Higher education in Europe Higher education plays an essential role in society, creating new knowledge, transferring it to students and

fostering innovation. EU-level actions help higher education institutions throughout Europe in their efforts to modernise, both in terms of the courses they offer and the way they operate. Europe has around 4 000 higher education institutions, with over 19 million students and 1.5 million staff. Some European universities are among the best in the world, but, overall, potential is not being fully realised. Curricula are not always up to date, not enough young people go to university, and not enough adults have ever attended university. European universities often lack the management tools and funding to match their ambitions. In the light of these challenges, governments and higher education institutions are looking for ways to create better conditions for universities. National governments are responsible for their education and training systems and individual universities organise their own curricula. However, the challenges facing higher education are similar across the EU and there are clear advantages in working together. The role of the European Commission is to support national efforts. This is done in the following ways: By working closely with policy-makers from Member States to help them develop their higher education policies. The Commission published a modernisation agenda for higher education in 2011, identifying five priority reform areas for action. Read more about the agenda. The Commission actively supports the Bologna Process, the intergovernmental process which promotes reforms in higher education with 47 countries, leading to establishing a 'European Higher Education Area'. By encouraging the exchange of examples of good policy practice between different countries in particular, it gathers together a group of national experts the 'cluster' on the modernisation of higher education to share experiences and look at common challenges. The Erasmus Programme funds around 200 000 students every year to study or work abroad, along with other projects to increase co-operation between higher education institutions and other relevant institutions. There are a number of European programmes to promote co-operation in higher

education with countries beyond the EU, including Tempus and Erasmus Mundus. Read more about these external co-operation initiatives in higher education. The Commission launches studies on specific areas relevant to higher education policy by gathering, analysing and sharing information on the state of play across Europe. Find EU studies and research on higher education.

Importance of Higher Education

With many teens harboring the desire to start earning straightaway after their school so that they can live independent, unrestricted lives, this dilemma of the importance of higher education is bound to occur. Why should we go to college? What difference will it make to our lives? Let us discuss all these and more by learning about the importance of college education.

Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals

Aids in Growth and Development In school, students very rarely get to experience life. When the students get enrolled in college, they are first of all away from their families, so this makes them independent, and thus, they learn how to be on their own. During the college years, if the students have the right attitude, i.e., they really want to learn and study, the scope for it is unlimited. They can increase their knowledge by reading lots of books or by attending the lectures given by the experts in the fields. The college life is such that it teaches the necessary life lessons to a lot many students. Students get the opportunity to explore a lot of things and basically 'find' themselves, in true sense of the word, in these four years of college.
Key to a Better Life

With globalization taking place, the job market has become even more competitive. Now, a person not only has to compete for a job with the people from his own community or country but also with the people who immigrate from other countries. So what is it that will distinguish you from all your competitors? Of course it is your additional skills, knowledge and a college degree. It is a well-known fact that people who have a higher degree tend to earn more. According to a research done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average earnings become high and the level of unemployment falls, with each education level acquired. Also, people with higher education are more

likely to get jobs which give health as well as pension benefits to the individual, in his or her old age. Thus, a college degree is the key to a better life.

The Role of Higher Education in Society

Ideal Citizens People who are well educated and well paid, are more likely to live fulfilled lives. They make better partners, parents and employees. They believe in following the societal norms and seldom indulge in anti-social behavior. Educated people are more tolerant of other people, and thus, help in keeping the society peaceful. Higher standards of living, peace, good family life - all these things help in strengthening the country as a whole. Social Work Studies have shown that people who have a higher degree, which translates into a good satisfied life, are more likely to do social work and volunteering. Such behavior do benefit the society as a whole, as the underprivileged get taken care of too. The benefits of higher education can be judged from the way it benefits a person financially, emotionally, socially, as well as intellectually. Funding a college education is no more a task too, what with the various scholarships offered by the federal government, various local community clubs and even by the corporates. So go ahead and grab the opportunity to turn your life around by getting higher education. All the Best!
By Aastha DograLast Updated: 9/27/2011

