1. 
   Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching computer science and human-computer interaction and design. He is best known for his popular YouTube video, The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, which led to media appearances and a New York Times bestselling book called The Last Lecture. Pausch died from complications due to pancreatic cancer in 2008.
2. 
   Toni Morrison: Toni Morrison is an American author, editor, and professor. She has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was listed as one of the 100 Greatest African Americans in 2002. She was a professor of Humanities at Princeton University for nearly 20 years, and previously taught at the State University of New York. She holds an honorary Doctor of Letters from Oxford University and received the Barnard Medal of Distinction, Barnard College’s highest honor.
3. Lawrence Lessig: Lawrence Lessig is known well as an academic and political activist, primarily concerned with copyright and related matters, although he has shifted his focus to political corruption. Lessig is a professor at Stanford Law School, formerly of University of Chicago and Harvard as well. He is the founder of Creative Commons and the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, as well as a board member of the Software Freedom Law Center and a former board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
4. John Nash: John Nash is the subject of the novel and movie A Beautiful Mind, which won four Academy Awards. He is an American mathematician and economist who works as a Senior Research Mathematician at Princeton. He shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for game theory work in 1994.
5. Paul Krugman: Paul Krugman is a professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton, as well as a centenary professor at the London School of Economics. Krugman is also a columnist for the New York Times. He recently won the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics, and is known for his work in international economics.
6. 
   Cornel West: Cornel Ronald West is famous Western philosopher, author, civil rights activist, and professor. He currently works a University Professor at Princeton, and has contributed greatly to the post-1960s civil rights movement. Cornel West has appeared and been referenced in a variety of popular culture. He has appeared in both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions as an elder of Zion, also providing philosophical commentary on all three Matrix films.
7. Stephen Hawking: Stephen Hawking is a British theoretical physicist and professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Hawking has been very successful with popular science works including the bestseller A Brief History of Time. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Science. Hawking is frequently appearing or portrayed in popular culture.
8. Steven Pinker: Steven Pinker was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2004, has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist twice, and has received honorary doctorates from the universities of Newcastle, Surrey, Tel Aviv, McGill, and Tromso. He is currently the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard, although he has also taught at Stanford, University of California, and MIT. He has visited The Colbert Report twice.
9. Milton Friedman: Milton Friedman was an American economist, known well for research in consumption analysis, stabilization policy, and monetary history and theory. He was a leader of the Chicago School of Economics at the University of Chicago. He won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics Sciences in 1976. He also served on the President’s Economic Policy Advisory Board for the Reagan Administration, and received the National Medal of Science as well as the Presidential Medal of freedom. Friedman’s name is used by the Cato Institute for the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty.
10. Noam Chomsky: Noam Chomsky is well known as a Western philosopher and one of the fathers of modern linguistics. He is also known as an anarchist, political dissident, and libertarian socialist. He is currently a professor emeritus of linguistics at MIT and an Institute Professor. He has received numerous honorary degrees from universities throughout the world, and has delivered remarkable lectures at a variety of universities as well.

Going back to school requires a lot of time, energy, money and dedication. Before you start applying, you’ll need to make absolutely sure that your graduate degree is in the right field. One of the best ways to do that is to experiment with the best online courses and other university resources that are all free and available to the public.

1. MIT Open Courseware: One of the most popular and most extensive open courseware collections online, MIT offers 1900 courses in nearly every subject.
2. University of Utah: Also known as U Moodle, the University of Utah has courses in art, English, economics, education, history and the sciences.
3. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health: Learn more about epidemics, refugee health, aging, the environment and more from the JHSPH open courseware site.
4. Kaplan University: Take classes in criminal justice, health sciences, IT, legal studies and more from educational pioneer Kaplan.
5. Michigan State University: Michigan State’s open courseware project offers course in international business, horse management, and planning and zoning.
6. Utah State: Take entry-level classes in the humanities, computer science, science and the arts.
7. Tufts Open Courseware: Tufts University allows the public to browse classes and lectures from their Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Arts and Sciences, and more.
8. UC Berkeley: The webcast courses and events from UC Berkeley are offered in a range of subjects.
9. UMass Boston: The University of Massachusetts – Boston offers free, not-for-credit classes in everything from creative thinking to math to the performing arts to counseling and school psychology.
10. UC Irvine: Find classes primarily in math and computer science from UC Irvine’s open collection.
11. Notre Dame: Notre Dame’s classes in African American culture, English Latino Studies, Asian Studies, anthropology and Arabic and Middle East Studies make for a unique online collection.
12. Rice University: Connexions is Rice University’s extensive collection of searchable online education resources.
13. Utah Valley University: Public guests can create a free account to access courses in tax return preparation, driver education, biology, computer applications, and more.
14. Weber State University: The eduCommons site at Weber State provides education resources in the following subjects: automotive technology, criminal justice, English, health promotion, and IT.
15. Western Governors University: Find mainly entry level courses in geography, economics, history, language and communication, and the sciences.
16. Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative has courses, learning materials and activities in physics, logic and proofs, French, statistical reasoning, and other fields.
17. Columbia University: Columbia’s free seminar directory covers global affairs, education, business and economics, arts and humanities, science and nature, and more.
18. Harvard@Home: Watch webcasts of presentations, lectures and more.
19. University of Oxford: The Oxford Internet Institute holds webcasts of lectures at Oxford.
20. Princeton University: Find event streaming lectures, podcasts and more.
21. Yale University: YaleGlobal Online has a database of video clips on the economy, environment, society, trade, politics, and beyond.
22. Stanford: Access Stanford’s Humanities Center archive by playing videos, downloading podcasts, and listening to them on iTunes.
23. Georgetown Law: Georgetown’s Supreme Court Institute has opened up articles, reports and presentations for public access here.
24. University of Texas: UT’s World Lecture Hall lets the public browse free online course materials from all over the world.

