The Value of an Online Degree
Now that online universities have been around for a decade or longer, employers aren’t questioning the value of an online degree as much as they once did, but some employers still have lingering doubts. The key to overcoming this, is to talk about your online education in the right way when you speak with employers.
Here are some strategies to apply . . .
- Position your online degree as something that helped you solve a particular life problem. For example, you can say that you began to attend an online university while you were in the military or while you were juggling the demands of parenting with your desire to go to college. Above all, do not be apologetic! If you show that you met a particular life challenge by going to college online, you will demonstrate something commendable about yourself.
- Talk in concrete terms about what you learned. You can say that in your College Algebra course, you took extra time to master a subject that had always proved difficult for you, or say that you received particularly useful advice from one of your online course instructors. When you talk in specifics, you make your online experience come alive in the mind of the interviewer. It will make them understand it was a valuable learning experience, just like a classroom course.
- Present your college transcript and go over it in your job interview. When an interviewer sees all the courses you took and the grades you earned, he or she will have a concrete view of what you have accomplished and any reservations about your online degree will start to recede.
- Explain how your online college work is applicable to the requirements of the job. You can say that your writing course equipped you to manage the company’s website copy, or that your course in human physiology equips you to work in customer service. If you can explain how your education prepared you for the specific demands of your new job, you will show that you are fully competitive with other applicants who attended regular colleges.
There will come a day when the value of an online degree is no longer questioned, but until that day, follow these simple tips to make your degree appear just as worthy.