Why Education is Important in Our Life It is very easy to explain importance of education. No human beings are able to survive properly without education. By the means of education only ones potential can be used to maximum extent. Education tells men how to think, how to work properly, how to make decision. Through education only one can make separate identity. It is most important in life like our basic need foods, clothe and shelter. With the beginning we learnt how to interact with

others, how to make friends because of education only. As I remember when my parents had enrolled my name in school not only I learnt the alphabets and numbers but also I made friends, interacted with them with teachers. With further development you were faced with the sense of competition and desire and other such emotions and feelings, you also learnt to control these emotions and feelings. And also teaches how to act in different situations. Education is not just restricted to teaching a person the basic academics, say computers, mathematics, geography or history education is a much larger term. If you want to find out the impact of education on any individuality, you better do an intense observation to the ways of well-educated people and then compare them with an illiterate man. You would get a clear picture of the education and its accurate concept. Education is one of the important factors which formulate the persona of a person. Education is a productive and beneficial factor in a persons life. It is everyones right to get. The training of a human mind is not complete without education. Only because of education a man are able to receive information from the external humanity, to notify him with past and receive all essential information concerning the present. When one travels around the world, one observes to what an extraordinary degree human nature is the same, whether in India or Australia, London, Europe or America. Conservative education makes independent thinking extremely complicated. If we are being educated merely to achieve distinction, to get a better job, to be more efficient, to have wider domination over others, then our lives will be shallow and empty. If we are being educated only to be scientists, to be scholars wedded to books, or specialists addicted to knowledge, then we shall be contributing to the destruction and misery of the world.

We may be highly educated, but if we are without meaningful combination of thought and feeling, our lives are incomplete and clashing. Education develops a meaningful outlook on life. The individual are different but to accentuate the differences and to encourage the development of a definite type education is must. Education is not just a matter of training the mind. Training makes for efficiency, but it does not bring about completeness. Knowledge and efficiency are necessary, which brings up by education. Education should help us to discover lasting values; unfortunately, the present system of education is making us submissive, emotionless and deeply thoughtless. Systems, whether educational or political, are not changed without explanation; they are transformed when there is a fundamental change in ourselves. The individual is of first importance, not the system; and as long as the individual does not understand the total process of himself, no system can bring order and peace to the world.

Consider Staying February 4, 2013 - 3:00am By Rachel Leventhal-Weiner

Anything can happen during the five or more years you are in graduate school, training for that dreamy tenure-track position somewhere far away. Even if you think of your institutions locale as a stop on the way to bigger or better places, it is possible that somehow, unexpectedly, you put down shallow roots. Before you know it, you have become attached to the place youve called (temporary) home. Working in higher education, it is always assumed that you will move for the right opportunity.

In the Ph.D. job market this year, there has been a fair amount of talk about "embracing your inner North Dakotan," (there are jobs there) and preparing for the prospect of moving far away to find that plum job (or any job really). But even if you are geographically mobile, in an overburdened job market, being able to move anywhere does not guarantee that you will find a position. Perhaps you have discovered that the tenure track is not for you or that you prefer teaching to research. Over the course of your graduate training, you may have established valuable local networks and severing those ties could be detrimental to your professional and personal sanity. Before considering a longdistance job search, it may be time for a realignment of professional aspirations. Consider staying.

Since the start of my graduate training at a large research university in a small college town, I have always considered staying. Many of my colleagues wonder how I will negotiate the academic job market when I finish my dissertation because I felt rooted before I even started my coursework. Over the last six years, I discovered that I like where I live, and a long-distance move may not be the best personal or professional choice because it would take me away from my family. Ive decided that Ill likely focus on finding a professional opportunity closer to home, but I have found that there is little career advice for job-seekers who plan to stay as local as possible. Following are three strategies Ive employed to get myself ready to find local employment.

First, start thinking early on in your graduate career about your potential post-grad job prospects. Your professional life is happening from the moment you step into the graduate seminar room. Even if you think you might be training for one professional path (tenure-track faculty), you may find you love other aspects of your field or your institution along the way. If you are interested in knowing more about those alternative professional pathways, ask someone. If there is no support for alt-ac jobs in your department, start asking around your institution. People love to talk about their jobs, how they got them, and how you might prepare for them.

