Going to college can be expensive but did you know that there are companies that you can work for today that will help pay for your college tuition?  While the list isn’t that big, there are companies out there that are more than willing to help you with your college.  Beware though because some companies have guidelines when it comes to getting that money such as working with them in the long haul or getting certain grades in order to get the money.  Here are a few companies that offer college tuition assistance if you’re interested:

• Disney- The number 1 spot according to BusinessWeek for the “Best Place to Launch a Career”.  Disney’s solid benefits and culture makes it great for any college graduate.  Many college students have been hired in here to get promoted throughout the company with tuition assistance.
• Ernst + Young - Ernst and Young is a big recruiter when it comes to college campuses and one of the main reasons this financial giant is so big is because of their benefits and atmosphere.  At Ernst + Young, they care about your education and are willing to reimburse you for certifications, etc.
• Google - Google not only offers a great search engine, they also have one of the best benefit programs in the world.  Rated as one of the top 100 companies to work for by Fortune, Google will reimburse their employees up to $8,000 per year as long as you get a “B” or better.
• Nike - Home of the world’s most popular shoes and top 100 place to work for and launch a career, Nike does more than just offer tuition assistance.  They also offer great health care packages, scholarship potential for your families, adoption assistance, and so much more!
• UPS - When you think of UPS, you think of delivery but believe it or not, UPS offers a very nice tuition assistance program for all employees.  At UPS, you can potentially earn up to $20,000 with their program.  The nice thing about this is that they also offer it to part-time employees.
• Wawa - If you haven’t heard of Wawa, it’s probably because they don’t have one in your area.  Wawa’s are located mainly on the east coast that are like your typical grocery store.  Here, some of the benefits you’re going to receive is getting some of your tuition reimbursed.
• College Full-Time - When you’re attending college, see what kind of jobs they have on campus.  Most of the time, you’ll find that full-time jobs on campus will help pay for your schooling.   Sometimes, you may even get your college paid for 100%.  This varies school to school.

There are so many more companies out there that help you pay with your tuition.  There are smaller mom and pop shop’s as well as corporations.  See if they company you’re working for now does this.  If they do, start taking advantage of it!  But as I mentioned above, make sure you look into the fine print to make sure there are no restrictions.

The whole reason you’re going to college right now is probably to get a better job in the future (I hope).  Once you’re getting prepared to apply for a job that relates to your career, it’s best if you take advantage of one of the best tools in the world.. the Internet.  Since there are so many tools out there that you can use, I put together a nifty little list that will hopefully help your job search.

Resume Distribution

GadBall.com- Once you’re ready to submit your resume, don’t do it website by website.  If you do it this way, you’re going to be on the computer forever.  Since, time is money, this is where the website GadBall comes in.  Here, you’ll be able to ship your resume out to over 1,500 websites.  The best thing is that it’s 100% free.

Free Resume Critique

Resume-Resource.com - If you think your resume stinks, it probably does.  Sites like Resume-Resource will honestly critique your resume.  I know it may sound too good to be true but there’s a catch.  You’ll have to order their service if you want to make the changes.  Some job seekers have had great luck with services like these.

Salary Calculator

Salary.com - Before you set up an interview, make sure you know what you should be making.  This is where a tool like Salary.com comes in.  Simply follow the instructions by putting in what your job title is and where you’re looking for a job.  From there, you’ll get a better understanding on how much you should be making.  This way, when you go in to negotiate your salary, you won’t get ripped off.

Career Fairs

CareerBuilder.com - When looking for a job, there are more places to go besides the great Internet.  Places like a career fair are a great place to network with huge corporations or little shops looking for someone just like you.  A site like CareerBuilder will keep yourself up to date to let you know when career fairs are coming to your town.

Career Networking

LinkedIn.com - Experts say that over 60% of jobs come from networking.  Networking is probably the most important thing you can do when you’re looking for a job.  Websites like LinkedIn.com will allow you to create your own profile and find others in your network that works in the same field.  From there, you can chat and create a relationship.  It’s a great social network to check out.  Best of all, it’s free.

When it comes to starting college, it’s always nice to have a few extra bucks in your pocket.  But the question that most students ask is “Where do I find these jobs?”  If you know where to search, it can help but if you know what to look for, it will help you even more.  Below is a list of all the websites you can search to find jobs online –

SnagAJob - SnagAJob is a great resource for college students looking for hourly jobs.  On this website, you’ll find job openings from major companies such as Home Depot and Toys R Us.  SnagAJob is geared toward college students.

Monster - Monster is one of the bigger job searching search engines but doesn’t have as many college students jobs as a SnagAJob but it can offer a pretty good selection for major metropolitan areas.

HotJobs- HotJobs is just like Monster but ran by Yahoo!  HotJobs is another decent search engine but don’t expect to find many jobs that are geared toward college students.  It’s worth a look though!

