The Online Degree Dorm Room

7 Reasons Why You Should Get An Online Degree In Today’s Economy

Posted by bposton on September 2nd, 2009 — Posted in online degree programs psychology

There are a lot of people from all walks of life who are seeking out a way to learn online in today’s tough economy. Should you be one of them? Well, here’s a few reasons why now may be a great time to get a degree online.

Help keep the job you already have.

While there is no such thing as an indispensable employee, if you focus on increasing your skill sets right now you can certainly bring more value to your organization. So if you still have a job - now is the time to take note of the areas that you could use improvement and seek out some online learning to help. In addition, you can also focus on new skills, like network certification, web design, etc.

Help if the worst does happen.

Even if you have a job today, the worst case scenario could occur - you could lose your job. In this case, if you have completed any courses online this could make you a more attractive candidate in today’s job market.

Put more in your pocket.

After you have your degree from an online university or online program, you still might be able to ask for a raise - yet. But when things get better at your company, you chances of seeing more in your paycheck improve.

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Helps if you have to make a change.

If you lose your job, or can’t find a good job, take some time now to explore other fields and careers that may increase your employment prospects. For example, consider getting an online degree in areas that aren’t normally affected by the economy, such as education or something in the health care field.

Get your share of the scholarship pie.

Lost of universities and online colleges will provide assistance to those seeking to get federal loans for their education There are lots of options out there, some of which don’t require you to pay anything until you finish your degree program. And if you’re still employed, make sure you check into your company’s tuition reimbursement policy. You might be able to get your organization to foot the bill. If you already have student loans, you may even be able to have those payments deferred if you enroll in an online degree program.

Get great gas mileage.

If you focus on getting an online degree, you won’t have to commute to school every day. That could save you a bunch of money on gas.

Be a spare time student.

Whether you’re still employed or not, it’s probably not possible for you to attend school full time. So if you look into an online degree program, and start in your spare time, you should be able to earn your new degree while balancing either a full time or part time job, or the adventure of seeking new employment, which is a full time job all by itself!

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Has the growth of online degree stalled?

Posted by bposton on November 26th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

As I mentioned yesterday, there’s a new study out sponsored by the Alfred Sloan Foundation. It’s the 4th yearly report obout the condition of online learning in U.S. higher education.

One of the questions this survey and report tried to answer was:

Has the popularity of getting an education online grown or stalled over the last few years?

Here is what they found - I think it’s very important:   

First of all, for several years the number of people enrolling in online degree programs have been growing much faster than the overall higher education student body.  But the results from last year’s study. although reporting that the raw increase in numbers was the same from the previous year, also showed a lower percentage growth rate. 

Was that an early sign that online enrollment growth has finally begun to plateau?

Well, according to this year’s report, the answer is an overwhelming NO…

Here are the facts:  the growth of online enrollments has not leveled off. In fact, institutions of higher education reported a record online enrollment growth on both a numeric and a percentage basis.

Ya-hoo! Great news for everyone in the online degree dorm room!

Here’s even more information - In 2005 there were 2.3 million people taking at least one online course during the fall term. That number has now grown to nearly 3.2 million. A hugh increase.

Also, more than 800,000 new online students were taking classes in 2006 which is more than twice the number added in any previous year.

So there’s absolutely no doubt about it - online education is growing, and growing fast.

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Prestigeous Schools go online

Posted by bposton on November 24th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Online education has grown much more popular since the advent of the Internet. But to be honest, most online degrees are still coming from for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix, and not from the traditional brick-and-mortar colleges.

In fact, a lot of the country’s most elite universities have pretty much avoided the trend towards online degrees, thinking that a computer cannot replace the intellectual exchange offered by attending classes in person.

But that is changing - finally

The new online engineering master’s degree offered by Stanford and a handful of other respected universities are embracing online education. Or a least giving it a try. 

Duke University’s new “Global Executive MBA'’ is completely Internet-based. Johns Hopkins University offers an online master’s degree program in bioinformatics.

This is important because it’s a sign that online education is becoming mainstream when these prestigous universities are sticking their toes in the water to see if it’s warm.

