By Rachel Puryear

It’s no secret that the cost of higher education in the USA, as well as resulting student debt burdens, are a major problem that seriously financially handicaps a great many Americans.

Many people take on a great deal of debt with the intention of qualifying themselves for better paying careers than they would have had access to otherwise, only to find that the financial benefits of such are greatly undermined by their debt loads – especially when it’s also the case that there are far more graduates than available jobs.

Universities are inflating tuition to increasingly eye-watering rates – in an age rife with greed and chicanery amongst those wealthy enough to get away with it, excessively expensive universities are some of the worst – and most overlooked – offenders. I believe that endowment funds should be liquidated to help their graduates pay student loans – and that they should be stopped from their misleading donation campaigns (that don’t help students in need so much as they claim), but I digress.

However, Google is now offering several online certifications for careers that are currently in high demand, and that pay a healthy entry level salary – so you don’t have to spend your early years impoverished.

You can earn these certifications putting in ten hours a week, for six months, on average. It costs only around $50-60 a month per course – so it won’t chain you with heaps of long-term debt, either. Besides, many open jobs in these careers are remote or hybrid!

Plus, there’s help available through the programs with job hunting, and job placement when you’re done.

Here’s a look at the current offerings:

Google’s Certificate Programs:

• Cybersecurity: Monitoring and protecting information systems. Good choice for people who like to investigate, and solve puzzles.
• Data Analytics: Collecting, analyzing, and presenting data to help make informed business decisions. Good choice for people who like to uncover trends and patterns, and give visual presentations.
• Digital Marketing & E-Commerce: Using online tools to reach customers. E-commerce specialist grow online sales. Good choice for people who like connecting with people online, and building an online presence.
• IT Support: Troubleshooting problems to keep computers and networks running correctly. Good choice for people who like solving problems, and helping others.
• Project Management: Ensuring projects within an organization are managed and completed with maximum value. Good choice for people who like solving problems, are well organized, and like working with people.
• UX Design: Making digital and physical products easier and more enjoyable to use. Good choice for people who like understanding people, drawing, and creative thinking.

These brief descriptions are from Google’s page describing each course (see the link below).

These courses are available on Coursera, and the Google Career Certificate Programs can be accessed here. Take a look and what’s offered, and take one or more that seems to suit you!

Interested in Coding? Also Check Out Free Code Camp:

Interested in a job as a web developer? Or something else where coding skills with come in handy? Check out Free Code Camp here. And yes, it is completely free!

Join others worldwide, practice coding – even if you’re a brand new beginner, and chat with others who are also learning coding skills, right along with you.

Need to Fill Some Gaps? Check out Khan Academy:

If you’re finding that you need to brush up one some subjects from school – for instance, maybe mathematics if you’re pursuing a data analyst certificate, or writing skills for any position – Khan Academy is a nonprofit offering free online education in pretty much all K-12 school subjects, as well as college-level coursework.

It’s truly an amazing public service. Check it out here.

Community Colleges Also Offer Many Certifications:

Of course, while these company-sponsored programs are great options for many reasons, they may or may not suit you. Or, you might be interested in something else.

Many community colleges offer a much larger and diverse selection of certifications for lots of different jobs, in lots of different fields. The prices vary, but they are typically much more affordable than traditional universities. Instead of tens or hundreds of thousands for a degree, there are lots of community college certifications you can get for hundreds, or maybe a few thousand dollars (over months or a couple years).

Plus, you don’t have to have been a great student in high school – or even necessarily graduated – to go to community college. However, you may need some remedial courses before proceeding with some degrees and certifications.

See what community colleges in your area have to offer.

Big Business Sponsoring Career Education Needs to Continue

In short, mega-companies can afford to sponsor this kind of education, and make it free or very low-cost for the public.

Meanwhile, businesses everywhere get more of the qualified workers they need this way, and more people get career training that will help them earn a better living, but without all the debt. It’s a win all around.

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Thank you, dear readers, for reading, following, and sharing. Here’s to better, and more affordable and accessible, career educational opportunities.

Check out my other blog, too – World Class Hugs, at https://worldclasshugs.com. It’s about celebrating empathic/HSP people, balanced versus toxic relationships, spirituality that comes from love and curiosity rather than rigid repression, and visiting gorgeous natural places.

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