When did free speech cease to become free?

What has the country as a whole come to when free speech is dependent on your political association or sexual orientation. With the resignation of the CEO of Mozilla due to an outcry of the gay community over what was done with his personal funds full article  . The gay community has turned itself into nothing short of a bully using threats and protests to remove anyone that gets in it's way. The nation as a whole has slipped so far down the slope of gay rights that people are scared to say or do anything that might be perceived as going against the all might gay community. While you may not agree with this it is hard to argue with the fact that the CEO was forced out do to a donation that he made in 2008. The sad reality is that this is just one of many instances in which the gay community has used threats and coercion to bulldoze anyone who dares to disagree or take a different view.

The other major instance of this that many have probably heard of is the network removing one of the main cast members of the Duck Dynasty show full article. This as in the case of the Mozilla CEO the gay community became outraged over comments that were made by the cast member. The Network "A&E" proceeded to bow to the demands of the gay community and indefinitely suspended the cast member. Fortunately this isn't the way the story ended, as it should have happened people did not sit idly by and let it happen. People came out in dropped to support the Robinson family and boycott the network unless it reinstated Phil back to the show. The sad reality is that it doesn't matter what the non-gay community says or does if the gay community feels that they were wronged they go straight to the bully tactics that they have used so many times. They claim to want equality for all and the same right that straight people have however they refuse to accept anyone's opinion that disagrees with them. While I'm sure this is not all people of the gay community the fact of the matter is that  it has and continues to happen on a national scale. Whatever your opinion free speech is the constitutional right of every American and there is no reason that anyone should lose their job or feel threatened if they say something that offends a single group.

While the LGBT community is among the more prominent the sad reality is that our own government is doing the same thing. The U.S government that is sworn to uphold the law and protect it's citizens it is doing everything but. The tactic of this government has been to flood the airwaves with misinformation via the liberal media. The reality is that 5 years into his Presidency and the national debt has increased by over 100%, there has been lies on top of lies relating to everything from foreign policy to cell phone recording and healthcare. The level of corruption in this administration is staggering, to the point that it is almost a daily occurrence. America as we knew it ceased to exist when Obama took office and along with it the freedoms that were formerly thought to be untouchable. When the IRS is blatantly targeting conservative groups without consequence, promises made about healthcare that were never true and massive cover ups like Benghazi what hope is there of America remaining free. People are slowly starting to wake up and realize that the government isn't out to protect us or for our betterment, it's out for its own selfish purposes. Whatever your opinion is on things like healthcare there is no arguing with certain things. Let's say that the president had no idea that Millions of people would lose their healthcare because of his signature law and that he was as shocked as everyone else, what has he done to fix it. Further more why would we want someone in charge of this country (and our healthcare) that is so out of touch with reality. The fact that he had no idea the extreme negative impact that the law would cost over a TRILLION dollars all over the coming years. This was never about healthcare and the people that don't have it, it was always about power and control. The government now has direct control over Millions and Millions of people's healthcare, that's more subsidies, more welfare spending and more people being paid off not to better themselves.


Whatever your opinion on these issues the reality is that we are stealing from our kids and selling them into slavery. With this kind of debt that is showing no signs of slowing and the freedoms that we enjoy slowly being eroded the America out children will grow up in is not going to be a free country at all but one that is enslaved  to debt and a government that is intent on keeping its people oppressed at all costs. So stand up and fight against the bully that is the gay community, put your foot down when it comes to compromising what is right. Get involved in a cause that you believe in, write your congressman, senators and representatives. Find a petition for something you want to see changed and sign it or start one of your own and start getting signatures. There is an old saying that all it takes for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing. We need to take action, don't let even win this fight it's our country to lose and it will be if we stand idly by.

Completing your associates degree without ever going to class.

If you read my previous post you have probably heard of CLEP, DSST and ALEKS. If you haven't read my previous post "stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200 go straight back to my first post in this blog. Ok I'm assuming now that if your still reading we are on the same page.

