Articles on Degrees | Topics: online, degree, degrees, diploma, diplomas
by Vanessa Zimmerman
Are You a Good Candidate for Earning an Online Degree?
To some the Internet is a great way to earn a degree; to others it is the proverbial deathbed of education. Why do people have these vastly different views on online degrees? Which side is right? As you may expect, neither side is correct. The reason why people have different views on these online degrees is the same reasons why people don't all agree on what goes best on a burger – ketchup or mustard? While online degrees work extremely well for some people, others just can't seem to complete them. Now, how do you tell which category you fall under? Fortunately there are five major qualities that all the people who are able to finish their degrees online have. If you have these five qualities then you may be a good candidate for earning an online degree.
The first habit you need to have is that you should be a better worker when people aren't looking over your shoulder. Sometimes people need a teacher to help them stay on track, but if you want to finish an online degree you need to be able to motivate yourself. The best way to stay motivated is to make sure that you set your own goals and strive to achieve them. Just because you will never see the person who happens to be grading your work doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing your best work for them. If you're going to have success pursuing an online degree, you don't need others to encourage you – your own encouragement should be enough.
Those who are able to complete online degrees don't procrastinate. These people will not put off essays, and won't wait until the 13th hour to do an assignment. While they are happy to work at their own pace, a lot of the time their own pace is faster than the speed they would achieve if they were in a typical classroom setting. If you're going to have success in distance education you need to be able to do all of your projects as soon as you can – you can't keep putting them off. It may seem innocent at first to decide to put it off for another week so you can go out with friends this week, but what's to stop you from going out with friends next week? You have to set your own deadlines and stick to them.
Along the same lines as the above-mentioned point is that those who are capable of finishing online degrees are able to avoid the numerous distractions that arise. It doesn't matter if it's the fact that their favorite television show is on, or that telemarketers won't stop calling – the successful online learner doesn't lose sight of the task hand. Essentially you have to be able to say "no". You have to let that phone ring until the answering machine picks it up – and then resist the urge to listen to the message right away.
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The writer’s language is to some degree the product of his own action; he is both the historian and the agent of his own language.
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Similar to being able to avoid distractions is the fact that the people who complete online degrees don't miss the social element that is found in traditional schools. You don't have to go to the dance or to the latest football game – either you don't have time, or it doesn't matter to you. Some people simply aren't comfortable without interacting with other people – those people will not do well in an online course.
Finally, to earn an online degree you need to have exceptional reading comprehension. While traditional schools teach by lecturing and giving notes, if you're a distance learner you are expected to understand the material by reading it. You can take notes on it still, but you won't be able to interact directly with the professor when you have a question, although their email will be available for you to contact them. However, if you hope to finish the degree program you need to be able to understand what you're reading.
If you don't have all of these qualities you might not want to pursue an online degree. While it can seem fairly simple at first, and it does create more time, there are some inherent difficulties in an online program that are often overlooked.
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