Online Education - Is it for You?

The idea of getting a college degree online has a great appeal to many people, particularly those of us who are no longer - ahem - shall we say of 'traditional college age'.

Getting a degree online seems to be less costly than attending college on campus. Besides the fact that tuition is slightly lower, there is no travel cost and in this day of soaring gas prices, that certainly adds up. If you are of a more traditional college age, there is also the financial advantage of not having to pay for housing and meals.

There is also the savings of time. No time spent in the car, or walking to class. No time wasted with idle chitchat, or teachers that tend to veer off the subject.

There is the convenience of being able to schedule classes to your own convenience, versus having to live your life around the college's class scheduling. With no set class times, the student is free to set their own study schedule around their life. For the adult student it is a huge advantage to not have juggle the time constraints of a job, children and school. When life offers a free moment it is time to study.

For the commuting student, there is no weather challenges to deal with. If there is a blizzard and classes are still scheduled, no problem.

For some students, not having to deal with other students and/or teachers is a plus. Introverted personalities will be able to focus on the business of getting an education rather than the nightmare of social interaction.

There are, of course, downsides to getting an online education. Having just mentioned that it is easier for non-social personalities to deal, it is not a bad thing for people to learn to be social with actual human beings. The further the introvert crawls into cyberspace, the harder it will be for them to learn to deal with social settings, and most jobs involve at least some degree of social interaction.

It is always good to research the online college of your choice to make sure that the degree you are trying for will actually do you some good in your chosen field. Since it is much easier to cheat if you are attending college at home, perhaps your degree will not be worth as much in the real world.