Are you ready to jumpstart your career by returning to school and obtaining a degree? You might want to turn your sights towards a BBA in Accounting. When students complete their degree in accounting at Bryant & Stratton College, it’s about more than just the numbers. In addition to learning the fundamentals of accounting, our graduates are also provided with a solid business foundation, having completed courses including management, marketing, strategic planning, and business law. Our accounting students are also required to take courses in business-related computer applications, teaching them to analyze business data, communicate the results, and solve technology challenges. Combined, these skills provide the perfect launch pad for adults who are ready take their career to the next level.

Here are some of the ways a BBA in Accounting from Bryant & Stratton College will help advance you on your accountant career path:

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (PDF), the average American holds 11.3 jobs between the ages of 18 and 46. This means students need to be prepared to work in a variety of environments. Your accounting degree will provide a tremendous amount of versatility. Every business is designed to turn a profit and it takes a solid accounting department in order to make that happen. A BBA in Accounting will allow you to work in virtually any industry as a bookkeeper, auditor, accountant, tax preparer, budget analyst, financial manager, and more. You may be the sole accountant for a small business or the manager of a large accounting department for a multi-national corporation. Either way, your accounting degree will provide the foundation you need to increase your earning potential and climb the career ladder. There are many jobs you can get with an accounting degree.

Statistics show that adults who have a college education earn more, and are unemployed less often, than individuals with a high school diploma. While a few Quickbooks computer courses or an AA in accounting may be all you need to obtain a ground-level accounting or bookkeeping position, what happens when you are ready to take your job to the next level? The BLS Occupational Handbook states that most businesses require accountants and auditors to have a BA in Accounting or a related field. Your employer may expect you to continue your education if you want to increase your earning potential via promotions. The more education and job experience you have, the greater your lifetime earning potential.

Have you always wanted to own your own business? While experience and/or a great idea is important, you will also need capital. Your BBA in Accounting will show prospective investors that you have the basic business and financial know-how required to understand the bottom line. It will lend you a certain amount of credibility that, paired with your experience and acumen, can help you secure the loans you’ll need. Once your business is up and running, your accounting degree will provide a wealth of information to draw from as you begin to make the decisions that will determine the future of your business.

Are you ready to jumpstart your career by obtaining a BBA in Accounting or a related field? Contact the Admissions Office at Bryant & Stratton College. Our accounting department provides a supportive environment where returning students can achieve their academic goals.

A: This can be a bit of an intimidating subject for students because they really haven\’t studied anything outside of their education and can be unsure about the way businesses operate. When I say think like a hiring manager or think like the employer, I mean the only reason anybody in business hires a person is to solve a set of problems that they\’re faced with. Employers are only going to hire someone if they find someone who can help them solve those problems faster, better, and less expensively than they could doing it on their own. So, if a student can get themselves in a position where they deeply understand what I\’ve just said and believe that\’s why employers hire, the question then is: What kind of problems are the job seeker trying to solve? They could be things like growing the business, developing new products, treating their customers more effectively and retaining them, improving their cost structure, building their online marketing capacity, improve their image in the marketplace, buy another company, integrate the people from one company with another, dealing with governmental regulations, on, and on, and on. Once a student figures out that those are the problems their potential employer faces, the question then becomes one of: How do you take your skills, whatever they may be, and begin to offer some advice on how this target employer can solve some of those problems with you helping them do it? And the minute you can connect with somebody at that level, you begin to develop a relationship. And, if you can continue building that, it could culminate in a great job

A: First students have to figure out what their strengths are and, once they do, they have to convert those strengths into a language that employers understand, namely job titles and descriptions. As a student reads job descriptions, it will tell them about what\’s expected from that job and will confirm that that\’s the right job for them. By converting their strengths to align with job titles and descriptions, students show themselves as having some, if not, a lot of the qualities that are being looked for in that job description. For example, say I want to be a project manager, what I really should be saying is, \”not only do I want to be a project manager, but I know how to bring projects in on time and on budget and work interdepartmentally with people to ensure that we have a good relationship and, ultimately, achieve what the business is trying to achieve.\” If a student can articulate these characteristics versus, \”I just want to be a project manager,\” then they are going to get the attention of the hiring manager because, although they need to hire a project manager, that\’s not what they really want; they want somebody to do be able to say how they\’ll accomplish the job.

