Is an Online Degree the Right Path for You?
In the past, many of us agreed that the most typical path through life was to go to school then get a job. These days, there are lots of different variations to that kind of lifestyle. One of the biggest advances in our society is the ability to study online instead of attending a physical school. This affords us many unique advantages, such as being able to control the amount of time we commit to studying and picking any college in the country.
However, studying online might not be the best path for everyone. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the type of person that online courses would be ideal for.
Online courses require you to have a lot of self-discipline
While you can speak to lecturers and ask for assistance, you’re not going to be surrounded by students like you would in a typical college. This means you’re going to be studying mostly by yourself. You’ll need a fairly high level of self-discipline if you want to get through these courses, and you’ll be expected to research most of the difficult concepts by yourself. It’s similar to homeschooling, only you’ll be acting as both the teacher and the student.
Because of this, many people believe that online courses aren’t really worth it since the amount of attention you get from educators is low. In addition, convincing yourself to study in your own time can be hard, especially if you have to do it at home surrounded by family members. It can get very distracting and it’s not for everyone. However, if you feel that you have a strong sense of self-discipline and can easily avoid distractions, it could be an excellent choice for you.
Online courses help you make your career more purposeful
Earning a lot of money is great, but most of us would prefer to be in careers that we also love. For instance, becoming a family nurse practitioner is often much more rewarding than going into the insurance industry. Both jobs are valuable – nobody is denying that – but working in the medical profession creates more emotional investment for most people.
Switching careers is actually less tricky than you think. As discussed, you don’t have to spend years attending a physical school. Instead, you can complete courses in the evenings and weekends (even while working your day job). And once you have the qualifications you need, employers will start entertaining your application. It is often just a matter of time before someone accepts you for a role.
You can study at specific colleges across the country
If there’s something specific that you want to learn then online courses can be an amazing option since it gives you access to almost every college in the country. Universities such as KUO offer courses in everything from engineering management to data science and even supply chain management. These are incredibly practical skills with real-world applications that can quickly be put to use.
However, there are obviously going to be some skills that require you to physically attend a college. This usually includes medical schools and other industries that rely on specific machinery or field training.
Online courses free up a lot of your time if approached correctly
We previously mentioned that you need a lot of self-discipline to make online study work. If you find it hard to focus, then you might actually struggle with your online courses and you’ll find that it takes up a lot of your free time. However, if you can stay on top of your studies, it can actually free up a lot of your time.
When approached correctly, online courses can be paired with a part-time job and plenty of socialising with friends and family members. It gives you a lot of freedom but it does require you to focus and cut out distractions during your study time.