Once upon a time, school leavers had a simple choice: go to college/university or get a job. This was, traditionally, the only time when a person could lay the foundations for a career that would last for decades to come.
However, the internet has enabled more and more people to take a different path into their dream job, or switch careers entirely, thanks to online study courses.
In days gone by, these perhaps lacked trust, but today the vast majority of online degree courses are accredited by recognized colleges and universities. Therefore, anybody graduating can rest assured that their hard work and effort will be rewarded with a qualification that is desired by employers.
Given that many online degrees can be taken flexibly (the scheduling can be worked around your other commitments), there has never been a better time to further your education and take a step towards your dream career – a dream that, for some, may have diminished over time.
Even if you don’t have a specific career path in mind, online courses will arm you with another string to your bow, while showing potential employers that you have a stack of transferable and personal skills that will ensure that you are an asset to their organization.
So, if you are interested in enhancing your career or simply learning something completely new, this article is for you.
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It’s never too late
Arguably, the current education system is flawed in that it piles immense pressure on teenagers to decide what they want to do with their lives. Let’s face it, many of us at the age of 18 or thereabouts didn’t really have a clue!
It’s a situation that can lead to ill-judged decisions being made through naivety as much as anything else, and unfortunately for some people, the wrong choices at such a young age can impact them for years to come.
Online degree courses are, in some ways, a shot at redemption. They allow us all to study for a career in the vocation that we are truly interested in – one that, perhaps, wasn’t even on our radar when we were making those key decisions in our teens.
Studying online provides a platform that confirms that it’s never too late to change career path. As long as you are dedicated to your education, you can graduate with a new certification that will enable you to follow your dream – even if it’s a dream that you didn’t have in your younger life.
Some career changes are also shaped by personal experience. Take nursing, for example: it’s a career path that many might not have thought was available to them before, but after experiencing the work of a nurse either personally or in caring for a loved one, they decide that this incredibly selfless and value-giving occupation is for them. At this moment in time, the demand for nurses is reaching record levels.
While the roads that lead to becoming a qualified nurse are varied, everyone with a desire to move into the profession has one common goal: they want to help improve the lives of their patients.
Here’s the good news: whether you are at the start of your career and planning a move into nursing, or you are plotting a complete change of vocation, you can study to become a qualified nurse online.
There are lots of resources online that enable you to learn more about studying to become a nurse, and one of the amazing things about remote degrees is that you can become a qualified practitioner in all manner of different fields and sectors – even the most hands-on jobs are catered for, thanks to placements in real working environments.
Roles in healthcare, education, business, governance, and both the public and private sector are all achievable thanks to your online degree, and this is but a fraction of the possibilities that are out there.
If you have any concerns about whether your online degree qualification is accredited with the necessary institutions in your industry, you can easily find out by checking the course’s information or by speaking to a member of staff. So, if you did want to go into nursing, you would be looking for a degree that carries CCNE accreditation. If it does, then you know that this is an industry-recognized qualification that will enable you to practice in a healthcare provision without any concerns.
Kicking down the door
At the end of your online degree course, you will be handed a shiny new certificate, a qualification that may be essential for your chosen career.
However, there are other skills you will pick up while studying a remote course that, while not measured in scores and grades, will still stand you in good stead as you embark on the next phase of your working life.
There is an element of independence to your online learning. You will have a cohort of fellow students on the same course as you, but by the nature of distance studying, they could be located in states that are hours away from you. Tools such as Skype and Zoom are a great help, and you will likely have access to course-specific WhatsApp groups, learner portals and discussion forums. However, for the most part, you will be required to show plenty of initiative and be a self-starter to get the most from your degree.
Happily, those are skills craved by many employers, and so your online course of study will arm you with an attribute that goes hand in hand with your actual qualification.
Taking on an online degree in your spare time shows that you are motivated and committed to furthering yourself. This displays an ambition and desire for self-improvement that, again, shows employers that you have real get-up-and-go. If you were a recruiter, would you rather employ somebody like that or someone who had a rather more laissez-faire approach to their own development?
