Online degrees have an unwarranted stigma against them. From
my perspective, it’s a fear of the unknown combined with the romanticized idea
of a college campus that makes people feel that online degrees are somehow “lesser
than.” That, and because we are naturally inclined to believe that more expensive
things are intrinsically better, even without proof (See The
Psychology of Why We Prefer Expensive Things). I’ve experienced both campus
life and online life, and I’m here to tell you why an online MBA course is
working better for me than my traditional undergrad program.
Set your own schedule
– To complete online courses, you don’t have to put your life on pause.
Whatever that may be, a career, volunteer work, parenthood, or friendships, an
online program works around your schedule. Classes can be taken one at a time
or several at once, and there are no predetermined hours you must be in class. This
means that morning people can do their classwork at the crack of dawn and night
owls can take their midterms at 2 ‘o’clock in the morning if they so choose.
Go at your own pace
– We’ve all at some point misunderstood something our professor or teacher was
trying to tell us. At that moment, we either had to ask for it to be repeated
or decided to ignore it. Imagine being able to rewind time and listen to what
you missed again. With online courses, this is a reality. If you misunderstand
something you can always rewind the video or scroll back through the example
exercises until you understand. This keeps the class moving at your individualized
pace.
Take breaks from
terms for planned life events – Life usually doesn’t slow down when
something “big” is happening. Say you’re going to get married, have a surgery,
or switch professions, it’s difficult to work traditional college courses around
your life events. With online studies, you can pre-plan and pause your degree
to maximize the effort you’ll be able to put into it. Personally, when I last
changed jobs, I took a short break from my MBA. This gave me the time I needed
to focus on my new career and maintain a high-level GPA.
Accrue less debt –
According to Best
Value Schools, “There is really no correlation between the costs of a
degree and quality of education.” In the future, as education costs continue to
rise, and more and more talented young learners turn to online programs, we may
see a shift in mentality. Right now, Americans are still stuck in the idea that
“you must go to college to get a good job.” This is true to some extent, but if
we substitute “higher education” in for “go to college” we might have a more
accurate statement. The idea of “going” physically to college is a right of
passage for many. But the cost is prohibitive. Many online degrees will not
saddle students with nearly as many student loans as a traditional college.
Organization –
Online courses are generally more organized and thought-out than traditional
campus courses. At the start of term, the professor will distribute the syllabus
and all rubric materials needed for the entire course. This helps to plan out
the work-load and keep you on track to retain the maximum amount of knowledge and
achieve the highest grade you’re capable of. With all of this pre-planning, it
becomes easy to discuss expectations with your professor and clear up misunderstandings
early.
For me, my choice to pursue an MBA while simultaneously
pursuing my career was a no-brainer. I could afford it, I didn’t have to move,
and I didn’t have to put my life and relationships on pause. Online education may
not be the right choice for everyone, but I would encourage you to weigh the
option before electing to pursue a degree from a traditional school.
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