As of 2005, according to USA Today, 64 percent of high school move on to attend college, but only 29 percent graduate. So even if you never attend college, you are in the majority of Americans in the job pool.

Does this mean that you are excluded from making a lot of money or even the American dream of becoming wealthy? Of course not. To encourage you, here are some famous people who never made it through high school or never attended or completed college.

We’ll take them alphabetically but don’t have space to go from A to Z.

Lucille Ball was a high school dropout. Roseanne Barr was too. Carl Bernstein, famed Watergate reporter quit college. Andrew Carnegie, left school and started working when he was 13. Astronaut Scott Carpenter, failed out of college twice. Charles Dickens never finished elementary school. Thomas Edison was home schooled until he went to work on the railroad at age 12. US President Millard Fillmore had only 6 months of school in his life. Bill Gates, quit Harvard after two years. William Randolph… Read More

An ACCA qualification is one of the most respected qualifications that can be attained in all professions. ACCA qualified accountants are held in great esteem and many of its members hold key positions in industry.

ACCA qualifications are however not cheap. It can be extremely costly and many of those studying are funded by employers or through scholarships. This is mainly due to the expensive tuition fees for the course that are provided in ACCA training centres throughout the country. Find out how to look for an accounting job while studying for an ACCA.

However, it is not necessary to break the bank to attain this prized qualification.

Self study

The alternative to attending classes is to study on your own. Below are various steps how this can be achieved:

• Apply on ACCA website for student membership

• Decide how many papers you are going to take in your first sitting (the Chartered Accountancy body may give you certain exemptions based on previous qualifications or work

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Getting hold of ACCA course textbooks is easy. The best place to buy them is from either Ebay or Amazon. Both these sites offer pre-used books often at very low prices. Since the ACCA syllabus does not change too significantly from year to year, it is not essential to have fully updated textbooks.

Buying used ACCA books

Studying ACCA can be expensive, especially if studied through tuition at ACCA centres. Buying all the ACCA course material recommended can significantly boost the cost of getting an ACCA qualification. However, there are ways to save on buying the textbooks and other material.

Here are some tips on how to buy used ACCA course material:

• Make sure they are not too old though i.e. dating back several years. It is best if they are no older than 3 years at the most, preferably 2 years and less.

• Look for offers that sell study material as a package. Some people sell ACCA study guides, exam revision guides and exam tips as a package. They probably used all

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Career opportunities in accounting know no limits. From an entry-level junior accountant, you can grow into a partner in your organization with the right qualifications and proven expertise. CPA or Certified Public Accountant may be the most esteemed in the public eye; there is no dearth of career prospects awaiting accountancy graduates/ undergraduates.

Graduate Internships

As a fresher you may like to work with one of the top public accounting firms like KPMG, Arthur Anderson, Ernst & Young or Price Waterhouse Coopers for an enriching and satisfying experience. Nevertheless, you can get placement at local/ state/ federal level or secure a suitable job profile at one of the big or small corporations flourishing across US.

The salary package of an accountant is generally relative to the location, size and type of the employer firm. In US, the broad range of annual salary can fall between a satisfactory five-figure to a whopping six-figure denomination, directly relative to an individual’s job profile, experience and scale of employer organization. A study of the salary packages offered by reputed public… Read More

There are many things that you will need to know in order to become an accountant:

The first thing you will need to know is the accountant job description. Basically this job entails applying the principles of accounting to analyze financial information and prepare financial reports or profit and loss statements. There are also accounting control procedures that must be used in this job.

Secondly, you must understand that there are 3 types of accountants:

•  A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is an accountant in the United States who has passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and met additional state education and experience requirements in order to receive their license. They can attest on your behalf when you are audited and provide you with opinions about financial statements. In order to become a CPA, you will need to pursue an additional license on top of the licenses that you are required to have in order to be an accountant. This license will be required if you do not wish to work in private accounting and thus want to… Read More

CPA’s (Certified Public Accountants) are different from other accountants in that they must they have certain state and licensing requirements such as education, examination and experience. CPA’s are also required to take Continuing Education courses to keep updated on all aspects of CPA services. They must abide by a strict code of professional ethics and they are recognized and highly respected by the public. CPA’s are rewarded for their extra effort by earning a high five-figure and sometimes high-six-figure salary. This depends largely on experience.

The education that is required to become a CPA includes:

• An accounting program registered as licensure-qualifying, or
• An accounting program that is accredited by an accrediting body accepted by the Department, or
• A program determined by the Department to be equal to a registered program, or
• 15 years of public accounting experience acceptable to the State Board for Public Accountancy

Next, you must decide where you want to be licensed and apply to that jurisdiction. This is fairly self-explanatory but if you have already taken the CPA… Read More

Apart from stupendous sense of prestige and achievement, being CPA, acronym for “Certified Public Accountant, entitles you to a fat five-figure salary package in USD, which may even touch higher six figures with experience and exposure.

