The U.S. Census Bureau determined that lifetime earnings for people who hold only a high school diploma can rise as high as $1 million. But complete an associate's degree and your lifetime earnings nearly double to $1.8 million. It gets better as you continue your degree training. Lifetime earnings for average bachelor's degree holders top out around $2.1 million. Add a master's degree, graduate school, or doctorate degree and your lifetime earnings range between $2.5 million and $4.4 million.

The traditional four-year degree from a college or university is fast giving way to a more career-oriented program. Career education schools increasingly focus less on unnecessary coursework and more on career oriented degree programs. This model of career education focuses on giving students the specific skills and education needed for a career change, first time careers, and also advancing your current career.

Because of the shift towards career-oriented education, students can often complete degree programs in a matter of months, as opposed to the years it commonly takes. Many colleges and universities now have courses that begin every few weeks or incorporate "fast-track" intensive programs or online learning to speed things up.

Undeniably, one of the biggest changes in higher education in the last decade has been the increase in online education. Online degree programs have been the key that allows many non-traditional students to fit continuing education into their busy schedules. Judging by the rising number of those who have taken at least one online course in the fall of 2005 -- 3 million nationwide, or nearly 20% of higher education students, according to the Sloan Foundation -- online learning appears also to be earning students’ faith. In fact, research has found that 77% of prospective students would consider enrolling in a fully online degree program.

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