Part-time courses for working individuals

What are Certificate Courses?

Certificate courses are short-term academic credentials that are focused on developing a certain set of skills of an individual. Most of the time, certificate courses are developed for people who are looking into enhancing their careers with a certain academic credential. The academic credential can be of any subject and is treated as a legitimate degree that can be used for various job searches or enhancements.

Why are certificate courses so popular?

Certificate courses are increasingly popular amongst people, and the popularity does not seem to go away anytime soon. Rather, the popularity of certificate courses has not just increased amongst the youth, but also amongst the people who are older - mainly in their 30s.

The main reasons why a certificate course is popular amongst the majority of the population is as follows:

• A certification course cuts down on the amount of education time that an individual will invest in for a normal degree by half, leading to paying lesser in terms of fees as well.
• Certification courses are for a maximum duration of two years. After completing the certificate course, an individual is able to work full-time and also get a decent salary. All of these reasons, collectively make a certificate course much more of a convenient and efficient choice for people who are looking into joining the workforce right after completing high school.
• Around 85% of the youth who graduate high school prefers to take up a certificate course, resulting in them landing a high-paying full-time job in just a matter of a couple of months to few years. It has also been mentioned that getting a certificate course not only improves their lifestyle but also increases their job skills as the course is purely practical focused, touching upon the basics of the theory of any field of study.
• As mentioned previously, a certificate course helps students develop job skills better. Furthermore, certificate courses require little to no coursework, as the programs are developed to give hands-on experience to the students.
• Certificate courses can be done online or on-campus. Mostly, students prefer an online medium to pursue a certificate course, as it helps them to comfortably do any kind of part-time or full-time job. Additionally, online certificate courses have a much lesser fee structure than the courses whose medium is a classroom setting, as they do not have to incur any additional costs that would go into an on-campus degree.

Time period of a certificate course

A certificate course is available in a large variety of subjects - just as it would be available in a proper undergraduate degree. However, the credits for a certificate course ranges between 10 credits (minimum) to 30 credits (maximum). It is important to remember that the number of credits may be variant as per the nature of the subject chosen.

Due to the credits being only between 10 to 30, the duration of any certification course is between 1 to 2 years. Sometimes, if the credentials are lesser, a certificate course may take just a few months before completion. However, the duration of the certificate course is dependent on the credits of a subject, which means that if the credits are more than the duration can be at a maximum of 2 years.

Fees structure for certificate courses

The fees structure for any certificate course is dependent on two factors:

• The nature of the field of study: Just like a normal undergraduate degree, the fees for a certificate course are very much dependent on the subjects chosen by students. A certificate course related to engineering, medical science, or psychology will be higher in comparison to a certificate course in plumbing, automotive mechanics, or electricians.
  
  
• The medium of pursuing a certificate course - online or through classroom studying: Certificate courses can be pursued through two mediums offered by universities. The first medium would be on-campus education, where the student learns their desired subject in a classroom setting and is able to interact with their professor and peers directly. The second medium is online education, where a student learns their course from the comfort of their home and is able to indirectly mingle with their peers and professors. Amongst both of these options, the latter is the most popular choice, the reason being very simple; most people who enroll for a certificate course are people who would like to work on the side and save up on enough money for the future.

In general, a certificate course can cost anywhere between $3,000 to $17,000 - depending on the course they enroll in if the course is online or offline, and most importantly the state the student resides in. If a student resides outside of the state the university is located in, the cost immediately goes higher as the university has to provide materials to the students, which may incur extra charges. However, there are plenty of grants and scholarships available for students pursuing a certificate course, which can be a huge financial aid to them.

Popular certificate courses available

Engineering

For most fields related to engineering, a certificate course is recommended or is an important requirement before beginning a career. Some of the fields that require a certificate are computer engineering, information technology (IT), web development, automotive engineering, mobile mechanic, and many more. Furthermore, a certificate course can also be used to boost one's career as an engineer within just a period of 1 to 2 years, but it is important to keep in mind that the certificate course will be an addition to a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in the related field.

Certificates offered:

• Certificates in Information Technology (IT): People who have an educational or professional background in engineering can look into certifications in Information technology as a way to make their career options more widespread. Additionally, this certificate is ideal for anyone who is looking into starting their career in technology, as it gives them training in the basics, allowing them to be able to begin an early career in Information Technology and build their way in the industry.
  
  
• Certificates in Computer Software: The certifications in computer software are quite different from the certificates in information technology. Not only are the content and career path different, but the requirements are also different as well. An individual who is looking into joining a certificate course in computer software must have a bachelor's degree in the relevant field, to be able to advance into a professional career in computer software.
  
  
• Certificates in Web Design: A very popular certification course is in the field of web designing. This certificate course does not require a professional or educational background to be able to advance in a professional career in web designing. Since the pay for a web designer is good, and the job is in demand all throughout the year, certificate courses in web designing are increasingly popular.

Healthcare

It may come as a surprise to most people, but a majority of healthcare-related jobs require just a certificate course for people to begin their careers in the diverse field of healthcare. The jobs that require a certificate are dental assistant, medical assistant, pharmaceutical training, vocational nurse, and many more. The jobs as assistants in various healthcare practices are just the beginning, more opportunities are available to students who gain more experience as time goes by.

Certificates offered

• Certificates in Nursing or vocational nursing: Nursing certificates are catered towards two kinds of the population - people who already have a medical background and people who have no medical background. A nursing certificate adds to the education and experience of students who have finished their education in healthcare-related fields, such certificates are the most popular. On the other hand, few nursing certificates are developed specially for people who have no healthcare-related educational background, so that they can kick-start a career in nursing.
  
  
• Certificates in Medical Assistance: A very popular certification course is for medical assistance, which will lead individuals to become medical assistants to doctors and the like. Quite a few people who are looking for hands-on experience in the medical field before becoming professionals would prefer getting a certificate in the field first. This certificate is also very popular amongst people who want to start a career in medicine. However, the most important thing to remember is that by no means does a certificate in medical assistance allow people to actively practice medicine without a doctor's supervision.

Business Management

Quite a few management courses are available in various fields such as accounting, marketing, global leadership, project management, etc. These courses are available online and through various reputed universities. These courses cover the in-depth sectors of business and management training the individual for a perfect skills-set in the chosen sector.

Certificates offered

• Certificates in finance: Finance certificates are by far, the most popular certificates that are awarded to students. Reason being that a career in business and management, followed by a certificate in finance gives a major boost in careers while widening the career possibilities for working adults. Having a certificate in finance is sufficient for people who want to join the field of finance but do not have a background in the field.
  
  
• Certificates in accounting: Followed by the popular certificate course in finance comes the certificate course in accounting. Accounting certificates function the same as finance certificates, where an individual with a background in business and management is able to switch to the accounting field with the certificate in the field of study. The accounting field is an ever-growing field as the economy increases and more companies are established.
  
  
• New business certificates: Certificates in entrepreneurship are relatively new, but growing in popularity very fast. As time passes by, more and more people are getting attracted towards building their own business from scratch, and to start the same having a certificate in entrepreneurship is an absolute necessity.

Other popular certificate courses

• Fashion designer
  
  
• Massage therapist
  
  
• Building constructor
  
  
• Hairdresser
  
  
• Firefighter
  
  
• Heavy material mechanic
  
  
• Language interpreter or translator
  
  
• Database Admin engineer
  
  
• Therapist
  
  
• Fitness trainer for a gym or a person fitness trainer