SearchForClasses.com 'Opens its Doors' to Prospective Students; Offers Working Adults a One-Stop Resource for Evaluating Education and Career Options

SearchForClasses.com 'Opens its Doors' to Prospective Students; Offers Working Adults a One-Stop Resource for Evaluating Education and Career Options

New Site Fulfills Unmet Market Need by Providing Value-Add Content and Expert Guidance to Help Users More Easily Make Informed Choices

SAUSALITO, Calif., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- SearchForClasses.com, a Web- based resource portal for working adults seeking to understand and make choices about their education and career options, today officially "opened its doors" to prospective students. The new online service features information on more than 100 accredited colleges and universities (including both online and campus schools) across the United States and is the only resource of its kind to offer unique features, including original content, a career assessment test, information on financial aid, discussion boards, and live assistance from expert Career Coaches -- all aimed at helping working adults make the right decisions about advancing their careers.

A Fast-Growing Market

Working adults are increasingly filling the ranks of higher education, both through courses taken at traditional campus schools as well as via distance learning. There are more than 800 career colleges across the United States today and that number continues to climb. U.S. Department of Education data reveals that 40 percent of college students are now 25 or older. Additionally, students age 35 and older have risen from 823,000 in 1970 to approximately 2.9 million in 2001, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By 2010, there will be about 6.5 million students over the age of 25 attending college. And already approximately one-third of adults in the U.S. participate in some formal learning.

SearchForClasses.com fulfills an unmet market need by helping working adults make sense of the vast array of choices facing them as they evaluate their career and education options. Unlike traditional online learning directories, SearchForClasses.com is geared towards working adults -- consumers who have been out of school for a number of years and are interested in continuing their education, but who are unsure of their options and how to make the best decisions. SearchForClasses saves working adults time by providing them with a one-stop resource that they can access with just one click.

"Most working adults simply have no real idea of where to turn as they begin evaluating their learning options," said Paul Epstein, CEO of SearchForClasses.com. "For instance, a Google search on the term 'online learning' produces more than 31 million results -- an overwhelming number, to say the least. SearchForClasses is tailored to the working adult and helps them determine what they want from a learning program, which are the best options for them and how to go about making those choices. Our original content also addresses issues specific to working adults, such as overcoming the fear of returning to school. We understand that furthering one's education is a big decision -- SearchForClasses.com's goal is to take much of the uncertainty out of that process and help consumers more easily make intelligent choices."

Value-Add Services and Information to Ensure Intelligent Choices

The SearchForClasses.com site provides users with a number of unique features, including:

* The ability to search for schools by state, type of degree program and
program areas;
* A "Career Tools" section full of valuable information about top careers,
salary expectations, career testing, "Future Focus" predictions about
careers and outcomes and College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
information;
* As a result of SearchForClasses.com's partnership with ACT.org, users
can take advantage of DISCOVER, ACT's comprehensive career planning
program. With DISCOVER, users get free access to tests and guidance to
specific schools that meet their profile;
* Guidance features, including the ability to "Ask the Career Coach." The
Career Coach acts as a counselor to guide site visitors to the programs
best suited to their interests and skills;
* A "Live Help" area that enables working adults to interact live with
qualified Career Coaches on a 24/7 basis; and
* Other features, including information on financial aid, a moderated
discussion board, book reviews, a salary calculator, and tips on
personal and professional development.



SearchForClasses.com's site content is updated and enhanced on a weekly basis to ensure users have access to the freshest, most relevant and most compelling content on the Web.

SearchForClasses.com plans to continue enhancing its site in 2005 with additional value-add features to meet the changing needs of its users. Details on new features will be announced as they become available.

About SearchForClasses.com

SearchForClasses.com is a Web-based education resource portal that enables working adults who are dissatisfied with the traditional, time-intensive methods of searching for course offerings to quickly and easily evaluate their career and educational options from one comprehensive resource. Unlike online directory services that add little value-add or guidance through the search and selection process, SearchForClasses.com goes significantly beyond to provide working adults with a wealth of data, original content and expert counsel to ensure they can quickly and easily make informed choices about their career and educational opportunities. SearchForClasses.com is a subsidiary of High Voltage Interactive (http://www.highvoltageinteractive.com/), an online marketing solutions company with deep roots in the higher education market. For more information on SearchForClasses.com, visit http://www.searchforclasses.com/ or call 415-339- 8800.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kathy Wilson Kim Miller
Tier One Partners Tier One Partners
781-862-9937 617-610-0583
kwilson@tieronepr.comkmiller@tieronepr.com


Source: SearchForClasses.com

CONTACT: Kathy Wilson, +1-781-862-9937, kwilson@tieronepr.com, or Kim
Miller, +1-617-610-0583, kmiller@tieronepr.com, both of Tier One Partners

Web site: http://www.searchforclasses.com/


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