Museums

Check out these museum websites to study American history, science and more.

25. National Science Foundation: Find multimedia resources, speeches and lectures dealing with science, nature and technology.
26. Latino Virtual Museum: This Smithsonian web 3.0 project involves a 3D avatar-based learning environment for exploring Latino exhibitions.
27. Online Photography Exhibitions: View Smithsonian Museum photos from the Folklife Festival, National Air and Space Museum, and more.

Lectures

Learn more about a particular field by listening to or watching lectures from special university events, class presentations, and more.

28. TED: Find inspiring, innovative talks from the world’s movers and shakers in technology, business and government.
29. Lecture Fox: Lecture Fox organizes free university lectures in literature, technology, science and more.
30. Free Science and Video Lectures Online: This blog links to free lectures in physics, computer science, electrical engineering and beyond.
31. Free Video Lectures: Pick a subject category and find links to university lectures.
32. VideoLectures.net: Categories on this lecture site include architecture, biology, chemistry, business, art and more.
33. Varsity Notes: Varsity Notes claims to hold "the world’s largest directory of free lecture notes" in categories like environmental studies, communications, astronomy, journalism, history, geology, business administration, and a lot more.

Podcasts and Videos

This collection of podcasts and videos comes from universities, museums and other important organizations.

34. Open Culture: This website provides videos, podcasts and other open education videos in literature, finance and beyond.
35. Nobel Prize Media Player: Watch documentaries, interviews, lectures and speeches from Nobel Prize winners and more.
36. Harvard Video Archive: Harvard’s collection of videos and other learning media cover all fields and industries.
37. UChannel: Princeton has archived its video public affairs lectures here.
38. NASA Multimedia: Check out NASA TV, plus image galleries, podcasts, 3D resources and more materials to learn about space exploration.
39. Global Voices: Watch videos and listen to podcasts about global events and news.
40. Open Source with Christopher Lydon: The Watson Institute and Brown University hosts this open source radio show that covers political elections, the military, global warming, and more.
41. Public Radio International: On PRI’s site, you can stream shows, listen podcasts, watch videos, discuss news stories and learn about the people and issues changing the world.
42. "Shakespeare" by Another Name: Mark Anderson’s Shakespeare site broadcasts mp3 files.

Media

If a certain TV show, magazine article or book intrigued you, head online to these sites to learn more about the people, events, cultures, and laws that rule our world.

43. National Geographic: National Geographic’s website supports learning materials for the environment, animals, world cultures, music, space, and a lot more.
44. Discovery Channel: Get free learning sources about health, space, the military, the ocean and more.
45. Nature: This science journal has lots of free web resources, too.
46. BBC Training and Development: This BBC site features open courses for learning about broadcasting, health and safety, new media and journalism.
47. Book TV: On the Book TV website, you can watch videos of author lectures and interviews.
48. Biography: Find videos, photo galleries and biographies about historical figures and pop culture icons.
49. New York Times: The article archive on the New York Times site has PDFs and links to over 13 million articles, spanning 150+ years.
50. PBS: Kids and adults will find lots of helpful videos and learning resources on PBS.com.
51. The History Channel: Check out the online magazine, watch videos, and research categories like the military, science and technology, U.S. presidents, and more.
52. NPR: NPR’s website is a great resource for studying books, culture, current events, world history, and more.
53. BBC Languages: BBC’s collection of video language courses includes tutelage in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Chinese and more.

Online Networks and Institutes

These online networks and open education groups have made it easier for you to explore subjects and find the information you need to supplement your traditional education.

