Website moved (yet again!)

If you are looking for ThomasNixon.com, ThomasNixon.WordPress.com, and the College Stuff blog, they are all located at:

ThomasNixon.com

I am in the process of consolidating all of my blogs over at Typepad. I believe that this is a long-term situation.

In which the writer shamelessly begs for sales…

Periodically, I find it’s a good idea to remind folks that I write for a living. I earn a reasonable portion of my income from doing just that. And, yes, I appreciate it when folks go off and buy my books. As it happens, my latest book, Complete Guide to Online High Schools: Distance learning options for teens & adults  is out there now. And, importantly, I would appreciate folks wandering over to Amazon to plunk down the $10.17 and take one home.

By the way, I will have an announcement later this week concerning another book. Stay tuned.

College Drop-Out Hall of Fame

I almost hate to even offer this up to you all because I will then have to listen to people talking about how you don’t need to go to college. However, I think you all are smart enough to know that these are the exceptions to the rule. Yes, Bill Gates dropped out of college. I would encourage you, though, to remember that he dropped out of Harvard University. Smart guy. Most of us are not that guy. Or, for that matter, any of the others that I mention below.

On to the site: Publishing guru John Kremer has many useful sites. This one that I find so fascinating and that I offer up to you is a list of college drop-outs. We all know Bill Gates did. But what about Woody Allen? And Ben Affleck? Or Michael Dell (of Dell Computers)? And then there’s John Wayne.

Yes, it’s an interesting assortment. More are listed at the link below:

College Drop-Out Hall of Fame

Happy Independence Day

I like Independence Day. I like Independence Day for many reasons, not the least of which is that, regardless of our own political views, we can take a moment and celebrate this country of ours. And we can do that together.

Amen.

Looking for an introduction to distance learning?

If you are looking for a general introduction to the topic of distance learning as well as information on accreditation and financial aid, I would encourage you to look at this page from Newsweek magazine. It provides most of the basics to get you started and then you can graduate to something like Bears’ Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning.

Real jobs without a college degree?

If you have ever wondered if it is still possible to get a “real” job without getting a college degree, you will want to take a look at this list. The first job listed is air traffic controller and that is followed by elevator installer and gaming manager.

You will note that these jobs do require training beyond the high school level. They are just not in the traditional college format. However, my looking at the list reveals that, while some of those jobs may not require a college degree, most of the people hired to do them will have one. A human resources manager without a degree? Probably not.

As you get further down the list, you will find few that actually do fit what the site purports. Still, the ones at the top are intriguing.

Homefires.com creates great homeschooling your teen conference!

I am now back from the very cool, very hip Homeschooling Your Teen conference in Redwood City. If you were able to be there, then you now know more than one person has the right to know about homeschooling your teen. My presentation went well, I was able to answer lots of questions, sold some books, and met some great people. Diane Flynn Keith, the moderator of the conference, out-did herself. Everything went off without a hitch (and let me tell you, often these conferences are logistical nightmares).

And, for those who might be interested, there are rumors of a return engagement but further south. I will let you know should it come to pass.

Paying for community college in California

I am a big fan of schools or school systems that understand that the cost of an education is important knowledge for students. Too many schools don’t even take that into consideration. I have little respect for those schools. Likewise, I have little respect for professors who order textbooks, but do not know how much the book actually costs. Money is important, particularly to students who start out at a two-year college.

The California Community Colleges system has a website that teaches you everything that you need to know to go to and pay for an associate’s degree at one of their schools. ICanAffordCollege.com is a site dedicated to the premise that anyone can afford to attend a community college in that state.

Homeschool Your Teen redux

As I mentioned upstream, I will be speaking this weekend at Homefires‘ Homeschool Your Teen Seminar. In addition to myself, there will be be an incredible assortment of speakers on most everything related to homeschooling your teen. It is well worth the time and effort. I do believe that they are still accepting registrations (although it is close to being full, so you had better do it today).

See: Homeschool Your Teen

John Bear reviews Complete Guide to Online High Schools. Film at 11:00.

Dr. John Bear has been described as the grandfather of distance learning. While there are pretenders to the throne, he is the real deal. His Bears’ Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning is the seminal work in the field. If you are in distance learning and you have not heard of him, you are really not in distance learning.

Dr. Bear graciously agreed to write a review of my latest book, Complete Guide to Online High Schools. It is a five-starred review over on About.com’s Adult Education site. I would consider it an honor to get three stars from him. To get five stars is humbling.