How Virtual and Augmented Reality Alters the Future of Learning

BY ALEXANDRA HAYES

Despite that almost every system has evolved drastically over the past decades, the educational system still follows the same learning model as hundred years ago with no considerable adjustment.

Nevertheless, with the evolution of augmented and virtual reality technologies, the learning experience is going to drastically improve and probably change once and for all. In order to clarify this phenomenon, we’ll explain how virtual and augmented reality can alter the future of the human learning system.

Virtual and Augmented Reality: Definition

Virtual reality (VR) is a three-dimensional computer-generated environment similar to real-life, which attaches the user to a different data stream. VR technology simulates most of the human senses (touch, vision, hearing, and even smelling), embarking the user on a journey (inside a different world). Usually, there’s a purpose that can be attained once the user makes choices and tries different possibilities. All of this technology relies mainly on special VR headsets.

Augmented reality (AR) is defined as an improved version of reality created by a live direct/ indirect view of the physical real-world environment which is augmented by the computer-generated image of something being looked at through a smartphone/ camera. The most typical versions are:

• Projection-based AR
• Location-based AR
• Superimposition-based AR

How VR and AR Improve the Quality of Learning in Different Fields

 In order to help you achieve a better understanding of how VR and AR can improve our future learning experience and academic environment, let’s see where and how we can use it in a practical way.

1.     Languages

Helen Hilton, the leading IT specialist at Superior Papers, argues that “besides the traditional methodology of language learning, a better method is to actually talk with a native speaker abroad.” Unfortunately, not many can afford this type of practice. Fortunately, with the means of VR technology, kids and students from all over the world will be able to “visit” to different countries and talk to different natives, therefore enhancing their learning experience.

2.     History and Geography

Many kids find learning geography and history quite boring. Imagine how this situation would turn around if they would have the chance to visit the great pyramids from their classroom. All of this can actually be possible with the means of AR and VR technology. And then, instead of feeling bored or annoyed, they’ll be eager to “live” the next class.

3.     Healthcare

Until now, the only way to become a doctor and to understand more about the healthcare was to attend the medical school, become an apprentice, and eventually,  having enough knowledge, start practicing on real cases.

Now, with the help of VR headsets, you can actually perform surgeries without risking hurting anybody. This leads to a definitely enhanced learning experience which is based on trial-and-error.

4.     Chemistry

Chemistry is yet another “unpleasant” class for lots of kids and college students. Nevertheless, this changes once the VR and AR technology gets implemented in schools. Students will have more fun mixing all kinds of substances and learn without harming themselves due to obvious mistakes. Moreover, this will spare schools from the costs of chemical substances and tools, which is definitely a bonus.

 Conclusion

These two future technologies can definitely lead to the development of a different learning system, one that can replace or alter the traditional ways of teaching, which unfortunately have become ineffective.

Today’s educational system is ought to adapt and change along with the evolution of technology, so our next generations will experience an improved education and understanding of the world we live in.

About the author:

 Alexandra Hayes is a creative writer interested in tech and educational issues. She enjoys visual arts and yoga. Besides, Alexandra is a starting photographer. Meet her on Twitter!

What college students should know about mental health problems

BY SYLVIA KOHL

College is supposed to be the time of fun, new acquaintances, and life-changing experiences. However, all too often these experiences turn out to be too much of a strain for a great many students: too much pressure combined with a hectic tempo of modern life can make short work of one’s mental stability. And students are even worse off than many other groups because they are unlikely to seek help and tend to take their mental health issues too lightly. Which is wrong: you should look at them at just any other illness, because if left untreated they can be just as dangerous – if not more.

So, what are the problems students are most prone to and what are the signs that you should run to a shrink? Let’s find out.

1.    Adjustment Disorder

It is quite natural to feel ill at ease if it is your first time leaving home for a prolonged period. However, if time goes on and it doesn’t feel like you are getting used to your new condition, if you still find functioning in college problematic, avoid people, cannot concentrate – you may need psychotherapy to cope with it.

2.    Depression

Depression is one of the most widespread mental health issues in all developed countries, and students are among its most common victims. For many, it begins in college or high school and becomes the first step towards a plethora of other conditions.