A: The students I work with first of all don\’t know the job they want specifically. So, they have to refine that and know exactly the job titles that they\’re interested in. If you don\’t know that and you\’re just firing off résumés, the chances of getting a job are reduced significantly. Most companies don\’t hire generalists. They hire people with specific skills for a specific problem. So a lot is riding on a college graduate\’s ability to understand the connection between what skills they have and what employers are looking for, then focus their job search on that particular skill set and corresponding job title. The second is they stick to the classic résumé. There\’s wonderful career services in a lot of universities, and they teach their students – their graduating students – how to put together a résumé. But that résumé is the same résumé that everybody else is putting together, so at career fairs or when submitting a résumé to an employer, it\’s just one in a stack of maybe 100 with no differentiation. By putting some creative thought behind a résumé a student is more likely to stand out. I recommend making what I call a one-sheet that is written in the language of the hiring manager. A one-sheet addresses the solution a student can provide a company on the front and on the back offers the information about what a student has done and what his or her degree is in and maybe past work experience.

 A: I think it\’s essential to hiring managers because the hiring manager these days doesn\’t have the luxury of having additional people on staff. They only hire the people they absolutely need and most of the people they have are doing more than the normal job because they\’re overworked. Therefore, they need to ensure that whomever they bring into the organization has the ability to work well with other people, understand nonverbal cues and understand the impact they might have on their co-workers, how to facilitate conversations and how think creatively to create win/win situations. The ability to have that dialogue and interaction with people in addition to all the technical skills or your specific area of expertise is essential in business today.

A: Never ask for a job. What the student should be doing is networking with people. And, when you network with people, the goal is to tell them the area that you\’re interested in and not ask them for anything other than who do they know who might be able to put me in contact with someone who might be interested in having me work for them? So, I never put the person on the spot that I meet with. I only ask them if they know others that I should spend time with. And, could they introduce me to them? Using your network in this very sophisticated way is the most powerful thing you can do because getting a referral from someone is far better than sending in a blind résumé.

In many ways, online degree programs are very similar to traditional learning – you learn the same concepts, and you study from similar materials. But a common misconception about the difference between online and traditional education is that the student engages in less interactions with instructors and classmates. In fact, virtual learning might just be more interactive. If you are considering getting a degree online, here’s what you can expect from the online classes at Bryant & Stratton College.

Attending class over the internet means participating in a non-traditional, “virtual classroom” environment. While you won’t meet your instructor or classmates in person, this does not mean the quality of your learning experience will suffer.

The development of education technologies allows for online programs to be more interactive. Instead of in-class discussions, students post their thoughts and respond to others in a web forum. Virtual students are required to post in discussion a minimum of three times a week in Bryant & Stratton College’s classes. This ensures every student is interacting with the entire class throughout the week. Many students find themselves posting in the discussion forum multiple times throughout the week, far surpassing the minimal requirement of three posts.

Learning new material becomes more dynamic, as instructors can more easily incorporate videos and other media into coursework. Having access to information wikis allows students to have even more information at their fingertips. All of these elements make online learning just as engaging as a traditional classroom setting.

One of the main draws of online schools is that they allow students to have a more flexible schedule. While there are deadlines for assignments, discussion participation and other academic activities, each individual student gets to decide when class is in session.

On a typical day, you might log in to your virtual classroom to check if your professor has made any new announcements, or posted grades for your previous assignments. Later in the day, you might read a few chapters, post your thoughts in the discussion board and take some time to respond to other classmates’ posts. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, working part-time or full-time, there is always the opportunity to get work done at your own pace.

