College Degrees

Andy West asked:


These days there are more and more people who choose to earn a college degree online rather than attending a physical university. Their reasons are varied, but all of them are valid and you may want to consider going the online college route yourself if you’ve been considering getting an advanced degree but you aren’t sure a traditional college environment is right for you.

To understand just how popular this option is, consider some of these popular reasons to earn a college degree online:

Many people work while pursuing a degree. The most common reason for considering getting an online college degree is that some people are already working. In order to advance in their jobs they may have been told that they will need an advanced degree of some type. In most industries, those with a college education always fill middle management positions. Working while you earn a college degree online allows you to balance making a living with investing in your family’s future.

Older or non-traditional students may feel more comfortable in an online environment. Dorm or apartment living and being surrounded by teens and twenty-something’s may not make someone who is retired comfortable, but more and more older individuals are fulfilling their dream of getting an advanced degree. If they earn a college degree online, they can study at their own pace and remain in their home environment where they are comfortable and feel confident. It’s a wonderful way to fulfill a long-deferred dream.

Students with English as a second language may prefer an online education. Many people who speak English fluently don’t realize that it can be daunting to sit in a lecture hall surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of students who can keep up with a fast-paced lecture more easily than you. For those who prefer the written word and being able to take the time to digest the information carefully, such as those who speak English as a second language, online courses can be a wonderful alternative. Even pre-recorded lectures can be digested more fully since they can be played back again and again, while lecture transcripts provide complete information so that students can be sure that nothing was “lost in translation.”

Stay-at-home moms can study when the children are young. Being at home all day with an infant or toddler is incredibly rewarding, but leaves little time for mothers to work on themselves. After all, they need to be available at all times for their children. Moms can, however, earn a degree online by studying around their children’s schedules and be prepared when they want to re-enter the workforce, as their children get older.

Anyone on a tight budget can earn a degree online for less than the cost of a traditional school. Even students right out of high school are turning more and more to online colleges and universities for the flexibility of scheduling and the reasonable cost. They appreciate getting a bachelor’s degree or other advanced degree in the same amount of time or less than they would at a traditional, physical university without spending so much money. These students end up with far less debt and valuable work experience as well, since they can hold full or part-time jobs while working on their degrees.

If you fit into any of these categories, be sure to start looking at some of the accredited online colleges that offer majors in your area of interest. Soon you’ll join the ranks of those who are glad they took the time to earn a college degree online.

Edgar

Tuppy Glossop asked:


If you’re considering a return to college to study for a degree, it’s important that you know exactly what you want to get out of the experience. The more preparation you can do before you plunge into your studies, the more benefit you’ll get from your decision. You’re going to invest a lot of time, hard work, and tuition fees into this process, so it’s important that you are clear about your objectives.

There are as many different types of distance learning students as there are people in the world. But research and anecdotal evidence suggests that the most successful students have seriously considered the following three questions:

Why am I returning to college?

It’s tempting to answer this first question simply: “To get a degree.” And for some people, that may be motivation enough. Many of us choose to go straight to work after high school, or there may be reasons that you dropped out of college without completing your degree. And the desire to finally return to school and earn that degree can be very strong.

But most students who choose to return to school later in life do so for a practical reason: Career advancement. Skilled manual & technical work is becoming more scarce, and in a knowledge-based economy the better-paying jobs often demand a college degree.

If that’s the reason you’re considering college, be sure that you spend the necessary time researching which subjects you should study. This is especially important if you’re studying a rapidly-changing technical field like computer programming; you don’t want to be the last student in the world to become expert in an obsolete programming language.

Do I have the self-discipline to earn an online college degree?

At first glance it’s tempting to think that studying for your degree online will be easier than attending classes on campus. After all, you don’t need to get out of your pajamas, let alone out of the house!

But the fact is that you need to be extremely self-disciplined to complete even one course … and you’ll have to take quite a few to get that degree. Without the discipline that a regular schedule imposes, it’s very easy to fall behind on your course work. And while most colleges and universities now allow for asynchronous learning, which means that you don’t have to login for an online lecture at a specific time but can instead watch it at your convenience, you do still need to watch it.

Online colleges recognize the danger of students slipping behind in their work and will schedule papers, quizzes, and exams in such a way as to monitor your progress. But the final responsibility for your success or failure is yours.

Will my friends and family give me the support I need?

You’re going to spend a great deal of time studying when you plunge into your course work and, unless you have an awful lot of spare hours on your hands right now, that means time that you’ll have to take from other activities. Particularly if you’ll be working and studying simultaneously, you’ll have a lot less opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Are you, and they, comfortable with that?

If you’re married, the support of your spouse is absolutely vital. They may have to be willing to accept a much greater share of the housework, errands, and parenting. At the same time, you’re going to have much less opportunity to relax and go out for a quiet meal; see a movie; or even watch TV together in the evening.

Are you, and they, willing to make compromises to allow you to fulfill your dream of earning a degree? Are they equally invested in the potential career opportunities and rewards of your studies, or is it possible they will feel threatened by you moving up the career ladder and broadening your horizons?

If you’re already fully committed to getting your degree, don’t let these questions be a barrier to your goals. But by taking the time to address the potential pitfalls ahead of time, your experience will be more enjoyable, more manageable, and more rewarding in the long term.

Norma