54. dgCommunities: The Development Gateway Foundation hosts communities, projects and information related to development issues on this site.
55. Open Learn: The Open University’s open education site online features a collection of courses in study skills, technology, business, art and history, law, and more.
56. Wikiversity: Wikiversity currently holds nearly 11,000 open education resources.
57. Sofia: Sofia offers a solid collection of courses in science and technology from various colleges.
58. PEOI: Find courses in law, the sciences, health care, humanities and more from the Professional Educational Organization International.
59. Digital History: Look up primary sources, multimedia materials and more relating to American history and ethnic groups.
60. Exploratorium: This open education site for younger kids includes materials about science, climate change, sport science, the ancient world, and a lot more.
61. W3Schools.com: Find web design and development tutorials here.
62. HighWire Press: Browse over 1,200 journals and over 6 million full-text articles at HighWire Press, by Stanford University.
63. iTunes U: Download free lectures and presentations from top universities at iTunes U.
64. Open Courseware Consortium: Look up course materials in this open education directory.
65. OER Commons: This large open education site and community has over 12,000 learning resources in science and technology alone.

Libraries and Archives

Make use of the resources from the Library of Congress, World Digital Library, Smithsonian and other archives and libraries.

66. The Fathom Archive: Columbia University’s archive collection is full of learning resources from the University of Chicago, New York Public Library, and a lot more.
67. Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive: The University of Virginia Library has posted electronic texts, The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, and other resources.
68. American Memory from the Library of Congress: View collections from the Library of Congress in areas like religion, music, maps, advertising, African American history, and more.
69. World Digital Library: This project, which involves the support of the Library of Congress and other organizations, has thousands of learning materials from all over the world.
70. Primary Sources on American Art and Artists: The Smithsonian Archives of American Art supports this online collection.
71. Internet Archive: The Internet Archive boasts texts, audio, posts and more for exploring history, pop culture and beyond.
72. Russian Archives Online: This site links to film, photo and other archives and exhibitions at state museums and other organizations.
73. The National Archives: Archives.gov is an immense resource for learning about U.S. history.
74. Library of Congress Digital Collections: The LoC also provides public access to historic newspapers, American history collections, poetry and literature, and more.
75. OSA Archivum: Look up archived materials about the Cold War and Eastern European culture, politics and society.
76. The Rosetta Project: The Rosetta Project holds archives of every human language in the world.
77. U.S. Census Bureau: Here you can look up maps, economic census reports, projections, and a lot more to analyze U.S. history and society.

International

Check out these international colleges and universities that have also made available learning resources for free.

78. UNU OpenCourseWare: United Nations University has courses in software technology, environment and health, and economics and social research.
79. African Virtual University: Access a digital library and more on the open distance learning network.
80. China Open Resources for Education: Also known as CORE, this network features resources from U.S. schools and more.
81. ParisTech "Graduate School": Find French language courses in math and the sciences at ParisTech.
82. University of Southern Queensland: Take classes in science and technology from USQ here.
83. Grenoble Ecolde de Management: Take management classes in French.
84. UDEM Open Courseware: This is the open courseware site for the Universidad de Monterrey.
85. Kyoto-U Open Courseware: Kyoto University offers lots of free courses here.
86. EduNet Vietnam: Access open e-textbooks and other learning resources.
87. Middle East Technical University: METU’s eduCommons site offers courses in mechanical engineering, physics, educational sciences, foreign language and more.

Reference

When you need an overview of a specific subject or field, use these free references from Stanford, the Mayo Clinic, and more.

88. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Stanford University’s encyclopedia has online archives dating back to 1997.
89. Creative Commons: This online project of free, open, shareable information features a science community and more.
90. Mayo Clinic: Look up drug information, symptoms, diseases and more health information at the Mayo Clinic’s site.
91. Episteme Links: Find course materials, e-texts, encyclopedia entries and all kinds of educational resources dealing with philosophy.
92. SparkNotes: This popular online handbook has analyses and summaries of historical events, novels, poetry, film, science and more.
93. Wikipedia: Wikipedia serves as a good starting point for any research project or subject of study.
94. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Library: Look up reports and information about education, social issues and anthropology, and more.
95. CIA World Factbook: Find anything you want to know about other countries, including demographics, maps, flags, histories and more.
96. Encyclopedia Smithsonian: This immense resource categorizes material into three main categories — art and design, history and culture, and science and technology — with lots of subcategories.
97. Open-Site: This "free Internet encyclopedia" is edited by volunteers.
98. U.S. Government Manual: Main Page: Learn all about the U.S. government and how it operates.
99. Open Content: Use this open education search and reference tool to find the courses and materials you want.
100. iBerry: iBerry is a network of open education students, teachers and organizations that can help you connect to the resources you need.

Sites for Buying Books

Buying books online is a smart way to go. Shoppers can research titles, authors and always find the exact book they want. Check out these great sites before buying your next book online.

1. Amazon: One of the largest online retailers in the world, Amazon got its start selling books and is one of the largest booksellers in the world today.


2. eBay: The online auction house offers great deals on used, new and even rare books.


