Many people say that college is an investment in your future. Sometimes, it is true if you intend to have a career in science, technology, engineering, and math (i.e. STEM) fields. Conversely, other people may choose alternatives to college like professional certificates if they want to enter the workforce quickly. Higher education is usually an investment in the future, but there are three questions you must ask before you go to college.
How much does it cost?
The fastest path to a profitable career is to minimize (if not, eliminate) any educational expenses.
Some U.S. universities do not charge any tuition, but others with free tuition require studying in Europe. Some colleges and universities do not charge any tuition if you meet their annual income requirement. Other ones will not charge any tuition upfront if you pay a small percentage of your future income temporarily after graduation. This is commonly known as an income share agreement.
The online education provider, Coursera, has 20+ online degree programs with various tuition prices. The tuition prices vary based on the specific university. Mostly, Coursera partners with accredited universities in the USA and England. However, some non-native English speakers can find degree programs in their native language from accredited universities, including (but not limited to) Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Universidad de Los Andes, and Universidad de Palermo.
Alternatively, the online education provider has a yearly subscription plan (i.e. Coursera Plus) that allows students to enroll in unlimited courses and certificates for less than $500. Coursera Plus includes professional certificates from Google, Salesforce, and other ones that offer college credit.
If you consider the cost of college credits from Coursera, you can get 30 credits for less than $500. So, before you go to college, you can start gaining college credits by completing professional certificates on Coursera. After you complete a professional certificate, you can use it to get a job with an employer who may help you to pay for college.
How much time does it require?
In addition to minimizing costs, the fastest path to a profitable career is to minimize the time to achieve proficiency.
Earlier, I mentioned massive open online courses (i.e. MOOCs) as a very affordable learning resource. The advantage of these courses is that they can be completed in a fraction of the time.
For example, Coursera offers a countless number of courses, including business, information technology, health, and social sciences. You can complete their single courses in 4-6 weeks. You can complete their specialization certificates in 4-6 months.
How can this college prepare me for my career?
Some career paths may require a degree in most cases. However, other career paths only require a certificate from a college or an online education provider (i.e. Coursera, edX, etc.) who offers courses from accredited colleges.
I suggest you review job ads for your career and make note of the common job requirements. Then, you ask yourself how that specific college or online education provider can help you satisfy the job’s academic requirements. If that specific college also offers internship opportunities, then that college experience could potentially satisfy all the job requirements of the typical job ad for your career.
If you cannot find an ideal college or online education provider to prepare you for your career, you should reconsider that career choice.