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3 Ways a Dream Board Helps Boost Your Career

By U.S. News & World Report

We all have career goals that we intend on reaching.

But sometimes we fall off the horse, either because we lose enthusiasm, we get distracted or other circumstances derail us altogether. Others aren’t able to set meaningful career goals because they haven’t identified what gives them a sense of fulfillment professionally or how to overcome the obstacles between where they are and where they want to be.

[See: The 25 Best Jobs of 2017.]

A career dream board (or vision board) is a great way to set meaningful career goals by helping you visualize exactly what you want and where you want to go in your career. This is an interesting, inspiring, creative and useful tool that helps you not only set goals, but keep your motivation high to achieve them. But this exercise is sometimes overlooked because some consider it impractical or intangible.

Here’s why you should you have a career dream board and how it can help boost your career.

1. It helps you identify your values. What do you want out of your life and your career? How can you get there? First, make a list of things that are important to you, or that you want out of your life and career. These can be tangible or intangible things. Once you have your list, determine which things or values are the most important to you. Prioritize your list and stay with the top 10.

Now, see if and how each of these items can be transferred to your professional life and in your career. It’s important to clearly identify what each value means for you on a career level. For example, you may have chosen family as something that’s important to you. In order for you to honor family life in your career, you may want a schedule that allows you to be at home on the weekends or that offers flextime. Go through your list and write down how you can honor your values on a personal and professional level.

[See: Tips for Surviving a Career Transition.]

2. It helps you set new goals. During the process of determining the things that are important to you, you may find that not all of your values are being honored in your current position. Take some time to think about ways you can better honor your values at work. For example, you may discover that being connected with others is important to you. You could set the goal of making the effort to talk with your coworkers more often. Reaching this small goal can catapult you to other goals, such as expanding your professional network. Try to set three new goals for yourself from your list of values to work on in your career.

Once you’ve identified the values you want to honor in your career and the new goals you want to reach, think of other things you’d like to have. This could include working for a great boss; earning an ideal salary number; or promoting a product you really believe in. List the top 10 things you want in your career — values, goals and beyond — and use a poster board to showcase them. Either draw or use pictures to represent them. You can choose to organize the board as you wish. Have fun with it and really personalize it. Then put it somewhere you can see it every day. If you don’t want to craft a physical board, you can make one digitally. Just make sure it’s visible daily, such as on your phone or computer background.

[See: The 10 Most Common Interview Questions.]

3. A dream board helps you stay focused and positive about your goals. We all know the importance of using visual aids during a meeting or presentation. The same principle applies in reaching your professional goals. Seeing pictures helps us create a lasting mental vision compared to just reading a list of goals. Pictures also generate emotion. Your dream board should help you quickly remember exactly what your career vision is and excite you about getting there. Make sure you take a few minutes every day to look at and think about your dream board. Sit with it and picture what your career would be like with these elements present. This will help you take the actions needed to reach your goals and boost your career.

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3 Ways a Dream Board Helps Boost Your Career originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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