had i, everyone, welcome to on the money. i'm sharon epperson in for becky quick. the first daughter takes a gap year before college. more and more people getting online degrees, do these alternative routes pay off when it's time to enter the workforce? why are some companies using gaming as a way to evaluate potential employees. hidden treasures, an extraordinary collection of valuable art that no one can see, but we have a sneak peek. and the best way to buy a used car. how to make sure you don't drive off with someone else's lemon. "on the money" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "on the money" your money, your life,

your future. this week we begin with an ending, the end of the school year, that is. what's next for graduating high school seniors? first daughter ma lae obama is taking a gap year before starting at harvard. for others it's work or clj or both, either on campus on onl e online. there are plenty of options and more students are taking a different path and that's our cover story this week. 32-year-old jonathan paul took a swing at another route to a college degree after dropping out nine years ago. >> i kind of was in limbo here for a while and i was looking for a with a i to complete my degree. >> but he didn't go back to a physical campus to get it, he recently earned a bachelor's degree in finance from penn state university after completing all of his work online at penn state world campus. >> this time around i approached it from more of a learning point of view instead of the end result of just, you know, getting a grade. >> nearly 3 million college students are taking courses

exclusively online, bypassing the traditional campus experience. while they may not have the same opportunities to socialize and network as students on campus, they are gaining valuable skills. >> our students tell us that they come away learning more than perhaps they learned in a residential class and as an added benefit they also got more comfortable using technology along the way which is a great skill to have in the marketplace today. >> online degrees are becoming increasingly more accepted by the academic community and employers. 71% of college leaders in one study said the outcomes in online only education are the same or superior to face-to-face instruction. another survey found nearly half of middle and senior managers, 47%, said they would be extremely or very likely to hire someone with an online degree. >> employers today are absolutely placing an online degree on the same level playing field with a more traditional university, however, with anything on your resumé you need

to be prepared to speak to the benefits of your online degree. >> highlighting your creative thinking and ability to work in a group are key attributes to many employers. so is expertise in using social and digital media. >> a lot of team meetings are going conducted via google hang out or web x. >> they must be good at multi-tasking, too. >> a big misperception online learning you go at your own pace and knock it out in a week, but it's organized within each week. >> creating a timeline to complete projects has paid off. >> i have a 4.0 technically after going back and i think that demonstrates the commitment i've made and that i've been able to implement a plan. >> another attribute this recent grad hopes will catch the attention of potential employers. >> about 75% of college students choose the traditional on campus experience, but the number of online only students and those who take a gap year is growing. what will employers think of

these different paths? carolyn levine is a career coach and author and ethan knight is the executive director of the gap program. thank you for coming to talk about this. caroline, do employers value both an online degree and traditional on campus degree equally or is one better than the other? >> right now the online degree still new. certainly for certain skills, the technical skills, the technical degrees you can argue it's on par. certainly with your example of penn state that has a brand name offline as well so that will carry over to an online degree but employers will safer what they know and that's the brick and mortar campus. >> the first daughter is going to take a gap year, there has been a lot of talk about pros and cons of that but what is the goal of a gap year? >> i think a gap year when it's done well it frames the rest of your life honestly. if you do it in a somewhat

structured fashion where there's some expression involved, students are trying to find out what a career might look like but the process that's in front of them. >> what do employers think of a gap year? is that something for students to do going from high school to college, taking a break, is that the best route? >> i think it's going to depend what they do during the gap year. employers are going to be looking for academic growth, they're going to be looking for work peerness why. if someone is doing something during that gap year that contributes to both of those, that can be great for the resumé. >> what exactly do students do for the most part during the gap year. who are they and ask mostly children of wealthy parents because i've read some of these programs can cost thousands of dollars to participate if it's an international program. >> we estimate about 1%. functionally what they're doing

is typically an amalgam of a variety of different things, some component of work, i always like to advocate for that, but also a variety of volunteer opportunities, some internships, and a little bit of adventure. i think part of what this has done when it's done well it's a process of stretching you, exploring some new boundaries and new elements of resilience within each student. a little bit of trying the unknown is i think something that we definitely encourage. as for the financial question, you know, i certainly think that students who have more access to finances they have more choices in front of them inevitably, that's the world that we live within, but there's certainly a bunch of activities and opportunities that are in front of students to do that's very low cost or even get paid. >> how do you sell this to an employee that you've taken a gap year? >> you really need to explain why you decided to do it, how you made your selection in terms of whether you're working or

whether you're studying and show how it's relevant to them. if you can do that then it's going to be great. >> thank you so much, caroline and ethan. thanks for joining us. no matter what route job seekers are taking they still have to prep for interviews. a growing number of them may find in spite of what their parents say their obsession with candy crush may actually pay off. kayla taushy explains. >> forget the resumé paper and brain teasers your first round job interview may be a mobile game like knack, a skill most millennials already have. companies use the scoreboard as their starting point. >> every game has its own focal point but we keep them short to ten minutes. >> shoun mccormack thought wall trees could use its own concept, enter stock fuse. >> the reason we choose to use a stock trading game for these institutions and the reason

