Online Classes

[Red Dragonette]

So since going to college is expensive compared to online classes, I've been looking at the online courses my local community college has. I plan on taking Accounting II as I've passed Accounting I in last October. I'm also wondering if online classes would help get me an internship or a job. So should I take them for the sake of a career or not?

[Omega Entity]

Honestly, if I were you I'd invest the money you'd spend on college going to trade school. I myself have two associates degrees (would you like fries with that?) and a failed attempt at a Bachelor of Science, and now have student loans in excess of $60k that I'll probably never be able to pay off, and no real job prospects. If I could go back and redo it, I'd have skipped college entirely and gone to a trade school.

 

The beauty of trade school is that it teaches you a trade, with which you can either work for someone else or go into business yourself, much more easily than that scrap of paper will allow in today's job market.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Omega Entity

[S0ren]

I'm in an online class right now. The work is harder than an in-class class, but the reduced social interaction is worth it. Costs the same at my current school, though.

[Kestra15]

I'll be taking some for my Fellowship, once I start it, but intend to get most of the learning done through their courses and conferences (including the space medicine course, if I can get it).

[rabbithaver]

I took online classes in my freshman year of high school. Between my ADHD and PTSD, I never got anything done. Since I was fresh out out an abusive environment at my old school, the idea of logging in every day (which I had to do, don't know about your college courses) caused panic attacks. I have friends who managed to graduate early on online classes however. I think it depends a lot on your personal determination and mental health.

 

As for pricing, I imagine the cost is the same. It was in my virtual high school, but considering I'm still in high school I know next to nothing about college prices. Frick.

[Millie_Azure]

When it comes to taking online courses, you should consider how strong you are in the subject. If it's something you can learn with little to no direction from another person, then go for it. (For example, did you struggle with Accounting I, or was it fairly easy?) If it's something you typically need a lot of help in learning, a traditional classroom setting is probably best.

[Ribombee]

I took a good portion of my undergraduate courses online. You get what you put into them. It's easy to blow them off and get the bare minimum from them, but if you do put in the time and effort, they can be very effective. You do have to be more disciplined, however, as you have to make the extra effort to schedule time to watch or read the lectures. You won't have anyone there to help you face-to-face.

 

I got into the top entomology graduate school in the nation, so it's quite possible to do well having taken online courses. I would suggest supplementing them with some in-person courses, especially for the ones you might need extra assistance in.

[Rachel72]

Yes I would... Photograghy

[kitsune93]

No, I need the structure of an actual class.

Otherwise I would just never do any work or participate in the class.

I just don't have the self motivation.

[keijaidyyn]

I have taken an online class before, but it wasn't because of my personal choice. It was a prerequisite course that was ONLY available online at the school I was attending. The subject? PSYCHOLOGY. Super great idea to only offer that one online, right?

[Rachel72]

No, I need the structure of an actual class.

Otherwise I would just never do any work or participate in the class.

I just don't have the self motivation.

I did better in smaller groups, myself

[Ayesthine]

I'm currently enrolled in an online highschool, which isn't exactly the same, but for what it's worth here's my opinion of online courses ;;

To be absolutely honest, taking an online course is not a way to get an education. You don't learn a whole lot, and what you learn you don't have to retain in order to pass. If you're like me, and you just want to get your credits and graduate to move on to more personalized college courses, this is okay. If you're taking online courses for college, it's not really all that great.

I get most of my education from outside resources. I like this a whole lot, because it lets me do what I want, but this isn't really ideal for higher education.

 

I agree with harlequin on the undergrad thing. A lot of those courses are repeats at best (my dad is an adjunct professor who teaches some supplementary courses, so I'm fairly confident in saying this) so taking them in an online format wouldn't make you miss anything.

 

Generally speaking, paying for online courses isn't something I would suggest. You won't get much out of them, and they're not cheap enough to make it worth it. It's an easy format to complete courses in, but it isn't an easy format to learn in.

[TheDarkCynder]

I'm a senior in high school and it's half-online and half-physical.

