How a career-focused college can further your professional plans, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic
A career-focused education is one that allows students, through academic programs, to pinpoint their professional path and focus on one particular career field.
Through educational programs that empower and employ, career-focused institutions provide innovative instruction and hands-on training to streamline students from the classroom into their future careers.
A career-focused education implements inspiring classroom curricula that enhance — allowing students to earn their degree, develop their destiny, and create a solid foundation for their future success.
Top five competitive advantages of attending a career-focused college:
- Career-focused institutions: Schools that save time
Whether you’re looking to enroll in a certificate program, earn your master’s degree, or any option in-between, career-focused colleges like Goodwin University help passionate students prepare for their profession.
Appropriate for full-time working adults or students fresh out of high school, the academic options found at career-driven colleges are readily accessible and affordable for ambitious applicants.
Career-focused facts:
Career-focused colleges are typically more accepting of transfer credits from other institutions and even offer educational credits for professional and personal life experience.
More flexible than traditional schools, career-focused colleges often offer students several start date options throughout the year. Goodwin University, for instance, gives applicants six academic start dates to choose from annually.
Further flexibility of career-focused colleges includes classes during the day, offerings in the evening, weekend classes, courses online, on-campus, or hybrid alternatives.
Accelerated academics like Goodwin’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program and bridge programs offered at career-focused college can quicken a student’s time spent in the classroom so they can join the workforce faster.
Colleges focused on their graduates’ job-readiness are also a perfect path for those who know exactly what career field they want to enter and are eager to start.
Truth-telling testimonial to back it up:
“Goodwin always made me feel like a person rather than a number. This is why I chose to continue my education from ADN to BSN with their flexible online program. I was able to immerse myself in my new career and complete my RN-to-BSN in 16 months.”
— Ralene Saglio, BSN, RN, RN-to-BSN graduate
- Classroom engagement: An immersive educational experience
Career-focused facts:
At smaller career-focused institutions, you’re not just a number lost in the crowd of a large lecture hall; smaller class sizes mean easier interactions among faculty, staff, and students and offer a more personalized academic approach.
Smaller class sizes are also a perfect option for those who are the first in their families to go to college, and who might feel lost and struggle to find their way in larger university settings.
Intimate classes can also create more cohesive cohorts. Increased interactions among students then have the power to turn classmates into a community, all striving toward one common goal: to turn their aspirations into actuality.
Truth-telling testimonial to back it up:
“At Goodwin, I loved how small the classes were; the professors were always there to help you. You could tell that teaching wasn’t just a job for them; it was clear they were excited to go to work, teach, and help people — the professors were always kind and personable.”
— Morgan Sheldon, Business Administration graduate
- Career-focused curriculum: Where education meets job experience
Career-focused facts:
Job-readiness curricula include content directly related to your career goals. Students are instructed on core subjects and soft, transferable skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork at career-focused colleges.
Career-focused colleges also have academics with practical applications, imparting specific sets of field-focused skills while staying in tune with accreditations, industry standards, and regulatory compliance.
The competency-based curricula taught are also designed to expand enrolled students’ employability by providing in-demand career options.
For instance, to combat the manufacturing decline in Connecticut, Goodwin University partnered with the state to begin training programs that would ultimately find the next generation of fabricators.
Truth-telling testimonial to back it up:
“Choosing Goodwin was the greatest choice of my life. For the first time, school wasn’t daunting, and I had success building my skills in the field.”
— Maureen Moore, Child Study graduate
- A career-focused college caring for communities during crisis
During the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond, career-focused colleges like Goodwin provide Nursing, Respiratory Care and Public Health programs — pipelining students swiftly into their field to save as many lives as possible.
With long overdue social injustices brought to the forefront in 2020, programs like Goodwin’s associate degree in Criminal Justice, bachelor’s in Public Safety and Security, and master’s in Leadership provide students an inclusive academic atmosphere to respectfully discuss historical events as they happen in real-time.
When effects of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an increase in mental health concerns, career-focused colleges like Goodwin offer degrees in Human Services so students could better assist and advocate for those struggling with mental health in their communities.
To counter the rise of unemployment in the nation by the millions, career-focused colleges like Goodwin also offer short-term certificate programs — quickly providing people the valuable skills they need to become employed in professions of purpose.
- Future planning: From pupil to performing member of a team
Even after you’ve graduated, career-focused colleges want to ensure that you’re gainfully employed in your field of focus.
Career-focused facts:
Career-focused institutions offer dedicated Career Services teams trained in career placement, interview assistance, résumé review, and more.
A professional perk of attending a career-focused college, institutions like Goodwin University have access to online job portals and career development tools like College Central Network. Such platforms promote captivating career podcasts and intermingle professional organizations with qualified student and alumni applicants to maintain industry integrity.
Professors at career-focused colleges also possess years of professional experience in their field — allowing students an array of internship site opportunities and a fresh, professional perspective of the ins-and-outs of the occupation. Inspirational instructors, in turn, bring their real-world wisdom into the classroom for students to take with them out into their careers.
Truth-telling testimonial to back it up:
“Goodwin offers so many unique services to support their students. You truly feel like you have a team behind you cheering you on every step of that way.”
— Sam Cohen, MSOL graduate
If you’re looking for a team of people to see you through to professional success, look no further than Goodwin University, a career-focused institution designed to make your dream career come to life.
Interested in attending Goodwin University? Learn more now!
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.