Tuition assistance programs are rewards that certain employers give you for going to school while working. The most well-known one is joining a branch of the military, whether through your campus’s ROTC branch or having served already. Such employers will offer aid to help pay for your schooling. How much aid depends on the company.
For example, Amazon has a program that benefits any hourly wage employees that have been working with the company for at least a year. This is called Career Choice. It funds 95% of the up-front costs for tuition and books. However, the company only funds education for those jobs deemed “in high demand” by sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if you want to go to school for an Art degree, Amazon probably won’t be able to help.
According to research from Deloitte, approximately 71% of employers offer some kind of tuition assistance. A quick internet search or asking your HR department can tell you if the employer you work for has a Tuition Assistance Program. Some companies limit what school you can take classes from: Starbucks pays tuition for its employees for online degrees from Arizona State University. Any little bit can help offset the cost of higher education, so don’t be afraid to investigate!
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