President Obama has big plans and high hopes for community colleges, career training, and keeping college costs down.

In his State of the Union address last evening, President Obama kept circling back to the importance of education, and how a well educated nation will grow the economy, keep jobs on our soil, and take us into a better future.

Here’s a glance at his main points:

“Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that – openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. That’s inexcusable”

“Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.”

“At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.”

What role do you think higher education and career training will play for the future of America? Sound off below…

-Dawn Papandrea

Pinterest isn’t just an awesome social media place for craft ideas, fashion, makeup and hair tips, recipes, birthday party themes, and home design ideas (they’re fueling my dream of having a custom master bedroom closet). If you’re on Pinterest, and if you can tear yourself away from repining those things to your boards, you’ll notice that one of the categories on Pinterest is education.

A lot of the items posted on the education boards are related to children, but some are more adult-friendly and could encourage you to go back to college or pursue a new degree.

Also, if you’re a “pinaholic,” think about how much time you spend browsing other boards, such as photography, hair and beauty, fitness, science and nature, technology, and history. Your passion for one of those subjects may be clear, and it could lead you to start researching career paths in those areas that have captured your interest for a long time.

Here are some of the latest things we’ve seen pinned that can inform you about potential new careers or degrees or inspire you as an adult learner. Our links take you to the actual webpage, so that those who don’t have Pinterest accounts can see them, too.

The Bachelor’s Job Market
A social media professor (sounds like a cool job) at Syracuse University posted this insightful infographic, created by Rasmussen College, that shows the need for more bachelor’s degree holders and reasons why people don’t pursue their degree.

I’m So Much More Than Just a Teacher poster
If you’re considering going into education, whether to work as a teacher’s assistant at your child’s school or to teach in another grade level, this poster’s message may be the push that you need to head into that direction.

Albert Einstein Quotes
The inspirational sayings on Pinterest range from sassy to sappy, but if you sort through, you can find some that may be worth putting your computer, phone, or near study central for you. The ones by Albert Einstein often pop up, joining others by authors, book characters, and even created by Pinterest members themselves.

Oh, and don’t forget to check us out on Pinterest. Our Boards are a mixture of smart (College-related Infographics and A+ College Stuff) and fun (Because Bacon Makes You Smarter).

Are you on Pinterest? Tell us what you’ve learned so far. Happy pinning!

-Lori Johnston

Which college degrees provide better job security?

A new study from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce implies that your degree choice can have a big impact on keeping a job. According to the findings, risk of unemployment for recent graduates varies considerably depending on their major.

You can check out the full report, Hard Times, College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal, but here are some of the takeaways we’ve gleaned from it:

- Specializing is great, but develop skills that can be applicable in a number of ways. Case in point: The highest unemployment rate in the study was for architecture graduates (13.9 percent), a direct reflection of the struggling real estate market, and there’s little work outside of that industry. On the other hand, those with financial or computer expertise can transfer those skills to work for most any corporation or organization.

- Now might be a good time to get that advanced degree you’ve been mulling over. The overall unemployment rate for people with graduate degrees is just 3 percent.

- Look for ties to strong industries. Recent graduates in Engineering, the Sciences, Education, or Healthcare are tied to stable or growing sectors, and therefore, offer opportunities with the most staying power (with just a 5.4% unemployment rate).

On the bright side, any degree is still better than not having one at all. Recent bachelor’s degree earners have an 8.9 percent unemployment rate, while job seekers with just a high school diploma are at 22.9 percent, and high school dropouts are at 31.5 percent.

-Dawn Papandrea

The holiday frenzy may be over, but the new year often rings in an organizing frenzy that can eat up free time. Organizing strategies and tips that are meant for your pantry, closets, laundry room, storage spaces, and other areas also can be perfect when searching for a new career.

Here are three ways you can organize your search for a new profession (and after you’re done, go ahead, use them in your home, too).

