Furthering your qualifications can be very rewarding. Not only will it broaden your horizons from a knowledge perspective, but it may also lead you down new career pathways. Today you don’t even need to attend campus to do it! Most universities and colleges these days offer online versions of their most popular degree courses. This allows you to continue your current activities whilst studying to do other things at the same time. Your studies can be fitted in around your current commitments, and be done at home.

If you are advancing your education in your current career, it will open up more choices and perhaps even advance you further up the ladder. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a change of pace, you may find your current qualifications and experience are an excellent stepping stone into another career. For example, being a police officer or accredited first responder can lead to all sorts of exciting opportunities within the fire services. Or perhaps you’re a teacher and see a need for your skills teaching new generations of firefighters as a Fire Service Instructor.

How long will it take you to get a new degree or further certifications?

That depends entirely on the qualification itself, and where you choose to do it. If you attend campus, you’ll be tied in to their set timetable. If you choose to do it online instead then, depending on the policies of the institution offering the courses, that is entirely up to you. Some places require you to complete the course within a set time frame after you’ve paid for and accessed the course. Others are open ended, meaning you can take all the time you need. However, it’s always a good idea to complete each course you enroll in as soon as practically possible or you’ll never get where you want to go!

Further, how many units you commit to taking at one time will also determine how long it takes. If you aim to do them one at a time, it will take you a lot longer than doing several at once, especially if you have to complete 4 or 5 units. Then again, one by one may be the most convenient way for you to do them if you’re already working full time or have other commitments that take up a lot of your time.

Online Is The Place To Be For Further Education

However, the very real advantage in opting to further your education online is that you can fit it into your schedule instead of the other way around. Whilst attending campus does have its advantages, one of which is the social aspect, it does mean rearranging your life to fit in with their timetable. Choosing to do it online removes the social aspect but this is more than offset by convenience. Imagine being able to complete an assignment whilst sitting in your favorite café or park during your lunch break, or tucked up a home in a comfy home office.

There are a range of career choices today that offer you this type of flexibility. We mentioned the fire services and teaching earlier. Florida Fire Instructor 1 certification is an excellent example. The coursework can be completed online through one of the various Florida State Fire College approved e-learning centers. Other US states will have similar options available. There are also higher certifications for Fire Instructors if you’re truly interested in taking your career as far as it can go.

Paul Petersen