However, it’s important to note that off-campus students must be even more mindful than on-campus students of how they schedule their time. The flexibility of self-paced learning makes it easier to fall behind. An online student must be self-motivated and organized in order to get work done.

Each week, online classes run from Sunday to Saturday. This allows students to map out how they are going to take care of their work each week. Most students develop a schedule for completing their discussions, course work and necessary reading for each week. Tools and resources provided in every classroom – like the Tracking Calendar – allow students to create a plan of attack that suits their learning style, ensuring greater success for all learning styles.

If you are interested in pursuing an online degree, Bryant & Stratton College might be right for you. We offer a variety of associate and bachelor programs for online learners. For more information, call 1.800.895.1738 to speak with an admissions representative.

College. Finally. You are here. You are ready. But, you have no idea what to major in. Study what you enjoy? Learn the job that will make you the most money? Enroll in the shortest degree program?

Brooke Urban, senior academic success coach for Bryant & Stratton Online, says first year students do not need to panic. Have no idea what you want to do? Take a career aptitude test. There are several versions available online, for free.

These tests ask you general questions regarding how interested you are in working with different items such as computer, food, animals; your interest in working with numbers versus people and how much you enjoy reading and writing. Many of the assessments not only help you narrow what you enjoy doing but what you are good at doing as well. The questionnaires are not a fool-proof way to pick the perfect job, but they can definitely help you narrow the field to a few choices. Check out these free quizzes: http://www.yourfreecareertest.com/ http://www.whatcareerisrightforme.com/career-aptitude-test.php http://www.assessment.com/

Urban says most students arrive at campus with at least a general idea of what they would like to study. Another way to help narrow the job search, is to look at the job market.

“What is available in their area? What degree do they need to have to get that position,” she said.

Students who are not interested in moving from their current town should especially take the local job market into consideration. Find out what the local businesses are that interest you. And, if you’ve lived in an area your entire life, take a deeper look. You may think you know all the hotspots. But, a lot of small towns are home to some big businesses that the locals never notice right under their nose. Once you do choose that major, still do not panic. You are never locked in.

Urban said most first semester students take general education requirements that are required for every major as well as one class for their major.

“This way, they can get a look at what the major is about and if they want to switch they can after their first semester,” she said.

Still can’t decide? Thinking about taking several different courses for several different majors that first semester, just to get a good look around? Don’t. Urban said you will end up spending a lot of money for courses that will not transfer into your program. The most important factor in choosing a major? Pick something you like to do.

“It is definitely important to find something you have interest in and/or are passionate about. I am horrible in math, so studying accounting wouldn’t be a good choice for me. I am a people person, so I like to work with people. Picking a career or major where I would be working alone would not be a good fit. So it is very important to get to know yourself and thinking about what fits your personality and your drive,” she said.

Should I become an accountant? That\’s a question that may have crossed your mind when considering your future and it\’s not surprising why. As the accountant, you are the literal bottom line in any company. It is your meticulous record keeping, innate understanding of tax laws and regulations, and attention to every financial detail that will keep your company working efficiently toward a profit. The term Accountant covers a broad span of career options, including bookkeepers, financial examiners, internal auditors, and tax preparers. While various certifications and job responsibilities may vary according to your specific position, the path to becoming an accountant is similar.

According to O*NET online statistics, accountants usually work full-time. Even part-time accounting positions will require extra working hours at tax time and around other important fiscal calendar dates. While most accounting professionals do work in an office environment, modern technology has made it possible for many professional accountants to set their own hours and work from home. This makes accounting a great profession for anyone who wants to work to their full potential.

The following tips on how to become an accountant can help you to prepare for a rewarding and lucrative career.

Hone your mathematical and organization skills: Mathematical acumen and a penchant for organization is an important factor in becoming a successful accountant. You will be expected to keep meticulous records and time is always of the essence. Your employer may need you to provide a specific report, proof of payment or an employee’s payroll history on the spot. Your organizational skills are key to working responsibly and efficiently.

