Back just fifty years ago, you could walk in to almost any trade, work as an apprentice for a given time and then take over a full time position in your desired role. If you wanted to be a mechanic, you watched and learned from the owner of the mechanics shop where you were working. Companies large and small were loyal to their workers and working your way up in a company was done by spending time with and building relationships with those higher up on the corporate chain. There were far fewer trades that required extra schooling to be promoted or even hired. You started young in your trade and enjoyed a lifelong career at that company with retirement benefits and all.

Nowadays, turnover is quick and options are few. Finding a job is difficult even for those with highly marketable degrees. It is virtually impossible to walk in to a business, present your desire to be a mechanic and actually get a job. You are required to go to a tech school, community college or university in order to obtain even entry-level jobs in mechanics or other trades. A college teaching degree requires hours of expensive course work and practical work for little pay. Things are different now. That is why we need more options for the youth of today. Their futures are looking bleak and the simple fact is, no one has time or money to spend all their time in a classroom. Student loans are becoming too high and students are now required to work long hours as well as study.

Fortunately there are newer options for those who are looking to further their education and make a way for themselves in this modern, go-getter day and age. Since the economy and jobs have changed, the way education operates has also changed. Getting a degree online has become a household phrase. Whether you are thinking of getting a community college degree online or you’re considering doing a distance education MBA course, online study is the way to go. It prevents you from over stressing yourself with long hours at work and at your university or college. It give you time with your family and at your job while leaving you a perfect amount of time to study for your course work. It’s no wonder online education is becoming a new way of life for everyone from the fresh out of high school to the mature executives.

            Out of the millions of people who obtain a post secondary education and receive a bachelor’s degree in one discipline or another, only a fraction of those go on to graduate studies to receive a Masters or Doctorate degree in any given subject. However, of those who do decide to pursue further education beyond a bachelor’s degree, the most common studies undertaken are for a Masters in either the arts or in a science, along with a great many people pursing Masters degrees in financial and business related fields. However, there are also graduate programs for those who are more socially rather than economically motivated, such as a Masters degree social work (MSW) or a Masters Degree Teaching (M.Ed).  These degree holders will typically take positions involving more responsibility, and a higher salary than those who only hold a bachelor’s degree in their respective discipline.

            A Masters teaching degree is something that would be pursued by somebody looking to work at a higher post within an educational institution. For instance, although in most places you can become a teacher with just a bachelor’s degree, in many States in order to become a principle or a vice-principle, or to hold many other administrative posts within a school system you would need to earn a Masters degree teaching before you would be considered for the position.

            Similarly, a Masters Degree social work oriented would allow a person to become more active in their chosen field. Typically, (although there are exceptions) a masters program in social work will be divided into either a clinical or community focus. Clinical is for those who are aiming to work in a hands on setting with patients, and community for those who look to use their educations to become political advocates, community organizing, and policy making and analysis.

            A Masters Degree Social Work holder or a Masters Degree teacher are both likely to pursue these higher degrees because they have an interest in becoming more active in their communities and playing a larger role in society. Social workers play an important part in helping the underprivileged, ensuring that various factions of society are treated fairly, and in patient care, whereas educators and educational administrators work hard to ensure that the educational system is doing its best to adequately prepare the youth for their future’s, and to ensure that they are given a fair chance to make the best future possible for themselves.

            Some people also pursue these types of degrees as a means of a stepping stone onto doctoral studies. Both a Masters degree social work and a Masters degree teaching can provide the basis for Phd studies after they have been completed.

It’s really amazing that you can get the exact value listening to an audio book while doing your normal chores as you would reading it.

Some experts have even said that we can absorb information better when we are actually not paying full attention to them.

But what when was the time that this audio book craze began? In other words, what is the past of audio books?

From all indications, audio books look like a very recent invention, right?

WRONG!

It is very easy to make the assumption that audio books are a recent invention because of the mention of CDs, downloadable digital formats, MP3s, PDAs and other technological jargons each time audio books are discussed. But audio books started way before now.

In order for us to know just how long audio books have existed, we first need to know what audio books actually are.

Forget any other jargon you may have seen, audio books are just books that are in audio format, to be listened to instead of read.

