Online Degrees

With today's computer and internet technology, it's now easier than ever to earn your degree online

By Jesse Whitehead

Online College Graduate

After years of on-again, off-again school, I had nearly given up on getting my college degree. I found it difficult to take classes on the local college campus due to my full-time job and family commitments. My progress was slow and tedious.   Near despair...I wondered if I would ever achieve my goal. 

Then I discovered an online program offered by a prominent university. This program allowed me to take classes from home on my own time without giving up my job or disrupting my personal life. 

In just a little over 2 years in the program, I earned my BSBA degree.  It was hard work - as challenging as campus-based classes - but I was able to do it.  Going to school online enabled me to finish up what I'd started more than two decades earlier.  

I shared this brief anecdote to offer encouragement to anyone thinking about going back to school. The road to continued education for an adult can be a long and treacherous one, strewn with obstacles and hardship. But if you commit to it, you can earn your degree taking online college classes just as I did.

Perhaps you are thinking of furthering your education for one or more of the following reasons:

• You need to get a degree or diploma to advance in your career.  

• Need to enhance your job skills  

• You need the credentials that qualify you as an authority or expert in your field. 

• You want to make more money 

• You want the personal satisfaction of achieving an educational goal. 

• You want to take courses for self-improvement 

• You want to broaden your understanding of the world around you. 

But there may be some obstacles in your path that are holding you back. Here are a few:

• It’s too expensive 

• You have a  disability or physical ailment  

• You have a full-time job 

• You have kids 

• You live in a remote area 

• You don’t have enough information 

• You hate the classroom environment 

• You’re embarrassed to have to go back to school 

• You don’t think you can cut it academically 

These may be significant obstacles, but they are not insurmountable.  You’re not limited to attending classes at a traditional college campus anymore. With so many online college programs available today, it’s possible for you to achieve your educational goals more easily than ever before.  You just need the drive and determination to make it happen.    

Listed here are a few of the advantages that come with online distance learning:

• Attend class anytime, anywhere. Course material is accessible 24/7, so you can do your assignments at a time that fits your schedule, from any location that has a computer and internet connection. 

• Online participation is often less intimidating. You're online and invisible to other students, which may make it easier to participate online than in traditional classroom settings. 

• Participate on an equal basis with other students.  There's less problem of any one student dominating the class. 

• Instructors are approachable. Communication with the instructor is often improved due to using internet based communication methods such as online chat, email, and newsgroup discussions. 

• No travel to and from campus.This saves you time and travel expense. 

• Access to online libraries and internet databases.  No need to go to the campus library and look through card catalogs, books, and magazines when the school library and other informational resources are just a couple of clicks away. 

• High quality of program.   Many online programs are offered by top universities and colleges throughout the country who adhere to rigorous academic standards.  This assures that the quality of instruction and curriculum is at a par, if not superior to traditional campus-based programs. 

• Keep your current job and maintain social lifestyle.  Go to school when and where you want, so you don't have to change jobs or disrupt your social activities.    

A search on Google or other search engine will bring up hundreds of schools that offer online college degree programs.  Visit the websites of these schools, check out their programs, read their FAQS and articles. Find out if the school offers financial aid and scholarships. Make note of whether the programs are accredited by regional, and/or national accrediting agencies.  The program should be accredited by a regional or national agency recognized by either the U.S. Dept of Education, or the Council for Higher Education (CHEA).  You can check the Directory of CHEA Recognized Organizations  http://www.chea.org/pdf/CHEADirectory.pdf  for a list of recognized accrediting agencies.  

If it’s not accredited by a recognized organization, you should pass it up, and look for a program that is properly accredited.   Once you’ve found a school that will fit your academic needs you can enroll and be on your way to earning that degree.  Take action, pursue your dream, seize the day. There's no better time to start than now.