On the Fast Track Fayetteville AR

Posted by : Molly Joss

Dear Molly: I have no real experience with computers, but am interested in a career in computer databases. I've checked out the course offerings at the local college, as you often suggest, but everything I've seen at the introductory level seems so basic. All I want to do is learn about databases. How can I get on the fast track?

Molly says: Most colleges and universities these days have academic programs and continuing education programs. They may also have something called accelerated learning or accelerated degree programs. Check out the computer course offerings in all these departments before you make your decision.

The academic computing department is usually geared toward undergraduates pursuing a two- or four-year degree. Thus, the introductory computer classes cover a lot of general information because they are preparing you for an in-depth understanding of what's going on inside the computer.

The continuing education and accelerated learning programs are for people not pursuing a degree, so you can find short courses that take six, twelve and maybe 20 hours on a particular, focused area of study. You might, for example, find a course on Microsoft Access that tells you how to use this database program for creating and using simple business-related databases.

Since you have no formal education in computers and want to build a career in database technologies and applications, there is no way to shorten the learning process s...

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