Of the 2009 graduating high school seniors across the nation, over 70%- a record high, were enrolled in college last fall. In fact, says a recent Labor Department report, 91.6% of these students were enrolled full-time. Why the large increase? Colleges and universities across the nation typically report seeing an influx in enrollment during difficult economic times as students rush to receive the degree or diploma that will help qualify them in an increasingly competitive workplace.

When you hear the word “artist” you might automatically think of a painter or a sculptor. But with the emergence of new and digital technology almost every day, many artists are leaving their brushes and clay behind and going digital.

Being a college student is both demanding and rewarding. The time you spend pursuing and earning your college degree can be taxing. However, what you take away from the college experience and the value your degree will hold in the marketplace will likely outweigh the demands and rigors you experience during your time as a college student.

As instructors across the higher education sector continue to harness technology for use in their classrooms, many students are turning to the ever-expanding and innovative online college to earn a degree. Students who attend an online college are able to take advantage of a number of benefits that their fellow ground school students can’t. Additionally, an online college is a popular option for non-traditional students, working adults, or students who want to go back to school, but have time constraints.

The medical field is vast and by attending online medical school you will qualify yourself to work in the nursing, medical, or overall healthcare field. Online medical school gives students the option of pursuing a number of different medical specialties such as registered nurse (RN), medical assistant, dental technician, or physical therapist, to name a few. Students interested in the medical or healthcare field often pursue an online degree in order to gain the qualifications they need to advance in the field while maintaining their current job.

The advertisements you see, the billboards you drive by and the commercials that flash across your television screen all have one thing in common- they have been developed and implemented by marketing professionals, many of whom pursued an online marketing degree, in order to sell you, the consumer, a product or service.

Staying at a 5-star hotel or dining out at an exclusive restaurant are some of life’s greatest luxuries. Earning an online hospitality degree will provide you with the opportunity to work in this exciting and dynamic field. The hospitality and culinary industries are full of employment opportunities. Whether you’d like to manage a resort or casino or work in a restaurant setting, earning an online hospitality degree will give you chance to work in one of these diverse settings and many more.

Online finance degrees are gaining popularity as more students go back to school to earn their degree and take advantage of the recovering market. While employment opportunities in the financial sector diminished during the recession, job opportunities for finance graduates, like the economy, have now begun to rebound.

Considering the effect our economic collapse had on the real estate market or, perhaps, the part our real estate market played in our economy’s recession, many students may think it wise to stay away from a career in the real estate field. But, despite shouldering much of the blame “for causing the deepest recession in decades,” the reputation of the real estate field is getting a boost, thanks to interested graduate students.

At a recent UCLA school of nursing ceremony, nursing students transitioning from preclinical studies to clinical work were given traditional white coats, signifying their transition from classroom to clinical setting. In the pockets of the coats, in a more non-traditional gesture, were iPod Touches. The purpose of the white coat and iPod Touch was to combine tradition with technology and provide soon-to-be nurses with the tools they need to be successful in the 21st century, digitalized workplace.