Online education may be the route you ultimately decide to take. Consider the following advantages for weighing your next move.
If you’re looking for courses to factor into an already busy work schedule, then online education may be the route you ultimately decide to take. So, what are some advantages of online learning? Here are the following advantages for weighing your next move.
Many people turn to online learning for its flexibility. Learning virtually from anywhere allows you or your team to pursue coursework without having to commute to a physical campus. While some online courses require learners to attend live lectures, you can otherwise factor your coursework into your already busy schedule and move at your own pace.
In the TutorPa's survey, career advancement was respondents’ main motivation for furthering their education. This is also very much the case in online education broadly speaking. Career advancement may include upskilling or reskilling, earning a promotion or salary increase, or switching career fields. Since online learning is a flexible option, this format appeals to working professionals.
Globally, the survey found the following among its respondents:
-10% were career restarters, or those looking to re-enter the workforce after a break
-23% were career builders, or were hoping to build upon existing skills
-21% were career switchers, or were looking for ways to expand opportunities
-31% were career advancers, or were hoping to advance in their current field
-13% were career launchers, or those looking to start a new career
-1% fell into the “other” category
One of the great advantages of online learning is that professionals can learn from schools around the world and find the program that best meets their needs without uprooting their lives. In contrast, those studying on campus are limited to local options or must move to another city for a full-time program. Many renowned, well-established universities now offer online classes. This provides a greater span of options to help you achieve your goals or train students and staff. (At TutorPa, our learners are located across 80 countries, with our partner institutions spanning Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, UK, USA, China, Canada, Australia, and all over the globe.
Given that your online classmates may be based around the world, you can gain perspectives from professionals in a range of countries. You can explore how professional studies and businesses operate overseas and prepare for a global workforce. Better yet, because online learners typically have a wide range of goals and professional backgrounds, you can gain insights from other students both within and outside your area of studies.
One of the great benefits of online learning for students and professionals is being able to directly apply your coursework to your full-time professional studies, especially if you’re upskilling and want to stay in your current profession. What you learn from your instructor, classmates, and course materials may very well align with your tasks the following day at work. You can put what you learn into practice in the real world.
Overall, online program costs vary, but with a wider range of offerings and types of credentials comes a wider range of price points. You can choose an online program that not only meets your professional needs but also that fits within your price range. Generally, you’ll save money that would otherwise be spent on housing and commuting to campus each day. Your employer may also be willing to pay for your education or reimburse you for tuition if your program aligns with your current or future responsibilities.
In all areas of life, managing your time is an important skill. You may juggle family and personal obligations with your professional responsibilities—along with everything else life throws your way. As a professional in an online course, you’re likely balancing your job with your education. This requires you to plan ahead and perhaps break your assignments into smaller chunks. Knowing how to manage your time is a skill that will serve you well in the long term.
Especially as COVID-19 persists and many professionals continue to work remotely, virtual collaboration skills are more important than ever. Completing an online course or program teaches these valuable skills as you’ll collaborate on group work, engage in live and offline discussions, and analyze viewpoints from classmates based worldwide. This is also important as many companies, big or small, hire teams with employees across the globe, and working with people across various time zones may be part of your job.
Also among the advantages to online learning: You’ll gain technical skills that will benefit you in and out of the classroom. You’ll learn about how to use different hardware and software (like Zoom or Google Hangouts), and you’ll become a master at using your course’s learning management system and navigating digital learning materials. Especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, knowing how to use different kinds of technology is critical.
With online classes, you can complete coursework from anywhere you’d like—whether that’s from your kitchen or living room, your office, a coffee shop, and so on. While some students simply learn better in a traditional classroom environment, others might prefer to watch lectures in a comfortable setting of their choice. That’s one of the great benefits of online learning—even if you’re traveling for work or fun, your coursework is still accessible regardless of your location. Plus, distance learning has become a safe option throughout the course of the pandemic.
For several reasons, online learning is an environmentally friendly option. For one thing, you aren’t consuming gas on your way to and from a physical campus. Plus, you’re most likely not depending on printed materials to complete your coursework.
With online learning, it’s expected that you’ll communicate with professors and classmates through multiple channels—email, videoconferencing, and in your course learning management system, to name a few examples. Online education encourages you to ask questions, complete group projects, and even attend lectures in whatever format works best for you.
