The decision to start or return to college comes with a range of emotions… excitement, motivation and even nervousness. Here’s the good news: These feelings are normal! Having been a Success Coach Manager for 12 years at Accelerated Pathways, I’ve worked with thousands of students through all the ups and downs of getting a degree.

To help you along your journey, here are a few things to know before starting your online education.

1.       Plan ahead

Studying at your own pace is a key advantage of Accelerated Pathways. However, it can be dangerous if you don’t develop a plan ahead of time.

Before starting, determine how many study hours you’ll need to set aside weekly to complete your course. For example, it takes 10 hours of study each week to complete a course in eight weeks. Find your course term length and then figure out how many hours you’ll need to study each week to complete that course on time.

Next, figure out when those hours will take place during your week. The orientation course has a calendar that you fill out to know when to study. Work with your Success Coach on a plan to adhere to those study hours. I tell my learners this: Protect your study hours, treat them like a part-time job and you will be successful!

2.       Find a routine

Studying autonomously has amazing benefits. It allows you to study the way that works best with your personal learning style. However, this also requires discipline.

Here’s one tip to be successful while studying autonomously: Find or create a study area that’s free from distractions. Throughout my master's degree, I had one place I studied. All my study needs were there—my computer, notecards, pens and highlighters. My phone was left in another room, so I’d use a computer timer to set my study for 25 minutes. Then I’d take a five-minute break before returning to study for another 25 minutes. This routine helped me to graduate in 10 months!

Be sure to work with your Success Coach to find a routine that works best for you. Because Accelerated Pathways courses are similar, once you’ve found a schedule pattern that works, it’ll most likely work for the rest of your courses.

3.       Discover your intrinsic motivation

Here’s one of the most important things I’ve discovered over the last decade as a Success Coach: Learners with intrinsic motivation are often more successful than learners who rely on external motivations such as a better job, more pay or even encouragement from others. While these are great to have, they don’t provide an immediate reward for learners. They’re future motivators.

Intrinsic motivation is the desire within a learner to better themselves. They want to complete tasks and assignments because it helps them feel better about themselves and gives the immediate reward of self-improvement. They feel joy and motivation when learning something new, completing a course or turning in an assignment.

To build your intrinsic motivation, try to recall the desire within yourself to want to go to school. Focus on why you wanted to challenge yourself and how you’re building your personal development each time you sit down to study. This will drive you forward, and you’ll be able to find that immediate satisfaction in a job well done.

4.       Stay connected

One of the biggest challenges of online learning is the isolation that comes with it. You study alone. You go to class alone. You make your study plans alone. Unfortunately, this can lead to depression and burn out.

That’s why Accelerated Pathways pairs you with a supportive Success Coach, so you are not doing this alone. However, we also encourage you to find an accountability partner or partners. Your coach is there when you need to vent, create study plans or solve learning obstacles. But having someone you can see and interact with in real life will provide more complete support and help ease the feeling of isolation.

Look for a friend, family member or fellow student who can help you with study ideas and hold you accountable for the goals you’ve set. This will take honesty and often stepping outside of your comfort zone but having this type of community support will be important to your success!

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Just starting your journey with Accelerated Pathways? Remember, your Success Coach is always just a call or email away. We’re here to cheerlead you from start to finish, help you reach your full potential and celebrate when you fulfill your goals. You've got this!

Meet Nailah! This Accelerated Pathways student is an aspiring teacher with a passion for instruction and student engagement. However, she previously struggled to finish her bachelor’s degree at a traditional four-year college while trying to balance the demands of a full-time job.

Thankfully, with the flexibility of Accelerated Pathways, she’s now on her way to finishing her degree, earning her teacher’s certificate and changing the world!

Check out our interview with Nailah to learn more about her inspiring story.

What made you choose Accelerated Pathways?

The program really stood out because it’s designed for people like me, who need the flexibility of an accredited program. Since my degree program is self-paced, I don’t have the pressure to take on more than I can handle. It fits into my life with work, but it also doesn’t take exceptionally long to finish and graduate.

Why did you decide to major in Psychology?

I’m fascinated with the “why” behind human behavior. There’s always an origin to behavior—whether good or bad. When I see the world from that perspective, I feel it allows me to be more patient and gracious. I knew that going to school to understand the way the mind works and how it ties into behavior would only make me a better teacher.

How’s your education helping with your career and life goals?

Going back to school has given me a boost of confidence – not only in the workplace, but also in my personal life. I would never tell anyone that going back to school is the easiest thing to do, but—my goodness—has it been worth it!

In the workplace, I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned in a lot of my classes, especially in the way that I show up for my team professionally. I’ve learned how to celebrate myself, how to better prioritize my time, how to better manage my mental health and how to give my best—even when I don’t feel like it.

How’s your experience with the Accelerated Pathways team?

I have nothing but amazing things to say about every person I’ve encountered. They are exceptionally supportive, and I can tell that they truly want to see me succeed. They’ve gone above and beyond to help me be the best that I can be—cheering me on from the very beginning—from monthly meetings with my advisor to having access to the Student Support team. Accelerated Pathways has offered me more support than I’ve ever gotten at a traditional four-year university.

How soon until you finish your degree?

I started Accelerated Pathways only having enough credits to classify as a sophomore. Now, I’m proud to say that I have three classes left before graduation! On top of that, I’ve made the Dean’s List every term at my graduating institution. This is really the biproduct of having the best support system with this program that I could ask for. Every step of this journey has been filled with the most incredible people!

Any post-graduation plans? What’s next?

