You’ve applied and gotten in to the school you most want to go to. Congratulations! You are in for an incredibly exciting adventure. Now how are you going to pay for it? You’ve undoubtedly spent some time searching through the scholarships and grants that are available through local avenues. You’ve probably even already applied to everything for which you are eligible. But what if you still need funding? Where does a young go-getter go?

Spend some time searching for third party scholarships. These are scholarships offered by individuals and businesses, like the 21st Century Scholarship for students who have shown initiative in community service (you can find out more here). There are a few different resources on the web that you can use to find this funding. Fastweb is one. A quick Google search will turn up plenty of others—it might even turn up the scholarships themselves!

Don’t limit yourself to scholarships. Spend some time searching out grants. Grants work basically the same way that scholarships do but the application process is more involved. There are lots of different foundations out there that give out grants to promising students who want to go to school. Sometimes this will involve agreeing to spend a certain amount of time working for the foundation or within a certain field after you graduate.

Approach specific companies about tuition assistance. This is a particularly good plan if you’ve been hoping to get a job with a specific company after you graduate. You can approach the company before you start school, ask for funding and then agree

to work for the company in whatever capacity they deem worthy for a year (or maybe more) after you graduate. You can apply this same technique with government officials. Senators and Representatives at both the federal and state level will often sponsor a student’s education in exchange for a commitment to non-profit or government work after the degree is obtained.

There are lots of places to find outside and third party funding for your education. Before you take any of them for granted, however, you need to make sure you are prepared for the application, interview and presentation process.

1. Do you have all of your resume, letters of recommendation and application materials ready to go?
2. Have you perfected your personal essay or mission statement?
3. Have you polished up on your interview skills? Ask a teacher to work with you on ensuring that you make a fantastic impression.
4. Do you have your elevator speech down pat? This is the first thing that people are going to want to know about you. You need to be able to rattle it off in any situation. Make sure it’s great!
5. Do you know how to properly and professionally follow up on an application or meeting? Ask a teacher to help you work on your approach to this as well.

The simple truth is that if you are determined, creative and willing to work hard, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding the funding you need for school—without having to take out a lifetime’s worth of debt in student loans! Good luck!

Starting your own business is a daunting task. What with the lack of steady income, health benefits and a boss to blame when business is bad. Still, more and more people seem to prefer that to getting stuck in a company where there’s tens and thousands of people, no space for growth and a life lived for weekends alone.

A decade or so ago, being an entrepreneur would also have implied a lack of connectedness with others that have a similar job title. But in today’s world, being connected is everything, even (and especially) in the entrepreneurial world. Focusing on social media alone, there are endless platforms on which modern day entrepreneurs are connecting with one another.

If utilized correctly, being ultra-connected in the entrepreneurial sphere holds many opportunities. But it also has its challenges. So let’s take a look at these opportunities and challenges focusing specifically on the social media.

Social media is a great tool to connect with other entrepreneurs. It means that you’re not alone in the world anymore and that you can rest assured that there are many others like you out there. It even gives you a chance to talk about the trails and tribulations of starting a business and perhaps share tips, strategies and plans for starting up a successful business.

Most importantly, however, social media creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to forge new connections. These connections could become business associates or lead to like-minded individuals working together in the future. Making a special list on Twitter, for example, of other entrepreneurs and interacting with them about relevant topics is one way of connecting and many business owners will confess to keeping an eye out for potential business partners on Twitter.

Another great opportunity that connecting on a social media levels holds for entrepreneurs is to show the world the person behind the brand. In today’s world, the consumer doesn’t only shop for a brand anymore; they shop for a reason why the brand exists and a form of personal touch connected with the brand. Social media gives entrepreneurs the chance to include a few personalized moments into their public lives to show the world that they’re passionate about their goals and that they live the values of their brand.
Social media can also help entrepreneurs to do affordable research. People love raising their opinions on social networks; all you have to do is ask them. In turn, it gives the entrepreneur a chance to deliver personalized customer service.

A great challenge that social media connectedness does, however, pose to entrepreneurs is that everyone thinks they can do it. But just because someone has a profile on Facebook, doesn’t meant that they can communicate a brand’s identity successfully on social media too. It’s just as easy to damage your brand on social media than it is to empower it.

The same goes for the entrepreneur’s personal connections. In many ways, they can still benefit from doing communication skills training that will teach them how to communicate professionally in their new entrepreneurial circles. Social media is so incredibly digitally orientated, that it’s easy to forget how to communicate well with others in a face-to-face situation. And it’s very important that, if entrepreneurs choose to stay connected, they must be able to present themselves well in person.

Social media has been an important way for people to stay connected. Today’s younger generation has been able to maintain friendships, plan social events, and keep up-to-date with acquaintances through one of several social media sites.

However, in recent years, employers and colleges have begun to use social media outlets to reach out to potential employees and future college students. In addition, several employment sites have had log-in links with social media outlets, such as Facebook. This allows colleges and employers to reach a younger, technology-savvy generation in an environment where they regularly access, and likely feel comfortable.

Pretty much all schools already have their own Facebook page, allowing the college to advertise important social and academic functions online. Students are able to post pictures of events, enticing future students to the college. In addition, students are able to post important comments on the academic achievements completed by the students. If you want a good example of a socially active school page then Like Hampden-Sydney College on Facebook. When students feel comfortable enough using social media outlets during college, that this may translate to them being able to look for employment using the same sources. It is important to feel comfortable using all avenues to search for a job in this age of competition for positions. Being able to successfully use social media sites to one’s advantage could be a major asset..

However, now that using social media in bet online casinos both the employment and college-seeking process is becoming common-place, it is important to keep several tips in mind when posting to a group social site. First of all, the adage that you should not post anything on social media that you would not want on the front page of a newspaper is important advice. However, it does not stop there. While it is important to limit information on the sites that an employer or college might view negatively, it is also to post positive information as well. For example, recent volunteer work, academic achievements, or other accomplishments can be displayed on the social media sites, increasing the chances of landing a job or finding a great college.

Social media sites can be a great source for potential employers or admission agents to look for the next addition to their company or school. However, it is critically important for users to keep a clean profile, free of negative or unflattering information. In addition, adding achievements, awards, or other accomplishments can increase the chances of success outside of the virtual world.