• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Women Deserve Better

Women Deserve Better: For us, that means better information, better support, and better choices. Life brings challenges. We bring empowerment, because we’ll never underestimate women.

  • Work
    • Find a Job
    • Build a Career
    • Take Maternity Leave
    • Thrive As a Working Parent
    • Know Your Rights at Work
  • Learn
    • Earn Your Degree As a Parent
    • Know Your Rights on Campus
    • Finance Your Education
    • Medical Care for Student Moms
    • Housing for Student Parents
    • Child Care While You’re In Class
  • Live
    • Child Care
    • Feeding Your Family
    • Elder Care
    • Housing
    • Clothes
    • Medical Care
    • Getting Around
    • Money Matters
    • Gardening
    • Special Needs
    • Fun
  • Love
    • Adoption
    • Bonding
    • Fathers
    • Your Parents
    • Support Networks
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Contributors
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • View Cart/Checkout
  • Support Us
  • Donate
  • Home

Continuing Education: What Are Your Choices?

June 18, 2019 by Bethanie Ryan

woman researching her school options

Whether you’re keeping your skills up to date or just getting started, pursuing education beyond your high school diploma or GED is a great way to acquire new skills and to get an edge on the competition. When it comes to choosing a degree program, you have many options that can help you get where you want to be faster.

Four-Year Colleges/Universities

  • Four-year programs usually culminate in a bachelor’s degree. Many schools will also have an associated graduate school with programs for students pursuing master’s, specialist, and doctoral degrees.
  • Among universities, there is a wide variety of sizes, admission criteria and available programs, so it’s worth some research to find the best fit for you. One key difference is the distinction between private and public; state-funded public universities tend to be larger and may offer lower tuition to state residents, whereas private schools tend to be smaller and more expensive. Regardless, it’s a good idea to apply for financial aid and/or extra scholarships to make earning your degree more affordable.

Two-Year Colleges

  • Students in two-year colleges either graduate in two years with either an Associate of Arts (AA)/Applied Science (AS) degree or transfer college credits to a four-year program to complete a bachelor’s degree. Whether you are pursuing an associate or a bachelor’s degree, two-year programs are very popular for students looking to continue working while in school and/or to reduce their expenses. They may also offer smaller class sizes and flexible schedules (e.g. night school or online classes).
  • When choosing a two-year college, most people seek public community colleges. These have open-admissions policies requiring a high school diploma or GED and are non-residential campuses. Private junior colleges may require examinations or equivalent work experience for admission and can be residential.

Vocational (Technical/Trade) Schools

  • For students who have a specific career in mind, vocational school is a good way to get the knowledge and hands-on training you need in skills that will be applicable to your career. You can get a vocational degree in a wide variety of careers in business, health, technology, legal, and skilled trades. Here is a list of some of the highest paying trade school degrees.
  • It can take from one to four years to acquire a vocational degree. Some benefits of vocational school include avoiding general education courses, the smaller class size, lower cost, faster completion time, and less on-the-job training after you are hired.

Regardless of which path you take, it might not be easy, but it will be worth it. Choosing the right program to fit your goals will make earning that degree just a little bit easier.

By Annemarie Arnold

Filed Under: Earn Your Degree As a Parent, Learn Tagged With: 2 year college, 4 year college, community college, student parent, vocational school

Primary Sidebar

Suggested Articles

7 Questions to Ask Before Enrolling in Community College

Considering an Apprenticeship

Is an Apprenticeship a Good Option for You?

Footer

Women Deserve Better

16 hours ago

Women Deserve Better
I can relate. ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Women Deserve Better

1 day ago

Women Deserve Better
If you need help dealing with loss, please reach out to a qualified grief counselor. It can seem so hopeless and terrifying right now, especially for those of us with young children left speechless as we figure out how to explain to them such devastating world events. We invite you to read our Women Deserve Better article, "7 Tips on How to Talk to Your Child About Scary News." And then, be sure to hug your loved ones tight.www.womendeservebetter.com/7-tips-on-how-to-talk-to-your-child-about-scary-news ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

womendeservebetter

Check out "Learn the Basics of Unemployment Benefi Check out "Learn the Basics of Unemployment Benefits," courtesy of Women Deserve Better Expert and legal aid attorney Susan Schoppa.
https://www.womendeservebetter.com/learn-the-basics-of...

 #womendeservebetter
A woman out of work recently sent us the following A woman out of work recently sent us the following email. We wanted to share her thoughts with you:
The most common feelings I experience as an unemployed job seeker: 
1. Rejection/Sorrow. Something is wrong with me… because it cannot be that I don't have more than the required training or education or experience... so it must be me.
2. Anxiety from inadequacy of effort. Something would come along if I just tried harder (more than daily searches, weekly job clubs, outreaches on LinkedIn, etc.).
3. Aloneness. Other people with fewer skills, less education and experience… are getting jobs. They won't understand how alone I am in this. Other people must have a lot of resources to not have to work for this long, and I am barely making it and can't afford things now. I am alone in this.
4. Hopelessness. Scores of applications and letters to employers have gone unanswered for weeks and now months. What's the use?
5. Blaming myself and/or self-doubt. Why didn't I see the writing on the wall and find something while I still had a job? I guess I really am as stupid as these employers think I am.
6. Confusion. I am now out of my routine, so things don't fall into place like they once did. Am I getting dementia? Is this normal?
7. Anger. If my employer thought I was so great to give me a very good review several years in a row, why haven't they told me of other available jobs after this one ended? Shame on them!
8. Embarrassment. People may think I lost my job because I was a marginal or lazy employee. They don't know how hard I worked, and that the termination was due to issues not of my doing. They may see me as someone who deserved this.
9. Fear. What if I can't find a job in time before we lose our place to live?
10. Happiness. It can be a good thing to start over sometimes.
Have you ever felt like this woman? Please know that there is help. Check out our latest article on Women Deserve Better, "Find Help When You Can’t Find a Job":
https://www.womendeservebetter.com/find-help-when-

#WomenDeserveBetter
Are you struggling to pay your rent or mortgage? A Are you struggling to pay your rent or mortgage? Are you worried about losing your home? Here is some information about what could happen if you can't pay all of your rent or mortgage, courtesy of Women Deserve Better Expert and legal aid attorney Susan Schoppa.

www.womendeservebetter.com/how-to-find-legal-help-for-evictions-and-foreclosures 

#WomenDeserveBetter
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Thanks for signing up!

GET OUR LATEST NEWS

ABOUT

  • Our Mission
  • Contributors

SUPPORT US

  • Donate
  • Become a Partner
  • Share Your Story or Your Expertise
  • Promote Women Deserve Better

Women Deserve Better: For us, that means better information, better support, and better choices. Life brings challenges. We bring empowerment, because we’ll never underestimate women.

Copyright © 2022 — Feminists for Life of America • All rights reserved.