Online Universities: Convenience in Higher Education
An old adage clearly states that the more one learns, the more one is capable of earning. The problem is that attending a regular university can be a serious problem. Schedules might not match, the university might not be well suited to one’s desired course of study, the university might be far away, the admissions criteria might be too high, and that is just the short list of potential problems. Is it any wonder why online universities are beginning to catch on with the general populace?
Those who are new to the entire idea of online universities do need to be careful for a few reasons, the first of which is that there are numerous online universities claiming to be accredited but are not. Such organizations are usually easy to identify, as they typically lack a website with a proper .edu extension. While the lack of a .edu extension is almost certainly a warning sign, there is a more definitive method of checking the credibility of various online universities also exists: the Department of Education’s official website. The DoE keeps modern accreditation information on all institutes of higher learning within the United States, but not all governments offer such an easy to use system. This means that international universities with online courses need to be investigated more thoroughly.
Even if an online university is accredited, it does not necessarily mean that employers must accept or consider candidates with degrees from online universities. No two universities are made equal, and employers are free to determine which universities they put more faith in. While it is possible that employers will attach a stigma to online universities, if the alternative is to not advance one’s career then there really is no choice. Consider the ancient piece of Chinese wisdom and how it applies here: there are many ways to move forward, but only one way to stand still. This might be taken to mean that any path forward is more desirable than standing still if one is unhappy with where they currently are in life.
As far as methods of moving forward go, online universities may actually be a good choice for many people. This is even true of those who do have other options, as the flexibility offered by most online universities often allows for one to advance quicker towards an educational goal with an online class than would be possible in a brick and mortar classroom. For example, online universities such as Kaplan have numerous classes very limited meeting requirements, often with multiple chat sessions available during the week. Most online universities allow students to log in at their leisure during the week, download lectures and other course materials, and then participate in a set number of mandatory and/or optional interactive sessions.
Anyone considering additional education should consider online universities, but they should be aware that no perk comes without a downside. The ability to increase one’s earning potential should never be overlooked, but one must evaluate whether online universities are truly the ideal route to take.
About The Author
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Home Search. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Austin Texas homes for sale can be found on the net.