After years of enduring standardized tests, from elementary school (it starts in 3^rd grade in New York) all the way through high school and then college entrance exams, most students breathe a sigh of relief at the lack of standardized testing at the undergraduate level. Unless you’re going to grad school or entering a credentialed profession, your college admission is a chance to say goodbye to those dreaded, broad-stroke assessments.

Not so fast.

If you thought all those standardized tests were just a means of torturing you and comparing you to your peers, well, that’s only part of it. Test scores are also used to determine the quality of the public school you’re attending. As such, test scores can make or break a school, giving governing bodies reasons to close underperforming schools and empowering choosy parents with facts and figures to determine how well a school’s students are presumably performing.

When it comes to college, however, we have data about the scores required for entrance, letting us know how selective a school is, but no concrete data to reveal student outcomes. All that might be changing.

National assessments – yes, even standardized tests – are gaining traction at the college level, with more than 1,000 colleges using at least one of these methods, reports The New York Times. For example, since 2004, Texas has required its state colleges to administer standardized tests and make the outcomes public. It’s a move to increase transparency and give consumers a way to compare colleges more effectively.

The federal government has not yet mandated standardized testing for colleges, but the prospect is not far off.

It makes sense on some level – if you’re going to make such a hefty investment in a college education, you might want concrete evidence of a return on that investment, such as a significant increase in knowledge and skills. Simply put, you want the most bang for your buck.

Currently, the Voluntary System of Accountability, an alliance of more than 300 state colleges, has approved three competing standardized tests for colleges: the ETS Proficiency Profile; the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency, produced by ACT; and the Collegiate Learning Assessment, from the Council for Aid to Education.

The goal of these collegiate assessments is not merely to measure performance, but improvement, especially in key areas like critical thinking and problem-solving.

However, selective colleges say it’s difficult for students to show marked improvement on standardized tests when they’re starting with high aptitude and critical thinking skills from the get-go.

And standardized tests are imperfect measurements in themselves, especially given that not all schools are reporting the data, nor are they using the same tests at the same time and in the same way.

If the higher-ups in higher ed ever do come to a consensus about how to measure learning at the college level, students could be looking at four more years of test prep and Scantron forms. Just what you always wanted.

–Robyn Tellefsen

If you’re applying to college, you’re probably already aware that admissions officers can peep your Facebook profile. Any information that’s been made public on the Internet is, well, public information. Many of us are cognizant of that fact and have blocked our profiles and posts from public consumption. But what if a school asks permission to become part of your friend network – or worse, asks for your password to tool around Facebook as if it were you?

No, this isn’t a fictional scenario from George Orwell’s “1984;” it’s a 2012 reality. News and blog sites have been lit up these last few weeks with reports of employers asking job candidates to reveal their social media logins. The public outcry has been loud and clear, with senators, representatives, and Facebook itself decrying the practice as an invasion of privacy. Though House Republicans blocked an amendment to a reform act of the Federal Communications Commission, Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer (NY) and Richard Blumenthal (CT) are pushing for a federal investigation as to whether the practice of employers demanding usernames and passwords is a violation of the Stored Communications Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

While this storm is brewing, we’ve got to wonder how all this Big Brother-esque spying will affect college admissions. The fact is, student athletes are already prone to social media policing. Many schools are requiring athletic prospects to “friend” a coach, granting the school access to friends-only information. At the University of North Carolina, for instance, at least one coach or administrator is responsible for having access to and regularly monitoring the content of team members’ social networking sites and postings. So even when you’re in, the scrutiny goes on.

Colleges may also enlist the help of social media monitoring companies like UDiligence and Varsity Monitor to automate the time-consuming task of digging up your dirt. Programs like these offer a “reputation scoreboard” to coaches and send “threat level” warnings about individual athletes to compliance officers.

While Facebook has taken a firm stance on password-sharing (it’s a no-no), the company has yet to take a position on collegiate social media monitoring. Will this kind of monitoring spread past the athletic department? Word is, it already has.

