If you haven't noticed the explosion of craft beers, you either don't drink, or have been living in seclusion because this is a trend that has taken the world by storm over the  last 10 years and only continues to grow.

These days, it's not enough to simply sit back and sip a cold craft brew. No, more and more people are starting their own brewery or getting a job working in one. I visited my parents in Albany while I was on vacation for Christmas and for virtually the entire bumpy ride down 88, I found myself listening to an interview with women who run craft breweries in Vermont, and it was fascinating!

According to the Brewers Association, the number of breweries in the United States grew from roughly 1,500 in 2005 to more than 4,000 in 2014 and right there to use the popularity of this industry to their benefit are universities all over the country.

In 2013, Portland State University in Oregon started an online program to teach people how to make craft brews and that course has drawn in people from all over the world. San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies is another big school offering a certificate program, and now, the University of Vermont is following suit.

Starting in February, UVM will offer an online course of their own. So, if you don't really want to go back to college, but want to be able to open a brewery of your own, you'll be able to get educated for about $4,400. The course at UVM will of course be online, but it will also feature two courses for the cost and those courses are: the fundamentals of craft beer, and a course either on digital marketing, sales or business operations- your pick. The college will also offer apprenticeships.

Speaking of the awesomeness of craft beer, we hope to see you at Binghamton on Tap which is our craft beer celebration and it happens January 15th and 16th at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Downtown Binghamton!

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