Online Degrees Grow Salaries for Programming Professionals

by Joe Taylor Jr.

It's every recruiter's nightmare and every student's dream: the demand for experienced professionals is higher than the pool of available job candidates. With fewer graduate students on campus, professional development is moving into the office suite through online education programs. While an advanced degree can improve your salary, an online degree program can eliminate the opportunity costs involved with taking an on campus time out.

Taking two or more years off to complete an on campus degree can certainly improve your long-term earning potential. In today's hot job market for computer professionals, you might be more tempted by company cafeterias than the campus dining hall. According to government statistics, an IT professional can usually add between $30,000 and $50,000 to his or her annual salary upon completion of a technical master's degree. Instead of living on financial aid, a recent graduate can enjoy earning strong wages and benefits while still working toward an advanced online degree.

Typical salaries for IT professionals reflect degree levels:

• Entry level data processor, associate's degree: $24,880
• Computer operator, bachelor's degree: $31,070
• Game designer, master's degree: $83,670
• Scientific research programmer, doctorate level degree: $91,390 to $118,350

Tuition Reimbursement Programs Reduce Student Loan Debt, HR Expenses

A recent Wall Street Journal article suggests that a typical tuition bill of $20,000, financed by student loans at today's interest rates, could cost you over $27,000 over the life of the loan. Clever corporate managers define tuition reimbursement programs for online classes as a perk that can keep a significant amount of money in a new recruit's bank account. Not only can an employer-sponsored online degree help you reach a higher salary sooner, it can save you thousands of dollars in interest when compared to a campus based degree.

Online education also offers significant financial benefits for companies. A recent study indicates that nearly one in three dollars spent by corporate tuition reimbursement programs pays for online classes, and experts predict that number to rise as more employees become comfortable with the concept of online degrees. Human resource managers easily justify their online education expenses by pointing at lower recruiting costs and lower turnover. One company that implemented online classes boasts an annual churn rate of under three percent in an industry that often sees one in five workers shifting employers each year.

Computing Standards Make Online Classes Powerful Learning Tools

When online education first emerged, employers were skeptical about whether they could trust that job candidates possessed the same skills as graduates with campus based degrees. Certifications, accreditation, and a growing comfort level with online communication have helped most employers embrace online classes as powerful tools for professional development.

Most programming languages and hardware vendors offer independent certification exams for technology professionals, to assure employers of a candidate's skill level regardless of where they attended college. Instead of spending thousands of dollars preparing for exams, an employer-sponsored online degree program includes every class you need to gain certification.

Online Classes Open Career Options

If you're not already working at a technology company, it's easier than ever to gain the credentials to make yourself attractive to corporate headhunters. Depending on your learning style, you can select an online education program that involves a lot or a little real-time interaction with faculty and staff.

Meanwhile, online education programs are changing the career paths for future programmers and database managers in old-line businesses. The convenience of online classes has spurred professional development in a growing number of traditional companies outside of Silicon Valley. With employers of all sizes looking for skilled technology professionals, it often makes sense to recruit from within and provide key training than to lure potential staffers from high tech companies.

A Sampling of Top IT Employers, According to Computerworld:

• General Mills
• Quicken Loans
• Anheuser-Busch
• Hilton Hotels
• Reader's Digest

Online Classes Increase Job Security and Earning Potential

An online degree in computer science can help you land a promotion within your existing company. It can also make it easier to find a new job if your employer relocates or downsizes. Even if your current employer shows no outward signs of weakness, starting your online education program with just a few hours of study each week is effective insurance against sudden shifts in the job market.

You no longer need to uproot yourself or your family so you can enroll in a campus-based degree program. Likewise, you no longer have to postpone your professional education because of a transfer to a new location. Whether you're dreaming of moving to Silicon Valley or you simply want to secure a better paying job in your current field, an online degree in computer science can get you started.

Top 10 Technology Careers

by Joe Taylor Jr.

