For many workers who have been displaced by the economic downturn, and have seen their salary or retirement income slashed or who fear the worst is yet to come, going back to school is looking more and more appealing. I have been there and I can tell you that at the age of 43 I did not want this to happen. However, with over 18 years in Corporate America, and 12 years of Entrepreneurship to my credit, I found myself out of sync with the economic recession that we have undergone in the last several years.

In response, on-line universities, professional organizations and everything in between are expanding their course offerings and retooling their curriculums. Therefore, going back to school is easier and more affordable today than ever. The federal stimulus program and local government initiatives have helped fuel a surge of courses and of students. This makes it near impossible to filter through all of the on-line colleges and degree programs offered.

However, there are a few resources that should help you define exactly the type of program that you need or want to study. To help workers figure out which positions and skill sets are most in demand and best for them, the Department of Labor maintains the O*Net Web site, which has a vast database of information about jobs within each industry. It shows which are in highest demand, what kind of training; work experience and education are typical for each position, the expected salary and other information. There is even a way to search for jobs by the skills they require (for example, skills of persuasion, knowledge of systems analysis, fluency in Microsoft Excel and so on).

After personally contacting 35 of the top on-line colleges, I chose Ashford University because; their college is geared specifically to the adult student. Furthermore, I will receive an accredited degree without the designation on my diploma as an On-Line College (That was very, very important to me). What does this mean you ask? I am considered a virtual student and may attend and participate in my graduation at the college which is located in Clinton, Iowa.

Whether this is your first time going to college or a returning student you will find that you are transitioned into the college lifestyle with care and continuous support. I can balance my busy lifestyle and business with online coursework as I earn my Bachelor's in Accounting, with two minors one in Public Administration and the other in Project Management.

Furthermore, I am given my own personal Student Portal and Backboard that I can access 24/7. I can also get support for any service including access to my professors 24/7 as well. In addition to the above mentioned, I am also given my own personal Enrollment Advisor (Armando Heredia), Academic Advisor (Joyce Yin), and Financial Services Advisor (Dennis Lui). I cannot say enough wonderful things about them or Ashford University.

You'll find Ashford University^®, founded in 1918, is an ideal choice for you whether you're a working adult or haven't yet completed your degree. You can count on Ashford University to provide a high-quality degree program that is:

Affordable

Benefit from one of the lowest program costs available online. Bachelor's courses are $354 per credit, while Master's courses start at $463 per credit.

Accelerated

Depending on the number of any applied transfer credits, you may be able to finish your degree program in as few as 12 months. Classes are 5-6 weeks and are taken one at a time. Plus, you can transfer up to 99 approved credits toward your Bachelor's degree.

Convenient

Enjoy the flexibility of online courses 24 hours a day. Online classes are asynchronous, so like with email, you can login anytime to participate and post your work in class.

Call Armando Heredia, who is my personal Enrollment Advisor at 800.798.0584 x2467 today and tell him Katie sent you!

You may think that this is going to be a difficult road to travel upon. However, much to my surprise this was the easy part of the entire process. I personally applied for and received the full Pell Grant along with the Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. The Loans do not need to be repaid until 6 months after I graduate and the Pell Grant never needs to be repaid. Therefore, I received $ 9,500.00 in Federal Loans and $ 5,350.00 for the Pell Grant yearly (as long as I qualify). I receive a Stipend check, approx. every three months, from Ashford University for the unused portion of my Pell Grant. This works out really well because I can use that money for anything I require. (Examples, school supplies, books, or anything else I wish to purchase with it.)

3 Steps to Appling for Financial Aid.

1. Step 1 – Get your Income Tax Paperwork together and Apply for your PIN - Go to: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before001.htm
2. Step 2 – Apply for your Free Financial Aid and use Federal School Code: 001881 for Ashford University - Go to: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/complete001.htm
3. Step 3 – Follow up and make any necessary changes to your Application - Go to: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/follow001.htm

That is all there is to it!

I have received a lot of questions concerning Ashford University's Stipend Check Process:

So here Goes:

You Will receive an email entitled: Financial Aid Award Letter

In that E-mail will be the amounts that you are awarded as well as when the amounts will become available to you.

• Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan 06/16/2009 $ 0.00
• Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan 06/16/2009 $ 0.00
• Pell Grant 07/07/2009 $ 0.00
• Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan 10/27/2009 $ 0.00
• Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan 10/27/2009 $ 0.00
• Pell Grant 10/27/2009 $ 0.00

After charges are paid, if any excess financial aid funds remain on your account, a check for thirty percent (30%) of the excess funds will be mailed to you after successful completion of seven (7) weeks of continuous academic enrollment. The remaining seventy percent (70%) of any excess financial aid funds will be mailed to you after successful completion of fourteen (14) weeks of continuous academic enrollment.

Federal financial aid funds are available to students based on payment periods. This award letter includes funding for the academic year. The estimated disbursement dates and amounts are noted in the chart below. Please note that prior to any disbursement you are required to meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards. For more information on SAP, go to www.ashford.edu. In addition, you are required to reapply for federal financial aid each award year to establish continuing federal financial aid eligibility.

Please note that the following award may be subject to change at the discretion of the financial aid office.

Now for the Real Deal: Being my Pell Grant came after my loans came through, I did not get my first stipend check until 07/24/08. It was delayed by 2 weeks. However, my Financial Advisor jumped right in and made sure that a check was issued ASAP. My second check came in on time 08/26/09.

The next batch of Financial Aid is due to come in on 10/27/09. The clock will not start again until my fifth class, which begins on 10/06/09 and then the seven weeks begin all over again. Hopefully I will not have as much trouble this time around. However, If I do Dennis Lui will be right there fixing it for me again. Your Advisors are always in your corner and will fight for whatever you need.

Now, getting back into the swing of college life will be a challenge. However, you are given instructions and support the whole way through. They assist you with everything from college transcripts to giving you a $99.99 coupon towards your first courses books. The classes are, from my experience, 23 to 38 students per course.

You start a new course every 5 weeks. I like to call my courses speed dials, because before you know it they are over. I am going on my 4^th class and have a G.P.A. of 3.50.

Do not get me wrong, you must be self motivated and really want your degree in a short period of time. This way of schooling, although convent, is very intense and demands a lot of writing. Moreover, you are learning the course material in 5 weeks verses a 3 month long traditional class. However, as I believe, nothing worthwhile comes easy.

I hope this Hub helps you to branch out, believe, receive, and succeed. If there is any more information that I can help you with, or anything in particular that I have not addressed please feel free to e-mail me.

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Article(C)2009 cluense, all rights reserved. Cluense creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on, accounting, entrepreneur, political issues, small business, society, relationships, taxes, and work from home businesses. She also has a strong passion for writing.