Last week I discussed some of the setbacks of pursuing a college education online. Anyone that regularly reads Studenomics knows that I try to show both sides of every argument. I find that by seeing the positives of both sides of the coin keeps your mind open. Before I waste any more time, let’s get started with a look at the benefits of obtaining an online college/university degree.
Ability to obtain a Masters Degree while still keeping your full time job
There are plenty of people out there (including myself) that would love to both get started with work in the field and yet somehow earn a Master’s Degree once they complete an undergraduate program. Pursuing an online education is likely the best method for this.
Save money on living & transportation costs
With an online college you probably won’t have to drive anywhere (besides the McDonald’s drive thru when pulling an all nighter) or move anywhere. You have the freedom to complete your assignment/read lectures in your own living room.
Accessible all hours of the day
You don’t have to stress if you miss a lecture because all of the lectures are online. Some people are flat out lazy and don’t want to attend lectures. Others have legitimate reasons for not being able to attend every lecture and online courses would be extremely beneficial to them.
Develop new skills sets
Hopefully you manage to develop some decent time management and self discipline skills while earning your online college degree. This could be the first time in your life where you spend your time online doing more than reading people’s Facebook status updates. With strict deadlines and the onus being on you to study the given material, you will learn how to effectively prioritize and how to juggle a variety of tasks at once.
Easier for a parent to earn an online degree
Once again if you have children and a family life that takes up a large portion of your time you won’t have the energy to have to drive to college every single morning. Online courses grant you the freedom of reading your lectures while you prepare food for your family or while the kids take a nap.
More time to absorb the material
Whether you have a learning disability or it just takes you longer to grasp concepts, you may feel more comfortable in front of a computer screen then you would in an actual classroom setting.
Best of all- no dress code
Most graduate programs require you to come to class in a suit. Most undergraduate programs don’t have a specific dress code but I’m pretty sure you can’t show up in your boxers. As superficial as it sounds not having to get dressed every single morning can be a great feeling.
photo: ambhaims
Perhaps in your dress code comment, you should change that to “most graduate programs in business”; in physics, I think the dress code is that you should be wearing some sort of clothing. It’s preferable that none of your clothing is inside out and you comb your hair once in a while, but it isn’t mandatory. Ties are for major presentations or visits by Nobel prize winners.