Are Work Experience Degrees Valid?

With the advent of the Internet, it is becoming much easier, or should it be coined ‘More flexible" to earn a college degree. No longer are individuals constrained to traditional class hours or even to attending a class one, two, three times a week to get their degree.

This makes it possible for professionals or even new students who need to work while they learn, or do not live close to a college or university, to earn their degree. Without a doubt, online learning and online college degrees are definitely an evolving future trend in education and career advancement.

Along with four-year degree programs offered online, there are also many programs that offer degrees based on work experience. Work experience degrees are exactly what the terms say; they are accredited college degrees from institutions that will grant college credit for relevant hands on work experience. This institutions will also grant credit for self administered courses, and continuing education courses that may not be counted by some bricks and mortar colleges that want you to be in their class so they can make more money on you.

Work Experience degrees are perfect for individuals who have some college credits but have yet to earn their degree and are stuck in the process, but who also have significant work experience in their field. They are also perfect for individuals who have been in a position for years, and even taken many seminars, courses, etc but do not have formal college credits do to their personal circumstances.

Unfortunately, folks who fit in the above category usually suffers with lack of promotions and lack of significant income increases compared to college graduates who often have much less experience in the company. Fortunately, work experience degrees are a remedy for many situations.

The question is, are they valid? The short answer is YES, in most cases. As long as the degree is sought from an accredited college or university that grants work experience degrees, there is typically no issue. The recipient still has a diploma, transcripts, and the university will validate the degree if an employer needs to verify the degree.

While there are a couple exceptions that a work experience degree is not the way to go in most cases getting an accredited work experince degree will help you get your foot in the door to get better paying positions in your career.

What are the exceptions?

1. If you are applying for a government position a work experince degree is not for you as most govenrment positons have a list of specified colleges they will allow degrees from.
2. Any other position that has a list of specific colleges or universities they will accept a degree from. - you need to check the list to see what is accepted.

While there are some situations where a work experience degree may not be helpful in a job search - those mentioned above - for the majority of folks who want to crack through a glass ceiling, or start earning what they are truly worth, work experience degrees are an inexpensive, quick, and very viable option that should not be overlooked, and if acted upon, sometimes the degree can be completed in 3 months or less.

If an individual already has some college, or a college degree and work experience and simply needs a degree in a new field or to complete a partial degree, you can earn your degree in just a couple weeks. You simply need to fill out an evaluation form and see how many credits you can earn towards your degree.

Visiting an accredited online university and filling out their work experience degree form is your first step. There are some links below that offer free evaluations.