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By now, most people have heard that the average national unemployment rate has fallen from close to 9.0% to 8.6%—the lowest in almost three years. While this may be cause for celebration, a closer inspection of other statistical findings is necessary to get a real picture of American unemployment (notwithstanding the fact that unemployment rates for African Americans and Hispanics are in double digits).

The source of these revealing stats was an article by Phyllis Korkki published in the New York Times this past New Year’s Day entitled “The Year of the Multitaskers’ Revenge” According to Ms. Korkki, while the overall unemployment rate is 8.6%, the jobless rate for persons who earned a college degree is 4.4% while the rate for those with a high school diploma is 8.8%. The unemployment rate for those individuals who did not graduate from high school is a staggering 13.2%. However, a more troubling statistic offered by Ms. Korkki is that less than 30% of United States population of 25 years or older has a bachelors or higher degree. To make matters worse, 30% of jobless Americans have been unemployed for a year or more.

Ms. Korrki contends that large groups of American will continue to be unemployed or underemployed unless more training and educational opportunities become available to the public. Further she asserts that if the long term unemployed do not get some government help than this groups risks falling so far behind that it will never be able to catch up.

Most analysts predict that unemployment rates in the US will remain high for five years or more. Like Korkki, I believe that the only way to reduce unemployment among non-college graduates is to fund programs that are designed to retrain workers for jobs in emerging technologies. Further, bringing manufacturing jobs from overseas back to the US will also help!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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It is no secret that recent college graduates are having a tough time finding work. However, not all college majors are created equal and the unemployment rates among different disciplines are likely to vary. To answer this question, a group of researchers at the Georgetown Center on Education and Workforce analyzed employment data for recent college graduates from an in-depth US census study entitled the American Community Survey conducted in 2009 and 2010. In the study, recent college grades were defined as workers (with college degrees of course) between ages 22 and 26.

The results of the study are shown in the graph below.

The data clearly show that among recent college grads, those who studied architecture have the highest unemployment rate at 13.9%. This finding was not that surprisingly given that the collapse of the housing and construction markets were mainly responsible for the ongoing recession that began in 2007. 

Unemployment rates were lowest among college graduates with training in education and healthcare. Again, these results are not that start. Again, these results were not startling because the US population continues to age (healthcare-related jobs) and the number of school-aged children skyrocketed in the past 20 years (education jobs).

Interestingly, the unemployment rate among engineering graduate, 7.4% is relatively high despite the fact that HR and employment experts contend that there is a shortage of engineers in the US.

Finally, unemployment rates among graduates with art degrees and those who possess degrees in the humanities and liberal art are still very high at 11.1% and 9.4% respectively. That said, maybe getting that MS or PhD degree in the life sciences was not such a bad idea after all!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

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I mistakenly received the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) rather than the NY Times today and while I think that the WSJ is a great example of unabashedly biased journalism, there was an article in the publication about today’s job market that contained some interesting statistics.

The article entitled “Gloom Widespread As College Grads Face New Math” offered the following:

• Unemployment among college graduates is 4.2% vs. 9.7% for high school grads
• Eighty percent of recently-polled white male college grads believe the economy is heading in the wrong direction
• Wages for employees with four-year college degrees fell 8.6% between 2000 and 2010
• The unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 10.7% as compared with an overall unemployment rate of approximately 9.1%
• More than 14% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 (ca. 5.9 million) are living with their parent and nearly 25% of them have college degrees

These are pretty sobering facts about the job market in the one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Is it any wonder why the Occupy Wall Street movement is gaining traction among American college age youths?   As recommended by the article’s author it may be time for Americans to follow the advice of the actor Peter Finch (Howard Beale) in the satirical 1976 movie Network

"I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs... And go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out and yell, ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!"

If you truly feel like doing this maybe you ought to find your way down to the Occupy Wall Street protest!!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Created by: Online PhD

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The job market is rough, and many in the field of science, whether they are a chemist or a biologist, are having difficulty obtaining a position. Unless you want a low-paying tech or lab position there isn't much currently available, especially if you don't have an advanced degree. However, many recent college graduates are beginning to find that taking a few online courses can greatly increase their odds of being hired.

For years, online colleges carried poor reputations, but that stigma is rapidly fading. As current professionals are having to obtain additional education on limited schedules, and the internet as a source of knowledge is becoming more trusted, a degree obtained from an accredited online college is now viewed by much of the population as being just as viable as one received from a traditional university.

Employers no longer scowl at online degrees either. In fact, many are beginning to believe that those who obtain degrees online, or those who simply add to their education by taking a few courses, may actually be more valuable than traditionally educated individuals. Seeking additional education online may actually make you more enticing as a job applicant because managing your own education says multiple things about your character.

The Educational Benefit

The main reason why anyone seeks out additional education is to obtain the skill set they need to succeed. By taking online courses you will gain more knowledge of your industry which will make you a more appealing candidate for employers. You will have a more well-rounded understanding of your field, and by taking the classes may secure the additional education needed to look better than another deserving candidate.

The Personal Benefit

Struggling to find a job is no easy task, and at times it can be really rough on your self esteem. By pursuing additional education, you are able to achieve personal goals, and gain greater confidence in your knowledge and abilities. Having both of these attributes will make employers more likely to hire you. Plus, taking the additional courses will keep your mind fresh and will also keep your occupied and focus during your down time.

The Professional Benefit

From an employer's perspective, those who are willing to manage their education on their own are self-starters. They are motivated individuals who now how to set goals and obtain them. Online classes aren't like typical on-campus classes, and require students to remain focused on the tasks at hand. There is no one there to remind them of due dates and constant assignments. Employers know this, and know that anyone capable of getting good grades or a degree from an online university is a driven and organized person, which is what many employers are looking for.

The job market it tough, but your college degree isn't to blame for your lack of employment. Thousands of people have lost their jobs or are struggling to find position all over the United States, and the poor economy isn't helping. The fact of the matter is that the lacking economy has made it hard for anyone to find a job whether they are a biologist like you or a math teacher.