Graduate from High School: The majority of employers  require their accountants to have a high school diploma or a GED. If you are currently a high school student, make a concentrated effort to excel in your math classes to show prospective employers you are good with numbers and figures. Also, register for any available accounting-oriented classes to gain as much experience as possible.

Pursue an accounting degree: Nearly 80 percent of professional accountants have a bachelor’s degree. While there are a few exceptions, an accounting degree is required by most employers. Even if you are able to obtain a position without your degree, continued education will be important for receiving important promotions and for making your way up the pay scale. If you are already working in the field of accounting, or have another full-time job, consider pursuing your online accounting degree.

How long does it take to get an accounting degree: The length of time you take to get a degree can vary between 2 years and several depending on the level of degree and how much time you are able to devote to study. At Bryant & Stratton College, we offer both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in accounting. Our online degree programs are flexible and can be integrated into your existing work schedule.

Land an entry-level accounting position: Obtaining an entry-level accounting or bookkeeping position is the best way to know whether or not accounting is the right career for you. In addition to honing your skill sets, you will be able to get an idea of the variety of job positions available to you once you complete your degree. Your work experience, combined with an accounting degree, will make you a more desirable candidate for future employers. If you are currently working in an entry-level accounting position, you may be able to use that experience for your Internship/Capstone requirements as part of your degree program.

Continue your education and certifications: There are a wide range of certifications available to accountants, especially those pursuing niche areas of accounting such as certified internal auditors, certified public accountants (CPAs) or certified management accountants. These certifications will enhance your education and may qualify you for higher-level positions in your field.

If you are interested in learning more about how the academic programs in accounting at Bryant & Stratton College prepare you for an accounting career, visit www.bryantstratton.edu to learn more.

Standing out during the job search can take a little work. For decades and decades one of the standard ways job seekers made a good first impression and shared key employability skills has been the cover letter. But, are cover letters necessary?

At the the inaugural “Job Ready or Not?” event, hosted by Bryant & Stratton College Online, leading HR and hiring managers from top companies discussed how this is a tricky area for job seekers because there is not a right or wrong answer. It really comes down to knowing the company you are applying to and what they prefer. Some larger companies that use automatic screening tools skip the cover letter completely and focus efforts on finding the right keywords on a resume to move candidates forward in the process.

At Large Companies “I don\’t really see the value in cover letters anymore, or at least not as much as I used to,” said Heather Tinguely, Program Manager of Global Talent Labs at Microsoft. “Many companies [including Microsoft] just store the resume itself and either discard the cover letter or only search the CVs.” Ms. Tinguely’s advice is to make sure that whatever is included in your cover letter is also represented in the your resume. That way when hiring managers are searching your resume they are not missing out on key information.

At Small Companies But, some smaller companies still value cover letters as a way to gauge the strength of a candidate. Heather Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies, said that she still looks at candidates’ cover letters before their resumes. When she advises people on their cover letters she encourages them to tell a story. “I say, ‘Tell me at least two accomplishment stories that are relevant to [the employer]. Tell me the situation, the action you took, and the results of those actions, and really relate them to the company and the position,\” said Ms. Huhman.

Know Your Industry The ultimate answer to the question of “cover letter or not?” is truly knowing the company as well as your own industry. Jessica Lee, Director of Digital Talent for Marriott International said that she put a lot of value in cover letters when she was recruiting for PR or communications positions. “I needed to know that you could write, and write really well. So a cover letter was super important to me,” said Ms. Lee.

