Advantages of Online Certification

By: Justin Ferriman • November 7, 2014
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certified-imageHave you been considering going back to school to finish your education?

Perhaps you already have a degree, and instead believe that your professional prospects will be expanded by an advanced degree.

While that is certainly one possibility, your immediate job prospects might be better served by enrolling in a certificate program online instead.

Online certificate and diploma programs offer the student concentrated classes for practical skills, delivered in a convenient and cost-effective way. Not to mention they are a great alternative to attending classes at a traditional university.

Let’s Look At Online Certification Advantages

If you’re required by an employer to complete a certification quickly, or you’d like to be able to offer a prospective employer more qualifications so you can land a better job, you can usually find an intensive online course that offers certification.

The ability to work at your own pace make online certification an attractive option. One benefit is that you can go as quickly as you can manage to do the work instead of only on a regular schedule determined by others.

Many certification courses can be completed in as little as six to eight weeks, and you can complete an entire series in as little as a few months.

Online diploma programs will take longer than certificate programs, but if you’re motivated, you can go faster by opting for longer sessions and more workload upfront. This will help you get a diploma in as little as a year to 18 months.

Online Certificate Programs Are Cost Effective

Online Certificate programs are much less expensive than getting a traditional bachelors degree or a masters degree.

You won’t be forced to interrupt your job in order to attend school either, so you can gain credentials that will make you more valuable at work, or at a future job, without impacting your current earning potential.

Online work can be completed at night, or on the weekends, and time-intensive classes that might require attendance at hands-on training sessions can sometimes be scheduled during vacations.

Enjoy More Flexibility Towards Prior Education Requirements

Colleges and universities are very particular about your prior educational credentials, and often limit your ability to enroll in advanced courses of study without completing prerequisites first. This is often not the case for certification.

Also, a nice benefit of online certification programs are the number of accredited professionals in related fields that are likely to be enrolled along with you, which will expand your ability to network with future colleagues and even employers in your chosen field.

If you have ever thought about taking an online course for a certification, no time is better than now! Often the hardest part about any project is starting it. You’ll find that once you are enrolled and starting to take the content, everything is quite manageable, not to mention it will likely pay off in the end!

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter