" The Pros and Cons of an Online College Degree "
Getting
a college degree online seemingly appears to be a very convenient way
to gain further education without having to inconvenience your home
life. An easier way to obtain an edge in the working world is by
getting that online college degree that you’ve always wanted, without
having to leave the comfort of your own home. All of this may very well
be true, but there are a few things that a person should consider
before becoming financially tethered to an online college or university.
Can you make the time?
Take a moment and evaluate how much free time you really have in your
personal life. After tending to your work, house chores, possibly
children, and making time just to relax, how much time do you have left
to study and work on assignments? This involves hours reading which can
be very time consuming.
How comfortable is “the comfort of your own home”?
Do you have the peace and quiet necessary to read and study? Are the
people in your house (spouse, children, friends, etc.) willing to give
you the time and space you need? More times than none, this is the
biggest problem. Everyone around you might not be willing to put there
life on hold for your betterment. This is a hard reality, but when you
are at home, people will be tempted to confront you with home issues
that will interfere with your studies. If you were in a classroom
setting, this would not be a problem. Unless you are one of those
individuals you can’t turn their cell phone off.
How credible is the online college degree you are pursuing?
There are now several online colleges to choose from, but how credible
are they once earned? Will the college degree earned online hold any
weight in the working world, or did I just put all this time and effort
into a worthless piece of paper? You may want to research via online
bulletin boards or websites. Even word of mouth to some extent. It’s
not my place to tell you which online college is worthy, but rather to
advise you to take the time to see if the college you select will get
you the job that you want.
Can I afford the loan to get my education?
Certain online universities have government loan programs set up where
you don’t have to pay back your loan if you complete your schooling.
These sound great in theory, but what if you don’t complete your
schooling and have to pay it back? They are usually very expensive and
here’s the catch: Once you get the loan, the school gets paid in full.
So they get their money no matter what, and you get stuck paying the
government back the remainder of your loan for nothing in return. The
online colleges are making a fortune off students under these
circumstances. From information I gathered off of different online
studies, the freshman dropout rate is over 25% higher for online
students. The overall dropout rate is nearly equal that number.
What are the “pros” to online college degree courses?
Under most circumstances, people who say they don’t have the time to
attend traditional college classes do so mainly because of family
issues. Children involved and no sitter available. Unfortunately like I
said earlier, the children can make it difficult to concentrate at
home. I am not trying to discourage any parent in getting further
education, but trying to prevent them in finding themselves in a hard
financial situation because they couldn’t make it work for them. More
than half the time, if you don’t have time to go to classes, you
probably won’t have time to do them at home either. There have been
many parents as well as other individuals who have made this work
successfully though. These are just things to consider. A big
convenience for most to online class is not having to partake in the
social aspect of college. If you are an aging adult, sitting in class
with pimple faced kids can be annoying. It can also be distracting
hearing about all the parties and other gatherings that take place at
school. If you have any health issues that make it difficult to leave
the house, online college is a fantastic option.
I
hope this knowledge has helped some of you in your decision making
process. I have been fortunate enough to have an insider’s look at
online colleges classes and ultimately I believe any education is good
education. Your knowledge is the one thing nobody can take from you, I
just want you to be sure that your newly acquired knowledge can be put
to good use and benefit you and your future.
Timothy D. Arnold recruits students via his online college portal http://www.choosing-a-college.com | 
