5 Productive Benefits Of Learning Online

Posted on Jan 26 2018 - 3:46pm by Editorial Staff

You know the tornado of “traditional” (read: physical) colleges and universities. It’s a whirlwind of budget cuts, shortages of courses, overwhelmed teachers protesting administration and going on strike, and intuition prices rising to stupid proportions. (Not to mention the debt you’ll get/have gotten yourself into for materials, text books and the like.) It’s safe to say that the traditional way of pursuing your degree is in turmoil, and seems to be in steady decline.

Enter: online courses and programs. Did you know, a long time ago, there are over three million enrolled students in online degree programs? Not such a novel concept now, is it? All the way back in 2012, Forbes revealed that online education was one of the most popular alternatives for higher-education. That’s six years ago! Doesn’t the tech we use today make the tech from 6 years ago seem so dated and old-fashioned? Let’s take a look today at 5 reasons why learning online takes the cake when it comes to receiving your education and setting up your future.

Countless Number of Courses

There’s no shortage of programs or courses at your disposal. No matter what it is you wish to study – you’ll be able to find almost any online course that strikes your fancy. What drives you most? What makes you bust your butt to get forward in life? There’s probably a course for that. Meaning that you don’t have to travel across the country or state to achieve a certificate or degree that you wish to. (Which saves you from disaster if you hate traveling to new cities.) Do you live too far from your dream college? Have to work a summer job? You can attain the credits you need from online classes – then transfer those credits to your primary college.

Less Anxiety

Most online courses and programs worth their weight in salt usually have a “Self-Paced” label associated with that course or program. This means, fortunately enough, that you can work anytime you please. (Which is not code for slacking off; rather, it means you’re not in a competition against other students, and can turn in work and complete targets at times most convenient for you.)

Luckily, you can also arrange your own learning schedule to synchronise with your already busy schedule. Online professors, colleges, teachers and the like understand—perhaps more than anybody alive—how chaotic everyday life can be. Being able to arrange your own schedule according to how you want it is a massive cause for reducing stress. (Or at least helping you manage other stressful situations in your life.)

This self-paced system lets shy people—or those who are incredibly anxious in large social groups, whether or not you communicate in those groups—ease the tension. Anxiety, sadly, can lead to depression – which is a downward spiral nobody should have to suffer. With online classes, however, there is less anxiety, which results in a more focused concentration and ability to hand in work on time.

Lower cost

You might have heard around the grapevine that online degrees have less expensive net tuitions than traditional colleges. While this is true in some cases, it doesn’t apply for every online degree or program you come across. (In some cases,the price difference is nearly similar or about equal.) The beauty of online courses is, of course, that associated costs are almost always lower.

For example, let’s say your college campus is a 15-minute drive from your home – or a half an hour walk. Can you afford to take the bus? Even if you buy a month-long bus pass? Those prices eat away any income you happen to make over the length of time you attend a traditional college. And then there’s the matter of snowstorms and thunderstorms during the season. This results in cancelled college classes (which completely wreck exam weeks) and spells bad news for your grades/future. Not to mention all the traveling risks involved in these weather conditions. On the other hand, online courses are—obviously—online, no matter the weather.

Comfortability

Here’s a serious question: When you were in elementary or high school, did you ever dream about showing up to class in your PJs? (Who hasn’t, right?) One of the fringe benefits of preparing your future online is working in whatever clothes you please. However, underlying that luxurious comfort is a simple truth: you get to do online sessions and review assignments and materials (which are electronically sent to you) surrounded by your natural habitat. I wish they had online high school when I was going to school – would’ve made life a lot easier and less hectic. What makes you feel comfortable in your own skin? What helps you feel at peace with yourself? You won’t have to fight traffic, miss family events or even forsake the goings-on with friends. (Which are sacrifices we must make when we attend physical classes.) While none of this means you’ll be able to slack off when you go to school online… you’ll still be able to secure your future from the righteous comforts of your home.

Beefs Up Your Resume

Are you in the middle of raising a family? Searching in between jobs? Maybe even working an 8+ hour daily job. Attending online courses somewhat makes this work/life balance a little easier than traditional colleges. The main benefit here, though, is that online programs and courses look fantastic on your resume. How? It shows you’re burning to learn more and develop yourself. While this same result will show through if you attended traditional college – the fact that you got your degree online also shows another hidden benefit.

It shows that you know how to balance extreme situations, events and maneuver it successfully. This means you are a competent individual who lets nothing get in their way from getting done what they want to do. There’s no stigma about online courses and programs, either: we’re in the 2nd decade of the 21st century. No employer who’s in the know or worth their weight in salt gives a fiddle about where you received your education: only that you know how to do your job and get things done. (Plus, we’re all hardwired into the Internet of Things anyway. If that doesn’t spell “Internet Culture” I don’t know what does.)

Conclusion

These reasons are not—by any means—the end-all be-all of online program benefits. Even so: there’s no doubt about it anymore… online degrees are just as “official” as traditional degrees. Online education is no less important than offline education. All you need is your passion for learning, your burning curiosity for getting further in life, and doing what you need to do to get yourself where you want to be in life. The rest falls into place once you have those three ingredients set in place.

Photo by Wokandapix, CC0 1.0

About the Author

Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.