Online education has completely opened the doors for working professionals everywhere. It has even given people more opportunities to even attend university in the first place. You can enroll in a top program of your choosing from anywhere around the country in most cases. You can also save money and stay at home. Many degrees even let you continue to work around your career so that you can continue to support yourself and your family without needing to take out even higher loans.
Online degrees can completely change the game when it comes to your career, but they aren’t for everyone. There are many roles out there still that prioritize on-the-job learning. So how can you know if an online degree will help your career?
The Sheer Scope of Online Degrees
The first thing to keep in mind today is that online degrees are no longer a fringe element to education. You can enroll in almost any program you can think of online and work towards earning a degree. Point Park University, for example, offers programs at the undergraduate level, graduate level, and doctoral levels. You could even further your qualifications with a certificate to broaden the reach of your existing education. This means that increasingly online degrees are being used in the following key ways:
When You Should Consider an Online Degree
There are a few crucial instances where earning an online degree can be the right move for you:
1. To Save on Maintenance Costs
Online degrees are a great fit if you’re looking for a way to save on your overall education. Though they’re not less expensive in terms of tuition, the ability to stay and live at home or in a far cheaper area can help you significantly lower the maintenance costs that many forget about when it comes to student loans.
2. To Remain at Home While You Study
There are so many reasons why you may not want to pack up everything and move to a whole new city. While this can be great character-building for teens and young adults, those who are older will have built up a life and won’t be so keen on dropping it all to live in a dorm. If you own your own home, don’t want to leave friends or family, or have other commitments keeping you where you are, an online degree immediately opens up your possibilities.
3. To Further Your Career Credentials
Online degrees, by far, are going to be more interesting for older adults who are already well on their way through their careers. If you feel like you’ve hit a certain ceiling in your current path, then earning a degree can be just the ticket to smashing it. Many professionals, for example, will eventually want to move into management. Going from working as an engineer to management can be quite the leap, but with a management or business degree, the transition might be seamless.
4. To Qualify for Certain Job Roles
In some instances, you won’t have a choice. There are many high-ranking roles that require you to have a license to operate. In order to get that license, you’ll need to have an accredited degree first.
5. To Start a Second Career
If you’re making a big career change, then earning a degree could help establish a new foundation. You may even be able to use your existing education to branch off into new directions. Either way, every second career needs training, and an online degree is just the tool to get the job done.