An Opportunity to Explain Ms. Lee also added that cover letters can be a great way to explain any blips in your career path, like an extended absence from the professional world. \”What if you haven\’t worked in 10 years? Maybe [a cover letter] is also an opportunity to begin filling in some of the gaps and explaining things that aren\’t really apparent,” said Ms. Lee. So as you are out there applying for jobs, stop and consider where the job is, your particular industry and the job requirements (if strong writing skills are important to the position then definitely include a cover letter) to determine whether a cover letter is necessary or not. Bryant & Stratton College Online is dedicated to helping students improve their employability skills and become job ready. Through outcomes-based education and career training, Bryant & Stratton College Online helps students learn the technical skills as well as the soft skills they’ll need to be successful in a career.

If you are interested in learning more about the online degree programs at Bryant & Stratton College Online, please call 1.888.447.3528 to speak with an admissions representative.

If you are interested in working in hospitality, you are probably someone who enjoys working with and serving others. Job opportunities include a wide range of possibilities all the way from clerical and administration positions, to customer service, sales, finance, and management careers. As a hospitality specialist, your goal is to ensure your company runs smoothly and profitably while providing clients with the ultimate customer service experience.

At Bryant & Stratton College, students who pursue an AAS in Hospitality Management are provided with the well-rounded classes, skills, and experiences necessary to excel in their chosen career field. Here are five examples of real-world jobs in hospitality you can obtain with your degree, as well as the projected job growth. Career opportunity statistics are provided courtesy of O*Net Online.

This is an extremely important position in any motel, hotel, or resort as you are the front line of the company. It’s your face, demeanor, and attitude that makes the first impression on guests and perspective clients. Your job responsibilities include answering phones and entering client information into the data system, as well as general business administration and ensuring guests’ concerns and requests are handled efficiently. Anticipated job growth for these positions is higher than average.

A hotel night auditor shares similar duties to a front desk receptionist and information clerk. In addition to making reservations, taking customer payments, and ensuring the guests’ needs are taken care of, the night auditor is also responsible for organizing the daily bookkeeping transactions, as well as any other accounting responsibilities that are required by the establishment. Job growth for night auditors is higher than average.

The front-line food preparation manager is responsible for ensuring the overall quality, flavor, and presentation of food prepared in the kitchen, while overseeing inventory, cost management, and the training of kitchen staff. You also handle any customer complaints that arise and are expected resolve them effectively. Anticipated job growth for front-line food service managers is average.

The front-line manager of food servers is responsible for hiring and training the food service and wait-staff. In this position you will be responsible for ensuring the dining room is set and ready for service and that food service remains consistent. It’s also your responsibility to address and resolve customer complaints. Anticipated job growth is average.

Just as the front-line manager of food service is responsible for the kitchen staff and food preparation, food service managers oversee the front of the house. You work hand-in-hand with head chef and front-line food service manager(s) to create menus, control portion sizes, and ensure customer satisfaction. The food service manager is also responsible for making sure the dining areas are in compliance with current health and safety codes. You will create employee schedules, oversee payroll expenses, and assist the kitchen managers with inventory and food cost issues. The projected job growth for food service managers is slower than average.

To learn more about the Hospitality Programs at Bryant & Stratton College, fill out this short form to have one of our admissions representatives contact you.

Technology related jobs are often considered to be only a “young person’s” game. While there is some truth to the under-lying preference for younger workers in at tech companies, there are still plenty of opportunities for older adults interested in IT security training or earning a computer networking degree.

If you are passionate about technology, love to learn and don’t mind working your way up, a career in technology could be a good fit. Too often older adults are scared off from the field because they are intimidated by competing with younger colleagues or unsure of their ability to learn new technology. But, older adults have advantages over the newest generation of employees. If you are thinking about changing careers into a tech field, here are a few ideas to take under consideration.

If an older worker loves to learn new things, then technology is a great fit. New developments are taking place in technology all the time, which means tech professionals need to be constantly learning. Workers who are older need to keep their skills fresh, especially as younger employees who are “natives” of the new technology rise up into the workforce. These younger people may even be a good resource. When considering earning a computer networking degree, asking for help from younger classmates is a great way to kickoff a lifetime of learning.

