Can you gain the skills you need to advance your career or start a new one while working full time? Thanks to online learning, you can. When you enroll in an online degree program, you can complete the majority of your coursework from home and can take advantage of a flexible format that lets you schedule your learning for the time of day that works best for you.
On top of that, at the best accredited online colleges, you’ll have access to some of the best career planning and development around. Through online education, you can earn a degree and receive the guidance you need to start or further your career.
Here are the career planning and development you can expect to find at a top online university.
Advice That Fits You
No matter your specific field of study—and no matter whether you’re enrolled in a certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree program—you’ll find individualized guidance from the career planning and development department at a top online university. Whether you need help making career choices, finding a job in your preferred industry, or learning what it takes to succeed in your preferred career, you can receive meaningful advice tailored to your specific needs.
24-Hour Assistance
One of the biggest advantages of attending college online is the flexible scheduling and the wide array of support services. Not only can you complete coursework at the time of day that works best for you, but you can also focus on your career whenever you want. That’s because the majority of career planning and development offered by the best online universities are available through their website all day, every day. If you need advice at midnight, you can find it.
Wide Number of Webinars
Before the internet, if you wanted to gain career advice from a seminar, you had to wait for one to be scheduled near you. But online universities are leveraging modern technology to make dozens—and sometimes hundreds—of webinars on a wide range of career topics available to you whenever you want them. All you have to do is click.
Résumé, CV, and Cover Letter Assistance
There is a lot of advice online about the best way to write your résumé, curriculum vitae, and/or cover letter. But when you earn a degree online from a top, accredited university, you’ll have access to a lot more than boilerplate examples. Instead, you’ll find detailed advice on applying to your desired job, and can even use interactive résumé builders and a writing center to help you sculpt your job application for your needs and career goals.
Networking Opportunities
As with all top colleges, the best online universities have an extensive network of alumni and associates ready to help you make connections in the professional world. But unlike at campus-based schools, you don’t have to attend inconvenient mixers to network through your online university. Instead, you can take advantage of online systems that make it much more convenient to connect with leaders in your career field.
Brand Building Advice
These days, employers don’t simply look at your résumé. Many look to social media and other ways you present yourself in order to get a better idea of who you are. With the brand building advice available through an online university, you can learn how to showcase your expertise, whether you’re assembling a LinkedIn page or giving an elevator pitch.
Interviewing Assistance
An interview can make or break whether you win a job. In the past, preparing for an interview either meant rehearsing in front of a mirror or paying for a coach. But the best online universities offer all kinds of resources to help you improve your interviewing skills. At some universities, you can even use the online learning component to receive critiques on practice interviews.
Job Listings
The best job listings moved off newspaper classifieds years ago. Now, you can find thousands of job opportunities in all kinds of careers right from your mobile device and/or computer. And there’s no place more convenient—or useful—to look for a great job than in the job listings you’ll find through your online university.
Volunteer Opportunities
Working for social change can be a great way to gain new skills and connections. The top colleges understand this, which is why, at an online university committed to social change, you’ll find listings of volunteer opportunities that can enrich you personally and professionally.
One-on-One Appointments
Sometimes, you need to talk one-on-one in order to get the career guidance you need. While online universities may not have a campus, they have plenty of experts on hand to meet with you about your career goals.
When you compare colleges, you want one that prepares you for the career you most desire. At a top online university, you can find the degree programs and the career advice you need to succeed.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees online along with extensive online career planning and development. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.