Secondly, if you want to stay in higher education locally, draw a radius around your current institution and decide how far you can reasonably travel for another position. I know that the diffusion of institutions varies across the country, and I have always lived in the northeast, where there is a high concentration of colleges and universities. Even still, it is important to figure out the institutions to watch and start paying attention. Now is not the time to overlook institutions that have mostly local recognition. Finding a job in higher education is part effort and part opportunity. The wider the local net, the better the chances youll find something that pays the bills.

I adopted this particular strategy last year when I was unsure of my graduate funding for this academic year. I started networking with the local institutions of higher education by sending my C.V. blindly looking for teaching opportunities. My C.V. bounced around and I received two responses from local departments that happened to be looking for instructors. Neither had posted their opportunities publicly yet, and my C.V. had caught their attention because of my teaching experience. I was lucky to secure a two-year teaching fellowship.

Finally, you may need to think outside of academe. I happen to study educational inequality in a state where the achievement gap between rich and poor students is the highest in the nation. There is no shortage of good work to be done both inside and outside the academy on the issue of educational justice. I recognize that many scholars-in-training have intellectual interests and research specialties that are less applicable to a local social problem. However, that does not mean your work should remain within the walls of the academy. Opportunities for Ph.D. candidates exist where you least expect to find them: in the public or private sector, in arts or philanthropic organizations. Take advantage of the services your institution has to offer regarding professionalization and career development, especially how to sell your grad school training to a real-world audience. Your institution may also have local networks you can tap into.

Whether it feels like it or not, we have agency in the professional job market. We have a choice in how our professional lives proceed. And not engaging with a national job search does not mean you cant hack it. It simply means youre navigating the future of your professional life as best (and local) you can. Sometimes taking control of the job search can be the most empowering part of the process. Even if you always thought you would move far away, consider staying.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/02/04/essay-idea-looking-job-city-whereyou-earn-your-phd#ixzz2KXEHR8AL Inside Higher Ed

From Despair to Hope Looking at the Job Search Process through a New Lens
By Lea Alvarado, Alumni Career Program Manager, CU-Boulder It has been a difficult year for many CU-Boulder alums who have been impacted by the current economic times. People are experiencing rejection for the first time in their job search. They are sending out hundreds of resumes and getting rejection emails and/or letters. In many cases they get no response. In the past, these same individuals were asked to come in for interviews only a short time after applying. Getting hired was a much quicker and easier process as well. Its easy to get discouraged and to question your skills and abilities after experiencing this level of rejection. Your confidence begins to wane, frustration sets in and your attitude towards your job search becomes one of despair and hopelessness. In spite of how you feel however, you need a job, so you continue to search job boards, send rsums out, attend networking events and so on. You seem to be doing all of the right things and yet, no results. Its been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. You have to be willing to do something different if you want to experience a different outcome. The job search process involves two very important components the practical and the psychological. As a career counselor, I believe you cant conduct a successful job search without incorporating both. Most people focus only on the practical visiting job boards, sending rsums out, networking and so on. The psychological component, however, involves your thoughts, emotions and attitude, as well as your beliefs all of which need to be recognized and dealt with. Our thoughts impact our lives more than we realize because they create either a positive or negative emotion within us, which impacts what we focus on and what ultimately shows up in our experience. Have you ever noticed when you meet someone and focus on their negative or unattractive qualities you begin to notice more of those negative qualities? If, however, you choose to focus on the persons positive and attractive qualities, then that is what you notice and suddenly they are a more attractive person to you. Dr. Wayne Dyer speaks to this when he says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." Often times however, we are unaware of the lens through which we are operating in. We have to become aware of it in order to change it. The first step is to become aware of your current attitude, emotions, thoughts and beliefs. When you sit down to look for jobs on the Internet, what do you say to yourself? Most people are unaware of the thoughts that run through their minds on a regular basis. Are your thoughts serving you or hindering you? What is your current attitude and perspective towards the job market, your skills and abilities? An excellent way to keep track of your thoughts is to keep a Post-it pad with you at all times and write down your thoughts for one week. Notice at the end of the week which ones were the most predominant. Its common for them to be such thoughts as, The economy is awful, Theres too much competition Theres no jobs out there, and I dont have the right skills. These kinds of thoughts impact our job search in a negative way, as what we focus on comes about. The alums who I have worked with who believe in their abilities and have a positive attitude are the ones that have had the most success. They generate more job leads, find more opportunities and have more positive outcomes. Once you are aware of your thoughts, attitude and perspective, you have a choice to make. If you want a different outcome, you have to be willing to make a change. This part takes commitment. You have to be willing to give up your story or at least stop telling it if you want a different result. If you focus on the negative, then that is what you will continue to experience. It is simple as that. It may be challenging at first if you are not already used to telling a different story. But once you start shifting the conversation in your mind, you will catch yourself and before you know it, you will be telling a more positive story to yourself and others.

