Post-secondary Credentials

      Universities and community colleges award degrees on varying levels. These degrees are often based on the field of work a student decides to pursue and what qualifications those professions demand.

      For more specialized, intricate professions, several years of advanced schooling and on-the-job training are required. Medical professionals such as surgeons or dermatologists will be expected to earn a PhD before they can begin a serious degree path. The PhD, or doctorate degree is the most difficult and time consuming degree one can acquire. Those who have earned it are considered experts in their field and have several years of specialized training. The average student takes 8.2 years to slog through a PhD program and is 33 years old before earning that top diploma. The next degree in the hierarchal structure is the masters degree, usually earned by those who want to push themselves in their career and have high ambitions. Students that pursue this graduate degree can expect to dedicate about 2 years of graduate school in addition to their previous post-secondary education- so half the time of a doctoral degree. Next, a bachelor's degree will qualify a student to work in entry-level or managerial positions, depending on the field. This degree is usually required for admittance into a graduate degree program and will often take four years to complete. Associate level degrees are 2 year programs that provide the necessary training to prepare students for entry-level positions. Finally, but not necessarily the least rewarding, a certification is a credential that you earn to show that you have specific skills or knowledge. They are usually tied to an occupation, technology, or industry. Certifications are usually offered by a professional organization or a company that specializes in a particular field or technology. Passing a certification test can take anywhere from weeks to years, depending on the field.

      My dream career would probably to become a surgeon in the Texas area. I would need a professional degree through a PhD and several hours of clinical training. Baylor University right here in Texas is an excellent school for medical endeavors so that is likely where I would attend to receive my credentials.

Below is a screenshot of a comprehensive graph that outlines so differences in the aforementioned degrees.