Even so, recorded versions of books have existed for a very long time, far before now. To be completely specific, you could say that they have been around since for the last 50 years.

It could even be much longer, if you take into account the Library of Congress recordings especially made for the American Foundation for the Blind and distributed free throughout the U.S.

Although Robin Whitten (Editor and Founder of the only magazine which is only available to the audio book industry) said – Audiofile–http://www.AudioFileMagazine.com, Caedmon (now a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers) can be credited for starting the recording of literature as far back as half a century ago.

Going further, he said Caedmon was just a small company way back then in New York, which started recording the audio of great authors and poets of the 1950s. Specifically, he has said that one of the earliest recordings ever made were of the greats such as Dylan Thomas, T.S. Eliot, Fitzgerald and Robert Frost.

Then they were just recorded when they were doing their own works and then made as vinyl records.

But these early recordings can arguably pass off for the first collection of audio books ever.

However, the transition of these book recordings into audiocassette tapes didn’t happen until the late 1970s up to the 1980s. From thence, it blossomed until audio books in audiocassette tapes came to be accepted by all and sundry.

For whatever reason however, the audio book phenomenon didn’t really kick off until the 1990s.

And now that we have changed from cassette tapes to compact disks even more people have an interest in audio books.

With the explosion of the world wide web and everything that comes with it, audio books have now gone from vinyl records, tapes and CDs into downloadable digital formats. These can be listened to in many different ways, on a desktop PC, laptop, MP3 player etc.

If you are still interested in “going back in time” you can get the original book recordings that started this audio book industry.

Impossible?

Not really.

Some of those early 1950s analog recordings by Caedmon which were performed by the greats of those days can be purchased today on the Internet.

For example, recently I was able to browse the Internet thoroughly and found the original recording of “The Lord of the Rings” as read by J.R.R. Tolken.

You can find that classic you have always dreamt of in audio book format if you search hard enough on the Internet.

An excellent source that I have found for audio book downloads is Spoken Network. You can find them at:

www.spokennetwork.com?cam=ama0016

In as much as the audio book phenomenon isn't too new, there are still lots of people that don't know certain things about it.

I must confess that I was also ignorant about certain aspects of audio books myself, especially download audio books!

During my early days of audio books, I had to ask certain questions and today I can hear a lot of people asking such questions.

You may also want to know the answers to the same questions that I had, when I first discovered audio books.

If yes, then below are some of these questions and their answers:

What's an audio book?As I'm sure you have already worked out yourself, and audiobook is just a book, but it is in an audio format.  Instead of receiving a physical hardcover or paperback book that you have to read, you will receive a CD, cassette or MP3 version of the book.

Can you tell me what formats I can purchase audio books in?Audio books come in many different formats, but it is immediately apparent that cassette, CD and mp3 formats can only be played on cassette players, cd players or mp3 players respectively.

What is an MP3 audio book?  MP3 is simply a compression technique that makes it possible for reduction to be made for audio books so that they contain less space (sometimes as less as 80%) compared to that on cassettes or CDs.

How can MP3 audio books be played? MP3 audio books can be played on any new version of CD players that support the MP3 technology - mostly those that can accept a 4.75 diameter disk.

PCs are another option for listening to audio books, and most operating systems will come with the right software installed.

What is an unabridged audio book?  An unabridged audio book is one that was narrated word for word. In audio books of this type, the book is read from cover to cover, nothing is left out.  It has the exact content with that of the printed book, albeit in audio format.

I have seen listings for abridged audio books, what does this mean?  An abridged audio book is one that is shortened and doesn't contain the exact word for word narration as the printed book.

What is a dramatized audio book?As the name gives it away, it means that the book has been read like a "play" in a dramatic way with a full cast and music.

Are there any stores online where audio books can be purchased? There are lots and lots of audio book stores on the Internet, I have recommended a couple below. Some of them are SpokenNetwork.com, Amazon.com, BarnesAndNobles.com,
and Talking-Book-Store.com, to mention a few.

Now, I hear you asking, where exactly can I purchase the audiobook that I need on the Internet? Major audio book stores will definitely hold a copy of all the top selling audiobooks, along with many many more.

A great source I have found for audio book downloads is Spoken Network. You can find them at:

www.spokennetwork.com?cam=ama0010