It should come to most as no surprise that online courses are booming with no signs of slowing down.
According to a report by the Online Learning Consortium, in 2016 the number of students taking online courses grew to 5.8 million nationally, continuing a growth trend that has been consistent for 13 years. More than a quarter of higher education students (28 percent) are enrolled in least one online course.
If you’re still not sure whether online courses are right for you, check out the 5 points we’ve listed below and decide for yourself.
Benefit 1: The choice is yours
With so many online courses available, it is truly your choice. You’re not forced to select from a particular list of courses that may only be offered locally or in your region. Suddenly, a new universe of opportunities become available that you may not had considered at the local / regional level.
Benefit 2: The cost factor
With online courses, you’re bound to save considerably on learning the things you want to learn. As compared to pursuing the same course from a school or university, your cost will be significantly lower, lessening the financial burden that awaits you upon completion of your studies. At the Georgia institute of Technology for example, an online master’s degree in computer science for can be had for $6,600 – about $35,000 less than its on-ground program.
Benefit 3: Flexibility
Say for example it is your ultimate goal to pursue jobs in construction. It is therefore important for one to focus on very specific areas of study, understanding that much of what one would learn and experience in the traditional university context would be all for naught. With online courses, you are really able to ‘cut to the chase’, focusing on those areas that are particular to your intended field.
Benefit 4: Pacing
It is important for many students to modify the pace of the course to suit their individual study habits and comprehension levels. Online education gives you this option! Also, you get an option to look for flexible start and finish dates that can help you make the necessary modifications in your plans and achieve the objectives without disturbing your routine.
Benefit 5: No delay
With regular courses, there are many ways in which we waste time unnecessarily. In fact, some say you will spend an entire year of your life commuting & £50,000 for the privilege. Ouch! While you may need to eventually commute once you’ve found a job (pro tip: use our free job application tracker when the time comes), why start this arduous process at the education level?
So, start looking for online courses today and reap the rewards of online learning!
