Jeff Davis's Archive
Posted by Jeff Davis on December 12th, 2008
Since I worked full-time and have a family, I really did not have the free time available that I would have liked to have had in order to pursue the various avenues regarding financing options for school. Therefore, for my financial aid options, I chose to go the route of student loans and to pay any out of pocket expenses that the student loans would not cover. This worked well for me but may not be the right fit for everyone. Overall, I think it really depends on each individual’s needs for financial aid and how that person wants to address them.
There are many ways to obtain financing for college and an online school is no different. Among these are: student loans, private loans, employer tuition assistance, and scholarships. From what I discovered, there are more financial aid options available than ever for students pursuing online programs. If you are unsure of how to get started with obtaining the correct information, then consider your university’s financial aid department. They will have plenty of information on the university’s financial aid policies.
However, one advantage that online schools have over more traditional schools is that they can save you money. If you attend college on a traditional campus, you will have more expenses involved than you originally anticipated. Think about it. You will have to pay for not only tuition, but also you may have housing, food, books, supplies, and gas for commuting. With an online school, these costs are greatly reduced because you are attending class from home. Therefore, your only costs should be tuition and books. You also have no commuting costs since you do not have to drive to class.
Overall, you need to understand all of your options when it comes to paying for college. I would recommend that you take the time to do some careful research and be sure to apply for everything you can including federal and state aid as well as private scholarships.
Posted by Jeff Davis on December 4th, 2008
I experienced nothing but a positive reply from my family, friends, and employer once I made the decision to return to school. I believe that this is because I had prepared myself in advance, before school ever started, on dealing with all of the potential issues that might have arisen during any discussions about the topic.
I made sure that I spoke with my family about the impact of my return to school and how things might need to be a little different around the house until I am finished with school. My employer also liked the idea of me returning to school since it would provide me with additional knowledge and skills that could benefit the overall company and make me a more valuable employee. However, I am certain that not everyone’s situation will yield the same results as mine. By nature, people tend to dislike change and by helping your family understand the value of this particular change, you can help them to realize that it is a good decision for everyone. In order to do your best academically, you will need to have the backing of those closest to you. These same people must be willing and able to support your efforts to be a student.
Many careers currently require that an applicant have some type of higher education in order to have a chance at competing for a job in today’s market. So, returning to school to complete my degree was a very rational decision. Today’s workforce is continually growing and in order to be able to compete, you must be able to make yourself stand out. Experience is very important, but I think that by having a college degree, you will help yourself to become a more marketable applicant.
Today, I could not be more satisfied with my decision on returning to school and doing it online. I remain more than satisfied with this life choice that will forever shape my future.
Posted by Jeff Davis on November 27th, 2008
One of my biggest fears before enrolling in an online college was that I would not have enough time available or maybe how I would juggle my time between work, family, and school. All I could imagine is that this could be quite stressful. After all, it is not always easy balancing just work with family time and adding school on top of all my other responsibilities seemed almost impossible. I soon realized that this was really not a problem. The key to overcoming this fear was being able to balance my time effectively. If done properly, you would be amazed at how much extra time you can squeeze into your day. For me, it was important to develop a routine, find a quiet place to study, leave work at work, and to take time away from school each week. Once I developed a routine, I was more motivated. Once I found a quiet place to study, I was able to concentrate better. Once I made sure that I got my work done at work, I did not have to bring it home and could focus on my class work. Once I made sure to take at least a day off from school each week, I was able to relax more and enjoy quality time with my family. You have to remember, that in all circumstances, there will always be sacrifices that you will have to make, but just think about the great reward that will await you at the end.
Another fear of mine was how long it would take to finish my degree. I was afraid that it might take forever. But the fact is that most online degree programs today are based on accelerated learning. This means that most will take less time to complete than in a traditional learning environment. Since the online courses are typically based on shorter semesters, they can excel at delivering a quality education as quickly as possible and without sacrificing your ability to learn and absorb the material.
I was also fearful that employers would not take my degree seriously once I had graduated. I was concerned that since my degree would not be coming from some big name university, that employers might not view it as credible. Realistically, however, it has been my experience that most employers today view online degrees as not only credible, but just as equivalent as their traditional counterparts. I believe that as the demand for online education continues to grow, that more employers are realizing the validity of degrees earned online.
It has been my experience that online colleges are not that much different from traditional colleges. Having done both, I can now say that, for me, online education is the solution that I was looking for.
Posted by Jeff Davis on November 17th, 2008
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.
