The Environment
When you go to an actual rehabilitation clinic, you have the opportunity to fully get away from the situations that lead you to substance abuse in the first place. When you try to detox at home, you may fall back into your old habits shortly after starting the program. This fall could happen from something as simple as having a friend coming over or seeing a beer can in a trashcan. If you want to have the best chance of getting over your addiction, it may be best to go to a clinic.

The Support
You can get support no matter where you go through your rehabilitation program, but most people feel better supported in a clinical setting. At the rehab clinic, you will be able to work with other people who are going through the same problems you are. Their success will motivate you to succeed, and their struggles will help you see that you are not alone. You will also be able to work with medical staff members on a day to day basis, giving you the insight you need to get through your addiction. Your family will only be able to provide so much support at home, and their help may not be as influential as the help of other addicts and people with medical assisting careers. At the end of the day, your family will behind you even if you’re in a clinic. No one else will be able to help you if you stay at home.

The Opportunities
In a clinical setting, you do not have the option to leave the program or the facility when you want to. You have to stay in the clinic for the duration of the program, giving you no other option but to cleanse yourself of your addiction. At home, you can give up whenever you want to. You may be stronger after getting through an in-home rehab program, but the chances of you succeeding with it are not as high as they would be in a clinic. There is only so much will power that your body can produce. Sometimes you need a little outside discipline to get over substance addiction.

The Expertise
When you attend a clinical rehabilitation program, you have a staff of experts constantly looking over your progress. At home, you only have yourself and your friends to provide expertise and advice. You may see a doctor once a week, but he or she is not going to be there every day to monitor your growth. If you want the help of someone more knowledgeable than you are, you will need to enroll in clinical rehabilitation.

Consider your options carefully before selecting the rehab program that is right for you. With the right opportunity, you should be able to get past your substance abuse and move on with your life.

Hourly Pay by Years of Experience

A lot of hospital janitors will get paid more money as they progress through their career because their employers know they are good at their jobs. Some of these men and women become team leaders over time, which allows them to get paid more money by the hour. Possible pay rates by years of experience include:

• Less than 1 year of experience: $7.41- $11.87 per year
• 1-4 years of experience: $7.82- $14.37 per year
• 5-9 years of experience: $8.07- $15.58 per year
• 10-19 years of experience: $9.15- $18.23 per year
• 20 years or more of experience: $8.62- $20.77 per year

Hourly Pay by Hospital Size

The size of hospital that a janitor works in may make a difference in the amount of money he or she gets paid. Larger hospitals tend to pay their janitors more money in the long run, but that is not always the case. It just depends on where the hospital is located and how much demand it has for cleaners. Possible pay rates by company size include:

• 1-9 staff members: $8.12- $16.68 per year
• 10-49 staff members: $8.04- $14.62 per year
• 50-199 staff members: $7.92- $14.85 per year
• 200-599 staff members: $8.86- $18.41 per year
• 600-1999 staff members: $8.08- $16.08 per year
• 2000-4999 staff members: $7.83- $24.47 per year
• 5000-19999 staff members: $8.38- $12.63 per year

Hourly Pay by Location

The state a person lives in will make a big difference in his or her hourly pay because some parts of the county have higher living standards than others. If you decide to work in this career, you may want to look for a job in a high-paying state. Possible pay rates by location include:

• California: $9.16- $18.45 per year
• Illinois: $9.47- $20.98 per year
• Michigan: $8.10- $15.99 per year
• Ohio: $8.61- $17.57 per year
• Pennsylvania: $8.60- $20.18 per year
• Texas: $7.27- $12.83 per year
• Wisconsin: $9.01- $17.09 per year

Hourly Pay with Benefits

Janitors can get job benefits just like any other workers can. They may not have the best benefits in the world, but they do have some perks to look forward to. Possible pay rates with benefits include:

• 401(k): $8.43- $14.84 per year
• 403(b): $9.08- $21.80 per year
• Casual Dress/Atmosphere: $8.86- $16.87 per year
• Flexible Schedule: $8.45- $16.38 per year
• Life Insurance/Disability: $9.08- $17.56 per year
• Paid Holidays: $8.92- $17.80 per year
• Paid Sick Leave: $8.96- $18.17 per year

If you think you could handle cleaning on a day to day basis, you might want to keep this career alternative in mind. You do not need a college education to work as a janitor, so all you have to do is find an open job in your area. Settle in and see if it is the right fit for you.

Good luck!

Parole officers help to keep people from returning to prison.

Parole officers also help their clients find housing and a job. They help them find the necessary social services they need to be successful. This includes finding educational programs and job training to help their clients have a second chance. They also help their clients stay out of trouble by helping them find help for drug addiction and alcoholism if they need it. A parole officer may work with juveniles or adults. You may work in dangerous areas of the city and with dangerous people, but most parole officers have concealed weapon permits and carry pepper spray for protection.

