Maybe you’re considering getting a degree from an online university. Maybe you’ve just earned one and in preparing to apply for new jobs that will make the most of it, you’re wondering whether or not prospective employers will see your resume and have bad associations with your online degree. In a word, the answer is no.

Employers who require employees to have a college degree care that you have one from somewhere. Traditionally, there are about 20 colleges in the United States (the Ivies and a handful of other prominent schools) that make employers sit up and take notice about where your degree came from. If you did not attend one of these places, you are like most people, who find that the name of their school is less important to their employers than how they performed academically, and what they studied.

In fact, your online degree may set you apart in a positive way from the rest of the pack of applicants. Successfully obtaining your degree online tells prospective employers that you are a person who will get the job done even when no one is looking. Online degrees testify that their recipients are self-motivated individuals who are capable of managing multiple priorities. And whatever job you’re applying for, rest assured that those are two qualities all organizations prize.

Furthermore, online universities are becoming more and more popular. While your online degree can set you apart in the aforementioned ways, you should have no fear that it will stigmatize you. Each day, it becomes more and more likely that the person you sit down to interview with may have attended the same online school that you did!

Another benefit of the online university experience in the eyes of employers is that it is designed in large part for working professionals. The fact that you’ve made it through an online degree program tells your prospective employer that you have had intense exposure to the types of collegial interactions you will face in the working world. Online universities emphasize and develop the ability to work with others, to manage and meet deadlines, and to be responsible for learning on your own. When you consider all of the things a degree from an online university says about you, you should realize that you’re more of a proven commodity, a “safer” hire than recent graduates from brick and mortar universities.

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Having an MBA can open so many new paths to you. The sky is truly the limit when you have your MBA. Suddenly, a whole new world of opportunities is open to you, and you can pick and choose what you want to do and where you want to do it. Maybe that sounds great to you, but you want some cold, hard facts about getting an MBA: What can you do with it? How can you get it for free? Well, I’m going to try to answer a couple of your questions.

What Can You Do With It?

Anything. I mean it, you can do almost anything with your MBA. You may not be able to be a brain surgeon, but you can certainly tackle most upper level jobs and ask for promotions more easily than you can now. With advanced management skills and documentation to prove that you’ve been trained with advanced management skills, you can qualify for most upper level management and specialty jobs in the business world.

An MBA, or any kind of Master’s degree actually, can also open a different door – education. When you have a Master’s, you are qualified to teach most remedial and many general education classes. At some schools, you may even be able to be an adjunct professor in the business department. Even if you’ve never thought about teaching before, the pay is usually decent, and it’s a lot of fun to have a positive impact on a student’s life.

How Can You Get It For Free?

Another common question is “How can I get my MBA for free?” You’ve probably heard the great stories about other professionals getting their Master’s degree for free, and you want to know how to do the same. It all starts with your employer.

Many employers are willing to pay for your education if you promise to work with them for a certain amount of time. They want to reap the benefits of the education they are paying for, but they are usually willing to give you the raise you’ve earned once you get your degree.

Most employers will have an education policy in their handbook, and you can read over it to see if (1) it’s worthwhile and (2) you’re eligible. If your employer doesn’t have an education policy in writing, talk to your immediate supervisor about your interest, why it would be good for the company, and what you are planning. With the right sales pitch, you just might get your education for free.

Living Large

An MBA allows you to expand your options, and with all the competition in business, expanded options is certainly a good thing. If possible, get your education for free so that you will no longer have to worry about student loans. Once you get your degree, you will have thousands of options and you’ll be living large.

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Academic scholarships are an easy way to use your academic success to pay for college. Taking advantage of these can be incredibly easy, provided that you are able and willing to submit applications notifying whomever is awarding scholarships about your academic ability. There are some common mishaps that might keep you from gaining access to that free money.

Review the application entirely. This is the first step in avoiding the disqualification of your application. Read over it before filling or signing anything. Review the requirements to complete, submit the application along with whatever supplemental documentation might be required. This can include, but is not limited to, transcripts, and essays. Make sure that you have plenty of copies of these documents handy to send off with all of your scholarship applications.

Do not confine your eligibility to one scholarship application. Find many academic scholarships for which you might be eligible. Apply for all of them. You might not make the finalist list for one, but you will for others. Give yourself as many opportunities as possible to get that free money!

When you have an application, fill it out completely. Make sure you have read it through and provided complete and accurate information. There are countless applications that are disqualified because the applicant cannot be contacted with the given information. Make sure to be very observant of what you are typing or writing and maybe even ask a friend or family member to proofread the items for you.

Another common mistake when completing applications is to apply for scholarships for which you are not eligible. This wastes your time, the evaluating committee’s time and that certainly won’t get you a scholarship, especially if you do not have the proper required credentials.

