Online degrees - don't go the wrong path

If you’re looking for a degree on the Internet or other media it is impossible not to stumble upon various institutions offering different forms of online courses and online degrees. There is a huge industry out there offering just that. You can find all form of degrees, all levels, like associate, bachelor, masters and even Ph’d’s available for you online. The subjects covered are also diverse.

All seems nice and your quest for a form of education  looks a lot easier, but some question must be asked first of all: Those online degrees, are they any good? Will they help to get a better job, are you going to learn what you need, are you going to get the right skills and training for your desired career? What are really the advantages and disadvantages of getting your education online?

Let’s take a look at  the dark side and, why not, at the grey side while we are on the subject.

Some of those that are selling online degrees are just fraudsters. The most obvious case is when a website is asking you money to send you a form of certification or degree by mail. Simple as that, no courses, no exams, just your payment and you’re done. This is obvious not right. You will always be required to learn something and to pass tests in order to gain any form of certification. Save your money!

A special form of this kind of fraud is selling false degrees from viable institutions. For some money there are people (bad people) ready to sell you all sorts of papers false papers and degrees. This is a crime, and if you are buying and using this kind of false paper you are also doing a crime. Stay out of the jail and don’t buy such a thing!

In order for an institution to emit a degree it must first of all be certified, authorized and/or accredited. There are certain so called online schools or colleges that are ready to sell you degrees without the right to do it. They are simply fraud, so stay away! In order to find them just look carefully for their accreditation credentials. If they pretend to be accredited by some institution check with that institution to. If you don’t find the confirmation from the accreditation institution chances are you are looking straight in the eyes of a con with no scrupules, go away in a hurry and save your money and time. Those degrees will not help you, they will actually make look bad!

Let’s say that the college offering online degrees have passed the accreditation test, all seems legit and fine. What else can you do to get an online education that will really help you?

Find as much as you can about the college. Is it any good, will you learn a lot of things, are the students getting jobs once they graduate? You get the idea, ask around about the college. For this you can use AskToStudy.com where students or potential students ask and answers education related questions. Actually on this site you will find all sorts of discussion, like Does Medaille College have farm animals on campus, and other thinks related to college life.

Think carefully if the subject you’re choosing is suitable for an online path. If you want to become a doctor taking an online degree is quite impossible, don’t you thin?

Decide if is not better to take a mix between online and campus courses. This way you can have a wide range of options.

Compare the cost of the degrees. Sometimes the tuition can vary a lot. In some cases the cost for an online degree will be similar to the cost for a campus one.

Find your online degree and be selective. Good luck with your studies!