It’s a very good sign to me

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | After Thanksgiving Trivia

Posted by bposton on November 24th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Boy, am I stuffed

I had 13 people, and a 20 pound turkey and all the fixings yesterday.

It was pretty cramped in the online degree dorm room

I’m not spending too much time in the dorm room actually due to the Thanksgiving holiday but I did want to put out this short little bit of trivia.

bet you didn’t know when the very first “distance education” program started… do you?

Well here’s something you can amaze your friends with:

The very first distance education program started in the 1870s. It was when the very first correspondence school began in the U.S. It was called the Society to Encourage Study at Home.

Here’s even more - it was started by the wife of a Harvard professor, and it was started in order to bring education to women, who at that time were not allowed to attend universities.

So there you go. Now in my next post I’ll take a look at how some of the nations most prestigious schools are turning to online education.

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 5

Posted by bposton on November 21st, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

I wanted to delve into more detail about the difference between community colleges and juinor colleges.

I’ve already mentioned that either one is a good place to get your associates degree, but you need to understand some of the fundamental differences between them before you decide where to go.

As you already know, community colleges are run by the government of the state in which they reside. Some states have better community college systems that others. For example, my home state of North Carolina has one of the best community college systems in the country. The state takes very good care of it’s community colleges, and along with business and industry partnerships, they have become a great place to learn the technical skills of the high-tech (and high-paid) trades that today’s businesses need.

So let’s turn to the Junior College, and see what that’s all about.

Junior colleges are very similar to community colleges with one big exception - most of them are privately held and run. So they are profit-oriented, for the most part.
That means that as compared to Community colleges they are normally not as economical.

Junior Colleges also tend to be more focused in certain areas of study. For example, I went to a Junior College to learn radio and TV broadcasting. The school was very specifically oriented to that industry. So instead of pursuing a 4 year degree at that time (I did so later) I learned a specific trade, and after graduating actually went to work in radio. I’m not in radio today, but you get the idea, I hope

So you need to think about what type of skill you’re looking to learn - is it a specific skill, like becoming a TV producer or radio announcer - or do you want something more general in nature, like business administration, that you can use to continue your quest of a 4 year degree. Answering that question will help you decide which type of college you may want to attend.

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part Deux

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Here’s the next segment in my “All about Associates Degrees’ Series

Did you know that there are three different types of Associate Degrees you and earn?

Well listen up my dorm room buddy, here they are:

The first, and most commonly know of the three classes of US associate degrees offered is the associate of arts degree (also called the A.A. degree).

The second is called the associate of applied science degree (also called the A.A.S. degree).

And last but not least, there’s the associate of science degree (A.S. degree)

So those are the three types of degrees. Next, I’ll discuss the three types of people that typically choice to get an Associates Degree.

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 1

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

OK, I found a note on my online dorm room door last night that asked sort of a strange
question - “Can you tell me everything you know about Associate Degrees?”

Well, if I could tell you everything I know it would take a few weeks

But we’ll just cover the basics over the next few posts, OK?

First - a simple definition.

An associate degree is a 2-year degree given by two types of colleges upon completion of an associate degree program. The two types are Community Colleges and Junior Colleges.
So, I guess you already knew that right?

So here’s something you might not know - the diference between Community College and Junior Colleges:

Community colleges are operated by the local government and are financed by public funds. On the other hand, Junior colleges are generally privately run. Either way, these are both excellent options if you want to earn an associate degree.

More to come…

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Tennesee’s Online Degree Programs

Posted by bposton on November 19th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

The University of Tennesee is addressing the needs of non-traditional students with their online education programs. The University offers several ways for students to work for degrees through this type of distance education.

UT’s chief information officer confirms what we in the online dorm room already know; online courses will become more and more prevalent in the future. 

UT has 13 graduate degrees available online. These include master’s degrees in engineering and information sciences among others, such as MBA degree programs.

They realize that and are trying to cater to the students who are not in the 18 to 24 age group.

The assistance dean for Distance Education, George Hoemann states that their online course allows these students to continue with work and family obligations while achieving their degree.