While older workers will have to compete with younger employees for jobs, they can use their work history to their advantage. Older workers have been in the workplace longer so often understand how an office works. Companies can benefit from an older employees knowledge on project management best practices or efficiencies. Experienced workers should be careful to not act entitled, as this may give employers or hiring managers the idea that the person is overqualified for the job.

In addition to more experience, older works often have had a longer time to develop the soft skills employers demand today. Critical thinking, creative problem solving and strong verbal and written communication skills are characteristics many employers search for in a new hire. Older adults can leverage these soft skills to make the case for being hired or getting a promotion. A good first step for anyone looking to change careers and get into a tech field is to earn a degree.

Bryant & Stratton offers an information security degree, computer networking degree, as well as several other online degree programs. If you are interested in learning more, call 1.888.447.3528 to speak with an admissions representative.

A new feature we are going to unveil on our blog will take a look at different articles that offer job search resources, employability and college tips. These posts will give you advice from experts around the field, allowing you to take you job search to the next level or even to help ace that next exam. You’ll be able to find these job source resources and more on our Twitter account, so be sure to follow along there so you don’t miss a thing.

4 Job Search Excuses That Just Don’t Cut It – US News & World Report The job search process can often be arduous and downright frustrating. Don’t let hurdles keep you from your dream job and use these pieces of advice from US News & World Report to make sure you aren’t using excuses to stall your search.

Was I Right to Refuse This Job Offer? – Forbes Not every job will be right for you. In fact, you may find yourself in a tough situation of turning down a job offer after going in to interview. This article gives some great advice for that tricky situation.

7 Social Media Mistakes Job Seekers Must Avoid – CIO.com Sarah White of CIO.com offers up some terrific advice on making sure your social media profiles don’t cost you an interview or even an important call back.

Don’t Conduct a Job Search, Conduct a Company Search – Forbes An interesting article on the importance of researching and vetting the companies you may be applying with, not just jobs. As the article notes, this won’t just show you’ve done your research before an interview but it will make sure you’re applying for positions where you’ll fit the culture and attitude of the company.

How to Use Social Media to Boost Your Online Employability – OnRec.com More advice on ensuring your social media footprint compliments your job search; this time OnRec, The Online Recruitment Resource, shares tips. The most interesting point made is on using social media to stand out through innovative practices.

What Should I Wear to a Job Interview – Plus Model Magazine Unsure if you have the proper attire in your wardrobe to impress at your next interview? Give this a read to make sure you have what it takes to raise eyebrows during your job search.

 Ask Matt: Are The Job Search Basics Still The Same? – StarTribune An advice column from the Minnesota Star-Tribune touches on some interesting and important topics related to resumes. This will be a great read for anyone who has been out of the job search game for some time.

 7 Ways to Take Control of Your Job Search – LinkedIn.com LinkedIn’s Sarah Haydt runs through a comprehensive list of tips that will help boost any job search. Her note on posting your updated resume to job boards is a particularly helpful piece of advice.

Do the courses you took during military training count toward your civilian degree?

The short answer is, maybe.

For military members who are working toward earning a degree, the first step to military college credit transfer is to request a joint service transcript. Members of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines can visit this DOD site and follow the step by step process to order their transcript (PDF).

While there are no limits to the number of transcripts you can order and have delivered to schools electronically, transcripts printed and delivered by the postal service are limited to two every 30 days.

Air Force members must request their transcript from the Community College of the Air Force. You can find that request form at this official site.

Individual schools do not determine what credits on those transcripts transfer to a civilian degree.

Instead, the American Council on Education evaluates every single course offered by every branch of the military. The organization sends professors from different colleges to sit through the military course and evaluate it.

The process takes time. And, in the last decade the military has re-aligned many of the MOS descriptions, and the accompanying course structures. Those new courses have yet to be evaluated and have no credit associated with them that can be transferred.

“It’s a lengthy process to quantify military training experience, put it into correct language and validate it so colleges will accept it,” explained Ed Dennis, Military and Corporate Relations Manager with Bryant & Stratton College.

