You’ve made the decision; you want to earn a college degree online. But how to begin? EducationOnline is an excellent resource with extensive information available about earning an online degree including all the online degree basics. But before you can begin applying to the online school of your choice, you need to figure out what you want to study. Below you’ll find the Who, Why, What, Where and How of choosing the right online program for you.
Who
You, of course, that’s who. What do you want out of an online degree? Do you have a degree path in mind? Take some time to consider things. What do you do well when it comes to school? What gave you trouble in school—writing papers, taking notes, or showing up to class prepared? All of these are important factors to consider before moving forward with your online college degree research. A good exercise is to sit down and write down answers to the questions above. College is challenging, even when your courses are online, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses before you start in is key. Take the time to really dig deep and understand yourself before taking the next step and deciding where to learn education online.
Why
This is important: WHY do you want to earn an online degree? Are you fulfilling a life-long dream, or simply following the expectations of your parents or friends? Are you hoping for a lucrative career and a degree is the next step down that path? Whatever your reason, if you are doing it for yourself and the dreams you hold for your life, you are more likely to succeed.
What
You’ve heard, and probably dreaded, the question: what do you want to do with your life? To answer this question, you need to do more self-examination. Let’s start with your interests. What types of things excite you? What types of jobs or careers appeal to you? Don’t feel restricted by the expectations of others—let your hopes and dreams soar when considering these ideas.
Now, let’s look at your abilities. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What kind of skills do you have? Look at the courses you took in high school. What were your best subjects? Is there a pattern there? What kinds of extracurricular activities did you participate in while in high school? What kinds of things did you learn from part-time or summer jobs?
The next step is to examine what you value in work. Do you value helping society? Do you like working under pressure? Are you interested in a specific group affiliation? What about stability, security, status, pacing, working alone or with groups, or having a positive impact on other people?
Now, the reality check. You need to honestly evaluate your options. Do you have an interest in being a doctor, but have little skill in science? Does your occupation require an advanced degree, but you have no desire to go to graduate school? Do you have a strong interest in the arts, but your family is convinced you will become a lawyer like your father? None of these things should stop you, necessarily, but it is still important to face these obstacles and be realistic about whether you can get around them.
Finally, based on all your research and self-assessment, you should now have a better idea of the careers and majors you are not interested in pursuing as well as a handful of potential careers and majors that do interest you. You are now ready to begin your online college degree research.
Where
This question is just as important but much more practical. The first step, of course, is to find out the best college for your degree choice, and then find out if they offer an online degree option. If they don’t, what online university offers the best program? Because you are choosing to earn your degree online, you have a much wider range of choices when it comes to where to learn education online.
Secondly, you should spend some time researching how the online school assists its graduates. Does it offer career counseling? How about job placement assistance? Once you’ve graduated you’ll need some assistance taking that next step. Check out how your online college will help you.
Last, but not least, is the college you’ve chosen accredited? When choosing to earn your degree online, you need to be very careful that you aren’t falling for a diploma mill or other online scam. Make sure the online university you choose is well known, established, and has all the proper academic accreditation before paying any fees or submitting an application.
Once you have all this information, you will have covered all the online degree basics and you will know which online college is the best place for you.
How
Ah, how may seem like the biggest question. How will I get in? How will I pay for college? How will I manage to work while going to school? Luckily, because you’ve chosen to earn your degree online, you have more options than most students. You can go to school online, part-time or full-time allowing you to keep your day job if you’d like to.
Financial aid is readily available to anyone who needs it, even students attending online, making a college degree a reality for everyone. The admissions counselors at the online college you choose can help you navigate the paperwork required and provide guidance on both financial aid and your course load.
To earn your online college degree, all it takes is making the commitment and taking that first step. Good luck, and good learning!
