How to Find your Educational Path – it’s Harder than you Think!

As a Career Advisor or “Facilitator” I’ve helped alot of people through the process of finding the proper educational course for them in situations where they’d usually faced a dramatic life change.  99% of these were people who’d been laid off after 10, 20, 0r 30 years in one particular position. I’ve seen some who never even had more than an 8th grade education in the first place because – 30 years ago – that was all they needed.  They treated a “high school diploma” as a luxury! Unfortunately, that attitude probably is only safe if you’re Amish these days.

Increasingly, people need to show that they have real skills and real ability to perform on the job site. While that may not mean a Bachelor’s degree, it often means an Associate’s degree.  What’s complicating matters is that today’s big name colleges will gladly encourage you to take out $200,000 in guaranteed student loans while knowing full well, you’ll never be able to pay off those loans with the meager salaries their training provides. And I’m not just talking about “for profit” schools… I’m talking about Harvard!

So how do you find the best value? First, find out if you’re eligible for a “Pell” grant.  You do that here: Free Application For Federal Student Aid http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Even if you’re not eligible for a penny or for the full amount, you know what you’re working with.

Personally I am telling my children to follow this strategy… not to go into huge debt just to get a B.A. or B.S. degree! You are more likely to do that by researching many Online Universities to see which have full accreditation, which will accept any previous college work you’ve done, and which will allow you to “test out” of as many non-core courses as possible without paying tuition, just a testing fee.  You’ll find there are many online degree programs in human resources … that’s usually an easy way to let people finish their B.A. (or B.H.R.) quickly. But it may not be the best option.

Instead, research your desired job, profession, or business… find the education you need, then find the cheapest way to “get there”. With many online options today, that is getting easier but you’ll still need to do alot of work.

Note: Thanks to http://www.findyoureducation.com for working with us and sponsoring this post.