Paralegal Career Training

According to the National Association for Law Placement, only 65.4 percent of current law school grads are working in a job that requires passing the bar exam, and 12 percent are unemployed. "What is going on in the market is absolutely catastrophic," said Craig Boise, dean of Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. "It is not short-term. It has been precipitated by what is going on in the economy, which is a long-term dislocation caused by the way legal services are being delivered.”

It is often said that when one door closes, another opens; in this case, new opportunities for the positions of paralegal and legal assistant are now more abundant in the changing legal field. The role of the paralegal now includes significant responsibilities including research and direct client contact. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts an 18% increase in the profession’s workforce, which means 50,000 jobs added between now and 2020. If you are interested in paralegal career training through online education, give me a call at 1-800-307-1006, extension 4746.

Information in this post came from an article on AllVoices.

Something I have noticed throughout my career is that in many organizations there is a disconnect between doing a job well and being prepared to succeed. This disconnect leads to frustration as employees, on every level including management, fail to meet the expectations passed down through the chain of command. 

Having worked in the education industry for many years, I have been exposed to others' frustrations many times. A lot of the professionals who experienced frustration in the workplace did so because they failed to make the connection between their job and their ability to do that job. I am not talking about the simple day-to-day tasks but more so about the ability to take an assignment and turn it into a game changing success story. 

The College Network partners with major universities that are recognized for having some of the best college programs to offer busy adults with a variety of professional certificate programs in areas such as; Project Management, Lean Six Sigma, Paralegal, Human Resources, Leadership, and Food Service Management that can all be completed 100% online. 

Most of the people we work with realize they have the ability to get the job done but fail to reach beyond the norm, because they don’t focus on professional development (i.e. themselves). 

I would like to share a brief story that might help shed some light on what I am saying… In my story there are two people responsible for cutting wood (person A & person B). Over the course of a week the two wood cutters are being evaluated against each to see why there is a big discrepancy in their production. Their manager sends someone out to evaluate each wood cutter. The outcome of the evaluations is noted below:

Evaluation Person A: Person A works tirelessly throughout each day barely ever stopping to take breaks. Their hard work and dedication is the best I have seen and there is no way anyone could keep up!

Evaluation Person B: Person B was diligent and hard working but often stopped to take breaks. Person B had it down to a science but I fear their productivity will not be as good because they seemed to work a lot less.

The manager brings both of these people into the office to go over their evaluations and match them with overall productivity. As it turns out, person A was 30% less productive then person B and both the manager and person A were shocked at the results. Person A yelled out, “How could you cut more wood when you sat around taking breaks all day...” With a confused yet confident look person B replies by saying, “I wasn’t taking breaks; I was sharpening my saw!"

The moral of the story is that you can get ahead in your career and achieve amazing things but it takes more than just plain hard work. 

If you are looking to move into a new industry or move up in your current industry then you should seriously consider seeking out professional development opportunities. Being committed to developing and/or diversifying your skill set (i.e. sharpening your saw) can help you achieve personal and professional satisfaction. 

At The College Network, we specialize in helping busy adults achieve personal and professional satisfaction through education. If you’re looking for Paralegal training courses, a lean six sigma certification course, a PMP preparation course or other courses in project management, we can help.  

The one thing I ask from the people we work with is that no matter what you do please don’t just do nothing. While there may never be a “good time” to take on more responsibility by getting started in a program, I can assure you that there will never be a “good time” to suffer the repercussions of not developing yourself when you had the chance.

Berthyle already had a bachelor’s in psychology but found that wasn’t enough. “I initially wanted a master’s degree because of how difficult it is to find a job with just a bachelor’s degree. My dream job is to be a lawyer, but unfortunately the cost is too great,” she said. “That’s when I became very interested in a paralegal career. I’d still get to be around courtrooms and lawyers and have the opportunity to learn about law,” she said.

Berthyle realized early on that she needed to continue working while earning her certification. “I’m not 21 anymore, so I have bills, a mortgage, and a full-time job that need as much attention as school,” she said. “Online learning with made it possible for me to juggle all of these things successfully. I’m glad I didn’t have to waste any time commuting.”

