Happy Leap Day 2012! You know that the day exists, but do you know why? The origins of the day go all the way back to ancient Rome. It actually takes the Earth 365.25 days to revolve around the sun, so in order to coordinate dates with astronomy and the passing seasons, Julius Caesar ordered that an extra day be added to the calendar every four years at the end of February.

So, there you have it, Leap Day.

It may seem like this extra day doesn’t really do anything special for you. Life continues to go on, and deadlines in your classes continue to stand. But with 2012 having 366 days instead of 365, there are, at the very least, opportunities to reflect. Maybe you can use this day to tackle projects that had otherwise fallen by the wayside. This is particularly useful if you have a specific To Do List for the month of February.

And what if you were born on this day? How do you celebrate it? Obviously, you’re still a year older as each year passes, even if your birthday is absent from the calendar. Maybe this is your chance to throw a huge birthday bash, or do something daring that you might not otherwise. However you choose to celebrate it—or not—we wish you a very happy Leap Day!

Welcome to the third installment in our blog series taking a look at the future of some the occupational fields you’ll find here at Argosy University Online Programs. Today, we’re going to be looking at some trends and career outlooks in Business.

Business is a very broad area, as it touches every aspect of our lives and, like so many other areas, it is constantly evolving. As technology, world events, new regulations and other important developments happen the world of business reacts and adapts to new realities.

At Argosy University Online Programs, we talk about what type of business professional might find success in this environment:

“Business professionals who offer leadership and make personal connections during times of calm and crisis can create an environment of success in any market. In an increasingly competitive, complex, and unpredictable business climate, it's those individuals who can develop relationships, manage change, and focus on solutions to real-world problems who will be coveted by non-profit organizations, large and small corporations, and public administration agencies alike.”

When you pursue a career in business, there are a wide range of areas that you could focus on. From accounting to finance to human resources management, people interested in business have a lot of options to choose from. At Argosy University Online Programs, for example, our Bachelor of Science in Business Administration offers 7 specializations:

• Accounting
• Finance
• Healthcare Management
• Human Resource Management
• International Business
• Marketing
• Organizational Management

So, what is the area that’s right for you and what does the future hold? There are a lot of sources for this type of information, but a great resource is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Let’s just take a look at some of these fields and where they’re expected to be heading:

Accounting
“Employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow by 22 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This occupation will have a very large number of new jobs arise, about 279,400 over the projections decade. An increase in the number of businesses, changing financial laws and corporate governance regulations, and increased accountability for protecting an organization's stakeholders will drive job growth.”

Human Resources Management
Employment is expected to grow much faster than the average for all human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists occupations. College graduates and those who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities.

Overall employment is projected to grow by 22 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. Legislation and court rulings revising standards in various areas—occupational safety and health, equal employment opportunity, wages, healthcare, retirement plans, and family leave, among others—will increase demand for human resources, training, and labor relations experts.

Medical and Health Services Managers
Employment is projected to grow faster than the average. Job opportunities should be good, especially for applicants with work experience in healthcare and strong business management skills.

Employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow 16 percent from 2008 to 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. The healthcare industry will continue to expand and diversify, requiring managers to help ensure smooth business operations.

How about the outlook for students with a Master of Business Administration? According to Businessweek.com:

“The Graduate Management Admission Council reported today that 2011 MBA graduates are having an easier time in the job market than graduates from recent MBA classes. More than half the class of 2011, or 54 percent, received at least one job offer, up from 32 percent last year, according to the report. The finding are based on a survey, conducted in March, of 4,794 recent or soon-to-be graduates at 156 schools around the world”

While some of these areas are covered above, you can see the diversity of opportunities available to individuals seeking to pursue a career in business. So, where can you look for even more information on business careers?

If you’d like to learn more about the business degrees offered at Argosy University, please visit our main business page. You might also like MSNBC.com’s special report on the Future of Business, which offers a lot of interesting articles and features on what may lie ahead. Also, the Bureau of Labor Statistics covers the outlook for a wide range of business careers fat their site.

Welcome to the second installment in our blog series taking a look at the future of some the occupational fields you’ll find here at Argosy University Online Programs. Today, we’re going to be looking at some trends and career outlooks in Criminal Justice.

Criminal Justice is an area that covers a very broad range of fields – from Law Enforcement to Corrections to Forensic Psychology to Substance Abuse and beyond. So what does the future hold? According to Bryan Vila, former chief of the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice’s Crime Control and Prevention Research Division:

“Technological advances will also have a great influence on crime fighting. Developments in surveillance, biometrics, DNA analysis, and radio frequency identification microchips will enhance crime prevention and crime solving. Increasingly sophisticated intelligence databases will likely be used not only by police officers and analysts, but by the general public—as is now common with sex offender registries.

The future will also bring improvements in interoperability systems that allow officials to talk electronically to one another, particularly during emergencies. And, Vila concludes, better connection among people and agencies will lead to a decrease in the attractiveness and vulnerability of crime targets.”