However, all hope is not lost. There are still plenty of well paying positions in the biological field, and you can still find one in one of the various public and private firms that are still hiring. Just keep in mind that there are hundreds of others seeking the same position you are. To get ahead you simply have to be more competitive and make yourself more enticing to employers, and increasing your knowledge by taking online college courses may be the first step in the right direction. 

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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For the past two decade or so, government officials, business executives and many education “thought leaders” have publicly lamented the deteriorating quality of the American educational system. While K-12 educators and administrators have unduly taken much of the heat for our educational shortcomings, the real problem may lie with the quality of undergraduate education in America. To wit, while a growing percentage of  American high school students are attending college, many of today’s college graduates today are noticeable deficient in communication skills and, perhaps more importantly, in their problem solving abilities. And, unfortunately, this troubling trend is beginning to takes its toll in life sciences graduate programs where a growing number of life sciences PhDs are great technicians but fail miserably as independent science investigators. This is because colleges and university administrators and faculty members are driven more by financial considerations as compared with their obligations as teachers, educators and mentors. Put simply, despite their non-profit status, many colleges and universities act like “for profit” companies where, in many cases, financial gains are more important than the products that they produce! 

With this in mind, Richard Arum, a professor of sociology and education at New York University and Josipa Roksa an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Virginia detail the decline of the American undergraduate education experience in a book entitled “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.”  While I have read the book, I did read an extremely revealing and troubling article that the authors penned in this past Sunday’s New Times Opinion section entitled “Your So-Called Education.” 

In the articles, Arum and Roksa describe their findings from a four-year long study in which they followed the progress of several thousand students in more than two dozen diverse colleges and universities. Students were evaluated by taking the Collegiate Learning Assessment test (an officially recognized academic assessment tool). Based on their research a whopping 45 percent of students after two years and 36 percent after four years showed no improvement in learning. Their conclusions:

“Large numbers of the students were making their way through college with minimal exposure to rigorous coursework, only a modest investment of effort and little or no meaningful improvement in skills like writing and reasoning.”

In the past, high school teachers and even the students themselves would have been blamed for their pitiful lack of academic progress. However, Arum and Roksa contend that the problems do not lie not with the students but with college presidents, administrators and in many cases faculty members. For example, the authors note that:

“While some colleges are starved for resources, for many others it’s not for lack of money. Even at those colleges where for the past several decades tuition has far outpaced the rate of inflation, students are taught by fewer full-time tenured faculty members while being looked after by a greatly expanded number of counselors who serve an array of social and personal needs. At the same time, many schools are investing in deluxe dormitory rooms, elaborate student centers and expensive gyms. Simply put: academic investments are a lower priority.”

Perhaps even more troubling the authors contend that:

“The authority of educators has diminished, and students are increasingly thought of, by themselves and their colleges, as “clients” or “consumers.” When 18-year-olds are emboldened to see themselves in this manner, many look for ways to attain an educational credential effortlessly and comfortably. And they are catered to accordingly. The customer is always right.”

Finally, a change in federal student loan legislation has contributed to the problem:

“The funds from Pell Grants and subsidized loans, by being assigned to students to spend on academic institutions they have chosen rather than being packaged as institutional grants for colleges to dispense, have empowered students — for good but also for ill. And expanded privacy protections have created obstacles for colleges in providing information on student performance to parents, undercutting a traditional check on student lassitude.”

Although the authors provide a couple of “self help” ideas to begin to address the problem, in my opinion, the only effective solution is to place higher academic standards and demands on undergraduate students and a greater premium on learning as compared with student convenience and satisfaction. Like it or not, the notion that the “customer is always right” should have no place at institutions of higher learning.  Finally, college and university administrators must seriously reconsider what the REAL mission of their institutions is: to place learning ahead of financial gain.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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Twitter was largely ignored by college-age students after it was introduced over three years ago. At that time, Facebook was on the rise and texting appeared to be sufficient to meet the needs of much college students. Nevertheless, over the past year or so, university researchers have begun to assess Twitter as an education tool in addition to the role it has played in shaping today’s social media usage. 

According to a recent study published in the Computer Assisted Learning, Twitter can apparently bolster student interest and engagement and grade-point average. The study followed 125 undergraduate health studies majors at a public mid-sized US university. Half of the students used Twitter whereas the other half (control) group did not. The results of the study showed that Twitter users had an average GPA half a point higher than their non-tweeting counterparts. Also, the tweeting cohort more frequently participated in class and sought out their professors to discuss course material outside of class. 

Tweeters mentioned that Twitter was a less intimidating means to express themselves in large classes. In other words, Twitter was a less anxiety ridden means to ask questions during lecture. And, perhaps more importantly, Twitter users had much greater access to instructors outside of class. Also, instructors we able to send out tweets during lectures to keep their students engaged and awake! After all, who doesn’t look at their cell phones when they are vibrating and buzzing?

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Tweeting  

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Sunday marks the beginning of “American Education Week”, the observance which was started back in 1921. It was created by the National Education Association (NEA) and other groups because 25% of World War I draftees were illiterate.

While a lot has change in the US since 1921 and the literacy rate has drastically improved, the quality of the American education system, especially in math and science, continues to be suspect and in many instances is failing its citizens. Much of this failure is rooted in skyrocketing college tuition costs which prevents many Americans access to an adequate post secondary education. 

Most politicians contend that education costs are too high and spending on education must be capped. However a quick look at some facts (provided by an article in USA Today written by its founder Al Neuharth) paints a much different picture

• Families are spending an average of $64 billion annually to send 13.9 million students to public colleges and universities
• For the past 10 years, the US has spent $1.1 trillion per year on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; an annual average of more than $110 billion

As Mr. Neuharth aptly points out: $64 billion annually for higher education versus $110 billion per year for wars!

