The Top 3 Benefits and Challenges of Online College Degrees

Online education and e-learning concept with graduation hat icon and symbol on a blue computer key for school and online educational business.

By Susanne Loxton
It’s safe to say that for most of us, a university degree can help to expand our career opportunities. However, what I learned during my educational journey is that it’s hard to follow this type of education while balancing a full-time job. Scheduling gets complex, and I could easily see how it limited my ability to plan for the future.
While technology does make a lot of great things possible,  I still couldn’t be in two places at once. Which is why I decided to look into online degrees. These are increasingly appealing to younger professionals like myself today who require a higher degree of education in order to move up the career ladder, but need something much more flexible than a traditional university setting.
However, my adventure with online journalism courses taught me that, while an online program certainly allowed me to accomplish more than I was previously capable of, it didn’t come without its own set of challenges. As ideal as an online degree may seem, there are times it is difficult to jump right into the e-learning world.
Here are the top three benefits and challenges that revealed themselves during my experience with an online degree program:

The Benefits

1. It’s Not as Expensive as a Traditional Degree

Considering all of the physical materials and additional expenses campus classes will draw up, online learning is lower in cost.There are many expenses involved in the traditional set-up–such as commuting or materials to use in class–that you probably won’t need for online schooling. It’s also more expensive to run a physical college–there are overhead expenses which become part of your tuition. Online colleges eliminate these expenses, making it more financially feasible for students to attend them.

2. Scheduling is More Flexible

One of the biggest deterrents that people face when it comes to obtaining a new degree is the complexity of scheduling. If they’re already busy with everything else, how can they shift their schedule around to allow for schooling at a set time? That’s what I thought as well. Online college courses generally don’t require this type of sacrifice. I could get to them whenever it worked best for me. Sometimes I would only have a few spare hours in the morning or after work, and that’s when I chose to complete my tasks. I was the one setting the schedule.

3. You Can Work at a Faster Pace

In a traditional college, I’d have to devote a significant portion of my time to things like gen-ed classes. Many online learning programs offer the opportunity to bypass them entirely, and instead focusing solely on classes that are actually helpful towards getting that desired degree. Some classes even allow students to work ahead, if they don’t already offer a fast-track course.

The Challenges

1. I Couldn’t Do Everything Online

This is perhaps the biggest challenge of them all. It all depends on one thing, really–the degree choice. Obviously, no online student can become a neurosurgeon–it’s just something that cannot be taught over the Internet. Some degrees are impossible to transform into exclusively online courses, but choosing an online college that has a physical location is an option. I found one I could reasonably access, so I opted for an in-class and online hybrid arrangement. That’s how I was able to get the best of both worlds and make my journalism course a little more accessible.

2. It’s Harder to Communicate

Some things are easier to discuss face-to-face, in real-time, which is another thing I wasn’t getting attending online college. Most of the time, instructions are written or prerecorded into video lectures, so I couldn’t just interrupt or ask for clarification.I had to submit a question and wait for the professor to answer it. This also spilled over into group projects, where team members weren’t always online and available at the same hours I was. It takes extensive coordination of communication to make it work, especially if the tasks are urgent.

3. You’ll Need to Be(come) a Self-Starter

One of the best things about a traditional college is that it provides your needed materials, and instructors tell you what to do and when to do it. But in online learning, I could exchange deadlines and allow for more flexibility. Still, if I wanted to get anything done, I had to arrange times and set deadlines for myself. If I were lazy, a procrastinator or simply forgetful, an online course would have been next to impossible to complete–they simply require a lot of willpower if one wants to reach a degree. If a degree can be obtained through an online college, and you believe you’re patient and self-disciplined enough, there’s certainly no harm in giving it a shot. Even if it doesn’t work out, you will spend less money than you would if you attempted to do the same thing with a physical college.
My experience has taught me that online courses simply require a different type of approach to education, so if the challenges don’t seem too uncomfortable and the benefits are very much enticing, I really encourage you to give it a try.
For more, see:

Susanne Loxton is a Communications Specialist at Aubiz, a compendium of knowledge about companies in her native Australia. Follow her on Twitter: @LoxtonSusanne.


Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update.

Guest Author

Getting Smart loves its varied and ranging staff of guest contributors. From edleaders, educators and students to business leaders, tech experts and researchers we are committed to finding diverse voices that highlight the cutting edge of learning.

Discover the latest in learning innovations

Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

4 Comments

Scott
2/23/2017

I agree that one of the benefits of taking an online class is that you can work ahead. I remember when I was getting my bachelor's degree I took several online classes. It was so nice to be able to finish the class halfway through the semester and not have to worry about it during finals.

Alexandria Martinez
2/7/2018

My cousin was telling me about her interest in going into online college courses. I think this would be great for her and want to give her some advice. I will let her know that she needs to become a self-starter to get to her goals.

Carly Mckeen
8/2/2019

Thank you for mentioning that online college is way more flexible than traditional college because you can choose when to do your work. I really want to get a college degree, but my schedule is way too busy to take traditional classes, so I'm thinking of doing it online. I will definitely keep all of your many benefits and information on online college when deciding if it would be the best option for me.

Adam Golightly
12/14/2020

My cousin has been thinking about getting a bachelor's degree in graphic design by taking a bunch of classes online. He would really like to get one from a professional, so that it can be more effective. I liked what you said about how he can work at a faster pace than other degrees, because they are more flexible for their schedules.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. All fields are required.