3. Google Product Search: The Internet’s most powerful search engine is offering a powerful search product tool that makes finding any title easy.


4. Half.com: The little brother of eBay, this site offers books at deeply discounted fixed prices rather than forcing users to bid.


5. Barnes & Noble: The venerable bookseller has kept pace with the modern marketplace becoming a leading online retailer.


6. Books-A-Million: A place to find discounted bestsellers and used titles.


7. Better World Books: Buy used books and help fund literacy projects around the world. To date this site as saved over 25 million books from landfill and raised over $6 million.


8. College Banana: This site lets college students find cheap, discount books for class.


9. The Book Hound: The Book Hound is a great site for finding used books for any kind of reader.


10. Books Price: Compare, shop and save money on textbooks. This great site lets users instantly compare prices from multiple sites.


11. Quality Books: This site helps connect users with independent sellers from around the world


12. Virgin Books: Billionaire mogul Richard Branson’s Virgin line of companies has finally expanded to include books. Search for the latest titles on Virgin Book’s beautiful site.


13. Craigslist: The free online classifieds site is a quick and easy way to find books in your own backyard.


14. eCRATER: This site sells millions of used and new publications from nonfiction to magazines.


15. Valore Books: A cheap, reliable marketplace for student’s to find textbooks.


16. McGraw-Hill Professional: This site from the McGraw-Hill publishing company sells top of the line professional guides and manuals on thousands of topic and industries.


17. Buy.com: Save up to 50 percent on the cost of bestsellers, non-fiction or any title that may interest you.


18. Campus Books: College students can search this great site for over 8 million titles to buy their textbooks online.


19. Cheap Books: An awesome site offering textbooks for any class or major.


20. Powell’s Books: New or used, there’s nothing Powell’s won’t sell. Find the latest bestseller or pick up an out of print classic.

Best Sites for Selling Books

Selling your library online can be quick and easy. Plenty of sites are ready and willing to take those old books. Some are just better than other, however. Here are the best sites to sell your books online.

21. Books Into Cash: A great site offering a tool that checks a book’s value based on ISBN.


22. Blue Rectangle: Sell your books on this site offering free shipping.


23. eCampus: While some sites base their buybacks entirely on ISBN, eCampus considers the book’s condition when deciding a fair price.


24. Cash4Books: Sell your used books in four easy steps.


25. BookByte: A resource for college students to sell their books online. Quick, easy and pay with PayPal.


26. Jitterbook: This highly rated textbook buyer is known for fair valuations and quick payments.


27. Book Scouter: Sell your books to this retailer or compare the value other sites will pay.


28. CKY Books: Get an instant quote for any book from used fiction to old college textbooks. No shipping costs from this reliable dealer make CKY a worthwhile site.


29. Sell Back Books: After selling your books, this site offers a direct deposit option for fast payment.


30. Textbook Buyer: Around since 2001, this online book store purchases college textbooks and even pays for shipping. Search multiple ISBNs for quick quotes.


31. Sell Back Your Book: Search the ISBN, get a quote and print the pre-paid shipping label. A quick, simple and easy way to sell your books online.


32. MyBookBuyer: Sell your old hardcovers, paperbacks and textbooks with this easy to use site.


33. Textbookx: This site offers 20 percent more for your books than other buyback sites. A great way to get more bucks for your books.


34. Swapbooks: Take your pick: sell to the site or sell on your own. Swapbooks offers free listing to help users sell books on their own. For the impatient, the site offers to buy your old books.


35. WeBuyYourBooks: A simple process for selling books online, this retailer offers price matching. If you can get a better quote for your books they’ll match it.


36. Atoncer: A site offering unlimited, free listings for books. Sell at auction or at a fix price.


37. Sell.com: An online classifieds site for random items. The books section is extensive and free to list an unlimited number of books.


38. BigWords: Comparison shop and get the best price for your used college textbooks with this extremely colorful retailer.


39. Buy Sell Old Books: An extremely large online bookstore based in India, this site offers thousands of fiction and non-fiction topics.


40. Campus Grotto: A wonderful resource for college students to sell their books locally.

Best Sites for Trading Books

Any garage sale or flea market is packed with old books somebody doesn’t want. Instead of recycling, donating or selling those paperbacks, trade them in to update your home library. Here are the best sites for swapping books.

41. Paperback Swap: This community trades books among its members.


42. Book Crossing: Several hundred thousand book lovers spread across 130 countries sharing their passion for books by sharing their libraries.


43. Novel Action: Don’t wait around to swap with other members, this clever resource lets you get books by sending in an equal number of books.


44. Bookins: With over 500,000 books to trade and swap, postage is free for sending items but shipping costs are added to receive items.


