How to Plan a Career 9: More Training or Education

This continues our series on how to plan a career that enhance satisfaction & earnings

My last post encouraged you to recognize and use the skills, training, and experience you already possess to start your career. You do not have to postpose entering your chosen occupation while getting more training. You can begin in a lower position in the industry using your current skills. Many times the company will add on-the-job training to enhance your ability to perform.

You May Need Additional Training or Education
Nevertheless, your research may surface additional training, education, degrees, licenses, or certifications required to fully enter the career. You can:

• Earn a certificate in just a few months for many occupations.
• You can earn it from a trade school, community college, or from the company that makes the product (Microsoft, PeopleSoft, etc.)
  
• A certificate may allow you to begin working in the field of choice while you get additional education: dental assisting for dentists, drafting for engineers or architects, paralegal for lawyers, medical assistant for doctors, etc.
• Earn an undergraduate or graduate degree if your occupation requires it.
• Bachelor’s degrees now carry the weight that high school diplomas carried in the 1960s & 70s.
• Graduate degrees equal a bachelor’s from the same time.
• Many doctoral programs admit students without requiring a masters
• Many people with undergraduate and graduate degrees work in jobs requiring a high school diploma
• Apprenticeship programs provide great training—with pay—for more than 860 occupations.
• Apprenticeships combine on-the-job with classroom training.
• Ensure that Office of Apprenticeship certifies your apprenticeship
• If you do, your certificate and credential will transfer nationwide.
• Research potential schools or training programs to ensure that
• Employers accept the education or  training provided by that school
  
• Tuition is not exorbitant ($48,000 for a program you can get for $1,200)
  
• Credits and degrees from that school will transfer to other schools

LDS Employment Resource Services offers a good article on Finding the Best School. I suggest you study it.
Read the post on Monday to learn more about planning your career within the same company