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Many Improve Their Earning Potential By Going Back To School
Back to school this year extended beyond students in the K-12 levels and traditional college and university students. With increased college and university enrollments attributed in part toward adult students, it’s likely campuses are more diverse, that online degree programs particularly are flourishing. Adult students themselves might find it easier to find work, to boost their salaries, particularly in instances where they succeed in obtaining a traditional or online degree.
It’s easier these days for adults to return to classes and hold down their other responsibilities. There are traditional and online degree programs with flexible scheduling opportunities from which to choose. Scholarships, fellowships and grants are available to help offset tuition costs. There are also quicker routes to obtaining degrees online or on campus. Here are a few of the options available: There is unlimited amounts of information about online graduate degrees on the web.
Participate in studies remotely and schedule course work according to individual schedules. That’s what online degree programs are about, and many online college and university courses feature multimedia elements and interactive opportunities that enhance distance learning. With “hybrid” programs, students combine online college and university course work with time in the classroom.
Save yourself some time. Many of these schools offer opportunities to convert life experiences – work, military training, travel, volunteerism, hobbies and more – to academic credit. A Council for Adult & Experiential Learning study released in March 2010 showed that students who gained life experience credits saved up to 10 months of time toward earning degrees. Many institutions also offer what’s known as “credit for course completion” where, for a fee, students who participate in certain courses can earn academic credit by taking and passing exams related to those courses. You might even find a traditional or online degree program in your subject area of study that comes in an accelerated variety, shaving more time off the time it takes to obtain a degree. Understanding all you can about online degree course may mean quicker success.
Apply for scholarships, fellowships and grants. They’re available to adults with financial needs, to students working toward traditional and online degrees in specific subject areas and more. In addition to colleges and universities, non-profit foundations, professional organizations and large corporations offer scholarships, fellowships and grants. Adult students might consider work-study program participation. If working students don’t have tuition reimbursement benefits available, they might be able to stow away money through Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs). The Council for Adult & Experiential Learning initiated these 401 (k)-like savings plans, and employers voluntarily make them available.
Seek assistance where needed. Speaking with academic counselors at colleges and universities, adult students might find the best traditional and online degree program offerings for their individual needs and goals. Asking about transfer credits can be important not only for those adult students might already have earned and want to keep, but also in instances where they might later work toward a more advanced degree elsewhere. In instances where academic assistance is needed, tutoring, peer networking programs and other offerings might be available to help adult students with their studies and continuing toward successfully obtaining their degrees.
Of some 54 million adults without traditional or online degrees as of 2004, 34 million didn’t have any college or university experiences at all, a Lumina Foundation for Education study shows. Yet adults might find themselves continuously going back to school as the working world changes, the report suggested. Already, many adults who have been displaced from their jobs might find that those positions no longer exist. Increased college and university enrollments for the 2010-2011 academic year have been attributed in part to adult students. Keeping abreast of the latest information about distance degree will work in your favor.
For adults who want go back to school with grants and scholarships, the resources are there to help them brush up on their skills, advance in their careers or train for new jobs. Many institutions and education organizations have been working to make it easier for adults to participate in programs that offer online degrees. With that degree in hand, adults could be well on their way to a comfortable, more secure future.
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