We Certifications

What Is a Career Certification?

Career certification is a fast-track to a career you love, that pays well and that can lead to future advancement. Not everyone has the desire, time or budget to obtain a 4-year degree that may or may not help them land a solid job upon graduation. With career certification, you can obtain the necessary skills to enter the job market quickly and at a fraction of the cost of a traditional college degree.

Certifications vs Bachelors degree?

If you’re wondering which is better, obtaining certification or a bachelor’s / associates degree, you may be surprised to learn there are some incredible benefits to certification:

Time

When your goal is to begin a great-paying career, which would you rather do: spend 4+ years earning a degree before you can enter the job market, or spend less than 6 monts becoming certified? When you can begin your new career in as little as 6 months, you can start earning a better salary much faster.

Cost

Obtaining a 4-year degree will likely cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Not only is there the expense of the degree itself but also those hidden costs for accommodation.  As a result, many students graduate from traditional colleges with a mountain of debt trailing behind them.

In contrast, a certification program costs a fraction of the price, and again, you’ll start earning much sooner. Plus, if you earn your certification through an online program, you don’t have to worry about accommodations or even putting gas in your car!

Career Focused

Did you know that employers typically desire candidates with certain skills and not necessarily degrees? While someone may earn a degree, they may not necessarily have the skills necessary to catch an employer’s attention. Certification programs do one thing and one thing only: teach you the absolute skills necessary to start a specific career. There’s no theory involved, only obtaining the right information to get you a job!

One Single Standard

When you take a certification exam, you have to demonstrate the same level of knowledge and skill as someone taking that same exam in Texas, Idaho or Alaska. So a certified dialysis technician is a certified dialysis technician no matter where in the country he or she works.

This same standard, however, cannot be applied to traditional college degrees. It all really depends on what the college or university offers, how up-to-date their curriculum is, and what an employer is looking for.

Easily Fit Certification Training into Your Current Life

If you’re an adult that has work and family responsibilities and you don’t have years to spend on an education, certification training is the answer. Spend nights and weekends in an online course and within as little as 6 months, advance your career and start earning more!

Certification FAQs

Are you starting to see the merit of certification training? Awesome! Still have some questions? No problem – we’ll answer some of the most common questions we receive about career certification.

Q: Are certifications and degrees mutually exclusive?

A: Absolutely not! What many people do is begin by obtaining certification through an authorized school or accredited university. This helps them to quickly improve their life and finances. If they choose to advance their career even further, they can always work toward a degree after once you’re making a better salary.

Q: What if I’m Changing Careers?

A: Yep! Certification training is a great option for adults who are looking to make a career change. There are many reasons why a person may want or need to make such a change. Maybe you are unhappy or unfulfilled in your current career. Maybe you and your partner want to start a family and you need to start earning more. And maybe your particular industry has been hit hard by Covid and you need to pivot into an in-demand field. Whatever your personal reason, certification training is an excellent way to make a career change and improve your financial life.

Q: What industries are in demand?

A: There are a handful of industries that are seeing very high demand for workers right now. These industries are 1) Healthcare, 2) IT, 3) Education and 4) Business.

OnlineDegree.com has partnered with many authorized schools and accredited universities that offer certification programs in these very industries. And the best part is, you can earn your certification completely online, which means learning at your OWN pace and on your OWN schedule, while still getting the help and support you need. That’s a win/win!

Q: Do I need any prerequisites or any credentials?

A: The only thing you need to get started is a high school diploma or equivalent and a desire to begin a career you’re passionate about.

Q: What steps should I take next?

A: Your first step is to decide on which career is right for you. Do you already have an idea or are you open to exploring the possibilities in front of you? Since we’ve outlined the industries that are currently hiring, you may want to spend some time researching each and the different career options they offer.

For instance, you may decide the healthcare industry would be a great fit for your passion and skills. Excellent! Now you’ll want to poke around the industry to see what different careers it offers and which ones you may be interested in. Do you like the idea of being a nursing assistant, dental assistant, pharmacy technician? Take some time to brainstorm some ideas.

5 Tips How to Choose the Best Certification

Once you have figured out the right career, you’ll want to find the right training program for you. We suggest you look for programs that have the following criteria to make sure you chose the best one:

1) They are an Authorized School or Accredited

Prospective employers are going to want to see that you have received your certification training from an authorized school or accredited university. These programs make sure you’ll learn exactly what you need to be ready. Many online programs are not authorized, so you have to be careful.

2) Look for a Financial Discount on Tuition

If you’re like a lot of adult students, you don’t have a bottomless savings account to throw at your education. That’s why it’s important to look for schools that offer discounts, affordable programs and a low monthly payment plan.

Okay, admittedly, finding these schools isn’t the easiest thing to do. Don’t worry though…we can help 🙂 Our mission is to make college more affordable and accessible, and we’ve gone out to find great programs along with discounts.  That’s why OnlineDegree.com has partnered with top schools across the country that offer these financial incentives. It’s our way of helping adult students be able to afford their certification training!

3) Be Sure Either Externship Placement or Career Services is Included in the Training

While certification is a great start to landing that dream job, what will really set you apart is some hands-on experience or support to land that dream career. This experience and help will not only give you confidence, it could also help get your resume to the top of the pile!

4) Look for an Online program That Offers Mentorship Support

As we mentioned earlier, online certification programs are ideal for busy adults with work and family responsibilities because they allow you to learn when and where you want.  It’s difficult for an adult to drive to school every day of the week when we have the normal family and work responsibilities.  Look for programs that provide the mentorship and support you will need to succeed.

5) Make Sure Textbooks are Included in the Cost of the Program

Have you seen the price of textbooks lately? They can cost an absolute fortune! Be sure to find a program that doesn’t charge extra for books.

Not only has OnlineDegree.com partnered with schools that include textbooks in the cost of the program, you might be able to borrow a laptop in the price of the training as well!

We’ve Made Online Certifications More Affordable & Easier!

We realize busy adults hardly have the time to research schools to find ones that offer all of the criteria we’ve just laid out. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and saved you time by doing the research for you!

So here’s what you should do next:

Take our quiz to get matched to the best certification programs offered by our partners. All of these programs meet the criteria we’ve laid out and they will be chosen for you based on your career goals and life situation.

If you’re ready to get started on your new and exciting career path, then take a few minutes to take this quiz.

Take the Quiz! >