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Article Series: Online Degrees
Is An Online
Degree Program For Me?
Earning
an Online Degree: Top Mistakes and Traps
To
some,
earning an online degree can be the promised land. They can
earn their degree faster than those
people who are trapped in the traditional classroom setting,
and they can learn more while doing it. Unfortunately with
these benefits there is a myriad of pitfalls. Those who will
be successful in earning their degree online have to learn
how to dodge these pitfalls and avoid the mistakes and traps
that seem so innocent before crushing all hope. It all comes
down to seven mistakes that people may make, all of which can
be potentially fatal to earning an online degree.
The
first trap is procrastination. Any problems the student
had before with procrastination will be magnified if the student
is working at their own pace. A lot of students who are fairly
bright never earn an online degree just because they “don’t
get around to it”. To avoid this trap you need to set your
goals, and stick to them no matter what. It doesn’t matter
if your friends want you to go out later that night – if your
work is not finished, than you should not be going out.
One major decision students make is in choosing which school
they would like to use to pursue their dream for a degree.
Unfortunately a lot of students select the wrong school. Diploma
mills are schools that will take your money and give you a
degree – but since they are not accredited the degree isn’t
worth the fancy sheet of paper that it’s printed on. In order
to avoid these con artists you need to check before hand to
make sure that the school is accredited with the regional authority.
Make sure when you’re looking for the proper accreditation that the accreditation isn’t fake as well – diploma mills sometimes
set up their own accrediting authorities. Triple check to make
sure you’re not getting conned.
Most people think that just because they’re in an online course
that they shouldn’t bother connecting with the other students
or the professors. This is unfortunate, as many great
things can come forth from collaboration. If you want an online degree
make sure you use both the email and the message board to its
fullest potential so that you can stay connected to the online
world.
A major trap that can essentially destroy your life is the
price trap. Sometimes the course does not justify the price.
You have to plan in the future and make sure that the reward
you’re getting from your degree is going to pay off in the
long run. For example, you wouldn’t want a $100 000 student
loan when the field you’re trying to enter only pays $25 000
a year – the pay off does not justify the price. Always find
other ways to save, and take the lowest student loan you can
possibly afford.
Once you’ve begun looking for employers you may not want to
mention the fact that you earned your degree online. Although
most employers will realize this is just as valid as a degree
earned through a traditional college, some may have a problem
with it. The best advice is to not mention it unless the employer
brings it up.
When people begin an online degree course, some forget that
they do have credit from previous courses. For example, if
you attended university for a year and then dropped out for
whatever reason you can still receive credit for those courses,
even if you’re looking at an online course. Talk to the councilor,
as they’ll be able to direct you best, and could end up saving
you plenty of money.
Despite wanting to earn their degree online, some people forget
that there is a host of online resources out there just waiting
to be tapped. Before you buy an expensive university book,
look around and see what types of resources there are on the
Internet. Often times you will find that you don’t even need
to buy the book, or you will find the book at a discount prices.
Also, you may find information that will help clear up any
problems you might have.
The path to an online degree can be difficult to navigate,
but it doesn’t have to be if you avoid the traps mentioned
above. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
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