Enterprise

Online Courses: Bring Your Education Home

Written by Faizan Patankar

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Image by A Vahanvaty used under the Creative Commons license.

With the advent of technology, it has become increasingly possible to complete a university degree without leaving the comfort of your own home. This is good news for those who might have parental, familial or professional commitments: university may not have to become a full-time way of life. For many, the student lifestyle, though attractive, might not be financially or personally feasible. But you don’t necessarily need to have children or be a mature student to pursue your distance degree. Given the significant financial obligations of a degree, more and more students have decided to study online. Here’s why.

It’s a fast-track to excellent prospects

It’s no longer necessary to move away from home to a university town to pursue your undergraduate degree, an pre-requisite of some institutions which can mean the difference between getting an education, and doing without for some families. A strong undergraduate degree is critical to progression in some careers, and in today’s extremely competitive job market, it can get you a better job, command a salary up to 40% higher than non-qualified peers. Now, it’s available to everyone.

The vast financial advantages

Such financial strains as paying for student accommodation, footing the bill for a bi-weekly commute or giving up work shifts to attend lectures no longer need to hinder students in their pursuit of further education. Many top universities offer courses which progress at a pace dictated by the student. The university year is more fluid, and students can work year-round towards their credits. Seminars can be attended via technologies like Web Ex and Skype. Lecture recordings and hand-outs are made available as standard online, and personal non-attendance can easily be surmounted.

The breadth of options

So many top universities are seeing the value of offering online courses, that almost no course is off-limits, so whether you want to take your undergraduate in Natural History, pursue a Master of Science in Mathematics online, or achieve your Doctorate in Comparative Literature; anything’s possible with today’s technology.

Today, nothing needs to keep you from getting the education you deserve. If you’re willing to work hard, demonstrate a good degree of self-discipline and adopt a flexible attitude to learning, pursuing your education via online courses might be the next best step you can take.

About the author

Faizan Patankar

I started Career Geek Blog in 2011 to share my experience in job-hunting. I now focus on careers industry and blogging is just a tool to share that info. Love hacking careers. During the day I focus on my hobby - Engineering.