Want to wow potential employers? Career experts say having a college degree could help you stand out. But how can a degree impress potential employers?

"First, a degree lets an employer know you know how to learn," says Susan Wise Miller, a Los Angeles-based career counselor and owner of California Career Services. "You take classes, you write papers, and you demonstrate that you can take feedback from someone about what you've learned."

But beyond that, earning a degree could wow employers if a student has made an effort to tailor his or her studies to potential career paths. In fact, Miller says the degree serves as something of a highlighter to show an employer why a degree holder is a good fit for the job.

"Education is the short-term goal on the way to the long-range goal of a career," Miller says. "It's helpful during college that the coursework relates to the job you are going after. You want to have some real focus. It helps if you have a sense of direction."

To give you a better idea of how earning a degree could knock the socks off hiring managers, we've examined five degree programs and matched them with potential career paths.

Degree #1 - Business Administration and Management.

Earning a bachelor's degree in business administration and management has the potential to show you mean business when it comes to your career.

According to the College Board, an organization that promotes education and administers the SAT exam, a business administration and management degree program could "prepare students to plan, organize, direct, and control an organization's activities." Common courses might include accounting, business statistics, economics, and business ethics and law.

Wow Factor: According to Miller, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration with a particular concentration or sub-major could wow potential employers - you could gain knowledge that is more suited for a specific position.

In addition, Miller says potential job candidates must demonstrate they are well informed about the kind of problems they might have to solve in a particular industry.

"You want to match your degree with the job," according to Miller.

For example, "If you plan on applying for hotel jobs, maybe you might want to minor in hospitality," Miller says. "If you are in business (as a major) and want to work in the oil industry, take classes where you study the oil industry."

Potential Careers:

1. Human Resources Manager.
2. Financial Analyst.
3. Revenue Agent.

Degree #2 - Accounting.

Are you hoping to get the attention of employers who need people with number-crunching abilities? Consider earning a bachelor's degree in accounting and you might get the chance to win them over.

If you decide to pursue this degree, you'll likely learn how to record, evaluate, and interpret financial information for companies and individuals, says the College Board. Courses could include subjects like business law, auditing, cost accounting, and tax accounting.

Wow Factor: Accounting degree holders with technical skills could wow employers with their grasp of the latest accounting software programs, according to Miller.

"You want to take classes with common Ledger and QuickBooks programs," Miller says. "You want to demonstrate to employers you have that kind of knowledge."

Deb Chereck, the University of Oregon's career center director, adds that organizational competency - being able to deal with a wide range of information - could also impress employers.

"Business will always be based on the bottom line," says Chereck. "There is always going to be a need for someone who can double-check information. It's a very good choice if this is something you happen to be interested in."

Potential Careers:

1. Accountant.
2. Auditor.
3. Tax Examiner or Collector.

Degree #3 - Communications.

Hoping to impress employers with your professional communication skills? Consider earning a bachelor's degree in communications.

According to the College Board, you could learn about the wide-ranging field of communications from television to the Internet to other forms of mass media. Courses could cover topics such as persuasion, writing, rhetorical criticism, and research methods.

Wow Factor: Miller says communications majors in the age of the Internet could wow employers by being well-versed on how to get the word out with today's use of technology.

And she adds that a communications degree can also help impress employers looking for candidates with strong writing skills. If you can put words together, there's a chance that hiring bosses will take notice.

"If you are interested in public relations, you want to be an expert on social media," Miller says. "You also want to know how to put a press kit or website together. Content knowledge in public relations is what employers want these days, so you want to take classes (pertaining) to the job you want to go after."

Potential Careers:

1. Reporter, Correspondent, or Broadcast News Analyst.
2. Public Relations Manager.
3. Editor.

Degree #4 - Computer Science.

Want an opportunity to grab an employer's attention with your computer know-how? Pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science could be a good choice for you.

With common courses in subjects like artificial intelligence, digital system design, and software engineering, computer science majors could "learn about computer systems and the way humans and computers interact from a scientific perspective," according to the College Board.

Wow Factor: Are you always on top of the computer industry's rapid changes in technology? According to Chereck, this is one way to impress employers if you have a bachelor's degree in computer science.

"Because technology is moving so fast, there's always a need for new technology and the next generation to be created," Chereck says.

Plus, Chereck adds that creativity and problem-solving skills are traits that computer science degree holders might want to emphasize when trying to stand out with employers.

Potential Careers:

1. Software Developer.
2. Information Security Analyst.
3. Computer and Information Systems Manager.

Degree #5 - Engineering.

