Future Careers Help Pay for College Now

(ARA) - Cash-strapped students don’t have to wait for their first paycheck to benefit from their major or intended profession. Many organizations tie their scholarship dollars to a student’s career interest. Students can find awards ranging from $250 to $5,000 or more to help them pursue their field. These scholarships are funded by professional organizations, corporations or universities. Jean Danielson, director of the educational research department for FastWeb(www.fastweb.com), the leading scholarship search Web site, says “there are organizations offering scholarships to students in everything from business to nursing to engineering.”

Jenny Sirmons’s dream of becoming a teacher helped her win a scholarship. “I wrote a 50-word essay about why I wanted to become a teacher,” she says. Sirmons won the Boon Teaching Award at Angelina College, worth $250 per semester for two years. She’ll soon graduate with a degree in history and pursue a career in education.

Professional organizations are “a resource students can use to learn more about a profession,” says Danielson. These groups often fund awards to increase awareness of their field and to reach out to the next generation.

The Association of Women in Communications (AWC) offers scholarships for students (men and women) majoring in communications. Linda Dawson, president elect of the AWC chapter in Springfield, Ill., says her organization views the award as ”a way to recognize students who want to pursue careers in communications and could use a little extra help.”

Colleges also have money available to students with specific majors. Students in the University of Washington’s biology department can apply for the Porath/Johnson Endowed Scholarship which supports one student for a full year. Alumnus Thomas Johnson endowed the award to recognize and thank his alma mater.

Whether a student’s major is advertising or zoology there are probably scholarship dollars available to them. Here are four tips for finding career-oriented scholarships:

• Search online. Use a scholarship search Web site like FastWeb to find awards that fit. Students fill out a profile that includes their major, career interests and college. That information is used to identify scholarships in FastWeb’s database that the student is qualified for.
• Professional organizations. Students should look for groups that complement their interests. Whether it’s a local chapter of a national organization or a student-run club on campus, professional organizations can be a great source of scholarship dollars.

Not only can they help pay for college, they’re also an important place to start networking as students begin their careers.

• Announcements. Scholarship sponsors don’t try to hide their money. They often go directly to schools to get the word out. Students should be on the lookout for flyers on bulletin boards, stories in newsletters or on Web sites, and announcements before class.
• Talk to counselors and advisors. Sirmons found out about her scholarship directly from her high school guidance counselor. Academic advisors often encourage qualified students to apply for awards they might not have considered pursuing. By keeping the lines of communication open, students can be sure they find out about opportunities.

For more information on scholarships, visit www.FastWeb.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content