Saturday, September 17, 2005

Choosing to Pursue Education Online

If you want to gain your education online, you need to take extra precautions to ensure that your education online experience is a good one and to ensure that your time and money are well spent as you pursue your education online. Many people have tried the education online experience and found it to be useful. They have found good jobs and personal fulfillment as a result on their education online experiences. Others have found pursuing education online to be more problematic. Some students have been taken in by paper mills who took their money and generated little more than worthless fake diplomas. Some students have paid to pursue their education online only to find their schools closing down, their professors unhelpful, or their courses poorly organized. Some have found that when they have pursued their education online, employers and schools looked at their online education with mistrust.

To make sure that your pursue education online with success, be sure to follow these tips:
  1. Make sure any school you choose is reputable. They should be accredited, have good reviews from past students and should offer a variety of courses. Before pursuing your education online, check and recheck the school you will be studying at. Are they in good standing with the Better Business Bureau and have their students had success after pursuing their education online with the school?
  2. How suited are you to pursue your education online? You need to ask yourself this before signing up with a school. If you do not work well on your own, online education may not be for you.
  3. Before pursuing your education online, be sure that any employers you want to work for or any schools you hope to enter with your online degree will recognize your education online experience.
  4. Be sure you know exactly what your online education experience entails before you commit yourself. Are there any hidden fees? How long will the course take? What are the requirements? What will you get in exchange for your money and time? How will any conflicts between you and the school be resolved?
  5. Before you pursue your education online, define your goals and ask yourself why you want this degree or program. Is an online education experience the best way to reach your goals?