This doesnt mean that you dismiss your current situation. Whatever feelings or emotions may be there for you are valid, as long as you dont spend the majority of your energy and time there. You always have a choice. If you find yourself feeling upset and frustrated with your job search, walk away from it for awhile until you can get yourself into a different mindset. Go for a walk, get some fresh air. Shift your focus for awhile onto something that brings you enjoyment. Youre not ignoring your feelings or the reality of your current situation but instead you are merely shifting your focus and perspective.

Focus on Accomplishments
One way to shift your attitude, as well as help you build your confidence is to write down your accomplishments the major ones at least. Which people have told you you are great on the job? Also, write down what your gifts, talents and strengths are. Ask others in your life what they think your gifts and talents are. When someone asks you at a networking event to tell them about yourself, focusing on something positive such as, Im a gifted artist who loves to incorporate my creativity into my work as a marketing professional. Im looking for a company who will appreciate my strengths and talents in communication and design. When you express who you are with confidence and passion, the conversation will naturally move in a more positive direction and people will respond to you more positively.

Visualization an excellent tool to help shift your mood and perspective

Visualization is a wonderful tool to help shift your perspective and also helps to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as enhance your well-being. Olympic athletes have used it to help them improve their performance. Numerous studies have shown creative visualization, such as guided imagery, to have positive health outcomes for cancer patients, including higher remission rates and life expectancies. First, get yourself into a relaxed state and choose a place where you wont have any interruptions for about 10 minutes. Close your eyes and begin to visualize and imagine the following scenario. You can change the scenario to make it more applicable to your current situation. Imagine you are going to an interview for a job that you really want. Imagine yourself feeling completely relaxed and confident. See yourself shaking hands with the interviewers and smiling. See yourself answering each question with ease. See the people in the room smiling and responding to you positively. See yourself leaving the interview and imagine feeling really proud of your performance see yourself happy and excited, knowing that you nailed it. And now see yourself sitting at home a couple days later and hearing the phone ring. You answer it and its the company you interviewed with. They have called to offer you a job. Imagine yourself having that conversation. Feel how it would feel, hearing the good news. See yourself hanging up the phone and showing some kind of excitement whatever you normally do when you are really excited about something. When you are ready, open your eyes and notice how you feel. You should notice a significant difference in how you are feeling. If you incorporate visualization, as well as the other tools mentioned into your daily routine, in time you will notice you will feel more positive and hopeful about your future. And your job search will become a much more enjoyable experience. In March CU Career Services will be offering a four-week workshop series that will go into more detail on this topic titled, Beliefs, Attitude, Thoughts, and Emotions: How They Can Support or Sabotage Your Job Search. For additional information, check out the link under the events section of the newsletter. For more tools and one-on-one coaching, set up at appointment with Lea Alvarado at 303-492-6541. Lea Alvarado is the first career counselor at Career Services to be focused primarily on alumni.

