Taking the Certified Government Travel Professional Certification Course is going to introduce you to learning outside the classroom. This is now becoming an easier way for a working adult to either continue their education or in this case start to gain a professional certification in our own industry. In the paragraphs below you will see that there are additional opportunities for you to continue your education or for many, finally have the opportunity to earn a college degree.
There was a time that most of us thought that education really only took place in a classroom environment, either at a school or in a conference room. There are some new education alternatives that give you the opportunity to learn a subject or pursue a degree outside of the classroom. One of the best parts about the Certified Government Travel Professional course is that it is completely self paced so you can give the course time when your schedule permits.
There are Collegiate Institutions that allow you to work at your pace and choose the time when you work on your degree. One of those isCalifornia Coast University that you may have seen their ads in the in-flight magazines. The approach this school uses, as many others, is they send you the course materials and the text book. You schedule your time to read the book and the course materials and then submit your course examinations and also three essay questions. These schools have found that if you can write an essay on designated parts of the course that accurately reflects the subject matter, that you have mastered the course. The average time it takes to complete a course is approximately 10 to 12 hours of concentrated time. A course can easily be completed over the course of two weekends if you focus your time.
These types of schools allow you to pursue a degree in areas of Business Management, Healthcare Administration and Psychology as an example. There also are other schools that allow you to take course work online such as the American Intercontinental University, theUniversity of Phoenix, the Wharton Business School and Cornell. These schools have a professor monitor your progress through the internet and also give you access to a professor for questions on the course materials. That is a down fall of the strictly self directed schools like California Coast University, but you need to remember you need to find the environment that works best for you.
If one of these two school options seems interesting, take a course from each school and evaluate your ability to work within their environment to determine which meets your time needs. You need to be aware that to earn a degree from any of these schools, that you will be taking 40 to 45 courses from degree specific courses to general education. Now while that seems like a lot of work you do have the opportunity to receive either Experiential Credit or Credit by Experience. It is possible to receive course credit for up to half the courses towards a degree. You do need to provide proof that you have taken similar courses which is not as difficult as you might think.
Now if this is sounding like something that interests you, let me give you one more thing to consider, Tuition. While these schools do not charge exorbitant tuition fees you actually may not have to pay any of the course work fees. Most companies offer a Tuition Reimbursement Program based on you successfully completing each course. So other than some administrative fees you could have a Full Scholarship!
There is one other type of learning that you can use to further your education and that could be an internal development center that your company offers or it may also be offered from a professional association where you are a member. Most of the courses offered have been designed to help you in your daily tasks. Some of these courses are as simple as an introductory class for Excel or can be as detailed as Decision Making Skills and Management Development.
After taking the Certified Government Travel Professional Course, you should have seen how learning can be not only fun, but let you remember things you may have learned earlier, but have either forgotten or just not used recently. This course lays out information in real terms and is logically presented so that you can retain the information and have a resource you can print out and use for future reference.
The most important thing to take away from this article is that the options for enhancing your education and hopefully your career advancement have gotten much easier to access. There are options designed to work within the time constraints you have now. So if you are willing to commit the time, you will receive the benefits.
By Ted Miller, CHME, CHSP Starwood Hotels and Resorts