AchieveYourCareer Blog

It was a really tough decision for me to choose to become an online learner, but I’m glad I did.

In 2003, I graduated from a rather prestigious university. I began there, four years prior, with hopes of becoming a doctor. A year or two into my schooling, I realized that Medicine is not the field I wanted, so I chose to switch. If any of you ever had the ‘hopes & dreams’ of your family riding on your shoulders, then you will know how difficult of choice this was for me.

My heart, I realized, was working in education; but everything I applied for that was of interest to me, required a higher level of education, post-Bachelors. I couldn’t believe it; for years I was told, “If you go to college, and do well, you’ll land a nice job.” Not so. A year after graduation, I found myself married to my college sweetheart, and jobless.

I decided that the best option for me was to take up an ACCREDITTED online education, as it would afford me the flexibility to work from home, and possibly still get a job. But I was still daunted by the stigma that none of my friends & families would appreciate me being enrolled in a ‘fake’ online institution. The decision, for me however, was solidified, once I learned my wife was pregnant with our first child. It was at that moment that I realized that I HAD to get a job AND, I HAD to increase my employability, through education, if I were to stay in the field of my choice.

So, overcoming many mental obstacles & family-social roadblocks, I enrolled in Capella University in 2004, after having researched many of their degree programs & course offerings. Interestingly enough, the program was much more challenging than I could have anticipated. — And I actually appreciated this, because the challenge made me feel like I was actually ‘earning’ my education, and not just taking the easy way out via online learning.’

All in all, my online degree program taught me a higher level of self-discipline & determination. It’s been 3 years since I graduated from Capella with my Masters, and I can honestly say, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Why? Because it allowed me to be a husband and a father while earning an education. Secondly, it has allowed me to proudly place “MS Degree” on my resume, which has resulted in numerous opportunities opening up.

Given the variety of educational offerings, formats & programs, I would recommend online learning to anyone.

Living in a small, rural country town has many advantages. Having an easily accessible four-year college or university is not one of them. Accessibility became the main inspiration to pursuing an online university.

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) provided me everything I needed online: application, course schedules, registration, book ordering, advising, library services, you name it. I didn’t have to step foot on the physical campus until commencement! Final exams couldn’t be taken online, but even that was convenient. I had the ability to take proctored exams at my local community college (which at the time I worked for them, making it that much more convenient). It was wonderful knowing I could achieve a bachelor’s degree (and now even master’s degree) without having to commute 45-75 miles to a physical campus. No wear and tear on my car, no extra money spent on gas, and no traffic! I could log-on to my coursework during lunch breaks, evenings, weekends, whenever it worked for me versus the rigid three-hour classroom requirement typically available. A point to remember – the coursework isn’t any easier because you’re not sitting in a classroom! There usually is plenty of reading, but if you account for the three hours normally spent in a classroom, the reading won’t be an issue.

One other reason I chose an online university was the ability to learn at my own pace. I’m an independent learner who normally moves quickly through assignments so an online atmosphere was ideal (i.e. I didn’t have to sit through an hour-long discussion on someone else’s question when I didn’t need the clarification). However, instructors were easily accessible if I did have questions.

If accessibility to a four-year institution is an issue for you, an online college or university is an ideal choice. It certainly beats the alternative – not getting a degree at all.

Although it would be short and sweet if I were able to narrow it down to only one specific inspiration answer, I simply cannot do it since there were so many different factors that played an important role as to why I considered an online education. Don’t get me wrong, I have attended a “traditional” school (in the sense of the word) and came away with an Associate’s degree. However, I was not able to complete my Bachelor’s degree until years later when I attended online. My biggest problem with the traditional school was that with that type of learning environment, it simply would not fit into my schedule the way I really needed it to.

When I finally came to the realization that I needed to further my education in order to provide more career opportunities, I had decided to opt for a learning environment that would better fit my hectic lifestyle. This is where an online education really seemed to be the most ideal to me.

First of all, I liked the fact that while pursuing an online education, I would still be able to hold my regular job since so many of the online universities allowed for extreme flexibility in their class scheduling. I did not want education to interfere with my family life, so this type of learning environment really fit into my life schedule almost perfectly.

Next, I liked the fact that you could start almost immediately when considering an online education. During my research, I discovered that many online universities have rolling admissions and some even had classes starting every 4 weeks.

However, I would have to say that the biggest inspiration for deciding to pursue an online education overall was one of convenience. Since you don’t have to leave your home, there are no travel expenses and since you set your own schedule, you don’t ever have to worry about being late for class.