45. OurSwaps: An online auction, swap and barter site that makes the whole process fun, easy and reliable.


46. Book Mooch: Give books away and earn points that can be redeemed for new books.


47. Monter Trade: A great tool for thrifty college students to trade old textbooks for the ones they need next semester.


48. Title Trader: A site for swapping used books. Site requires users start trading before they can receive anything.


49. Swap Tree: List the items you’re willing to trade, then this site’s algorithm goes to work calculating the trading value of your items. Then swap with other members across the country with pre-paid postage.


50. Text Swap: A free textbook exchange service catering largely to American college students.


51. What’s On My Bookshelf: Book exchanging, trading and swapping, this site links readers based on a point system. The more points you earn by giving books away, the more books you can receive.


52. Read It Swap It: A free service allowing users to exchange books with others.


53. Socialbib: A great ook swapping network between students.


54. Swap Cycle: This textbooks swapping site links English students looking to save some quid.


55. Book Swap: A used textbook classifieds resource, this site links students directly for textbook exchanges.


56. Book-Swap: This trading network gets its members to meet in person to trade and discuss their favorite books.


57. College Book Swap: Trade books with students from around the country. Offers virtually any subject from accounting to zoology.


58. Home School Book Swap: This resource for home schooling, lets parents trade books and other materials.


59. Care To Trade: An online market for trading books or any other unneeded items laying around the house.


60. Swap-Online: An online swap meet where members can exchange old books for new ones.

Best Sites for Buying, Selling and Trading Rare Books

Books become rare for a variety of reasons. Some are first editions while others are out of print cult classics. For the hardcore reader willing to track down hard to find titles, these are the best sites for rare books.

61. Book Finder: A book shopping search engine that helps users locate rare used books.


62. Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America: The largest trade organization representing antiquarian book dealers. Search for the hard to find classic among 300 dealers.


63. Abe Books: This wonderful site is a collector’s dream. Search and buy rare books from independent sellers or established dealers.


64. Biblio.com: An online marketplace for


65. Beagle Books: Buy and sell used and out of print books from users in over 40 countries.


66. Alibris Rare & Collectible: An online network of independent book sellers, Alibris offers one of the largest databases of rare and out of print book on the web.


67. AddALL: Search hundreds of online booksellers for books, textbooks or reference material.


68. Biblion: A British-based site selling used and rare books.


69. Cats Cradle Books: A large online retailer of any kind of rare book from medical reference to poetry anthologies.


70. Bibliomania Books: This antiquarian book based in upstate New York specializes in rare and valuable volumes.

Sites for Publishing and Selling Your Own Work

Many avid readers are frustrated novelists dreaming of the day they finally get published. For the brave and daring few willing to take a chance and publish their own work, head to these great self-publishing sites.

71. 48hr Books: Instant gratification for authors, this publisher offers a range of services such as binding and cover design.


72. Lulu.com: An amazing resource for aspiring authors. Self-publish and even sell your work on this site’s popular marketplace.


73. Book Surge: This publishing service offers a community of writers, readers and top quality editors.


74. Create Space: A wonderful site offering writers tools for self-publication as well as distribution through retailers such as Amazon.


75. Wing Span Press: Take control of your professional destiny with this self-publishing service. Distributes books online and lists works with the Library of Congress.


76. Word Clay: Self-publishing services combined with marketing and distribution makes Word Clay the hopeful author’s best friend.


77. Writing.com: Having an actual published book is nice but in the 21st century, everything is going digital. Publish your next masterpiece online with this comprehensive writing site.


78. iUniverse: A site that allows writers to become published authors, iUniverse gives amateurs access to expertise in marketing, publishing and technology.


79. Self Publishing.com: Offering all services necessary for the independent self-publisher, this resource can help with layout, cover design and marketing.


80. Xlibris: A book publishing guide for authors and print on demand service.

Best Online Libraries and Book Rental Services

The Netflix model of offering an unlimited selection of movies without late fees has proven extremely versatile. Web sites are starting to offer the same service with books, music and even clothes. Here are the best online libraries and book rental services available.

81. Books Free: The best known book rental service on the Web, Books Free has made media rounds from Oprah to CNN. Members pay a flat rate fee and check out books from a list. You only get more books once you return the ones you’ve been given. It works almost exactly like Netflix.


82. Book Swim: The first book rental service available online, Book Swim recommends users keep 15 books in their queue at any given moment.


83. Book Renter: Rather than a Netflix model, BookRenter is more like your local video store. With five flexible rental periods, readers are allowed to go their own pace. No rush.


84. Campus Book Rentals: A rental portal exclusively for textbooks, college students can save hundreds and simply return the books when the semester is over.


85. Chegg: The Web’s leading online textbook rental service, Chegg saves shoppers and students up to 85 percent.


86. Simply Audio Books: No library late fees or tiresome reading, this site offers over 20,000 audio books with convenient, fast delivery.