1. Do it in intervals.
Plunging into a search for a new career can be overwhelming – just like trying to organize a year’s worth of photos, children’s art projects, or receipts for your taxes. Make time to research career options and the type of education programs you’ll want to pursue by returning to school, but don’t expect to do it all in one day. Spending a couple of hours at a time can keep you energized throughout the process.

2. Get help.
Bounce ideas of someone you trust and who will support you in your career endeavors. Whether it’s a spouse, parent, best friend, or colleague, having someone to help you during the process can motivate you, especially if you ever want to give up your search.

3. Tackle one area at a time.
In your home, you don’t want to jump from one area, like the kitchen, to the bedroom closet to the garage or the kids’ playroom, until you’re done with the other one. That just leads to chaos. To avoid a chaotic career search, start off by focusing on your passions and the types of occupations that fit with those passions (you can also take career assessments to help you with this part of the process), then go onto researching salary and job potential, then degree programs. As you tackle these decisions, set up a system by creating folders on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or in your paper files, to make sure that you lose any valuable research.

Taking these steps can help you keep focused on your career search and finding the profession of your dreams.

-Lori Johnston

Five Steps to a Better Career in 2012

Beyond breaking your cheese doodle habit and saving more money, you’ve probably got a career resolution or two. And, if not, you should!

Here are some ideas to get you started on your 2012 career advancement plan, courtesy of Julie Redfield, talent management expert at PA Consulting Group:

Connect the dots. Career building is all about the connections, isn’t it? “Reconnect with school friends, prior employers and others in your profession. You never know where that next opportunity will come from,” says Redfield.

Look up. Redfield suggests that you identify a mentor, at least two levels up from your current position, and ask if you can pick his or her brain for career advice. This strategy also works if you’re looking into entering a new industry. See if you can identify someone willing to show you the ropes, whether it’s at an industry event, or by requesting an informational interview with someone at a company you’d love to work for.

Meet new people at work. Make this your goal today: “Identify one person in the office that I don’t know, and make an effort to get to know them and learn what their career aspirations are,” says Redfield. Along those lines, try to pay one genuine compliment to someone new every day. Getting to know people and being likeable, can go a long way.

Be the boss’ go-to employee. Every Monday, pay a visit to your boss’ office and ask what’s on his or her worry list, says Redfield. Then offer to help. That’ll help you remain top of mind, and when it comes time for promotions, guess who will be at the top of the consideration list?

Get smarter. This is one of our best tips, but we’re sure Redfield and other career experts would agree. If there’s a skill you’re lacking or something you don’t know, make this the year that you update your knowledge. Take a class online, see if your company offers career training, go to seminars, or if it’s warranted, consider exploring a certificate or degree program.

What are your career resolutions? Please share them with us here, or on Twitter (use #careerresolution).

Happy 2012!

-Dawn Papandrea

When searching for a community college, you want to select a school that cares about students being successful with the coursework and after graduation, in finding well-paying jobs.

The Aspen Institute

Part of your research should include the honors that schools have received, and here’s a new one we wanted to bring to your attention. The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence was launched in 2011, and as more people look to commercial colleges for affordability and convenience, it is great to see these schools receiving the spotlight.

The award recognized community colleges with strong results in student learning, completion, equity, and post-college employment and earnings.

The winner was … Florida’s Valencia College. The Orlando school has some pretty impressive numbers, with more than half of its full-time students either graduating or transferring within three years of entering college. And 30 percent of the students who enter Valencia transfer to a four-year college.

Here’s an incredible story from the writeup about Valencia College that shows how the school (which received a $600,000 award) has been a source for local employers, helping connect students with job openings.

“Jim Lipscomb, a Northrop Grumman manager in Orlando, used to spend half the year on the road, looking for workers qualified to help make laser sights for military hardware. Competition was fierce—a good candidate had five or ten job offers to choose from—and those he hired often left Florida in months, homesick for Texas or Idaho or Iowa.

