There are many aspects of life in Vermont for future college students to find appealing. As the snowiest Eastern state, Vermont's Green Mountains are a skier's paradise. Between its fall foliage, 52 state parks, 400 lakes and ponds, and hundreds of miles of forests, streams and trails, Vermont is an exquisite place to spend time outdoors.
While Vermont is a great place to play, its benefits extend to planning for a career and providing for a good quality of life. Vermont was ranked The Smartest State by Morgan Quitno Press, for its highly educated resident population. The Kauffman Foundation ranks Vermont first for its entrepreneurial activity and seventh for the number of scientists and engineers. It ranks second in the nation for number of patents per 100,000 filings. And in 2010, Kiplinger's ranked Burlington eighth on its list of top 10 cities for the next decade, thanks to its thriving local-food movement and energetic creative class.
Vermont colleges and universities provide an environment that supports innovation, entrepreneurship, environmentalism and technology, and they can provide high quality-degree or vocational training in these emerging and thriving fields.
Many businesses are drawn here because of the state's proximity to high numbers of both the U.S. and Canadian populations. More than 80 million people live within 500 miles of Vermont. Science and technology are areas of solid growth and development. The state is consistently first in its number of high-tech exports. Manufacturing is its second-largest industry, and products ranging from large-scale microchip production to batteries to recreational equipment are manufactured here.
Agriculture is another important industry in Vermont. Roughly 1.5 million acres are dedicated to producing dairy products, maple syrup, Christmas trees and more. Other strong and growing industries in Vermont are finance and captive insurance, tourism and hospitality, the environmental sector, including renewable and alternative energy, recycling, waste management, air pollution control, waste reduction and environmental education. Telecommunications is also an important industry; the state ranks eighth nationally for its broadband access.
Explore eReferencedesk.com to learn more about career education from specific colleges and programs offered in Vermont, and how they can help you to reach your career goals.