Should You Choose Online Education?

Before the education grants or looking at scholarships for working moms or filling out the free FAFSA application, you have to decide on your degree and school. For working moms and single moms, an online degree can be a great option: a degree achieved at your pace centering around your work-life balance.

Taking a step back from that, though, is the bigger picture: what are the pros and cons of online degrees? And do education grants and scholarships for working moms/single moms (along with the requisite free FAFSA application) apply?

Online Education: The Good & Bad

What's great about online degrees? Obviously, the flexibility gives you more time you have to organize your busy schedule, the better. Books and materials are often provided in convenient PDF form, so even if you get those education grants or scholarships for working moms, your materials cost won't be as much as a brick-and-motor university (we still recommend filling out the free FAFSA application). Finally, because online degrees are achieved remotely, you have the luxury of applying for the best program rather than geographical convenience.

What's bad about online degrees? Well, that depends on the program you choose and perhaps that's the biggest problem. There are plenty of accredited and recognized universities, such as Devry Institute and University of Phoenix. These schools have a variety of programs ranging from technical certifications to full Bachelor's Degrees (and they almost always accept standard forms of financial aid, such as education grants and scholarships for working moms and single moms). However, many for-profit schools are not properly accredited, and while you may learn something from the classes you take, it'll essentially be meaningless in terms of transferring for a higher degree or meaningful recognition in the work place.

In terms of logistics, an online school is limited in the amount of interaction you can get with the professor and the students. You can't drop by a professor's office or plan a study group at someone's house. While virtual gatherings are a reasonable alternative, they lack the full experience you can get from a face-to-face exchange.

Your level of success depends on your amount of self-motivation. Just like education grants and scholarships start with the free FAFSA form, online degrees start with your own gumption and discipline. Can you learn in your own home or do you need to be in a classroom? Can you shut off the distractions of family life or do you need to be surrounded by your peers? If you answer no to those questions, it's important to determine whether or not you can overcome those challenges.

Technology has granted us a unique opportunity with online degrees, so much so that most universities offer some level of certification or continuing education online, if not full degrees. Like everything else, there are pros and cons, but it may be the best thing you ever did for your career and your dreams- as long as you're up for the challenge.