According to Kaplan Test Prep’s most recent annual surveys (check out the infographic), 20% of college admissions officers, 27% of business school admissions officers, and 41% of law school admissions officers said they have Googled an applicant to learn more about them, while 24% of college admissions officers, 22% of business school admissions officers, and 37% of law school admissions officers have checked out an applicant on Facebook or other social networking site. And the results haven’t been pretty. As it turns out, 12% of college admissions officers, 14% of business school admissions officers, and 32% of law school admissions officers who researched an applicant online said they discovered something that negatively impacted an applicant’s admissions chances.

On the other hand, some colleges, like Kenyon College, explicitly forbid looking beyond what prospective students submit in their applications. Eastern Washington University went so far as blogging about the fact that it will never use Facebook, Twitter, or Google to learn more about applicants.

But it seems that these schools are few and far between.

So what’s a prospective college student to do? Consider using Facebook to your advantage in the admissions process. If colleges are looking – and so many of them are – an online presence that showcases your strengths and achievements may actually boost your admission bid.

–Robyn Tellefsen

Yep, it’s only Tuesday. If you’re already bored with the week, maybe it’s time you considered a FUN job. If your current job ranks low on the happy scale, get inspired by these fields that make a career out of having a good time.

Fun Career: Video Game Designer
Imagine that everything you dream can come to life. That’s the reality for video game designers, who brainstorm all the concepts of a game, including plot, characters, and game play.
Fun factor: Creating video games for a living? The fun factor is kind of a no-brainer.
Fun training: A college degree in game design, game development, or computer science comes in handy when you’re looking for a job in video game design. You’ll also need some back­ground in programming and knowledge of scripting languages, especially Lua and Python.
Fun bucks: According to Game Developer magazine, in 2010, video game designers earned an average of $68,000 per year. Of course, salaries vary by experience and location.

Fun Career: Home Stager
If you’ve got a knack for design and marketing, consider the up-and-coming career of home staging. Home stagers work with real estate agents and their clients to improve the appearance of houses for sale and increase their appeal to potential buyers.
Fun factor: Transforming spaces from dull to divine is a creative person’s dream come true.
Fun training: Though home staging is not a licensed profession, many professional home stagers start out by earning a degree in interior design and later pursuing certification that’s been accredited by the California-based Real Estate Staging Association.
Fun bucks: Home staging companies are coming out of the woodwork these days, but many stagers are still self-employed and set their own fees. According to AOL Jobs, national averages run about $175-$400 for an initial consultation and $85-$250 an hour for the staging work, with the biggest bucks available in major metropolitan areas like NYC.

Fun Career: Resort Activities Director
This job might as well be called “Director of Fun,” since that’s what it’s all about. Resort activities directors get to create, organize, run, and enjoy a wide variety of entertainment opportunities, such as tournaments, wine tastings, and shows.
Fun factor: Vacation-related jobs offer a great mix of work and play. What could be better than making a living by planning good times, all the time?
Fun training: Many activities directors have a bachelor’s degree in parks and rec­reation or a similar field, and some hold a master’s degree. Work experience through an internship, summer job, or volunteering is a great way to get in the door of the recreation industry.
Fun bucks: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010, recreation workers earned a mean annual salary of $25,270, but activities directors report­edly earn more.

Fun Career: Aquarist
Like other animal keepers, aquarists are responsible for feeding, monitoring, and training animals, but these workers do it in a wetsuit. Aquarists take care of fish and other underwater creatures at aquariums; they may also train seals, dolphins, and other marine mammals.
Fun factor: How awesome would it be to spend your days diving into tanks and working underwater?
Fun training: Most aquarists have a bachelor’s degree in a biology or animal science, and they must also be certified SCUBA divers and super-strong swimmers.
Fun bucks: According to JobsInWildlife.com, entry-level aquarists typically earn between $27,000 and $33,000, while experienced aquarists can earn between $45,000 and $50,000.

Fun Career: Sommelier
Attention, wine connoisseurs: you can actually procure a career in the fermented juice of fresh grapes! Sommeliers serve as wine experts in high-end restaurants, utilizing their skills in the art of matching wine with food to augment the flavor of a meal.
Fun factor: Those who love the finer things in life will be in their glory in this deliciously upscale career.
Fun training: Successful sommeliers often start out with a degree in restaurant management and then pursue a diploma from the highly regarded Court of Master Sommeliers. Master Sommelier candidates must pass four levels of rigorous (and expensive) examinations.
Fun bucks: According to Salary.com, the median sommelier salary in March 2012 was over $50,000. The Court of Master Sommeliers reveals that Master Sommeliers earn between $80,000 and $160,000 per year.

