There’s a common, career-limiting misconception that increasing your earning potential by going back to school requires a huge time commitment and a lot more money than you have. It may be true that lawyers, doctors, and engineers have to test their meddle in library books for years before they get to spend the spoils of their checkbooks. However, lawyers, doctors, and engineers aren’t the only professions making the big bucks.
You can alter your career trajectory and dramatically increase your earning potential in as little as four months. Time is money, after all, so let’s take a look at seven, short-term training courses that will put you on the path to a higher-paying career.
Real Estate Agent
The amount of time it takes to become a real estate agent varies by state. In general, interested parties should mentally prepare themselves to complete between 60 and 150 hours of pre-licensing coursework as well as a post-course real-estate exam.
Expect your pre-licensing curriculum to cover topics such as contracts, titles, real estate investments, deeds, fair housing laws, real estate law, and appraisal. The best part, the cost of pre-licensing school starts at just $200.
Better yet, you could train for your Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager Designation (CRB), the most respected designation in real estate. In particular, the Rebi Institute offers a short-term CRB program with nine five-hour courses, so you can become apart of this prestigious three percent in no time.
For those interested, real estate agents earned a median pay of $50,730 per year in 2019. Plus, the job will see a growth of two percent through 2029.
Commercial Driver
Life on the road has a certain romantic appeal. Seeing the country at a comfortable pace, operating heavy equipment, meeting new people every single day… it’s a lifestyle.
If it’s a lifestyle that interests you, then you’ll be happy to know that attaining the required CDL license is as simple as signing up for Roehl’s GET YOUR CDL driver training program.
Roehl’s unique program is made up of three paid phases. The first phase consists of three weeks of practical training and pays you $500 upon completion. The second phase gets you in a truck and on the job with a Certified Driver Trainer. The third phase puts you in a truck and on the payroll.
Commercial drivers earned a median salary of $45,260 per year in 2019. While jobs are expected to grow two percent through 2029, but that won’t matter because, with Roehl’s GET YOUR CDL initiative, a job is guaranteed.
Phlebotomy Technician
Working in a hospital, diagnostic lab, or doctor’s office doesn’t always require a seven-year commitment. Phlebotomy technicians are trained to draw blood for tests, donations, and research. Moreover, they can move from the first day of school to the first day on the job in around six months.
Although the median salary may be low — phlebotomists earned $35,510 per year in 2019 — the job is expected to grow by a whopping 17 percent between now and 2029.
If what you’ve read so far has gotten your blood pumping, check out MedCerts. Their program could get you job-ready in just 11 weeks, for just $2,000 total.
HVAC Technician
If you like job site variety, meeting new people, and earning an income with your hands, look no further.
First and foremost, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earned a respectable median salary of $48,730 per year. Even better, the field is expected to grow by four percent during the coming decade.
You can expect your certification course to cover gas heating systems, system controls, building mechanical codes, and HVAC diagnostics, with tuition costs ranging between $1,200 and $15,000. Right now, Ashworth College can get you on the path to accreditation in as little as four-months with one of the most affordable HVAC training programs of its kind.
Certified Nursing Assistant
Another way to get your foot in the door at a local medical center without incurring mountains of debt is through nursing assistant training.
The nurse assistant training course from the American Red Cross is an accredited program with a competitive tuition cost of just $1,800. Training to be a certified nursing assistant (CNA) consists of a combination of in-class and clinical practice learning, with a focus on human anatomy, patient observation, and patients’ legal rights.
While nursing assistants can’t do everything that doctors and registered nurses can, an eight percent job outlook is certainly proof of their importance. Plus, CNAs earned a median pay of $29,640 in 2019.
Personal Trainer
Personal trainers truly enjoy the best of both worlds. They can freelance and build a career around their lifestyle. Or if structure is what they crave, they can partner with a local gym, teach weekly classes or even create digital content to share online.
Though you don’t always need a professional education or accreditation to succeed as a personal trainer, a growing number of employers are hiring certified trainers and specialists. You can earn your AFPA certification in as little as six months for just $549 from the comfort of your own home by enrolling in this fully online course from the American Fitness Professionals Association.
It all adds up to a great value when you consider that personal trainers earned a median salary of $40,390 per year in 2019 with a job outlook of 15 percent growth.
EMT
A seven-month schooling commitment and a Coursera membership is the only thing standing between you and a career as an emergency medical technician (EMT). Well, not really. You also have to love helping people and be able to handle the countless stresses of the job.
It’s a challenging position, but it’s one that’s expected to grow by six percent in the coming decade and logged a median pay of $35,400 per year in 2019.