Career Information for a Chef's Degree or Certification

If you can express your creativity through food, and if you have an exceptionally discerning palate, you might succeed in a Chef's Degree or Certification program. People who have completed this program may be qualified to enter the following career fields: cook, pastry chef, and caterer.

For some, cooking is a chore; for others, cooking is a chance to make art in the form of food. Standing on your feet for long hours in a hot kitchen is not for everyone. But, if you have the passion, you will find working as a chef a rewarding profession. In this program, you can expect to spend anywhere from fifteen to forty hours a week in the kitchen on top of other course work; in addition, you need to be prepared to work as a team that often reports to a kitchen at 6am. In this major, you will find you have to be thick-skinned to take criticism from teachers and other students. But as long as you have a passion for food and a desire to please others, you will Certification may be qualified to enter the following career fields: cook, pastry chef, and caterer.

Cook

Cooks season and prepare a wider variety of foods ranging from salads, soups, entrees, appetizers, and desserts. Working for restaurants, catering firms, schools, and offices, they specialize in providing large quantities of food to groups of people. According to a 2002 study by the U.S. Department of Labor, there were over 3 million jobs for cooks and other food workers-mostly in restaurants and other food establishments. According to that same study, jobs will be plentiful for the next 8 years, but interested applicants should be aware that competition is quite high at the more lucrative establishments. Earning a degree in culinary arts or culinary science is an effective way to increase one's job prospects. Exact earnings vary dramatically, depending on the area you work in.

Pastry chefs

Under the food preparation category, pastry chefs are professional bakers who provide desserts and breads for restaurants, supermarkets, food establishments and general pastry shops. They tend to work normal hours (except during holiday seasons), and enjoy flexibility and creativity. According to the Career Education Advisor, overall employment will increase, because of the growing number of bakeries, specialty stores, and consumer interest. According to this same study, pastry chefs' incomes are quite varied depending on region, specialty, clientele and experience. In 2000, the median salary was about $20,000. Most chefs earned between $15,000 and $25,000, with the richest earning over $30,000. Earning a degree in culinary arts or culinary science will probably place applicants in the upper income bracket.

Caterer

Catering is a fun job for those with skills in hospitality and customer service. The job allows you to often work on your own hours, and out of your own home. There are catering services you can work for, but many prefer to freelance. The sky is the limit in this job, and you may find yourself preparing for huge banquets, wedding services, and even personal dinners for two. You must be willing to deal with time crunches, picky customers, and be able to come up with back up plans in case things go wrong at the last minute.

For more Career Information for a Chef's Degree or Certification, or for related programs, visit the US Bureau of Labor, www.bls.gov, or College Board, www.collegeboard.com.

Online Graduate Schools: What You Should Look For in an Online Grad School

Would you like to pursue a postgraduate degree, but you do not have the time to attend classes at a college or university? Many graduate degrees can be obtained online these days, but you need to ask some questions before you pick a program.

So you'd like to earn a master's degree? In the past you'd often have to quit your job in order to do this, and in some circumstances even relocate to the site of the college or university where you planned to study. These days, however, there is a cheaper, simpler option - you can pursue a graduate degree online! Before you enroll in the first degree program you find, though, there are a few factors you need to consider.

Is the program accredited?

Always look for accreditation - regional accreditation is fine in some cases, but certain professional degree programs require additional certification - if you plan to sit for the bar, you'll have to make sure your law degree is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) . Likewise, a degree in library science will be much more likely to land you a job if your program has been accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).

Does the program require any resident time?

Some online programs nevertheless require a certain amount of time spent on site at the college or university - this time can range from a few days per year to a number of weeks or even months (usually during the summer). Be sure you can commit to the time and travel involved before choosing such a program.

What is the cost of the program compared to similar online programs?

Online degrees are not necessarily inexpensive, and can cost as much as the tuition were you to attend classes on site. The savings to you comes in the fact that many classes are scheduled during night and weekend hours, permitting you to keep your day job, and of course there are no commuting costs, nor do you have to relocate. This being said, the fact that you are not limited by geography as a factor may allow you to choose between a wider range of programs, some of which may be less costly than others. If you find a program which is much, much cheaper than all other similar programs, though, beware - and check carefully into the cause of the lower price. Do they save on faculty salaries by having less-qualified instructors do online teaching? Or is the program in some way subsidized by a grant, in which case the lower price might be entirely legitimate? Just do your homework - before as well as after you enroll in a graduate degree program!

