If you have a lot of work experience in a specific field, colleges can grant Life Experience degrees, or degree credits to you. A lot of people with over 10 years experience at a job where skills are required got a diploma and joined the workforce. But now find themselves stuck, with no lateral opportunity, because they lack a college degree. Meanwhile, people who are fresh out of college are getting jobs they lack the experience and real-world training for.
If you find yourself outpaced by a green behind the ears college student, you may be contemplating earning a degree. Online Life Experience degrees are an option to solve these problems and earn more money. They can also be a great way for stay at home parents to join the workforce. Although Online life experience degrees and credits are available, they may not suit every situation. An example where an Online life experience degree won’t help is if you want to make a 90-degree career change. Breaking into something unknown. Online life experience degrees allow you to trade in job skills, on the job training sessions, and work experience, for a college degree or some college credits toward a specific degree.
The more work experience you have towards one specific job field, or area of expertise, the more likely a school will grant you a full online life experience degree. Someone who has a ton of experience in entry level positions but spread across locations or a variety of jobs isn’t a good candidate for an Online life experience degree. They can probably still obtain some credits towards a future degree.
Someone who has spent the last twenty years in Linux computer programming would be a great candidate for an Online Life experience degree., They also may be in the situation where suddenly they need one. Many people who got into computer work did so in a day and age when they didn’t need to acquire an IT degree. They simply needed to be interested and a large number of them are self-taught. As they came across a problem or program that caught their interest they would figure out how it worked. As they went they became the experts in their field. Another likely candidate might be someone who is an electrical engineer, car mechanic, or a fashion designer who started out self-taught, or learned from a relative much like apprentices did in the ages when apprenticeships were how trades were learned.
Coaches and school counselors may also be an area where interest trumped education, but now you need to have a degree in the field, or in an area that is related, for instance, teachers often coach elementary students.
An area where gaining an online life experience degree is probably not of much use are artists, photographers, and writers. A degree doesn’t provide an edge over others, though courses can teach unique techniques, give insight, and create networking opportunities. They don’t create or prove talent. Many trades, technical areas, and education or childcare are career paths where getting an Online Life Experience Degree could make a huge difference in getting that next promotion or continuing to live in a rut.