Now, Lipscomb doesn’t need to leave town. Over the last several years, he has hired nearly every laser technician who has come out of Valencia, which created a program in response to growing industry demand. Valencia is doing its part to fill a national shortage of laser technicians while linking local residents to well-paying jobs for local residents.”

Here are the nine finalists for the Aspen Prize, which also are partnering with businesses and creating innovative programs for their community college students. You can read each of the finalists’ stories, too, to see what those schools are doing to stand out.

• Lake Area Technical Institute (South Dakota)

• Miami Dade College (Florida)

• Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

• Mott Community College (Michigan)

• Northeast Iowa Community College-Calmar

• Santa Barbara City College (California)

• Southwest Texas Junior College

• Valencia College (Florida)

• Walla Walla Community College (Washington)

• West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Former Secretary of Education Richard Riley, who co-chaired the jury that selected the winners, made these comments in connection with the award:”Community colleges for too long have been under-appreciated. By 2018, more than 60 percent of American jobs will require some kind of post-secondary qualification, and community colleges are uniquely poised to answer the needs of both employers and students looking for economic security.”

If you’re attending any of these schools or planning on starting there soon, definitely check out how you can benefit from their initiatives that are worthy of the spotlight!

-Lori Johnston

This is an exciting time to be in school, as there are more opportunities and ways to learn. For 2012, you’ll see a continuation of trends and some new efforts that point the way for how students will be learning from community colleges, two-year and four-year public and private universities, and for-profit online schools in the future.

Education in emerging markets
Businesses are thinking globally, and so are colleges and universities. From the growth in study abroad programs to graduate education, more U.S. universities are expanding with overseas programs. In 2012, for example, Harvard Business School will have four executive education programs in India.

Sciences will stand out even more
The national STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiative is seeking to boost students’ knowledge in public schools. At the college level, schools are working to prepare students with the math and science skills to get hired in high-demand fields such as engineering and technology.

Campuses get more social
Tweeting, sharing content, “likes” on Facebook … it’s all part of how colleges and universities are going to continue interacting with their students, and students interacting with each other and their professors.

Online learning gets more tools
Online learning continues to evolve, and one trend that students will see is how learning management systems like Blackboard and OpenClass will integrate more social media. Cloud computing also will become more of a factor, making it easier for you to access reading material or the paper you’re working on from anywhere. That’s going to make it easier for you to collaborate with other students and share content, which can help you succeed in your classes.

Campuses get greener
Colleges and universities realize that they need to train students to fill the exploding number of high-paying green jobs. Community colleges, for example, are working to update their curriculum so that its students will contribute to the green economy and sustainability movement.

Let us know some of the trends you’re seeing in education in 2012!

Happy New Year!

-Lori Johnston

In case you missed them, here’s a look back at the top posts that received the most visitors this year. As you can see, we’ve touched on everything from zombies to animation to iPhones to the challenging job market.

Which one is your favorite? And what would you like to read about in 2012? Share your thoughts in the comments or tweet me: @CollegeSurfing.

1. 15 Post-Apocalyptic College Hipster Survival Tips – You guys are really worried about this, aren’t you?
2. Top 8 Higher Education Trends of the Decade – Now that 2011 is almost over, what do you think the new trends will be?
3. Geek Heroes: 26 Geeks Before They Were Stars – It’s always fun to look back to see what folks like J.K. Rowling and Patrick Stewart did before they became famous.
4. Hoops & YoYo Creators Bob Holt and Mike Adair Interview – One of the most fun interviews I’ve done — check it out!
5. 5 Reasons I Should Sue My College – Breaking down some myths about college life.
6. Beat the Economic Crisis: 5 “Safe” Careers – Always a hot topic, a look at the industries with the most staying power.
7. Wacky Job Interview Questions – And some fun answers to get you thinking!
8. Hot Trend: iPhone App Development Course – Break into this still-smokin’ field.
9. 8 Offbeat, Odd & Wacky College Majors – These are real, we swear!
10. Top Schools for Video Game Design – There’s no denying the cool factor of this career path, which is why it’s in our top 10.

