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As careers change, labour markets grow and evolve, and people seek advancement, there’s a growing need for … opportunities to learn while (you) earn and live.
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faster There are ways to save time and money, while still gaining a valuable education By: Darlene Morales
What if you want to take a year off from school to work, travel, or start a family? The good news is, you can fast track your education without necessarily spending the rest of your best years in school.
Investigate joint programs It used to take up to seven years to earn both a college diploma and a university honours degree, but by entering a collaborative or joint program you can earn both in five years or less, and save money on tuition as well. That’s because students who opt for joint programs get to carry over credits from their ‘sending’ institution to the institution that will be receiving them. “University students who transfer over to college (or vice-versa) in pursuit of a degree or diploma are saving time by having their credits transferred,” says Susan Thomas, coordinator of degree and credit transfers at Seneca College in Toronto. “They’re also saving money, and that’s a real advantage.” There are two ways to enter joint programs, says Thomas. “Some students start out in university and transfer over to college for a diploma. Others start out in a college diploma program and transfer over to university.” Students transferring from college into university should remember, however, that they will have to meet minimum grade requirements. Most universities require at least a B average from students coming out of college. Rest assured your hard work will pay off, says Thomas. That’s because getting both a diploma and a university degree will give you the best of both worlds: a sound education in practice (college) and theory (university). You won’t just have in-depth knowledge about your area of interest — you’ll also learn the skills you need to rise in your field.
Online education
The upside of distance, or online, education is that you don’t have to roll out of bed at the crack of dawn to attend class, and you don’t have to worry about the commute. Instead, you can sit yourself down in your PJs, at your computer, in the dead of night. Just make sure you have the discipline required to make this kind of learning work for you. After all,
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the online programs offered by many institutions still require you meet deadlines in order to accumulate the credits you’ll need to graduate. And even though tests are online, you still have to pass them. Assignments are sent to you by professors, and certain schools even have live chats where everyone can log on and discuss a potential project. Online learning is a great way for students with other responsibilities to stay competitive, says Anne-Marie Vaughan, director of distance education and learning technologies at Memorial University in St. John’s NB. “As careers change, labour markets grow and evolve, and individuals seek advancement, there’s a growing need for people to be provided opportunities to learn while they earn and live,” says Vaughan. “The end result is providing a supportive environment for our learners so that they can balance their busy schedules with the opportunity to learn and grow academically.”
Work while you specialize
Some school programs can give you credit for your work experience, which means you just may be able to work and earn credits at the same time. For example, a person with work experience in business management can quite literally cash in on his or her experience by pursuing an MBA in an accelerated program. The pay-off can range from a promotion to a major raise. “Most business schools prefer that you’ve been working in the field for at least two years, since it really gives students a perspective of the business and what it takes to manage a successful one before pursuing an MBA,” says Michael Darling, program director for the accelerated MBA program at Queen’s University. As for employers: “They’re just happy the student is pursuing a higher education that can ultimately help their company as well. It’s really a win-win situation,” says Darling. “After the program, our students are promoted sooner and they move into higher-than-expected positions.” Which means after all that school, your career will be on the fast-track too.
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