–Robyn Tellefsen

We all want to be supportive of our friends and encourage them to pursue and earn their college degrees.

Now some students can get paid for doing that!

Online schools Ashworth College and James Madison High School are paying students and graduates $50 for every friend they refer who enrolls in their programs. The friends have to be in a class for a minimum of 30 days for the students to get the cash.

Refer a friend programs that offer cash are offered by stores, restaurants, credit card companies, banks, attractions, and even college saving plans. We’re not seeing many colleges getting in on the act, though.

Ashworth College and James Madison High School (the for-profit schools are owned by the same company) are encouraging students and graduates to invite their friends via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail or direct mail. The school set the limit at earning $100 per year.

Ashworth College officials say the refer a friend marketing program is a way is seeks to introduce people to online education as an affordable alternative. Ashworth College and James Madison High School, both accredited schools, online high school diploma programs, more than 115 online college degrees, and online certificate programs.

We all can use a little extra cash, and for you, the program offers another way you can have a stake in your friends’ education.

One of my kids’ favorite storybook characters is Lilly, the heroine of such clever tales as “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” by Kevin Henkes. Amid all her antics, we learn that Lilly, a spirited young mouse, wants to be a teacher when she grows up – but only on the days when she doesn’t want to be a dancer, surgeon, ambulance driver, diva, pilot, hairdresser, or scuba diver.

Today, on Look Up at the Sky Day (I kid you not!), Lilly’s shoot-for-the-stars aspirations remind me of all the fun things people dream about becoming before they get old and crotchety. From princesses and superheroes to ballerinas and professional baseball players, kids let their imaginations run wild when answering the question of what they want to be when they grow up.

These days, my kindergartner says she wants to be an astronaut and an artist. (Or maybe she’ll be a writer like her mama – she’s already got the alliteration down pat!) I don’t think she quite understands what these careers entail, but she loves her science and art classes in school, and she’s always drawing and coloring. The earnings potential for artsy types isn’t so bad – according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2011, artists earned a median annual salary of $58,040. And according to NASA, an astronaut can earn anywhere from $64,724 to $141,715 a year, depending on academic achievements and experience. The salary differential speaks for itself, but I think I’ll leave my daughter’s career decisions up to her. She’s only 6, after all.

My second grader is dead set on becoming a meteorologist. He watches The Weather Channel, clips weather forecasts out of newspapers, and reads books about weather phenomena religiously. He also likes to invent his own forecasts for all different parts of the world, and abbreviations like “precip,” “temp,” and “t-storm” are sprinkled throughout his everyday conversations. This may seem like strange behavior for a soon-to-be 8-year-old, but I think he’s on track to a career as a future Bill Evans (my son’s favorite weatherman). He already knows he’ll have to take lots of science and math classes in high school and college. What he doesn’t know is that the salary forecast is pretty good – in 2011, meteorologists pulled in an annual salary of about $89,790, reports the BLS.

As for my own childhood dreams, actress and singer were pretty high on the list, and ballerina, doctor, and lawyer were in there at some point, too. I didn’t recognize my penchant for writing until college and beyond, though I should have – I used to write pretend newspaper articles in my backyard, and I’ve got stacks of personal journals revealing a lifetime of small moments.

So I will encourage my kids to follow their dreams, but I will also tell them that we don’t always end up living out our childhood fantasies. Sometimes we do something even better.

–Robyn Tellefsen

Certificate programs are becoming more in demand by college graduates and job seekers. They’re seeing the value of a certificate program as more than another piece of paper to frame and put on the wall.

Instead, earning a professional certificate can lead to job offers, promotions, and salary increases.

Continuing education certificate programs offer you the opportunity to study in a specific area, either related to your existing job or in a field you are exploring. To earn a continuing education certificate from a college or university, you have to complete a number of required courses and electives. Most can be earned in one to two years.