While the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) prepares and evaluates the Uniform CPA examination, CPA Examination Services – a division of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, administers it across the New York State.

Here is the outline for the educational and experience criteria to qualify to sit for the Uniform CPA:

• A New York SED (State Education Department) registered accountancy program to qualify for your licensure; or

• Any other program as determined by SED as equivalent to its registered accountancy program(s); or

• Fifteen years of public accounting experience, as found satisfactory by the State Board for Public Accountancy, under the direct supervision of a US Certified Public Accountant, involving application of US GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), GAAS (Generally Accepted Auditing Standards) and significant exposure in preparation of financial statement and

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A legal intern is usually a student on a law course hired by a law firm/practise designed to provide practical experience for the student.

This is a great way to gain knowledge ahead of a law career and potentially becoming a fully-fledged lawyer.

You should realise that many legal internships are voluntary in that students do it purely for the purpose of gaining experience, most will not receive any financial compensation for their time spent there.

Role of a legal intern

• Assist lawyers with their work under their guidance
• Learn to research a case
• Tackle current legal issues within the field of law you are specialising in

Requirements

Although law firms are keen to take on interns, most will have stringent requirements for prospective interns.

• Any student studying any branch of law at a law school that has completed at least one semester is eligible to qualify. However, the terms of eligibility may vary depending on the organization employing interns and also the law school where you study.

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An internship is a great way for a student to gain experience while studying but it can also help with financial aspects such as student loans because many internship positions pay a salary. The real advantage of doing an internship is the experience it provides to the student.

In all likelihood, a student will want to take up a role that is in keeping with his/her line of study. The experience gained from an internship will give them an edge over fellow students.

Competition for internship places has become very fierce because of the increasing number of students that want apply for internships.

Careers office at the university

There are essentially two ways to go about hunting for a place. All universities will have a careers office where students can search for places. This is a great way to find internships because it is absolutely free and is coordinated by the university where you are studying. However, sometimes, students may not find the appropriate place through the university and may want to look elsewhere.

Pay to have

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As you may already know, a student internship is a great way to get your feet wet professionally. It is also a great way to make contacts and get the experience that you will need to have later on. If you are doing a graduate student internship, it may even land you a permanent position. Therefore, you should know how to find an internship that is good for you:

• Make sure that you know what you want to get out of an internship. Are there specific skills that you want to use and develop?

• Identify the type of work environment that you like.

• It is also important to decide whether or not you want to get paid.

• Start identifying companies that are able to offer you internships in your field. Usually a career or employment office will be able to help you find internships. You could also visit such web sites as InternSearch.com and InternJobs.com where internships are also listed. Attending job fairs may also help you to locate an internship.

• You may need to… Read More

Online education offers the chance to expand on your qualifications to improve your marketability in the job market, to help get promotion at your current employer or even to change your career path. Whatever the reason, online education can now be viable way to boost you earning power.

There are now many ways to study for an online qualification such as an online degree or even Masters programs as well as courses specializing in very niche areas. With competition for jobs stiffer than ever, employers put more emphasis on the need to have the right qualifications and skills.

How online education differs from traditional campus-based courses?

• Obviously, the biggest difference is being able to study and learn in your own pace and time. This means you have the chance to be able to seek a qualification while you are on your job. There is no need to work part-time or hassle your employer so you can study around your job.

• Obviously the mode of study is also different. Much of the online studying is done

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Most mature students tend to be those in employment who have decided to try and obtain a degree to improve their job prospects. Some are also latecomers who possibly went straight to work after high school; there are also foreign mature students that have come to get a qualification before heading back home.

Any degree that is done should e done according to what there needs to be done. This can often be a difficult decision. This stems from not knowing as someone who is older than other students, will fit in with the rest.

Some people hesitate to enter university because they don’t feel they are of the right age. They see universities for those who come straight from college following on from high school. In fact, mature students now make up a significant proportion of the university student base.

The reasons you should attend as a mature student:

• Mature students are now very common. There is nothing to be ashamed of. There is a concept of lifelong learning that is emphasized.

• You should

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It’s been a while since you finished school. You’ve been working for a while and now it’s time for a change.You are considering going to graduate school but are not sure how to go about finding one. Here are some tips that will help you in your graduate school search.

Decide on a degree

Would you like a masters or a doctorate? Some graduate schools specialize in certain programs so this will help narrow your search. Certain career paths make some degrees necessary over others. If you would like to be a professor, it pretty much guarantees the need for a doctorate.

Choosing a graduate school

This may be the hardest part in your graduate school search. There are several factors that will determine which school to attend. The first is its areas of specialty. If they aren’t known for the particular graduate school program you are looking for, it may not be worth going to that school.