Is it any wonder that American students continue to lag in science and math preparedness as compared with much smaller countries where higher education is free or heavily subsidized by their respective governments? Think about this the next time you hear politicians and conservative talk show hosts about America’s dwindling competitiveness in math and science.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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I have tried to steer clear of the Facebook frenzy mainly because I don’t like the platform (it is too unwieldy) and frankly, pretty boring. I would be lying if I said I don’t have several accounts and regularly use it to advertise some of my own entrepreneurial ventures. After all, how can 500,000 million users be wrong? 

However, with the release of the movie The Social Network and Mark Zuckerberg’s recent foray into saving Newark, NJ and secondary education, it is getting difficult to avoid entering the fracas (not to mention that it is good for SEO).

While the popularity of Facebook continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly difficult for new and even long time users for figure out how to successfully use the platform. To overcome the difficulties and complexities of Facebook, the folks over at CollegeCrunch.org posted an article to help college students (and others) makes Facebook “less annoying” to use. 

I find this extremely ironic, since college students were the first Facebook users and mainly responsible for its meteoric rise in social media circles! 

10 Ways to Make Facebook Less Annoying 

While Facebook has grown and evolved a whole lot from when it first was created, it seems as though it also seems to be losing some popularity. People who have had Facebook for years have noticed the drastic changes and numerous page layouts and defaults that have changed Facebook in recent years. The following changes could help Facebook turn around its image and be a little less annoying:

1. Friend requests procedure
Unless you have some major privacy settings set on your account, it's fairly easy for anyone you know- or don't know for that matter, to send you a friend request on Facebook. The problem arises when you don't know or care to be friends with that person and you ignore their request. You can then be bombarded by repeated attempts which can be annoying and creepy. Making it impossible for someone to send you a friend request once you have denied them, would make the Facebook procedure a lot less annoying. 

2. College students only
When Facebook first started, only college students and staff were able to join and create profiles. Facebook required you to have some type of university administered email that had to be verified before users could join. Now that just anyone can join, it allows all sorts of people you don't want to be friends with send you friend requests. When you start getting friend requests from your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and then people you don't even know you begin to wish Facebook went back to just letting university students and staff in on the network.

3. Limit status updates
Everyone has someone on their Facebook that updates their status and informs you of every step along the way in their day. Not only can documenting their day on Facebook become extremely annoying, it's also an open door for other people to know where you are and what you are doing. We don't really need to know who's eating what and with whom, who's fighting with their significant other and how drunk someone is, it's best to limit the amount of times a person could update their status a day- it would be a lot less annoying and probably stop a lot of people from yelling at their computer screens or phones. 

4. Eliminate Farmville
While Farmville and other games on Facebook seem to have plenty of followers, the people that don't play these games shouldn't have to be subjected to constantly view their progress in the game. A group has even been started on Facebook that invites discussion and provides info for those that hate games entitled "I don't care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia!!!" That group alone has over 6 million members, and is a sign that the elimination of that game and many others would make a lot of people on Facebook less annoyed. 

5. The layout wasn't changed so often
If you've been a user with Facebook over the last several years you'll know that the layout is changed quite frequently. It seems as though just as you are getting used to the current layout, it is changed again and you are left wondering how to navigate through things and don't know where to find certain settings, applications, and general things on your home page or profile. Plenty of Facebook users find this extremely annoying, as sometimes it takes days to figure out and get used to the new layout, for it only to be changed and relearned in a couple of months.

6. Easier and more understandable privacy and account settings
It seems that anytime you are trying to customize or change privacy or account settings, its not very easy to navigate through. It would help a great deal if the privacy settings were clear enough to where you do not have to individually manage settings and type in every single person's name in your blocked or not blocked lists. It seems as though anytime you want to change something in your privacy settings, it's going to take a while, and that can be very annoying.

7. Categorize picture tagging
As if picture tagging wasn't a chore in itself, the fact pictures can not be tagged in separate groups can be very annoying. Since most of us on Facebook like to limit our profiles from certain friends, coworkers, or family members, it's kind of annoying that you can't also group and tag your photos in some way so that they can be under different categories. That would save a lot of time and frustration when uploading and tagging pictures.

8. Block applications, event invitations, etc.
We've all been all that point when our notifications are nothing but event invitations, invitations to join a certain cause, or to join a certain group. If you are one of the ones that finds this annoying, you can modify your settings so that you don't receive a notification whenever you receive one. It would probably just be less annoying to be able to block all invitations in general, because even if you modify your notifications, the events and invitations will still show up on your home page.

9. Don't accept just anyone
While some people feel bad denying friend requests with people they don't know or would just not rather catch up with, being choosy with who you decide to accept as a friend is pretty important. Accepting someone just because you don't want to feel bad or don't want them to keep requesting you is going to annoy you more when you can't stand to see their walls, status updates, and photo albums. So, keep it easier on yourself and don't accept people you'd rather not having anything to do with.

10. Delete your account
If you really are at the breaking point with Facebook and find yourself so annoyed with it all the time, there are two options. You can either limit the amount of times you login per week so that you dont have to be bothered and annoyed by people's pictures, updates, and wall posts, or you can delete your account all together and never worry about Facebook annoying you again.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Following!!!!!!!

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Those of you who may be old enough to recognize the slogan “We’ve come a long way baby” ought to consider reading the list below about the things that the majority of today’s 18 year olds (college freshman) have never done. The reason why I think that the list is important is because we educators (most of whom are baby boomers and increasingly Gen Xers) grew up in a different world than the Millennials aka Gen Y. 

Like it or not, these differences must be taken into consideration when devising strategies on how to teach these students! What may have worked for you or me, may no longer be the best way to teach this and future generations of students.

The article was sent to me by a representative at matchacollege.com.

10 Things the Class of 2014 Hasn’t Experienced

Below is a list of the 10 things the class of 2014 hasn’t experienced, or more accurately, the 10 things a majority of 18-year-olds haven’t experienced firsthand.

