One Snarky Chica with Issues

Every Thursday deals with issues related to jobs, career and school.

With everything from law degrees to art degrees available at online schools, it is a bit surprising to me that there is a stigma that comes attached to online degrees. You might not think that there is a stigma, but in my experience there definitely is.

I actually completed both my undergraduate and my graduate degrees via online programs. The difference between the two degrees is that one was done through a bricks-and-mortar university while the other was an entirely online accredited university.  I chose to do my schooling online because I had no parental funds supporting me or my attempts to earn the degrees which meant that I needed to work full-time while going to school. An online degree program is perfect for those of us that have to work while going to school. I actually prefer it to traditional learning. For both degrees I started out at actual universities doing on-campus learning before switching to the online “campus.”

The online programs were great for me because I was able to work at my own pace and do the work on my own time. Sometimes I did it on a lunch break at work, sometimes I did it late at night or on weekends. This flexibility allowed me to learn on my own terms, and honestly, I learned a lot more this way.

What might be shocking to you is that the education I received from the online school was far superior to that of the online program through the traditional university. The only other difference between the programs was the cost. Online schools are a lot more per credit hour than their traditional counterparts, but when I look at the education I got for the money it was money well spent.

Whenever I go to job interviews I always get questions about the school that doesn’t look familiar to the interviewer. As soon as I begin to tell them about it they get the look. The traditional school snob look. That’s when I tell them how I was taking two of the exact same classes at the same time at a traditional school and the online school when I was just transferring to the online school. See, with online schools a lot of them run on 6 or 8 week sessions, which meant I started the program in October and my traditional school classes were not over till December. Everything I learned over the course of the semester at the traditional school was covered in week one of the same class at the online school. You could look at that and say that means I learned 6 – 8 times as much, and I wouldn’t argue with you. The classes were really challenging and difficult, which was far from what I was used to at the traditional school. The entire program really kicked my butt, and I learned the most I have ever learned in any college program.

I think at some point in the near future online degree programs will be more common and the stigma will be gone for the most part. Regardless, I do not regret my decision and I would recommend the online degree programs to anyone as I feel it was a great learning experience. If you are thinking of signing up for an online degree program, it is important that you make sure it is an accredited school. You can check your schools accreditation by searching the database on the Council of Higher Education Accreditation website.