| For many adults today, the opportunity to pursue a | | | | paced classes that help students to learn skills and |
| college degree immediately after high school simply | | | | keep pace with their brick-and-mortar counterparts. |
| was not an option. The reasons for this can vary | | | | Through online degree programs, working adults can |
| greatly, from military service, work or financial | | | | pursue previously shelved educational goals. |
| obligations, family responsibilities, or to pursue other | | | | Many online degree programs at the undergraduate |
| goals before buckling down to attend college. | | | | level are comparable to those found in traditional |
| Sometime further down the road, many of us woke | | | | schools. Programs ranging from law enforcement, |
| up one day to realize that we needed to obtain that | | | | nursing, education, business, arts and humanities, and |
| degree in order to achieve professional or personal | | | | even technology can all be found through online |
| goals. In fact, career stagnation is reportedly one of the | | | | programs. Most of these programs provide the full |
| primary factors influencing a person's decision to return | | | | curriculum that one would expect to find at |
| to school. | | | | brick-and-mortar schools. New tools enable instructors |
| Yet, in many instances, current life obligations do not | | | | to teach material (including online lectures, tutorials, and |
| seem to allow one to return to school, mostly due to | | | | math and writing labs) to help students excel in all |
| time or financial restraints. The uncertainty of family | | | | areas. |
| commitments and work schedules can further | | | | Like traditional schools, there are some programs that |
| discourage a potential student from considering | | | | can help further accelerate a student's progress. Most |
| evening or weekend campus work. And, as adults, the | | | | of the online degree programs require 4-5 years for |
| prospect of sitting in class with a bunch of students | | | | degree completion. Students can choose to transfer |
| freshly out of high school really seems unappealing for | | | | previously earned credits from other accredited |
| many of us. Too few working adults can commit to | | | | institutions, and most of these will satisfy general |
| attending an evening or weekend course for a twelve | | | | education requirements. Students can also seek to |
| or thirteen week period. In addition, the traditional | | | | test-out of certain classes by passing accepted |
| college route requires a student to take several | | | | exams (CLEP comes to mind). Still other universities |
| courses per semester in order to graduate within a | | | | offering online degree programs will accept related |
| reasonable period of time; in fact, failing to graduate | | | | education taken outside of the traditional college |
| after 8-10 years might require a student to take | | | | system (as long as there are some continuing |
| additional courses to meet new requirements. | | | | education credits attached to that course). I was |
| The increased availability of computing and Internet | | | | fortunate to be able to translate military training into |
| technologies has helped increase the popularity of | | | | acceptable general education studies. A few |
| online degree programs, many of which are tailored to | | | | universities will accept personal or work experience |
| meet the demands of working adults. These programs | | | | related to your program, often demonstrated through |
| alleviate the obstacles facing working adults today by | | | | an experiential essay. The best advice is to ask about |
| offering 24/7 classroom access and intense, rapidly | | | | these programs prior to admission. |