It is hard to give a definitive set of symptoms because it may be different from person to person, and many people either don’t realize they have depression or successfully hide it for years. Being depressed isn’t equal to being sad – sadness is a natural reaction to some events and situations, depression remains the same whatever happens. Common signs include feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, self-disgust, the absence of motivation. Long-term depression isn’t caused by external factors but the chemical imbalance in the brain and requires complex treatment.

3.    Anxiety Disorders

It is normal to feel stressed and anxious before an important exam – in fact, stress is a natural tool that helps body and brain deal with extreme situations. However, when you feel stressed, fearful, nervous and irritable most of the time, without any significant real-life reasons, it may be a sign that your brain is out of whack. A widely-known Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (a condition that imposes obsessive thoughts and behaviors on its sufferers) also belongs here. Students are especially prone to anxiety because college means completely changing one’s habitual lifestyle and opening up to a whole lot of new stress factors – so if you feel that unreasonable fears and obsessive thoughts don’t disappear for a while, it may be time to start worrying.

4.    Eating Disorders (Anorexia and Bulimia)

College is likely to become the first time in a student’s life when he/she is completely cut from home and both convenience and control imposed by family meals. Easily accessible unhealthy food makes gaining weight a common occurrence, which leads to problems with self-image. It, in turn, causes all kinds of obsessions like anorexia (fear of gaining weight, eventually leading to weight loss much exceeding what one needs to be healthy) and bulimia (combining binge eating with compensatory behaviors like self-induced vomiting or fasting). If not treated, the effects may be much worse than unpleasant eating habits, in some cases leading to kidney failure and death.

Not all unpleasant feelings mean that you have a mental condition – sometimes it is a result of objective reality. However, if any of the symptoms mentioned above persist, you should seriously consider getting professional help – just like any other disease, putting off treating mental issues only makes them worse.

Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 8 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and she convinced that learning process doesn’t stop after years in school and university.

New Methods And Places For Teacher/ Student Communication

BY MELISSA BURNS

Times, when the interaction between a teacher and his students was limited to the classroom, are long past – the Internet, social media and a variety of specialized tools have multiplied both methods and places for communication, efficiently erasing the boundaries of the school. Today teachers can reach out to their students wherever they are and whenever it is necessary, which brings about both new challenges and new opportunities.

1.    Timely Updates and Information

Messengers like Remind or ClassDojo make the exchange of information between the teacher and the class easier, faster and more efficient. No longer can students say that they forgot to jot down the number of home exercise or didn’t know they have to write an essay by tomorrow’s morning – even if a student misses a class, the teacher can quickly send tomorrow’s homework to the entire class with a press of a button. In addition to that, it opens up an avenue for parent-teacher interaction – if the teacher notices that a student has specific problems, he has an easy way to discuss it with parents without having to find some time when they can talk personally.

2.    Online Student Portfolios

A student portfolio is a woefully underused but extremely powerful assessment tool that seemingly acquired a second life through the massive emergence of online tools created specifically for that purpose. They allow students to build a narrative of their growth and development and, what’s most important, provide an audience capable of authentic and friendly feedback. Unlike standard blogging services, these tools are created for student use, which means no advertising, moderation capabilities to ensure students’ safety, and options for automatic collection of materials – this way portfolios will automatically build up across classes and throughout the learning process, documenting the student’s development in the course of time.

3.    Video Conferencing

Video conferencing technology not just provides a basis for distance learning, but opens up a host of other opportunities. Such as personalized instruction for individual students, natural communication with classes from other schools and even nations, having students listen to real-time speeches given by well-known people and specialists in specific fields, remote field trips to places that otherwise cannot be realistically visited, and so on. Of course, even today many locations cannot boast of having sufficient bandwidth to maintain connection necessary for available video quality, but NBN efforts in this area let us hope that the situation is going to change pretty soon.

4.    Engaging Teachers, Students, and Parents

Setting up a class blog using a tool like EduBlogs is an excellent way to establish closer connections both with students and their parents, engage them in meaningful conversations about learning and what each party has to pay more attention to. You can post with any frequency you feel comfortable with and have a universal tool anybody can use to voice their concerns.

5.    Sharing Information across Community

Using tech in school doesn’t have to be limited to interactions with a single class or even an individual school. Consider using Edmodo – a service uniting millions of teachers, students and parents from all over the world, giving them an opportunity to share their experiences, learn new techniques, discuss topics of interest, ask questions and receive answers from those who encountered similar problems and managed to deal with them.

