If you are the proud recipient of an

Here are five careers you may want to consider if working in entertainment is your goal for the future:

1. Marketing Coordinator. A marketing coordinator may work for the creative services department of a television network or publishing company, for example. A marketing coordinator must be able to work under tight deadlines. Excellent oral and written communication skills are a must-have in this industry, as you will be communicating with a large number of people on a daily basis. You may also be responsible for media buy research, keeping inventory for logs, digitizing media, and overseeing media process management.

2.   Music/Talent Coordinator. If you’re very organized with a keen eye for research and a creative problem solver, the job of music/talent coordinator may be a good fit for you. You may be responsible for finding celebrity talent for events like advertising campaigns as well as matching songs to the same campaigns. Your supervisory details may include, but not be limited to, music supervision, celebrity talent, and intellectual property clearance.

3.   Events Producer. If you’re a Type A personality and like a high-energy career that keeps you hopping, a career as an events producer may be up your alley. Events producers are responsible for managing every aspect of planning an event, finding sponsors, branding products, and managing production schedules, including obtaining any and all necessary permits. Events producers must prepare documents for all events, including but not limited to run-of-show, production schedules. In essence, the events producer is responsible for planning, managing, and scheduling the logistics of a show from beginning to end. A college degree in business or marketing is a must-have in order to run the show effectively and create a branding strategy that will convert sales.

4.   Celebrity Agent. A degree in business or marketing is essential to becoming a celebrity agent. If you have a business administration degree, even better. Celebrity agents do more than find work for their talent; they must also negotiate lucrative deals, which means experience in accounting and negotiations will make you highly marketable in your field. Celebrity agents typically need a business license in order to open shop and start negotiating deals.

5.   Television Producer. If you can think quickly and are willing to take full responsibility for a television show from inception to air time, work as a television producer may be in your future. A television producer plans what to air during the segments of a show, regardless of the format. A producer is also responsible for scenes, props, scripts, and any other aspect of producing a high-quality show. Therefore, producers must work long hours and think on their feet, bearing the responsibility of all the decisions they make and handling any problems that arise.

Who says MBA degrees lead to a career in a stuffy office on the fifth floor of an office building? Why not parlay your love of business and marketing into a lucrative and exciting career in entertainment.? Whether you want to work in television, movies, or with celebrities one-on-one, your college degree in business has a wide range of options outside of packing pencil protectors in your pockets and calculators in your briefcase.

Students interested in pursuing an associate’s degree may pursue programs of study in paralegal studies, medical assisting, and computer-related fields. Bachelor’s degree programs focus on specialties in accounting or management. Students who choose to pursue MBAs may pursue the following concentrations:

• Accounting
• Health Care Management
• Human Resource Administration
• Information Security Management
• Sport Business

The Yellow Ribbon Program Offers Tuition Assistance for Military Students

The Yellow Ribbon program ensures that military personnel will not incur education costs that will cause undue hardship. According to the St. Leo University website, “The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post 9/11 GI Bill designed to support additional financial expenses that go above-and-beyond the tuition rates covered. If the tuition expenses of a private college exceed the in-state university undergraduate tuition expenses, the Yellow Ribbon Program can be utilized to cover the additional costs.”

Private colleges that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program may choose to waive “up to 50% of the additional tuition.” The participating college pays 50% and the Veteran’s Administration pays 50%. Military students who are eligible for maximum benefits under the GI Bill may qualify for the program and should check their Chapter 33 Certificate of Eligibility to see if they qualify.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill Offers Tuition Assistance for Veterans

Students who have served in the military for a minimum of 90 days after September 10, 2001 may qualify for this benefit. However, the tuition and fees may not exceed the amount for in-state public institutions of higher learning expenditures. Online students may receive a yearly stipend for books and supplies but are not eligible for the monthly housing stipend.

The St. Leo University website cites the following criteria for eligibility:

• Be honorably discharged from active duty; or
• Be released from the Armed Forces with service deemed as honorable for further service in a reserve component; or
• Be released or discharged from the Armed Forces for:
  • EPTS (Existed Prior to Service);
  • HDSP (Hardship);
  • CIWD (Condition Interfered with Duty); or
• Be released from the Armed Forces with service deemed as honorable and placed on one of the following:
  • Retired list;
  • Temporary disability retired list;
  • Transfer to the Fleet Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; or
• Be on active duty.

The benefits are based on the time of service. Check the St. Leo University website for specific details regarding benefits’ eligibility based on time in service.

Finding a credible online degree program doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark. Here are five easy ways to find an online college that’s right for you:

Take college courses from an accredited state university.  At one time, universities steered away from online courses, sticking mainly with the tried-and-true traditional classrooms. However, educators today are meeting students where they are in their learning curves by creating technologically-enhanced learning opportunities. You can bet that if you’re sending your son or daughter to a state university, it also offers Web courses or hybrid versions of college courses. Web courses are taught strictly online while hybrid courses meet in person at least a couple times during the semester (but offer most of the course online).