No matter your profession, you’re likely to find a school offering a certificate for you and courses taught by professionals with real-world knowledge. There are certificate programs in everything from health care to law to management to nonprofits to technology.

Mary Walshok, dean of UC San Diego Extension, and co-author of the book Closing America’s Job Gap says:

“Unlike the 1950s through 1970s, when schools of continuing education and extension services were more like second-chance universities for adults who didn’t have the opportunity to get a college degree, these programs today are hubs of education and training providing the practice oriented credentials which combined with a solid liberal arts degree make for globally competitive careers.”

The University of California San Diego reports a 19 percent increase in students enrolling in certificate programs. In 2011, 3,841 students entered continuing education certificate programs at UC San Diego, compared to 3,217 during 2010. UC San Diego Extension offers 102 certificates, and for most of them, the entire program costs $1,875-$3,200.

The majority – about 85 percent – of students already hold a college degree. And employers are paying for the extra schooling, so it’s an option to inquire about if you’re currently employed.

Here are 10 areas where UC San Diego are seeing more students enrolling in certificate programs – and they reflect trends in other schools, too:

• Lactation consultant
• Biostatistics
• Paralegal studies
• Data mining
• Lean Six Sigma
• Leadership and management
• Fundraising and development
• Copyediting
• College counseling
• Reading instruction from research to practice

We’re seeing schools grow their certificate programs, too.

Lake Michigan College in South Haven, Mich., recently approved two new one-year Certificate of Achievement programs in logistics and energy production technology/line worker.

New certificates at UC San Diego include graphic design, in vitro diagnostics, career advising, mobile applications development, mobile device programming, and video and imaging technologies, clinical trials administration in Latin America, and global service entrepreneurship.

College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, N.Y., is offering career-focused certificate programs – a Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program and Medical Assistant Administration Program.

As you’re looking at college programs, you may be able to transition to a new job or more rewarding position by adding a professional certificate to your resume.

In honor of National Organize Your Home Office Day today (we’re not joking, click here), we decided it’s time to blow away the dust bunnies that have accumulated over the winter months and clean up. There’s just something refreshing and rejuvenating about studying in a clutter-free environment, don’t you think? When you’re schooling from a home office – however makeshift it may be – it’s critical to ensure your space is comfortable and well-organized. Check out our picks for fun products to aid you in the quest to spring clean your school space.

Make Memorable Memos
Ditch the Post-its and catch the wave of the future with Native Union’s “Play,” a fun, vibrant video memo pad. Use the Play to record up to three minutes of messages, like your ongoing to-do list or reminders about assignment deadlines. Featuring a 2.5 inch LCD screen and 40-day battery life, the Play can stick to any surface and help you keep your desk clutter free. Available in black, blue, green, pink, purple, red, and white. ($59.99, nativeunion.com)

Stay in Tune with Nature
If you simply must have paper notes adorning your walls, at least you can keep them neat, tidy, and au naturel with this whimsical Bird Corkboard. See Jane Work offers a variety of cute and stylish office supplies that can breathe life into your workspace. You’re sure to study with a smile when this bulletin board catches your eye! ($12.00, seejanework.com)

Go Green for Lighting
In all your spring cleaning efforts, don’t neglect the consideration of energy-efficient lighting. SYLVANIA’s DOT-it Dimmable is the perfect solution for shining light in the dark corners of your desk or on the spring semester books in your bookshelf. DOT-it Dimmable sticks to almost any surface and offers three levels of bright, white LED light that’s easy on the eyes – and the wallet. ($9.99, sylvaniaonlinestore.com)

Digitize Your Content
If paper clutter is killing your school sanity, tame the monster with NeatDesk. This high-speed, ultra-cool desktop scanner and digital filing system can help you archive your old term papers, tests, and projects for future reference; manage your finances by scanning receipts and student loan information to maintain a budget; develop and maintain a career database by scanning letters of recommendation, portfolio work, transcripts, and awards; and more. ($399.95, neat.com)

Trick Out Your iPad
You take your iPad everywhere you go, but when you’re ready to park it in your home office, you want it to function like a sturdy desktop computer. Enter RTA Products’ 2COOL 2C-TCK02C iPad case, a trendy, ergonomic case that comes with an adjustable stand and a built-in silicone, spill-proof, dust-proof Bluetooth keyboard. Never worry about coffee spills again! Available in black, red, pink, and white. ($49.99, wayfair.com)