Craigslist - Some people think Craigslist is just for selling stuff but check out your local city area on here to see if there are any jobs available.  Be careful with scams though and never give out your personal information such as a social security number over e-mail.

CareerBuilder - CareerBuilder is a great resource for students.  On this website, you can find a lot of jobs you can’t find on any other search engine.  Not only is this a great search engine for students, it’s a great website to come back to in the future for when you get your college degree.

Indeed - Indeed.com is an amazing search engine that searches all the job boards across the Internet.  It’s simple interface makes searching very easy to use.  Simply pop in what you’re looking for and what zip code, and you’ll get a lot of searches all on one page.

USAJobs - USAJobs is a website ran by the government that is designed to show all of the government jobs available.  This search should be in the mix if you’re looking for a student job.  Here, you can potentially find internships or part time jobs ran by the government, it never hurts to try.

SimplyHired - SimplyHired is just like Indeed.com but a little better.  SimplyHired will take your search and expand it across hundreds of job boards.  They will search everything from Monster to a corporate website like Microsoft.  So, instead of searching company websites, this will do the dirty work for you.

Everyone knows it, the economy has been horrible for the past couple years.  It seems everyone and their brother is either getting laid off, or work is getting scarce.  There is nothing more depressing, and frightening than loosing your job.  Without your job, you can’t pay the bills, buy what you please and it makes it hard to live.  When the economy is at its absolute worst, there is still hope.  There have been 5 jobs that are known to still make a great salary in the roughest times.  Check out these jobs below!

Engineer - Engineers have a great future according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Engineer graduates will earn an average salary of $72,000. For businesses to grow you will always need engineers for the future.

Financial Analyst - Financial Analyst’s are the second leading in a great economic feature according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Studies estimate a growth of 37% in the career for the next few years.  The average salary for this career is $67,000.

Nurse - As long as there are people on this earth we will always need nurses and medical attention.  With a population growth over the next couple years the nurse staff will only grow.  Nurses are known to make an average salary of $66,000. 

Internet Marketer - Internet Marketing is a great career.  If you like working with computers, the Internet and know a little bit about marketing you should consider this career.  The average salary starts out at $53,000.

High School - Do you like working with children or teenagers?  If so you have an opportunity to make $46,000!  High school teachers have great benefits nice long holiday vacations and make a great salary!

There are so many careers out there to consider for your future.  Although there are many careers, most people forget to consider if they will be needed in the future.  Once you decide what career you want for your future, make sure it is a salary you are happy with, it will be around in the next couple of years and most important will it be in demand? 

If you’re reading this, the chances of you being unemployed are pretty great seeing you’re looking for ideas to get back on your feet and into the workforce.  The nice thing about a college student is that you don’t necessarily have to rely on a job but it’s always nice to have that side spending cash.  You really need to worry if you have a family to feed and you’re sitting on the couch with no job at all.  Jobs are everywhere, let’s face it.  Some people are go-getter’s and get jobs within days, while others sit back, complain, and wait for that opportunity that never comes.  In order to get back into a job, here are some simple ways to make cash again.

Create a budget - If you just got laid off your job, you’re going to want to get your finances together.  Make sure that you’re not spending more than what you can afford.  Also, I’m hoping you had that emergency fund just in case of this scenario.  If not, you’re going to have to find work fast.  This is why it’s always important to have at least 3 months of expenses saved up in the bank.  On your budget, write down all the bills you need to pay each month such as rent, car, insurance, etc.

Keep applying - No matter how down in the dumps you feel, always keep your head up and apply for as many jobs as possible.  Even if some jobs require too much such as an education, etc., try and apply for them, the worst thing that happens is that it gets thrown in the trash.  I’ve known a few people that have landed jobs that they thought they’d never get.  Remember, in college, no job is over your head, so if you have to apply for that cafe job, apply for it.

Try networking - Do you know of any friends or family that know of anyone that’s hiring?  This is how most people get their jobs.  Networking is a strong way of getting a job because the employer will trust an employee outside of a stranger looking to get in.  Ask your friends and relatives to see if they know of any job that you can apply for, you’ll never know what you can find!

Follow up - Whenever you apply for a job, store this job in a spreadsheet or write it down in a notebook.  Do everything you can to follow up with the employer after you apply.  Wait a few days before you do this so you can give them time to look it over.  You won’t want to pressure or rush them into looking at something that haven’t looked at yet.

Be motivated - NEVER give up - The most successful people in life never give up and keep working to get at that goal.  Don’t let unemployment turn you down, instead look at it as a positive situation.  Start up a business, travel around looking at job potential, etc.  Don’t ever give up and just stick with a low end job.  Do your best to find the best out there.  All the work will eventually pay off in the long run!

After you find that job, make sure you replenish your savings once again and build it back up for that next rainy day.  Take your job for granted and show your employer that you can work hard.  Who knows?  Maybe that job can lead to something after college, you never know.