1. A world without the internet
   Not only do new college students not know a world without the internet, but many also haven’t endured the screaming modem connecting through a telephone landline. A dropped connection or the fear of it limited your enjoyment and inhibited you from accomplishing much. But as the internet has evolved, connections have become faster and almost everything has become available with the click of a mouse. Teenagers are able to sign up for SATs, apply for college, apply for financial aid, select their classes, find a dorm, find a roommate and join a club all before they set foot on campus. The legwork that came with making such a life transition two decades ago has been eliminated.
2. Consistent email correspondences
   It’s tragically unhip to use an email for anything other than formal correspondence. It has become an archaic form of internet communication and it has been supplanted by social networking sites. Email is rarely used to facilitate conversations by young people because it’s too slow and too impersonal. Instead, it’s used for formal messages with bosses and professors, and as a tool for signing up for websites.
3. Life without cell phones
   College freshmen now are connected to their friends every minute of every day thanks to their smartphones. They can maintain constant contact with each other by texting and Facebooking – the latter of which has made high school reunions less anticipated because graduates from the last several years already know what their classmates are doing with their lives. Many college students have never used a payphone, which was the main communication device to use when you were out and about in years past, though you couldn’t make the call if you didn’t remember the number.
4. Cameras with film
   The class of 2014 will be taking plenty of pictures in the coming years, capturing the memorable and not-so-memorable moments that occur during college. But before the advent of Facebook, when picture-taking was less of a priority to young people, a camera was only as good as the film that accompanied it. There was no immediate gratification after taking a round of photos because you couldn’t upload them onto your computer. Instead, you dropped the roll off at the drugstore and waited until the photos were developed – it was the only way you would see the photos.
5. Using a paper map
   Now, commuters are less likely to get lost with the presence of a GPS. The only time a paper map is unfolded, trial and error is used or verbal directions are requested during a trip is when the GPS hasn’t been updated in a while, and it steers you to an empty field. So when students from the class of 2014 embark on their first college roadtrips, the absence of wrong turns and unexpected detours will result in more time to have fun.
6. Driving manual transmission cars
   Although cars with manual transmissions are still manufactured, few young people bother to learn how to drive them. The phase-out began a couple of decades ago, but for a while, many parents took it upon themselves to teach their kids how to drive a stick shift because it was still considered a useful skill. Cars with manual transmissions are usually cheaper, and car enthusiasts will tell you they’re more fun to drive. But driving has become a chore, and young and old people alike prefer to keep it as easy as possible.
7. Thumbing through an encyclopedia, dictionary or thesaurus
   The time-consuming activity of thumbing through an encyclopedia, dictionary or thesaurus made research papers a dreaded part of the college experience during the pre-internet era. It was a given that you would spend hours upon hours in the library, and if you didn’t, your GPA would suffer. For home use, Encyclopedia Britannica and Webster’s Dictionary were reliable options. Now, definitions can be easily found by googling the term, and Wikipedia has become an informal source of information despite its inaccuracy. Library time is spent surfing the internet, unless a professor gives an assignment that requires for certain books to be cited.
8. Returning videotapes
   Through the ’80s and ’90s, college students would spend late nights perusing the aisles of video stores, looking for the latest and greatest hits to view during their downtime. It was imperative they returned the videotapes in a timely manner; otherwise they would face late fees, which would put a dent their nearly empty bank accounts. And, of course, the tapes had to be rewound. Students today use torrents and sites like Netflix, and they never have to leave their dorm suites.
9. Cash only
   No longer are trips to the ATM a necessary weekly occurrence. There are very few situations in which cash is needed, so few people carry bills in their wallets. Everyone with a bank account owns a debit card, so wads of cash aren’t needed by college students for activities like barhopping. Instead, they use their debit cards for everything, including bar tabs, which grow as more beer and shots are downed, causing future meals to be sacrificed due to the limited funds that remain.
10. Reliance on a wristwatch
    Cell phones have ensured that people no longer uses wristwatches for time-telling purposes. Watches are no different than any piece of jewelry – they’re aesthetically-pleasing items that are worn fashionably. But it doesn’t seem to be a trend for 18-year-olds to own one, and with their cell phones always in their palms, they always know the time.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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There was an illuminating review today in the New York Times of a new book entitled “Higher Education? How Colleges are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids-and What We Can Do About it.” Its authors are two longtime faculty members Andrew Hacker (tenured professor) and Claudia Dreifus (a freelance writer and adjunct instructor).

While I haven’t read the book, some of the problems with higher education asserted by the authors (and mentioned in the review) are consistent with my observations and experience. For example the review mentions that:

“Mr. Hacker and Ms. Dreifus list a host of crimes, or at least flaws in the system, some in the control of universities and others built into the external political, cultural or economic environment, or indeed into human nature. These include the narrow self-interestedness of academic departments; the greed of faculty members and administrators alike; the near-universal hypertrophy of “the athletics incubus”; unfunded government mandates; lifetime employment for pampered professors (thanks to the combination of tenure and Congressional abolition of mandatory retirement); and the demands of students and their parents for frivolous extras (driving what the authors call “the amenities arms race”).

The authors raise interesting questions about tenure and its alternatives. Like many critics of tenure, though, they have a keen eye for abuses of power but are remarkably sanguine about the capacity of the First Amendment to shield scholars from pressure exerted by those with the power to fire them.

The authors’ deepest scorn is reserved for the claim that good teaching depends on research, and their most extreme proposal is that universities drastically reduce the amount of research they support, by “spinning off” medical schools and research centers, discontinuing paid sabbaticals and abolishing the current system of promotion and tenure, a system that tends to reward research productivity more than effective teaching.”

While I tend agree that the emphasis on research, the pressure to publish and obtain extramural funding has had a negative impact on teaching, I disagree that teaching isn’t positively impacted by faculty members who are actively involved in scholarly research-what a conundrum!

Nevertheless, this book written by two long-time academicians provides compelling arguments for abolition of tenure and the need to improve teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (try teaching)!!!!!!!!!!

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A recent study conducted by University of California San Diego Extension ranks careers in the health and life sciences fields at the top for recent college graduates. Sandy Bloom of GreatDegree.com recently wrote an article (see below) that provides insights and tips on how recent college graduate may be able to “snag” one of these up and coming hot jobs!

