Online Degree Programs: A Good Option
March 21, 2009 by Daniel Kane
Filed under Online Colleges
We normally think of a college student as someone who is 18-22 years of age and goes off to a college campus, completing fours of study and spending a lot of money in the process. This is no longer the only image of a college student, because distance learning has now become a very good alternative thanks to improvements in technology. If you decide to study at home you will not be limited by unwieldy correspondence courses, but can avail yourself of the latest developments of the Internet.
One of the chief advantages of online college courses is that you can be more flexible in how you get your degree. You don’t have to give up your job or forsake your family obligations. You don’t have to try to fit in with 18-22 year olds. You don’t even have to cram it into four years and can take a course load that matches your present life-style. All of these factors help adults and others who want to get a college degree but cannot fit into the lifestyle and mold of a traditional course of study at a four year college.
Another important factor in choosing how you are going to go to college is the question of finances. College tuition costs have skyrocketed, and even the cost of commuting to college has risen considerably.
On the other hand, online or distance learning courses require less capital expenditures from educational institutions and this is often reflected in much lower costs for the students. On top of this, studying at home means that there are far fewer commuting and travel costs, and usually living at home is cheaper than finding a place in campus dorm or apartment.
Sometimes people look down on distance learning and consider it to be inferior to on-campus program. Curiously, the gap between distance learning and campus learning has become considerably less in recent years. Students studying traditional colleges and universities often watch lectures on video, and students studying at home with online courses also watch lectures on video, using the Internet. Modern technology often renders distance meaningless and this is certainly the case in college studies.
If you are outside the mold of a traditional college student, there is one more thing that may tip the balance in favor of choosing distance learning. Many distance learning programs give you credit for “life experience” or previously earned credits which will allow you to accelerate the rate at which you can earn your degree.
If you need a college degree in order to improve your career and cannot enroll in a traditional college, look around for an online program that can meet your lifestyle and career needs.