in the fall of 2010.

The next step? Make room in the family budget. Here are the O’Leary family’s strategies for saving education money. They might work for you too!

1. Stockpile cash. By cutting spending, trimming down 401(k) contributions, and holding off on making contributions to their young daughters’ 529s, the family can put this money toward Kevin’s education.
2. Stay nearby. Consider local programs in your community to cut down on commuting expenses.
3. Plug tuition gaps. Check out education-specific saving plans and apply for federal loans and scholarships.

Have any other tips for fitting an education into your budget? Let us know what worked for you and your family!

Most of the news we have seen relating to the recession has been doom and gloom but with the bad comes the good. Since families have to scale back in their budgets and that includes college costs for their children, community colleges have seen an increase in enrollment rates. Also seeing an increase are private universities: but not in the same way.

Private 4-year institutions are seeing an increase of accepting students from their waiting lists. Translation: these expensive schools are not meeting their enrollment rates and have to pull students from waiting lists to meet their enrollment goals.

How does this affect community colleges? It could mean that students who normally would apply for private institutions are seeing the same tightening of the budget that the rest of the country is going through. Since it is less expensive to attend community college, there has been an influx in enrollment at those schools. Private universities are seeing for the first time that people are choosing to attend less expensive schools instead of paying a higher price for their education.

This could mean that students are starting off at community colleges to get their prerequisites out of the way, and then transfering to a 4-year college. When the economy recovers, I wonder if this trend will continue since 4-year colleges are continually increasing their tuition rates. Or, will everything go back to the norm?

Career Explorer wants to know! Tell us if you were accepted to a 4-year institution but chose to take the community college path instead.