This guy was on the way to the movies. He got dressed ordered his tickets online and was ready to go when his car stopped a mile ahead of the theater. Why you ask? There was no gas, now all of that effort is for nothing and more importantly he missed the movie he prepaid for. As bad as this was, imagine if you prepaid for college credits and found out your degree doesn't have the accreditation you need to get the job you want? You'd probably be out a lot more than a $10 movie ticket. When picking a school accreditation is something to factor in. Here are some things you should know about accreditation. (Tommaso79/Getty Images)
This laptop is clearly broken. You can do almost nothing with a broken laptop. If someone asks "hey do you have a computer," you may say yes, because technically you do have one but it is broken, old, and unable to stream music or play games.So what's the point? Just because you have something, like this broken laptop, doesn't mean it is enough to be usable. The same is true with accreditation. Just because a school is “accredited,” that’s probably not enough. Of course, all schools must be accredited to be eligible for federal and state financial aid programs. But not all accreditations carry the same weight. Make sure your school's accreditation aligns with your after school plans. If it doesn't you may be like the owner of this computer, having something that can literally do nothing. (Deepblue4you/Getty Images)
Let's be honest, last year on Black Friday you stood in line with the crowds waiting to buy a TV. But, not just any TV, a flat screen smart TV. You can connect all of your apps, maybe you can even talk directly to it depending on the type you purchased. You can connect it anywhere without a box, its great. Regional accreditation is your flat screen smart TV. Regional accreditation is an accreditation decided by the regional agency that presides over its home state. It is the more prestigious and highly regarded type of accreditation and is more easily accepted at different schools. When looking at schools a regionally accredited school will offer you more opportunities, just like your smart TV will offer you more channels. (Bagira22/Getty Images)
This TV is clearly not the flat screen that we just talked about. Don't get me wrong it is still a TV, it still works but is limited. You most likely need a converter box just to view the local channels. Don't even try to watch any apps on it, there's a small likelihood of it working with an HDMI cord, but I wouldn't hold my breath. National accreditation is this TV. National accreditation is given by certain CHEA-approved agencies typically to technical, vocational and distance learning schools. While some nationally accredited schools, are well respected many are not. National accreditation often isn’t respected by most colleges and universities, and it is often not good enough for employers. If you attend a "nationally accredited" school your credits may not transfer to a "regionally accredited school." When looking at colleges a national accreditation school will work, but in limited capacities, just like this TV.(Chinnasorn Pangcharoen/Getty Images)
Everyone want's to be taken seriously, and seen as legit. I bet you'd believe what he is saying is legitimate, it's the bow tie and suspenders right? If you want to be really legit you want to make sure whatever degree you have is accredited and inline with your career field. Many career fields require specialized accreditation that not every school has. (Siphotography/Getty Images)
Information contributed by Veteran's Education Success. Find more at https://veteranseducationsuccess.org. (Elise Amendola/AP)