Education is one of the most important pillars of our society. The more we learn, the more we understand, and the more we understand, the more we can grow in our personal and professional lives. Choosing to go back to school as an adult isn’t easy. You have a lot more to balance and a lot more responsibility to think about, so it could be a challenge.
However, you should consider that going back to school doesn’t have to mean going full-time to a university campus every single day. In fact, online education could be the best thing you ever do for yourself, especially if you sign up for a university that’s renowned for delivering online lectures, tutorials, and labs without you having to be there in person.
The thing is, with the world moving the way it is towards a digital landscape, more and more students are thriving studying online than they are turning up in person. It allows adult students to spend time working, managing their families, and continuing their current professional development while bolstering their current qualifications. If you’re still on the fence, here are ten reasons to choose to study online.
Ten Reasons to Choose to Study Online
- You have a lot of choices. With online education, you don’t have to be limited to just the local universities in your area. You can choose from a wide variety of programs and schools that may not even be available locally to you. You might live by colleges that don’t offer the majors or the miners that you’re interested in. If you’re living in a rural area, you can still attend a prestigious college just by studying online. You have access to hundreds of quality programs without the need to relocate and uproot yourself. And yes, while that college experience is important to some, if you’re already a mature student and you’re looking to retrain, it’s not something that’s necessary for you to thrive.
- There is more flexibility. With online education, you get to choose when you study. Most lectures are recorded in advance and posted online for you to listen back to if you can’t attend a live lecture. Whether you’re a stay at home parent with kids around, or you’re a professional that doesn’t have the time to take a course during school hours, you can look at online programs that work around your schedule. You don’t have to also base yourself at night school anymore. With asynchronous options, you’ll be able to have the opportunity to learn without that set weekly schedule that gets in the way of everything else. You also don’t have to worry about meeting online at specific times, except when in the case of group work, and even then you can set the schedule with your group.
- You have a chance to network. When you’re in an online education program, you can network with peers from anywhere in the nation, not just in your local area. Learning online doesn’t actually have to be an isolating experience like most people believe it is. Students can make the most out of their courses by networking with peers and making friends local to them who they may not have met otherwise. Not only can you make those friends, but you can develop references and connections with professors and people in the industry who can help you to find a career or provide you with references as you go through your career.
- You’re going to save a lot of money. Online education programs are often charging less than the traditional schools because you are not using the same facilities. Virtual programs aren’t always cheaper, of course, but they can be, depending on who you decide to go with. If you’re a returning adult student, or you have a lot of transfer credits from other programs, this is especially true.You also won’t have to worry about the cost of relocation, which can be huge if you’re looking to move Interstate.
- Learning at your pace. Online education programs allow you to work at your pace that fits around your life. Some students don’t mind following the pace of a traditional course in the same way the rest of students do. But others become frustrated because whether it’s too fast or too slow, it just doesn’t work for them. Online programs allow you to set the pace yourself, studying as many or as little hours as you’d like per week. If working at your own pace is something that’s important to you, you should look for online programs that are keen to offer flexible start and finish dates.
- Online study has an open schedule. Online education allows you to continue your career while you work towards a degree. Being able to continue to bring money in, if you are responsible for a family especially is important. You could continue to work full time hours and study part time around that. The time is going to pass anyway, so you may as well fill it in a way that makes sense for you.
- You cut the commute. When you choose online education, you don’t have to commute anywhere. You can go as far as your bedroom or your desk and set up your computer to get started on assignments. If you’re living far from a college campus, the savings that you make here can have a huge impact on your overall higher education expenses.
- The instructors are often inspiring. Most people find that their online education instructors are as inspiring as they would be in person. It’s important that you get to know your instructors, even if you are distance learning, because you can then get opportunities to learn from the best and the brightest in your field.
- You can choose the evaluation format you like. Sometimes in some education programs, you don’t have to sit exams. You can get your grades through assessment, and when you have assessment and assignment work, it can be easier and more laid back to study. You can compile portfolios, prove your learning by taking tests or complete coursework.
- It’s an effective way of learning. Students that take online courses can outperform their peers in a traditional setting. You could be a part of that statistic and start outperforming those who have gone to college full time while you work it around your life.
