Why distance learning degrees?
Actually, there are two questions there, each with an answer,
each with three good reasons.
First, why distance learning?
The fact is,in many ways, distance education is far better
than physical attendance at university or college, for
several reasons.
The first is convenience: with distance learning degrees,
you get to pick when you study. That's a lot more adaptable
to your business life than having to attend a lecture every
Wednesday at 10 a.m. when you might find it difficult to
get time off work. And if you happen to be a night owl or
early bird, it's perfect.
In the longer term, you can also spread your study out
over several years, if you need to. There's no need to
complete distance learning degrees in three or four years. In
fact, many people take six to eight years to do so, and not always
consecutive years
Secondly, there's a minimum of physical attendance required.
So with little or no travel involved, you get more time to
study.
Thirdly, you get to choose which college or university
you get your degree from. If you live in a small town with
no further education facilities, that's a big advantage.
But even if you live in a city and are spoiled for universities
and colleges, what if none of them offer the exact course
that you want? Distance learning courses solve that problem
easily.
And e-learning takes distance learning to a whole new level
of convenience, if only in locating distance learning degrees
in many more colleges and universities than was possible
when you had to apply by post for details of their courses.
But why a degree? (the second of the two questions!)
For three reasons. Firstly, it's the ultimate badge. You
stop being someone people just admire because you certainly
seem to know a lot about your subject, and you become someone
with a degree in that subject. An Authority. It's the
equivalent of an Olympic medal, and no one can ever take it
away from you.
People with degrees command respect, even from fellow
degree-holders. That applies no matter what the subject.
And that respect increases further if you can say you
have a Master's level degree.
Secondly, a degree is not only mandatory for some vocations
such as medicine or the legal professions, it's becoming
more and more essential for other callings, too, such as
Computing. As certain professional niches (for example,
I.T., Training, and Human Resources in the last fifteen
years) mature, so does the requirement to show that you have
a related degree in order to enter them.
Thirdly, attaining a degree says something about you.
It says you're disciplined, organized, can set and meet
targets, that you know how to research, that you think beyond
the here-and-now.
To prospective employers, that means you'll be a huge asset.
If they have the choice between a job candidate with a degree
and a candidate without, and all other factors are equal, who
do you think they'll pick?
