A certificate can be quite an achievement!

When many people consider higher education, they may think that a four year bachelor’s degree or a two year associate’s degree are their only options. But there are other choices out there for those who just don’t have the budget or the time to study a lengthy degree course…

A certificate of achievement program, available at schools like Carrington College California, can be a very efficient way to continue your education after high school, or to re-train later in your career.

And because there are fewer general education courses associated with certificate programs, the classes focus on the stuff you need to know to help you get a job in the field you’ve chosen. For example, you won’t be studying geography on a Medical Billing & Coding certificate program for example that can take as few as 10 months to complete!

Let us be clear; we are not discouraging students from getting a college degree, far from it.  If you can afford the time and the investment, then we encourage you to apply to college for your associate or bachelor’s degree.  But in the real world, we know that there are many students who won’t be able to make it through four years of college either for financial or other personal reasons. Those students may be better served by studying a certificate of achievement, and earning their certification in less than a year in many cases*.

According to a recent study, the skills students can learn in certificate programs will be increasingly in demand as the economy grows; and certificates – not college degrees – are the level of qualification required for some of the occupations in highest demand, particularly in the healthcare industry.**

Did you know, for example, that employment of Dental Assistants is expected to grow 36% by 2018?  Or that Medical Assistant jobs are forecast to grow 34% in the same period?  All of these figures are much faster than the average for all occupations⁺; and the gateway to all these careers can be a certificate of achievement at Carrington College California.

While accepting that a graduate’s earnings are not just related to the level of higher education they achieve, because we know that the occupation they choose will also influence their earning potential, there are some interesting numbers to consider:

• 43% of licenses and certificates earn more than an associate degree
• 27% of licenses and certificates earn more than a bachelor’s degree
• 31% of associate’s degrees earn more than a bachelor’s degree^

So if you’re looking to continue your education after high school, or to return to school to retrain, but the idea of a four-year degree just doesn’t fit with your lifestyle or aspirations, you do have choices.  Perhaps it’s time to discuss your options with a Carrington College California Enrollment Services Representative?

*Program lengths vary, and program availability varies by location.

**Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce – Projections of Jobs and education Requirements through 2018

⁺Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook (2010-11 Ed.).

^National Education Longitudinal Study 2000.

Carrington College prepares students to take appropriate certification and licensure exams related to their individual majors. The College does not guarantee students will successfully pass these exams or be certified or licensed as a result of completing the program.