Veterans should keep in mind that if they are studying for a degree that is different from their MOS, most likely, very few of their military college credits will count for their degree.

The smartest way to reduce your out of pocket expense is to not rely on transfer credits, but instead, to use the GI Bill, Dennis said.  Military members who know they are getting out should begin working on their college degree while still in uniform. That way they are using funds from the tuition assistance program instead of dipping into the money the GI Bill allots them.

Many students can complete up to two years of their degree by following this plan.

Once they leave the military behind, the GI Bill may pay the remainder of the bill for their degree program.

Dennis said making a plan early on, before you leave the military, will help you earn that degree and spend less of your own money doing it.

The Information Technology field is wide and varied, as are IT careers and what they pay.

And best of all, the field is expanding. According the federal government, the number of available jobs is rising every year, faster than most other fields.

A new graduate of Bryant & Stratton College’s Networking Technology or Security Technology associate’s degree programs will likely begin their career manning the IT desk at a company. There, they keep the computer systems running and help other employees who do not have extended IT background, fix any problems they experience using the system.

These jobs often mean working odd hours, weekends and holidays since the computer systems need to be on and functioning 24 hours a day:

The great benefit to growing a career in information technology is that there is plenty of room in the IT career path to move upward.

More experience and more time in the classroom can quickly lead to more responsibility and better pay. IT techs can often move on to work with a company’s database, become responsible for protecting the company from cyberattacks as an information security analyst or write code to create software programs. Each of these positions comes with a substantial rise in pay. Some examples of these jobs include:

Experts in the IT field who earn a doctoral degree can earn coveted positions as computer and information research scientists, a field whose median pay is roughly $100,000 a year, according to the US. Department of Labor.

Each of the IT jobs researched by the Department of Labor is growing faster than other careers. The department also reports that employees who put in the time to master the field will do well. Many of the available jobs in IT go unfilled because employers have a hard time finding workers with the skills needed for the position.

Basic facts for Computer and Information Technology, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (for 2015, the last available data)

Job Title: Computer Support Specialist

Median Pay: $ 51,470 per year ($24.75 per hour)

Number of jobs: 766,900

Rate of job growth: 12 percent

What will you study: Education requirements for IT jobs differ depending on the job. Entry level positions may only require applicants to hold an associate’s degree. Large software companies and more technical positions may require a bachelor’s degree and several years of experience.

Growth Opportunities: The nature of the IT business is changing technology. Because of this, many computer support specialists continue their education through their entire career. Also, more experience, more exposure to different systems and the ability to master the technology means employees can advance through the rank, even without an advanced degree.

Professional Resources: To learn more about careers in information technology, check out these professional associations. Each of these organizations can help you find information, connect with mentors and research job opportunities.

The upcoming transition to ICD-10 is a hot topic in the healthcare community. Learn more about the transition and how Bryant & Stratton is preparing Medical Reimbursement and Coding degree students for this change.

If you’re a student earning an associates degree in medical billing and coding, then you’ve probably heard about a big change on the horizon. The field is abuzz about the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. ICD stands for International Classification of Disease and is a United Nations-sponsored World Health Organization standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes.

This guide sets the standard for how professional medical coders assign alphanumeric code(s) to a patient’s record. ICD-10 refers to two classifications, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS). ICD-10-CM will replace ICD-9-CM volumes 1 and 2 and be used to report diagnoses in all clinical settings. The other update, ICD-10-PCS, is the procedure code group that is for inpatient hospital procedures and will replace ICD-9-CM Volume 3.

The ICD-10 implementation may hit seasoned professionals harder than individuals who are just entering the field. The codes for diagnoses and procedures are both changing with the new system, so professionals who have memorized codes may find themselves referencing guidelines more often than they are accustomed to now. Chris Schenk is a certified ICD-10 trainer and has already trained many people on the new guidelines.

