Do you have several years career experience but no diploma? Do you need one to get a promotion, enrich your resume, or just for personal satisfaction? Well, you don’t have to spend the 2 or 3 years normally required to earn a diploma.
Through a concept known as Prior Learning and Recognition (PLAR), you can use your previous knowledge gained through self-study or in the workplace (as well as any formal college courses) to gain recognized college credits towards a diploma.
For instance, if you’ve spent several years writing computer programs, and now you’re interested in a diploma, PLAR is the way to go. There are several avenues to proving your expertise. These include interviews, challenge exams, and attestations of work experience.
If your employer is willing to write out your job experience, you can use that as proof that you have the knowledge required to pass “Numeric Computing”, “Critical Thinking and IT Concepts”, and “Object-Oriented Programming using Java”, for instance.
Challenge exams allow you to prove you have the knowledge of that course by completing a comprehensive test regarding that content. This would be an excellent way to earn a credit for an “Operating Systems” or “Web Design and Development” course.
Of particular interest to those who would like to write challenge exams is the CLEP (College Level Examination Program.) You can write exams in subjects to gain credits in over 30 subjects. Most exams give you three credits (equivalent of one course) but some exams can give you six, nine, or even 12 credits per exam.
The CLEP website is here.
Interviews are more often suited for courses that have broad, easily discerned requirements. For instance, “Technical Communications” or a careers course.
One important thing to keep in mind is that even if you have all the knowledge required for the diploma, there are normally “residency” requirements. This means you’ll only be able to earn 75% (often less for Universities, sometimes more) of your diploma or degree through PLAR.
75% is pretty good, if you ask me! Contact your local college or University to enquire about their PLAR process, and the fees. They normally charge a service fee per course (e.g. $40 per assessment.) It can be a great way to shave off diploma requirements if you’ve got the experience, however.