Hot Careers for College Graduates in 2010

By Sandy Bloom

For college graduates, landing a first job can be daunting, especially in hard economic times. But a recent report released by UC San Diego Extension, “Hot Careers for College Graduates in 2010,” shows that for certain career paths, finding a job may be easier than you think.

Nearly half of the top careers listed in the study stem from the health and bio fields, including the areas of health information technology and health law.

After earning a health degree or online biology degree, you can soon be working in one of these hot jobs, too.  Here’s how:

Health Information Technology

The report ranks careers in health information technology at the top because physicians and hospitals must update their medical records systems to be completely electronic in the coming years. Health information technicians are responsible for organizing these medical records, ensuring the records are accurate and complete, and updating the patients’ files electronically. According to the Department of Labor, employment of medical records and health information technicians is expected to increase by 20 percent over the next eight years.

Those looking to work in this high-demand profession should earn an associate’s degree with coursework in health information. Most employers prefer hiring credentialed medical record and health information technicians who have passed a credentialing exam. Experienced medical records and health information technicians advance their careers by earning bachelor’s or master’s degrees in biology, math, chemistry, health, and computer science.

Clinical Trials Design and Management For Oncology

The second ranked “hottest” career is clinical trial managers, specifically for cancer drugs. According to the report, “as the population ages, diseases are becoming more prevalent” and cures for those diseases are in demand. Clinical trial managers must oversee researchers who dedicate years to researching and testing before getting experimental drugs approved and brought to the market.

To become a clinical trial manager, you should earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, or another life science. Then, receive a post-baccalaureate certificate to be certified by the Academy of Clinical Research Professions. Those working toward this in-demand career should partake in observation study courses or internships to observe a clinical trial in progress. Lastly, sign up to take online computer science courses to become familiar with Clinical Trial Management Systems.

Geriatric Health Care

According to last census in 2000, some 14 million seniors ages 65 and older report some level of disability that needs extra care. That means there is a huge demand for elder care professionals such as nurses, doctors, and nursing care professionals specializing in geriatric health care. In addition, because of the increasing incidence of mental illness among the aging, there is also a high demand for psychology professionals trained to treat older patients.

Training to be a nurse, a doctor, or psychiatrist or psychologist requires a bachelor’s degree in science as well as completion of board exams and residencies.

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists (OHSS) analyze work environments to prevent injury by studying trends or patterns of injury and illness. They then suggest policy changes and develop and implement programs to improve conditions or practices that are dangerous. Environmental health and safety officers, ergonomists, health physicists, and industrial hygienists all perform this type of work.

To become an occupational health and safety specialist, you should earn a bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering discipline or a Master’s degree in science or in public health. All specialists must be trained on the law and inspection procedures through classroom and on-the-job training.

Other careers to consider include synthetic biology, regenerative medicine, stem cell research and medical devices including molecular diagnostics.

Hat tip to GreatDegree.com

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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Amy Bishop, a tenure track faculty member of the Biology Department at the University of Alabama-Huntsville shot and killed three faculty members and wounded three others after learning that her appeal of a negative tenure decision was denied. While this incident doesn’t typify the response of faculty members who are denied tenure (subsequent reports suggest that she previously accidentally shot and killed her brother 20 years ago), it illustrates how high the stakes are or (may be perceived) by those aspiring to successful academic careers. 

Based my own experiences, being denied tenure is emotionally debilitating—mostly because of the public humiliation and stigma associated with it. Despite what your friends, loved ones or fellow faculty members say to you to ease the pain, being denied tenure suggests that you weren’t scientifically astute or “smart enough” to be guaranteed a job for life. It doesn’t matter whether or not the decision was fair or that there may have been extenuating personal or political circumstances, the bottom line is that you had your shot (no pun intended)and you simply didn’t have the right stuff to gain membership into the elite club populated by “outstanding scientists.” Put simply, your failure to win tenure has earned you the label of being a “failed scientist.” While nobody will ever utter those words, I can assure you, based on my own experiences that they think it no matter how successful you ultimately may become.

If I sound bitter...well....I am; but not for the reasons that you may suspect (being denied tenure was probably best career move that I was ever forced to make). While being denied tenure at institutions like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia or other elite universities doesn’t mean that you cannot have a successful academic career at lesser institutions, being denied tenure the University of Miami School of Medicine (or the University of Alabama-Huntsville for that matter) almost always means that your academic career is over. This means that after chasing an academic career for most of your professional life, you can longer do what you were trained to do and you must now do something else with your life Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the vast majority of graduate students and postdocs that I have talked with over the past 15 years have given little thought to what that something else may be.

But, don’t be too hard yourself because you have no idea what you next career move may be after the academic career route path is no longer viable. The blame for this conundrum falls squarely on shoulders of the faculty members (mostly tenured) who train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for careers in the life sciences. Despite the fact that only 10 percent of PhD-trained life scientists land tenure track positions after completing their training, graduate programs continue to exclusively focus on academic careers for their graduates and trainees. While I believe that this practice is ill-advised and clearly flies in the face of supply side economics, the steadfast refusal of life sciences graduate programs to develop alternative career tracts within their training programs to accommodate the career needs of a majority of their graduates is especially egregious and odious.

It is not difficult to understand why many tenured faculty members don’t give much thought about future employment prospects for their graduate students and postdocs. After all, they already have jobs that are guaranteed for life and it stands to reason that the careers and employment opportunities for others are not high on their priority lists.  Like it or not, when it comes to employment opportunities and career choices, most graduate students and postdocs are on their own!

