Is an Online Education Right for You?

We live in the information age. We have become used to obtaining information at the speed of light.  The prospect of not having immediate access to a myriad amount of facts and figures with the click of a few buttons simply upsets many of us. It only makes sense that many people across the country and around the world embrace the idea of online learning and enjoy educational opportunities with  great enthusiasm.  

Likewise there are equal numbers of people around the world who prefer to hold on to traditional methods of doing certain things. Some people, for a simple example prefer to still play solitaire with a deck of playing cards. For people who feel that the information age has left them behind to some degree the chances are quite good that online learning may not be the best available option for you.

Below you will find a few questions that can help you narrow down whether or not you would truly benefit by taking some of the many online lessons that are being offered in today's information age of learning and earning educational degrees  or certificates of course completion.

1) Are you disciplined? This may seem like an offensive question because we all like to think that we are disciplined to some degree. The problem is that when you are in control of your own educational goals you need to have a little more than some small degree of discipline. You need to be able to meet deadlines, take the tests, and hold yourself responsible for actually learning the information that you need to learn in order to pass the course. There is no one to blame but yourself if you do not manage to do well in your online classes and some people simply do not like being in the driver�s seat when it comes to motivating and pacing themselves and their learning practices.

2) How do you learn best? We all have different methods of learning for which we retain information better than others. Online courses involve intensivereading. If you have difficulties retaining the information you read you may need to find an alternate learning method or seek solutions with the assistance of the course instructor before moving forward in an online learning environment.

3) Do you have a true desire to succeed? The answer to this important question determines whether or not online learning is in your best interest. There are many paths you can take in order to achieve the education and degree you desire. This is not the path of the masses, at least not yet. This type of learning, more than any other is easy to give up on through apathy. If you are not determined to do the assignments, to study the notes, and to really learn the material that is presented to you then you really do not need to waste your time or the instructor's time by continually making up excuses. Online courses are largely self-paced but you do have a limited amount of time in which to learn the material before you need to move on. The teacher is responsible for providing you the information and material but you are responsible for everything that happens from that moment on. Are you ready for that type of responsibility?  

Whether you are a first time college student or returning to school after a long absence, online learning can open new doors of opportunity for your learning pleasure. You must be willing to walk through those doors and absorb the information that is presented to you in order to be successful. My sincere hope is that everyone reading this will carefully consider whether or not the lack of structure that many online courses provides is going to be conducive to your specific learning and educational needs before taking the plunge. ========================================================================== 
For more information about Online Education and related topics Doyle invites you to visit:
Knowledge For Work and Learnpak Educational Resources
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