The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative

BOARDS & COMMISSIONS

Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative

May 2006

"Highly skilled teachers are the key to closing the achievement gap and leaving no child behind. The U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is helping teachers strengthen their skills by increasing their opportunities to engage in frequent professional development."

— U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative helps teachers to improve student achievement by supporting their professional development.

• Research confirms that teachers are the single most important factor in raising student achievement. Highly qualified teachers can maximize every child's potential to meet high academic standards. Good teachers are essential to closing the achievement gap and ensuring that no child is left behind.
• The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative was created by teachers for teachers. It provides support for teachers, including convenient access to free professional development activities. It keeps teachers informed in areas of vital importance and honors teachers for their hard work and dedication.
• The Initiative reaches out to States and school districts so that teachers will have the opportunity to receive credit toward professional development requirements.
• The Initiative offers help anytime, anywhere through free online digital workshops, an e-Learning website and popular Teacher-to-Teacher workshops held in cities from coast to coast.
• The Initiative honors teachers for their hard work and dedication through the American Stars of Teaching award program.

The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is working and being expanded so more teachers can take advantage.

• The Initiative had helped more than 300,000 teachers learn effective strategies for raising student achievement—and is expected to reach the teachers of more than one million students this year.
• Today, all 50 states and the District of Columbia grant professional development credit for Teacher-to-Teacher participation.
• The Initiative is offering 14 free summer workshops for teachers in all content areas in cities across the country during summer 2006.
• The Initiative offers 32 online professional development courses through e-Learning.
• Teacher-to-Teacher is partnering with TechNet, a group of technology companies, to create urban teacher workshops focusing on math, science and technology.

The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is engaging the nation's best teachers and principals to share strategies for raising student achievement.

• Teacher Training Corps: The Corps is made up of classroom teachers and practitioners from across the country experienced in scientifically based instruction. Corps members host regional workshops and provide onsite on-site technical assistance, e-mail mentoring, webcasts and personal follow-up visits to other educators sharing the strategies that have worked in their own classrooms and schools.
• Teacher Workshops: After an overwhelmingly positive response the past two summers, Teacher-to-Teacher has expanded the number of summer workshops offered in 2006 to 14 total workshops. Sessions will feature prominent teachers and principals sharing research-based practices they have successfully applied in the classroom. Topics included research-based professional development, effective use of data, and teaching strategies to reach all students. Reading, mathematics, science, history, foreign language and the arts will be among the subjects covered.
• e-Learning: Designed for both teachers and principals, e-Learning models successful classroom teaching strategies and supports mastery of academic content, combined with classroom application, follow-up activities and an online assessment. It's simple: Access the website (www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative), enroll, complete the course, take an assessment, complete the follow-up activities, and incorporate what you learn in the classroom. Principals may use an implementation rubric developed for each session. Sessions are from the recent highly successful Teacher-to-Teacher summer and fall workshops.
• Teacher Updates: Teachers may receive electronic updates from the U.S. Department of Education by signing up at www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative. These short "e-bytes" address topics including federal policy and opportunities for teachers and provide links to classroom teaching and learning aides.
• Teacher Roundtables: The Department has hosted teacher roundtables on various topics so Department officials could listen to and interact with teachers.
• American Stars of Teaching: American Stars of Teaching honors teachers who are improving student achievement, using innovative strategies to reach students and making a difference in their lives. Candidates may be nominated by anyone—parents, principals, school officials or former students. Nearly 4,000 nominations were received this year and names of the 2006 awardees will be posted in the fall. To learn more about American Stars or to nominate a teacher, go to http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/american-stars.html.
• "Teachers Ask the Secretary": This easy-to-use interactive feature (http://www.ed.gov/teachersask) allows teachers to ask questions of the Secretary of Education and learn answers on a wide range of issues: teacher quality, professional development, state academic standards and more. The page will be regularly updated to include as many topics as possible.

Call 1(888) 814-6252 or visit www.nclb.gov for more information on No Child Left Behind.

Benefits of Online Degrees From Accredited Online Colleges & Universities

By Nancy Lambert

Little or No Commuting

Accredited online college degrees require little or no commuting, saving you time and money! Less time in your car means less gas burned and less care maintenance.