As technology stocks waned in the last few months of the 20th Century, some analysts worried that technology degrees wouldn't be as valuable as they had been during the "dot-com bubble." They couldn't have been more wrong.

It's not just industry heavyweights like Google and Apple who are acquiring new real estate to house all their new hires. Employers from nearly every market sector imaginable are luring technical professionals with competitive salaries, perks, and bonuses. With large companies taking their IT in-house and small businesses relying on outsourced providers, it seems that everyone in the world wants to hire technology professionals.

According to government statistics, these ten jobs show the most promise over the next decade:

1. Information Systems Manager

Though the exact daily duties may differ from employer to employer, information systems managers determine the overall technology strategies for major companies. By combining information technology training with business savvy, these managers make decisions about servers, bandwidth, and desktop tools for their companies.

Although many enterprise companies prefer to hire managers with advanced technology degrees, a shortage of qualified executives has opened the doors for job candidates with hands-on experience. Therefore, your current job and an enrollment in an online IT program can put you in the running for a senior position that usually pays, on average, over $92,000 per year.

2. Database Administrator

Database administrators guarantee the security and the accessibility of information for employees and customers. Hiring officers often comment that computer training programs cannot produce skilled administrators quickly enough to meet their demands.

While many online information technology programs build basic database skills, administrators require ongoing technical training to stay up to date with the latest products. A bachelor's degree and an independent certification can qualify you for jobs at well-known companies where you can earn $85,000 or more per year.

3. Operating System Developer

While you might think that only a few major companies in America would employ operating system developers, "operating systems" have actually popped up in more devices than just computers. Manufacturers of mobile phones, cars, refrigerators, and other devices rely on highly skilled graduates of technology degree programs to develop custom software platforms.

Online technology courses in programming and software development can help you secure a job in this growing field. Many operating system developers earn over $80,000 a year by complementing their understanding of source code with their intuition into human interaction. The next time you drop a quarter into a fancy soda machine, remember that machines as simple as this need operating systems, too.

4. Application Developer

One of the most exciting fields for recent graduates of computer science degree programs involves building applications. Developers sometimes work for large companies, working on word processors, spreadsheet tools, and other familiar software tools. Many more programmers put their technology degrees to use on specialized projects ranging from consumer note-taking applications to medical research tools.

Many application developers working for larger companies earn over $70,000 per year. In some cases, compensation packages for developers can include tuition reimbursement programs for online technology courses. Other developers earn smaller salaries but own all or part of the companies at which they work, offering the chance to participate in technology startups.

5. Computer Systems Analyst

Working closely with information systems managers, analysts dig deeper into the kinds of tools that companies use to solve their computing challenges. In many cases, analysts earn over $66,000 in annual salary by using their computer training to evaluate hardware and software for their employers.

Many companies like to keep their analysts separate from their designers and programmers, allowing analysts the ability to remain detached when reviewing solutions. Therefore, online computer science degrees for future analysts often place a little more emphasis on academic research than on deeper programming skills.

6. Computer Systems Designer

With typical salaries of around $65,000 per year, many computer systems designers spend their time focused exclusively on a single function or on a particular section of a larger software project. While technology degrees are essential for job seekers in this field, hiring officers reward graduates with demonstrated interpersonal skills.

Many online computer science degree programs offer designers their first opportunities to work as part of a team on real world software projects. Like any creative field, computer systems design requires creative thinking and conflict resolution skills. Many designers enroll in online technology courses to stay current with new trends and techniques in their industries.

7. Data Processing Specialist

While managers and administrators provide the platform for company data, teams of specialists assure the accuracy of that data. In large enterprises, like banks and brokerage houses, highly skilled data processing specialists use their technology degrees and their industry specific knowledge to handle complex tasks like backups and data transfer.

If you already work in finance or medicine, online IT degree programs can help you become familiar with databases and storage devices. This way, you can qualify for specialist jobs that frequently pay more than $64,000 per year.

