5 Certificates You Can Earn Online to Advance Your Career

Before we begin to explain all the possible certificates one can earn in order to advance their respective careers we must first thoroughly explain why a certificate could be beneficial to your career. 

What exactly is a certificate?

Certification may be a credential demonstrating that you have the knowledge, experience, and specific skills needed for a selected field or job. Certifications are different from professional licenses which will be required to carry certain jobs. 

Certifications assess and verify that an individual has proficiency or maybe has mastered certain abilities and skills, which may then be used to accelerate career growth within a field, instead of a specific job. 

What are the benefits of professional certification?

There are undoubtedly many benefits of professional certification like,

• Better employment or advancement opportunities within your current organization

• A competitive advantage over other candidates within the market who don’t have a certification, because it verifies both skills and ambition through the initiative you took to get a higher earning potential 

Now that we have explained the schematics of being certified and all possible benefits to it, we will now entail the best possible certifications for the overall advancements of your career.

5 Certificates You can Earn Online to Advance your Career

Given below are 5 certificates you can earn online in order to advance your career:

Accounting Certificate

 If numbers come easily to you and you've got a mind for money, accounting may be a great field for you. 

Accountants help people, businesses, and organizations to keep track of their monetary wealth. They assist in the add up of finances, file taxes, and complete analysis of monetary and business records. Learn How to Become an Accountant

Certified Public Accountants (CPA) must complete 150 credit hours and pass a certification exam before they become certified and eligible to work. A bachelor’s degree offers 120 credits to complete the course. For an easy 30 extra hours, interested students can receive their CPAs and also earn a significantly higher wage. 

Core Concepts and Coursework

Given below is the main concepts and courses that would be a part of this certificate

• Principles of Financial Accounting

• Payroll Accounting

• Financial Accounting

• Income Tax, Federal Tax

• Accounting Information Systems

• Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Managerial Accounting

Career Prospects and Outlook

Given below are the career opportunities that one can pursue after achieving an accounting certificate.

• Bookkeeper

• Accounting Assistant

• Auditing Clerk

• Financial Reporting Clerk

• Accounting Technician

The minimum credits that can be achieved are entirely dependent on the course. While certificate programs are considerably shorter than full degree programs, the number of courses required varies from 5 to 10 or more, totaling 15 to 45 credits. Some certificate programs can be completed in less than a year, while others take several years to complete, especially if enrolled as a part-time student.

For more information on career prospects, you can read -  What can you do with an accounting degree?

Information Technology Certificate

Information technology certificate Information Technology (IT), is an incredibly large field that encompasses everything from software engineering to computer networking.

The IT field is growing at a tremendous rate and there are plenty of job options for qualified candidates. 

Most certifications in IT are supported by learning a specific program, software, or protocol. Certifications also are often offered by technology companies themselves (e.g., Microsoft). These programs teach students the way to install, use, and maintain their programs.

Core Concepts and Coursework

Given below is the main concepts and courses that would be a part of this certificate

• Information systems

• Microsoft Office Suite

• Applications software

• C Programming

• Database development

• LAN/WAN technologies

Career Prospects and Outlook

Given below are the career opportunities that one can pursue after achieving an information technology certificate

• Information systems manager

• Systems administrator

• Database administrator

• Computer programmer

• Computer systems analyst

• Information technology project manager

Certificate programs in information technology are most often offered through the continuing education or extension departments of 4-year universities and 2-year community colleges and last about a year. Only a high school education is required to enroll. This certificate program requires a minimum of 30 credits to complete it and receive the certificate. 

Human Resources Certificate

Human resources certificate Certifications within the Human Resources (HR) field allow professionals the prospect to reinforce their resumes and also strengthen their position within the field. Students of HR certificate programs take classes focused on employee/company relations, conflict management, organizational behavior and methods, and development. 

Core Concepts and Coursework

Given below is the main concepts and courses that would be a part of this certificate

• Business Communications and Critical Thinking

• Introduction to Computer Applications and Systems

• Ethics and Social Responsibility

• Organizational Development

• Fundamentals of Human Resources Management

• Strategic Human Resource Management and Emerging Issues

Career Prospects and Outlook

Given below are the career opportunities that one can pursue after achieving a human resources certificate

• International Human Resources Associate

• Executive Recruiter

• Labor Relations Specialist

• Human Resources Consultant

• Training and Development Manager

• Compensation and Benefits Manager

• Human Resources Manager

Leadership and Management Certificate

A leadership and management certification can cause you to be more competitive for brand spanking new jobs, increase overall earning potential, and position you for promotions within your current company. This certification includes learnings on topics like strategic deciding, motivating people for top performance, coaching skills for leaders, and leading collaborative teams. 

Project Management Certificate

A project management certificate may be a great base certificate which will be applied to multiple different fields. Courses cover topics that provide you with valuable skills like time management, communication, risk assessment, and also cost estimation and management. With such a broad base of learning, a project management certificate is out there to completely anyone. that has those with or without prior college credit.

For more info, read: How to become a Project Manager

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are a variety of certifications you can take in order to further advance your career and gain the experience necessary to be deemed an essential part of the workforce. If you wish to pursue certification especially in a professional manner, it would be beneficial to talk to your employer as they may have some relevant suggestions regarding the skills necessary to enhance your overall work-life portfolio. Another way to do your due diligence regarding your certification is to talk to other professionals. They may hold certifications or be able to recommend some that could help you advance your career. 

You might also be interested to read - Lucrative Careers You Can Get With An Online Certificate