Road Map: How to Change Your Career With Online Courses
First off, what is it that drives you?
a.) Solving problems
b.) Making Order of Chaos
c.) Helping People
d.) Balancing Work and Life
e.) Making Money
f.) Creating Something
Next, choose a career you can study for online
[letters are from the previous section]
aa.) Data Scientist: b,e
bb.) Teacher: c,d
cc.) Business Analyst: a,e
dd.) Nursing: a,c
ee.) Developer: e,f
ff.) Designer: d,f
What credential will you need?
[letters are from careers above]
1.) Just the skills:
A number of digital professions care more about your portfolio than actual degrees.
aa/ee/ff
2.) Certification:
Sometimes short skill-centered programs have great career advancement potential.
bb/cc/dd/ee
3.) Full Fledged Degree:
Sometimes a whole new degree is required to get your foot in the door.
aa/bb/cc/dd
What’s your price point?
[1-3 from previous section]
<$500: 1 <$5,000: 1,2 >$5,000: 1,2,3
Results
Data Science:
Description: Data scientists blend statistics and software engineering.
Average Salary: $118,000
Steps: [1]
1.) Get good stats, math, machine learning
2.) Learn to code
3) Gather an Understanding of Databases
4.) Learn data munging, visualization, and reporting
5.) Learn Big Data
Background:
High school: 5%
Technical school: 5%
College Graduate: 37%
Masters/Professional Degree: 31%
Doctoral Degree: 9%
Data Scientists come from a variety of types of academic backgrounds.
Potential paths: Just learn the skills or a full-fledged degree
Price Point: $-$$$
Teacher
Description: Primary and secondary school teachers develop schemes of work and lesson plans in line with curriculum objectives. They also facilitate relationships between pupils, parents, and larger organizations.
Average Salary: $57,000
Steps:
1.)Obtain a bachelor’s degree
2.)Obtain state-specific teacher education.
3.)Pass teaching credential tests (mostly the Praxis exam).
4.) Advance with certifications or graduate work.
Background:
College Graduate: 62%
Masters degree+:38%
There are many popular online programs built around teacher schedules to advance your credentials.
Potential Paths: Full-fledged degree, Certifications
Price point: $$$
Business Analyst
Description: Business analysts provide a crucial link between modern firms information technology capabilities and business objectives. They also manage an organization’s adaptability, agility, and ability to deal with change.
Average Salary: $91,512
Steps:
1.) Obtain a bachelor’s degree
2a.) Obtain industry specific experience
2b.) Obtain certification or graduate business work
Background:
College Graduate, certifications, masters degree+
There is a wide array of paths that can be used for breaking into business analyst positions, including online MBAs, accounting programs, information technology degrees, or skill-based learning platforms.
Potential paths: Skill-based, full-fledged degree, certifications
Price point: $$-$$$
Nursing
Description: Nurses work as specialized members of interdisciplinary medical teams, with the type of work largely dependent on specialization and care setting.
Average RN salary: $66,200
Steps:
1a.) Become a RN through an undergraduate institution
2a.) Complete an RN to BSN program
1b.) Obtain a BSN through an undergraduate institution
2b.) Obtain specialized skill-based training
2c.) Obtain an MSN through a graduate institution
Background: [4]
Associate’s degree: 37.9%
RN Diploma: 6.9%
Bachelor’s Degree: 44.6%
Master’s Degree: 10.3%
Doctorate: .4%
There is a wide range of the educational attainment of nurses in America. Common online options include many popular and flexible online RN to BSN programs, as well as more advanced degrees or certifications that can be taken at least partially online.
Potential paths: Full-fledged degree, certifications, associate’s degree, diplomas, graduate degrees
Price Point: $$-$$$
Developer
Description: Depending on their role, developers help to create, test, and maintain a variety of systems, databases, applications, or web-based technologies.
Average salary: $85,320
Steps:
1a.) Obtain skill-based training.
2a.) Build up a portfolio for future employers
1b.) Obtain a bachelors in Computer Science from an Undergraduate institution
2b.) Progress through certifications or masters level work online
Background:
Skills-based training: 17%
Bachelors degree: 50%
Masters degree: 29%
Doctoral: 4%
Though the most tried and true path into being a developer is to complete a computer science degree, skill-based education is emphasized in many locations in which developers work. Bootcamps and online skill-based training are great new options for obtaining valuable developer skills.
Potential paths: Skills-based training, full-fledged degree, certifications, graduate degrees
Price Point: $-$$$
Designer
Description: Designers create visual concepts by hand or through software to communicate ideas to consumers. Whether print or digital, designers develop and produce layouts for advertisements, brochures, reports, magazines, websites, and online graphics.
Average salary: $51,433
Steps:
1a.) Obtain skill-based training
2a.) Build up a portfolio for future employers
1b.) Obtain a bachelors in graphic design or related discipline
2b.) Build a portfolio for future employers
Background:
Skill-based training, bachelors degree
Though many positions require a bachelors in graphic design, many designers obtain practical skills through online training and leverage portfolio works for positions.
Potential paths: Skill-based training, full-fledged degree
Price Point: $-$$$
Citations:
- http://i1.wp.com/blog.datacamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/How-to-become-a-data-scientist.jpg
- http://teach.com/how-to-become-a-teacher/teacher-education
- http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28
- http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/nursingworkforce/nursingworkforcefullreport.pdf
- http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/careertypes/a/Systems-Software-Developer-Salary.htm