Interested in a degree program that could have the wow factor for employers? A bachelor's degree in engineering might be a good option to consider.

Although the degree program depends on your specific engineering field, general engineering majors typically learn to use science and math to solve practical problems and to help create new ways to make things work, according to the College Board. Classes might include subjects such as chemistry, physics, engineering law, and scientific visualization.

Wow Factor: A bachelor's degree with a specific engineering major could give degree holders a chance to wow employers who might be looking for candidates that can focus on specific kinds of projects, according to Miller.

"If you are going into the oil business, you want to go into chemical engineering," Miller says. "Engineers are involved in creating problem solving, so you have to be able to think creatively. If you can talk to (potential employers) about the kind of projects you've worked on as a student, that could make a big difference."

Chereck says students majoring in software engineering, for example, can impress hiring bosses with an ability to figure out complex design issues.

Potential Careers:

1. Chemical Engineer (bachelor's in chemical engineering).
2. Software Engineer (bachelor's in software engineering).
3. Civil Engineer (bachelor's in civil engineering).

Taken from: education.yahoo.net (article, By Tony Moton), Yahoo (images).

We are what we eat. Ninety-five percent of lifestyle diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension, can be attributed to the food we eat. Many Malaysians are obese and overweight because they consume too much fatty, sugar-rich and oily food.

By consuming these foods regularly in large portions, we are fueling our bodies with bad and unhealthy cholesterol and toxins. There is a growing awareness of the food we eat. Many are becoming vegetarians and vegans for religious and health reason.

Vegetarian food is the healthier choice because it digests fast and is low in fat and calories, and is good for the digestive system. They want to be healthy and eat the right food that will ensure a healthy life.

Today, many are into a diet of raw vegetables and fruits. These raw foodists eat food that is primarily unheated or uncooked and, therefore, the food is rich in natural enzymes which are significant in building proteins and rebuilding the body.

These enzymes are usually killed when the food is heated or cooked. The raw food diet has become a staple of many health enthusiasts and has been accepted and adopted by many worldwide. Foods included in raw food diets are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains and legumes. By going green, Malaysians are realizing that they can stay healthy.

Malaysians are spoilt for choice with a variety of food that is available around the clock. It takes discipline and self-control to control what and how much you eat. The food you eat will determine a healthy body, mind and lifestyle. Many people in their 40s and 70s are suffering form lifestyle diseases because of unhealthy food and living a carefree life in their 20s and 30s.

Malaysia is blessed with much food because of our cultural diversity. Whatever food we eat, let us eat to live and not live to eat. Everything should be taken in moderation. It is the excessive and obsessive addiction to food that causes lifestyle diseases.

As we grow older, we have to be wary of the food we eat. It pays to be extra careful of what goes into your mouth because it may be your investment to healthy living and aging in your golden years.

Taken from: News Straits Times (article), Google (images).

When we wake up in the morning, our body would have been without food for about 10 to 12 hours. For children, it may be longer. Our body is similar to a car. It needs fuel to run. Our bodies must be fuelled several times a day so that we can function efficiently and carry out our daily tasks. In the morning, it is essential to refuel to provide the necessary nutrients and energy to get through the first part of the day.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Do not miss it. Make sure you eat nutritious food. Studies have shown that adults who skip breakfast do not perform as well on memory tests. So, if your morning is going to involve short-term memory tasks, you are better off having breakfast. People who skip breakfast tend to become overweight. So, eat well and live well.

Taken from: News Straits Times (article), Google (images).

It is there on every packet of salad: "Wash before eating". But how many of us will simply rip open the wrapping and empty the contents into a salad bowl, or tear it into a sandwich without a second thought? Doing so can yield unpleasant result, says the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the British government's advisory body.

Last year, Spanish cucumbers and German bean sprouts made headlines worldwide as being possible sources of a deadly outbreak. A variety of the bacterium E.coli that was pathogenic (capable of causing infection) had killed six people and left almost 300 very ill in Germany.

Most of us are aware of the risk of food poisoning from meat and poultry if they're not properly stored, handled or cooked, but we don't tend to think of vegetables and fruit as posing a risk to our health. FSA chief scientist Andrew Wadge says: "Recent E.coli outbreaks linked with vegetables have shown that handling fresh produce can also spread harmful bacteria".

Yet the FSA's research revealed public complacency. "Perceived risk of food poisoning from vegetables was low, whereas most people questioned were cautions when handling meat," says Wadge.

But really, how much danger can lettuce pose? And besides, doesn't a bit of dirt do us good? "Bacteria are all around us in the environment." says Bob Martin, a microbiologist and food safety expert as the FSA.

