If you are trying to decide to attend a community college or a four-year university, or study online, we'll help you understand what environment may be best for you.
There are over 1,000 community colleges, sometimes referred to as junior colleges, around the country providing higher education at close-to-home facilities for typically far lower costs than a four-year college. They tend to have smaller campuses and smaller class sizes with schedules that accommodate full-time professionals, parents or other individuals who need to attend school in the evenings or on the weekends.
Community colleges are less expensive, have less rigorous entrance requirements, accommodate the working student or full-time parent, and have certifications, GED, and professional development available.
Four-year colleges and universities range widely in terms of cost, size, and areas of study and population diversity. If you're interested in pursuing a degree in higher education, consider these things as you do your research:
Location: You will most likely attend classes on campus, so where the campus is in relation to your home is an important consideration.
Cost: You can find out about tuition, books, and fees on a college’s Website. Many colleges also provide financial advisors to help you chart a path for paying for school. Contact the financial aid department at the college to learn more. Ask about discounts for adults and 50+ students.
Population: Many colleges cater to returning students. Consider visiting the campus and experiencing it for yourself. While you’re there, you can stop by the Admissions Office to pick up information about the college.
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These schools are known for equipping students for careers in areas of specialty that require a previously earned high school or college degree. They focus on a particular line of work. You can complete your degree sooner because there are no class requirements for subjects that you are not interested in taking.
According to Wikipedia, technical school is a general term used for a two-year college which provides mostly employment-preparation skills for trained labor, such as welding, culinary arts, or office management. A vocational school or trade school is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job. Trade schools typically focus on the trade itself, like dental assistance or cosmetology. In a vocational school, you study to learn a particular vocation (line of work), like computer programmer, paralegal, home inspector, or mechanic.
There are several advantages to technical, trade, and vocational schools. Many vocational schools now offer degree transfer programs. This means that some of your course credits may be transferred to a four-year college or university. These schools usually cost less to attend than four-year colleges or universities, and allow you to complete a degree or certificate program in one or two years.
Vocational, trade, and technical schools are popular with career changers and adult learners because of their flexible class schedules. Students can enhance their careers without taking time off from work or away from family responsibilities. These schools cater to "in demand jobs". Skilled workers are in demand, and technical and vocational schools lend themselves to programs intended to benefit people who wish to enter fast growing industries. Many of these schools provide job referrals and intern/ externships to their students. Because the focus is on specific job skills required in certain occupations, graduates are able to perform job duties upon graduation.
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Distance learning, also known as distance education, is a methodology that allows today's student to learn without being physically present in the classroom. Using a computer, courses are delivered over the Web, or through video conference live sessions. Teachers and students can communicate even though they are miles apart, using a variety of new technologies.
Online learning is a term used to describe distance or correspondence courses that are offered over the Internet. The courses offered through online learning cover a wide range of subjects, audiences, and prices. This educational method is growing in popularity as a cost-effective method of providing access to education for a large population.
A major benefit of online learning is its flexibility to allow you to complete the course anytime-anywhere. This is very different from traditional classrooms, where students are required to come to a specific classroom at a specific time. You are still required to complete coursework on time, and in some online environments, interact with other students via the virtual classroom.
A telecourse is an option for those interested in learning from home. These courses can be televised or videotaped lessons or conducted over the telephone. This method of distance learning can be a series of recorded lectures on CD, teleconferenced groups or live phone call lectures where everyone dials into the same phone number. These methods are combined with study guides, assignments and exams. Normally tests or quizzes are given online or at a testing lab on campus.
You still can receive training or continued education while you work to help extend your career as well as to grow personally. Check with your employer about finding a mentor to shadow and talk to at your company, getting tuition assistance or time off with pay from your company, taking courses, earning degrees, and attending conferences, seminars or workshops. Your manager or supervisor can provide opportunities to learn certain skills by giving you the opportunity to perform the skill more often. Some employers have robust in-house computer courses, business writing skills, and other education programs.
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