myUsearch blog

Today we have a guest post contributed by Carrie Oakley who writes on the topic of online colleges. 

Gone are the days when studying online meant that you were at the mercy of diploma mills and shysters who “sold” degrees for a price. Today, thanks to the entry of major players like MIT into this field, online education’s reputation and respectability has grown by leaps and bounds. More and more people are signing up for distance online learning because it’s cost effective, convenient, allows flexible schedules, and lets you continue with your job even as you learn. So if you’re considering going down this route and wondering what kind of degree you should choose, here are a few tips to help you along:

How to choose the right online degree: 

1. If you’ve already established yourself at a job and enjoy your chosen career, distance online learning helps you climb up the career ladder and seek promotions and raises. In this case, you need to choose a degree that is relevant to your field of work. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in the subject, you could choose a master’s program from a reputable online school. 
2. If you’re looking for a change of career, then you must identify what you want to do with your life. If a certain kind of work interests you, then find out all the prerequisites to secure a well-paying job in that industry. Unless it’s a course in medicine, law or something equally complicated, most online schools offer every degree under the sun. 
3. If you’re a high school graduate who wants to study online because it’s the only way to keep your job, earn money, and go to school simultaneously, your college choice makes all the difference to the credibility of your degree. If your program does not involve practical work, go for the schools that have the best reputations and which offer degrees of the highest quality in the subject of your choice. 
4. If you’re looking to go back to school to learn a skill like accountancy or library management, look for colleges that offer a 6-month or one-year program in the subject. They’re much more effective and cost-efficient than going in for a full four years of studying for a degree.

In general, your college choice depends on the reason you want to go back to school and continue your education. Before making your final decision, check if your degree fulfills all the following conditions:

• Offered by a college with a good reputation
• Accredited by the right agencies
• Acceptable to your organization, future employers
• Charges reasonable tuition fees
• Close to where you live if the program has practical aspects that must be completed on campus (programs like nursing have this requirement). If not, find out if you can complete the training at a facility near you.

Distance online learning is all about making the right college choice and the right degree choice. When the two are selected with care and consideration, you stand to gain rich rewards.

Carrie welcomes your comments at her email id: carrie.oakley1983(AT)gmail(DOT)com.