In tough economic times, people’s worries naturally turn to keeping their jobs. No one relishes the prospect of opening their paycheck and finding a pink slip inside, ruining what you thought was a secure job. It’s gotten bad enough that even employers formerly thought of as bulletproof (Google, for example) are laying off large numbers of employees. Some retail outlets like Circuit City are closing their doors outright, and others such as Kay Bee Toys and Wilson’s Leather are closing huge portions of their retail operations. Even government employees, formerly thought of as having recession-proof jobs, are worried about the stability of their positions. In times of such economic uncertainty, is there any way you can make your employer see you as a “recession-proof” invaluable asset? You will, of course, want to stay active in your personal job search and check local job listings, in addition, there’s one other huge step you can take, too.
One really good way to let your employer know how much you value your job is to educate yourself. If two similarly benefited and salaried employees are both up for layoff consideration ,an employer is usually going to retain the employee that’s achieved the highest level of education. An employer wants a worker that is always going to strive to better themselves by upgrading their knowledge, to the extent that some of them even provide 100% reimbursement to employees for the cost of education! Most employers see helping their employees attain an education as a win-win situation, as they want their workers to be as educated as is possible.
It may seem nearly impossible to keep up with the demands of a full time job, your house and family and friends, while attending college at the same time. While it’s difficult, it’s not impossible- many people make this arrangement work. Technology has presented us with another alternative- distance education, or home schooling, for higher education. You can earn a degree in much less time than you thought possible, and from the comfort of wherever you keep your computer! You’ll be receiving a quality education without the hassles of buying textbooks, finding parking, making yourself presentable and adhering to a predetermined schedule, and at a comparable cost to classes in a traditional educational setting, as well.
Most online classes consist of reading electronic course packs or text books, and then participating in discussions via email or message board, while competing both individual and group writing assignments. You’ll want to get familiar with the tools that allow groups in disparate time zones and geographic locations to stay in contact, such as Internet Relay Chat and instant messenger- this is because there is group work involved in many of these types of classes. The biggest attraction of distance learning is that you can largely set your own schedule- if the urge to write a paper strikes you at 4 AM, you can write it then, and if you wake up thinking about a great point to raise in discussion, you don’t have to wait for class to start to do it. Costs for online education are comparable to costs of attending classes in a physical location, as well, so it isn’t as if it’s prohibitively expensive, either.
You will need a healthy dose of self discipline to succeed at distance learning, and you’ll need to be personally responsible and provide your own motivation, as well. You’re going to have to be tough on yourself- no classes to attend means no instructors to harangue you or remind you about assignments, so you’re going to have to keep abreast of things all on your own. If this sounds like something you can handle, you should ask your employer about reimbursement for online education- everyone wins!
