Employment statistics are pretty menacing lately. By year’s end, America may be looking at almost 10% unemployment rate. That’s almost double what it was just 2 years ago. Currently there’s around 12.5 million unemployed, and it’s growing each day.
You may ask yourself daily, “Am I next?” There’s no way to know for sure, but Uncle Sam has basically said there’s a 1 in 10 chance that you are. Scary, but…
Online education is a quick and convenient way to prepare for the worst
When most people think of online education, they think of 2 things: Online degrees aren’t as good as regular degrees, and online study is nothing more than one person fruitlessly tapping away on a computer. Both of these are misconceptions.
Since the spread of high bandwidth internet access, more and more schools have been building their standard curriculum into online courses. People are taking notice too. Colleges around the nation are seeing up to a 30% increase in online course enrollments compared to just last year. They do it for a multitude of reasons, but the most obvious reason in hard times is lower cost and convenience.
Online certifications and degree programs often cost the student a bit less than they would pay for the same course schedule in a traditional setting, but where they really save money is in related costs. Related costs can be things such as:
- Fuel
- Child care
- Study materials
A larger trend for the better
“I think people are recognizing what is happening in their particular fields, and some are realizing that, as the job market gets tighter, those with credentials tend to fare better,” says William Stewart, assistant vice president for institutional advancement at Excelsior, who notes that overall online class enrollment this spring is at least 23 percent higher than last spring.
The times are changing as much as the needs of students. The good news in this daily avalanche of bad economics is, most schools are ready for the change to online degrees and certifications. Their programs are built, their instructors are ready to teach and federal assistance programs are in place to help you afford it all. The question is do you know which school is right for your needs?