they're excited about t it's all about lowering the barrier to entry. right now financial services is intimidating to a lot of people, a lot of people that might be good at it. >> it's not a cake walk. there are rules to follow and risks to manage so companies get valuable data and hopefully a more level playing field for applicants. >> it's not about what you claim you can do on a piece of paper, it's really about showing that you have these actual skills. >> the c suite included. >> crest getting totally hooked and almost missing the flight. >> while most companies put their own unique spin on the game you can practice both stock fuse and knack apps are available for anyone to download almost anyone said it is easy to use track of time. now here is a look at what's making news as we head into a

new week on the money. americans open their wallets last month at a fastest pace than expected, retail sales rose by 1.3% in april, the strongest rate in more than a year. autos, gasoline and nonstore retailers like amazon showed the strongest growth. this was always a closely watched number because consumers make up two thirtsds of the economy. on tuesday the dow had its best day in almost two months but gave almost all of that back on wednesday on weak earnings by disney and macy's. stocks fell later in the week. it might be time to think about refinancing, mortgage rates fell to a three-year low with a fixed rate 30-year loan at 3.57% this week, those rates are at least in part relating to the yields on government bonds which have been falling because of recent weak economic reports. it could be a battle of retail bow home ets, walmart will start testing two day shipping service which will

require a subscription of $39.99 per year. amazon sends seven times the number of packages walmart does in north america. up next we are on the month. one of the world's greatest art collections is hidden in a vault in a place you wouldn't think of and very few people have been able to see t but we'll take you there. later looking to buy some wheels that won't break the bank, how to get the best bang for your buck when purchasing preowned. and into the break a look at how the stock market performed. josh, don't you have friends coming over? yeah, so? it stinks in here. you've got to wash this whole room are you kidding? wash it? let's wash it with febreze. for all the things you can't wash, use febreze... ...fabric refresher whoa hey mrs. walker inhales hey, it smells nice in here and try pluggable febreze, with up to 4 times the freshness...

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decades ago. americans held hostage, riots, the shah being deposed but it is an ancient place full of mystery that is rarpdly changing, reporter michelle caruso-cabrera got access to this country in -- >> the tehran museum of contemporary art sits on a busy street. the spiral inside might remind you of the gug hiem in new york, it leads to the museum's basement which holds a secret treasure. >> behind this door one of the greatest collections of modern art in the entire two recalled. >> pick cass co, pollock, warhol, she go gal just to make a few, rows and rows of them hidden away, the pieces were collected in the late '.0s by the queen and wife of the shah of iran. when the islamic revolution swept the country in 1979 she

and the shah escaped, the great works of art stayed behind. the collection has been kept in the basement since 1979, it's not clear why. believed to be the most valuable in the collection, this pollock, estimated to be worth $400 million. our team was allowed in but we were only permitted to take photos with our phone and bc bureau chief and correspondent shot a story here eight years ago, we believe it may be some of the only video that exist. the manager tells us there are between 1500 and 1600 pieces in the collection. there is no public catalog. now the museum displays only one at a time. you can buy postcards of most of the works that you cannot see. only one piece is known to have left the collection, the iranian government didn't sell it, rather exchanged it for four pages of an important iranian

mist or kalman script because the book of kings, that eventually ended up in the hands of david gechb who sold it in 200 of for more than $100 million. >> iran now the sanctions have been lifted is trying to get back into the business of selling oil. how is production going there? >> they're trying to increase it. on kharg island, they have a huge field of storage tankers, at the worst moments of sanctions that were down to exporting 700,000 barrels a day, they are back up to we believe roughly 1.8 million barrels, they'd like to get to 2.2. they're still trying to get 400,000 more barrels a day on the market. >> very few people go to iron, 5,000 people or so last year, you are one of the few able to get there. what was it like on the ground, you want to a market.

>> if you go as a tourist you will be one of the few, 5,000 tourists, they're trying to dramatically increase that. a market you will notice there is all kinds of investment needed in iran in only they would open up the country to investment. so you go to the market you know that, boy, they haven't had any kind of modernization of retail in a very big way in a long time, the vast majority of iranians still go to the bazaar for their retail experience. a lot of them want american brands, they're dying for american brands. if the iranian government decides they will allow investment that will be a key area. up next, we are "on the money," revving up a deal, we will tell you the best way to find a good used car and how to negotiate the best price. and later this entrepreneur's gap year put a college athletic scholarship on hold but it seems like it paid off. her remarkable success story in just a few minutes. the leading department store moisturizer. revives skin to fight 7 signs of aging.

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38 million, that's how many used cars and trucks were sold last year and if you're one of many people like i am trying to decide how and where to get one there is a lot of information to sort through, it's generally not a pleasant experience so what do you need to know? joining us now is michael quincy of consumer reports. thanks for joining us. tell me about what people need to know before they go in and try to buy that used car.

