Do you have years of experience as an executive under your belt? If so, going back to school could be much simpler than you thought. Getting an executive education can drastically improve your career path, but you need to have the necessary experience.

Most schools will require at least some experience as an executive in order to enroll in an executive education program. However, it’s also important to note that you’re not going to be taking a long term course in this area. With an executive course, you’ll be studying shorter periods of time, to improve specific skillsets.

An Executive MBA requires far more time and is a complete university program, from start to finish. You can expect to spend two to four years working on this degree, online or off. At the end of your studies, you’ll have a degree in the field.

Which option should you choose? It usually comes down to time and money. Do you need to learn one skill fast? Or are you looking for a longer term solution to move up in your career?

Fast classes allow you to build individual skills and fairly quickly, while you’ll want to take a full program if you’re looking to get a degree. The choice is yours.