Remember that creepy kid who worked at the comic book store but now makes six figures working with computers? Or how about that girl who used to show up to school with stuffed animals pinned to her blouse who now rubs elbows with millionaires as an interior designer? Have you ever known anyone who gave up a high-paying job to do something like gluing plastic bug eyes to fuzzy pens because it made them feel young?

If you thought, ?How did these people get where they are today?? it may be time to think about where your own career ambitions might take you. Always try to be aware of the opportunities fate may throw your way and how you can act on them. First, take the time to identify your interests, talents and values, and then explore occupations that might make good use of them. This isn?t an online visit to an academic advisor ? this is an exercise that should make you officially take note of what you love to do and why. If you follow the three-step process below, you won’t just be sitting back waiting for careers and jobs to land in your lap. You?ll be doing something much more important; you’ll be working toward discovering what makes you happy.

Step One

Ask yourself: What makes me happy?

What do I do well?
What do I enjoy reading and talking about?
How do my talents figure into my interests?

Start by thinking of times when you’ve enjoyed and excelled at a job, class or hobby. How did you develop your strengths in those occupations? The next stage of the exercise could be taking any aptitude tests your college’s career center might offer. If you haven?t yet chosen a school, make sure the one you choose has a diverse set of programs to help determine your true talents before you enroll.

Step Two

Research your potential career options. Fortunately, many of today?s technical colleges are set up with facilities that mimic the work environments you?re interested in. Once you choose one of these schools, use these labs to the fullest extent to develop your natural talents toward work you love. In addition, see if your school’s career office has a library of books describing different kinds of work, the typical qualifications needed and the salary ranges for various occupations. Your college’s career counselors should be able to help. Also, talk to people through informational interviews. Try out careers by shadowing professionals and signing up for open internships or part-time jobs.

Step Three

Make a list of your priorities. After you’ve spent time on steps one and two, you may notice some strong preferences emerging. You might learn you don’t want to work behind a desk. That rules out jobs like accounting, banking, insurance and computer administration. You may be more suited to something physical or something that deals with meeting people in different locations, like marketing, transportation, construction or interior design. Keep your mind focused on making important discoveries that will help you choose a good career when the time comes.

The most important thing, however, is to keep it all in perspective: A career decision you make now doesn?t have to be forever. Just like the examples provided at the beginning of the article, there are people you will meet who worked steadily toward their goals, but there are also people who shifted priorities and began something new. There?s a growing trend that most people change careers several times during their lives. This means that it?s normal to change from the job you choose right after college, because it probably won’t be your career 40 or 50 years from now. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but always keep your eyes open.

In a perfect world, students would be able to schedule their courses so that they either (a) ran concurrently with only five or 10-minute breaks in between or (b) would only have to attend one course per day. Unfortunately, it?s not a perfect world, and students must face a great deal of downtime between classes.

So, for your benefit, here are five things you can do to kill time between classes.

It sounds kind of obvious, but you could actually use that downtime to study! Let?s say you have a two-hour window between classes. Instead of heading back to the dorms or back home, find a quiet spot on campus to study for that upcoming test or do some of the homework you?ve been putting off. It is a good way to make some free time for yourself later on when you?re at home and you?d rather be relaxing than doing homework.

Catch a catnap. Most universities and campuses have plenty of cozy couches you can doze off on. This can keep you refreshed for the rest of your day and also help make up for some of the sleep you missed the night before studying ? or doing whatever you college kids do with your evenings. Just don?t forget to set your cell phone alarm or ask a friend to wake you up! It might be a bit embarrassing to wake up on a campus couch after having slept your class away.

Grab a bite to eat. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. They say that because it gives you energy for the rest of your day and gets your metabolism working. Grabbing a bite before class can give you an added boost of energy, and it is one less thing to worry about during class.

Get some exercise! Sure, you don?t want to show up to your class smelling like a used gym sock, but you won?t get too overheated taking a walk around campus or even going for a quick jog. This is a good way to clear your mind, maybe listen to some tunes (don?t forget your portable CD player or mp3 player) and get in a good state of mind.

Finally, enjoy your surroundings. Most schools feature art of some kind, maybe even inventive building architecture. Take a look around ? you might like your campus more than you think.

Making the decision to go back to school is not easy. The more obligations you have, the harder it is to do. But more schools are sweetening the pot, so to speak, by offering college credit for professional work experience.

Jorge Maldonado, Management Analyst and Web Master for the Midwest Center for Postsecondary Outreach at Saint Paul College in Saint Paul, Minn., benefited from his school’s life experience credit.

“Prior learning gives students like me an opportunity to be awarded with credits that have been acquired through traditional and nontraditional schooling, work or other life experiences,” Maldonado was quoted on MSN’s Encarta web site.

Life experience credit can be awarded for a number of different reasons. The most common ways to earn life experience credit are through portfolio assessment, testing out of classes, earning certifications for credit or completing on-the-job training courses.

Portfolio assessment: The premise behind the portfolio assessment is that you might already have the knowledge taught in a specific class. Rather than relearn the material, you can be awarded the college credit equivalent for that class.

Testing out: Most people would rather do classwork than take a test, unless that test can help them earn college credit. Such is the case with the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). CLEP tests can be completed in more than 500 subjects. The credits can be applied toward the completion of your college degree.

Certifications: Many certifications require tests to demonstrate competency. The transcripts from these tests can be presented to the school. In most cases, as long as the tests and resulting certifications indicate mastery of materials equivalent to those covered in college coursework, the certifications can be applied toward college credit.