Training and School

If this career sounds interesting to you, you’ll want to know how to become a parole officer. First you will need a four year degree in a related field such as criminal justice, psychology, social work, or correctional counseling. In order to become a parole officer in the federal justice system, you will also need two years of field work. You can choose to attend a campus based program, or get your degree online. There are several schools which offer accredited online programs. These include the following schools:

• Saint Leo University
• Everest University Online
• Columbia College
• University of Phoenix

After you earn your degree, your state may require you to become certified. In order to do this you must be at least 20 years old, not a convicted felon, pass a drug test, and pass the many tests to become certified.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for parole officers is about average. As the number of offenders increases parole officers find their workload increasing. More parole officers will be needed to keep up with the demand. Most parole officers work in state systems and can expect to earn between $36,000 to $62,000 depending on the area in which you live and your years of experience. If you want a career in the criminal justice system, you may want to consider becoming a parole officer.

One of the programs I find particularly interesting is the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. This is a 120 credit hour program which is offered online. An intriguing aspect of this program is the discounted tuition Liberty offers to current first responders. Law enforcement officers receive a discount (tuition is $304 per credit hour) and qualify for life experience credits if they can document the completion of police academy training through this program of study. This program is offered in through Liberty’s Jessie Helms School of Government. The online program breakdown is as follows:

• 15 hours of Foundational Studies
• 27 hours of Investigative Studies
• 45 hours of Core Classes in Criminal Justice
• 33 hours of Electives

With a degree in criminal justice you can work for state and federal governments as a law enforcement officer or investigator. You can also work as a parole officer, teacher, custom’s official, fish and game warden, and homeland security. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, this area of employment is expected to grow by 10% in the next decade. Salaries vary according to the job you hold. For example in 2009 the average salary for a police officer was just over $51,000. Detectives made an average of $60,900 and their supervisors made an average of $75,000.

An online degree is a good way for adults who want to find a new career or further their career to get an education. Online classes offer you a chance to fit your classes into your schedule without having to travel to a campus. If you’ve always wanted a career in Criminal Justice at a school that includes Christian values, consider Liberty University Online.

Certification

Becoming certified opens up more doors and increases your earning potential. It is important to look for an accredited program so that you can take the CPA exam. The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) administers the Uniform Certification Exam you must pass to be called a CPA.

The CPA exam consists of four sections:

• Auditing and Attestation
• Business Environment and Concepts
• Financial Accounting and Reporting
• Regulation

In order to pass the exam you must score at least 75 out of 99. You must take 40 continuing education hours per year to maintain your certification. The AICPA has a website for college students planning on becoming a CPA. On it you can find tips for getting through college, finding scholarships, tools to prepare for graduation, advice on career advancement, and much more.

Accredited Online Programs

There are many accredited online accounting programs to start your journey to becoming a CPA. Each state has its own semester hour requirements, but the average is 150. How many hours are committed to accounting also depends on the state. Some of the schools which offer accredited accounting programs include:

• Bryant & Stratton College
• Strayer University
• Liberty University
• Capella University
• Keiser University eCampus

Finding an accredited online program is your first step to becoming a CPA. You will then have the opportunity to have an exciting and lucrative career in one of the fastest growing fields today.

Last month we covered the most popular online degrees for 2011. Popularity of degrees fluctuates as the economy and people’s interests change. Since the first of the year some of those degrees have remained very popular, but as the year goes on new ones are making headway. As of February the four popular accredited online degree programs are as follows:

• Business
• Healthcare
• Education
• Engineering

Business and healthcare remain the top two accredited online degrees with education and engineering following close behind. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in healthcare are expected to increase by 30% in the next decade. Business includes finance, retail, insurance, management and commerce including global commerce. So you can see how a degree in business is a valuable commodity. Talented and qualified teachers are needed not only in this country, but in other countries to teach English. You can go overseas and make a good living teaching children and adults how to read and write English. Engineering touches almost every aspect of our lives. Engineers plan and design the infrastructure of our communities, the roads and highways, and figure out ways for our world to work better.

If you want to make a change in your career or looking for a new career to start out, consider enrolling in an accredited online degree program. The importance of an accredited program can’t be stressed enough. Accreditation ensures you are getting a quality education and your degree will be marketable. Schools without accreditation have not passed the stringent guidelines set forth by the appropriate associations. Employers prefer candidates who hold accredited degrees over other candidates. The Council of Higher Education maintains a searchable database of approved accrediting associations. You can use it to find out which association is responsible for setting the guidelines in the field you are interested in. If you want to have a profitable career, be sure to check the accreditation of any online or on campus degree program you find interesting.

