Online Education: The Beginning

Posted by Jeff Davis on January 21st, 2009

Since I was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, I truly enjoyed beginning my online education. Overall, it was a great experience. In my career field, there could have been nothing better or that would have made me happier than to take classes online versus the more traditional method. There was a slight learning curve however, just as there is with learning almost anything. It took some time to familiarize myself with the online process and procedures. What I have noticed most about using the internet to attend class is that it teaches us skills in using technologies such as researching information and communicating with other students. These skills are critical as we become more and more of a global community where our coworkers can be located just about anywhere worldwide and across many different time zones.

Being able to attend class at anytime and from anywhere is simply an incredible feeling. It allows you total flexibility to help you juggle between family, work, and school. I like the fact that course materials are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You have the ability to read and re-read lectures, discussions, comments, etc. and without any of the normal distractions that you might encounter in a regular classroom setting. To me, this is a great advantage over a brick-and-mortar school.

Even though all you really need to get your online education started is a computer with Internet access and the determination to follow through and complete your goal, my best advice for incoming “online freshmen” is to use your time wisely in order to maintain a healthy balance in your life.