Carpenters are skilled craftspersons who work independently, in factories, with unions, or for general contractors. Carpenters use wood, plastic, fiberglass, drywall, and other materials to build or repair structures and other fixtures. Carpenters plan, construct, erect, install, and repair various buildings, structures, and boats. Carpenters can specialize their skills and perform only special woodworking construction depending upon the source of employment. Carpenters working for large contracting companies build wooden forms for poured concrete for tunnels, bridges, sewer, or other projects. These carpenters also install framing for structures, erect scaffolds, build braces in underground passageways or mines, and construct brattices.

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As computers, networks, and other forms of information technology embed themselves deeper and deeper into every aspect of culture and the global economy, the demand for people with the knowledge and skills to operate, manage, repair, and troubleshoot them continues to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for computer network, systems, and database administrators “is expected to grow much faster than the average, and job prospects should be excellent,” with a projected increase of 30 percent between 2008 and 2018. According to Indeed.com, which tracks job market trends by the keywords employers use in employment ads, every one of the top 10 job trends are information technology or network management related. Moreover, employers are ready to pay top dollar for qualified, skilled IT and network employees. According to payscale.com, median salaries for employees in these fields range from $58,000-81,000.

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History is the study of the past, often with an eye toward how it can help us understand the present and the future.

Many professional and amateur historians have blogs where they share history-related reflections, news, interviews, book reviews, images, and more. These blogs can serve as a useful introduction to the various areas of historical study, as well as a way to stay current in the field and meet other history buffs.

Below are our picks for the 25 most interesting and useful history blogs of 2011 in alphabetical order. Aspiring historians, established professionals, and curious learners will all find something worthwhile on this list. Only blogs active in 2011 were considered for inclusion.

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The modern leadership movement is based upon the principle that leaders aren’t born, they’re made. The arts of leadership and management, like all arts and skills, are learned and honed by practice over time. And one only learns how to practice from others who are farther along than oneself. That’s where blogs can be helpful. Hundreds of experienced leadership coaches and management experts publish their thoughts online. While not everyone can afford to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a management seminar, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can access high quality leadership advice for free. To help you get started we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the 25 best blogs on leadership and management of 2011.

Because The Best Colleges is a website that focuses on learning, our list of the 25 best leadership and management blogs puts special emphasis on education: blogs that genuinely help the reader understand leadership concepts and how to be a better manager. Only blogs active in 2011 were considered for our list, which is presented in alphabetical order.

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Whether you’re studying for a business degree or thinking of starting a business of your own (or both!), business and entrepreneur related blogs can be a useful source of inspiration, insight, new ideas and networking opportunities. A number of business professors, owners, authors and entrepreneurs have taken to the blogosphere, where anyone with a computer and an internet connection can learn from their knowledge and experience. There are literally hundreds of such blogs on the web, so to help you get started, we’ve put together this list of the 25 most useful and interesting business and entrepreneur blogs we could find.

Because The Best Colleges is a website that focuses on learning, our list of the 25 best business and entrepreneur oriented blogs puts special emphasis on education: blogs that genuinely help the reader understand business concepts and how to be a better entrepreneur. Only blogs active in 2011 were considered for our list. Continued…

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for psychology related careers is expected to grow at a faster than average rate, making psychology degrees a worthwhile investment for the future. Among the fastest growing fields for psychology degree graduates include career counselors, special education teachers, school psychologists, industrial/organizational psychologists, genetics counselors, forensic psychologists, sports psychologists, clinical psychologists and engineering psychologists.

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Online College & University Admissions

Getting into a top online college or university is not always easy. As with traditional brick-and-mortar schools, admissions at most online colleges and universities is a competitive process based upon several factors like standardized test scores (e.g. SAT, GRE), prior college or high school GPA, recommendation letter, personal character, and so on. Competitive admissions enables schools to be selective in determining the make up of their student body, ensuring some level of quality control. Because so many online classes involve a high level of online student-to-student interactions as part of the learning process, it is generally a better overall experience to interact with students who have proven a level of academic ability and commitment. That is why we take into account a college’s acceptance rate in our rankings of the best online schools.

Advantages of Open Admissions

Some online schools offer open admissions (also known as open enrollment) in which nothing more than a high school diploma or GED is required for a student to be admitted. While the downside of offering open admissions is the possible diluting of the quality of the student body due to the lack of selectivity, the upside is that it opens up the possibility of a college education for many people who would otherwise be excluded. Many very talented and committed students are unable to get into online schools with selective admissions because of past mistakes, learning challenges, or testing difficulties that fail to accurately reflect their true academic ability at the current time. Most adults seeking an online education have experienced a significant amount of personal and intellectual growth since high school or their early college experience. Online colleges with open admissions offer such students the chance to overcome the past and pursue a brighter, more successful future for themselves and their families.
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Imagine being able to access a world-class education from the comfort of your own home and without spending a dime.  Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can now listen to free online lectures and take free online classes from some of the very best colleges and universities around the world.  More and more top colleges and universities are making video and audio materials available through their own websites, YouTube EDU, or iTunesU.

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There are many good reasons for pursuing a computer science degree these days, not the least of which is the job market’s growing demand for computer science graduates and the generous salaries for those with computer science degrees. More and more people are choosing to pursue computer science degrees online because of the greater flexibility and affordability of online degrees. For those looking to earn an online computer science degree, we’ve put together a list of the best online colleges and universities offering online computer science and other computer related degrees in 2011. Our online computer science degree rankings are based on several factors, including school reputation, student satisfaction, peer and instructional quality, and overall affordability. Only fully accredited online colleges and universities were considered.

#1. DeVry University Online

One of most recognized and well-known names in online education, DeVry University Online was ranked #25 overall by Online Education Database in 2009. DeVry University Online currently offers a Bachelor of Computer Engineering as well as a number of other computer related online bachelor’s degrees.

–>Click here for more information on DeVry University Online

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An online degree from a top online college or university offers a number of advantages over a traditional on-campus college degree. One of the biggest advantages of an online education is affordability. Because of the lower overhead costs involved in providing online degrees, online colleges and universities are often able to offer online degree programs at a substantially lower price than traditional brick-and-mortar schools. When a school doesn’t have to pay for classroom space or spend money publishing teaching materials, they are able to pass these savings on to their students.

Because affordability is such a key reason why students choose to pursue their college degree online, we’ve put together a list of the 25 reputable, accredited online colleges and universities with the lowest tuition rates for 2011. It’s important to note that affordable, low tuition doesn’t necessarily mean low quality. Several of the schools on this list of cheap online colleges, Western Governors University Online, Liberty University Online, and Virginia College Online also made it onto our of the overall top 25 online colleges and universities.

Here’s our list of the twenty-five most affordable online schools of 2011:

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