My inspiration for an online education came from my need to schedule my continuing education around my own schedule, and my complete fascination with the online environment itself.   My son was always online, creating and posting his own web page at the age of 12, long before the ease of uploading to FaceBook and My Space.     Being a teacher, I didn’t want to squelch his curiosity, but at the same time I wanted to keep him safe.  This meant that I had to learn about the online environment, to keep ahead of him.  While I didn’t always succeed in keeping ahead of him; I learned to use the online environment for my job and my personal life.

I now prefer the online method of education including asynchronous discussion and scheduled synchronous chats and presentations.

The use of the online environment has put energy into my teaching at a time when my energy was waning.  My middle school students think of me as a computer geek, when in reality I am just an old dog who has learned new tricks.  These new tricks help to keep my students and me interested and involved in the important task of education.

Now I am using a combination on line/ on site method of teaching.   My students complete the assignments posted on the student learning center and I grade them online.  I have drastically decreased the amount of paper and I never worry about what I left at school.  I can access student work whenever I am near a computer.

Online education. When I first enrolled in my online program, I had one thing in mind - convenience! I was working full time, and taught college classes part time at night. I was trying to earn a PhD, but there was no way I could give up my life (and my livelihood) to go to a traditional school full time to do this. So I started looking for alternatives. I settled on Capella University in Minneapolis - just after it transitioned from being The Graduate School of America. I had already selected my degree program - Organization and Management, so I just needed to find out where to go. When selecting a school, I was looking into a number of comparative factors - accreditation, scheduling, cost, residency requirements, quality of instruction and rigor. I didn’t want to just spend money to get a degree and have it be meaningless once I was done. I would suggest that anyone considering online education start with those basic factors (although a residency doesn’t apply to most undergraduate degrees).

Accreditation - there are two levels of accreditation - regional and national. When selecting a school, you should know whether or not it is accredited. Generally, if it is accredited it will advertise this fact on the school’s website. Accreditation means that the school has passed a review (sort of a calibration) to ensure the degree is being earned, not just given. Accrediting bodies do a regular review of the schools to ensure the standards aren’t slipping. Generally, your credits have a stronger chance of transferring to another school when you attend an accredited school.

Scheduling - there are so many factors to scheduling, you will want to learn how each school does their schedule and how that works with your schedule. For example, one school I teach for has online classes that go for 5 weeks and most students take one class at time, while another has classes that go for 10 weeks and most students are taking 2 at a time. It is up to you to find a school that has a schedule that will work best with your learning style and attention span. There are advantages and disadvantages to all the options.

Cost - look at this factor closely. How do you plan to pay for your education? Will you get tuition reimbursement from your employer? Will you get help from financial aid? Do you have the resources yourself to pay for school out-of-pocket. Some schools have fees per class or credit (make sure you know the breakdown of how those fees work so you can compare them fairly). Some schools have feels per semester or term - and you can take as many classes as you wish during that term while paying that flat amount. Knowing how the financials of school will work is essential to your long-term success.

Residency Requirements - this almost always required for PhD studies, but could be required for Master’s degree online programs as well. This is a time when you are required to physically attend a conference in-person. Again, how these work will vary by school, but find this out in advance.

Quality of instruction or rigor - accreditation is the first step to ensuring you will get a quality education. After that, you should do some additional research. Google the school you’re looking into and “review”. Look into news articles about the school. Find out what qualifications the instructors are required to have.

Making the decision to attend college online is a big decision, and often it is done swiftly, over the phone or over the web. Do your research to be sure that the structure of the education is what you want so you stick with it and see it through to graduation. I am still (slowly) finishing my final requirements for the dissertation and I hope graduation will not be far off!

For many years after I left Florida State University, I bemoaned the fact that I had 96 credits and no degree. I took some time to work, get married and start a family, yet my desire to graduate college never left me. I knew that I could complete my degree here in North Carolina, where I had eventually settled, but worried over transferring credits and the differences in matriculated programs between the universities. I felt that I would be starting over, and wished more and more that I had finished at FSU when I had the chance.

One day I was skimming the Florida State Univeristy website and discovered their online program. At first I was not encouraged as I didn’t see my major, Business Administration, among the list of four possible degrees offered in the program. I decided to inquire a bit further by speaking to the distance learning advisors, and to my delight the advisors were encouraging; as well, the distance learning program was more flexible than I had originally believed. It was then that I made the decision to return to college, and in doing so fulfilled my goals twofold: finishing my degree at my college of choice.  Here was the perfect antidote to my dilemma: the opportunity to study at FSU while sitting right here in Willow Spring, North Carolina! I was also delighted that the distance learning program accepted all of my 96 credits toward completing my degree.