Until about 4 years ago I had never heard of CLEP, DSST or any other alternative credit gaining method. The beauty of these alternative testing  methods is that for CLEP/ DSST all you need to pass almost every exam is a score of 50%.  Yes, you read that correctly you can pass and get real college credit for a score of 50%. Where else in the world can you go spend 90 min and get the same credit as if you sat through 90 days of classes. I have personally taken and passed over 20 different exams, all on the first try.

There are 33 different exams that CLEP offers in 5 different categories. Each exam has a time limit of 90 min and covers an average of 90 question. With the exception of English (college composition) all exams are strictly five multiple choice answers per question. The exams are designed to cover all the material you would typically see in your first 2 years of college. The categories are: Business, composition/literature, foreign languages, history/social sciences, and sciences/mathamatics. The complete list with the credit awarded for each exam can be found at CLEP exam list. Two important facts that you should know if you are thinking about taking a CLEP or DSST. Firstly all exams are free for military personal and their families, this applies to all education centers on military instillation a as well as approved civilian testing centers. The military (regardless of branch will pay for your first attempt at either a CLEP or DSST , this does not mean only one exam, they will pay for as many exams as you want to take but only the first attempt, so if you fail and wish to take it again you have to pay out of pocket. Secondly there is a multitude of material out there that is designed specifically for people trying to pass one of these exams. Just to name a few things, there are study guides for each individual test, I personally used the REAstudy guides and had great success with them. There are also exam guides put out by Peterson's , Owl publishing and a general guide that covers all 33 exams which is put out by the test makers. All these books generally come with an exam description, study material and practice tests. The study guides can be ordered from the publisher directly but my advise would be going through Amazon or another third party site. 

As for the DSST exams there are 30+ DSST exams of which 12 are upper level, meaning they will satisfy part of your 300-400 level classes should you decide to pursue a Bachelors degree in the future. My personal preference is to take the DSST exam over the CLEP exams. There are several reasons for that, the three biggest reasons are: there are only 4 multiple choice questions instead of 5, many of the exams are upper level which means they can apply to a Bachelors degree and you get a full 120 min which gives you an extra 30 min per test over the CLEP. In all other aspects DSST exams are very similar to the previously described CLEP exams. They are also funded by the military and can be taken for free. Almost all places that offer CLEP also offer DSST testing and 90% of testing locations are Internet based so you get your results instantly. As for study guides they are out there, but depending on the subject you may or may not have many options. The official partners for DSST exams is  Peterson's and they offer many resources that are tailored to the tests. 

If you are ready to take the leap and want to take your first exam there are a couple things you should do before you do. The first thing to do confirm with your school that they accept the credit for the exams. A complete list of schools can be found on the searchable lists of the Respective websites. Assuming your school accepts it you would secondly need to find a testing location and schedule the exam you want to take. I say schedule as the second step because you need to give yourself a deadline to meet. This will help keep you focused and on track with the next step, which is studying. Studying time needed will vary based off exam and person but on average 3-4 weeks should be plenty to learn enough information to pass. Lastly, realize you got this and that your taking the first step towards saving yourself lots of time and money. 

So in closing, while this method of gaining credit is not for everyone it is certianly for some. If you have the ability to dedicate an hour a night, give days a week, to studying then you should be able to pass a class a month without any problem. So check with your schools,  consult your degree programs and go get that 50%. 

Investing in yourself not a 4 year degree. Get the pay you want without a 4 year degree.

Do you want to make six figures with just an associates degree? While it may seem hard to believe, there are many jobs out there that will allow you to make very good money without a 4 year college degree (I know, I know it sounds too good to be true). I am going to give you a list of the top jobs in a variety of fields that will allow you to make well above the national average. As I discussed in my previous post, a 4 year degree doesn't always equate to job security or good pay in today's economy. That being said it doesn't matter if you are fresh out of high school (thinking to your self I'm not sure about this whole being an adult thing) and trying to decide what's next or maybe you have been laid off from your job and can't find work (I knew I should have followed my dreams of becoming a rock star). Maybe your just plain tired of being sick and tired of your current dead end job and in need of a change. No matter what your situation I am going to present some options for you to consider.

