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If you’re one of those professionals who believes that a career should be more than just a paycheck, then a college of applied arts may be for you. You can parlay your creative talents into a respectable salary in art niches such as graphic design, performance art and gallery curator.

Arts and Design School: The Benefits of Distance Learning

Because art and design programs are inherently visual, they sync well with the distance learning format. You’ll appreciate the variety of standard benefits that online study has to offer: classes from home, convenient scheduling, reduced expenses, and the ability to maintain your personal and professional obligations, just to name a few. As an arts student, you’ll love the way the online degree format develops the technical skills that could give you the edge in a competitive hiring market.



College of Applied Arts: Program FAQs

Committing to a particular field of study for four or five years deserves thoughtful consideration. Here are just a few frequently asked questions that potential art and design school students have:

Will I have to attend any campus sessions? This depends entirely on the program of study. Most online programs are just that–distance learning sessions that you can complete entirely from home. Some programs may require periodic meetings on campus to turn in portfolios or deliver recitals How long before I must declare a major? Many programs allow you to complete prerequisite classes for the first year or two before requiring you to declare. Due to their complexity, some art and design programs require immediate commitment How will the content be delivered? Online programs combine electronic textbooks, class blog and chat technologies and video conferencing in a web-based framework Will professional certifications help me to get hired? Professional certifications are particularly helpful in the technical design fields, such as graphic design and multi-media arts

From Classroom to Career: What to Expect

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics paints an encouraging picture of the employment opportunities for graduates of arts and design school. Here are just some of the professions that you’ll qualify for with the job outlook and salary potential for each.

Artists and Related Workers. Employment of artists and related workers is projected to increase by 16 percent from 2006 through 2016–that’s faster than the national average for all occupations. May 2008 salary projections vary widely, from art directors at $76,980 per year to multi-media artists at $56,330 per year Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation. The career fields poised to see the largest growth in hiring from 2006 to 2016 include management, business, and financial occupations at 26.4 percent and professional and related occupations at 24.2 percent Other Arts-based Career Options. Graduates of college and applied arts programs may also choose careers as commercial and industrial designers, fashion designers, floral designers, and graphic and interior designers

The bottom line is that you can earn a living by doing what you love by graduating from a college of applied arts. Also, attending an arts and design school online makes the transition from classroom to career convenient and affordable.

As one of only 11 recognized schools in Texas for Yoga teacher training, Pathways to Wellness, located in Corpus Christi, allows you to gain certification for registry with the Yoga Alliance in its 200-hour yoga teacher training course. School Director and Yoga Teacher Instructor Evy Coppola explains a key benefit of learning to become a yoga instructor through Pathways to Wellness: “You know you have a solid foundation no matter what level student comes to your class, you will feel confident teaching them. When someone finishes my course, they are well-equipped to handle all students, including limitations, to make corrections,” says Coppola. “Feeling comfortable is essential.”

Practical instruction in the yoga teacher training course includes physiology, anatomy, Sanskrit definitions, nutrition and healthy lifestyles, guided relaxation, mediation, Eight-limbs of yoga, postures and classical poses (with flowing sequences), class protocol, marketing, and business development. “I incorporate all the foundations, the basics, and components of traditional styles of yoga,” says Coppola of the 200-hour yoga teacher program. “I also offer the option for extra training at no additional charge.” Beyond foundational training, students are given the opportunity to teach ongoing yoga classes upon instructor designation.

Students attending the yoga teacher training course are provided with essential materials including a yoga mat and yoga blanket. As for the atmosphere at Pathways to Wellness, Coppola says the first thing that people notice is the good feeling. “It’s a very relaxing and tranquil atmosphere, and always has a wonderful fragrance… it feels so nice and peaceful.”

Pathways to Wellness is a total wellness center, says Coppola, addressing herbal homeopathy, craniosacral therapy, energy treatments, reflexology, noninvasive treatments, and preventive health. “It’s a total wellness and holistic approach to yoga.”

Is signing up for a yoga teacher training course in your future? At Pathways to Wellness you can become certified and open your own yoga studio. As a natural health practitioner, yoga teacher training is yet another way to enhance your overall practice, as well. Discover the yoga teacher training program at Pathways to Wellness today!

Featured School the Week: Pathways to Wellness

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Over 42,000 nurses were turned away from nursing school last year. If you want to become a nurse that means you that you may have to wait a long time before you can actually get into the profession.

There are plenty of nursing job openings now, and the demand for nurses looks to be strong until 2014 and beyond.

If you are motivated to become a nurse, you have several options that allow you to get into the profession. In this article we will discuss the quickest and least expensive way to jump start your nursing career, and also show you other ways to bypassing the long nursing school waiting lists.

The Career Ladder for Nursing Jobs

No matter where in the nursing career ladder you start, the nursing profession offers job advancement at a steady manageable pace from Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN), then to obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and beyond.

This method is great for anyone wanting to get into nursing, gain experience and have their employer help pay for nursing school along the way. Many nurses enjoy working only 3, twelve hour shifts each week. This leaves plenty of time to attend school and study for the next logical step in a nursing career.

Also, if you decide to start out as a CNA, it is a great way to get your feet wet without spending three years in school to then find out that the day-to-day nursing activities are not for you.

How to Become a CNA

Entering the nursing profession as a Certified Nursing Assistant is a relatively easy route to take. If you already have a high school diploma or a GED, there are several paths to getting the training and experience you need to become a CNA. You can attend CNA classes at a community colleges and vocational or adult schools. Some hospitals still offer CNA programs but they are few and far between.. Classes generally last 6 to 12 weeks or a minimum of 75 hours of instruction. Some states require more hours and programs range from 75-150 hours.

Waiting lists for Certified Nursing Assistant programs are not nearly as long as the one’s you will find for obtaining an Associate Degree in Nursing to become an LPN or a RN. And this is even more so for obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Nursing.

Schools that offer CNA programs include include vocational schools, community colleges, and some hospitals. The quickest route into nursing is through a vocational school, but that is also the most expensive route.

Advantages of Becoming a CNA:

1. In a relatively short period of time, you can enter the nursing profession

2. While you work as a CNA, you can apply to a Community College or Vocational School to become an LPN

3. You can gain experience as a nurse, gain an understanding of where you would like to take your career

4. You will know nursing from the ground up

5. With the experience you gain, your application to any school will be considered more seriously because you have already demonstrated your commitment and passion for nursing.

6. It is less expensive route to becoming a nurse

Disadvantages of Becoming a CNA

1. You must juggle work, school and other commitments such as family

2. There are limits to the care that a CNA can give. If you want to provide more care to those in need, you will need to wait until you gain your LPN or RN license.

3. It may take a little longer to accomplish your ultimate career goal

You can enter nursing school in the next month or so if you consider the pragmatic approach of earning your Certified Nursing Certificate and then working your say up the nursing career ladder. Learn about other approaches to getting into nursing school without being put on a long waiting list.