The man who thirsts for education has a host of opportunities at his disposal today; he is spoilt for choice what with the numerous institutions and colleges that are mushrooming across the country to add to the ones that already exist. Even more advantageous is the fact that it is now possible to study from the comfort of your home instead of going away to college and dedicating two or four years of your life to the pursuit of a degree alone. Online education has opened up various avenues for those who are interested in learning but are hampered by various limitations. If we were to do a comparative study of online education and campus learning, we would see that:
• Online education allows you to study from where you are. You don’t have to attend college or relocate to study at the institution of your choice.
• It allows you the luxury of a flexible schedule. You are not bound by timetables and lecture hours that you must compulsorily attend each day. Instead, most courses allow you to choose hours that are convenient for you to study.
• Online courses are generally more cost-effective than their conventional counterparts. Besides, you don’t have to spend extra on accommodation, travel and food when you take a course online.
• You don’t have to resign or put your job on hold in order to pursue an education. Online education allows you to earn while you learn because your lesson plans and classes are flexible.
• It’s easy to balance a family, a job and an education when you pursue an online degree
On the other side of the coin though:
• You need to be very dedicated and committed to make a success of online education. If you’re not disciplined, you won’t finish your course.
• Most employers do not accept online degrees as equal to those obtained from conventional institutions.
• Degrees from prestigious institutions are not offered online.
• You may feel disinclined to learn because there is no perceived competition from your peers. Also the lack of face-to-face interaction with your classmates and teachers could be an inhibiting factor in your success as an online student.
• Some online degrees are not accredited and have no value whatsoever in the job market.
The key to making online education work for you is to sign up with an institution that is accredited by a reliable agency and stay dedicated to completing your lessons and classes according to schedule.
By-line:
This post was written by Michelle Young, who regularly writes on the topic of online accredited degrees http://www.onlineaccrediteddegrees.org/ . She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: michelle.young1@rediffmail.com