Learning through the Recession.

Innovation technique: Keep learning.

Going back to school has often been cited as a remedy to unemployment, but the April 12 issue of Parade, touts it as a way to Recession Proof Your Career. “Keep your skills current. Take classes or join trade organizations in an effort to show that your skills are up-to-date. Inquire if there is some additional training your boss would like you to take. If you don't have cash to pay for additional training, consider unpaid internships or do volunteer work for a nonprofit to gain valuable skills and potential job contacts for future employment possibilities.”

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Innovation technique: Look for ideas outside your field that can be tweaked and adapted.

Maybe you have noticed restaurants offering smaller, lower cost meals to lure back customers reluctant to spend entertainment dollars. Is that an idea that can be adapted to higher education? Turns out it is. Southern New Hampshire University is offering no-frills education at an off-campus location for $10,000 a year, $15,000 less than tuition at the main campus.

CBS News reports that “there's none of the trappings of college life that the students at the full-fare campus enjoy - a playing field, a fitness center, the dorms, or the dining hall. Here there's no ivy or quad, no football, no frats.” For the bargain fee of $35 a year, these students can use all those amenities at the main campus. So far, no one has taken them up on it. They consider those things to be distractions. When it comes to education, one size definitely does not fit all.

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