Types of Army Education Benefits
The Army Career and Alumni Program offers education benefits via the tuition assistance (TA) or credentialing assistance (CA) program. Here is the introduction to these programs and their timelines.
TA vs CA
The Army’s TA program pays some portion of your tuition while you obtain an undergraduate or postgraduate level education from an accredited school. On the other hand, the Army’s CA program will pay some portion of your education costs while you attend approved schools to obtain professional credentials.
Graduation Timelines
TA is a good choice if you’re willing to commit up to four years to acquiring a degree before starting to earn a living in your desired field. Moreover, applications and admissions requirements of traditional higher education can push back your timeline even further. If you begin work on your application today, it’ll be years before you have a degree and even longer before you’re working.
Conversely, the programs covered under CA have a much shorter completion time than traditional college courses do, and they are often focused on growing industries.
Choosing Credentialing Assistance over Tuition Assistance
Using CA is a good option if you want to complete your education quickly and start earning right away. You can find, join, and complete a certification program in just a few months. Here are some of the online career training programs offered by MedCerts, all of which are fully covered under CA:
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MedCerts Medical Billing Specialist Program — This program’s designed to prepare you to work in the booming medical industry as a Certified Medical Billing and Coding Specialist (MCBC). The program is just two courses, which span 12 weeks and includes national certification through the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA.
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MedCerts IT Security Specialist Program — This program helps soldiers expand their IT expertise into the field of security and teaches familiarity with a variety of operating systems, including OS X, Unix, or Linux. Gain CompTIA Security+ certification in just 12 weeks.
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MedCerts PC Technician Program — This program aims to equip you with everything you need to work as a PC Technician. Spanning 12 weeks, it is designed to prepare students for their CompTIA A+ Essentials and CompTIA A+ Practical Application certifications. It also serves as a solid foundation upon which you can build toward other IT certifications.
Takeaway
The timelines for professional certifications are best measured in weeks, not years. Using Army education benefits to obtain a professional credential is one of the fastest ways to learn valuable skills, start a new career, or increase your earning potential.
The Army, Department of Defense, and Department of the Army are not affiliated with MedCerts and do not endorse our services.
