The Pros and Cons of Earning a Degree Online
Due to technological advancements within the last few decades, getting a college degree online is easier than ever. All you need is a decent computer and a strong Internet connection. This means that more and more people can earn their degree and land their dream job.
Some people may not realize just how different earning their degree online is from attending a university in person. We’ve come up with the pros and cons of earning a degree online to help those of you who are trying to decide which is best for you.
Pro: Flexibility
Earning a degree online offers you tremendous flexibility in your schedule. You can take your class at night or early in the morning. You can sit at home in your pajamas while listening to the lecture or dressed in your favorite outfit while sipping a latte at a cozy coffee shop.
Instead of rushing around campus to get to your classroom and sit in an uncomfortable seat at a desk that is too small, you can learn right from the comfort of your home on your own time.
Pro: Lower costs
Generally, online courses are significantly cheaper than taking a class in person. This is because colleges do not have to rent out classrooms from the university and hire multiple professors to teach at certain times and make sure that every student in that major will have a seat in a class.
An online class may have hundreds of students attending, but you won’t notice because you are all sitting behind your computer screen. You will also save money by not living on a campus in an overpriced dorm and paying for a meal plan.
Pro: Develop strong written communication skills
Everything is communicated via email when earning a degree online. You know what they say, practice makes perfect. The more often you write emails to your professors and classmates, the stronger your written communication will become. This is an essential skill to have in the workplace. A well-written and legible email makes the cogs turn in the machine.
Pro: Allows time to work
We’ve covered that earning a degree online offers a lot of flexibility, but what does that mean exactly? It means that it gives you more time to work a part-time or even a full-time job.
Without worrying about asking your supervisor to schedule your shifts around your class schedule, you can schedule your classes around your work schedule. It takes the pressure off of you and your supervisor. It also allows you to keep a current job instead of finding a new one if you relocate to a university.
Con: Loss of campus experience
You may hear your parents or family members talk about the crazy things they did in college and the tailgates at the homecoming football game or the debate they won in the national competition for their debate club. All of these things are done on a college campus, which is lost when earning a degree online.
There is much less social interaction when earning a degree online, which in turn can cause loneliness and debilitate you from making important connections for down the road.
Con: Motivation and responsibilities
It’s easy to push something aside to crawl in bed and binge watch Netflix when you don’t have to go anywhere during the day. Staying motivated while earning a degree online can be extremely difficult. There is nobody pushing you to do your homework or study for your exam next week.
You are not around other classmates who are stressing about an exam and talking about it. You must keep yourself motivated and make sure that you get your work done on time.
Con: Rely on technology
As far as technology has come, it still has a long way to go. We’ve all experienced those days where your computer is acting up or the Internet decides to take a break for a few hours. You must completely rely on technology when earning your degree online. You must have a strong Internet connection and a computer that you know won’t fail you.
Unlike a classroom where you just have to show up and can take notes with a pen and paper, you must have access to your computer at all times.
Con: Online degrees depend on the major
Not all majors allow you to earn your degree online. Majors that are more hands-on, such as chemistry where you have to be in a lab half of the time, are less likely to be offered online. There may be some courses you can take online, but you cannot earn the full degree online.
Keep this in mind when deciding what you would like to major in when thinking about whether earning a degree online is right for you.