Compare career development loans

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Keeping up-to-date on the skills you need in order to do your job well has never been more difficult — thanks to rapid advances in technology. Career development programs are a great way to stay relevant, whether you work for an organization or run your own business.

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Finder Score	APR	Min. credit score	Loan amount
Finder score 9 Excellent SoFi personal loans	Finder score 9 Excellent	7.74%–35.49% with autopay and member discounts (0.25% each)	680	$5,000 to $100,000	A highly-rated lender with competitive rates, high loan amounts and no required fees.	Go to site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 9.3 Excellent Upstart personal loans	Finder score 9.3 Excellent	6.20%–35.99% (includes any origination fee)	300	$1,000 to $75,000	This service looks beyond your credit score to get you a competitive-rate personal loan.	Go to site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 8.5 Great Best Egg personal loans	Finder score 8.5 Great	6.99% to 35.99%	640	$2,000 to $100,000	Fast and easy personal loan application process. See options first without affecting your credit score.	Go to site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 9.5 Excellent LightStream personal loans	Finder score 9.5 Excellent	Varies by loan purpose	Good to excellent credit	$5,000 to $100,000	Borrow up to $100,000 with low rates and no fees.	Go to site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Finder score 8.2 Great Upgrade personal loans	Finder score 8.2 Great	7.74% to 35.99%	580	$1,000 to $50,000	Check your rates with this online lender without impacting your credit score.	Go to site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading

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What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches 6+ types of personal loans across 50+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

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Signing up for a program, however, can take time and money you don’t have. If that’s the case, personal loans can help cover the costs of a course that could very well pay for itself by sending you into a higher pay bracket.

What’s the best way to finance a career development program?

The best financing option will depend on your specific situation. One way to pay for a career development program is with a personal loan. These flexible financing products allow you to borrow as little as $1,000 or as much as $100,000. You’ll receive the approved funds in one lump sum and then pay it back over three to seven years.

If you’re enrolling in a certificate program, you might want to look into loans specifically designed for career development programs. Lenders like Sallie Mae offer career development loans that come with grace periods and flexible repayment options, similar to a student loan.

Our top picks for career development loans

Provider	Why it’s good for career development	Loan amounts	Starting APR
SoFi personal loans	It gives you access to financial advisors that can help you plan your next career move.	$5,000 to $5,000 to $100,000	7.74%	Go to site
Upstart personal loans	Offers personal loans that can be used to cover the cost of a course or bootcamp, and considers factors like education and employment history in addition to your credit score.	$1,000–$75,000 (state minimums vary) to $1,000–$75,000 (state minimums vary)	6.2%	Go to site
Earnest personal loans	Multi-use personal loans that can be used for career development with a simple, quick application.	$1,000 to $100,000	2.49%	Read Review

Fixed rates from 8.74% APR to 35.49% APR. APR reflects the 0.25% autopay discount and a 0.25% direct deposit discount. SoFi Platform personal loans are made either by SoFi Bank, N.A. or, Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender. SoFi may receive compensation if you take out a loan originated by Cross River Bank. These rate ranges are current as of 04/24/25 and are subject to change without notice. Not all rates and amounts available in all states. See SoFi Personal Loan eligibility details at https://www.sofi.com/eligibility-criteria/#eligibility-personal. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your credit worthiness, income, and other factors. Loan amounts range from $5,000– $100,000. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 9.99% of your loan amount for Cross River Bank originated loans which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive and for SoFi Bank originated loans have an origination fee of 0%-7%, will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive. Autopay: The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. Direct Deposit Discount: To be eligible to receive an additional (0.25%) interest rate reduction on your Personal Loan (your “Loan”), you must set up Direct deposit with a SoFi Checking and Savings account offered by SoFi Bank, N.A., or enroll in SoFi Plusby paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee, all within 30 days of the funding of your Loan. Once eligible, you will receive this discount during periods in which you have enabled Direct Deposit to an eligible Direct Deposit Account in accordance with SoFi’s reasonable procedures and requirements to be determined at SoFi’s sole discretion, or during periods in which SoFi successfully receives payment of the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee. This discount will be lost during periods in which SoFi determines you have turned off Direct Deposit to your Checking and Savings account or in which you have not paid for the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee. You are not required to enroll in Direct Deposit or to pay the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee to receive a Loan.

How much does career development cost?