>> the thing about used cars is you take an incredibly awesome financial savings, two, three-year-old used car has gone through its steepest hit, however, you have to keep in mind if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. if you're getting a great deal on a used car make sure you get it checked out by a trusted mechanic. >> if you go to a private dealership versus a dealership -- >> franchise dealer. >> which is the better route to go to get a used car? >> there's pros and cons of each. a small one off used car lot might have really competitive pricing, maybe they are a local businessperson so they care about their reputation, however, when you go to a franchise dealer and you say i'm interested in one of your used cars, they have the backing of a larger shop, if you want to call it, a larger maintenance facility and they also will offer a certified preowned option which might be a good way

do get into a decent car that would give you a little bit of a warranty afterwards. >> what does that certification mean and going to that franchise dealership to get certified preowned is that the surest way to make sure you are not getting a lemon. >> when you buy a certified preowned car you will probably be paying more but you might be getting more. the certification process in every auto company has a different checklist, but supposedly the car goes through an inspection process and makes sure that it's all up to speed and they're probably going to give you a little bit of a limited warranty at the end. joe schmoe who has his used car lot can say my cars are certified, they're not necessarily backed by anything of substance. if you have something that goes wrong with your certified preowned car you have some recourse with a larger company. >> so you've looked at some cars, some larger companies, used cars that you think are really great in certain categories. what are some of the ones that have the best offers right now. >> camera, accord, rav4, prius, these are models that have done

well in consumer reports testing with safety features but above all excellent reliability. >> what are the biggest mistakes people make? what do you need to avoid? >> you have to make sure whatever car you get you get it inspected. a good mechanic can take a salvaged title car, put it up on the lifter and see where there's damage or welds or dirt or mud or water damage in places you normally wouldn't expect. you really need to make sure that you get any used car inspected. >> that's a key tip. a lot of folks actually don't do that. thanks so much for joining us, mike. up next "on the money" a look at the news for the week ahead and working out a new athletic business, how this entrepreneur plans to take on nike and lulu money. >> you can't see any sweat through this. >> you can't see any sweat. wow. can last longer than those bargain brands. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty. the long-lasting quicker picker upper.

for more on our show and our guests go to our web seem otm.cnbc.com. we'll see earnings from walmart, home depot, cisco, lowe's and target. monday marks 50 years since the release of two iconic albums, the beach boys pet sounds and bob dillon's blond on blond. on tuesday we will see how much factories produced last month with industrial production reports. on wednesday the federal open market committee will release the minutes from its

last meeting and on friday we will get existing home sales for april. look out lulu lemon a new competitor is in the race and taylor lany is behind outdoor voices, putting a feminine touch on the workout wardrobe. >> people used to be scared of working out in gray but i made a gray that doesn't show any sweat. >> so you can't see any sweat. >> can't see any sweat. >> better, faster, stronger, it motivates some but doesn't work for anyone. taylor lany never quite got it. >> while running over hurdles in high school track that makes sense but realized there was a powerful combination between being athletic and feminine. >> another thing that didn't work for her the materials in most athletic lines. >> i'm sick of the shiny thick black spandex. >> she decided to attend park ins in new york city.

>> while in school i became obsessed with technical materials, the science between raw materials. >> outdoor was born. >> outdoor voices comes from when you're still. so the brand, the name has that spirit that youthful energy. being young without experience was helpful at the time because i had asked to be in people's offices that probably if i had more experience i wouldn't have. there weren't boundaries, there aren't rules. >> unlike the uber competitive nature of the athleisure business, today lany is very much running her own race and it's working. in the last year sales have increased eight fold. >> i tell this to the team, my mom was the best coach growing up and she had this staying tyb, baby, try your best, baby, whether she was sending me to school or soccer practice or a slumber party, she was like tyb,

baby, or else there is no start or finish in an activity, it's about the participation award, getting out there and working your body through your mind. >> outdoor voices has one retail store in austin and they're opening up a permanent store later this summer in downtown. >> the stuff is great. >> thanks so much, kate. that's the show for today, i'm sharon epperson, becky is back next week. next week how to stop those robo calls from invading your phone. each week keep it here. we are "on the money." from a great one and we will see you next weekend. cathy's gotten used to the smell of lingering garbage... ...in her kitchen yup, she's gone noseblind. she thinks it smells fine, but her guests smell this. ding, flies, meow febreze air effects heavy duty has up to... ...two times the odor-eliminating power to... ...remove odors you've done noseblind to [inhales] mmm. use febreze air effects, till it's fresh

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this dreary friday the 13th. the guys getting ready for the big show. while they're doing that, here's what's coming up. >> that's what happened to retailers this week. but if you think the pain is over, we have the next retailer to get amazon. plus, losing money in apple? well, we have a way to get your money back for less than a buck. we'll break it down. disney shares are doing something very odd. well, maybe not that odd. but it could signal a magical time to buy.