Online Education Options for Event Planning
- Online Event Planning Certifications give individuals a basic understanding of the event planning career. This is a basic credential that may give some candidates an advantage over other applicants for a job opportunity.
- Online Associates Event Planning Degree enables students to become familiar with the basics of event planning and hospitality. An Associates degree provides an excellent credential for event planners who are just starting out in this career field. Further education and experience may enhance an individual's opportunities for advancement, promotion, or increase in salary.
- Online Bachelors Event Planning Degree is an excellent credential for event planners seeking employment. A Bachelors degree provides individuals with more training and experience than individuals with an Associates degree. This makes individuals with a Bachelors degree particularly appealing to potential employer. Event planners with an online degree in event planning may have more opportunities to advance than those with less experience, training, or education.
Event Planning Career and Salary Information
An online degree in event planning gives individuals excellent qualifications for employment opportunities, especially if they have little or no on-the-job experience. There are many opportunities for event planners such as weddings, businesses, conventions, colleges and universities, and other people or groups looking for someone else to handle all of the logistics of the planning for the big event they are hosting. The median entry level salary for people with an event planning degree is $42,180. However, the salary may range from $40,284 to $75,185 depending on the individual's education, training, and experience in the field as well as their employment setting. Employment settings for event planners include religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations; hotels and resorts; educational services (public and private); governments; convention and trade show organizing firms; corporate meeting and convention planning groups; and self-employed. The number of jobs in this career field is expected to grow by 20% by 2016, which is faster than the average for all occupations. With increased globalization in the business sector, more corporations and organizations will be looking to event planners to plan and set up their conventions or meetings. People aspiring to become event planners must have excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) and excellent interpersonal skills. They must also be able to multitask, meet tight deadlines, maintain composure under pressure, formulate and follow budgets, understand and negotiate contracts, and learn about the various groups they are working for. Computer skills are extremely helpful in this career and knowledge of a foreign language may be helpful in communicating with some meeting attendees and speakers.