Do you need a new job? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people change careers an average of six to seven times during the course of a lifetime. Finding a new job or career can be a daunting task, but there are some steps you can take to ease the stress of changing jobs. If you need a new job, consider taking the following steps to make the transitions easier.

1. Prepare for Change

Before transitioning into a new job it is important to prepare yourself for a major change. Factors you should consider include your savings, health insurance, retirement benefits, and monthly expenses. A common mistake many people make is leaving one job without being truly prepared for a new job. If you plan on being without employment for a period of time, you will first need to ensure that you have the financial reserves to take such as step. Plan out your monthly budget needs and determine if you have enough money saved to cover these expenses. Experts also warn that job searches often take considerably longer than expected, so you should consider remaining at your current job until you find a new one.

2. Conduct a Career Assessment

Before you move on, you need to take the time to consider exactly why you need a new job. Is it due to factors specific to your current employer? Or is it because you have realized that you are unhappy or unsatisfied with your career? If your reason for change comes from within, conducting a career assessment can help ensure that your next job will be an ideal match for your personality, interests, talents, and skills.

3. Utilize Your Networking Contacts

Networking is often the single most important means of learning about new job opportunities. When you need a new job, contact individuals in your network to discuss potential job opportunities or to ask for suggestions about your job search. Your networking contacts can often provide details on job openings that you might not have access to through other means, so be sure to utilize this important resource.

4. Sell Yourself

Once you have located a potential new job, it is important to demonstrate that you have the credentials, skills, and experience that make you uniquely qualified for the job. Improve your resume to ensure that it is current and well written. It is important to modify your resume to make it specific for each individual job that you apply for. Other important steps include preparing yourself for an interview, dressing appropriately when meeting potential employers, and sending thank you notes after each interview.

5. Make the Change

Your work is done once you have been hired for a new position, right? Well, not exactly. Making the transition into a new job can take several weeks and can lead to significant amount of stress. During this time, you may experience feelings of regret for leaving your old job, especially now that you have been forced out of your comfort zone and might be experience insecurity about succeeding at your new job. One way of easing this initial stress is to find a mentor who can guide you through the learning curve in your new role. Talk to co-workers and start to build relationships and contacts with those around you. These interactions can help ease the transition into your new job.

Summary: If you need a new job, it is important to take steps that will make your job search easier. Preparing for change, assessing your career needs, networking, and self-promotion can help pave the path towards a successful and satisfying new job.

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Looking for an online environmental education degree program? What should you consider? How about cost? Do you look at the reputation? How about quality? Or good professors? What about accessibility? All these are important considerations when trying to choose an online education degree program that will fit your needs and goals.

Quality:

Quality of your online environmental education degree is extremely important. You’ve got to be getting a real education with skills and tools that you can use in the future in order to help future students. A high quality program is a priority.

Good Professors:

The quality of your online environmental education degree will depend in large part on the quality of your professors. You want a program with good professors who can really teach you real world skills that you’ll need when you enter the workforce.

Accessibility:

You want to choose an online course that is affordable and easy to access via the Internet. You also want an online environmental education degree program that caters to a wide variety of people so that you can get many diverse opinions.

Choosing Your Program:

To be successful, you have to choose the best online environmental education degree program for your needs. Before making your choice try to contact future professors, staffs, and administrators that will determine the quality of your online environmental education degree program. They will determine your success in your future career, so you want to know something about them before you sign up for a program.

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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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When you first get to college, you will be in a period of transition. You’ll have to adjust to a new environment, new living situation, new people and new priorities. Adjusting will take a little time, but you’ll settle into your new surroundings before you know it.

Here are five tips to help you cope with your new college environment.

1. Find allies
Find people who are intelligent, hard working and fun, and associate with them frequently. It’s never too early to start building your support network. Seek out people who share your interests and priorities. Mix it up. Find study buddies and party people. The more reliable acquaintances you have, the easier it’ll be to cope with your new situation.

2. Befriend your professors
Don’t adopt an adversarial take on your professors. These people are here to help you, so take advantage of it. When you meet with your professors during office hours, you’ll have an easier time getting through your courses. You could even form a lasting bond with your instructors. The more professors you know in your department, the better your overall performance in your major will be. Once you have completed your studies, these people will be deciding whether or not you are worthy of honors recognition. If everyone’s already your pal, then you’re much more likely to be recognized as a stand out student.

3. Play hard and work even harder
You can’t just study for weeks at a time without a break, and you can’t party every single night without getting your work done. Find a happy medium between social and scholastic obligations. Discover the balance that’s right for you.

4. Keep in touch with family and friends
Just because you moved away from home, it doesn’t mean that you have to break off all ties with your friends and family. Keep in touch. Call people. Write emails. Update your status with the people who care about you. You can still assimilate into college life, but you’ll have open channels of communication with your loved ones back home.

5. Learn campus geography
Get to know your way around campus. Learn short cuts so that you can get to your classes on time. Scope out quiet places to work, and locate spots where you can have some fun. The sooner you familiarize yourself with your surroundings, the more quickly you’ll feel comfortable in your new environment. Also be sure that you know you’re way around the town or city that your college is located in.

College is a new experience, but you can handle it. Cope by making connections with your colleagues and professors. Find the right balance between having fun and getting work done. Keep in touch with the people you love, and learn your new surroundings. Before you know it, you’ll be totally adjusted to your new life on campus.

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1. Go to class
Show up to your lectures and sections. Participate in class discussions. Absorb all the information that you are supposed to, and don’t let absences create gaps in your knowledge. If you miss one lecture in your global history course, you’re going to always wonder just exactly how humanity formed the ability to speak. You’ll go from caveman to the cradle of civilization, without knowing what happened in between.

2. Take insanely good notes
Take pride in taking high-quality notes. Write everything down, even if you already know the material. If another student asks a question, make a note of it, and include your professor’s response. Think of yourself as a court reporter, with you notebook being the stenography machine. Record everything that goes down and you’ll learn more. You’ll have a written record of all your class proceedings. You’ll be able to retain information longer because you have to write it down physically as you process the info mentally. You’ll be better prepared for tests and assignments, and you’ll never get bored (or at least you’ll be less bored than your classmates, because your too busy writing everything down).

3. Do your work
You’ll have an easier time studying if you’ve done all your work the way you’re supposed to. When you study for a test, you’re supposed to be reviewing things that you already know, not teaching yourself material for the first time. Get your assignments turned in on time and do all of your reading. The more familiar you are with your material, the easier it will be to analyze and apply what you have learned in tests and assignment situations.

4. Ask questions
If you need further clarification, get it. Ask questions during lecture. Meet with your professors during their office hours. Share knowledge with other students and pool together your combined know-how. Debate people. Always ask for more info when you need to.

5. Manage your time wisely
Don’t party too hard. Prioritize your social commitments and your scholastic obligations. Find balance, and be in control of every moment of the day. Make to do lists. Schedule in free time, and realize that your time in college is limited. Take advantage of it while you can.

If you just to what you know you’re supposed to do, you’ll succeed in college. The best study habits are the ones that work. So find out what works for you, and stick to it.

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