Online Education: Degrees, Certificates And
Job Training From The Comfort Of Home

Contributed by Sheri Graves

It used to be that earning a college degree meant enrolling in classes at a sprawling campus, driving to the school several days a week, searching for a parking space, sitting for hours in uncomfortable chairs, and taking copious notes while listening to droning professors lecture ad nauseam on topics of little or no useful purpose.

Some people still get their degrees that way. But, today it is possible to get everything from a high school diploma to a postgraduate degree without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. You can do it by snail mail, of course, but the easiest and fastest way is online.

Before going any farther, let’s bust one of the big myths about online degrees. No, an online degree doesn’t necessarily get frowned upon by prospective employers. In fact, it’s often impossible to tell the difference between a degree earned through online education and one gained the old fashioned way. That’s because most major universities offer online courses of one kind or another.

Many colleges offer certification programs designed to prepare job-seekers for direct entry into the workplace. Other online certification programs are specifically oriented to ambitious workers who want to climb their chosen career ladders without missing a beat in the job they already hold.

Whether seeking initial employment or advancement opportunities, online degree and certification programs are a fact of life for today’s workforce.

The first step in getting started is to be honest in answering a few probing questions about yourself. For example:

• Do you have the discipline to set aside sufficient quiet time at home on a daily basis to study and otherwise participate in online education? If not, you’re doomed to failure. So, before entering any online study program, be sure to organize your home and lifestyle to accommodate this activity. Self-discipline is the first key to success.

• Do you have the computer skills necessary to take the courses you need and to perform the job skills necessary for your chosen career? If not, online tutorials are available for virtually every software program in use today. Additionally, companies such as Video Professor (www.videoprofessor.com) offer free computer tutorials for a wide range of software programs. Whether you need basic computer instruction or advanced computer skills education, home-based computer training is easy to come by nowadays. It has to be. Computer literacy is the first key to employability in much of today’s workforce.

The next step is to determine precisely what certifications or degrees are required to qualify for your chosen career path.

You’ll find a wealth of information at your home state’s Web page. For example, Californians may access www.ca.gov, and New Yorkers may access www.ny.gov. Once you’ve accessed your state’s Web page, click on Employment Development Department or EDD. (Some states call this government agency by another name, such as the Department of Labor and Employment.) There you will find a search engine that will take you to hundreds of recognized job titles, each of which will have a detailed description of the type of work performed, the usual working conditions, the current and projected pay range, and the educational or training prerequisites to qualify for the job.

State Web sites also provide career outlook data showing governmental predictions for the future of certain jobs and industries. Additionally, you’ll find links to colleges, universities and professional organizations that can assist with career path information.

The U.S. Department of Labor (www.dol.gov) offers similar information at its Web page.

Google a key phrase, such as “online degrees,” and you’ll discover a vast reservoir of educational and training programs you can participate in without leaving your home.

Keep in mind, however, that many online degree programs do require the student attend a week or more of on-campus classes. Some provide online education but require on-campus testing.

Perhaps the best-known online degree programs are offered by the University of Phoenix (www.uofphxdegrees.com), which operates more than 170 campus locations throughout the United States and combines classroom interaction with online study at home.

When choosing an online degree program, be sure to verify that it is being offered by an accredited entity. There’s no point in going to all that trouble only to find out the degree you’ve earned isn’t recognized by those who make hiring decisions. Even when a program is “accredited,” you need to know if the accrediting is done by a government entity or a private organization. Here, again, is a good reason to check out the career education information you’ll find at the state and federal government Web sites mentioned above.

About the Author:
Sheri Graves, an award-winning journalist, who retired after more than 40 years working for daily newspapers, is a freelance writer living in Santa Rosa, California.

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