Making the decision to go back to school is not easy. The more obligations you have, the harder it is to do. But more schools are sweetening the pot, so to speak, by offering college credit for professional work experience.

Jorge Maldonado, Management Analyst and Web Master for the Midwest Center for Postsecondary Outreach at Saint Paul College in Saint Paul, Minn., benefited from his school’s life experience credit.

“Prior learning gives students like me an opportunity to be awarded with credits that have been acquired through traditional and nontraditional schooling, work or other life experiences,” Maldonado was quoted on MSN’s Encarta web site.

Life experience credit can be awarded for a number of different reasons. The most common ways to earn life experience credit are through portfolio assessment, testing out of classes, earning certifications for credit or completing on-the-job training courses.

Portfolio assessment: The premise behind the portfolio assessment is that you might already have the knowledge taught in a specific class. Rather than relearn the material, you can be awarded the college credit equivalent for that class.

Testing out: Most people would rather do classwork than take a test, unless that test can help them earn college credit. Such is the case with the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). CLEP tests can be completed in more than 500 subjects. The credits can be applied toward the completion of your college degree.

Certifications: Many certifications require tests to demonstrate competency. The transcripts from these tests can be presented to the school. In most cases, as long as the tests and resulting certifications indicate mastery of materials equivalent to those covered in college coursework, the certifications can be applied toward college credit.

On-the-job training: There are many benefits to on-the-job training, including earning while you learn, expanding your knowledge base and applying that training toward a degree. The American Council on Education offers a College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) that allows popular workforce training to be applied toward degree completion. Check the ACE web site to find out if your training qualifies.

No matter what degree program you are interested in, it is possible to earn life experience credit. You just have to ask the right questions when you talk to your admissions representative or college advisor.

Diane Dick, a stay-at-home mom who returned to school to pursue her degree, took advantage of a number of life experience credit options.

“It’s critical that you don’t just present experience but evaluate your learning in light of these academic skills,” she said. Her portfolio experience and CLEP tests added a combined 18 college credits to her transcript.

If you are considering going back to school to complete your degree or start working toward a degree, remember that your professional experience can work to your advantage.

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