You don’t have to be a seasoned professional to have a great list of contacts. In fact, if you think about it, you probably already have a number of contacts that you made without really thinking about it. All of your classmates and professors are contacts. That is a pretty good start. Also, everyone that you have ever worked for or interned for is a contact. Not only can these people all offer great job hunting advice, but they can also lead you directly to the source- a great company that is looking to hire. Here are some great tips for networking and job hunting:

- Job hunt with friends. Did you have a study group while you were in school? If so, get together a similar group for job hunting. Even if you had exactly the same major as your classmates, it is likely that you will all have different feelings about what kind of jobs you want to have. Therefore, get these trusted friends together, talk about what you want out of a job, and then get to hunting. Of course, look for jobs for yourself. While you are doing this however, note any jobs that might be perfect for one of your friends. In so doing you can help each other find great opportunities.

- Get in touch with previous employers. When you are getting close to graduation, be sure to get in touch with previous bosses and supervisors to learn about what is going on in the industry. Perhaps they know someone who is hiring and can give you a good recommendation. Also, make sure that you get in touch with any companies that you interned for. If you would like to work for them full time, be sure that they know this and ask for them to think of you if they have any openings.

- Talk with professors. If you had a particularly good relationship with one of your professors, be sure to ask him or her if he or she knows about any great job openings. It is likely that your professor will be able to help you with some leads. If not, he or she might be able to help you brainstorm about networking ideas that would work particularly well in your industry.

- Play the home field. If you went to college away from home, be sure to consider the contacts that you have in your home town. Perhaps there is a job for you back home.

- Go to job fairs. Many school host or sponsor job fairs. Be sure to attend them and speak with representatives from every company that you would like to work for.

- Post your resume on web communities for your industry.

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Earning a graduate degree is perhaps one of the most time intensive yet rewarding challenges that a seeker of knowledge can undertake. Few people, however, consider the big picture when it comes to the entire financial aspect of earning a master’s degree. Tuition will undoubtedly be one of the biggest expenses, but there are other things to consider as well. Does your degree program allow you to work while you attend school or will the schedule be too demanding? If you cannot work, one needs to consider living expenses and funds for emergencies.

The cost of tuition for a master’s level degree ranges from $12,000 at smaller colleges to in excess of $80,000 at some of the Ivy League schools. On average, at a state university, a student can expect a total cost of about $40,000. Be aware that these are just tuition costs. Traditionally, there are also costs for each book, registration fees, and application fees as well as possible fees for parking depending on your school.

Then, there is also the cost of living. You know more about your unique financial situation than anyone else. So, it is up to you to decide how you will handle this. Be sure to interview people in the academics department, career services office as well as current students if you can. This way, you will get a more accurate portrayal of life at the school. You can then determine whether or not you will need to work full time, part time or not work at all. If you are in a financial situation that does not require you to work during your degree, you may consider volunteering at a company that operates in your chosen field of study. Or, the career services office may be able to help find an internship near your school. True, these options may add a part time job to your schedule, but you will be better off in the long run for a couple of different reasons. First, internships allow you a place to network among peers in the industry. I am sure you are aware of the old adage, it is not what you know, but who you know. If you play your cards right, you might just find yourself a job before you have completed your degree. Second, even if you do not find a job with the company you volunteer at or intern with, you will gain valuable insight into the industry while providing yourself with professional references and experience.

Finally, you should always have money set aside for emergencies as well as health insurance. Too often, people fail to plan in these areas and end up making a costly mistake because of an unforeseen circumstance.

So, you need to decide how much it will cost you to live every month. Do not be afraid to put yourself on a budget and adhere to it! Outside of that, planning ahead is the best action that you can take to ensure your success in school.

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1. Take Your Work (And Yourself) Seriously
You might be continuing on right after undergraduate, or perhaps you’re going back for an advanced degree after a stint in the working world. Maybe you’ve decided to go back for that Master of Information Systems to increase your earning power. Or, maybe you’ve arrived at a point in your life where the road to personal development is pointing towards higher education. Whatever your reasons for going to graduate school, honor them. Take the work of your program and your goals seriously so that you will get the most out of your experience and your investment of time and money in your program.

2. Attend Every Class
This piece of advice is especially aimed at professionals pursuing a degree on their (very limited) downtime. While it may be true that you can get away with skipping a class here and there, for the full experience, you need to show up for the full experience. Besides, and probably more importantly, you might keep up with all of the work on a day that you skip class, but you might miss out on valuable information a classmate or the teacher might pass along during the class meeting.

3. Be The Star of Every Class
Sure, maybe being the star of every single class might seem a lofty goal, but if you make it your own, you’ll ensure that you are prepared for every class meeting, for one thing. Secondly, if you make sure you participate in every class, you will get much more out of the material because you will be actively engaging with it.