It is extremely tragic that three people lost their lives and several others were wounded by a deeply troubled and misguided former tenure track faculty member. It won’t be surprising if certain faculty members dismiss the incident and attribute its horrific nature to a seriously disturbed and deranged person. After all, who in their right mind would do such an awful thing? However, I am certain that the humiliation, outrage and psychological pain experienced by Bishop are fairly common among individual who are denied tenure. Rather than turn her rage inward, she decided to take it out on the people who she thought had destroyed her life.  Maybe this incident will induce graduate programs to consider implementing career development programs that showcase alternate careers beyond the traditional tenure track career path.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Cliff Mintz, BioCrowd co-founder and the mastermind behind BioJobBlog, is featured today in an online article at the Science Careers website entitled “Life After Rejection.” The piece was expertly crafted by Siri Carpenter, PhD a free lance science writer based in Madison, Wisconsin— coincidentally, the institution that awarded me my PhD. 

Being denied tenure as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology was one of the most devastating events in my professional life. It literally took me over 10 year to come to terms with the implications of the decision. But, I am here to tell you (and in the article) that there IS life after being denied tenure; and in many ways, it is quite liberating. My tenure denial empowered me to explore careers that were previously closed to me as an academician and perhaps, more importantly, to find out who I am and what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life!

Don't get me wrong; it still bugs me that I wasn’t awarded tenure—mostly because being refused tenure implies that you “weren’t smart enough” to make it in academia. Not surprisingly, the “not-being-smart-enough label” doesn’t do much for a person’s self esteem and, many who are denied tenure (including me) tend to view themselves as abject failures in the eyes of their colleagues and friends.

However, looking back, being denied tenure was probably one of the best things that had ever happened to me. Truth be told, I would have been a lousy academic. I am too social and entrepreneurial to have flourished in a system that is rigid, parochial and not conducive to change.  That said, if I sound bitter and a bit envious of those who were granted tenure, you are correct!  After all, who wouldn’t be envious of  people who come and go as they please, don’t have to answer to a boss and are guaranteed a job for life; regardless of their social skills, academic performance or contribution to education?

The point that I want to make is that being denied tenure is an emotionally devastating and traumatic event that nobody ought to experience. However,  if  you should to find yourself in the uncomfortable position of being denied tenure, please remember to continue to believe in yourself, don't give up and, as corny as it may sound, "follow the advice of your heart" when making your next career move!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Amber Johnson of Accredited College Online thought that BioJobBlog readers might be interested in an article that she authored entitled “10 Big Ways that the Recession is Hitting Higher Ed.”  It is an informative piece that might be of interest to high school and undergraduate students and parents who have kids in college.

10 Big Ways the Recession is Hitting Higher Ed

From elementary to college, schools around the nation have felt the recession in many different ways. As the economy sinks, the educational demands rise. Teachers are holding on to dear life for their jobs, students are struggling to pay for college and the states are running out of school funding. But even with all of these economic woes, there are still people eager to teach and happy to learn.

1. Budget Cuts. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the U.S. has suffered a 5 percent drop (about $4 billion) from the amount of money state governments apportioned for higher education, according to a U.S. News & World Report article. This is directly affecting universities across the country, who’ve seen larger class sizes, less professors and counselors, as well as canceled courses, which experts say could "threaten the quality of education."
2. Spike in Tuition. College tuition has been an inevitable hurdle for many students and families for years, but in this recession, it stings that much more. Since 1982, college tuition and fees have increased 439 percent, which is about three times higher than the increase in family incomes, according to an ABC news report. In some cases, tuition increases are the school’s response to more financial aid requests, but these scholarships may not be enough to cover soaring prices.
3. Decline in Aid. Many states are cutting college financial aid programs when students need it most. An increase in unemployment and financial losses has caused 620,000 more students to apply for federal aid in the first quarter compared to last year. An Associated Press article reports that without financial assistance, students may be forced to drop out, transfer or be laden with debt.
4. Decline in Endowments. A major factor in these educational downturns is the decline in college endowments. Big and small donors simply aren’t giving back right now, which has caused hiring freezes, cutbacks on financial aid and halted construction projects, according to a Wall Street Journal article.
5. Graduate in Three Years.Graduating in three years is a surefire way to slash college costs. American colleges are now starting to offer three-year college degrees, which is the normal time frame for many British and Canadian students. It’s an upcoming trend, according to CBS MoneyWatch, that could make "elite education" more affordable.
6. More Kids Are Going Public. According to a CBS News report, private school enrollments have declined as many students make the switch from private to public schools. While some continue to pay top dollar for private school tuition payments, others have had to transfer to less prestigious schools to save money.
7. Arts Programs Suffer. With devastating budget cuts on the agenda, college art departments are the first area to be altered. According to a New York Times article, students can expect to see fewer teachers, programs and courses in the arts when they return to campus in the fall. While some colleges are phasing out programs altogether, others, like Louisiana State University, are holding off on new computers, production technology and traveling for conferences to lessen their demand for funding.
8. Growth and Decline of Majors. For college students, choosing the right major during the recession may secure a stable career in the future. Certain industries, such as journalism, entertainment and finance should be avoided, according to a report by College Finance 101, because they have seen the most turmoil during the recession.
9. Higher Community College Enrollment. With the recession at its peak, many college students have opted for the more affordable institutions — community colleges, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. However, this influx of students has caused some community colleges to turn them away, claiming there’s not enough room, teachers and accommodations at these campuses.
10. Distance Learning is More Desirable. A big thing hitting the economy is online education. Whether people have lost a job, are fearful of losing one or want a degree, online colleges have open seats. A CNN report, titled "Riding out the recession in a virtual classroom," touches on the idea of investing in education during troubled times to have a back-up plan and find the right career path for you.

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Despite its humble beginnings in the late 1970s, the biotechnology industry has transformed itself into one of the most vibrant sectors of the American economy. Pharmaceutical companies, once the bell weather of the life sciences industry, have finally conceded that biotechnology and not small molecules are the industry’s future!

While growth of the biotechnology industry has slowed somewhat in the past couple of years—mainly because of the recession—it still represents a viable career option for students interested in the biological sciences. Contrary to popular belief, a PhD degree is no longer required to gain employment in the biotechnology industry. The PhD degree option is slowly being replaced by biotechnology masters and undergraduate degrees and certificate programs readily available at many two year colleges. Put simply, there is a decreasing demand for PhDs at many life sciences companies—mostly because of technological advances and a growing reliance on outsourcing to carry out drug discovery and development. However, the demand for non-PhD employees with solid biotechnology backgrounds particularly in the areas of regulatory affairs, licensing, business development, medical communications, health informatics and biomanufacturing is rising.

