Image Courtesy: bit.ly/1DXElx2 Are you planning a career change? Want to build your career in a new field? Then online education can offer you exactly what you are looking for. Although both on-campus and online learning can enable you to accomplish your new career objectives, studying online often proves to be a better alternative as it provides you higher flexibility for balancing your work and education effectively, according to Melissa Venable, an online educator at University of South Florida and Saint Leo University.
Online Study For Switching Careers
According to a 2014 survey by Learning House Inc and Aslanian Market Research, around 26 per cent of undergraduate students and 19 per cent of graduate students claimed they studied online as they wished to start a new career in a different field. Venable said “Before online learning, I think you had to make more of a sacrifice. You would say, 'I’m going to switch and go to school on the weekends,' or 'I’m going to have to save money so I can stop working and go to school.' It was a little more risky.” She added now “you can continue to work and study around your scheduled hours online.”
However, I would suggest that you analyse and follow the required steps involved to start your journey for online study. Read on....
Choose The Right Field Of Study
Experts say that you should first which field of study you want to pursue that will help in your career switch, before you start studying an online programme. Like several online learners you may want to study in a field where you have already mastered the skills for a new career. You may also think about pursuing business education as it will open up a wide array of opportunities in various industries and sectors. Currently, numerous students from different parts of the world are studying online level 7 diploma in management to give their careers the push it needs or to start in a fresh new field.
No matter what field of study you opt, make sure it is the right one for you desired career. Melissa Venable said “I think a lot of careful research is the first thing, to make sure that the career you think you want to go into will be a good fit for your aptitudes and interests, and also that there’s a market for it.”
Determine What Credentials Are Needed
In order to switch your career, it is important that you determine what kind of academic credentials you will require to start in a new industry. For instance, if you wish to enter the corporate world and want to become a business leader, then an MBA in business will be highly beneficial for you. However, you must ensure that you study at a recognised business school which offers quality education and accredited online degrees or diplomas.
This decision primarily depends on where you currently are in your career and life; and what type of educational qualification you have already earned, said Lori Shreve Blake, who is the Senior Director of Alumni and Student Career Services at the University of Southern California.
Choosing The Right Online Programme
After you have decided what credential you require for a new career and your education, you should start to explore the various options available out there for online study. You need to focus on the different benefits, features and qualities offered by each relevant online programme, including its ranking and the career services it offers. According to Venable, online learners need to find out whether the programme they have chosen will allow them to properly balance their existing schedules.
You also need to ask the necessary questions about your online programme and institute. Online educator Melissa Venable said online forums and social media can be great place which can help potential students to gather the required information. She added “It’s a good place to get started without any commitment or formal appointment.”
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