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Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Online school- worth it??
Instead of finishing college, I chose to go to go to EMT school. Now, I work prn for a county ambulance service, and work full-time in a corporate medical clinic. I enjoy it, the pay isn't terrible, but do not see myself in that field forever. I have been looking into earning a bachelor's degree online, since with my schedule, campus school would be impossible. What I keep wondering is- is it worth it? Or a waste of time? Does HOW you earned your degree matter so much to potential employers as much as the fact that you HAVE one? Thoughts? Advice? Please and thanks.
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Re: Online school- worth it??
IMO, it most worthwhile if your school and program is reputable, accredited (not-for-profit) institution. For-profit institutions have notoriously high attrition rates and reputations as being diploma mills.
Does HOW you earned your degree matter so much to potential employers as much as the fact that you HAVE one? Yes, but it depends on your work/career goals. I imagine that small, local businesses are less focused on educational pedigrees, but if you want to work for a major corporation, then expect them to give weight to your education.
I'm sure there a million and one opinions on this subject but here's mine:
IF it's worth it depends on the school and most importantly can you afford it. I hate to see students taking out thousands of dollars for a crappy degree with limited earning potential( online or not). I'd look into a community college or traditional school that offers programs online before going private or to a for-profit institution. These are cheaper and have more "clout".
How you earned your degree does matter to some people and not to others. I've heard of HR people who toss online graduate resumes into the trash and others who don't. I think online schools are great for people getting degrees when they are already working in the field or have experience. Trying to break into a new field with an online degree can be frustrating and is not always easy. Of course this depends on the field.
THe most important thing is to research the school, degree ,field and future potential employers ( ask what they think about various schools) you are interested in and then make the choice from there.
GL
I technically got my bachelors degree online, but it was from a reputable, in-state, brick and mortar university. And I finished all my prerequisites at a local community college (also with online classes). A lot of legit schools are offering classes online now, and the actual degree doesn't specify how you got it.
I now work for a large company in HR and haven't come across even one person with a degree from the University of Phoenix or the like, so I'm guessing they toss resumes from those schools immediately.
Look into colleges. My undergrad school allowed you to get a degree in several fields from online. It was wonderful if you were behind a few credits and needed to catch up or stay on track. A lot of universities are going this way.
I took classes from University of Phoenix because I was interested in taking them. They were easy to work with. A lot of the places I have applied with have commented that they are the better choice. They are a little more money than a typical school, but they do the job.
I agree with PP that you want to find a school that is accredited.
This.
FET - transferred two embryos (boy and girl) - Nov 2014 - BFP!
Stay a way from for-profit schools.
I'm earning my masters in library science primarily online. My school has been offering a distance option in this field for over 20 years, so they have a lot of experience with creating learning communities for distance students. I chose my program because there was no accredited program in my area, and because this school has a strong presence in my city - lots of alumni in my field, an active student association, and hybrid classes (classes that have a few face to face meetings, but are primarily online). My online classes are never just reading a text book or some notes and then turning an assignment in online. There are video chats, message boards, group work,and field experience components.
Many online programs are not nearly as well developed as mine. I would find a few schools (non-profit, traditional) you are interested in and ask questions. Do they offer cohorts, hybrid classes, does the writing lab offer help to distance education students, how does the library attend to the needs of distance education students?
Some degrees and some fields of study don't offer as much online as they would in person. For instance, I would never earn a PhD online. You need to be meeting with faculty face to face, teaching classes, and taking advantage of research opportunities on the campus. Nursing is another field where the student really needs to be in a face to face classroom, and the sciences in general. How do you do labs online? I'm sure somebody can figure out a way, but does the quality match that of a face to face lab? Probably not.