| What if you could have the career of your | | | | travel long distances. The classes are also primarily |
| dreams, making good money and working | | | | at evening time and on weekends, and are |
| respectable hours, without having to attend a | | | | designed to maximize the time spent learning |
| four-year university? While this might sound too | | | | without silly assignments and projects that don't |
| good to be true, it isn't. In fact, people often | | | | apply to the field of study. In technical and career |
| falsely assume that their options for career | | | | focused programs, students will learn hands-on, |
| advancement are limited to devoting themselves | | | | practical knowledge that can be immediately |
| to years of university training to earn a degree. | | | | applied at the workplace when they choose to |
| Career training programs, vocational schools, and | | | | begin a new job. Employers value this type of |
| technical institutes are quickly becoming logical | | | | experience, and are constantly looking for |
| stepping stones for employees who want to find | | | | employees who know the specifics required to |
| a better job and equip themselves with the | | | | complete a job successfully. |
| knowledge and skills required to achieve their | | | | Most of the well-known programs are also |
| goals, without sacrificing a lot of time and money | | | | available through accredited online degree |
| to do so. | | | | programs, and can be taken at a student's own |
| There are many reasons why these programs | | | | pace. This allows the nontraditional student more |
| are increasing in popularity. The students attending | | | | freedom to study when it is most convenient, |
| them tend to be nontraditional students who are | | | | without sacrificing family time in the process. A |
| working adults. The average working adult has a | | | | student can receive the same amount of |
| family to support, a mortgage (or rent), bills to | | | | personalized attention online, with easy access to |
| pay, and very little free time to attend classes, or | | | | instructors through email and by telephone. In |
| resources to pay for them. After working an | | | | many online college programs, reading |
| eight-hour work-day, the thought of attending a | | | | assignments are generally given weekly, allowing |
| lecture or completing a homework assignment is | | | | students to interact with each other and the |
| understandably not a pleasant one. Many working | | | | instructor via message forums, instant messaging, |
| adults are parents who value those precious few | | | | and email. |
| hours with their children in the evenings and on | | | | Some of the most popular programs of study |
| weekends, and can't imagine giving that up to | | | | within the career training, vocational, and technical |
| attend classes. Career and Technical programs are | | | | fields are nurse's assistant, medical assistant, |
| designed for such a situation, and offer working | | | | paralegal, teacher's assistant, restaurant/hotel |
| adults a fast-paced alternative for advancement | | | | management, massage, culinary arts, medical |
| that will prepare them to enter many exciting and | | | | transcriptionist, and medical coding/billing. These |
| challenging fields, without the time it typically takes | | | | are careers that are in high demand, yet typically |
| to earn a degree. Many of these fields even offer | | | | require only a few months of training. |
| salaries as good as those offered to students | | | | Employees who feel that they are stuck in a |
| who earn their B.A. or B.S. at a four-year | | | | dead-end or unfulfilling job can have a world of |
| university. | | | | opportunities open for them through attending |
| The typical career training program lasts for three | | | | career training, vocational and technical programs. |
| to twelve months, with some shorter and some | | | | Career institutes and technical colleges offering |
| longer. These programs consist of classes that | | | | these courses are available both locally and online, |
| are generally held in multiple campus locations, | | | | with a range of program choices and |
| allowing students the opportunity to find a location | | | | arrangements to suit every individual's needs. |
| that is convenient for them without having to | | | | |