Monday, July 25, 2016

Earning another degree - What was virtually impossible is now a virtual possibility

Many years ago, I had reached that point in life where I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go with my career, but to get there I knew I’d need another degree. I wasn’t sure how I would achieve it, but I enrolled as a part-time student in a program at a local university and began the seemingly never-ending juggling act of managing my current career, family, school and me.

About half-way through my program, the university began offering some of the courses online, and I leaped at the opportunity to save myself the two-hour, round-trip commute to campus. The online classes were challenging—probably even more challenging than I expected--but I easily fell into the weekly ritual of completing my class work on my own time table.

I eventually completed my program and the additional degree did help advance my career. As I look back, I realize that I was the prototype of what has now become the typical online student. Here are my top five reasons online learning is perfect for so many people.
  • Career: Whether you want to take a few classes to enhance your skills, or like me, you want to pursue an entire degree, online learning allows you to continue working in your current position while you plan for your next one.
  • Convenience: If you take online classes that don’t require you to be online at a certain time, you can complete your course work when you’re most alert whether that’s 5:00 AM on a Wednesday or 10:00 PM on a Saturday.
  • Cost: Not only can students shop for the best school, online learning can also save on child care, tolls, parking, gas, and with no commute, that most precious of all commodities, time.
  • Connect: Traditional classroom discussions are usually dominated by a handful of gregarious students. Online classrooms encourage everyone to share their views offering a wider variety of perspectives.
  • Conscience: Guilt is a frequent companion to working adults. Taking classes online can mean one less missed work-out, little league game or fund raiser.
Online learning has opened up so many more education choices and opportunities. What used to be virtually impossible to accomplish is now a virtual possibility.
Copyright © Deborah A. Ayers - All rights reserved.