If you are managing your studies around other commitments, such as a full-time job or childcare, it shows a tremendous ability to manage your time effectively, to juggle numerous tasks at once, and be able to get into the working headspace – despite distractions all around you – in limited windows of opportunity.
You’re well organized, an effective manager of your own time, able to research and make your own decisions, a strong communicator with your fellow students and tutors/lecturers – and so on.
As you can see, there are a large number of personal skills that you will pick up that complement your online qualification, and in their own way, these are just as important to prospective employers as that shiny degree certificate you will hang on your wall at home.
Earn while you learn
There’s a misconception that once you enter the world of full-time employment, or you start to raise a family or perhaps become a carer for an elderly parent, your days of studying and self-improvement are over.
However, nothing could be further from the truth, as many online degree courses are delivered flexibly and in a way that can be shaped around your existing schedule.
You can study anywhere and anytime, completing your assignments, watching lectures and supporting content, engaging in discussions online with tutors and your fellow students and researching papers – all while working your job or looking after your kids.
The online nature of these courses means that you have so many more options than you would with a traditional degree, where you might be tied to living in a particular city or state. With a degree studied wholly or partly online – and supplemented by work placements and hands-on experience where necessary – the world is truly your oyster.
Work can be shared and saved securely, with the use of cloud-based technology helping to facilitate a more effective working environment. Many online education providers have created their own in-house systems – the so-called ‘intranet’ – in order to enhance this process further.
Managing a busy schedule – and maintaining a work-life balance – is one of the complexities of studying for an online degree, but as mentioned earlier, this is a skillset that will stand you in good stead in your career moving forward. It also signals to employers that you have a transferable skill that will ensure that you become an integral figure in their workforce.
You’ll likely be working on your studies in the early morning, in the evening or at the weekend, and while that may sound challenging, remember that this is an investment in your career – consider it a compromise that will bring you many benefits in the years ahead. You’ll also learn something about yourself – namely, what time of day you are at the peak of your powers intellectually. Some of us are early birds and some of us are night owls, and once you have figured out when you are at your best, you can tailor your study periods to this particular window of opportunity.
The perks of ‘earning while you learn’ speak for themselves. Many students on traditional degrees find managing their finances to be the hardest part of the process – stress and anxiety that eats into their ability to complete their degree to the best of their abilities. However, with online studies, you can continue in your full-time or part-time employment, and so with money coming in, you have that cushion that allows you to focus on your studies and living your life.
Getting hands on
Here’s a common misconception: if a degree course is taken online, does this mean that it’s all coursework and exams with no practical learning?
The answer, in many cases, is a resounding no. Some degrees – let’s refer back to nursing briefly – make it a compulsory component that you spend time ‘in the field’, and so many courses enable you to put the theory you learn in your virtual classroom to good use in a real working environment.
Some professions require a learner to have completed a set number of hours in a clinical or practical workplace before they can qualify as a certified practitioner, and you don’t need to worry about your online degree course not being up to the mark in this regard. They will all have in-built time set aside for you to embark on a working placement, and some institutions even employ their own placement coordinators so that you don’t have the stress and hassle of trying to find a preceptor. What’s more, they will do their upmost to ensure that your placement location is within as close a proximity as possible to your home address.
For those who crave interpersonal contact and networking, it should be noted that some online degree courses do have elements of traditional studying to them. Some will facilitate meetups and study sessions at a campus building (for those that have a ‘site’) or at another public venue, while others will offer short-term, on-campus residencies at times when your studies are at their most critical juncture – during busy exam periods, for instance, or when heading into your final semester.
No stone has been left unturned when it comes to providing the best educational standards for online learners, and while there are some elements of traditional study courses that you will miss out on, the benefits of studying from home at your own pace – and in and around your other commitments – are numerous.
For anyone looking to take the next step in their working life, or embark on a change of career entirely, online study courses will arm you with the qualifications and the personal skills that will enable you to take a significant leap forward into an exciting future. To discover more about the top 2023 online programs and courses, visit this website: https://www.blogs4us.com/