When you’re planning for the future and you need education it is important to attend a school or take a program that is accredited. Without accreditation you never know how the quality of the program will be or if your degree or diploma will be worth the paper its printed on. I had a lot of my friends and relatives ask me if the program I was interested in was accredited. My cousin is in the field and gave me some great advice. Without accreditation I couldn’t sit for the certification exam.

Certification gives you the ability to  garner higher wages, work in most parts of the country, and have the “stamp of approval” of important associations related to your field. For example the following careers require certification to work anywhere in the country.

• Medical Assistant
• Medical Coding and Billing Specialist
• Certified Public Accountant
• Architect
• Human Resources 

The type of certification I’m taking about isn’t earning a certificate, I’m talking about taking a test to make sure you have the knowledge to represent a career field and do the job properly. Most associations provide study materials, as well as most schools prepare you to take the exams before you graduate. So if you’re looking for a new career, take the extra step and get certified after graduation. Certification makes you more desirable to potential employers and gives you the freedom to pick where you want to work and live.

There are many reasons you may consider taking online classes. Economics, time constraints, and convenience are some of the main reasons students enroll in online classes. A recent study found 96% of all universities in theUShave at least one online class. Over 73% of the universities in the study report a demand for online classes. An average of 53% of the universities cited the economic recession as one of the main reasons for a growing demand for more online classes and degree programs.

There are 5.6 million students enrolled in online classes, and the enrollment is growing by 21% each year as opposed to the decrease of 2% in enrollment of traditional campus based programs. Over one in four college and university students have taken at least one online class during their degree program, and according to the study the search term “online university” receives over 1 million hits in a year. That’s a lot of interest in online education!

Traditional campus programs are now blending online classes with the classroom experience. Students meet in chat rooms, text, use Facebook and Twitter to communicate, and take advantage of the availability of e-books to work on their studies. Almost all colleges and universities make their electronic libraries available to their students for free. This gives students availability to thousands of reference materials as well as other media. These types of blended programs work well for degrees which require students to have hands on experience. One example of a blended program is for nursing. Classroom work is done online and clinicals are then done in a healthcare facility.

Today’s online student is typically an adult learner who is finishing their degree, taking classes to advance their employability, or increase their chances for career advancement. Many of them have families to take care of and find online classes easy to fit into their busy schedule. As technology continues to grow and becomes more accessible, it will be interesting to watch how online education grows and becomes an even more important avenue to obtain higher education.

The popularity of online education is growing among working adults. Convenience, cost, and quality of education are a few of the reasons for their continuing popularity. Some online courses combine online classes with on site internships. Nursing is one example of this type of degree. Students not only need book knowledge, but hands on experience. This is where hybrid programs answer growing need for online and on site education.

Many of the top online degree programs are related to helping people who need mental or physical care. Here are the top five online accredited degree programs for 2011 and a sampling of the schools that offer them.

Bachelor’s in Psychology

• Saint Leo University
• Argosy University
• University of Phoenix 

Master’s in Counseling

• Capella University
• Liberty University
• University of Massachusetts 

Master’s in Psychology

• Fielding Graduate University
• Walden University
• Amberton University 

Bachelor’s in Business Administration

• University of Phoenix
• Saint Leo University
• Capella University 

Master’s in Nursing

• Loyola University
• Kaplan University
• Walden University 

All of these programs have been accredited by major associations or agencies. The decision to enroll in an online degree program (undergraduate or graduate) is one that many working adults are making. Education is a way to start a new career, increase your earning potential, and learn new skills. If you want to go back to school, consider an accredited program and make an investment in your future.

Online education is popular among working adults.

The best online schools have been accredited by one of four agencies; the Board of Online University Accreditation (BOUA), the Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation (UCOEA), the International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities (IAAOU), and the World Online Education Accrediting Commission (WOEAC). Schools and programs may also be accredited by additional regional agencies such as the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS).

So how can you tell if the accreditation your school has is worth the paper it is printed on? One way is to do some research about the accrediting agency. Do they have a reputable history? What are their requirements for accreditation? These should include the quality of the curriculum and faculty. These are the main areas accrediting agencies examine. Other factors include the school or program’s success rate and history, their mission and goals, resources available to students, retention rate, and student support services. Each one of these areas is examined by the school itself, a peer group and the agency. If any area is found lacking, the school may be given a set amount of time to make corrections to obtain accreditation.

Time to find a job!

Take the time to find out if the online school or online program you’re interested in is accredited. Ask the admissions counselor about it, and do research on the school itself. If possible ask some of the people employed in the area you’re interested in what schools they attended and for advice about the school you’re interested in. This will help to ensure you get a quality online education and earn a marketable degree.