Write Smart
You may be a techie to the max, but you still use pens and pencils for some school tasks, right? Rather than sorting through a junk drawer to find the proper writing implements, reach for Hipcycle’s fabulously unique pen and pencil holders, like the Chopstick Pen Cup. Hipcycle is dedicated to the growing upcycling trend in green design – taking something that would otherwise be thrown away and transforming it into something of greater use and value. ($10.00, hipcycle.com)

Clear the Desk
No review of home office products would be complete without a nod to Martha Stewart, the queen of beautiful (and practical) spaces. Martha’s Stack+Fit desk accessories can help you eliminate desktop clutter and get organized in style. Mix and match drawers and trays, organizers, stackable inboxes and more to fit your own space and storage needs for your school supplies. (Prices vary, staples.com)

Don’t Stop Now…
If you’re inspired to go further in your quest for home office organization, take a look at Smart Office Organizing: Simple Strategies for Bringing Order to Your Workspace by Sandra Felton (The Organizer Lady) and Marsha Sims (president of Miami-based Sort-It-Out, Inc.). The book can help you assess the mess, create an action plan, and maintain an organized office so you can stay on top of your schoolwork. ($13.99, bakerpublishinggroup.com)

–Robyn Tellefsen

In between work, family activities, volunteer commitments, and trying to have a social life, extra time is sparse. So hooray for Leap Day!

But don’t take the “nothing on Leap Day counts” mindset that the characters on “30 Rock” embraced in a recent episode. Instead, use the additional 24 hours in 2012 to plan your next career and education step. Here are some ways to make the most of these extra moments.

• Explore potential career paths. Read about possible career fields on websites, such as the U.S. Department of Labor’s My Next Move and College Surfing’s career write-ups.

• Research hot careers and salaries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides job forecasts and reports on professions, so you can see what fields are growing.

• Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses and match them up to career fields that play to your strengths.

• Create an organized way – either on your computer, tablet, smartphone, or in a paper file – to keep all your career and college search information.

• Talk to someone already working in those career fields, through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, industry groups or existing professional connections, to make sure the job potential is there.

• Determine what types of nearby colleges and universities or online degree programs would make it possible for you to advance your knowledge in your existing industry or launch out in a new career field.

• Review your finances (it’s tax time anyway) and determine what type of financial assistance you may need to go back to school, such as scholarships, loans, and grants. See if money put into a college savings plan could help you out as well.

So celebrate Leap Day by taking time to plot out the next step in your career and education journey.

Investing money and time in a college education, especially as an adult learner, needs to come with a payoff. There’s obviously the personal satisfaction of finally having that hard-earned college degree. And yes, you want to choose a career you love. That career, though, can be even more valuable when it is in a field with available jobs that pay well. That’s why researching wages and unemployment rates can be critical you’re considering career choices and college degrees.

Median earnings among recent college graduates vary from $30,000 in the arts, psychology, and social work to $55,000 among engineering majors, according to a January 2012 report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

Unemployment has started to come down but rates remain high, at 8.9 percent for recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees. But you’re still better off with a college degree than with a high school diploma, where unemployment is at a “catastrophic” 22.9 percent, according to the report “Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal.” Here’s another telling fact from the report:

“More than 60 percent of these recent college graduates who are working have landed in the healthcare, professional contracting businesses, or education sectors.”

So what majors have the highest and lowest unemployment rates among recent grads? The study says …

Highest

Architecture: 13.9 percent

Arts: 11.1 percent

Humanities and liberal arts: 9.4 percent

Social science: 8.9 percent

Computers and mathematics: 8.2 percent

Law and public policy: 8.1 percent

Lowest

Healthcare and education: 5.4 percent each

Agricultural and natural resources: 7 percent

Psychology and social work: 7.3 percent

Communications and journalism: 7.3 percent

Business: 7.4

Engineering: 7.5

Life and physical sciences: 7.7 percent

How do these stats impact your thoughts about career fields and degrees? Let us know in the comments section below.

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