8. Web Hosting Technician

Ten years ago, you might not have guessed that web hosting would be as universal and as reliable as electricity or running water. With so many companies and individuals relying on their online promotional sites, applications, and photo libraries, web hosting companies hunt for professionals with computer training to help serve their clients.

Web hosting jobs often require familiarity with software and hardware, as well as experience with large power generators and security systems. Senior technicians can earn $64,000 per year or more.

9. Computer Support Specialist

Microsoft was once famous for its vision statement, "a computer on every desk." Now that we have mostly realized that dream, computer users require an unprecedented amount of technical support. Computer support training can prepare you for a challenging job that can be highly rewarding if you like to solve problems and work with people.

Though analysts once feared that most computer support specialist jobs would move overseas, consumer backlash has caused even more jobs to be located in the United States. Whether working via phone at a remote call center or in person at a local support facility, computer support specialists with technology degrees often earn more than $40,000 per year once they build a track record of quality service.

10. Desktop Publisher

Not every hot technology career requires a bachelor's degree. Many small companies rely on print shops and commercial printers to give their material a professional polish. Larger companies rely on staff members with computer training to produce internal documents like reports and manuals.

In both cases, desktop publishers take raw materials and use common software tools to shape them into attractive documents. Publishing & graphic design training can usually be completed in less than two years, qualifying graduates for jobs that often pay more than $32,000 a year.

Online Technology Courses Connect Working Adults to IT Careers

In every one of the ten careers profiled here, employers are eager to promote team members who can combine in-house experience with skills gained from computer training courses. Now that you can earn technology degrees from your desk or from any Internet connection, it's easier than ever to develop the technical expertise to qualify for a new job. Whether you make the move to a new position at your current employer or you use your skills to shift to a new company, online technology courses can help add crucial certifications to your resume.

Shaping Technology: Great Minds Think Big

by Clare Kaufman

The Digital Revolution is the story of creative trailblazers who dared to think outside the beige box. These innovators shaped the evolution of computer technology. The first computers occupied entire rooms and seemed destined as data management tools. But a handful of creative visionaries saw a world of potential in those number-crunching machines.

They resolved to think big, and (to quote Apple Computer's slogan) 'Think Different.' Seventy years later, computers permeate our daily lives--our business, our entertainment, our creative expression, our social networking...

Here's a closer look at three great thinkers who made technology what it is today.

The Mother of Modern-Day Programming: Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Grace Murray Hopper earned her nickname "Amazing Grace" for her pioneering work with computers in the mid-twentieth century. She played an active role in developing the earliest computers, called the Mark I and II Calculators, as well as the early programming language COBOL. But her real legacy is more fundamental: she conceived of computer programming as language rather than code.

Hopper's thorough understanding and creative thinking allowed her to perceive the limitations of the status quo and envision an alternative. In her day, programming was still a set of rudimentary instructions resembling basic machine code. In contrast, COBOL programmers use English words and sentence-like commands. This profound departure from the norm laid the foundation for contemporary computer programming

Besides her mathematics and physics training, Grace Hopper possessed irreverence and creativity. Legend has it that she kept a clock in her office running counter-clockwise, as a reminder to question assumptions and take a new look at problems. She is credited with the famous quotation, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." This attitude allowed Hopper to succeed in a man's world, silencing chauvinists and skeptics with her irrepressible visionary spirit.

Learn More: To learn the languages that run computers today, look for software development training and computer programming degrees.

Advocate of the Digital Media Revolution: Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is Silicon Valley's original enfant terrible, a quirky technology wizard whose path took him from calligraphy class to Atari video game design to Apple I, the 4kB desktop computer he built with Steve Wozniak in his parent's garage. Along the way he took time off to pursue a spiritual quest in India.

This eccentric history makes sense in retrospect: Jobs' most profound contribution may be his humane vision of technology as functional yet approachable. Thus the iMac's pulsing 'standby' light, which gives the illusion that the computer breathes in its sleep. Form and function merge in everything from Apple's sleek iPod to the animated blockbusters produced by Jobs' movie studio, Pixar.