It depends on what type of program you want to enroll in. Trade school or a master’s program can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, though that’s generally more of a commitment than most career development programs. Here’s the breakdown of the cost of some common programs:

Program type	Typical cost
Management course	$150–$5,000
Coding/programming bootcamp	$10,000–$20,000, usually with $1,000–$2,000 scholarships available
Technical writing workshop	$350–$3,000
Presentation skills seminar	$1,000–$1,500
Accounting/financial skills course	$2,000–$4,500
Systems security course	$1,500–$6,000
Web design course	$50–$1,000
$250–$1,000

Restaurant management certification

$700– $20,000

Commercial driver training

$1,500–$8,000

How else can I pay for career development?

You don’t necessarily need to take out a personal loan to pay for career development, even if you don’t have the funds immediately available to you. Other options include:

Professional development scholarships. Search for career development scholarships in your field and the area you’d like to develop. It can be competitive and applications can take some time, but it might give you an edge when applying for a new job or negotiating a higher salary.
Credit cards. While credit cards can have higher interest rates, these could be a better option if your course costs no more than a few thousand dollars — many lenders don’t offer loans for such small amounts. Consider applying for a new card with a 0% introductory APR to save on interest.
Payment plans. Some companies that offer career development courses have interest-free payment plans that could be cheaper in the long-run.
Ask friends and family. Your relatives and friends who believe in you might be more than willing to lend you a few thousand dollars to put toward advancing your career.
Crowdfund. If you’re not comfortable asking to borrow a large amount of money from one or two people, consider reaching out to your social network by setting up a crowdfunding campaign on places like PeduL.

It’s increasingly common for employers to have a career development budget for employees. They also might subscribe to sites like Lynda that offer online courses on a wide variety of topics. If your employer doesn’t have a budget for that, it could still be worth asking if they’ll cover the cost of your training program — they might even be able to find a way for you to attend the course for free.

Five tips for taking your career to the next level

Use programs as an opportunity to find a mentor. Look for a program taught by someone you feel you could develop an informal mentoring relationship with, based on their skill set and personality.
Keep in touch. Staying in contact with former supervisors, coworkers, teachers and other students is a great way to stay aware of new opportunities and areas for further professional development.
Look into volunteering. Job-shadowing and volunteering can sometimes be just as helpful as enrolling in a course when it comes to making that next career move without hurting your wallet.
Do your homework. If you do some research online, you’ll find lots of free online career development courses. For example, you can find online management courses with topics ranging from “How to Hire and Retain the Right People” to “How to Organize and Manage Your Department to Meet Goals.” OpenLearn offers free online classes on everything from “Developing High Trust Work Relationships” to “Project Management: The Start of the Project Journey.”
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Free professional development sites like MindTool can help you figure out which skills you need to develop to perform better at work or get ahead.

Bottom line

Taking out a loan to invest in your future could be one of the safer moves you make when it comes to borrowing money, especially if it’s a certified course. If you just want to strengthen a few skills here and there, rather than change your job (or career), you may want to make sure your employer doesn’t offer any free resources or pay for courses before looking into loans.

Sure you need a loan? Check out your options and compare lenders with our personal loans guide. Or, read up on student loans.

Frequently asked questions

It depends on the program. If you enroll in a certificate program at an accredited university, you may be eligible for a direct unsubsidized loan or a direct PLUS loan.

Plus, the Department of Education’s Educational Quality Through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) Program offers federal student aid to low-income students attending coding bootcamps or other eligible programs at a partner university.

Sometimes. Your program itself might offer financial aid — especially if you’re part of an underrepresented group in your field or enroll at a university. And some student loan providers like Climb Credit specialize in loans for skills-based programs. Otherwise, you can apply for an outside scholarship in your field.

Your options might be limited and more expensive if your credit isn’t great. Consider taking steps to improve your credit first or apply for programs that offer financial aid.

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Anna Serio

Editor

Anna Serio was a lead editor at Finder, specializing in consumer and business financing. A trusted lending expert and former certified commercial loan officer, Anna's written and edited more than 1,000 articles on Finder to help Americans strengthen their financial literacy. Her expertise and analysis on personal, student, business and car loans has been featured in publications like Business Insider, CNBC and Nasdaq, and has appeared on NBC and KADN. Anna holds an MA in Middle Eastern studies from the American University of Beirut and a BA in Creative Writing from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, CUNY. See full bio

Anna's expertise

Anna has written 129 Finder guides across topics including:

Personal, business, student and car loans
Building credit
Paying off debt

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