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Life Experience Can Get You A College Degree: Finding The Right Online Program

by sheila danzig

It may sound old, but you can obtain a life experience degree online. This is not just a characteristic of unaccredited online degree scams, but can now be had directly from reputable, fully recognized and accredited universities. This is perfect for those without a lot of extra money for tuition and time for getting into a regular degree program.

So what exactly is life experience? A life experience degree is based on the premise that what you have personally accomplished is related to an actual degree program. When an online institution grants a life experience degree, it is saying that although you may not have attended classes and bought textbooks, you learned more than enough to make up for it in on-the-job training.

Generally you gain your life experience by doing your job and working through your career. If you don't have a degree you will often hit a ceiling in your career where your employer will no longer promote you simply because you don't have that degree. You might find that people with a degree get promoted even if you are the better candidate. Your employer is not giving credit out for the knowledge that you have gained through your work at that point.

But don't imagine that a highly regarded university is just going to hand you a degree because of supportable information you put on a resume. And, it is not significant to apply to get a life experience degree online from an institution from which you have not verified accreditation.

Such unaccredited degrees may be bestowed by sleazy "diploma mills". They will be rejected by legitimate schools and may get you into legal trouble as well. Highly regarded institutions of higher education expect documentation of your experience and sometimes make you pass difficult examinations before giving you any college credits.

If you do not have all of the vital capabilities, you might have to pursue some further education. The remainder of your abilities will be credited towards your diploma under the heading of life experience. You could possibly receive your degree in less than a month if you are shown to have satisfied all of the official life experience requirements. In other situations, it may be necessary to pass an examination.

It is in fact accurate that you can earn a life experience degree on the internet. This is not simply the province of "sleazy diploma mills". This opportunity is ideal for individuals who can't afford either the usual tuition fees or the number of hours of work required in a traditional degree program. But they may not offer credit for what you already know. While most of your skills might be credited to your life experience online degree, take a few classes if you know you lack some crucial skills. At times, you may need to take a test out of college.

Published May 9th, 2008

Filed in Technology