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Imagine you’re the third sibling in your family to enter college in your home state of Minnesota, and that each of your family members entered college four years apart. Believe it or not, you may spend twice as much on college as your eldest sibling. While consumer prices usually rise between one and four percent each year, many colleges have hiked tuition and fees at double or triple that rate.

True Sources of Hidden College Costs

While some critics have charged college administrators with overpaying faculty and with pursuing vanity real estate projects, the real reasons for spikes in college costs mirror changes in the broader economy. For instance:

•    Technology Upgrades. Although universities helped originate the Internet as we know it, college and university IT professionals have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade campus networks and to implement stronger data security measures.

•    Staff Compensation. Many colleges and universities offer extensive benefits packages to both faculty and staff. To absorb sudden spikes in the cost of health care, some schools have resorted to raising tuition.

•    State Budgets. Like government agencies, state colleges and universities must respond to lawmaker demands to freeze or reduce budgets. Administrators in hard-hit states like California and Minnesota have hiked tuition rates to replace state funding.

•    Energy Prices. Just as volatile energy costs caused grocery prices to rise, transportation expenses have forced campus dining facilities to buy more expensive ingredients.

•    Stock Declines. Stock market shortfalls have even hurt college sports programs. Stanford, Ohio State, and Florida State all announced athletic cutbacks due to dwindling alumni donations and stalled ticket sales.

How Rising College Costs Impact Enrollments

Sharp increases in tuition and college fees have forced many young Americans to rethink their higher education plans. Instead of moving away to school, many first-year students have started choosing colleges closer to home. By living with family members instead of in the dorms, students can avoid many of the extra expenses of a college education, such as rent, meal plan charges, and utilities. Government statistics also indicate that more students are choosing to attend school part-time, paying for tuition with a combination of student loans and income earned from entry level jobs.

Gaps Between Private and Public College Spending

Private school administrators are no longer immune to the effects of a troubled economy. Some of the largest private university endowments suffered capital losses of as much as fifty percent over the past two years. In most cases, private universities now find themselves in the same position as state schools forced to raise tuition to cover other funding shortfalls. Although experts predict that tuition should continue to rise, students at state-run schools can expect to enjoy greater value relative to students at many private colleges and universities.

Fighting College Tuition Sticker Shock

Although college costs aren’t likely to drop anytime soon, students and parents can still take a few simple steps to trim their own education budgets, including:

•    Interview the Career Office. Colleges and universities that have invested in strong alumni networks and job placement programs may help you land the kind of job that can help you repay student loans sooner.

•    Mix and Match. Many students now complete core undergraduate courses at community colleges or at state universities before finishing their degrees at private colleges. This strategy can cut college costs in half while resulting in the same diploma.

•    Rethink Work/Study. Career-oriented students can complete an associate’s degree online or at a less expensive school to qualify for an entry level job in their desired industries. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement programs to help students complete bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

Keeping college costs down may require rethinking the traditional higher learning experience. By focusing your search on colleges and universities with a track record of smart spending and proven job placement, you can get the best return on your education investment.

Career Development: Recommended Reading to Make the Most of Your Career

By Mary Gormandy White

No matter where you are in your career, you can always benefit from keeping up with the latest literature related to career and professional development. Whether you would benefit from learning how to land the job of your dreams, how to get a promotion, or just how to function more effectively in your current career, there are excellent career development books that can be of great benefit to you.

As a professional it’s important to continue learning and growing throughout your career, and keeping up with the latest professional development literature is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. The time you spend reading career development books is an investment in your long-term career success.

Reading career development books enables you to learn from leading experts in the field from the comfort of your own home. No matter what professional or personal challenges you face related to your career, you’ll be able to find books that can provide valuable insights and tips regarding your employment-related concerns.

Suggested Topics Include:

The following list includes a selection of current career development literature. These books are great tools for individuals seeking to grow as professionals. They are a great starting point, but just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the many publications that can provide guidance for building the career of your dreams.