For many students (especially high school and undergraduates), the plethora of biotechnology degree and certificate programs can be overwhelming. With this in mind, I came across a cool website called Biotechnology Degree Guide which helps students decide which program is right for them. The site is run by Webster Jorgensen who sent me the following information about the site.

“Biotechnology Degree Guide was developed to be a complete and comprehensive guide for finding colleges, universities and technical schools offering biotech and related programs. The site also features a rating system that allows registered users to rate various biotechnology programs. This feature was added to help separate the great programs from the not-sop-great ones. In the future, we plan to start highlighting "Hidden Gem" programs section that helps schools with lower profiles and great programs receive more exposure. The sites members section is open to prospective students, students, professionals, teachers and biotech hobbyists.  A social media component is planned for the future.”

While the Biotechnology Degree Guide may not answer all of your questions, it certainly is a good place to start when considering a career in biotechnology!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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The economic crisis is having an adverse effect on enrollment at four year colleges and universities. Most four year institutions are reporting record low enrollments. While things are spiraling downward at many four year colleges and universities, business is booming at two year technical schools and community colleges. Seemingly, this ought to be good news for two year institutions. Unfortunately, statewide funding cuts and faculty shortages are making it difficult for community colleges and technical schools to accommodate burgeoning enrollment.

The rising enrollment at community colleges can almost exclusively be attributed to the current cost of attending 4 year colleges and universities. The cost differential between attending four year institutions and community college is stunning. For example, tuition at Miami Dade Community College, the largest community college in the US, is $1,000 per semester for Florida residents. In marked contrast, tuition at the University of Florida—a public institution— is roughly $5,000 per year and a whopping $42,000 at the University of Miami which is private.

Undergraduates are flocking to community colleges simply because many can’t afford to pay tuition for 4 or more years at most colleges and universities. The new paradigm for undergraduate education is to complete the first two years of college at a community college and then transfer to a 4 year college to finish a degree. Unlike other post secondary education institutions, there are no entry requirements at community colleges—open enrollment is the norm. This means that these schools are obliged to allow anybody with a high school diploma or GED to register for classes. In marked contrast, four year colleges and universities can regulate the size of their incoming freshman classes to deal with financial difficulties. For example, because of budget cuts in Florida, the state's 11 public universities have imposed caps on freshman enrollment. This has put increasing pressure on community colleges in Florida and other stacks to “pick up the enrollment slack.”

While attending community college may be an economical way for students to earn undergraduate degrees, two year colleges have been overwhelmed by the massive enrollment increases. "As it stands right now, we have almost 39,000 students registered for the fall term, and we began fall registration only two weeks ago," says Dulce Beltran, registrar at Miami Dade College. "And a quarter of the courses are already closed with almost two months to go before fall term begins." Not surprisingly, Miami Dade officials say that enrollment is 60 per cent higher than last year’s pace. School officials have been hiring new instructors and adding new courses to handle the enrollment surge.

Unfortunately, school officials estimate that 20,000 to 30,000 students won't get all the classes they need; 5,000 may not be able to sign up for any classes in the fall. Similar scenarios are playing out in other states including Arizona, California, Washington and others. Officials in those states are fearful that hundreds of thousands of prospective new students will be turned away this year.

There is no question that the recession is taking a toll on the ability of American students to attend college. However, the cost of an undergraduate education has been steadily increasing for the past decade. Rising overhead costs, higher faculty salaries and over expansion have all contributed to the increases. Something will have to give soon. Don’t be surprised if the education bubble is the next one to burst!

Hat tip to NPR!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Learning!!!!!!!

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Emily Rachel Silverstein, a sophomore anthropology major and peace activist at Gettysburg College, was brutally murdered early last Thursday morning, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, a fellow student and senior at the school. She went to visit him around 3:00 AM to console him because he called her and “he was not acting right” a family friend told me. While I didn’t know Emily well, I knew of her, and by all accounts, her response to her ex-boyfriend’s cry for help was consistent with who she was—a bright, compassionate, peace-loving, social activist who believed that the world could be a better place.   

I attended Emily’s memorial yesterday that was held in Roosevelt, NJ, a town founded by artists and social activists in the late 1940s. My wife, 15 year old son and I were there because Zach is good friends with Jaime, Emily’s younger brother and we know his parents Linda and Bob. Also, one of our best friends’ son dated Emily when she was a senior at Hightstown High School, our local high school. Everybody in the tightly-knit, surrounding communities of East Windsor and Hightstown, NJ has been grieving and affected in some way by Emily’s death.

There were hundreds of people at the memorial, many of whom who spoke and shared their stories about this beautiful and extraordinary young woman. At Gettysburg College she lived at the “Peace House,” founded a new chapter of the resurgent Students for a Democratic Society (SDS for those you who can remember) and was studying Arabic to spend a year abroad in Morocco helping battered women. As one of Emily’s best friends said “she was a vegan, but unlike some vegetarians, she didn’t chide her meat-eating friends because she believed that vegetarianism is a personal choice. That was Emily!” 

Many of the men and boys who spoke sported pony tails and beards and the women and girls who shared childhood and college stories about Emily had flowers in their hair. All of them, regardless of age, race, religion or ethnicity, spoke of Emily’s dreams and plans for peace and social change—the things that mattered most to this vibrant, smart, compassionate young woman who truly believed that she could help change the world by one act of kindness at a time.  

I hadn’t thought much about social activism since the early 1970s and found myself fondly thinking about those days and what they meant to me as young man trying to find his way in the world. And, as more people shared their stories about Emily, I remembered what it felt like to be 19 again and I began to recall my own dreams and plans to make the world a better place. Despite my profound grief and sadness, I began to experience feelings of joy and hope—because unlike some of us who have lost sight of the importance of social activism—many GenYers and Millenials have embraced it, believe in its power and plan to use it to change the world into a safer and more peaceful place.

