5 Great Reasons to Attend Online College

5 Great Reasons to Attend Online College

Reasons to Attend Online College

  • Eliminate Scheduling Stress
  • Work at Your Own Pace
  • Take Advantage of Mentoring Programs
  • Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills
  • Improve Your Computer Skills

It’s getting harder to find a job without going to college, but because attending classes in person can be a major scheduling conflict, a lot of people are looking for reasons to attend online college.

The most affordable choice is usually a public brick-and-mortar institution such as a state or city school, and these colleges typically offer a wide range of online courses so that students can complete a degree without setting foot inside a lecture hall.

1. Eliminate Scheduling Stress

The number one reason to go to an online school is to make your schedule as flexible as it needs to be to accommodate a job and other personal commitments. Distance education allows you to choose when you go to class and to take breaks whenever you need to pay attention to something else. Classes are online 24 hours a day, and you’ll save a huge amount of time by not having to drive to a campus and walk between classrooms. It’s the most efficient way to get a degree if you don’t overpay for your tuition. Even if you do pay a higher price for classes, it can still be the right way to go if it allows you to continue working at a full-time job.

2. Work at Your Own Pace

This benefit doesn’t apply to public schools that offer online courses, but for-profit colleges generally allow students to work completely at their own pace. You’ll be able to work more or less quickly than the rest of the students so that you can finish earlier or later, depending on your choice. If you attend online courses at a public school, you’ll still have to take exams and finish your work at the same time as the other students. If you have a full-time job or other commitments, this flexibility can allow you to earn more money while you study — although reducing your course load will have the same result.

3. Take Advantage of Mentoring Programs

For-profit online colleges offer mentoring programs to give students personal support throughout their degrees. This option usually isn’t offered by public colleges although teaching assistants are almost always available to work one-on-one with students in distance education courses. Whether you go to a for-profit online school or take online classes at a public college, you’ll get the additional help you need from a teaching assistant or mentor who can clarify complicated topics.

4. Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Working alone isn’t for everybody, but if you’re the type of person who can learn college-level material by watching videos and reading e-books, you’ll hone your problem-solving skills and work more efficiently in the future. Not all degrees are offered completely online, but the selection of distance education majors is growing. If you complete a business degree online, for example, you’ll have an opportunity to develop analytical skills that would be less likely for an in-person student to gain.

5. Improve Your Computer Skills

Most college students are at least moderately proficient at using a computer, but if you’ve suffered from a computer-related phobia until now, an online degree will help you overcome it. Although highly technical degrees such as math and computer science aren’t usually available entirely online, the basic computer skills you’ll acquire from distance education will be appealing to future employers. Ten or 15 years ago, an online degree might have had some stigma attached to it, but these days, employers recognize the important skills distance learners gain from their degrees.

Going to college has never been more important, and degrees in high-growth fields like health care and business can be completed entirely online. If you’re planning on attending college, take a look at some of the public and private online courses available in your area. The reasons to attend online college should give you plenty of motivation.

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