In the long run, the Internet quickly and successfully changes the nature of education – which is amazing, given the conservative nature of this industry. Earlier concerns speaking about possible depersonalization of education, as a result, seem to be unfounded – on the contrary, what we’ve seen so far shows massive possibilities for closer and more personalized connections between students, teachers, and parents.

Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Follow her @melissaaburns or contact at burns.melissaa@gmail.com

Balance Social Life, Good Grades, And Sleep At College

BY ANNABEL MONAGHAN

College life is a never ending conundrum of having a social life and good grades or sleep. Many joke that you can only have two, but never all. However, the problem with college students is that they are fresh out of high school – an education system that has the student’s life plotted out to a tee – and have not yet come to terms with their newfound freedom, much less the responsibility for it.

With routine thrown out the window from the moment the student reaches their campus, it throws them off track and therefore loses their balance. Balance is what keeps life functioning. In high school, there was a fixed schedule but now, routine has become something of the past.

Furthermore, without the constant classmates that serve as reminders to the upcoming due dates, or the shared social life, it becomes hard to draw a line at how much fun one should have and when one should get started on their assignments.

What college students have to understand is time management and utilize a day planner. The idea is that everyone has the same twenty four hours, and it is up to you to make it count. The problem with poor time management is brought over into the next stage of life, when one starts their career. Hours seem to fly by and never seem to be enough. However, the trick is maximizing your time.

Ronald Weasley, the fictitious character from J.K Rowling’s fantasy novels, was right about priorities. To master one’s time, one must first figure out what comes in consecutive order of importance. This does not mean that one should sacrifice a party happening in five hours in favour of an assignment due the next day.

It is not about giving up one thing for another. It is about creating an efficient workflow that keeps one productive regardless of whether one stops for a few hours.

Instead of a fixed routine which is less effective in a world of snap decisions and last minute ideas, dedicate a fixed amount of time for a series of tasks one must take part in daily such as cleaning or studying. As the Chinese say, small increments create abundance. List out tasks that if left neglected, would result in a monstrous and seemingly impossible feat. Imagine a month’s worth of work to be done in a day versus a month’s worth of work to be done in a month. The latter would prove to be a more favourable option.

After one has gotten that out of the way, it is helpful to set priorities within those confines of time. Take a page out of successful entrepreneurs’ books: tackle the hardest task first. Procrastination comes from the idea of being challenged, but when one rises up to meet it head on, it would not only build character, it makes one more competent. A necessary skill to thrive when one graduates.

To set up priorities, it helps to think in goals. Granted, this is one thing that is hard to focus on when one is trying to find oneself or any direction at all. However, it does not hard to be life changing or major for it to matter. Perhaps the goal is to raise one’s GPA, to be able to afford a significant purchase, if one would like to be more popular, be specific such as to what would constitute as popularity. Once one has a good idea of what it is they would like to achieve, everything else should fall into place. Eliminate or de-prioritise whatever does not align with one’s endgame.

However, relaxation and having fun are a part of the campus experience. Therefore, always allow time for entertainment. Any extra time one gains could go into what one could visualize as time allowance. This would serve as incentive to accomplish goals faster and in turn, heightens productivity.

When one has saved up enough time for a party, throw one. Not only is hosting an event another useful skill to gain, it would up one’s social life if done right. Performances are key to a successful event, and one can source talents on campus for a night of fun. Or one could hire an entertainer without forking out extra cash college students always seem to be low on. For some help, Special Guest App (created by Hollywood actor Damon Wayans Jr.) helps book talent without managers or agents. There are plenty of undiscovered talents on the app looking to get hired without the steep prices. Hailed as the Airbnb for entertainers, anyone can sign up as a talent which is quite perfect for college students out to make a quick buck off their own skills and creativity.

The final step to having a rich campus experience is not falling prey to what millennials have taken to calling FOMO (fear of missing out). This would only make one unhappy and destroy the meticulous planning one has done to be productive. One must learn to accept the fact that there is something happening which is more interesting than what one is doing at any given time. The way to rid oneself of the irrational doubts of whether one has made a good choice is to believe in oneself. Ask ‘what do I want?’ with emphasis on the ‘I’. Because how one feels and one wants should be much more important and satisfying than doing anything else.

