9 S Akr Imh v CALCULATED DREAKTH IIHS DON'TGEtAJOBI GET ACAREER. F inding the right job depends most of all on choosing the right career. That's why Catalyst, a national research and advisory organization, has created a series of 41 career briefs and 2 career planning booklets to help you make the most of your talent and train- ing, interests and abilities. Each brief explores a different profes- sion, from restaurant management to money management, from medicine to magazines. Each looks realistically at salaries and pros- pects. And each tells you how to prepare for and pursue a future in that field. Now is the time to begin choosing and planning your career. Write today for the Catalyst Career Opportunities Series. We've got the facts for your future. For now, say many college micro- computing specialists, students use electronic services more for play than work... for the fun of "people net- works" and free software. Yet others are beginning to connect with the serious side of electronic information services. "Lots of our students and faculty work with the BITNET service [an electronic link between 400 colleges and universities], and students are get- ting used to researching papers on Dialog-but from central computer locations, not from modems in their rooms,' says Dr. Jan Biros, head of Drexel University's successful effort to put a PC on the desk of all its stu- dents. However slow the start, the Infor- mation Age is beginning to fulfill its promises to college students. Just five or 10 years ago, who'd have thought... that a student could "CLEP" out of a college course by taking an electronic seminar held halfway across the coun- try... that a Midwestern "Ag" pro- fessor could study grain problems in Israel-and "chat" daily with stu- dents back home who want to know what he's found out... that from the comfort (well, semicomfort) of a dorm room, an "on-line" student can scan the Encyclopaedia Britannica or the Reader's Guide, read up on inter- national news, buy stocks, browse through medical textbooks, or see what the Kuwait Times has to say about the price of oil. A Byte out of the Budget: Buying into Data Bases Before you subscribe to any elec- tronic information service, check into free or low-cost options that may be available on campus. Could your modem hook up to the college main- frame? Is your school a member of Educom, whose BITNET service pro- vides access to the computer facilities at many major universities-and to eminent teachers and researchers all around the country? If you decide to "log on" to a com- mercial service, be sure you know what you want it to do for you. Some services are gateways to information files, electronic mail, people net- works, news, and many other services. Others focus on a particular field or interest (law, finance, medicine). Some services will give you the citation to an obscure research paper -and others will provide a hard copy of the full text! If you want to play with the possi- bilities of electronic information, link up with one of the major on-line ser- vices (CompuServe, Dialog, The Source, Wilsonline, etc.) offering a wide variety of information. If you've already narrowed down your special interest, check into more specialized services: the GTE Minet (medical info), AgriStar Network (ag- riculture), Lexis (law), InnerLine (banking and finance), Videolog (en- gineering), Photonet (photography), Artsnet (performing arts).... and many more. Found a service that seems right for you? Some other considerations: * What are the fees (yearly subscrip- tion fee? one-time fee? user-costs per minute? surcharge for "prime-time" use? monthly minimum charge?) * Does the service offer clear, com- plete how-to manuals- or tutorials for new users? * Is customer support (human ad- vice/help) available? During what hours? Is it on-line ("type-talk" on the computer screen) or toll-free tele- phone support? * Will you get newsletters and updates keeping you abreast of new data bases, added services, etc.? * Can you get into the system with a local call? (If the nearest network computer is a long-distance call away, your costs may be prohibitive.) Because time is money on a com- puter hookup, it's vital to choose a service that will help you learn to "ac- cess" the information you need quick- ly and efficiently- one that won't leave you hanging "on-line" with your problems! Q The promotionalcampaign for the Catalyst Caree Opportunities Series was funded by McDonalds Ordering Information Prices: Creer Planning Bookletsand Individual Career Briefs (H1A-H21) ...$4.00 eac Full set of 41 briefs and 2 career planning booklets in a 3.rlng bindern(HF).................. . . . $170.0 Packing and Shipping: $1000and under. . . . add$.0 over$10.00 ...................... ...add 2S.5 Indicate quantity beside each item. lculatesubdttl($perbrief$70perset);Addpackingandshippiegcs Ordestrm individuals mstbeprpaid bycheckt mneyardec Mail orderlto Catalyst, 250 Park Avenue South, Neahhork, Nh 10003t1459. 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