As a first-time online student, Berthyle Pierre was hesitant about this particular method of learning but quickly found that she enjoyed the convenience. “I’d been out of school for a while when I decided to go back and get my paralegal certificate,” she said. “It was difficult for me to believe in online learning because of scams that I’d heard about. Luckily, I met some people who’d done it and they told me how convenient it was and urged me to try it. I might have been skeptical before, but now that I’ve experienced it, I would absolutely do it again."
 

My job at The College Network is to be your program advisor - not sell you on our program - but be the person who gives you objective advice and educates you on what our program details are and what it can help you accomplish.  Even though it is my job to help you; I genuinely want to help each and every person I speak with, that's just my nature.  But, I want to be more than an advisor, more than just help you - I want to be your champion.

When you inquired into our Purdue Lean Six Sigma Online Program, Boston University Corporate Education Center Courses for Project Management, or Boston University Paralegal Training Courses, something inside of you became curious on how to better your career and life.  Something told you that pursuing this education will provide you with self-fulfillment and an improvement in your quality of life.  You want to be a winner.  You want to win a championship.

As your advisor, I will be your champion - on one condition.  That you yourself be your own champion.  I'll be here to give you the information.  I will tell you the facts.  I will provide you with the best advice for your situation.  I will tell you straightforward that you need to make the decision you made when you inquired - go for the gold.  Win your own championship.  Put in the work.  Make the commitment.  Follow your dreams and better your education and career.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.  Everyone wins when you make the commitment (in time, effort, and finances) to enhance your life through education.  Overcome your obstacles to become a winner, become a champion.  I'll do my part, now do yours.

This venture is an investment in yourself - is this an investment you can afford not to make?  Are you ready to become a champion?

If you have any questions about The College Network Certificate Programs please contact me at 317-569-4734 or kburton@collegenetwork.com.
 

During my days of classroom instruction, I taught courses on a variety of topics that ranged from technical communication to 3D modeling and animation. One of my favorite courses was Advanced Interactive Media. I liked teaching this course because the students who enrolled were far enough along in their program that they were able to effectively use the information presented in the prerequisite courses to design and develop meaningful and useful products. Most of them could effectively utilize the information they had learned.

There were always at least a handful of students who had been able to complete the lower-level courses successfully but were not able to build on what they had learned in each of their courses so that they could develop meaningful interactions. This was frustrating for both them and me because as the instructor I needed to be able to operate on certain assumptions.

Instructor’s Assumptions

• You are in this class because you successfully completed the prerequisites.

• If you took the time and effort to complete the prerequisites, you understand the basic connection between the information presented in the prerequisite courses and this course.

• You are taking this series of courses so that you can build a career using the skills learned in these courses.

What I found after teaching the course once or twice was that not all students were able to make the necessary connections between what they had learned in previous courses and what they were required to do in this more advanced course. Not only were they not engaging in basic reflection as it pertained to the material and skills they were supposed to be learning in their courses, some were quite confused about the fact that I wasn’t going to RE-teach them how to develop instructional graphics, design an interface, or effectively use a cuing mechanism. Rather, it was my duty in the advanced course to provide them the opportunity to utilize what they had learned previously to new situations that were complex and lifelike.

I soon got to the point that before delving into the material for the course I would do a mini-lecture on how they should approach the semester if they wanted to be successful in building a knowledge base and skill set that would serve them well professionally. Here is the essence of the lecture: students who begin each course in their program as if they are starting at ground zero are missing a valuable opportunity to make meaningful connections that will serve as the foundation to their knowledge base.

This is true based on the fact that courses included in a program or curriculum which leads to the development of a specific skill-set or professional title are not meant to stand alone but rather to build upon one another. The information is related in some meaningful way. AND, it's true whether you're in Paralegal Training Courses, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course, or pursuing your MS in Nursing Management.  

Thinking about what you're learning as it relates to what you learned previously, is a very important part of the learning process. Especially when engaged in self-directed or self-paced learning.