SEARCHING FOR A JOB By Don Skipper, MS, MMAS, CCM, CECC, CEIC CEO/President Career Beginnings, Inc. There is no avoiding the obviousat some point in our careers we must search for a new position. When we do, most of us expect to start a second career doing something that will be productive and interesting. Yet, when we have to look for a job, we dread the job search before it begins. There are many reasons for fear. We are most comfortable with the environment we have worked in and have little or no experience with the todays job market. And, of course, we all fear rejection. According to Dave Griswold, Senior Consultant for Career Beginnings, Inc., an International Outplacement and Career Management company, you can minimize rejection and greatly improve your chances of landing a good position by approaching your impending transition and job search as if it were a military campaign. That contrasts with what most people actually do, he added. The usual job-hunting process includes blasting out hundreds of non-targeted resumes, responding to classified ads and surfing the Internet to find openings and that Dave says, is no system at all. The result of all that effort can be lots of rejection and a loss of critical self-confidence. If the transition and job search were a military campaign, it would be carefully planned and skillfully executed. Supported by extensive military intelligence, a military campaign would have specific targets and strategic goals. Using the appropriate mix of forces, it would result in winning the campaign with minimum losses. Why cant a job search be more like a military campaign? It can. KNOW YOUR PRODUCT-YOURSELF The transition job search should embrace a well-defined process that begins with an assessment of your skills and strengths, as well as the interests and talents you can bring to the marketplace. You have a product to sell in this market: yourself. Know your product well. To land the career position you really want you must first determine what you really want. While you can do (and probably have done) many different things, there is probably not enough time left in your working life to try doing them all. Some things will be more rewarding than others, some will provide greater job satisfaction or more money or more opportunity. Other jobs will offer more travel, or less, while others will suggest greater job security. You must determine what mix of these considerations will give you the greatest satisfaction. In other words, you must determine what is going to be a best fit for you, as well as determining the places you want to work. This may require you to do research into the marketplace to see what kinds of jobs meet your criteria, what kind of organizations have them and where they are located. It is far better to start the job search by knowing what you are looking for as opposed to taking something just because it is available. Focus on what you want to do and what you can offer to an employer. Research what your counterparts make in similar positions. There are many salary surveys available on the World Wide

Web. Professional associations, societies, Chambers of Commerce, and career planning associations can also be helpful in determining what is a good target compensation level. RESEARCH THE MARKETPLACE The next step is to develop a list of target companies. Again, research is crucial in assessing the job market. Research the jobs and organizations that interest you and learn how they are affected by economic conditions. The Internet can be a powerful tool in your research. Visit company homepages and request they provide you with a company report. Read publications that pertain to the job market. Subscribe to the professional or association journals to gather intelligence on what is happening in your target industry. Dont overlook smaller companies because that is where most of the economic growth takes place. Note who the decision-makers are because these are the key individuals you will want to positively influence during your job search. NETWORK TO UNCOVER OPPORTUNITIES

The next step in this process is to do some networking to uncover opportunities. Networking includes not just professionals already working in your target industry or organization, but also family, friends and even casual acquaintances. Dont overlook other contacts such as alumni associations or charitable groups. One of our clients, a resort property manager named Ted, told us he had no network. He had been for the resort his entire adult life and didnt know any other property management organizations! So we asked him if he knew anyone who did know other property managers. As it turned out, both his wife, who was already working in Teds target market, and his uncle both knew key decision-makers in firms in which Ted had interest. Ted began networking with his own family members and was quickly referred to others that led to discussions with key decision-makers in the very firms he had targeted for his search. Your networking may have to go three or four levels deep before you find the appropriate executives that would be useful in assisting you by providing referrals or information on their opportunities. One key to successful interviewing is to always provide a positive attitude to your network contacts. Even if things are taking longer than you thought they would, you must mask your discouragement. A negativ attitude will show up in an interview or telephone call. A positive attitude can help land a position. A FEW WAYS NOT TO DO IT According to Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the book series What Color is Your Parachute? the five least effective methods for finding a new career or job are: Mailing out resumes to employers at random (93 % of job hunters will not find the jobs that are out there if they use only this method)

Answering ads in professional or trade journals (a mere 7% success rate). Answering non-local newspaper ads in other parts of the state or country (failure rate of over 90%) Answering the local classified ads (80% to 95% failure rate). Going to private employment agencies for help (76% to 95% failure rate depending on salary level sought). A FINAL THOUGHT Financial planners and career advisors emphasize that those who have had the most success in switching career gears have been able to successfully transfer their skills and talents and launch a second career. It has been done thousands of times each year but it isnt easy. Successful transition takes a lot of energy, planning and research, as well as good old fashioned hard work. But the rewards are worth it!