I always open my answer with I am currently employed as a paralegal in a small construction litigation firm in Texas. I have an associate's degree in paralegal studies from an ABA approved program. In addition to my paralegal duties, I am entrusted with weeding out the bad resumes for internship positions for law clerks and paralegals. I always say this because there are a few people that love to answer this question and are a) not a paralegal; b) was a paralegal decades ago and know nothing about the field as it stands now; or c) is married to an attorney, knows a paralegal, etc. Anything I have to say comes from my experience as a CURRENT paralegal in the state of Texas. You should always follow up and compare what I have to say with what is current in your state.

With that said, please, please, please do not waste your time or money on an online education. I know it is tempting and convenient, but I can say from my experience, you will have difficulty even landing an internship position. Colleges do not have to apply for ABA accreditation. It is completely voluntary. So you should ask yourself, why didn't this particular program apply? Some of it has to due with the fees associated with having the ABA stamp, but most of it has to do with the fact that their curriculum just doesn't cut it. I have worked with students/interns/graduates of an online program vs. that of a traditional college program and have first-hand experience in seeing the difference. We've fired almost every one of the online/institute interns because they just didn't cut it. They didn't know what they advertised they knew and we felt a lot of that had to do with the program not really teaching them relevant information.

I actively participate in both my local and state bar paralegal associations. If you visit the NALA (National Association of Legal Assistants) and NFPA (National Federation of Paralegal Associations) websites and start reading future goals and aspirations of the paralegal field in general, you will quickly learn that the transition from "vocation" to "professionalism" is in full swing.

It is my experience that vocational degrees/online degrees/paralegal institutes, etc. are no longer desirable amongst hiring attorneys. That may not be true where you live, but it is where I am at. Every paralegal listing I see requires the minimum of an associate's degree.

The simple answer: Yes, an associate's degree from an ABA approved program IS better than a vocational/online/institute education. This is no longer a field, at least in this state, where you can just flash a certificate and get hired. It's competitive! Granted, there are states that have fine associate degree programs from non ABA approved schools. I guess my point is...you can attend non ABA approved schooling as long as you get an associate's degree.

This field is changing and there are many on here that will advise you to get the least amount of education you can. I know of firms requiring BACHELOR's degrees for their paralegals. If this is a field that you really want to get into, have the education to go with it. Good luck!

If its not approved, its worth less in the eyes of the person hiring u. imo.