4. Go Above And Beyond In Your Assignments
Even if you can skate by, you should try your best not to. This graduate program is costing you money, right? Besides, knowledge is power. The more work you do on the assignments you get in and out of class, the more of a knowledge base you will build up in this field that you’ve chosen for advanced study.

5. Attend As Many Extra-Curricular Functions As You Can
So, you’ve found the extra time you need to excel in your assignments and in the classroom. Now, you should find the time to do as much as you can outside of the classroom as well. Whether you’re attending graduate school for professional or personal growth, or both, much of the experience to be gained in graduate school comes from what you do and learn outside the classroom. Chances are that your program will offer lectures, presentations, films, and get-togethers that will help you expand your knowledge of your field and get to know your colleagues.

6. Get To Know Your Teachers
Get to know them before and after class, and at any extra-curricular functions they attend. In addition to helping you learn, they may be able to help you down the road with jobs or other opportunities in your field. Besides, they’re probably very interesting!

7. Get To Know Your Classmates
Your classmates are not just the people you’re sitting next to in your seminar today. They may be your coworkers in the field you’re all studying tomorrow. Start building your professional network now.

8. Consider a TA or Tutoring Position
Especially if you’re studying a field that will most likely land you in academia once you reach your terminal degree, start teaching or tutoring as soon as possible.

9. Volunteer Your Expertise
Whether you are doing graduate work to further your career or enrich your personal life, consider volunteer opportunities in your community that will help you share what you’ve learned with those around you.

10. Before You Graduate, See Where You’ll Land
Talk to your professors, classmates, and visit the career services office before you graduate. See what opportunities exist for you now that you have an advanced degree, and see if you can secure one before you walk across that graduation platform.

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College life can be tense and a bit stressful at times. Students who excel in college are self-disciplined and know how to manage their time. The constant managing of time and priorities does not suddenly stop when your vacation starts—it’s an ongoing process.

Here are 10 ways that you can maximize your time when you are off from school:

1. Review what you have learned
Although your classes may all be completed for the quarter (or the semester), it’s not a bad idea to review what you’ve just learned over the course of many weeks. Reread your notes, papers, tests and skim through the books you’ve just read. Finalize the imprinting of fresh information in your mind so that you can retain what you’ve learned over the long term.

2. Read ahead
If you already know what courses you will be taking in the upcoming quarter, start reading ahead. If you are going to have some time to kill, might as well get a jump start on your upcoming classes. Contact your professors and collect copies of syllabi. Purchase your materials and begin reviewing them before your class begins.

3. Go back to your roots and reconnect with family and friends
Go home. Say hi to the family and reconnect with old friends. College isn’t about severing all of your previous ties. Keep up your network and pay the people you love a visit.

4. Stick around and explore the town
Forget about going home. Stick around and explore your college town. Find new places to buy groceries and new bars to frequent. Take a mini-road trip to some nearby destination that you’ve always wanted to see. Take your time off of school as an opportunity to experience your surroundings.

5. Travel
Drive cross-country or travel abroad. See the world, or a tiny piece of it. Take your new outlook on life and expose yourself to different peoples and places. Visit a destination or place of interest that you have just studied. Travel with a partner, in a group, or go venturing off on your own.

6. Get an internship
Find an internship in the field that you are studying. Supplement your classroom work with real life on-the-job training. This way when you graduate, you will already have solid academic and professional experience.

7. Lay the groundwork for future employment.
Explore your career interests. Market yourself and your abilities. Try to find an organization that you want to target for employment once you’ve graduated. Find out what the minimum professional and educational requirements are for the specific job that you are interested in. Take measures to fulfill those requirements before you graduate.

8. Explore the course catalog and schedule of classes
Get lost in the pages of your course catalog. Map out different schedule scenarios. Find out if that class you really want to take is offered in alternate academic years, and then plan your schedule accordingly. Pick a focus in your major and consider all the courses that you’d like to take. You’ll be surprised how quickly your time in school will fly by, so you need to construct a solid schedule.

9. Apply for scholarships
Find some more money. Buy a book or do Internet research. Apply for as many scholarships as you can. Each application may seem like a bit of a hassle, but the results could seriously alleviate any financial burdens you may have accrued.

10. Just relax and take a break
Don’t do a damn thing! You’ve spent months cramming, pulling off all-nighters, and wowing you professors with your polished intellectual abilities. You’ve earned a break, so enjoy it, and come back to school refreshed and ready for anything.

If you utilize your vacations properly, you will be a better student. Just remember not to stress out too much. Whether you are in school or not, you are in control of your life, so make the most of it.

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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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