Nevada: the state that the gaming industry made. For decades people have traveled to The Silver State to woo Lady Luck in order to reap easy fortunes. But when the dice turns up snake-eyes, the roulette ball lands on red, or the house keeps showing aces, you must look to more sensible ways of turning a buck. Chance takes a backseat to planning, and impulse to insight, as the euphoria of the big score gives way to the hangover of the long haul. Vegas wasn't built by winners, after all, so any career path that doesn't depend on regular royal flushes ultimately recommends itself as a more prudent one.

To aid Nevadans in their long-term educational and career goals, a January 4, 2011 post on NevadaWiki offers some handy tips on pursuing advanced degrees. Entitled "Earn Your Desired College Degree Online By Locating The Best Online College," the post presents advice far sounder than "always bet on black." Included are these helpful tidbits:

• When shopping online colleges, limit yourself to those which have regional or state accreditation.
• Limit yourself also to those schools whose curricula most closely match your current or intended field, because in the final equation your enhanced skills trump your credentialing institution's prestige.
• Inquire beforehand into the student support offered by the institutions you've shortlisted, because these can vary, and you wouldn't be stuck attending a school widely regarded as neglectful or user-unfriendly.
• Though enriching your skill set is your primary concern, an institution's reputation still makes a difference. Make sure, then, to research those factors which determine an institution's reputation -- graduation rates, dropout rates, average matriculation time, history of accreditation, and so on.

Due diligence with respect to these pieces of advice will allow you to hedge your bets when it comes to entering the wild world of higher education, whether you pursue it online or off, residentially or at a distance.

The NevadaWiki post also points out that an excellent resource for researching institutions for higher learning is a reliable online college guide. Just as with the schools themselves, quality matters, so choose your college guide wisely. That way, you won't have to gamble with precious tuition dollars.

And remember that in both fair economic conditions and foul education is always a safe bet.