-Dawn Papandrea

My 5-year-old son’s letter to Santa this year includes Legos, Green Lantern and Batman action figures, and something to play Angry Birds with (instead of always asking for my iPhone). For him, my wish for Santa is that he continues to learn to spell, read, and develop a strong work ethic in kindergarten through his future school years.

If adult learners made a list for Santa, there’s six things we think would be great wishes for Santa (and we’d give him extra cookies and coffee to keep him caffeinated on Christmas Eve, too!).

1. Faster Internet access
Whether you’re taking online classes or trying to do online research, there’s nothing more frustrating for an adult learner than being bogged down by a slow Internet connection. Or worse, when there’s no Internet at all, due to tech problems in your home, office, or a coffee shop, or storm outages.

2. A tablet
The high-tech movement is evident in education. A tablet can be easier to tote than a laptop if you’re going to class or work, and there’s the option to sync information between computers and tablets, and a ton of apps that can help with taking notes and test prep. iPads and other tablets are pricey, so no being naughty this year – you want to be on Santa’s good side. Tablets and e-readers like the Kindle and Nook also can make it more affordable to buy digital textbooks, newspapers, magazines, and other required reading for school.

3. Peace in the house
Peace on earth is a big wish, but some peace and quiet in your home is necessary as you’re studying for tests or finishing up assignments on deadline. If that seems impossible, maybe Santa can help provide a babysitter for those times when you need to be secluded and studying, away from the kids.

4. Time
Santa’s the ultimate multi-tasker, placing presents under trees around the world in the span of one night. Adult students have the same tough task – trying to fit in studying, working, caring for family, and other activities – in their schedule. The gift of time would be incredible. As you enter 2012, you could take another look at your schedule to see ways you can pare down activities or prioritize so that school doesn’t suffer from the lack of time in your life.

5. Instant knowledge
Being able to master tough concepts in your subject area and quickly grasp the information you need in required classes leading up to your major would be incredible. Until those abilities are possible, adult learners will need to continue to prioritize time to study do required reading, work ahead on projects, and ask plenty of questions to ace the class.

6. A frame
For your diploma, of course!

Happy and merry holidays to all!

-Lori Johnston

I’m sitting in the movie theater, watching “The Muppets” with my 5-year-old son, and I realize that amid the references to past decades, musical numbers, and appearance of favorites like Animal and Beaker, a comeback story like this can apply to going back to college, too.

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Before you say “mahna mahna,” check out these four ways “The Muppets” might inspire you to get on the path to a new career.

1. It’s not too late to do it.

Fozzie Bear’s eyebrows are graying, and a robot from the ’80s drives them around the country. It may seem like The Muppets are past their prime (it is, after all, their first new movie in 12 years), but they don’t let changes in technology or pop culture get them down in their quest to save their old theater. If you’re concerned you’re too out of date to go back to school, it doesn’t have to be that way.

2. Don’t let no stop you.

From TV executives to baddie Tex Richman, who plans to buy the theater and tear it down, there’s plenty of reasons for the Kermit and the Muppets to give up. It’s the same for you – people may make comments that could put holes in your college or career dreams, but don’t let them affect your decision.

3. Have your support team.

New Muppet Walter and humans Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) are huge fans on the Muppets, convincing them to get together again. The Muppets also enlisted the help of old and new friends, with Neil Patrick Harris, Selena Gomez, Whoopie Goldberg, and other celebrities supporting the furry cast during the telethon. Find your own support team who can encourage you along the way as you head back to school to learn more about your field or a new career.

4. If a Muppet can do it, so can you…

Miss Piggy as a high-profile fashion editor; Gonzo as the owner of a successful plumbing company … OK, if a Muppet can have a new or second career, what’s stopping you?

-Lori Johnston