5 Reasons Students Should Invest Time In Online Presence

BY KATE LARSON

Having an online presence seems crucial for just about every aspect of our lives. As the world gets more digitally connected, standing out as a prime candidate when you’re applying for college or a new job is easier if you have a consistent and appealing online profile.

This goes beyond a simple website and a few tweaks to your social media platforms. Students are now investing their time heavily in their ‘online personal brand’ to get access to the best mentors, colleges, recruiters, nonprofits, and businesses. Here are five reasons you should go one step beyond your classmates and build an online brand that carries you forward:

1.   Support your application

College admission offers are often conditional, which means admission officers will take the time to dig deeper into your student and personal life to figure out if you’re a good fit for the institution. Try to present a positive and cohesive online presence with some clever digital marketing and a straightforward social media profile. This should help boost your chances of admission.

2.   Showcase your work experience

As a recent graduate or a young college student, you probably lack enough experience to be considered for most high-profile jobs. However, if you collect and present all your work and extra-curricular experience online through an attractive website you could present yourself as a professional with the right work ethic and dedication to start in an opening position. Most recruiters now admit to checking their candidates’ social media and websites before hiring.

3.   Help you get a job

Digital skills like creating a website and managing a social media account are invaluable. These skills can complement your proficiency in your core field of study. Content marketing, search engine optimization, and social media management can help make you instantly employable, so work on these skills while you’re still at college. Whether you’re an engineer or a financial analyst, a decent amount of digital savvy will help improve your chances of getting a job.

4.   Facilitate online research

Digital research skills are invaluable in the workplace, but you can start applying them while at college. Most of your coursework and dissertations will involve a high degree of secondary research. An ability to go beyond Google and look for rare and relevant data will help your coursework stand out from the rest of your classmates’.

5.   Become an influencer in your field

Influencer marketing is one of the most enduring trends in recent years. Being a thought leader or influencer in your field, whether that’s particle physics or biochemistry, will help you create a sustainable and lucrative career over the long run.

With the growth of social media and digital tools, there’s simply no reasons any student should hesitate to build an enviable online presence.

Kate Larson is a college student and aspiring blogger, who has a strong interest in the environment and personal well-being. She enjoys travelling and reading, as well as writing novels.

How to Avoid And Lose Weight in College

 BY ANTON LUCANUS

The Freshman 15 might be a myth, but there are plenty of studies that show weight gain during college is a real issue for plenty of students.

A 2012 study in Alabama followed 131 students over the four years of their college degree. What it found was that 70% of them put on between 12 and 37 pounds over this period. The researchers also noted gains in body fat composition and waist circumference as too.

There are plenty of factors contributing to weight gain for college students. Stress is part and parcel of studying, and for some people, binge eating is part and parcel of stress. Healthier options tend to cost more too, and for a cash-strapped college student, that means sacrificing smashed avocados on toast for ramen noodles and fast foods.

Bad sleeping habits are also a contributor. A study in the journal Behavioural Sleep Medicine had 132 freshmen at Brown University keep sleep diaries for nine weeks, and tracked their weight during this period. By the time the study was complete, over half of the students had gained up to six pounds.

There’s a social element that needs to be considered as well. In college, most opportunities for socialising revolve around food or alcohol. Either grabbing lunch together at the refectory on a break between classes, heading out to eat, or signing up for a game of beer pong. This adds an element of social pressure, some people may worry their friends will view them as fussy when they turn down fast-food options, or anti-social, if they decline.

So how can you avoid gaining weight during your college days? Here are a few simple tips you can follow, especially if you’re aiming to slim down before swimsuit season.

Water is life. So, drink plenty of it. It’s well known that too many calories from sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages can lead to weight gain. These drinks can also cause spikes in your blood sugar that actually increase hunger!

Keep your dorm room refrigerator stocked with quick, healthy, snacks. You can’t go wrong if you stick to things like fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, hummus, and baby carrots and celery sticks. Or try one of these nutritious microwave meals, all of them are easy enough to cook right in your dorm!