Career Advancement: Whether you are just starting out in your career, seeking a promotion, or are thinking about taking your career in a new direction, you will benefit from the practical tips and suggestions in Stepping Up: 12 Ways to Rev Up, Revitalize, or Renew Your Career by S. Gary Snodgrass.

Take Charge of Your Career: Have you ever been faced with a difficult career situation that literally seemed to come out of nowhere? I Didn’t See It Coming: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need to Avoid Being Blindsided in Business by Nancy C. Widmann, Elaine J. Eisenman, and Amy Dorn Kopelan is a unique career guide designed to help professionals anticipate and effectively deal with these types of situations.

Personal Branding: Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand by William Arruda and Kristen Dixson explains how to position yourself for career success by building your personal brand. The book provides readers with step-by-step tips for improving your career karma by building and managing your own brand.

Success Secrets: Too many people unintentionally sabotage their career success potential because they don’t understand how to position themselves for success within their organizations. Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move? By Pamela J. Holland and Marjorie Brody is a practical guide designed to help professionals recognize and understand workplace behaviors that negatively impact their ability to get a ahead. This is a must-read for people who find themselves being overlooked for promotions or who want to be sure that this never happens to them.

Your Career is Worth The Time

Keep in mind that becoming a successful professional involves more than just getting the basic training you need to enter the workplace. Successful professionals who want to fulfill their potential invest time and energy in learning how to grow in their careers. The time you spend learning how to improve your ability to advance in your career can result in exponential rewards.

Do you feel like you need a change but can’t quite pinpoint why? You know you want to be happier, more satisfied, and more fulfilled in your career, but you just don’t know what that means. You’re not alone. Many people often wonder if something better might be out there for them.

“How do I figure out what to do next in my career?” is one of the most common questions I get. While most people are somewhat content with their current situation they have a sense that something is missing. Somehow, the meaning they once attached to their job is no longer there. They want to know how they can best use their skills and talents in a more meaningful way. They also want to know how they can better align their most important values with good career opportunities.

When people feel this way, they generally launch a job search. They update their resume, post it online and see what happens. Usually they get a few nibbles but most often the response is fairly minimal. Then, they begin to wonder if they even have other options or if they’re stuck in place forever. They’re at a career crossroad. It’s at this point that career assessments can be of great value by providing personal insight.

Having a clear vision of a desired career path is very important since there are several career paths to consider. Among the options are advancing within your current company, moving to another company for a change of scenery and advancement opportunities, or making a more drastic career change. You may feel that staying put while enhancing your current career situation is the way to go. Or, you may ultimately decide to enhance your knowledge through education, enhance your visibility through project work or volunteering, or by actively cultivating a professional network.

What is most important, though, is that you are able to clearly describe the factors that will bring you the highest level of satisfaction no matter what direction you choose. Career assessment can help you get clear about your career aspirations. Assessing your skills, interests, values and personality and other factors and examining how they connect with potential career opportunities will allow you to get clear about such factors as your ideal work environment, desired salary and benefits requirements, regional preferences, and industry preferences among other variables. Taking inventory of those areas also will provide important insight into what career-related factors will bring you the highest level of satisfaction.

While career assessment can be a formal process that you go through with a qualified career counselor, it doesn’t have to be. There are numerous resources available and exercises you can complete on your own. I’ll outline two exercises you can do on your own.

First, you can start by simply taking inventory of your career progress. A really good exercise is the “Career Lifeline.” When, I use it with my clients, I first have them draw a horizontal line on a sheet of paper labeling the left side beginning and the right side end. Second, I have them plot their career highs and lows beginning from their first “career decision” such as deciding to go to college rather than work, or choosing x major, or turning down y project. Finally, I have them review their lifeline to date, and we discuss the career decisions they’ve made and what influenced those decisions. We also discuss the outcomes. The objective of the exercise is to analyze personal values and their impact on their decision-making, career path and career satisfaction.

