Basic Writing Skills
April Adams
University of Louisville

Basic Writing Skills
Many adult learners have become accustomed to their everyday tasks in lives that when they think of returning to school or even exploring new opportunities, it becomes very overwhelming and some may not know where to begin. In this paper, I will outline three professional organizations related to the BSOLL program that has assisted many people in finding less traditional ways to work towards and obtain their degrees, three dependable job search sites and what critical thinking means and its impact on situations in life.
Professional Organizations
American Council on Education There is a host of professional organizations that are available to assist one with success in obtaining credit for on the job learning and work experience and even assist with finding employment that matches skills. The American Council on Education, or ACE, provides links to several useful areas such as ACE CREDIT, which assists adult learners in ways of obtaining credit for course work taken outside the traditional college classroom (2013, http://acenet.edu ). It also provides assistance, using a guidebook, for military soldiers to help them find ways to receive credit for the military services they have provided and trainings they have accomplished in the military.
Occupational Informational Network The Occupational Informational Network, or O*Net Online, is one of the most widely used occupational information resources, and it uses applications that provide access to a central database in order for an individual to find and explore different occupational opportunities that match their skills (2013, http://onetonline.org). This website costs absolutely nothing for the public to use. Through the Ability Profiler, an individual can identify their strengths and tailor those to occupations that may fit them, as well as, identify any weaknesses that they feel they need to improve or need training (2013). This organization assists individuals in searching for competencies that match their job description or work specialization, as well as, helps them to request credit for their on the job learning by listing credit hour recommendations based on education or duties required for the job. This is done by the way of job zones.
Council for Adult Learning an Experiential Learning The Council for Adult Learning and Experiential Learning, CAEL, works with individuals to find ways to earn their degree faster by “finding practical ways to link people’s education to their jobs or future careers” (2013, http://cael.org). They do this by finding ways for individuals to earn credit for prior learning in the workplace and skills they have used in the work place. The staff offers advice to the students in an effort to outline their goals and what specific career path they want to follow and find ways to attain them throughout their schooling.
These three sites, among many others, can be very instrumental to the adult learner who is looking to change their career, improve their current career or just looking for job opportunities in their current position.
Job Search Sites
Monster
Monster (http://monster.com) is one of the job search sites that I most frequently visit to research possible opportunities. When searching, it yielded 35 job opportunities in my area of expertise, which is an EMR System Analyst/Trainer and Technical Support Specialist. I looked at six of them and was qualified for all of them. This site is one of the better sites for job searches because it provides the job seeker examples of different professional resumes, as well as, ideas on how to compile a successful resume.
Indeed
Indeed (http://indeed.com) yielded 53 job opportunities of which the 5 that I looked at, I met their qualifications. One of the jobs on this site, I have recently interviewed for the position. Some of the qualifications listed were healthcare experience, which I