Eat three meals a day, every day, and don’t skip breakfast! Eating breakfast will not only jumpstart your metabolism, it can help you concentrate in class. It can be tricky for students to find the time to prepare and cook healthy meals between study and work. If you’re serious about losing weight, try one of the pre-prepared meal delivery plans out there! You can check out a comprehensive review of two delivered meal-plan options over on the blog Fitij.

Exercise! Even if you just walk to class, it’s important to stay active. Exercise plays a key role in both losing weight and keeping it off. College is the perfect time to get involved with a regular team sport or fitness class. Don’t be afraid to try some out. Exercise will also help decrease your stress levels, it’s the perfect reason to sign up for a kick-boxing class around finals time!

Get enough sleep. Less than six hours a night can affect hormone levels that control your appetite, cravings, and metabolism. The body craves the high-calories in junk food, so it can break it down quickly for energy. Eating healthier food will keep you full for longer, as well as helping you avoid the crash after a sugar high.

Byline – Anton Lucanus is the Director of Neliti. During his college years, he maintained a perfect GPA, was published in a top cancer journal, and received many of his country’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. Anton writes for The College Puzzle as a means to share the lessons learnt throughout his degree and to guide current students to achieve personal and educational fulfilment during college life.

Tips To Write An Effective Persuasive Essay

BY MELISSA BURNS

Writing a persuasive essay isn’t particularly difficult – as long as you clearly understand the purposes of this assignment type. A persuasive essay is supposed to present a point of view and provide a logical argument in its favor supported by facts, verifiable references to other sources and relevant statistics. Understand this, and you are already secure from half the mistakes people usually do when writing these essays. Most of the rest can be covered in these 5 points:

1.    Think about potential opposition

Every topic worth writing a persuasive essay about will have many viewpoints on it that are just as valid for those who share them as yours is for you. When researching the topic and gathering up arguments in your favor try to put yourself in the shoes of potential opposition. What would you say against this or that argument? Is it easy to refute? Is there evidence to the contrary? Then address these points in your paper.

2.    Deeper is better than broader

An essay is by definition very limited in terms of scope – usually, you will have no more than a few hundred of words to prove your point. Therefore, you should choose one fairly small point and cover it in as many details as such word count allows for – don’t try to deal with the entirety of the topic, it is what dissertations are for. This point is covered really well in Grad Coach blog if you want extra info.

3.    Imagine your audience

Your paper doesn’t exist in isolation – you write it to be read (or listened to) by a certain audience. Who are they? What viewpoint is the majority of them are likely to share? Are they likely to share your opinion or will they be opposed to it? How hard will it be to persuade them? What kind of arguments are they likely to listen to? Only after you take into account all these factors you will be able to tailor the paper to the audience and make sure you don’t use argumentation that will probably alienate or annoy your listeners.

4.    Keep to the point

If there is a lot of evidence in favor of your viewpoint, ask yourself if you will be able to present it all within the allotted word count. Is it realistic? Will you be able to give every piece of evidence the attention it deserves? If there isn’t enough space, try to sift through the available facts and ask yourself which part of the evidence is the most effective, efficient and impressive and which pales in comparison to the point that it will be a better decision to omit it altogether to give more attention to points that can really hammer your idea home. A couple of strong and well-covered arguments are much better than a mixed bowl of half a dozen proofs you can only spare a couple dozen words each.

5.    Ask for feedback

Get some feedback. Ideally, find somebody who doesn’t share your point of view on the subject matter and have them read your essay or read it to them yourself. Are they swayed in their opinion? Did your essay make them question their previous ideas? If they find your paper to be unconvincing, it may be a good reason to look for better arguments.

There is no surefire technique to make any persuasive essay a splendid one – some topics are just too divisive to effectively persuade anybody changes their point of view, and some audiences are just too unresponsive. But if you follow these suggestions, you will at least make sure you did everything in your power.

Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Follow her @melissaaburns or contact at burns.melissaa@gmail.com

What can be done to help students better manage their health?

For college students leaving the nest for the first time, there are a number of challenges that they will have to endure on their own. For most, that means learning to live with other people, managing their own schedules, and balancing work with school and other social activities.

It’s also a time when many students will be solely in charge of their medical appointments, prescriptions, and decisions about their diet and overall health. Unfortunately, for many students, managing their health is a challenge.

