....June 18, 12:23 PM
	Back To School After Graduation? Returning to school is always an option. News of the economy prompts many to lie awake at night worrying about how secure their jobs are, or whether they’ve got enough education to keep their job in a highly competitive market. With diminished retirement funds and uncertainty about the future, people are trying to navigate through a suddenly different world. Whether you are working or looking for a job, there are steps you can take to help improve your prospects in the marketplace. Many adults are going back to school with an eye toward bolstering the chance for promotion or studying to enter a new field altogether, and many career schools across the nation report that enrollment numbers are rising as people of all ages seek to gain additional skills. Queens is home to a handful of technical colleges, including Bramson Ort in Forest Hills, Vaughn College of Aviation in East Elmhurst, Plaza Business College in Jackson Heights and the Long Island Business Institute in Flushing. At Long Island Business Institute, the school, which is housed in two buildings in Downtown Flushing, offers degrees in Accounting, Business Management, Court Reporting, Medical Billing, Office Technology with Medical Office Option and a generic Office Technology diploma. The Long Island Business Institute offers programs to students fresh out of high school, adults looking to continue their education and recent college graduates looking to expand upon their existing degrees. Given the current economy, LIBI makes sure that its students have the tools to handle the 21st Century marketplace. “All our programs consist of carefully designed curriculum that will help our graduates remain competitive in a rapidly changing, global marketplace,” said LIBI President Monica Foote. The idea of returning to school either immediately or years past graduation is taking foot nationwide. “We’re finding that our student population comes from several sources,” said Denise Choquette, president of Brown Mackie College in Tulsa. “Many families can’t make it on a single income anymore.” For these adult students, program flexibility is an important consideration. “They want to see the kids off to school in the morning, and get back home in the afternoon to meet the kids at the bus,” continues Choquette. “A flexible schedule helps.” To get more information on Long Island Business Institute, go to libi.edu or call (718) 939-5900.