87. Audio Book Worm: Unlimited rentals, no due dates and thousands of selections, AudioBookworm is a great resource for readers who can’t be bothered to actually read.


88. Paper Spine: One of the web’s best online book rental service, Paper Spine has over 200,000 titles from best sellers to biographies.


89. Books-Clubs:


90. On The Go Books: Free shipping, no late fees and thousands of available audiobooks make this site a must for literary commuters.

Best Social Sites for Book Lovers

Social networks are great places for readers to connect and discuss their favorite books. Some social sites offer incredible organization tools such as virtual bookshelves and lifelong reading lists. Check out these awesome social networking sites for book lovers.

91. Shelfari: Rate books, build virtual book shelves and share reviews. Shelfari is one of the leading networking site for book lovers online and is an all around great for day to day visits.


92. Book Jetty: Create a virtual library and reading list, then connect your information with friends. This great site tells you which friends have the books you want to read next.


93. Good Reads: Finally join a book club, share reviews or find your next favorite book, this network offers an active community of readers and quality discussion forums.


94. Anobii: This network helps readers from around the world discuss their favorite books and current reading material


95. BooksConnect: The social networking portion of a large European book site, BooksConnect allows readers to plan local events, discuss books and even chat with authors.


96. BooksWellRead: An online book journal for reviews, book clubs or general discussions, this great tool helps readers keep track of their thoughts and share them with friends.


97. Library Thing: A great networking tool that lets users catalog their personal libraries and share them with others.


98. Reader 2: Reader 2 (read: Reader Squared) creates a social list of books to help users share reading experiences with one another.


99. Book Sprouts: An online networking tool that allows users to create their own web based book clubs with friends and family.


100. Revish: This networking tool allows amateur reviewers an outlet to share their thoughts with the public… or at least the site’s sizeable community of users.

Technology

These executives head up technology companies.

1. @ev: Evan Williams is the CEO of Twitter.
2. @oudiantebi: Oudi Antebi is a software marketing executive, entrepreneur, and more.
3. @NealSchaffer: Follow Neal Schaffer to learn about high tech sales and business development.
4. @kevinrose: Follow Kevin Rose, the CEO and founder of Digg.
5. @edwin: As the CEO of CastTv, a video search engine, Edwin Ong watches a lot of videos.
6. @johnolilly: John Lilly is the CEO of Mozilla and more.
7. @timoreilly: Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, is a part of the alpha geeks.
8. @eugenelee: Follow Eugene Lee, the CEO of Socialtext.
9. @dsifry: David Sifry is the founder of Offbeat Guides, Technorati, Linuxcare, and more.
10. @robhoward: Rob is the CEO of Teligent, a company that created a 2.0 social computing platform Community Server.
11. @demandrichard: Follow Richard Rosenblatt, co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Demand Media.
12. @timyoung: This CEO and founder of Socialcast insists that email is dead.
13. @OrenMichels: Oren Michels is the Mashery CEO.
14. @jayadelson: Jay is the CEO of Digg and founder/chairman of Revision3.
15. @dollars5: This CEO specializes in web apps and niche web services development.
16. @guykawasaki: Guy Kawasaki uses Twitter to support his website Alltop.
17. @jerBrightcove: See the latest in video and more from the founder and CEO of Brightcove.
18. @AlessandraCo: Alessandra Colaci is the speaker and CEO of blixy.com, and is in love with tech and geekery.
19. @DrBobParsons: Follow this CEO and founder of GoDaddy.com to learn about racing, hosting, and more.
20. @jack: Jack Dorsey is the creator, chairman and co-founder of Twitter.
21. @ItsSeanRoach: Think Engine CEO and speaker Sean Roach has a unique learning style.
22. @JasonCalacanis: Follow Jason Calacanis, the founder of Weblogs, TechCrunch50 and Mahalo.
23. @caseywright: Casey Wright is the CEO of Wright Brothers Communications.
24. @VentureOutlook: Mark Bailey can teach you about investment technology and more.
25. @TechCrunch: Michael Arrington specializes in technology news from Silicon Valley and beyond.

Startup & Entrepreneurs

These people on twitter will educate your entrepreneurial spirit.

1. @KikiValdes: Follow Kiki Valdes, a contemporary artist and startup CEO.
2. @gcolony: George Colony is the CEO of Forrester Research.
3. @Braiden: Braiden Harvey is a chronic entrepreneur specializing in marketing.
4. @StartupPro: This startup mentor is also an executive and angel investor.
5. @Dillanos_VP: Follow Keith Hayward to get a glimpse into a coffee roaster executive’s life.
6. @elliottng: Elliott NG is an angel investor, startup advisor, and co-founder of UpTake.com.
7. @VizionG: This founder and CEO of Vizion is a serial entrepreneur.
8. @lazerow: Michael Lazerow has founded four successful media companies.
9. @MickMoore: Mick Moore is an Internet entrepreneur who’s happy to share his secrets.
10. @Bersmertnik: Seth Besmertnik is passionate about entrepreneurial business development.
11. @jnovogratz: Jacqueline Novogratz is the CEO of Acumen Fund.
12. @PatrickDriessen: This leader is a visionary, entrepreneur, and author.
13. @tatango: You can find this CEO working tirelessly in the office.
14. @kmesiab: Kevin Mesiab is the CEO of Mesaiab labs, and works to help businesses make more money.

