Many adult learners who attempt to return to school find that they lack the proper number or level of educational credits required for their degree program. Oftentimes, adult learners have a substantial amount of work experience in the field they want to study, but are behind in meeting the school's educational requirements. In what is seen as a growing trend among older students reentering the education scene, more and more prospective students want to know if work can be converted into college credits.
Basing credit off of life experiences requires that you establish a portfolio or learning assessment to formalize the type of college-level knowledge you have achieved. This is a kind of self-assessment of how your work experience matches the types of lessons taught by specific college courses. For example, instead of simply outlining how much time has been spent working on computer databases, the emphasis should be on what skills do you possess that match a certain computer course (ex. Databases 101, Databases 210, etc.). Usually this entails offering some physical proof of proficiency at that level; in the instance of databases, you must provide proof of a database created using those skills. If you are an artist, then perhaps you can submit an original work of art as a sample of proficiency in watercolors. If you are trying to earn credit for social work, you could submit proof of work experience in performing certain acts in the human services field.
Schools tend to be very stringent when it comes to giving credit for work experience. While they may offer to exchange experience for college credit, they often give out only a certain number of credits. It is important that you research schools and ask them about the level of experience that can be applied towards your education.
Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) are the individual competency evaluations students must undergo in order to convert experience into course credits. While the process is very elaborate and success is uncertain under most circumstances, it is well worth the effort if you have accrued significant industry experience and are looking to expedite your education.