“People think it’s a big scary monster,” said Mr. Schenk. “But, if you can read guidelines, look up words, correlate information, you can do ICD-10.”

Today, the U.S. is one of the last countries of its economic size to still be using ICD-9, guidelines that were created over 30 years ago. Because ICD-9 was developed so long ago, it does not reflect current medical technology and intelligence, which limits how many details can be included in a record. ICD-10 increases this ability to allow for the capture of more specific diagnoses. In the new guidelines there will be approximately 70,000 codes, an increase from the 15,000 codes in ICD-9. ICD-10 also has the ability to accommodate future changes in medical technology or know-how, making it adaptable for future needs.

The ICD-10 transition date has recently been extended and will not take effect until December 31, 2015. Still, Mr. Schenk and many professional medical and coding associations encourage individuals to learn ICD-10 ahead of the new implementation. Mr. Schenk’s advice is simple.

“Get educated and read the new guidelines,” he said.

For new coders, he suggests verifying that degree programs include a background in anatomy, physiology and medical terminology before enrolling in them. Bryant & Stratton College’s associate’s degree in medical reimbursement and coding is currently teaching ICD-10 to all newly enrolled students so graduates are prepared for the upcoming transition.

If you are interested in learning more about the degrees Bryant & Stratton offers in the medical field, particularly an associate’s degree in medical billing and coding, call 1.888.447.3528 to speak with an admissions representative.

The upcoming transition to ICD-10 is a hot topic in the healthcare community. Learn more about the transition and how Bryant & Stratton is preparing Medical Reimbursement and Coding degree students for this change.

If you’re a student earning an associates degree in medical billing and coding, then you’ve probably heard about a big change on the horizon. The field is abuzz about the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. ICD stands for International Classification of Disease and is a United Nations-sponsored World Health Organization standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes.

This guide sets the standard for how professional medical coders assign alphanumeric code(s) to a patient’s record. ICD-10 refers to two classifications, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS). ICD-10-CM will replace ICD-9-CM volumes 1 and 2 and be used to report diagnoses in all clinical settings. The other update, ICD-10-PCS, is the procedure code group that is for inpatient hospital procedures and will replace ICD-9-CM Volume 3.

The ICD-10 implementation may hit seasoned professionals harder than individuals who are just entering the field. The codes for diagnoses and procedures are both changing with the new system, so professionals who have memorized codes may find themselves referencing guidelines more often than they are accustomed to now. Chris Schenk is a certified ICD-10 trainer and has already trained many people on the new guidelines.

“People think it’s a big scary monster,” said Mr. Schenk. “But, if you can read guidelines, look up words, correlate information, you can do ICD-10.”

Today, the U.S. is one of the last countries of its economic size to still be using ICD-9, guidelines that were created over 30 years ago. Because ICD-9 was developed so long ago, it does not reflect current medical technology and intelligence, which limits how many details can be included in a record. ICD-10 increases this ability to allow for the capture of more specific diagnoses. In the new guidelines there will be approximately 70,000 codes, an increase from the 15,000 codes in ICD-9. ICD-10 also has the ability to accommodate future changes in medical technology or know-how, making it adaptable for future needs.

The ICD-10 transition date has recently been extended and will not take effect until December 31, 2015. Still, Mr. Schenk and many professional medical and coding associations encourage individuals to learn ICD-10 ahead of the new implementation. Mr. Schenk’s advice is simple.

“Get educated and read the new guidelines,” he said.

For new coders, he suggests verifying that degree programs include a background in anatomy, physiology and medical terminology before enrolling in them. Bryant & Stratton College’s associate’s degree in medical reimbursement and coding is currently teaching ICD-10 to all newly enrolled students so graduates are prepared for the upcoming transition.

If you are interested in learning more about the degrees Bryant & Stratton offers in the medical field, particularly an associate’s degree in medical billing and coding, call 1.888.447.3528 to speak with an admissions representative.