Remember, you are trying to apply for an academic scholarship. The application is your chance to shine! Check for completeness, grammar, spelling, accuracy and that you have all the right supporting documentation. Do not include things that have not been required, such as a photo of yourself or a non-essential essay. Many academic scholarships are reviewed by committees of people who review applications. They won’t read anything that isn’t part of the application. The application phase shows that you are organized, punctual and capable of following directions. Show them what you’ve got and they will show you the money!

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The information age has ushered in the popularity and acceptance of online correspondence courses and degree programs, and if you are ready to get started, congratulations on scratching the surface! Digging deeper, consider these brief, yet necessary 6 online education, school starting steps to move you forward in pursuit of your goal!

Weigh Your Options
What are your goals? If you are somewhat lost and in need of direction, get busy on any one of several education sites to see what is offered and what might interest you. Believe it or not, getting started in the online education process does not have to be painful!

Accreditation
Possibly one of the most obvious yet overlooked necessities in a potential online education. If you want your degree, diploma or job certificate to amount to what you paid for it, your institution of choice MUST be accredited. You might learn a lot from Leroy’s Online Business School, but if it isn’t an accredited institution there’s a good chance it will come back to bite you in a future business interview!

Choosing a school
There are several schools, colleges, etc. that would love to help you achieve your educational goals for a reasonable fee; however, you need to be specific in searching for what you desire! Do you want a degree in art, business, philosophy or some other field? The more specific you get with your goals, the faster you’ll find the most appropriate fit!

Financial Aid
Do NOT fall into the mind trap that many students do in regards to financial aid! If you don’t have the cash on hand to pay for all of your credits, classes or degree program, it doesn’t mean you have to take out a loan! Look deeply into the world of scholarships! There are many available through government and private organizations, as well as grants and low interest loans that can be paid off at very reasonable rates!

Research
If your education is worthwhile, then it’s worthwhile to be patient in getting started. You may be chomping at the bit, but you need to find as close to a perfect fit as possible! Take time to read about your options and possibilities and subscribe to a quality over quantity philosophy! Contact universities and be sure you are as important to them as you want to be!

Focus
Don’t become easily distracted as your education process begins. Properly dealing with distractions and prioritizing will help create an excellent sense of self discipline that you can use in your research and studies. It is imperative to establish these good habits at the beginning, so your future online educational endeavors are smooth sailing!

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Your manager can sometimes be an intimidating presence. Sometimes you’’ll get lucky, —a manager will be a friend and a confidante in addition to the person making the decisions. Sometimes a manager will be aloof and unapproachable. Whatever the case, you need to establish a good working relation with your manager if you want to have a productive work experience.

A good relationship with a manager will affect many parts of your work: if you’re given a new assignment, a raise, or just the everyday quality of life in the office. If you have a contentious relationship with your manager, it can make life in the office difficult, if not downright impossible.

Even though your manager is a person in power, this does not mean that you don’t have some say on how the relationship. Obviously, you can’’t order your manager around, but there are ways to ingratiate yourself to your manager so you can have a direct impact on his or her decisions.

For instance, common courtesy can go a long way. Common courtesy can have a direct impact on a manager’s decisions: to give you a raise, offer you a project, move you to a better office, etc. There are ways to go about this relationship. First, you need to be able to learn about your manager’s habits. You need to be able to read his or her moods to determine when is the best time to engage in conversation: either about personal or professional matters.

It may take some time to determine what tactics work best. Some managers take well to flattery, while other managers will see right through it. You should also keep your ear out for you manager’s hobbies and interests. If he is a music fan, learn just what he likes. If he is a sports fan, find out what team he likes. Adding some personal element to your daily conversation is key to a strong, long term working relationship.

The biggest key to managing a manager is doing your job well. Nothing can beat it. If you complete a successful project that was out of the manager’s view, let this be known. If a manager assigns you to a project, complete the job thoroughly and efficiently—work overtime if you have to, or work at home.

When it comes time for a raise or promotion, some employees are perplexed when things don’t go their way. Ask yourself a question: did you honestly do everything you could have in the last year? Also, is the manager aware of all the hard work you put in? It isn’t just about completing the work, but taking credit for it. If you don’t, you should not be surprised if you don’t get every promotion coming to you.

Working with a manager is something like a non-stop interview. You have continually sell yourself to the manager: shedding light on your positive attributes and advantage to the company. In the office setting, you have a chance to really get to know your manager, rather than the initial interview which can be an hour long or even less. If you are proposing a new project, frame it positively—let the manager know how it will be an asset to the business, just as you once told your interviewer that you would yourself be an asset.

Some other key ideas are: get to know your manager’s core values. If he is money-driven, faith-based, easy-going, comic, or something else: these will all affect how you interact with the manager. Meet him on his own terms, not yours. If he has an idea that differs from your own, don’t be immediately defensive, but receptive.

Finally, you have to know when to make your move. A manager probably has a lot of responsibilities you don’t even know about. A manager’s job can be quite demanding. Try to get to know your manager’s workload. This can be instrumental in setting up a face-to-face meeting about a particular issue. If you catch him or her at a wrong time, it may not matter how persuasive you are about what you want.

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