Steer clear of colleges that offer “life experience.”  These colleges are, without a doubt, degree mills that are more than willing to take your money and leave you with a bogus degree. Colleges and universities have to adhere to strict accreditation requirements, and providing quality education is not only part of the deal but also has to be meticulously documented for and by the accreditation agency.

Shop around.  Today’s course offerings provide a smorgasbord menu. In other words, colleges are tailoring their programs to the diverse needs of their student populations. Do your homework by investigating and, if possible, visiting the campus of any online college. You can get a feel for the milieu and the faculty’s attitudes if you come face-to-face with your campus. Also, schedule appointments to meet with faculty in your major field of study. It’s not uncommon for students to form unfair perceptions of professors who are out-of-sight. Meet your professors in person and you’ll likely have a better online college experience.

Check out the US News & World Report college rankings.  Each year, US News & World Report provides up-to-date information about top college programs. They rank colleges on dozens of factors, including but not limited to the best colleges for “B” students, historically black colleges, colleges with the most students over the age of 25, and colleges with the highest and lowest acceptance rates, just to name a few. For more information, check out the US News & World Report website.

Check out GetEducated.com.  GetEducated.com rates, ranks, and compares online college degree programs. They even blow the whistle on degree mills so you won’t get burned by a faux college. If you’re looking for an online degree program that is ranked as a best value, check out the GetEducated.com website.

Finding a credible online business degree program is not as difficult as it used to be. As more flagship colleges are embracing distance education, it’s easier than ever to find the right business degree program to fulfill your educational goals.

According to a list published by the Harvard Business Review this year of the 50 best-performing CEOs of the world, only 14 out of 50 had earned an MBA. Slightly more than half of the 14 CEOs—eight in all – earned their degrees from U.S. universities.

This list, narrowed down from an original list of 1,109, cited that only 32 percent of CEOs out of the original 1,109 had MBAs, a finding that many current business students may find surprising. This leads one to believe that having an MBA will open doors but may not always be necessary to run a high-profile, top-earning company.

Is an MBA Worth the Cost?

Absolutely, but the current MBA must be restructured and tailored to meet the needs of the evolving global economy. The Harvard Business School website states that MBA salaries are on the rise, which makes pursuing a Master of Business Administration a viable career path. According to an article published on StarTribune.com by Ronald M. Bosrock, “since the most recent financial crash, criticism has been leveled against the kind of training the MBA provides.” Educators are calling for a revamping, so to speak, of the MBA degree.

Focus must be placed on social responsibility as well as well as ethical training for doing business in a global economy. Students must learn to recognize and respect cultural differences in order to effectively do business across the globe. Furthermore, according to Bosrcock, MBA programs must “[t]each the integration of the world of business and the world of geopolitics. Oftentimes they overlap.” Finally, long-term strategic planning should also be part of a Master of Business Administration curriculum.

Earn an MBA from a Top Business School Online

The following business schools have remained steadfastly on the list of the top 20 business schools in the nation.

• The University of Chicago
• Harvard Business School
• Michigan State University
• Duke University
• Northwestern University
• Penn State University

For many, earning a degree from these institutions of higher learning may be out of reach. Students who cannot attend classes at brick and mortar institutions of higher learning may opt to earn a Master’s of Business Administration online. Accredited flagship colleges across the nation offer online options for individuals who need more flexibility in their schedules while earning a degree.

For students interested in pursuing an MBA, whether online or in the traditional classroom, Bloomburg Businessweek has published a list of accredited programs that offer MBA programs. Regardless of whether an individual wants to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or rise to the top of his or her own business, the Master’s of Business Administration will open doors for graduates who have the ambition and tenacity to succeed in business.

Mary Miller, Associate Dean of Admissions at Columbia Business School says, “It seems like every other [application] I look at is talking about doing good while doing well. That seems to be the mantra.” MBA applicants across the country are showing a growing interest in microfinance, social enterprise, and nonprofit businesses.

The newest generation of socially conscious graduates has a wide variety of employment opportunities available to them. Organizations such as the MBA-Nonprofit Connection acts as a bridge that connects employers with MBA grads who want to work in the nonprofit sector.

MBA-Nonprofit Connection Attracts MBA Graduates

The MBA-Nonprofit Connection is an organization committed to offering jobs in the nonprofit sector to MBA grads. Each year, the MBA-Nonprofit Connection posts more than 200 jobs from employers in the nonprofit sector that want to attract MBA graduates.