"E.coli contamination is normally associated with animal or human feces, which could be present in soil where crops are grown or in water used to irrigate them. It can also result from poor personal hygiene among agricultural workers." Listeria, an unavoidable environmental organism, lives on many plants, feeding on dead plant tissue.

Dead Plant.

"The lettuce we buy in the supermarket is a dead plant," says Christine Dodd, professor of food microbiology at the University of Nottingham. "It it contains listeria colonies, the longer you keep it, the more they'll grow, even in the fridge and irrespective of the use-by-date. So it's best to buy vegetables with the longest shelf life and not to keep them for days before eating."

The very young, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, such as people having chemotherapy, would be more likely to get an upset stomach. Today, iceberg lettuces are often grown in soil-free environments. However, this is no protection against contamination. According to Phil Wheat, chief executive of the Society for Applied Microbiology, the risk is from water used for irrigation, not soil. But he adds: "Handlers still need to practice scrupulous personal hygiene."

Thankfully, outbreaks of harmful strains of E.coli are rare, but the FSA says it's essential to thoroughly wash fruit and veg before eating them to protect against any nasties. "When buying salad vegetables, you won't be able to see bacteria, but if a lettuce contain organisms so it needs a really good wash." says Bob Martin. "Most produce in the shops is deceptive because it looks clean. But unless it's labelled 'washed and ready to eat' it must always be thoroughly washed."

The message is clear: the risks may be small, but buy the freshest produce you can and be just as careful preparing salads as when handling and cooking raw meat.

Tips to serving safe salads.

* Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling raw food, including vegetables.

* Keep raw food, including vegetables, separate from ready-to-eat food.

* Use different chopping boards, knives and utensils for ready-to-eat food and raw food, wash them thoroughly.

* To wash vegetables, immerse them in cold water.

Taken from: The Daily Mail (article), Google (images).

One too many chocolate bars can leave you in need of a trip to the dreaded dentist. But scientists have found that coconut can help fight the main bug behind tooth decay. Scientists tested coconut oil against Streptococcus mutants - a sugar-loving bacterium that clings to teeth and produces acid causing them to rot. When the oil was treated with digestive enzymes it became a powerful killer of the bug. It paves the way to toothpastes and mouthwashes containing coconut as an active ingredient.

Lead Researcher Dr Damien Brady, of the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland, said: "Dental caries is a commonly overlooked health problem affecting 60 to 90 per cent of children and the majority of adults in industrialised countries". "Incorporating enzyme-modified coconut oil into dental hygiene products would be an attractive alternative to chemical additives, particularly as it works at relatively low concentrations".

He added that his findings could prove to be important considering the problem of bugs' increasing resistance to many existing antibiotic treatments. Dr Brady's experiments were inspired by previous research showing that partially digested milk made streptococcus mutants less likely to stick to tooth enamel. "Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity.

This could have implications for how bacteria colonies the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health," he said. He now plans to check if the enzyme-treated coconut oil has any other killer qualities. Tests already suggest it combats Candida albicans, which causes thrush, the Society for General Microbiology's autumn conference heard.

Taken from: The Daily Mail (article), Google (images).

Next time you use a mobile phone, you might want to give it a wipe. Researchers have discovered there are more bacteria on the average mobile phone than you will find in a toilet. Tests showed that there was up to 10 times the amount of bugs which can cause nausea and stomach problems than were present in a lavatory. Experts said the reason is that phones are often passed between people. This spreads the germs around but they are never cleaned which means the diseases keep on building up.

Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, said during his ongoing experiments he found that bugs got onto a phone because it was so close to our hands and mouths. When somebody lets a friend or a stranger use their mobile their bacteria easily gets onto the device too. Gerba added that because mobiles are electronic some people are reticent about cleaning then.

Phones are just not part of our cleaning routine but we should think about giving them a wipe with an antibacterial substance every now and then. Previous research has found that other things which we assume are clean, are in reality rather disgusting. British scientists discovered that cash machines have similar levels of pseudomonads and bacillus which can cause sickness and diarrhoea, as they are found in public toilets. Computer keyboards are also five times dirtier than the average lavatory seat.

Researchers from Which? swabbed 33 keyboards for food poisoning bugs e.coli, coliforms, staphylococcus aureus and enterobacteria and found four of them were a potential health hazards. One was even "condemned" because it was too infectious. Remote controllers have also long been known as the grubbiest item in hotel rooms as they are never wiped down.

Taken from: The Daily Mail (article), Google (images).