 

If you have good self-discipline, online classes can be a good idea. However, you definitely need self-discipline, and don't take a course you would think is boring and would not pour effort into. I've looked into online courses for when I enter community college and I didn't see a notable difference in price, but if that's different for you, great! An online course wouldn't really help you get into an internship or job more easily than going to a physical class would, though.

[georgexu94]

I still like physical learning though.

[AngesRadieux]

They definitely have their pros and cons. On the one hand, they can be super convenient, because you can do the work any time of the day instead of having to show up to a classroom at a specific time. It's also nice because often I find myself getting really frustrated in regular classes when other students waste class time by asking completely irrelevant questions or whining about due dates or whatever. I also get incredibly irritated when we get stuck on a subject I find really easy because someone else in the class can't wrap their head around it. So it is nice to be able to not really interact with other people and just move at my own pace.

 

But, I also like interacting with professors, so that's one thing I miss with online classes. I also find them really stressful because you never know when a computer might decide to stop working, and I'm always afraid my Internet will cut out or something when I'm taking an exam. Plus, sometimes assignments can have glitches and stuff. Usually, I find the stress of glitches and not being able to interact much with the professor irritating enough that I don't bother with online classes.

 

You also have to make sure to stay on top of the class. It's really easy to kind of fall behind with an online class, and some people really struggle without the structure of regular class meetings.

 

I don't know. It's a matter of personal preference, really. I personally find them really annoying, but I will take them if I can't fit another class in my schedule. As far as pricing, you have to be careful. Another reason I find online classes really annoying is my university charges an additional $100 fee for online classes. I find that pretty obnoxious, because what exactly am I paying for? I'm getting less for my money with online classes. I get powerpoints and podcasts rather than actual instruction. If I don't understand something, I generally have to figure it out myself. I don't get to know the professor, so I'm not making connections and getting a possible letter of recommendation. So why am I paying extra?

 

So check. You may actually end up spending more to take online classes.

[Jazeki]

Speaking as someone who took some blended (halfonline/half F2F) courses for undergrad and then enrolled in an almost completely virtual graduate program, it can be an adjustment and as others have mentioned, it may or may not be right for you.

 

There are different expectations for virtual classes as opposed to classes where you are expected to be physically present. If you have trouble with social interactions or you need to dedicate more time to an outside activity, like work, online courses may be good for you.

 

However, in many cases, if you need to stay on a structured path to get anything done, you may be better suited for attending class on some sort of physical campus. Also, virtual classes are not really for students who may be struggling in a subject or need to be in constant touch with teachers or professors for one-on-one guidance. Many online courses have 30+ students (sometimes in the hundreds or thousands) and the teacher simply has no time for each and every student. Or you may just luck out with having a professor that doesn't communicate online very well. I'm wrapping up my degree and I only was able to get a hold of my adviser once in the two years that I've been attending grad school.

 

Regardless of whether you take a class online or in person, you are better off getting a job or internship with an actual degree or certification from somewhere that is relevant to the career field that you are pursuing rather than just through taking classes because money is still going to come out of your pocket. Potential jobs and internships look for individuals who are pursuing what they have to offer. For example, it's better to take an accounting course in an effort to pursue a job or a certificate or degree in accounting, business, or math than it is to just take an accounting course because the job/internship mentions accounting skills or you did well in a previous course.

 

If you don't need the course, don't take it. Save money. As AngesRadieux mentioned, some schools like to tack on an additional fee for using their online resources/taking a class and the higher in education you go, the more expensive online courses are. Grad school for this year(as an in-state resident, not living on campus) is about $20,000 for one semester full-time. My cost of attendance was less, but that's the school's official stance on estimated cost of attendance.

 

Also, don't assume that a class is going to land you a job or an internship. It depends on what people are looking for. Be careful not to accidentally pigeonhole yourself. For example, in an attempt to make myself more marketable, I pursued a teaching certificate (after getting my BA and before I started my MLIS). What I really did was shoot myself in the foot. I don't have enough experience to be hired as a teacher and I need more schooling to get a professional certificate in teaching. Additionally, potential job prospects in other fields have gone into interviews and not hired me because they assumed that my life dream is to teach, when it isn't.

 

If anything, be honest with yourself and your prospective employer with what you want from the job and what you can offer with or without education and see where you can go from there.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Jazeki