These employers draw applicants from the MBA-Nonprofit Connection:

• Environmental Defense Fund
• Gates Foundation
• KIPP
• MacArthur Foundation
• Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH)
• Rare
• Root Capital
• TransFair USA
• Unitus

Most jobs offered through MBA-Nonprofit Connection range from $65K to $150K, substantial starting salaries for new college grads. Here is a sampling of posted job announcements:

• Associate Director
• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief Operating Officer
• Corporate Partnerships Manager
• Director of Finance and Administration
• Financial Analyst
• Program Director
• Vice President of Marketing

Jobs are not posted on the MBA-Nonprofit Connection website. Instead, they are posted by their partner schools through college career services offices.

Employers may post jobs by sending career announcements to post@mnconnection.org. For a list of requirements as well as posting fees, employers should visit the website’s “Post Your Career Job” page.

Online MBA Degrees Open Doors for Nonprofit Jobs

Individuals who are interested in pursuing an MBA with a goal of working in the nonprofit sector can earn their college degrees online. The benefit of pursuing an online degree is that graduate students can continue to work in their jobs or care for their families while pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration.

Graduate students who want to specialize in nonprofit work can specialize by pursuing an MBA in Nonprofit Administration. Graduates of this degree program can work as consultants, chief financial officers, and directors of nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations are realizing that hiring employees with MBAs has a positive impact in their organizations by helping with social issues as well as environmental concerns.

Here’s how it works. Business majors may take FlexNet® courses as part of their online business curriculum. However, unlike a strictly-online course, the hybrid version offers both online instruction and face-to-face interaction.

The first day of class, students meet with the professor in a classroom to submit the first week of assignments and to review course materials and methods of instruction. Students will also participate in learning activities. This portion of the course is called Workshop I.

Students form learning teams at the initial class meeting. For the duration of the semester, individuals will meet with team members live and online to work on team projects. Students will be given access to the online course portal, allowing the student to access the materials, engage in discussions, and submit assignments. Students return to the classroom the final week of class to present projects.

Advantages of Hybrid Courses

Instructors and students prefer hybrid courses for a variety of reasons:

• They allow face-to-face interaction with the instructor and other students.
• The online component is flexible to the student’s schedule.
• The use of the online class portal advances the students’ technological skills.
• Students receive guidance and support from instructors and other students.
• Live interaction with the instructor and other students improves the retention and success rate of online students.

The University of Phoenix calls FlexNet® “the perfect combination of clicks and class.”

A growing number of college instructors are reporting success with hybrid courses. Graham Spanier, President of Penn State University states that “Hybrid instruction is the single greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today.” According to eSchool News, “there is some evidence to suggest that hybrid courses can help students learn more effectively.”

There are different methods of delivery for hybrid courses. University of Phoenix instructors meet with students at the beginning and end of each semester, and students have the option of meeting with their team members during the semester. Other colleges structure their hybrid courses to meet for 50 percent of the semester while others require a once-a-month class meeting. Regardless of the method of delivery, the marriage of online and traditional learning in a hybrid format is becoming popular among students who want to combine the best of both worlds.

According to the U.S. Census, “Total e-commerce sales for 2009 were estimated at $134.9 billion, an increase of 2.0 percent (±1.8%) from 2008. Total retail sales in 2009 decreased 7.0 percent (±0.2%) from 2008. E-commerce sales in 2009 accounted for 3.7 percent of total sales. E-commerce sales in 2008 accounted for 3.3 percent of total sales.” As more businesses create an internet presence, there will be a growing need for qualified internet marketing specialists to manage their e-commerce websites.

The Top 20 Countries with the Highest Internet Usage

The demand for Internet marketers is huge. With increasing numbers of individuals using the Web to buy products and services, the need for qualified internet marketers will continue to rise.

Internet marketers reach out to a global market. According to Internet World Statistics, here are the top 10 countries for Internet usage:

China — 1,338,612,968

United States — 307,212,123

Japan — 127,078,679

India — 1,156,897,766

Brazil — 198,739,269

Germany — 82,329,758

United Kingdom — 61,113,205

Russia — 140,041,247

France — 62,150,775

With numbers like these, individuals who become Internet marketers will be qualified to compete in a global market and live virtually anywhere in the world.

Earn an Internet Marketing Bachelor’s Degree

An Internet marketing bachelor’s degree — also known as an e-marketing degree — offers students the potential to graduate and work in the marketing department of an established business or start their own home-based businesses. Many people are drawn to this degree because of the many career options it offers.

Internet marketing specialists can potentially earn a six-figure salary. Individuals who work in this field perform the following tasks:

Market products and services via the Internet
Determine target markets for specific products and services
Create viral web marketing campaigns
Write web copy
Use search engine optimization to drive traffic to the website
Create successful pay-per-click advertising
Track web analytics
Test ads
Track conversion rates
Track search marketing metrics

Internet marketers know how to write web copy and launch marketing campaigns that are targeted specifically to web visitors. They must also test the results and tweak the campaigns to get the best possible outcomes. In essence, they are salesmen in print.