We are going to start with the highest paying jobs and work our way down from there. According to the Berueau of Labor Statistics BLS the number one paying job that only requires an associates degree is Air traffic controller. What does an air traffic controller do you might ask yourself? They are those guys that sit in that little tower, that nobody ever sees, and "clear us for takeoff". While this is a gross under representation, it is one small part of what they (and potentially you) do. Though it only requires an Associates degree there is extensive on the job training which is provided after you're hired. Now many of you are probably thinking this is not a very glamorous job and seems kind of boring, but I can give you 108,000 reasons why you should consider doing it. That's correct the median (definition) salary for this job is over $108,000 a year with no bachelors degree required. The second job that of a general and operations manager paying $94,000. This position essentially involves supervising the day to day operations of a given field and can be performed with a minimum of 1 year of experience. This means that while you may not be an expert in a given field if you have a year or more of experience you may qualify for a position like this. This is not limited to a specific industry and in many cases if you stick to the same job for a period of years you can work your way up within the company. The third job paying just under 100k is a construction manager position. Again this position doesn't require a degree it only requires 5+ years of experience and has a median salary of 83 thousand a year. While construction in general may have taken a sharp downturn in recent years do to the economy, there are many states that have booming construction industry. In fact, according the Dept of Labor construction industry is expected to have grown 24% by the year 2020. 

The next industry I would like to mention is that of the oil field. The introduction of modern technology to the oil collection industry there has been something of a gold rush in states lucky enough to have unknown reserves. There has been 10's of thousands of people that have been made wealthy by the discovery if oil on there lands, but the are not the only ones that benefit. In Towns in Texas and North Dakota where there has been a discovery of oil or natural gas the unemployment is hovering around 2%. These jobs in many cases are not low paying jobs, not however are many of them easy. Take for example a Truck Driver, this job pays very well with people making upwards of $2500 a week. The course to get you CDL is not extensive in most states, and with that and a hazmat certification you can be on your way to getting your piece of the pie. Assuming you don't have any desire to be behind the wheel for the majority of your day and your not scared to get a little dirty then you can easily become a rig worker. This job, while it is not glamorous and is physically demanding will easily allow you to make $80,000 a year. This particular job requires little or no experience and most places will take you with nothing more than a GED or Highschool diploma. The likelyhood is that the industry will continue to grow at a rate faster than they can find people to fill the positions. The time to get in is now, with the advancement of the industry and the expansion of territory that is being drilled there will be many opportunities for people to work their way up the ladder. As with many jobs if you are hard working and willing to learn there will be many new opportunities to cross train into other aspects of the industry. 

The bottom line is that if you invest in yourself and actively peruse marketable skills that make you more valuable to potential employers there is no limit to what you can do. While school is great it is not for everyone, it is not cheap and it doesn't always help you get ahead. With things like: the rising unemployment in the country, the ever increasing national as well as household debt and the cost of a four year degree at an all time high, there has never been a better time to invest in yourself. Find something that you enjoy doing and develop that skill, it may not may you money right away but if you find something you truly enjoy doing and are good at then the money will follow. If this does not sound like you than consider one of the many career options that have very high earning potential with little to no school needed. 

College is it necessary in today's world?

In a day and age when many people accumulate tens of thousands of dollars in student loans to finish a degree, I would like to review three questions that I have struggled with in the past and I'm sure many people struggle with on a regular basis. Those questions are: have the days of a degree getting you a specific job in the work force passed, what are the most sought after degrees by employers, and lastly what alternatives are there aside from going the traditional route of 4 years at a school?