Emily’s senseless murder was tragic, but the tragedy would be if we don’t try to keep her principles and ideals alive even though she is no longer with us. Please visit a Better World dot net a fund dedicated to the memory of Emily Rachel Silverstein. 

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I had many discussions with undergraduate students at the ABRCMS in Orlando last week who were interested in pursuing PhD degrees in the biomedical sciences. I felt that I had an ethical and moral responsibility as a former academic and career development professional to tell them that the job market for PhDs is not good and that it is likely to get worse over the next few years. These discussions prompted me to revisit the role and contributions of tenure to the lack of academic jobs in the US today.

As I stated in a previous post, systemic changes must be made to the current academic paradigm to increase the likelihood that PhDs will be able to find jobs at the end of their training. In that post, I suggested that abolishing tenure and replacing it with renewable, performance-based five year contracts may help to reduce the glut of jobless PhDs by freeing up a small percentage of new faculty positions every five years. While this approach has been tried at several academic institutions, it has been largely been deemed unsuccessful. That said, I came across a provocative article in today’s New York Times about a bold new tenure proposal put forth by Michelle Rhee, the new, 38-year old Chancellor of the Washington, DC school system.

Ms Rhee’s revolutionary proposal offers tenured teachers salaries raises of up to $40,000 per year to give up tenure. It is important to note she has not proposed to completely abolish tenure. Under her proposal, teachers would choose between two compensation options—the green or red plans. Salaries for teachers in the green plan would rise meteorically, nearly doubling by 2010, but they would have to give up tenure for one year, after which they would need a principal’s recommendation to keep their job or face dismissal. Teachers who choose the red plan would also get big pay raises but would lose seniority rights that allow them to bump more junior teachers if their school closes or is overhauled. Red plan teachers who are not hired by other schools would either have to take early retirement, a buyout or face eventual dismissal. I like her plan because poorly- or under performing teachers can opt to take the cash and then either drastically improve to keep their higher paying jobs or do nothing, get paid well for a year or two and then get fired.

While Ms. Rhee’s proposal may work at the primary and secondary school levels, it likely would not be effective at the college and postgraduate levels, where salaries vary widely and are largely grant driven. Instead, I propose that tenure-for-life should remain intact at these institutions but be replaced with a “for cause” tenure review system. This system is tried and true and similar models have been successfully used for over 100 years by employers and labor unions. In this model, management and its unions agree upon the job responsibilities and performance metrics for individual that must be met each year, e.g. an annual performance review.  If a person is under performing or fails to meet his/her performance metrics, an employer can attempt to dismiss the employee “for cause” reasons.  However, before a dismissal for cause can occur, the employer must convince a judge or arbitrator in a hearing that the employee in question has violated the “dismissal for cause” provisions.  Because an employer must prove that an employee has violated the provisions that constitute for cause dismissal, the “for cause” claims against individual employees must be fastidiously documented and vigorously substantiated. This prevents employers from arbitrarily firing employees who are either outspoken troublesome or disruptive. According to my wife, who has been a union-side labor lawyer and union representative for 20 year, this system works well because the players (management and unions) all understand, abide by and play according to the rules of the game.

So what are some of the performance-based “for cause” metrics that I think ought to be considered for yearly evaluations of tenured professors? They are not much different than those currently used to adjudicate tenure decisions. That said, I propose the following five categories: 1) teaching, 2) publication record, 3) grant support, 4) institutional service and 5) commitment to innovation. In my opinion, adoption of the “for cause” tenure review model would help to do two things: improve the overall performance of tenured faculty members and provide newly minted PhDs and postdoctoral fellows with regularly occurring new job opportunities.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Somebody once said “Jews know two things—suffering and where to find good Chinese food”. Since I am Jewish, it is not surprising that I have experienced a fair amount of suffering throughout my life and, wherever I go, I seem to know where to find “good” Chinese food.  That said, my interest was piqued when I found a post in Yahoo Science News entitled “Study finds Chinese food good for your heart”. Given my lifelong fondness and penchant for Chinese cuisine, I thought that all of that eating that I had done had finally paid off. Unfortunately, after reading the subtitle of the article; “Chinese red yeast rice reduces repeat heart attacks/mortality rates” I realized that my joy and optimism were somewhat premature.

According to the report, researchers at Jefferson Medical College found that a partially purified extract of Chinese red yeast rice, Xuezhikang (XZK), reduced the risk of repeat heart attacks by 45%, revascularization (bypass surgery/angioplasty), cardiovascular mortality and total mortality by one-third and cancer mortality by two-thirds. The multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical study was conducted on about 5,000 heart attack patients, ranging in age from 18-70 during a five-year period at over 60 hospitals in the People's Republic of China. Study participants were given 300-milligram XZK capsules or a placebo and tracked over a five-year period. The XZK extract used in the study contained a combination of lovastatin, lovastatin hydroxyl acid, ergosterol and several uncharacterized components.

Based on study results, the study’s authors believe that XZK may offer therapeutic benefits to people at risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. However, they cautioned that the active pharmacologic ingredient (API) of the red yeast rice is unknown and it isn’t clear how XZK works to fight cardiovascular disease.

Chinese medicine practitioners have long touted the benefits of red yeast rice for heart patients. Nevertheless, this is the first controlled clinical study of red yeast rice that tends to substantiate these claims. According to the study authors it is important to note that “the commercially available over-the-counter supplement found in your average health food store is not what was studied here. Those over-the-counter supplements are not regulated (by the US Food and Drug Administration), so exact amounts of active ingredient are unknown and their efficacy has not been studied yet.”

It is unfortunate that I didn’t know about the benefits of red yeast rice during my recent trip to China. I certainly would have gone out of my way to try some. That said, given the plethora of exotic foods that I tasted in China, maybe I ate some XZK without knowing it!

Until next time

Good Luck and Good Eating (Chinese of course)……

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