Fears of Online Education? The Juggling Act.
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.
Tags: employers, family, scheduling, work
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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Fears Before Enrolling in an Online College, Student Voices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
