im thinking about trying out one of the online degree programs i always see ads and commercials for. has anyone ever done it? how effective are the courses and do you think employers really care if you have a degree in something but its from an online college? my reason for doing this is because i work 50+ hours a week doing roofing and carpentry and i thought maybe doing online courses would be easier for me to do compared to cutting hours at work and going to a physical college.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think most, if not all of those are private businesses. If thats the case I would stay away from them.

 

I am in the last quarter of my online degree from a real university and it has been great. Similiar situation work full time have 2 kids and a wife makes it hard to do the traditional thing. My classes are very structured like a traditional school with weekly assignments and class projects so it is challenging to keep up but it is a real degree. My recommendation is make sure they are Department of Education certified (they have to be in order to get federal student loans) and then make sure your degree program is certified by the appropriate boards. For instance engineering should be certified by the appropriate engineering boards. And give the university a call and ask lots of questions. But if it isn't a recognized school like, Phoenix, Kaplan, Arizona, Liberty, Ohio State, etc I would be very suspicious. Also most universities are offering online classes in some form and night classes if need be. I am in my graduate studies now but I finished my undergrad taking night classes to work and graduate.

 

^ where are you getting your degree from?

I notice this is old, but DTN, if you want my experiences, I'll post 'em up. Pros and Cons

My wife will be finishing her 4yr degree online with the University of Alabama, but she had a jump start with 5 semesters (not online) at the Univ. of Tennessee at Knoxville