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Penn Foster: America's National Online Community College
by Joe Taylor Jr.

The vocational diploma offerings and certificate programs offered at PennFosterCareerSchool take the spirit of the American community college to the next level.

Just as community colleges help students build practical job skills, PennFosterCareerSchool offers students an affordable, flexible way to turn their talents into career expertise. In fact, PennFosterCareerSchool has been catering to the needs of busy working adults for over a century.

Like Community Colleges, Online Career Training Offers Immediate Rewards
Newspapers like TheNew York Times and broadcasters such as Clark Howard recently highlighted the benefits of attending community colleges and career schools. Unlike those undergraduate students at large universities who pay annual tuition bills of $5,500 or more, career school students get affordable education. In fact, career schools and community colleges offer comparable career training at a significantly reduced price.

Researchers note that many students who complete their professional training at career schools often enjoy careers that are just as rewarding as those of alumni from more expensive universities. Graduates of career training programs frequently complete their programs with significantly less student loan debt than their campus counterparts. Financial experts note that getting at least some career training from a community college or a career school can help students create long-term security.

Career Training Attracts a Diverse Student Population
Schools like Penn Foster Career School cater to the needs of students from all ethnic and economic backgrounds, and studies of career training programs highlight these compelling facts: Many students at community colleges report that they experienced some kind of personal or academic failure sometime in their lives. Because classrooms and lectures can seem intimidating, these students thrive when given the opportunity to learn online and at their own pace.

Likewise, many students in career training programs are unable to enroll in traditional campus-based degree programs because of commitments to family or to work. Individualized training programs, like the career diploma and certificate courses offered at Penn Foster Career School, eliminate that conflict.

Program Offerings Highlight In-Demand Careers
Penn Foster Career School offers a wide variety of career training options in many of today's most sought-after career specialties. Technology programs allow students the ability to develop careers as repair technicians and technical support professionals. Health care programs offer working adults the ability to qualify for jobs as medical office staff or as care workers. Specialty career diploma programs provide students with the core knowledge to work as skilled laborers, artists, and business professionals.

A new range of certificate programs at Penn Foster Career School holds the potential to connect even more students to higher paying careers. With a focus on broader skill sets in fields like health care, language skills, and electronics, certificate programs provide compelling career training options for professionals who are hungry for change. In many cases, certificate programs build skills that can improve a professional's performance in his or her current job while preparing for a larger career transition to come.

Creating the Right Atmosphere for Learning
While Penn Foster Career School students may not congregate on a physical campus, they enjoy many of the same benefits as community college students. Direct connection to instructors who want to see students succeed makes a major difference in student success. Instead of traveling to campus for faculty office hours, Penn Foster Career School students can communicate with instructors via phone or e-mail throughout the week.

Career counseling also plays a major role in the lives of students at community colleges, as well as at Penn Foster Career School. While community colleges often feature job fairs with representatives from local employers, Penn Foster Career School students receive assistance with online job searches that produce compelling offers from across the country. Students even receive assistance with resume preparation and cover letter writing.

By responding directly to the needs of today's busy students, Penn Foster Career School is laying the groundwork for a new generation of empowered, effective, and financially secure professionals.

Sources
Clark Howard
Epoch Times
Everett Herald
The Infrastruction Network
New York Times
New York Times
Penn Foster Career School

About the Author
Joe Taylor Jr. is an internal business consultant for a Fortune 500 company, who writes about finance, culture, and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ithaca College.