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When asked what their favorite High School class is a lot of people will know their answer right away. It might have been Math, or English, or even Gym in many cases. Not for me. My favorite class was Drivers Ed. This class went far beyond me getting a license and a car.

Not only was my teacher funny, and taught us with great ease but I could see the benefits of me doing well very quickly. It was not a class you needed to store information from for years prior to randomly pulling out the information in a trivia game. I like this aspect of it.

I also loved to draw the accident scenes and cars on the  traffic accident claims practice forms. This was the highlight of my day. I could not wait to get into class and start my new adventures.  The teachers actually listened to you, and for once you could feel like an adult.

Technology has recently taken over the classroom. Computer education has become a big thing in school as well as the use of different computer and technological methods for teaching. But the downside to this is that the funding for schools that have a concentration of poor families cannot keep up in the whiplash environment of technology in their children’s education.

For many schools in poorer neighborhoods, there are not enough computers to serve all the students in that school, and yet sometimes these schools are sharing their computer labs with other schools as well. It has led to the term digital divide, which refers to the updates a school has or does not have on their computer systems and programs.

When many of these kids have no access to computers at home (if their families cannot afford one), they are very dependent on the school to be able to keep up with their studies. There ought to be more efforts into working on this divide so that no child gets left behind in the technology age.

Education and Entry Level Jobs

You made a choice to go to school because you’re eying a dream job. Pursuant to this goal, people find themselves treading the path of the academe to earn their rightful license for professional life. If you are wondering what you need for that extra mile, consider the following educational requirements as matched to entry level jobs on different fields and of course, potential payout.

High School Graduate

This may include a qualifying GED. Some of the listed entry level jobs on the following fields are classified as high paying roles.
Lifestyle: Event Specialist, Pet Stylist
General: Diesel Mechanic, Customer Service Representative
Banking and Finance: Field Sales Representative, Consulting Representatives, Technical Sales, Digital Marketing Consultant, Cost Recovery Advisor, Bankcard Sales Agent, and Account Manager.

Associate’s Degree

You may not have enough resources or time to finish college but your calling should not stop there. Obtaining an Associate’s degree means you can also be competitive in your earnings. Consider these jobs for you:
Lifestyle: Fashion Designer
Law: Law Research Associate
General: Wind Turbine Technician
Information Technology: Network Administrator
Finance: Personal Financial Advisor, Investment Banking Analyst, Assistant Actuarial Analyst
Health and Social Services: Dental Hygienist, Registered Nurse, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, Occupational and Physical Therapists, Social Service Assistant

Bachelor’s Degree

You think there is a lot of competition with the diplomas being flashed everywhere. Heads up: some entry level jobs listed here you may not have heard of.
Education: Teacher
Law: Forensic DNA Analyst
Health: Healthcare Research Analyst
Tax and Accounting: Paralegal, Tax Associate, Auditor
Engineering and Architecture: Quality Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Systems Engineer, Landscape Architect, Software Engineer

If you waited long enough because you think you’ve lost your place, guess again. The right time to start is now. In a country where you can be anyone you want, the opportunities are numerous and are waiting for your call. So get to the computer, print that winning resume, collect your bearings, and welcome yourself to the diversity of the workforce.

There is no doubt that in most Western countries having a computer and an internet connection is no longer considered an option for the privileged or wealthy.   In fact it access to the internet has sometimes been considered a human right which perhaps has more resonance in countries like Iran or Syria who control and monitor internet gateways.

The problem is that even in the most advanced countries the cost of maintain an internet connection is not cheap.  Many families on low incomes or welfare benefits are unable to afford these charges and so are locked out of this electronic world.  Now in many countries this might not seem such a problem after all having a home, place to sleep and food to eat are the priorities.  The problem is that internet access is almost presumed – if you look at children’s homework there is often a large component online.  In my son’s school all homework tasks can be downloaded from the internet and the completed tasks uploaded directly to their teachers.

This of course puts children who don’t have access at a huge disadvantage, relying on libraries and friends to even complete their homework.  It’s kind of sad that probably the greatest educational resource of the last century is actually creating an educational under class based on wealth.

If you travel abroad and see where economic inequalities are even larger then the results are even more profound.  As an extreme example I saw some children in Turkey whose parents were expats had a huge advantage over local children.  They had access to the internet at home and some parents had even invested in proxy software to allow them access to content that was normally blocked or filtered.  They’d do their homework on the internet then watch UK TV from the BBC afterwards!

We must all be vigilant that the internet doesn’t become yet another economic advantage enjoyed by some as an advantage to others.  The internet has the potential to equalize and level the playing field especially for citizens of poorer countries.  The potential of a single connected PC in a small African village should not be underestimated, potentially opening a world of knowledge.