A second exercise you can do to analyze your strengths is to ask people for feedback. When they think of your strengths, what words come to mind? Obviously, you want to do this with people who know you and whom you trust. It can be a little awkward, but explain that you are simply trying to get a sense of your strengths.

Another approach is to think over your career at the various jobs you’ve had and think about the feedback you’ve received from employers and co-workers. We are all known for some set of skills and attributes. For example, in all of my work experience, paid and volunteer, I consistently hear feedback that I am organized, focused, articulate, conscientious, hardworking, reliable, pleasant to be around, fun, good with people, good at explaining things, have good presentation skills, am honest, and have integrity. I’ve also been told that I have expert knowledge in my profession and make it easy for people to apply concepts and get results. What do people say about you?

By completing the two exercises you will have a better sense of how you go about making career decisions and what influences your decisions and a better sense of personal attributes that lead to success for you in the past. There are many other exercises in my book, Fast Track Your Career: Three Steps For Finding Work You Love. The Futures in Motion, Inc. bookstore contains other suggested resources (http://www.futures-in-motion.com/bookstore.php). You can also complete formal assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory. Futures in Motion, Inc. also offers career assessment packages in which you can complete the series of inventories and get personalized feedback with suggested career options. You can find out more about the packages by clicking this link- http://www.futures-in-motion.com/future_motion_package.php.

As I mentioned, there are several career paths to pursue. Once you’ve completed the assessment process you will be better able to determine whether to advance within your current company, move to another company for a change of scenery and advancement opportunities, or make a more drastic career change. You may decide that staying in your current job while enhancing your current career situation is the way to go. Or, you may ultimately decide to enhance your knowledge through education, enhance your visibility through project work or volunteering, or by actively cultivating a professional network.

In order to make a good impression at the interview, you should have a short list of questions memorized. To help get you started, here is a list of seven questions to ask potential employers and explanations of what the employers’ answers could reveal.

1. “What kind of qualities and skills would it take to really succeed and make a difference in this position?”

This question allows you to determine whether or not you are a good match.

2. “What would be the top priority of the person who accepts this job?”

You want to know whether or not you would enjoy the tasks to which you will be assigned. For a variety of reasons, sometimes the job description does not accurately describe the job. Asking a few open ended questions about the specific duties you would be expected to perform can clarify this up front and save everyone a lot of time later down the road.

3. “Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?”

This will clarify the duties you will be asked to perform. If the tasks are a close match to those you identified on your personal inventory worksheet you should consider this job.

4. “Why is this position available?”

You ask this question because you want to make sure that the boss isn’t Meryl Streep’s character from The Devil Wears Prada. You also want to make sure that you won’t be set up to fail. If you receive an answer like, “We just haven’t been able to find the right person yet and we’ve been through five hires in the past four months,” that is a sign that something is not right with the management of the company. Drop that position from your list.

5. “Was the person who previously held this position promoted? What is the usual progression for successful employees that have held this position previously?”

It’s smart to be realistic about how likely you are to succeed in a specific position. If the company is well organized they will be set-up to help you succeed because replacing employees is expensive and time-consuming. If the interviewer says that no one who held the position previously ever moved up in the company, you may not want to pursue this job.

6. “What are the most immediate challenges of the position that need to be addressed in the first six months?”

You want to make sure that you will get to spend time working on assignments you will enjoy and find challenging. However, keep in mind that no one gets to start out at the top. There will be tasks you do not enjoy, but doing them well will ensure you are assigned more interesting work.

7. “What are the performance expectations of this position and what is the evaluation process?”

For many recent graduates a lack of feedback can be a real disappointment. In the working world your boss is unlikely to stop by your desk every day to tell you what a wonderful job you are doing. In fact, at some offices, the only time you may receive any feedback is during a midyear or end of the year review. Some companies do not even have performance reviews. This is a good question to ask so you know what to expect and you can decide if that type of process will work for you.