I am very grateful that online options are available to students starting out fresh as well as returning students who are finishing degrees. More than likely, I would have enrolled as an online student even if I chose to return to a local college due to the sheer flexibility of the programs. Furthermore, my options were greatly expanded via online learning as I was able to attend my college of choice rather than a college of convenience. This was my greatest inspiration for going online. Frankly speaking, without online options I might not have my degree today.

Becoming a special education teacher is now easier because of Western Governors University’s flexible, online degree programs in special education. The Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and the Master of Science in Special Education will prepare individuals to teach students with mild to moderate disabilities.
Western Governors University is pleased to offer the WGU Excellence in Special Education Scholarships. These scholarships are designed to help aspiring special education teachers attend college online to earn their licensure or endorsement in special education and fill a vital role in their communities. Each scholarship is valued up to $2,500.
Multiple scholarships will be awarded and each scholarship will be awarded based upon a candidate’s academic record, readiness for online study, and current competency, plus other considerations.
The Bachelor of Arts in Special Education is suited for individuals such as school paraprofessionals, unlicensed substitutes, parents, and career changers who seek a special education teaching certification that also meets the more stringent “highly-qualified” requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Master of Science in Special Education program is specifically designed for already-licensed teachers who seek endorsement in special education and a master’s degree. The course of study integrates best practices in special education, instructional design, and development of graduate-level research abilities.
WGU is a regionally-accredited online, competency-based university, and the only online university accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE, the leader in teacher education accreditation, sets robust and stringent standards for teacher training in all areas of the discipline.
WGU’s competency-based education approach makes it possible for students to accelerate their program and complete the requirements in as little as two to four years for a bachelor’s degree or two years for a master’s degree. The actual time to completion will depend on the incoming student’s prior experience, academic background, and time commitment to study.

It’s general knowledge that a MBA or a bachelor of science in nursing are admirable and trustworthy degrees that have stood the test of time, but what if are interested in something outside of mainstream?  There are many colleges and institutions that offer creative degree programs, but I found these degree programs to be most unique (http://www.bspcn.com/2007/10/19/top-10-most-unusual-college-degrees/):

1. Master Ranching offered at Texas A&M-Kingsville
2. Astrobiology offered at the University of Glamorgan in the UK
3. Retail Floristry offered at Mississippi State University
4. Professional Nanny offered at Sullivan University
5. Sports Ministry offered at Campbellsville University
6. Adventure Recreation offered at Green Mountain College
7. Golf & Sports Turf Management offered at Mississippi State University
8. Comedy: Writing and Performance offered at Humber College in Canada
9. Organic Agriculture offered at Washington State University
10. Fishing Sciences and Management offered at Colorado State University

So if you are looking for an educational experience beyond mainstream, take the time to do some research online.  As you can see from the list above, if you have an interest in it, there is a good chance someone offers a degree in it.  Just be certain that it is a career field you are passionate about before plunking down $25,000 - $50,000 for a degree that may not help you anywhere else!   

As the price of a college degree continues to rise, there’s growing evidence that the monetary payoff isn’t quite as big as often advertised. The best estimate now is that a college degree is worth about $300,000 in today’s dollars—nowhere near the $1 million figure that is often quoted.

“That $1 million number has driven me crazy!” says Sandy Baum, a Skidmore economist who studied the value of a college degree for the College Board last year.

Baum’s research showed that college graduates earn, on average, about $20,000 a year more than those who finished their educations at high school. Add that up over a 40-year working life and the total differential is about $800,000, she figures. But since much of that bonus is earned many years from now, subtracting out the impact of inflation means that $800,000 in future dollars is worth only about $450,000 in today’s dollars.

Then, if you subtract out the cost of a college degree—about $30,000 in tuition and books for students who get no aid and attend public in-state universities—and the money a student could have earned at a job instead of attending school, the real net value in today’s dollars is somewhere in the $300,000 range, a number confirmed by other studies.

But, especially these days, that still makes a college degree one of the most lucrative investments a person can make, Baum notes.

Better yet, college graduates can go on to earn advanced degrees, which return even bigger payoffs. The average holder of a bachelor’s degree earns about $51,000 a year, Baum calculates. But those who’ve gone on to earn MBAs, law degrees, or other professional degrees earn about $100,000 a year.

In addition, Baum found that there are plenty of other rewards for a degree. The quality of the jobs college graduates get is far better, for example. College graduates are more likely to get jobs with health insurance. And it is easier for them to find and hold jobs. The unemployment rate for college graduates was just 2.2 percent last year, half the unemployment level of those with only high school diplomas.

There are lots of other nonmonetary benefits as well. College graduates are healthier, contribute more to their communities, and raise kids who are better prepared academically, studies show.

Other researchers have found that the payoff of a degree is especially lucrative for students from low-income families, since the education and credential give them a chance to break out of low-paying careers.

Article posted from USNEWS