“Health is an area being neglected, yet all the available research show that healthy habits and healthy [students] can lead to better academic success. We are doing a disservice to our kids by not teaching them these essential life skills,” writes Brad Cardinal, a co-author of a health study at Oregon State University.

What can be done to help students better manage their health?

Get to Know the Resources Readily Available on Campus

First, students need to be aware of the resources that are already available to them on campus.

“Students hear 300 different things during a six-hour orientation,” Dr. Megan Moreno, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin tells NPR. “Many don’t remember or have a vague sense of what’s available, but can’t recall how to get help.”

These resources will, of course, vary from school to school. While larger state schools may have full-service facilities on their campuses, smaller schools may rely on community-based resources to provide care for their students. The advent of telehealth resources also makes it easier for students to connect with doctors and nurses at their university and beyond.

Understanding When to Seek Care

Many students also lack an understanding of when to seek medical care, what might constitute a medical emergency, and how to find a primary care physician. While infections should be treated right away, for example, ailments like a sprained ankle can typically wait a few days to be treated.

If they do seek treatment, it’s important that they have at minimum a basic understanding of how to handle their insurance, determine what is covered by their insurance carrier, and how to seek help in an emergency situation.

Take Charge of Their Health Through Preventative Care

Regular checkups, immunizations and screenings are an important part of staying healthy. But many students may be less inclined to regularly check in with their doctor if they’re feeling healthy. This is why promoting preventive healthcare treatment is so important.

“New evidence from a variety of surveys indicates that millennials, those between the ages of 18 and 34, differ from other generations in how they visit doctors and obtain medical care,” writes Matt Wotus, a healthcare reporter at Generation Progress. “The overall trend shows that Millennials are more likely skip doctor’s visits in favor of other priorities, in doing so using sources such as Google and WebMD before calling a primary care physician (PCP). Such behaviors have the possibility of endangering Millennials’ health and increasing the cost of health care down the road.”

Students ought to be encouraged to take charge of their health in order to live long, healthy lives.

Understanding Their Chronic Conditions

For students with chronic conditions that are managed by long-term medications, it’s even more important that they head to college fully informed on how their healthcare is managed. Specifically, they need to understand how to get medication refills, seek specialty care, or schedule further appointments.

Equally important is the need for students to be fully educated on why they are taking particular medications.

“Often, no one will have discussed indications and side effects, especially if a medication was started young. The early education went to parents, not the kids,” Dr. Laura Richardson, chief of adolescent medicine at the University of Washington tells NPR.

This advice goes twofold for students who may have conditions such as diabetes or asthma, who will likely have to juggle going to different doctors to have all of their needs met.

Prioritizing and Maintaining Mental Health

According to recent studies, colleges across the country are failing to keep up with a spike in demand for mental health services, leaving many students without the resources necessary to properly manage their mental health.

This is not only troubling for students who have preexisting mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, but also for the estimated 10 to 20 percent of U.S. college students that have an undiagnosed condition.

Should this be an issue on campus, students need to understand not only how to manage their mental health, but also how to go about finding an off campus provider, while also understanding the impact of alcohol, drugs, and lack of sleep on their overall mental well-being.

Overall health is one of the most important factors to student success in college and ought to be prioritized as students begin to head off to college. In doing so, students will not only be setting themselves up for a healthy future but will be putting themselves in the best place for their education.

Danika McClure is a writer and musician from the Northwest who sometimes takes a 30 minute break from feminism to enjoy a tv show. You can follow her on Twitter @sadwhitegrrl

How Working While Going to College Boosts Careers

BY EMMA BONNEY

Ever since the 1990s, the U.S. have reported constant figures when it comes to the number of students who work while doing to college. Recent statistics show that more than 70% of students ages 25-34 balance school and a quarter of these have full time jobs. The most common reason for this decision is the need to support themselves financially. Because the U.S. educational system is not free, students who don’t benefit from a scholarship or parental support have a choice between getting a job or relying on student loans and, since the latter doesn’t exactly offer peace of mind, working while going to college becomes the wisest solution. However, this course of action does more than just help you avoid student debt. Spending your free time at work instead of hanging out with college mates might feel like punishment, but even if you don’t realize it now, you are helping your career in the long run. Here’s how:

Working through college teaches you a lot about time management

It’s not easy to balance college classes, exams, a job, hobbies, social life and sleep. Some only learn how to do this in their late 20s, after they get a master’s degree, but if you start early, you will adapt to a life with responsibilities faster and you will learn a lot about time management. Having less free time teaches you to prioritize what truly matters, so not only will you understand what things are important to you, but also deal with deadlines easier. You’ll find yourself procrastinating less, planning and allocating resources effectively and participating in less redundant activities.