How did Steve Jobs become one of the leading lights of Silicon Valley's digital media revolution? He offers this advice: "follow your own inner voice... the only thing that kept me going is that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love."

From video game design to Pixar animation, Jobs taught Silicon Valley that technology isn't just a beige box on your desk. It's part of our lives, our work, and most importantly, our fun.

Learn More: Can work really be all fun and games? Find out more about video game design schools and animation programs.

Business Mogul and Technological Innovator: Bill Gates

Bill Gates is the Rockefeller of our time, responsible for revolutionizing the computer industry and reviving large-scale philanthropy. Back when computers were the exclusive property of tech development companies and a few thousand hobbyists, Gates envisioned a future in which every office desk and every home would have a computer.

He was right. Thanks in part to Gates' company, Microsoft, computers are an integral part of our daily lives. Microsoft's Windows operating system acted as the bridge between this powerful technology and the average user. In Gates' own words: "personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user."

Impeccable timing and a well-thought business plan helped elevate Gates to the pinnacle of the personal computer revolution. But Gates himself adds another factor: focus. "My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things." For better or worse, that single-minded drive empowered Gates to sweep past obstacles, even in the face of widespread opposition.

Hero or villain, Gates is unquestionably a great thinker and an architect of the world as we know it today. Time named him among the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century.

Learn More: To negotiate the business world like a pro, start with a business degree, or head straight to B-school for your online MBA.

Without the vision of Hopper, Jobs, and Gates, technology wouldn't be the same. All three are responsible for making technology integral to our everyday lives. Computers are data processing machines. But thanks to these visionaries, computers also speak a language similar to ours, they can be programmed to mimic human intelligence, and they can function as media for work, creative expression, and social networking. Where will technology take us next? That's up to the next generation of visionaries who dare to think 'different.' Are you one of them?

Entry-Level Jobs That Pay More Than $50k

by Gabby Hyman

Most American workers enjoy a high standard of living, certainly when compared with the wages earned by workers throughout the rest of the world. According to surveys by Payscale.com, entry-level wages for careers in this country average around $40,000 a year. If that seems low to you, take note: by completing an online college degree program, you can boost your entry-level earning power by at least another $10,000.

Here are ten tried-and-true career groups that advertise beginning earnings at -- or well above -- the $50,000 level:

1. Marketing and Sales Managers -- $80,000 entry earnings

Marketing and sales staff managers help companies develop strategies for selling products and services to the public or other businesses (B2B). You can complete an online marketing programfinance degree to gain the necessary expertise to join this career group. Expect to travel and meet new people, all while banking a sizeable income. or

2. High School Teachers -- $59,269 entry earnings at top schools

While the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts entry level high school teacher salaries at $31,000 on average, teachers' pay varies dramatically from one district to the next. Teach an in-demand subject with a shortage of applicants in a pricey school district, and you can pull down a near-$60,000 entry-level salary. To qualify for any teaching career, you'll typically need to earn a teaching degree, in addition to completing your state's teacher certification requirements.

To fill urgent needs--especially in math and science--many districts will let you begin your classroom teaching while taking online education classes that lead to accelerated licensing. Public school salaries are a matter of public record, so research should tell you where the best jobs can be found.

3. Education Administrators -- $80,000 entry earnings

If you're already a teacher, think of the high-paying, entry-level salary you can earn as a principal or school district administrator. Administrators either work at the individual school level, directing the academic performance of the teaching staff, or work at school district headquarters, helping define curriculum and teaching methods. To prepare, keep your current teaching job, and attend an online masters in education administration degree program.

4. Staff RN -- $63,803 entry earnings

Staff RNs will remain in top demand for at least another decade. While you can earn a registered nursing degree in two years, the best entry-level wages will go to registered nurses with bachelor's degrees. To qualify for the top new career positions, enroll in a nursing school that offers a BS in nursing or an RN to BSN option.

5. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts -- $53,000 entry earnings

More than 231,000 network systems and data communication analysts work in the nation. They design, trouble-shoot, and install LANs, WANs, and internet and intranets for small, medium, and large companies, colleges, and government agencies. Today, hiring managers want newly trained specialists with a background in security. Pursue an online IT degree to develop the technical skills required for this field.

6. Computer Software Engineers -- $58,900 entry earnings

The Department of Labor predicts that the career group for computer software engineers will be among the fastest-growing occupations though 2014. The top entry-level IT jobs will be in systems or applications software development. Master your skills through an online computer science or computer programming degree program.

7. Physical Therapist -- $61,478 entry earnings

Physical therapists will remain in high demand through the end of the decade. Working in clinics, hospitals, and private offices, physical therapists rehabilitate and treat disabled, injured, and post-surgical patients. Each state has an independent licensing policy, and you'll need to complete physical therapy school to land an entry level position.

8. Restaurant Managers -- $53,255 entry earnings

If you've always wanted to run a successful dining establishment, enroll now in a hotel and restaurant management program. Salaried managers with major chains and hotels are predicted to have greater immediate financial success than those employed at small bistros and private eateries.

9. Web Designer -- $51,931 entry earnings

Web designers, The Department of Labor says, will have some of the best job opportunities of the all design professions through 2014. If you're already a graphic arts professional, you can bone up for the Web specialty through an online graphic Web design course. To join the ranks in this career, consider earning a graphic Web design degree.

10. Financial Analyst -- $84,000 entry earnings

Financial analysts need a solid background in economics, revenue forecasting, and accounting to enter this rapidly growing field that serves business, manufacturing, finance, and governmental organizations. Get ready to earn nearly twice the average American entry-level salary by earning an online finance degree.

Starbucks ordered to pay back $100 mln in tips: court

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A San Diego judge on Thursday ordered coffee giant Starbucks to pay more than 100 million dollars in tips and interest owed to staff across outlets in California.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Patricia Cowett ruled in favor of a barista from a store in La Jolla who filed a lawsuit in 2004 arguing that supervisors were unfairly receiving a share of pooled tips from customers.

Lawyers for Jou Chou had argued that Starbucks was breaching state law by allowing supervisors to receive tips instead of paying them a higher salary.

In a ruling that Starbucks immediately vowed to appeal, Cowett said the company must pay back around 87 million in tips plus interest of 19 million after finding the company had broken state law.

It was not immediately clear how the money might be divided up between the estimated 100,000 current and former baristas who have worked for Starbucks at different times in California since 2000.

Terry Chapko, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that baristas were "subsidizing Starbucks labor costs" by helping the company pay its supervisors. "This is about getting money back to the lowest-paid employees," he told the Times.

Starbucks described the ruling as "not only contrary to law, it is fundamentally unfair and beyond all common sense and reason."

"Our shift supervisors deserve their fair share of the tips that they receive from the tip jars in our California stores," the statement said, adding that it plans a "vigorous" appeal.

"The decision today in our view represents an extreme example of an abuse of the class-action procedures in California courts," the company said.

The court ruling come as Starbucks has launched a series of intiatives aimed at boosting its business, which has suffered from a dip in sales and a near-50 percent fall in share price over the past year.

Starbucks ordered to pay back tips

By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer


SAN DIEGO - A Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered Starbucks Corp. to pay its California baristas more than $100 million in back tips and interest that the coffee chain paid to shift supervisors.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Patricia Cowett also issued an injunction that prevents Starbucks' shift supervisors from sharing in future tips, saying state law prohibits managers and supervisors from sharing in employee gratuities.

Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said the company planned an immediate appeal of the ruling, calling it "fundamentally unfair and beyond all common sense and reason."

The lawsuit was filed in October 2004 by Jou Chou, a former Starbucks barista in La Jolla, who complained shift supervisors were sharing in employee tips.

The lawsuit gained ground in 2006 when it was granted class-action status, allowing the suit to go forward for as many as 100,000 former and current baristas in the coffee chain's California stores.

