So, you’re looking for some direction in your life. Well, you’re definitely not alone there. Whether you’re getting ready to graduate, or if you’re just looking for a lifestyle or career change, the number of choices out there can be overwhelming.We’re all well-aware that the economy is not super hot right now. But here’s a piece of advice I’ve heard some career experts recommend to people who are having a tough time snagging a job right now:

They say that volunteering can be a great way to gain experience that employers will appreciate. But best of all, many volunteer opportunities can give you the chance to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Today, I was reading about an organization called City Year. It’s affiliated with AmeriCorps (the domestic version of the Peace Corps), and it gives young people between the ages of 17 and 24 the chance to spend one year volunteering with kids from urban areas all across the country.

Though helping others is a great incentive, City Year can also help its members prepare for life after their year of service has ended. They offer education awards and scholarships, in addition to a monthly stipend to cover living expenses. Plus, you could experience life in a new place, while meeting new people.

A friend of mine who lives in New York City told me about how she sees City Year volunteers all over the place. She said she always recognizes them by their trademark red uniforms and their cheerful attitudes. Apparently, these folks really love what they’re doing!

The benefits of volunteering seem almost endless. And it might even open career or education doors in ways you weren’t expecting.

Most of us are familiar with advertisements created by the United States armed forces. A major selling point in a lot of these ads is the military’s promise to help servicemen and women pay for their college education.

To me, this idea seems pretty fair. Our country owes a lot to the men and women who defend the United States through military service at home and abroad. Offering our veterans a quality education when they return home is probably the least we can do to repay them.

Since the end of World War II – and the first version of the G.I. Bill – veterans’ circumstances have changed. Due to inflation, today’s Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ benefits just don’t go as far as they used to.

This coming August, the new G.I. Bill will take effect. This version of the bill offers benefits to those who have served at least 90 continuous days of active military duty since September 11, 2001, or those who served at least 30 days and were discharged with a service-connected disability.

What does this mean for veterans and civilians?

Most likely, it means more veterans around college and university campuses. The new bill has been updated to accommodate rising education costs, so more veterans can pursue a higher-quality education.

The college experience can be daunting for some veterans who have grown used to a military-style daily routine. Civilian students should be welcoming and respectful to veterans they meet. Some veterans don’t mind answering questions about military life, but some would prefer more privacy.

If you want to get involved, many colleges have student veteran organizations. These groups can help veterans join a community, and can allow civilian students to reach out to veterans who have sacrificed so much for the rest of us.

 Sounds like a good thing to me!

What would be easier than winning a scholarship for school? Blogging to earn money for school. We’ve discovered a great way to earn money for school and doing something almost anyone can start up: a blog.

With the forefront of technology, blogging has become trend that everyone has jumped on. No longer the case that you need an English or Journalism degree to write and have it published with the Wide World Web, getting your thoughts out there is easy.

CollegeScholarships.org is about rewarding those who share their thoughts, opinions and perspectives. Every year since 2006, Collegescholarships.org has held a blogging contest for people to win money for college.

The criteria isn’t too difficult, you just have to be enrolled in post-secondary education, have a blog that you are passionate about (no spam), be a United States citizen or permanent resident, and have your name and blog published on the website if you win. The scholarship awards a first prize of $10,000, and 2 runner-ups with $1,000 each. 

So, what are you waiting for? Explore your hidden talents of writing and put them to the test for a chance to win money for college. The deadline hasn’t passed if you already have a blog up and running. The submission date is October 15-30.  

The campus bookstore is a familiar sight every semester. Students stand packed in line, their arms crowded with almost more books than they can hold.

But the future is changing.

Electronic book readers are really starting to pick up steam.  Instead of waiting in line and hauling a dozen books around, with ebook readers, students will be able to download the books instantly, and carry their entire semester’s worth of books on a single, lightweight device.

It’s already starting to happen.  This year, Penn State Universities Libraries and the English Department are beginning a project using the Sony Reader Digital Book, testing how useful having electronic book readers can be in a higher education setting.  And Plastic Logic has announced a new, larger electronic reading device that might just be perfect for academic textbooks!  Even library books are now becoming available electronically.

So this semester, go ahead and buy that backpack.  But who knows?  By next year, it might be out of style!