After graduation, I plan to study for my teaching certification exam. I’m excited about the potential future of being an educator. Hopefully, I’ll be in the classroom soon – helping to shape futures! I’m looking forward to that full-circle moment, when I can see how the puzzle pieces truly come together from start to finish.

Any advice you’d give to others wanting to pursue a degree?

Just do it! Push through the fear of what it’ll be like or even the fear of not being successful because I’m here to tell you that it is more than possible, and I can guarantee that you will have the best cheerleaders with this program. You are capable of so much, especially with the right support system!

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We totally agree! Thinking of joining Nailah and thousands of other working adults in pursuing your educational goals? You’ll be amazed at how easy we make it to earn a degree completely debt-free! Learn more today.

Student loan borrowers in the United States currently owe a whopping $1.75 trillion in student loan debt! As the costs of college continue to increase and more students get stuck in the debt trap, many are looking for new ways to afford a degree.

Luckily, there are alternatives. In fact, 94% of Accelerated Pathways’ students graduate completely debt-free!

Check out these top 3 ways you can avoid student loan debt and get a head-start in life.

1.       Choose an affordable degree

With so many college options available today, there are more opportunities to reduce the costs of college while still getting a high-quality education. For example, choosing an online degree program can cut the most significant costs of traditional college like campus fees, equipment charges, textbooks, etc.

At Accelerated Pathways, we offer low-cost online courses that are regionally accredited. That means you can easily transfer your credit and graduate from your college of choice while saving a ton of money. Our academic advisors can find affordable degree paths for any educational goal. They create custom side-by-side degree comparisons to help students see which degree plan is most affordable and find ways to graduate completely debt-free.

2.       Work while studying 

Working full-time or part-time while attending college is another great way to avoid student loan debt. If you can pay for college as you go, instead of taking out loans to pay off large lump sums, then you’ll be way ahead of the game.

Working while studying is also a lot easier if you’re taking self-paced, online courses. We give students the flexibility to study around their work schedule—anytime, anywhere. You can also start courses whenever it’s convenient for you, instead of having to wait for a semester start date or course schedule.

Before you know it, all your hard work will pay off because, once you earn your degree, you can qualify for a promotion, a new job or higher pay. The difference is now you don't have to pay off student loans with your earnings or spend decades recovering your opportunity cost.

3.       Take advantage of your employer’s tuition assistance

Did you know that many employers provide educational benefits as a way to help their employees earn a degree? This is an excellent way to subsidize your education and avoid student loan debt.

If you’re planning to work while attending college, then consider getting a job with an employer who offers tuition reimbursement assistance. On average, companies provide around $6,000 per employee per year.

Already have a job? Ask your employer if they offer tuition assistance. If you’re looking for a job, check out these employers who offer educational benefits. By learning how to take advantage of your employer’s education benefits, you can earn a low to no-cost degree.

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We started Accelerated Pathways because we believe college shouldn’t be a debt sentence. Our goal is to help students find the most flexible, affordable degree path possible and graduate completely debt-free.

Ready to learn your options and avoid the student loan trap? We’re here for you! Check out our easy degree pricing.

The digital age has created the need for a new kind of leadership. In the face of constantly evolving technologies and rapidly changing markets, business leaders are increasingly being asked to implement new innovations and cutting-edge alternatives to previous legacy systems to stay competitive.

To succeed in this fast-moving environment, the leaders of today and tomorrow will need to be able to offer three distinct qualities:

1.       Vision 

Vision is essential to developing a coherent strategy and directing results in a rapidly advancing world. Current and future leaders will need to be able to provide their organization with the ability to envision and drive innovation in a useful way. According to MITSloan, these leaders will need to “help build digital capabilities by implementing the right technologies into the right parts of their customer experience, operations, employee experience, and business models.”

In addition, leaders must be prepared to adjust their vision and course depending on new circumstances. This means being able to fully understand your industry and the enormous impact digital transformation has on your business and society as a whole. Leaders who can create a clear vision and execute it well will find success. Those who try to “wing it” won’t last long, as their lack of vision and direction will lead to confusion and delays, thereby preventing rapid innovation and the ability to compete.

2.       Agility

Leaders who can quickly assess new situations and respond with smart and effective decisions are highly valued. Agility is a vital response to more complex and volatile markets. Supporting innovation under these conditions means understanding that projects you’re working on can suddenly lose significance or change course. As a leader, you’ll need to be able to manage a flexible team who can adapt quickly and execute changes effectively.

Furthermore, you’ll need to accomplish these goals with a team made up of a mixture of workers—from fulltime employees to gig workers to contractors and even AI. Markets have proven to reward organizations that can curate the best talent from around the world and manage their resources and capacity with a willingness to change, evolve and adapt. By establishing a work culture and team structure that encourages creativity and rapid innovation, leadership can ensure their organization thrives in a fast-paced world.

3.       Support

The future of leadership is also about empowering others to self-organize and operate in a less hierarchical system. This not only encourages agility, but it also allows for greater participation, involvement and contribution from everyone on the team. Leaders should take a more supportive role—encouraging, inspiring and nurturing others to grow and collaborate as they work remotely from all over the world.

In this supportive leadership role, part of your focus needs to be on connecting people to resources that can help them succeed, gain new skills and advance. You’ll need to find opportunities to both serve and educate your talent in a way that fosters a positive company culture and builds community. ​​By providing learning, mentorship, empowerment and growth opportunities, leaders in the digital age can deliver improved results not just for the organization, but for society as a whole. 

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Looking to developing your leadership skills or earn your business degree? We’ve got you covered! At Pearson Accelerated Pathways, we give you the freedom to earn a degree your way—anytime, anywhere. See how it works.