Finance

Learn about finance from these executives on Twitter.

1. @apatzer: Aaron Patzer is the founder and CEO of Mint.com, a personal finance website.
2. @BetterBizIdeas: Dan Ross is a finance executive with experience on Wall Street and performance management.
3. @hgetson: This Twitterer is the CEO of Capitalogix, a builder of automated trading systems and portfolio construction tools.
4. @DuncanWierman: Duncan Wierman is a real estate investor and marketer.
5. @RentToOwnHomes: Follow this CEO to learn more about real estate.
6. @Brandylele: Brandy Lee is the CEO of a real estate company.
7. @sorenmacbeth: Follow the co-founder and CEO of Stock Twits to learn about stocks, currency markets, and hedge funds.
8. @johnreese: John Reese is the founder and CEO of Income.com.
9. @kevincottrell: Kevin Cottrell is a leading real estate media and economic expert.

Marketing

These Twitter executives can teach you about marketing.

1. AnthonyGemma: Anthony Gemma is a business owner, creative marketing expert, and public speaker.
2. @PaulKirchoff: Paul Kirchoff is the CEO of SaleAMP and a real estate Internet marketer.
3. @randfish: Rand Fishkin can teach you about Internet marketing and search optimization.
4. @CommunispaceCEO: Follow Diane Hessan to learn about marketing and community.
5. @mktgmann: Russ Mann is the CEO of Covario, specializing in advanced analytics, lead generation, and CRM.
6. @tombed: CEO of AKQA Tim Bedecarre can teach you about digital marketing and technology services.
7. @todsacerdoti: Follow Tod Sacerdoti, CEO of Brightroll, a video advertising network.
8. @Szetela: Davd Szetela is the owner and CEO of Clix Marketing, which specializes exclusively in PPC advertising.
9. eRocketFuel: This CEO can teach you about marketing on the Internet.
10. @krishnade: Krishna De can teach you a few things about digital marketing and making marketing work in a recession.
11. @billhunt: This executive offers learning in search engine marketing.
12. @leeodden: Lee Odden is a SEO and social media marketer, and CEO of Top Rank Marketing.
13. @mediatrustpete: Founder, CEO, and Chairman of MediaTrust, Peter Bordes can share knowledge about performance media and marketing.
14. @IncomeDiscovery: Follow Andrew Dean, CEO of Income Discovery, to learn about Internet marketing.
15. @neoblog: David Brown is the CEO of Top SEO Consultants.
16. @Budor: Follow Gary Brewer, the president of Internet marketing firm Digital Eye Media.
17. @arthurcooper: Arthur Cooper is the CEO of Optimum7, an Internet marketing and consultation company.

Coaches & Speakers

Get your life in order with the help of these speakers and coaches.

1. @LifeCoachMaia: This twitterer is fanatical about life coaching and blogging.
2. @mariaandros: Maria Andros empowers and teaches entrepreneurs around the world.
3. @jima54: Jim Andrews is a professional life and spiritual coach.
4. @johnmcginn: Dr. John McGinn offers executive coaching.

Human Resources

These executives are involved in human resources.

1. @KevinCruise: Kevin Cruise is an executive recruiter in banking and healthcare.
2. @DrVarenikova: Dr. Larisa Varenikova specializes in executive search.
3. @jasonalba: Jason Alba thinks you’re going to lose your job-and you should use his site, JibberJobber, to find a new one and manage your career.
4. @StevenHudson: Steven Hudson is the CEO of Tenby Recruitment.
5. @csolanor: Follow Charlemagne Solanor, an executive search consultant.

Retail

Learn about executives in a retail environment from these Twitterers.

1. @MarcDeCaria: This CEO and President of Sam Marco Coffee enjoys business, family, and fun.
2. @zappos: Tony Hsieh is an executive with expert customer service skills.
3. @glamajama: This CEO of Glamajama designs baby clothes.
4. @TonyDarnell: Tony Darnell’s wireless consulting firm can help you reduce your communication expenses.
5. @Kimoraleesimmon: Kimora Lee Simmons is the CEO of Phat Fashion and KLS.
6. @coffeemaverick: Follow David Morris, CEO of Dillanos Coffee and entrepreneur.

Information

Check out these executives to learn about information.

1. @implu: Steve Driscoll offers quality business intelligence.
2. @BradFallon: Brad is the CEO of Free IQ, a video site that offers an ecommerce platform for information.
3. @jamystewart: J’Amy Stewart is the CEO and co-founder of Infonetics.