Complete Course Work at Your Convenience

Accredited online college degrees allow you to complete your course work when it is convenient for you. Just think - you can do your course work where and when you want to - whether it's during the day or in the middle of the night!

Save in Childcare Costs

Accredited online college degrees allow you to work from home, providing a tremendous savings in childcare costs!

Learning at Your Own Pace and Style

Accredited online college degrees are "learner centered". This means that you set the pace, sequencing, and style of learning according to what works best for you!

Easy Access to Learning Resources

Accredited online college degrees offer easy access to a full range of learning resources. Your Teachers, other students, and the library are only a click away!

Advanced Degrees Lead to Increased Salaries

Accredited online college degrees allow you to obtain advanced degrees that can lead to increased career salaries!

No Physical Accessibility Issues

Accredited online college degrees remove the issues surrounding building accessibility and the comfort (or should we say discomfort) of classroom chairs and heating or cooling!

Provides for Total Equality

Accredited online college degrees are great equalizers. You will work with fellow class members without regard for appearance, race, sex, ethnicity, or other common prejudices!

Broadens Your Overall Perspective

Accredited online college degrees allow you to broaden your perspective by interacting with people from other parts of the world!

Teaches Project Management Skills

Accredited online college degrees naturally help to teach you project management and distance collaboration skills. These skills will help you in your professional life by teaching you how to work on virtual teams within your own company!

Nancy Lambert is an executive for Accredited-Online-Colleges.com provides information on hundreds of degrees offered online through accredited colleges and universities. From online certificates to Associates, Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees, Accredited-Online-Colleges.com helps students and adults discover the advantages of earning their degree online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Lambert

The Fraud of Purchasing Online Degrees

By: Daniel Harrison

Last month I wrote a piece titled “The MBA Conundrum” which has subsequently appeared on more websites than I have the time or patience to continually check up but most of which are ironically disguises for cheap marketing operations for purchasable “Online MBA’s” using genuine articles on genuine MBA program to give the impression of authenticity.

Whether purchasing an online degree is technically fraud or just a misleading con is currently the subject of intense debate, but one thing is for certain: if it doesn’t defraud an unsuspecting employer looking to hire on the basis of academic qualification, it certainly defrauds the purchaser of the online degree.

In the midst of the current workload of my MBA program at the BI in Oslo, there has been some considerable complaint from some of my contemporaries that it is difficult to actually “learn” anything when one is being required to read and write far beyond what appears to be a rational schedule. To this criticism, the Harvard educated teacher of our Strategy class responded last week that although it seems as if there is no actual process of “learning” taking place, there is actually far more than if courses were just structured in a steady, leisurely format with plenty of time for analysis and interpretation of every assignment. “I don’t mean to be unsympathetic,” she announced to a belligerent ochlocracy, “but this is the way it ‘goes in’ best”.

As much as I am reluctant to admit it right now, sitting up at two in the morning between three unfinished assignments, there is a degree of truth to what the Professor says, and it is the same degree of truth that separates purchasing a title and actually earning.

In another class last week, an interesting discussion concerning the epistemology of Plato’s phrase “Know Thyself” came up when I mentioned that the truer interpretation of the Greek, “γνωθι σεαυτον” was probably “learning how to be oneself”. The subject came up as a result of Jim Collins’ attribution of the quote in his management bestseller “Good To Great”, which charts the development of organizations that have consistently returned successful results over a fifteen year period and have at one point made a gigantic leap without using the dubious artificial processes of stock manipulation or creative accounting.

What makes for a great degree is much the same as what makes for a great organization: the process of discovering oneself within the structure of the current climate. Purchasing an online degree is akin to bolstering the balance sheet of a company through illegal means – such as Enron, Worldcom and numerous others in the competitive market climate of the turn of the century: while there may be some fantastic short-term benefits, the consequence can only ultimately end in tears.

The confusion comes from people’s inability to distinguish between success and experience. Success is what comes out of experience, which is ultimately, what leading a full, complete existence is about, whether one ends up with an MBA, a PhD, or host of stories which make for fascinating telling. It is a sad fact that a competitive society spawns such vagrant hoaxes in the infrastructure, for, predictably enough, it is not the hoaxers who end up missing out – they usually pay penance and end up cashing in again at some point - but those who are hoaxed.

Read Daniel M. Harrison's blog at http://danielmarkharrison.blogs.com. Exciting stylish and controversial

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