Online education appeals to many people interested in career growth. For one thing, it is cheaper and faster than traditional education. In fact, many online schools have offered degrees for most of the 21st Century.
Attending online classes for technical skills can often get lead to a direct job. There is a huge demand for students sophisticated in technology. Businesses clamor for people who know how to code, develop websites, or market online. Traditional schools have not caught up with the huge demand for tech savvy employees.
Online degrees are gaining a great deal of traction with employers. Unfortunately, it leaves those with a B.A. in the humanities wondering if they made a mistake. Skilledup.com says a third of those with a bachelor’s degree are stuck in jobs that don’t need a degree.
Online Learning vs. Traditional Education
Let’s compare an online education with a traditional one for getting a job, tuition costs, class scheduling, rate of learning, and keeping up with the times.
- Getting A Job
Online schools offer shorter, more intensive courses. They are ideal for those who are looking for the academic qualifications to get a better job. You can find accelerated degree programs at GMercyU where schools like this offer a broad selection of undergraduate and graduate degrees.
By comparison, a traditional college is not in the business of job preparation. Instead, the emphasis is on teaching general knowledge and critical thinking skills. Colleges focus on helping students develop a wide theoretical understanding of a field. Colleges focus on nourishing intellectual capacity and creating educated citizens.
- Tuition Costs
Online courses are much cheaper than traditional courses. This is because online classes prefer accelerated programs and boot camps.
Here’s an example of how this works.
Suppose you aspire to be a computer programmer.
Using the online route, you could attend a 9-week boot camp for $10,000. Mentors would expose you to all the key elements you need to to impress an employer. You would know enough to work on client projects right away.
By comparison, you would take a more circuitous route to learn programming in a college class. You would enroll in a computer science degree program. You would learn a great deal about the entire field of software, including the history of ideas. In total, you would spend $80,000 over the course of four years.
When it came to applying for a job, employers would hire the person who went to the boot camp over a college grad. Why? It’s because the online coder has practical skills and can go to work right away. Employers prefer snipers to a well-rounded soldiers. Specialized skills bring more profit to the firm.
- Schedules
People who attend online courses may have a full-time job, a family, and commitments. Attending an online class is only a mouse click away. Time and location are no longer constraints. Someone can study late at night or in the early hours of the morning. This leaves them plenty of time to take care of their work and family responsibilities.
By comparison, going to a college class takes time out of a busy schedule. Students must rearrange your work and family life around class schedules. Graduation will take longer because a student will only have time for a few credits each semester.
- Rate of learning
E-learning is an educational revolution in progress. It overcomes many of the learning shortcomings associated with traditional education.
E-learning is more user-friendly when it comes to the process of learning.
It’s hard to rewind a lecture you slept through in a college class. But you can always rewind a video that delivers the same information.
If you fail a test in a college test, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly where you went wrong. While the instructor may make a few comments, it’s insufficient feedback. With an online quiz, you get graded immediately. You see what questions you answered wrong, and you get an explanation for all the answers. It’s easy to figure out what you need to brush up on.
- Keeping Up With The Times
We are living in an age of accelerated technological growth. Already ebooks are outselling paper books. Already, people are learning more from surfing the Internet. It takes too long to use the Dewey Decimal System in a college library. Everything is moving away from a manual approach. By attending an online course, you are attuning to the spirit of the times.
In Defense of A Traditional Education
An online education is ideal for someone looking for a better job.
Still, there are some benefits to traditional learning.
Here are 3 good reasons to attend a traditional college.
- Traditional careers. A college education is still an excellent place to get a degree in a traditional field. It’s a good place to become a biologist, psychiatrist, dentist, physician, engineer, or lawyer.
- Networking.A college education is for you if you’re an athlete. It’s also for you if you’re interested in being part of a fraternity, sorority, or club. Colleges are a great place to network with people who can help your career at a future date.
- Prestige. Going to an Ivy League college is an impressive achievement. They only admit the best students. Institutions like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, set high academic standards. In some professions, graduating from an Ivy League college can open doors for you.
What are Your Goals?
Deciding between an online school or getting a traditional college education really depends on your goals. Each offers students a completely different type of experience. Online schools equip you for the working world. Colleges improve your mind and character and offer you a rich world of life experiences.
