Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Pros and Cons of an Online Education

Advantages of an Online Education

The option of getting an online education is a welcomed by many, particularly people who don't have easy access to a nearby college or university, or access to a school which offers the courses necessary to fill their particular needs.

Online educational opportunities are a real boon to students that travel frequently, or are in the military.

Many of us may have missed the opportunity to get our degrees during the traditional college years. Finances and family obligations may have curtailed opportunities.

Thankfully, easy access to online college degrees has given us our "second" chance.

Drawbacks of an Online Education

With all of its benefits, however, you need to be aware of some of the drawbacks to getting an online education.

First, make sure the school you are taking courses through is an accredited school that offers transferable credits. The Internet has opened up vast educational opportunities with many prestigious schools.

However, there are plenty less reputable schools that amount to nothing more than "diploma mills".

"Diploma Mills" give you credit for life experience, which is not recognized by state and federal laws. You can even "buy" a doctorate. So don't let a fancy website fool you.

Employers are well aware of these types of diplomas, and will check the accreditation of your degree.

If you're in doubt as to the school's reputation, check with U.S. Department of Education's Council of Higher Education Accreditation to ensure the courses they offer are accredited.

Time Management Skills

To be successful, make sure you can manage your time well. The flexibility of online courses is great, but if you're easily distracted, this type of schooling may not work for you.

It's all about self-discipline - the ability to work on your college courses and set aside time to study - even though there are a million other seemingly more important things to do.

Set Manageable Goals for Yourself

Goals help us to stay focused on our end goal. Remember if a project seems too big, break it down into more manageable, less intimidating steps. Complete a step, and move on to the next.

Staying organized and focused with the help of daily planners will help you to achieve your goals.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online (http://www.sixsigmaonline.org) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Online Bachelors Degree - Why You Should Get an Online Bachelors Degree

Are you frustrated by your job situation where you are putting in the hours and no tangible returns to talk about. If you do not have a bachelor's degree, be well advised about getting one, as this is now a prerequisite in any professional job without which you are likely to be given a big pass. Online bachelor's degree could be your springboard to a better salary; career and general well being as well as enabling you pursue higher degrees like masters and eventually doctorate degree. So do not be frustrated any more, it's time for an online bachelors degree.

To have a bachelor's degree releases you to reach higher, explore new horizons, enhance your career, and place you in an ideal position for a promotion or better opportunity in another company. A lack of a bachelor's degree obviously takes you the opposite way and leaves you without hope of progressing in your chosen career.

In your pursuit of higher education however, one must be careful about which institution he deals with and which programs he does choose. Choose a relevant course that is marketable and beneficial to you. There are several course offered online at bachelors level and if from well-credited colleges, will put you in good stead for progression. Online bachelors degrees were for many years shunned for being of inferior quality and indeed some states and companies have very strict laws on online degrees but now that is slowly fading as even very reputable colleges have introduced online bachelors degrees in the curriculum.

To get good courses, one should shop around thoroughly and ascertain the accreditation status of the college before joining. Yahoo search engines and many internet sites can help and on the same breath, I recommend this site, http://www.education-degreeonline.com. This website guides you through the process of enrolling for an online degree program. It has details and types of accredited degrees from which you can choose from as well more information about online learning.

I wanted an online bachelors degree. But finding the right place to apply online for a bachelors degree was a tedious job. I spent a lot of time on searching for resources that could help me apply to the right college. Finally I found online education review website that helped me apply to top colleges free of cost.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Real Degrees From Real Colleges on the Web - Really!

A national poll from 2006 revealed that only 60% of Americans believed that young people should be taught the value of hard work and studying. One writer commenting on this statistic tried to spin it positively, by revealing that the figure was less than 40% among Europeans. But there is one group today where just about 100% would support the notion of hard work and study - people who are working for an online college degree.

With the explosion of the "virtual world" of the Internet over the past decade and a half, we have witnessed the construction of a whole parallel world, except instead of brick and mortar and 2-by-4's, the buildings are made of bits, bytes and computer graphics. The grocery store down the street, the movie theater downtown and the bookstore at the mall all have counterparts, as well as competitors, in cyberspace. And now that colleges have made the move, people have a choice of sitting in class for two or four years or studying in a more flexible way, from home, to get an online college degree.

Brave new world, indeed.

Getting a college degree is not an easy thing to do, online or on campus. The research indicates that a person who goes to an online college for a degree is less likely to drop out, gets higher grades and has fewer disciplinary issues. These were the same findings some 30 years ago when an educational research group studied junior college students. Because they were older, more settled and knew what they wanted to do, junior college students, like today's online students, were more motivated, focused and, ultimately, successful in school.

There are economic and practical reasons that getting an online college degree is becoming a more popular option. People who previously could not afford college are finding lower-cost online alternatives. Parents of young children who could not get away even to a nearby campus can now study from home. Workers who had to keep their jobs and support families are scheduling their classes for evenings and weekends.

Online colleges, trade schools and training institutes have actually performed a remarkable public service by making higher education, in the form of an online college degree, available to more people. This in turn increases the talent pool available to American industry and, along with continuing technological advances, raises worker productivity, economic forecasts and, ultimately, the gross national product.

An educated populace is required for the survival of any free, prosperous nation. America is fortunate that, even though some 40% of the population no longer respects the value of hard work and study, there are enough people who do to keep us going and growing. Those are the kind of people who work hard, get an online college degree, get back to work - and then make a difference.

After founding his first security firm in 1990, Scott McQuarrie built several security-related companies into regional and national powerhouses over the ensuing years. Since 2000 he has focused his sales and marketing efforts on the Internet, which opened up a virtually unlimited, international market for his flagship product line, EZWatch Pro.

The EZWatch Pro brand has come to stand for world-class expertise in electronic security, video surveillance and the myriad technologies involved in both fields. From small houses to gigantic international airports, there is an EZWatch Pro solution to meet any and every residential, business, commercial and government security challenge.