On-the-job training: There are many benefits to on-the-job training, including earning while you learn, expanding your knowledge base and applying that training toward a degree. The American Council on Education offers a College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) that allows popular workforce training to be applied toward degree completion. Check the ACE web site to find out if your training qualifies.

No matter what degree program you are interested in, it is possible to earn life experience credit. You just have to ask the right questions when you talk to your admissions representative or college advisor.

Diane Dick, a stay-at-home mom who returned to school to pursue her degree, took advantage of a number of life experience credit options.

“It’s critical that you don’t just present experience but evaluate your learning in light of these academic skills,” she said. Her portfolio experience and CLEP tests added a combined 18 college credits to her transcript.

If you are considering going back to school to complete your degree or start working toward a degree, remember that your professional experience can work to your advantage.

Whether you are a first-year college student, a parent of a college student or returning to school after years in the workforce, alcohol is an on-campus issue you may have to deal with in some form or another. Below we answer some common alcohol-related questions you may have.

Should I be concerned about my college student partying too much?
You know your child better than we do, so if you think too much partying may become a problem, it is certainly a possibility. It is up to you to have a direct conversation with your child. Talk to them about being responsible, keeping up with their schoolwork and grades, and their options in certain situations. Let them know they can always come to you for advice. Will that ensure they won?t go out partying? Of course not. But it does open the lines of communication, and maybe treating your child like an adult will help them act like more of an adult.

How should I handle a situation if I am offered alcohol?
Only you can decide how to handle that situation and whether or not you should consume alcohol. However, you shouldn?t let your peers pressure you into doing anything you don?t want to do. Make your own decisions ? it?s your life, and others will respect you for it. You?re in college now ? only you can make your life decisions.

What should I do if an underage college student asks me to purchase them alcohol?
Should you buy an underage person alcohol? In a word, no. It is illegal and dangerous, and it could get you in very serious trouble. If an underage person that you have purchased alcohol for gets in an accident, it could end up that you are at least partially liable. Even if an underage student promises to help you with an assignment or help you understand a subject better in exchange for alcohol, say ?no.? There are other people who you can study with who won?t get you into trouble or make you question your decision-making skills or ethics.

There are literally hundreds of options for your education. It?s not surprising that when you?re in the market for a quality school, things tend to get as confusing as choosing the best payment plan on a new car.

Recognizing social and educational trends is a good place to start.

Since 1998, the Department of Education has been tracking trends that are transforming education in America today. In their latest report, they have identified three key issues that will affect you if your wish is to obtain secondary or continuing education in the near future.

? Schools are encountering the “millennium generation” and need to educate a record 53 million young people.

There is a bit of a dilemma in the education sector as highly qualified computer, science and technology teachers are already in short supply. This is because high-tech and telecommunications companies are luring talented prospects away from teaching jobs by offering higher salaries and other incentives.

Private technical colleges have begun to respond to this negative trend by competing with incentives of their own, especially in the computer and telecommunications markets. Because of this, the quality of private technical education has been improving.

? Knowledge and the earnings gap both continue to explode ? Americans who enter secondary education programs now make 76 percent more than high school graduates in their lifetimes.

Translated, does this mean that everyone must graduate from college to compete successfully in the job market, regardless of their interests or talents? No.
In fact, one of the most surprising trends of the last few years has been the rising demand for specifically qualified technicians in expanding fields like healthcare, telecommunications and information technology. But technical education and degrees will help. Why is this? We are transitioning into a ?knowledge-based global economy.?

The 2020 Commission on the Future of Post-Secondary Education observed that in a ?knowledge-based global economy,? secondary and technical education will become all the more important. People who attain only a high school degree will be confined to a lower earning bracket behind those who choose more education.

As was mentioned in the first key issue ? the benefits of getting focused technical training are getting better all the time since private institutions are hiring more qualified teachers. These qualified instructors are teaching more programs that are aimed at the knowledge-based markets, which many times don?t require a traditional four-year degree.

? Due to the nation?s growing diversity, the makeup of the classroom is requiring teachers to broaden their skills.

For those who want to increase their employment opportunities in the coming years, learning a critical language, such as Spanish, Japanese or Chinese, will increase their marketability and professional demand by a wide margin. Going forward, companies will focus on hiring more multilingual people who can communicate with clients and customers who don’t speak or understand English.

The years of relative isolation from foreign cultures in U.S. classrooms and the workplace are numbered. Will you be ready to ride this wave of change?

For most people, deciding to earn a degree, diploma or certificate is a big step. They have to weigh the pros and cons of going to school. Will it require taking time off from work? Will the classes fit into their current schedule? Can they still meet family and personal obligations?

Perhaps the most important question to ask when deciding to go to school is how to get in? The admissions process is the first step to enrolling in college. It can be intimidating when you don’t know where to begin.

We have put together some tips to help you navigate the admissions process.

1. Take control of your admissions process. It is easy to let other people do all the work for you, but you will lose out in the end. Only you know what the right academic, social, geographical and financial fit will be for you. You want to look for schools that work best with your schedule, career goals and lifestyle.

2. Get to know your admissions representative. The better you know your admissions representative, the more likely you are to get answers to all of your questions. You will also get a better feel for the school, its staff and how you will fit into the school’s culture.

3. See the school for yourself. There is nothing more important than actually visiting the school before making an admissions decision. You want to tour the campus, visit the classrooms and meet with department heads and instructors. Touring the campus will also give you the opportunity to see what students have to say about the school. Make sure you are armed with any questions you still have about the school. Most people make their decision to attend a school during the campus visit.

There are few things that are foolproof, but your college admissions process will go a lot smoother if you take our advice.