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Online classes are turning out to be the best thing for working professionals whose lifestyle leaves for little time to travel back and forth to a university’s campus. President and CEO of United Negro College Fund, Michael Lomax, writes on The Root that “students ages 25 and older make up 33.5% of all undergraduates, but 83 percent of those students are enrolled at online institutions.” While it’s clear that online school is the most flexible option for working professionals, Lomax provides tips on four things you should consider before saying yes to an online degree. Here are a few takeaways from his advisory:
Don’t choose courses that narrowly target a specific job: Be sure that the classes you sign up for will put you on the right track to a degree-seeking program with lots of career potential. The last thing you want to do is choose classes that sound like they cater to your desired career field and find out later down the road that those classes don’t align with the courses on your graduation plan.
Look into non-profit and community colleges: Before saying “yes†to a for-profit institution weigh your options at a community college or non-profit college. If both institutions offer the same programs, it may be best to go after the community or non-profit college because the cost will likely be cheaper.
