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Guide for career changers

Changing careers? Make sure your qualifications hold up

Career changers are a favourite target for degree sellers: you need a qualification fast, alongside a job. Here is how to find out what a new field really needs, and how to get it without falling for a diploma mill.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

1. Find out what the new field really requires

Not every career change needs a degree. Before you pay for any course, check the official career information for the country you want to work in:

Look at real job adverts in your target field too. They show whether employers ask for a degree, a licence, a short certificate or simply experience.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

2. In a licensed profession, the regulator decides

Nursing, teaching, engineering, law, accounting, psychology and many other careers are regulated. To practise, you need a qualification the regulator accepts, and a degree from an unaccredited school will be refused, often after you have paid for it.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

  • United States: licences are set by each state. CareerOneStop's License Finder shows the licensing body for each occupation.
  • United Kingdom: the Regulated Professions Register lists the regulator for each profession.
  • Australia: check the professional body or registration board for your occupation, for example through Your Career.

Ask the regulator before you enrol. A two-line email asking whether a specific programme meets their requirements can save you years.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

3. Short courses and certificates: check the provider

Many career changes start with a short course. Check that the provider and the qualification are real:

4. Watch out for career-change scams

  • Degrees in weeks. A degree that fits a career change "in 30 days" is not a degree. See the signs of a diploma mill.
  • Pay-to-work offers. A job that requires you to buy a certificate, a course or a "verified degree" from the recruiter is a scam.
  • Guaranteed jobs. No genuine course can guarantee you a job or a visa.
  • Fake verification. If a seller promises your degree will "pass any background check", it is fake. Employers verify with the university directly.

Paste any offer into the message scanner, or a provider's address into the website X-ray.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

5. If the new career does need a degree

Accredited universities offer part-time and online degrees designed for people who work, and many give credit for prior learning from your current career, after an assessment. It shortens a degree; it does not replace it. You complete the rest through assessed study, and the result is the same degree other graduates receive.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

Want help applying? The team behind this site also runs a paid admissions service for working adults applying to accredited universities. Tell us what you are looking for, or browse the universities we work with. How this site is run

6. Already paid a degree seller?

Act quickly: stop using the document, keep the receipts and messages, report the seller to the police or your national consumer protection agency, and ask your bank or card provider whether the payment can be disputed. To understand the risk of keeping a fake degree on your CV, see fake degree penalties by country.

©⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠ 2026 Accredited University. All rights reserved.General information, not legal advice. Every fact links to its source.

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