"After playing the pundit role for a few years, I have not seen such a comprehensive catalog of 2-year programs available online or via distance learning.  The “Statewide & Regional Search Sites” page contains a treasure trove of state-specific information.  Out of 5 stars, AboutEdu may deserve 6.  It’s that good.  A fantastic, highly informative site."

Unsolicited Website Review of AboutEdu.org
(June 2009 - http://elearningpundit.com/?s=aboutedu)

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 "It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work, but it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it...So tonight I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. ..But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than just a high school diploma"   

President Barack Obama - February 24, 2009

AboutEdu is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) public organization whose mission is to inform, and educate unemployed, displaced, disabled, and other workers with job-market disadvantages on how to use online education to retrain themselves to new job opportunities. 

Key to our mission is providing  these workers with consumer guidance on how to best identify, evaluate, and choose the online educational program that is best for them, and their families.   We believe that a well-informed online educational consumer is the best defense against internet fraud, diploma mills, and other unethical industry practices.  

Why a "Non-Advertiser Supported" website? 

To better understand the mission of AboutEdu, we suggest you do a simple online search on the topic of "Online Education".  

In our daily repeated searches on the topic, we keep finding the same results:  A very long list of websites with impressive Educational sounding names that are either advertiser-supported or advertiser-created.  While there are some of these sites that provide a good service, AboutEdu has found the information provided by many of these sites to be confusing; not unbiased, and not always in the best interest of the potential online student seeking guidance. 

AboutEdu's goal is to be one of the leading web-based resources of "unbiased" consumer advice and guidance on online education.  Due to the high demand by unemployed, and displaced workers on information about short term retraining programs, our current focus has been on "accredited certificate / retooling programs" of one year, or close to a year.   While some of these certificates may articulate into associate or bachelor programs upon completion, our emphasis at this time is not on multi-year degree programs. 

If you:

• Are unemployed and looking to "retrain" to job opportunities in growth industries

• Have been displaced from an industry you have worked most of your life; had no intention of leaving, and are not sure of what to do next,

• Are "employed to survive" and meet your financial obligations, but looking for a future in industries with a brighter employment forecast, and career opportunities.

• Are having to postpone retirement, and need to get retrained to qualify for new job opportunities

• Unsure of what type of entry-level positions exist in the industries with forecasted job growth, or how you can train for them, 

• Have no time to get to a campus-based program,

•  
  = Need accredited short term retooling programs that can get you the entry level skills and credentials you need within a year , and upon completion provide you with "options" that give you credit for the work you have already completed - Allowing you to, if you choose to,  to continue for your associate or bachelors or graduate degree. 
   

• Cannot afford to pay high tuition fees, and unwilling to get yourself & your family into another mortgage - "an educational mortgage" that you will not be able to afford upon program completion.  

• Confused on which of the hundreds of websites with "educational sounding names" that fill your online searches and email inbox daily are legitimate,  

• Confused about what you should be looking for, asking for, and expecting from online certificate programs and their providers:  pre-enrollment; while enrolled, and upon completion?

Then AboutEdu is AboutYou, and about helping you, and your families to follow President's Obama challenge for each of us to participate in making the system work for each of us.