Pros and Cons of Learning Online

With the current economical state and the rising cost of tuition (and books!), many would-be students are foregoing traditional school and pursuing their education online. Although still relatively uncommon, the truth is the online learning community is growing at an incredible pace. If you're torn in your decision, the following pros and cons may help you to make up your mind.

The Cons

It's no secret that the Internet is a relatively new invention. It's also no secret that not everybody trusts it, nor that it's not the best source of 100% factual information. Just try turning in an academic paper with Wikipedia as a source!

Additionally, when learning with such a method (I'm not talking about distance education through an accredited University, but taking a free course or reading tutorials), you receive no degree nor certification for your hard work. Though you could know just as much - or even more - as others in your field, without a degree, getting a job in any field will be difficult.

Further, unless you're participating in an actual course with tests and other assignments, it will be difficult to gauge whether you really know the material. If this is a problem, I recommend finding a friend or online service which will test you in the area. This is especially important if you plan to take a certification exam.

Finally, there are many scams out there trying to take away your money without giving the advertised (or any, for that matter) results. Avoiding this will require a lot of homework or incredible luck, so if you're not up for either, then you'll want to stick to your local community college's evening classes.

The Pros

Sheesh. With all that, free online education no longer sounds too great. Fortunately, the cons are limited both in number and by application.

If you're not looking to pursue an area professionally, or if you're merely trying to pad your skills list on your resume, then you're in luck. A degree is not a requirement for certain services you're performing for your current boss. If you learn the basics of accounting, for instance, and you're an administrative assistant to a CPA, you can make yourself available to meet with clients when your boss needs a day off. You should not finalize a deal or paperwork, but you will be able to understand the terms outlined and be able to offer a bit of advice (or even do preliminary work on an account) with the proper training. Raise, anybody?

Another great factor is that not all fields require a degree. Certain positions in the information technology field, for instance, go based on certifications which require only a test. If you can learn everything on the test without shelling out for a class, then by all means, go for it.

There are many more topics available online (limited only by what topics people know about) than are available through a local school. Most schools, for instance, offer no web design degree. There are many online web design tutorials.

Did I mention most online resources are free to access?

If for some reason online resources don't suit your fancy, as the case may be with young people with no degrees, or people who require degrees for their chosen field, then a community college is probably your best best. With cheap tuition, classes available in the evenings, and small classes which enable one-on-one time with the professors, it's just a step below online learning in the convenience department.

Have some more pros (or cons) about free online education? Share them in the comments.