The first question I am going to address is that of getting ahead with a degree versus without a degree. For most people that are finishing high school and searching for "what's next" college is the logical choice, or is it? According to the NY times poll, 40% of College grads are unemployed. While this may seem like a staggering number of people that have finished their degree and are unable to find a job in their field, you have to consider that many degrees do not get you any real marketable skills. Take a BA in psychology for example, while this may be a very interesting subject to study there is almost no psychology jobs that you can get with a psychology degree. One may question this but I have my BA in psychology and there are nearly no jobs that I have been able to find that don't require me to get a masters or higher degree. Other such Bachelor degrees would be Humanities, Social Sciences or a Music degree. All of the afore mentioned degrees are likely to leave you searching for a job without success, working in a job that doesn't require a 4 year degree or going back to school to get an advanced degree. So while this may seem discouraging to many, it is not the end of the story and there is still hope for a bright and vibrant career.

On to our second question, what are some of the top  degrees that are offered? Many of you could probably guess the answer to this question with some accuracy, however there are some degrees that would surprise you. The top degree according to Yahoo education is a degree in elementary education,  followed by Nursing and healthcare Administration to round out the top three. What may or may not be surprising is the fact that two out of the top degrees are related to healthcare. The reality is that we will all grow old eventually and there are few of us that don't need an occasional visit to the doctor or ER. This goes back to the age old supply and demand, as long as there are hospitals and people that get old, sick or injured there is going to be jobs for the healthcare administrators and RNs of the world. By the same token as long as there are school aged children then there is going to be a demand for school teachers. Being married to a teacher I can tell you that it is a very rewarding career and presents you with an opportunity to make a real difference in the life of a group of children. On the flip side here are the top three degrees least likely to land you a job: Architecture, Fine Arts and Philosophy. All in which are the top three jobs with the highest unemployment rates. While these are all jobs that may appeal to you, there is not much demand in the employment sector for people with these particular degrees. So the truth is whatever your degree choice is in, the likelihood of finding employment in that field is going to vary with the increasing or decreasing demand of times. For the complete lists see the following link  Least valuable college degrees.


The final question we will touch on is the alternatives to the traditional classroom based classes. The truth is that with the age of the internet there has been an explosion of new schools that got their start doing strictly online classes. This provided a new level of flexibility to people because you can attend classes from the comfort of your own home. Surprisingly the cost of tuition for many of these online schools isn't much less expensive than going to a state school with a more recognizable name. Assuming it is your desire to get a 4 year degree without spending tens of thousands of dollars, and a minimum of 4 years to do so, there are 3 alternatives we will discuss that can get you many of the same credits for pennies on the dollars compared to attending a class. The best part is that all of these methods are accredited by the American Counsel on Education  and therefore will be accepted at most accredited universities. The First credit gaining alternative is College Level Examination Program (CLEP), CLEP allows you to test out of any or all of 33 different classes . You can receive anywhere from 3 to 12 credits just for passing a single exam. These credits are both upper and lower level credits which can be transferred to any one of over 2900 colleges and universities. The  price is per exam not per credit like normal classes and the  cost for testing is $80 regardless of the credit amount. Testing locations  can be found on the CLEP Website. The second alternative that is very similar to CLEP testing is DSST (formerly Dante's). Like the CLEP there are 30+ DSST exams, costing $80 a piece that are accredited and accepted at over 1900 colleges and universities. The complete List of exams as well as Testing locations can be found at The DSST website. The final alternative is a web based system called ALEKS. ALEKS is a web based system that offers a multitude of upper and lower level classes that can be done at your own pace. The average time to complete a class is six weeks and the learning is done all on your time with no deadlines or schedules. Perhaps the most enticing feature of ALEKS is that you can join for $20 a month and this fee includes all your course materials and allows you to take as many classes as you want for the same flat monthly rate.

In closing, regardless of your degree choice there are many quicker and cheaper alternatives out there that will save you thousands of dollars and months of time. While it is surely possible to find a job in any field if you look hard enough and have the right qualifications, it would seem to make the most sense to set yourself up for the best chance of success by finding a degree that will allow you to do what you went to school for. In any case whatever you decide, who doesn't like saving time and money? If for no other reason than to get you working quicker. In a future blog I will lay out how I personally used the methods I have talked about here to gain well over 60 credits that all transferred to my degree at a brick and mortar school.