It was not immediately clear how many current and former employees are affected by the ruling.

"I feel vindicated," Chou said in a written statement released by attorneys. "Tips really help those receiving the lowest wages. I think Starbucks should pay shift supervisors higher wages instead of taking money from the tip pool."

California is Starbucks' largest U.S. market, with 2,460 stores as of Jan. 8, the latest count available. The Seattle-based company has more than 11,000 stores nationwide.

Starbucks employs more than 135,000 baristas in the U.S. The company did not immediately respond to a request for a head count in California.

The judgment comes as Starbucks is struggling to revive its U.S. business, where store traffic has slipped amid a sagging economy, rising energy and dairy costs, and growing competition from cheaper rivals.

The company's stock has slid more than 50 percent since late 2006, when it was trading close to $40 a share. Starbucks shares rose 3 cents to $17.53 Thursday.

Starbucks earned more than $672 million on revenue of $9.4 billion during its 2007 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.

The judge ordered Starbucks to pay $87 million in back tips, plus interest of $19 million, bringing the total judgment to about $106 million.

The company said it planned to ask the court to stay the ruling while the appeal is pending.

"The decision today, in our view, represents an extreme example of an abuse of the class-action procedures in California's courts," O'Neil said.

The coffee company also took issue with the brevity of the judge's ruling, which was only four paragraphs, saying she failed to address the unfairness to shift supervisors.

"This case was filed by a single former barista and, despite Starbucks request, the interests of the shift supervisors were not represented in litigation," O'Neil said.

But attorney Laura Ho, who tried the baristas case, said the court's verdict follows state law.

"Starbucks illegally took a huge amount of money from the tip pool to pay shift supervisors, rather than paying them out of its own pocket. The court's verdict rightfully restores that money to the baristas," Ho said.

Investment firms tap Fed for billions

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON - Big Wall Street investment companies are taking advantage of the Federal Reserve's unprecedented offer to secure emergency loans, the central bank reported Thursday.

The lending is part of a major effort by the Fed to help a financial system in danger of freezing.

Those large firms averaged $13.4 billion in daily borrowing over the past week from the new lending facility. The report does not identify the borrowers.

The Fed, in a bold move Sunday, agreed for the first time to let big investment houses get emergency loans directly from the central bank. This mechanism, similar to one available for commercial banks for years, got under way Monday and will continue for at least six months. It was the broadest use of the Fed's lending authority since the 1930s.

Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley said Wednesday they had begun to test the new lending mechanism.

On Wednesday alone, lending reached $28.8 billion, according to the Fed report.

The Fed created a way for financially strapped investment firms to have regular access to a source of short-term cash. This lending facility is seen as similar to the Fed's "discount window" for banks. Commercial banks and investment companies pay 2.5 percent in interest for overnight loans from the Fed.

Investment houses can put up a range of collateral, including investment-grade mortgage backed securities.

The Fed, in another rare move last Friday, agreed to let JP Morgan Chase secure emergency financing from the central bank to rescue the venerable Wall Street firm Bear Stearns from collapse. Two days later, the Fed back a deal for JP Morgan to take over Bear Stearns.

Thursday's report offered insight on how much credit was extended to Bear Stearns via JP Morgan through the transaction the Fed approved last Friday. Average daily borrowing came to $5.5 billion for the week ending Wednesday.

Separately, the Fed said it will make $75 billion of Treasury securities available to big investment firms next week. Investment houses can bid on a slice of the securities at a Fed auction next Thursday; a second is set for April 3.

The Fed will allow investment firms to borrow up to $200 billion in safe Treasury securities by using some of their more risky investments as collateral.

By allowing this, the Fed is hoping to take pressure off financial companies and make them more inclined to lend to people and businesses.

The housing collapse and credit crunch have led to record-high home foreclosures and forced financial companies to rack up multibillion losses in complex mortgage investments that turned sour.

In the past day and weeks, the Fed has taken extraordinary moves aimed at making sure that problems in credit and financial markets do not sink the economy.