If you’re like most people, choosing a college major can be extremely difficult. You want to find the right balance between something you like to do and something that can provide a solid financial future. Few people will ever welcome the onset of the workweek, but that doesn’t mean any job should be a nightmare. Likewise, jobs from “easy” majors rarely pay very much and often require another four years of college before they become marginally profitable in regard o the time spent on them.

One thing that can help prospective students is to examine the career possibilities of any choices that interest them. Most college majors can lead to a variety of careers. Even something as broad as “business management” can lead to untold and wildly divergent career paths. It’s important to get an idea of what you’ll likely be doing if you choose a particular major, the atmosphere and environment you could b working in and the benefits and detriments of the jobs you’ll be eligible for upon graduation.

Another smart thing to do is to look at the long term job growth rates for the industry your major is associated with. This isn’t possible for all majors, but applicable to most. The reason for doing this is to avoid the tendency to chase popular short term job market trends. Thos who do so often find that things have changed for the worse once they graduate, and that their chosen field is fully saturated with others who made the same decision because of a temporarily favorable market.

At the end of the day, it’s a choice between money, time and doing what you love. IF you’re one of the few lucky people who manages to find a major that makes you eligible for a high paying job you’ll enjoy, more power to you. If, like many of us, you are choosing job satisfaction at the expense of salary or salary at the expense of job satisfaction, keep this in mind. In almost any field, there are ways to make more money. Are you more likely to do that in a field you love or in a field you loathe?

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Accounting and finance schools are in the business of preparing leaders in financial accounting, from office administrators to professors at business colleges. Those with advanced skills in finance and accounting will have exceptional employment opportunities with major businesses, government agencies, schools, banks, tax services, and more. You can learn to be an accountant in two to four years from some of the best schools for accounting and finance.

When we think of accountants, we might think of those who simply audit financial accounts for various businesses, but there is a bit more to it than that. Those with even a few months of training in accounting and finance will have expertise that encompass much more than financial bookkeeping. Accounting and finance schools will impart in-depth education in finance and accounting that can include such skills as financial management, planning and executing financial ventures, analyzing investment schemes, understanding accounting technology, developing financial initiatives, and other important skills.

Some of the classes you can anticipate from a typical accounting and finance course would include preparing balance sheets, statements, journals, and ledgers; computation, classification, and verification of financial accounts; and accounting technology and software. Accounting and finance schools may also include instruction on banking, inventory management, cash flow and debt, business and personal tax preparation, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable; and much, much more.

The level of accounting and finance training that you should strive for depends on the position you will seek upon graduation. There are several levels of college degrees in finance and accounting, as well as certificates and diplomas. You can gain an entry-level education in accounting and finance with a certificate or diploma, but advanced positions will require at least an Associate of Science degree (AS). Naturally, employment and salary improvements will move up incrementally with associate and bachelor degrees in accounting and finance.

If you plan to go into teaching, or if you would like to become an expert in one specific area of business administration (such as e-commerce, education, estate planning, personal finance, insurance, investments, employee benefits, or income tax, for instance), you should seek a graduate degree from a good business school. Advanced degrees in accounting and finance would be the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA). However, if you just want to brush up on your finance and accounting skills, you will be pleased to know that many vocational accounting and finance schools are willing to provide professional certificate studies in accounting and finance.

So, if you think you would enjoy keeping track of other people's money and working in high finance, a course in finance and accounting might be just right for you. The best part is you can anticipate lifelong employment and an excellent salary range. Ready to start now? Find Accounting and Finance Schools on our website and submit a request for more information today.

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Kalman Chany, author of Paying for College Without Going Broke (Princeton Review), shares his pointers for getting more aid.

1. Assume you're eligible. Don't rule yourself out because of income or academics,

2. Don't wait to be accepted to a college to apply for aid, Coffers may be empty by spring.

3. Get application forms soon. You should file as soon after January 1 as possible.

4. Figure out your expected family contribution. Worksheets on Web sites and in guidebooks can help you estimate how much colleges will expect you to pay. Your aid will be based on this figure.

5. Do your income tax forms early. Try to get your family to complete income tax forms early so you can submit accurate financial information to aid processors.

With college funding at its highest level over, now is the time to get your share.

This year, the good news for college-bound students is that the amount of financial aid available (including tax relief) is at a record high of more than $80 billion. Both the federal government and the states have significantly increased their funding. Because of such aid, the College Board reports that more than half of the nation's students at four-year institutions are paying less than $4,000 a year.

One of the biggest mistakes students and their families make, however, is assuming that they will not qualify for a piece of the financial aid pie. The fact is, the road to college is lined with a diverse range of financial aid programs, and some are available regardless of family income and need (such as the unsubsidized Stafford Loan). In the past, financial aid generally was reserved for the neediest students. But the system has been changing. As colleges compete for top academic achievers, more federal, state, and institutional aid is going to middle- and upper middle-class students with academic talent. Even students with family incomes greater than $200,000 are receiving assistance. Also, many scholarships are awarded strictly for talent--high grades or athletic ability, for example. So there are dollars out there that are available to everyone.

The key is to apply for all you may qualify for--and that means getting organized, exploring all resources, and knowing how the system works. This comprehensive guide to funding and saving is designed to help you with that task. It is an introduction to federal programs, state aid, private resources, college funds, loans, work-study, and scholarships. Plus, you'll learn ways to reduce costs once you're on campus. The more you know about the process, the easier your trip to college will be.

When Sallie Mae recently conducted one of the largest-ever studies on Latinos and financial aid, they found that one of the biggest obstacles these students had regarding college was getting financial aid and solid financial aid information. To help these students and their families get past this roadblock, Sallie Mae introduced a "financial aid bus" that is spreading free information on the aid process and college funding sources to Latino communities across the U.S.