So as these technological and other changes take hold, how will this impact the various fields within Criminal Justice? The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t have just one page on a career outlook dedicated to this industry however they do cover 3 main areas:

Police and Detectives

"Employment of police and detectives is expected to grow 10 percent over the 2008–18 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Population growth is the main source of demand for police services.

"Overall opportunities in local police departments will be favorable for individuals who meet the psychological, personal, and physical qualifications. In addition to openings from employment growth, many openings will be created by the need to replace workers who retire and those who leave local agencies for Federal jobs and private-sector security jobs."

Probations and Corrections

"Employment of probation officers and correctional treatment specialists is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2018. Job opportunities are expected to be excellent.

"In addition to openings due to growth, many openings will be created by replacement needs, especially openings due to the large number of these workers who are expected to retire. This occupation is not attractive to some potential entrants due to relatively low earnings, heavy workloads, and high stress. For these reasons, job opportunities are expected to be excellent."

Private Detectives and Investigators

"Employment of private detectives and investigators is expected to grow 22 percent over the 2008–18 decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. Increased demand for private detectives and investigators will result from heightened security concerns, increased litigation, and the need to protect confidential information and property of all kinds.

"Keen competition is expected for most jobs because private detective and investigator careers attract many qualified people, including relatively young retirees from law enforcement and military careers. The best opportunities for new jobseekers will be in entry-level jobs in detective agencies. Opportunities are expected to be favorable for qualified computer forensic investigators.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! For example, at Argosy University, in our Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree program, we offer 8 specializations:

• Corrections
• Customized Professional Concentration
• Forensic Psychology
• Homeland Security
• Management
• Police
• Security Management
• Substance Abuse

While some of these areas are covered above, you can see the diversity of opportunities available to individuals seeking to pursue a career in Criminal Justice. So, where can you look for even more information on this field? Doing some research on your own to find a field that interests you would be a good first step.

You can also check out this useful resource guide compiled by the National Criminal Justice Association, with links to many federal and local agencies where you can learn more about what different Criminal Justice organizations do.

We hope this post has been helpful to you, stay tuned for part 3 of our blog post series as we look at the future of Business careers.

Welcome to the first installment in our blog series taking a look at the future of some the occupational fields you’ll find here at Argosy University Online Programs. Today, we’re going to be looking at some trends and career outlooks in Psychology.

Psychology as a profession really emerged after World War II and has continually evolved as new knowledge, research and changing cultural patterns have taken place. Those changes are continuing to this day and will present new trends as we move into the future.

For example, Industrial Organization Psychology is a growing field – according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):

“Industrial-organizational psychologists also will be in demand to help to boost worker productivity and retention rates in a wide range of businesses. Industrial-organizational psychologists will help companies deal with issues such as workplace diversity and anti-discrimination policies. Companies also will use psychologists' expertise in survey design, analysis and research to develop tools for marketing evaluation and statistical analysis."

Additionally, according to the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists (SIOP) as told to the American Psychological Association (APA),

“Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology has long been a popular and lucrative area, and it's growing: Membership in the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology or SIOP (APA's Div. 14), for example, has risen 11 percent since 2000, and student membership has gone up 63 percent in the same time period, says SIOP President Lois Tetrick, PhD.”

Another area within Psychology that is expected to grow is the area of Program Evaluation. According to the American Psychological Association,

"One particularly hot growth area for psychologists also has the potential to make a major difference in public health: program evaluation. Using psychological research tools, evaluators assess the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies and organizations to improve their effectiveness, says Stewart I. Donaldson, PhD, who with Berger and Kathy Pezdek, PhD, co-edited "Applied Psychology: New Frontiers and Rewarding Careers" (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006)."

School and Clinical Psychology is another expected growth area, according to the BLS, with the occupation expected to grow by 11% from 2008-2018. A big potential reason for this anticipated growth, comes from the APA’s Div. 16 (School) President Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD who notes that:

“There's a growing population of school-age children and more schools now recognize students' special needs.”

Also, "School board members, parents and the community are now telling schools to pay more attention to mental health," says Ron Palomares, PhD, APA's assistant executive director for policy and advocacy in the schools.

For more on some of the growth careers within the fields of Psychology, you may want to read the full article we’ve excerpted here at the American Psychological Association’s website or visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Psychology outlook page.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our series looking at the future of our areas of study with a look at the field of Criminal Justice.

As a student at Argosy University Online Programs, you’re exposed to faculty members with a variety of interesting backgrounds, and, when you think back on it, there may be one or two that stand out in your mind. Now you have the chance to write about them for this blog!

Submit your blog post via our student submission website. In your blog, be sure to tell us:

• Why does this faculty member stand out in your mind?
• In which class did you encounter them?
• How have they helped enrich your online learning experience?

There’s no time limit on these submissions, so whether you encountered the faculty member a year ago or are in session with them 6 months from now and come across this blog post, feel free to share your thoughts with us.