Send for graduate school information

Once… Read More

If you are planning to become an attorney/lawyer then you will need to attend a law school after your law degree. The law school you choose is one of the most important decisions you will ever make because it could well determine the level of success in your careers as a lawyer.

Start researching prospective law schools
Choosing a law school is very tricky because the admission procedure is quite rigid and more complicated than most other subjects. You need to start preparing to choose a law school long before application deadline. You could start by going online and researching the law schools you are interested in and requesting brochure and other relevant information for prospective students.

Admission to law school

Prior to attending a law school, you will need to do a test set by the Law School Admission Council called the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). How well you do in this test will go a long way in determining which law school you will be able or not able to go. Top law schools… Read More

Since your performance in an LSAT or Law School Admission Test will determine whether you can get admitted to a law school of your choice, it is extremely important that you prepare well for it, especially considering that some law schools will not accept students falling below a certain threshold.

This guide will provide tips on how to prepare for a law school admission test.

Register for the LSAT

Firstly, you will need to register with the Law School Admission Council to be eligible to take an LSAT. You can do this either by phone, post or online.

Registration fee

According to the Law school Admission Council, the fee to register for an LSAT is $118 for the year 2006.

Remember that the LSAT tests take place four times a year and there should be a location not too far from where you live. You should take the test on a date that will allow you enough time to consider your law school options. Also, in the event of not achieving the desired… Read More

A lot of entrepreneurs would really like to get their real estate license but do not know how to go about doing so. Here are the steps that are necessary for getting this license or even for getting your real estate broker license:

• First of all, you need to figure out whether you want to be a salesperson or a broker, which is someone who simply finds work for the salesperson.

• Each state is slightly different when it comes to getting a real estate license. There is no such thing as a national real estate license.

• The state that you live in will tell you what your minimum age must be, what their education requirements are, how much the applications and fees will cost and anything else that is specific to your state.

• Make sure that you find out from your state where you should take your pre-license course.

• You should take a pre-license course either in a brick and mortar building or you can work towards getting your real… Read More

A legal secretary is someone that works in a law office assisting the firm’s lawyers. In many ways they are the administrators of the firm that run the office to improve the efficiency of the service provided by the lawyers to their clients.

Legal secretaries play an important role in allocating the resources in a law office.

It should be pointed out that a legal secretary does not require any detailed knowledge of the law other than some common and widely used legal vocabulary used in law office. Their role is primarily an administrative one.

Role of a legal secretary

• To keep a diary of events for those she/he is working for

• To book appointments for clients to meet the lawyer

• To write up business administrative letters for the law office

• To arrange meeting between a lawyer with potential witnesses in some cases

• Keep track of the issues that are required to be dealt with by keeping a timetable of events

• Is

… Read More

This guide looks at important aspects of a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and ways to go about preparing for it.

A person wishing to get into a graduate school to do an MBA (Master of Business Administration) or some other masters business programs will need to pass the Graduate Management Admission Test. Most business schools now weigh up a GMAT test score during their admission process.

A GMAT tests a person on certain capabilities that give good indication of whether the person is a good candidate for graduate study.

Registering for GMAT

You can register for the GMAT online on the Graduate Management Admission Council website. You have the option of registering by phone and post as well.

Registration fee

According to the website, the fee for the GMAT is $165 for the year 2006 for a resident of the United States.

GMAT dates

The GMAT test can be taken any month of the year. The test takes place 3 out of 4 weeks every month. The hours are a choice of morning… Read More

There comes a time in most young peoples lives to decide whether to pursue further education by enrolling at university and doing a degree course or, to go into employment after high school or college education.

This is by no means an easy decision for some and there are lots of factors that need weighing up before deciding to enrol on an appropriate university degree. While many students make their minds up about going to university long before they are due to go, some remain undecided until it is time to start the application process for university courses.

A lot of publicity, sometimes bad, regarding the huge debts that many students accrue during the course of their university education can scare off some potential undergraduates from pursuing a degree. However this should not necessarily be the only factor that determines whether you should or should not go to university.

The advantages of getting a degree

• A degree is a pass to better jobs – There is no doubt that when people contemplate doing a degree, they think

… Read More

The decision to progress on to advanced study by doing a year or two of graduate study after completing an undergraduate degree can be an agonising one because, for some, there are both strong cases for and against doing a Masters degree.

Masters degree provides clout in the job market

There is no doubt that one of the main reasons why people undertake a Masters degree course is, to become highly employable, get top jobs with high pay. Almost all Masters Degree holders are in employment and in many cases, in jobs they were planning when deciding to study for an advanced degree.

People with advanced degrees are highly paid

According to the Census Bureau data for 2005, a person with Masters degree or other advanced degrees earn, on average, just over $78,000 a year compared to just over $50,000 for those with an undergraduate degree, and even less for those with a high school diploma. Of course, this one of the main motivational factors that persuades people to do an advanced degree, and according to this… Read More