The answer is actually yes, and getting a degree through distance education, as it was called when I got mine, and may still be called, has changed so much.  When I took my courses to be certified in Nutritional Counseling, there were no colleges nearby that gave degrees, and I was a Mom raising my children at home.  And home computers weren’t as prevalent as they are now, so everything was done by phone and mail, and yes, I did have textbooks.

There are courses that I have been thinking of taking recently, and have been browsing sites that offer online degrees, and have articles that are helpful in learning more about the way things work as far as getting a degree online. My daughter is taking such a course now, the biggest challenge is to be self-disciplined, as you are working at your own time and pace, which can have it’s advantages, but also disadvantages if you aren’t a self-motivated, self-disciplined person. I still have and refer to a few of the textbooks used in my studies.

There are so many helpful resources online that it’s easy to find myself reading my laptop rather than a book…I know I’ve shared that with you before. There is so much valuable information to be found, and these days Real Estate appears to be an important topic, because many cannot afford to buy in the present economy, so the government has provided help…I learned about this in more detail by reading a “Learning” section of a Real Estate website.

To make a short story long :-), my daughter and son-in-law recently purchased a home…just in time for the November cut-off date to get the 8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers. It was around that time, after she closed on her home, that they decided to extend the credit, and also provide a $6,500 tax credit for people who are selling a home they have lived in and moving to a new home…people like my neighbors who have been trying to sell for some time.

I wanted to share this exciting news with them, but wasn’t sure if they would meet the qualifications, until I read through resources that can be found online at this $6,500 Tax Credit link. I discovered a tab called “Learn”, and that’s just what I did and found a wealth of information about real estate in general.  I did a bit of reading, and found that in their case, they may not qualify for the $6,500 credit because they haven’t lived in their present home long enough. Take advantage of tools like this to increase your knowledge.

Happy reading and learning!

Sometimes it’s very challenging to keep your focus on the task at hand. For example, for the writer, sometimes you become distracted, or experience what many call “writer’s block”, when the mind just doesn’t want to go on, even if you do.

I was looking at a site today, http://www.gobrainev.com/, that offers help in training the brain in a very unique way through brainwave meditation. This is a six-part program that can help sharpen your thinking which is something you need as a writer.  It also helps reduce stress, boost your IQ and more. I am not sure how it is done, you’re going to have to review the site for that, it’s not through anything mystical or psychic, and not brainwashing,

I visited the site and listened to the videos and found this to be interesting, I hope it is something that you will find helpful as we begin a New Year!

By the way, I’ve been out of touch during the holidays and hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the best in 2010!

(Sponsored)

I was recently introduced to a medical software company that is family owned.

As the name of the site, MedicalMags.com, would indicate, the company has compiled a large collection of medical publications over a period of time. The knowledge they have has been gained by working together with many different medical professionals.

On visiting the site, you will find text links along the right, and a slide-show type screen that presents some of the things the site offers. I decided to click on “Skyscape Mobile Software” to see what type of information was available, and found that there were 18 carefully selected publications about topics such as cancer, radiation, anatomy, accidents, fractures…but not as simplistic as this list sounds, these topics are covered in depth for the medical professional.

You may also be interested in the Springer Protocols which include:

• More than 18,000 protocols, 2,000 are added each year
• Based on tried and tested resources including Methods in Molecular Biology
• Collaborative web 2.0 features available on SpringerProtocols
• Specific Online Libraries
• Interconnected on SpringerLink to all Springer content (Online Journals and eReference Works)
• Fully integrated in your library catalogue

This is just a VERY small taste of all the helpful medical information that you will find at the site. I would encourage you to visit to learn more.

In a competitive job market, you need to have the tools to compete and beat the competition, and I’ve found just the place to help you do so.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time browsing an elearning site called learn.com.

This site is truly unique, and offers you the opportunity to watch your knowledge increase through their Skill Score® system. What you need to realize is that employers can also utilize the site to find potential employees, this is where your Skill Score® can work to your advantage.

While some will use the site to build their skills and make themselves more marketable, others can gain knowledge that will help them in how to use their computer, use common computer programs, or manage a business from home.

Another thing that those of you who are writers and publishers will be interested in knowing is that you can actually put together a course at the site, and receive a generous percentage of any income generated by your course.

Along with the skill-building courses at the site, there are accredited courses that you will want to explore.

Here are some terms that you will find at learn.com that you will not find anywhere else:

• An award-winning LearnCenter® learning and talent management suite
• A WebRoom® Web conferencing suite
• A PeopleCenter® application builder
• FormFlow® custom form creation

Presently there are 1,000+ titles in the learn2.com® online library.