You will gain valuable work experience

It is a sad fact of the current economic climate that employers are looking for people with unreasonable amount of experience even for entry level jobs, so a fresh graduate with zero work experience starts at a disadvantage. Working while in college gives you a head start, so that you won’t be completely inexperienced. Whether you want to get a promotion and continue working for your first employer or look for a different job, the chances of getting hired will be higher. Plus, you will also have some basic business knowledge and this might motivate you to learn how to start a business and become an entrepreneur yourself.

You will learn a lot about what you want to do in life

Graduating from college can be stressful as much as it is liberating. You’re finally free from grades and exams, but what happens next? Finding a job is the natural step, but that’s not so easy if you don’t know what you want to do yet. However, having even as little as a few months of work experience before graduating will help you understand yourself better: what field you want to work in, what your ideal schedule is, whether you’re an individual worker or a team player and so on. Knowing what you want from your career is the first step towards becoming an accomplished employee and you won’t waste precious time figuring out your ideal career profile.

A bit about myself:

Emma Bonney is a successful blogger whose articles aim to help readers with self-development, Women’s Empowerment, Education, entrepreneurship and content management.

How To Make Your Spring Break Trip Inexpensive Yet Comfortable

BY DAVID GUTIERREZ

Student years will most likely be your last opportunity to travel without worrying where you are going to have enough time off to do so. Unfortunately, what you will have to think about is how much the trip is going to cost – which is why any idea of keeping prices reasonable is welcome. So what can you do to keep within budget while staying comfortable?

1.    Take advantage of off-peak seasons

Each travel destination has its own peak seasons which may be quite different from place to place. If you visit them at off-peak periods you probably won’t experience all the attractions they boast during peaks, but much lower prices will offset this flaw. In addition to that, there are other advantages: a less popular period means fewer people, which is nice when you want to escape hustle and bustle. Some places get so deserted at off-peak seasons that you feel they belong to you in their entirety. And don’t forget about a rare opportunity to experience locations in their natural state, without touristy glazing-over.

2.    Travel light…

If you want to get the most out of your trip you shouldn’t be weighed down by a lot of luggage, especially if you don’t spend most of the time in one place but visit multiple locations. This way you will be able to simply keep all your possessions by yourself and go around exploring without having to worry about anything else.

3.    …but pack wisely

Remember that things (especially tourist-oriented stuff like sunscreen and beach towels at a tropical resort) can cost much more at your destination than it would have at home. Thus, it is often wiser to overpack than to spend your entire budget on things that you suddenly find out you need.

To keep your hands and mind free, find a luggage storage at your destination beforehand – it will allow you to have all the comforts of home without the need to lug them along with you all the time. Simply drop your bags at a convenient place, go off exploring and pick it up again when you need it.

4.    Book early

This has a twofold advantage: firstly, things like airfares are cheaper when bought long in advance, which will allow you to save money directly. Secondly, if you book everything you are going to need (airfares, hotels, car rentals…) months before going, you will be secure from finding out at the last moment that everything in your preferred price segment is filled and you have to either drastically change your itinerary or settle for a costlier and less convenient alternative.

5.    Look for student-oriented travel agencies

There are plenty of companies tailoring their services to student crowd – both in terms of destinations and prices. Stick to them, and you will enjoy some of the cheapest airfares you can find anywhere on the Internet.

6.    Get an ISIC card

ISIC (International Student Identity Card) is recognized in over 130 countries and can be used to get better prices on airfares, accommodations, museums, food, transportation and much more. Wherever you go, whatever you do, make sure you find out prices for students before you pay a standard fare – it may turn out to be one of your main methods of economy.

Travelling is one of the most traditional ways of expanding your horizons, and it is only natural to engage in it during your student years – and following these tips will help you conserve resources to see more, travel further and get better experiences at lower costs!

David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new web design software, recently discovered professional tricks and also monitors the latest updates of the web development.