Social Media

Follow these executives, and you’ll quickly learn the details of social media.

1. @skydiver: Peter Shankman is a social media CEO and founder of Help A Reporter Out.
2. @kiruba: Kiruba Shankar is a CEO of Business Blogging and social media enthusiast.
3. @SteveSchuitt: This executive is the Bruce Lee of social media marketing.
4. @ischafer: Ian Schafer is the CEO of Deep Focus.
5. @lebrun: Marcel LeBrun is the CEO of social media monitoring company Radian6.
6. @Jesse: Jesse Stay is the “social” geek and CEO of SocialToo.com.
7. @mashable: Pete Cashmore is the CEO of Mashable, specializing in social media news.
8. @chrisabraham: Chris Abraham is a social media and digital PR executive.
9. @briancarter: Follow Brian Carter, the director of PPC, SEO, and social media at Fuel Interactive.

Miscellaneous

Here you’ll find celebrities, green companies, and more.

1. @tonyhawk: You may know Tony Hawk as a professional skateboarder, but he’s a CEO too.
2. @TreeBanker: Dan Tefft works to inform others about carbon credits and the business of climate change solutions.
3. @brookeburke: Follow Brooke Burke, celebrity and co-CEO of Modern Mom.
4. @MichaelHyatt: Michael Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and an avid blogger.
5. @CarbonHeart: Matthew Sullivan is the founder and CEO of Carbon Advice Group, which works to address climate change.
6. @richardbranson: Read Richard Branson’s tweets to learn from a very successful entrepreneur.
7. @OutsideMyBrain: Bradley Brown is the co-founder and CEO of GreenShield.
8. @LIVESTRONGCEO: Doug Ulman is a cancer survivor and President/CEO of Live Strong.

* Book your tickets well in advance: The sooner you book air tickets and hotel rooms, the less you have to pay for them. Alternatively, you could consider driving to a location that is not too far away in order to save some money. A group of friends in a car sharing all the expenses is definitely a cheaper way to enjoy your vacation rather than flying to an exotic destination and putting a hole in your pocket by doing so.
* Choose hotels with care: As much as possible, try and find free accommodation, like student hostels or the homes of friends. Some people have vacation homes in popular tourist locations, so ask if you can take advantage of their generosity. If nothing is available, choose budget hotels that include a complimentary breakfast. Check how many of you can cram into a room and minimize the number of rooms you rent. After all, you’re not going to be using your room for anything other than sleeping.
* Carry as much food as you can: Eating out is the costliest part of any vacation, so if you’re planning to stay for just a few days, it makes sense to carry your own food, especially if you’re travelling by car. Use a small microwave or stove to heat soups and other canned food or to toast bread and make some eggs. Brew your own coffee rather than spend exorbitant amounts to buy cups from Starbucks. And carry your own snacks to tide you over a trek or some other sporting expedition.
* Go easy on the booze: Well, this may not work well if you’re a college student and really looking forward to letting your hair down during the break. But if you really want to save some money, don’t drink too much and enjoy your vacation much more because you’re sober.

Depending on your specific field of interest, there are a multitude of routes you can take in establishing yourself as an expert in your own realm.  However, it is important that you do the proper research before diving into a six year commitment after which you are still unsure what to do with your advanced degree and student loan debt.  Therefore, once you decide that you want to pursue something like an art history PhD in order to work in an art museum, or a psychology PhD to become a psychologist, you will begin to excite yourself with that prospect.  However, if you want to simply obtain a PhD in English with no real hopes or plans for the future then you might end up teaching in the university where you get your degree.  While this may work for many students who can see themselves within the academic circle for years to come, many students are ready to leave school by the end of college, even more so by the end of a six year degree.

Many liberal arts degrees can be applicable for a myriad of jobs around the business world, and an advanced degree makes you that much more attractive as a candidate for a job.  However, it is important that you not neglect your resume during your years in college, and be sure to take an internship which can help you determine what you want to delve into as well as give you ample experience in the career world.  Applying to jobs with an advanced degree but without proper work experience leaves you with no other option than teaching, which is what you were originally trying to avoid.  However, if you simply want to try your hand at teaching for a year and maybe work on some grant work in order to further any research you started on your thesis, this is an opportunity that will not occur in any other industry.  But be careful of limiting yourself to one career for the rest of your life: the academic world is unlike any other world within another type of business and it is difficult to expand your horizons after a few years of teaching.  The professors I have known have simply started teaching immediately after receiving their PhD and have not ventured out because they found they really loved it.  This can prove to be the case for you too: perhaps you will love teaching and love the academic environment.  However, if you see yourself caught in the same mundane semesters time and again, it is time to venture away from academia and see what the rest of the world holds for you and your degree.