So, the first step is looking at the schools you are interested in, and checking their accreditation.  There are two types of college accreditation, regional accreditation and national.  Regional accreditation is the most important, as regional accredited schools are recognized by all employers, and their credits are transferable from school to school.  So if you find that you don’t like this school as much as you thought you would, from a regional accredited school you can transfer your course credits to a new school.

Now after you have a list of schools that interest you, with regional accreditation, you can move on to the next step.  Here you want to compare all the important factors.  Cost being a major one, think about how much the schools cost, because this student debt will take you some time to pay off.  Now you want to look at student population and student teacher ratio.  Schools with fewer students are usually more desirable, as are schools with a higher number of teachers compared to students.

Also make sure to look at the school’s graduation rate and how many credits are necessary to earn either an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree.  You want a school with a higher graduation rate, and with an acceptable amount of credits required.  The more credit’s a school requires, the longer it will take you to earn them, or the more money they will cost.  So take that into account when picking an online college.

Now you should have a fine tuned idea of which schools interest you the most.  From here you should get into contact with a school representative and discuss your interest.  Contact all the schools you’re interested in, and make sure you don’t make a decision until after you’ve voiced your questions and concerns to every school individually.

The career action plan is exactly what it sounds like.  A well laid plan on how to get your career from point A to point B, and beyond.  You should have a well researched path that you intend to follow.  One that works for your skill set, and commitment.  You’ll have to take into account the workload you’re willing to accommodate, and how you intend to achieve your intended ends.

Following the typical CAP format you should start out by mapping your objectives.  Write down what you hope to achieve, from pay scale, to promotions, to education.  Figure out what you want to put in, as well as what you want to get out of your career.

From there, in the next section detail all of your previous experience, and the skill set that you’ve developed.  Whether through work history, or education, write down what has set you up for your career.

Now you calculate your weaknesses, and honesty counts here.  Nobody is going to be looking at this play besides you, so be honest. Failing to record a truthful account of your weaknesses leads to a plan that might not work for you.  So figure out your shortcomings so that you may learn to work around them.  That’s all part of your plan, and you’ll be better set by knowing where you may fall short, so that you can prevent that, or work around them.

Finally you plot out your goals.  Take the information you have already written, and maneuver how it fits into the goals you want to achieve.  In this step you can map out exactly how to go about making your goals come to fruition.  Through careful planning here, you’ll have a good idea of what you need to do, and a decent time table of when you can expect to accomplish some of those goals.

Look around you for starters.  Try to find helpful books at your local bookstore.  Even look to the colleges in the area and see if anybody teaches a course related to your field.  Anything that helps you become a better seller is a plus.  This career is dependant upon your ability, so it only makes sense that you would strive to have all the education that you can muster.

Of course a path such as college or career coaching will require an investment of money and time on your part, but having the info is much better than the alternative.  An education is never a bad thing.  The accolades might not guarantee a good job, but the knowledge will.  You’ll still have to work hard at what you do, but you’ll know where to put your efforts.  That information is invaluable.

Finally, try to find an entry level job that affords you the chance to work with a real industry professional.  Whether the job doesn’t pay well, or even just an unpaid internship, take advantage of either.  As long as there’s room for advancement, or a good training manager, either will be beneficial.  Remember, it’s okay to give a job a shot, if you aren’t offered the salary you want.  Take advantage of the quick experience, the knowledge you can gain, and the opportunity for advancement.  As long as you work hard to sell, you are guaranteed to be successful.

First off, education is your friend, so in reinvigorating any career, participating in new educational opportunities is a must.  Go back to school part time, get an associates degree in some aspect of your field, or go further, go for a masters degree.  Anything that helps you understand the field better, and that also helps you show others you’re well qualified for today’s job market.

Volunteer to help network yourself, as well as learn vital new skills.  Opportunities like internships at major companies are always available, and go a very long way in helping you get vital career skills as well as get your name out there.  The connections you make with other people while volunteering together could prove invaluable down the line.  So always look to make new social connections, and look for new opportunities to learn new skills.

Finally, make the most of a new job opportunity once you receive one.  Work hard, and show that those educational experiences paid off in full.  Show the boss that you’ve become a very important component of the team that they can’t do without.  Nothing says that like excelling at your job, and earning the recognition that you really deserve.

In case you didn’t know the term, padding your resume refers to adding accolades that aren’t true about yourself.  Whether it be false work history items, or false educational accomplishments, or even dishonest community contributions.  All are considered padding, and are wrong in the sense that you are being dishonest to companies that you are trying to attract.  Nothing really sets you on the wrong foot with a new company more than them discovering you lied in order to get the job.

Which is why if you are unhappy about how something appears on your resume, you should take advantage of explaining yourself in your cover letter.  If you don’t like a particular gap in your employment history, you have ample opportunity to put a positive spin on things through your cover letter.  The same with anything else you feel uncomfortable about, whether it be education, etc.

But mainly, padding is bad because it sets a bad precedent for your new job.  Even if you get the job, you’re not presenting yourself correctly.  That puts you and your company in an awkward position, as tasks you don’t have the skill to accomplish may be expected of you, and your new company is getting an employee that doesn’t have the skill set expected of them.  If it’s found out you lied on your resume, most places won’t hesitate to terminate you immediately, so that little bit of padding can really come back to bite you.

One sign that’s fairly easy to spot is if your company is in trouble.  Every company is in a relative amount of trouble, given the global recession that’s been battering the world for quite a while now, but if your company is in dire risk of bankruptcy, it’s a good time to think about abandoning ship.

If your company has just recently been turned over to a new CEO, or if you see new leaders at a lower level begin to be negotiated into the company, it’s a good time to think about leaving.  The problem with new faces, is that they bring in more new faces that they’ve been familiar working with in the past.  Chances are you don’t factor in to their plans, as they don’t know you, and most managers would prefer not to spend time learning how to work with new people, when they can let you go and hire a past employee at the new company.

You hit the plateau at any given company for your skill set.  If you’ve gone as high up the ladder as your education/skill set will provide for, it’s time to get looking for a new job.  Chances are, even if it’s the same level position with another corporation, you may be able to get a larger salary.  The chance to renegotiate pay with a well proven set of skills is always an opportunity you should take, and the new corporation will offer you new challenges and the ability to add a new credit to your resume.

Your boss or corporation fails to fulfill a promise that they had made to you during an interview, or early on in your hiring process.  These mean promises not put into writing as an actual contract, but something verbally promised to you.  Whether that means a certain amount of money you should be making over a set length of time, or a promotion you should receive within a set amount of time.  Whenever these promises are not met, they’re leading you on, and it’s time to find the exit as soon as possible to put your energy towards pursuing a more meaningful opportunity with a company that doesn’t lie to you.