Internet marketing is a highly specialized field. It differs from face-to-face sales and print advertising in that online marketing depends on attracting targeted traffic to a website. It is highly competitive and relies on search engine optimization, as well as other marketing strategies, to get top rankings in the search engines.

Colleges that Offer Online Internet Marketing Degrees

Here are three online colleges that offer degrees in Internet marketing:

Rasmussen College

Full Sail University

University of San Francisco

The number of colleges that offer Internet marketing degrees is expected to increase as demand rises. With more businesses creating a web presence, the need for qualified Internet marketing specialists is expected to increase.

Tip #1: Accredited
The only way of knowing if the college or university offering you a program in Business is accredited is to check and see if it is. This means that the National Board of Education has assessed the institution’s coursework and has agreed that it means national standards and is thus legit in its desire to educate individuals. If you find that the institution you are looking at does not have accreditation, then walk away and find one that does.

Tip #2: Tuition and Fees
You never want to get your heart set on a particular online Business degree without first getting a clear picture on what this degree will cost you out of pocket. You will need to take into account the tuition, fees, supplies, software, and anything else that is essential in completing the degree.

Tip #3: Timeline
Check out the coursework timeline and see if it fits into your timeline. Can you reasonably fit this program into your schedule and allotted time that you have devoted to successfully completing the degree program? Many programs, whether they are Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD, can take anywhere from a year to two years so you will need to plan accordingly.

Tip #4: Shop Around
You want to get the best degree for your money, so don’t be afraid to shop around and find the best program to fit your needs. Also, not all online colleges and universities offer the same degrees so if you don’t see one that perfectly fits your requirements, move on and find one that does. You won’t be happy knowing that there might have been a better degree out there for you.

Tip #5: Check Out Reviews
Most websites and blogs will have reviews on which online colleges and universities provide the best Business degree programs. While some of these reviews and opinions might be biased, you will find pearls of wisdom in each opinion posted. This might help you narrow down which program is most beneficial at giving you the best education possible.

• You can learn where ever you feel the most comfortable. Whether you learn best in a quiet environment like a home office or tucked away in the corner of your local library, or flourish in the cacophony of a busy coffee house, just bring along your laptop and start your learning.

• You can learn whenever you want. Regardless of whether it is the middle of the day or the middle of the night, your coursework will always be there waiting for you. Try to complete an assignment on your lunch break or while the kids are napping. Whenever you can squeeze in an hour, do it and you will be done with your degree in no time.

• If you are already in the field of Business, getting your employer to pay for your online degree might be an option. Employers love the fact that online Business degree programs are so flexible and if they see you making a concerted effort to better yourself and thus the company, they may reward your tenacity by contributing to your tuition or give you some time out of your workday to devote towards studying.

• Keep your day job. Again, because most of the online Business degree programs are so flexible, you can continue to keep your current job at the current hours and still have time to complete your degree program.

• Variety is the spice of life. This is also true for online degrees. You can get everything from a Certificate in Business, to your Associate’s, your Bachelor’s, your Master’s, and even your PhD in Business all through the means of online institutions of higher learning. You may never need to set foot on campus and yet still have an education that would rival any of those who do attend traditional college classes.

Tip 1: Always Prepare Yourself for Anything
Since your entire degree will be learned from your computer and in your own home, you will need to make sure that all systems are a go when it comes to running various programs and downloading any information for your coursework from the Internet. There is nothing more frustrating than getting into the meat of an assignment and having your computer crash and losing all of your data. Make sure that you always back up your work for this very reason and you should be fine in the face of such a disaster.

Tip 2: Delegate a Set Amount of Time to Study
If you don’t make it a point to study, you will tend to put it off, and put it off, and put it off. Ask anyone who makes a New Year’s resolution to exercise. If you allocate a specific time of day or amount of time to study per day, you will find that you will be much more successful in completing your online degree.

Tip 3: If Need Be, Implement a Reward System
Everyone knows that when you are rewarded for doing well, you are bound to continue to do well repeatedly. When you find yourself becoming lax in your studies or are having a hard time focusing on the end result because it seems so far away, set short-term milestones and when you reach them, give yourself a small reward. Your reward can be anything you want but try to save the big reward for when your degree is in your hand.

Tip 4: Don’t Take On Too Much, Too Soon
If it has been a while since you were last in school or have never taken an online degree program before, you will want to take baby steps at first. Sign up for one or two classes and test the waters to see if you have enough computer savvy, time, and self-motivation to complete your online Business degree successfully.