In my next post, I will share a method for ensuring that your course-specific or even your professional knowledge base is developed in a manner that will serve you well for years to come.
 

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Due to popular request from a few of my colleagues, I'd like to give some insight into a day in the life of a house program advisor at The College Network.  The story you are about to read is true.  Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

8:45 AM - Arrived at work, checked my messages and the only one I had was a blank message.  A great start to the day.

9:00 AM - Finalized enrollment for Rebecca from Bridgeport, CT.  Rebecca is excited about starting the Boston University Paralegal Certificate.  She is looking to improve her stock and move up within her law office where she works.

10:00 AM - Engaged in a click-to-chat session with Guy.  Guy has been a project manager in the Computer Information Systems field for 5 years and is looking to get PMP Certified.

10:15 AM - Susan emailed and said she needed to delay starting the Certificate of Project Management through Boston University Corporate Education Center because of unexpected expenses.  This happens a lot, mainly because there is not a perfect time to start - you have to make time to pursue your goals, and that includes budgeting the payments to start.  I know Susan will do the program, but its disheartening to see someone have to delay something they are passionate about doing.

11:00 AM - Juliet from Mobile, AL called in to discuss the Project Management Program.  Juliet has been doing projects for 7 years at her current job, and needs educational credentials and a PMP Certification to be considered for a raise and/or a promotion.  She is really excited about learning more and getting started.

11:45 AM - Called Roger from Bluffington, SC and he hung up on me. Surprisingly, this is not uncommon. People request information, but then get scared of making a commitment to their education.

12:15 PM - Ernie inquired about getting the PMP Certification to improve his resume.  Ernie said he sees a PMP as a requirement in most of the jobs for which he is applying.

12:30 PM - John from California called in to see about how Courses in Project Management could help him with his current job in property management.  John wants the letters PMP behind his name along with his other credentials.

2:00 PM - Staff meeting where we discussed how to improve the lives of others in what we do as program advisors.  The title advisor is very appropriate in our line of work, because we are not salespeople; our mindset and focus for each person that inquires into any of our programs is to give them the information they need to make the best decision for themselves.  We help people like you realize your dreams and improve your lives on a daily basis; so when we do our job correctly it is rewarding for you and it is rewarding for us.

3:00 PM - $5 foot long from Subway.  Yum.

3:45 PM - Marla from Cheyenne, WY emailed asking if she could finance the Paralegal Training Courses for longer than 18 months.  Unfortunately, that is the longest term we offer, and if she wants lower payments she should try and take advantage of a low interest credit card and pay for the program in full.  I wish there was something I could do for Marla, but I do not want her to bite off more than she can chew just to enroll in the program.

4:00 PM - Dexter called in from College Park , MD wanting to enroll in the Purdue Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Course because, as an engineer, he needs this knowledge and credential moving forward in his career.  Dexter is a very smart and energetic guy who is excited about enrolling into the program.

4:30 PM - Henry from Santa Barbara, CA sent in his enrollment for the Purdue Advanced Lean Principles & Tools course.  Henry is a returning customer who already completed the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Course.  He originally enrolled just for the Green Belt, but enjoyed it and learned so much he now wants to complete the program and achieve his Black Belt.  I'm sure I'll talk to Henry when he is finished with this course.

5:00 PM - I had to inform Bud that he did not have the right experience to enroll in the full project management program.  Even though he wanted to do the full program, I did not feel comfortable setting him up to fail when he did not have any experience in handling projects.  In his case I would rather give him the first course to see if this is something that he really will benefit from and be able to use.  His success in that course is a good indicator to see if he can handle the rest.

5:45 PM - Talked to Yuri from Bellevue, WA and confirmed he received the enrollment forms for the Purdue Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course he is looking to start in September.  Yuri wants to spend time with his children this summer and wants to make sure his seat is reserved for the September start date since the Purdue program fills quickly.

6:00 PM - Another day complete helping people further their education!

Hopefully this gives you a little better idea of what we do here at The College Network.  If you have any questions on any of our programs please call me, Kevin Burton, at 317-569-4734.  Thanks!