Pros and Cons of Distance Learning
A Distance Education Program Can Help Your Non-Profit Career
Nov 17, 2006
Do you love what you do and are looking for a way to get ahead? Or maybe you are tired of your job and looking for a big change. Nowadays, it is possible to get a degree in nonprofit management, social work, public policy, education, nursing, and many other areas that can help advance your non-profit career.
Distance learning can make it possible to reach your education goals while you fulfill your other responsibilities. Enrolling in a distance education program has lots of benefits:
- It fits your schedule. Distance learning programs don’t care if your shifts change, if you have a job that requires a lot of traveling, if you work at night and sleep during the day, or if you have to care for someone else. As long as you can find some time, you can take distance learning courses.
- You can study what you want, regardless of your location. Sometimes local colleges – if there even are any – don’t offer what you want, or don’t offer it at a price you can afford. Distance learning colleges expand your options.
- You can interact with a wide variety of students. There tends to be a lot more diversity in an online learning environment than in more traditional degree programs. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, work and life experiences – which can make discussions lively and enriching.
- Many distance learning programs have several short terms throughout the year so that even if you can only take one courses at a time, it is easy to end up having taken four or five classes in a year. This can give you an edge over most traditional college programs, which have three semester (fall, spring, and an optional summer term).
- An accredited online program from a recognized university is as good as a traditional program. Your diploma almost certainly won’t say anything about “online” and your employers (usually) won’t care how you got your degree, as long as it is legitimate.
- In many cases, you can get student loans and income tax credits for participating in an online distance learning program – just like you could in a traditional program.
There are other factors of distance learning that, while not necessarily bad, are important to consider before you start a distance education program:
- Most (but not all!) distance learning courses require that you use computers, the web, or sometimes satellites and video. You should feel comfortable with whatever technology you will have to use.
- Usually, scholarships, federal work study, and some other financial aid options are not available for distance education students.
- Because there is no set time to do your work and no set structure like class time, it takes discipline and motivation to complete online courses. Many people drop out, particularly when other activities like work and taking care of family get in the way of studying.
- It can be harder to learn in a distance education format than in a traditional program. Some people, for instance, are better at learning through seeing and hearing than they are through reading. Online distance education also lacks that hands-on experience that can be so helpful. It can also be harder to ask for clarification or interact with your classmates (though discussion boards, email, and other tools can really help).
So, is distance learning for you? If you have an educational goal you believe in, and you know you can consistently commit the time, energy, and financial resources to achieving it—then yes. If you aren’t sure you can do it, that’s all right. The beauty about a distance learning degree program is that it will still be available to you later, when the timing is better.