The UT online program utilizes “Centra,” which allows interactive video classrooms containing two-way video and audio. These “Live Online” classes can have specific class times that students must log on in order to be registered
as attending the class. Students see what the professor is doing live and have a chance to interact, and the professor controls what is shown.

The online classes have the same pricing structure as their classroom counterparts, and they are taught by the same professors and offer the same benefits.

Tennesee also use online classes to supplement traditional classes. Through Blackboard, teachers can ask students to work and turn in assignments online.

So it looks like the Vols have the right idea to me

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Associate Online Degree Programs | A Hurricane Katrina Survivor Story

Posted by bposton on November 19th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Here’s a great story I read about a Hurrance Katrina survivor who’s now persuring her degree online

Sharon Truly had never evacuated for a hurricane.

So when Hurricane Katrina came barreling through New Orleans, she thought it was just another storm and decided to
ride it out at a motel with her husband, her son and her 21 exotic birds.

“In one day, everything you have in your whole life is wiped out. That fast,” Truly said, with a snap of her fingers,
as she looked through photographs of the things she lost.

Truly, who suffers with seizures, migraine headaches, a chronic respiratory disease and ruptured disks in her back,
is unable to work. She must have oxygen to sleep at night. Her oxygen concentrator was flooded and she also had
trouble getting her prescriptions filled. She eventually relocated to Memphis, Tenn.

That’s when she heard about the Memphis and Shelby County Community Services Agency, a member of Katrina Aid Today.

Truly’s case manager helped her find an apartment and furnish it, and get her prescription medications refilled.
The case manager also is helping her map out a plan for her recovery, and assisted her in applying for an educational grant.

Today, Truly is working toward her bachelor’s degree online and plans to start a home-based business selling
vitamins and nutritional shakes.

What a great success story. I wish you all the best, Truly

Just so you know, Katrina Aid Today is funded through a $66 million grant to the United Methodist Committee on Relief and monitored by Federal Emergency Management Agency. It’s a consortium that consists of 25 agencies with years of
disaster recovery case management experience serving either as national partners or as local service providers under
the Katrina Aid Today umbrella.

Although it has been more than a year since Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast,
the figures confirm that many people across the nation are desperate for aid. This consortium plans to
assist about 70,000 more Katrina-affected families over the next 11 months.

Kudos to Katrina Aid Today!!

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Some states give 539 plans get tax break

Posted by bposton on November 18th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

If you’re saving for college, you’re probably already up to speed on the benefits of
investing in a state-sponsored 529 college savings program.

Ah, but what you might not know about are the tax parity laws.

There are a lot of states that give up-front state tax deductions or credits to residents who enroll in their own state-sponsored 529 plans.

But until April, no state allowed residents to receive a tax break when investing in out-of-state college savings plans.

Did you know that?

Well that all changed when Maine, and then Kansas, enacted a tax parity or state tax deduction law enabling families to invest in any in-state or out-of-state 529 college savings program and receive their own state’s tax deduction.

Yeah 529 plans are a popular way to invest for college, but those who try to compare plans state-by-state run into a great deal of confusion when navigating the different tax treatments.
Residents of Kansas will have an open door to other states’ 529 college savings programs starting with the 2007 tax year. Previously, they only received a tax advantage if they chose the state’s 529 Learning Quest plan, which is administered by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins and managed by American Century Investments.

While Learning Quest is a nationally competitive and well-managed plan, Kansas residents will now be able to utilize the annual adjusted gross income deduction of up to $3,000 per beneficiary ($6,000 if married and filing jointly) for contributions made to whichever 529 college savings plan best meets their investment objectives. 

Many other states have introduced parity efforts in their legislatures, but they’ve not been going anywhere. That’s because these states are worried about tax revenue loss or they want to protect their own in-state 529 college savings franchise. But they’re missing the benefit of providing their residents with more choices and enhancing competition in the 529 industry.

Tax parity is a great way for states to help families catch up with escalating college costs. The tax deduction will help level the playing field among college savings plans, challenging program managers to shape programs competitively, which will ultimately provide the best savings plans for consumers.

So write your state senator and tell them to support tax parity for 529 plans!!

Ben

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