Online Education: Is It Right for You?

Living in the information age, we have grown so accustomed to having access to countless facts and figures with the mere click of a few buttons. It only makes sense that there are many people around the world embracing the idea of online learning and educational opportunities. However if you are one of those people who feel that the information age has left them behind to some degree the chances are quite good that online learning may not be the best available option for you.
Below you will find a few questions that can help you narrow down whether or not you would truly benefit by taking some of the many online courses that are being offered.

1) Are you disciplined? We would all like to think that we can discipline ourselves to some extent. The problem is that when you are in control of your own education you need to have more than some discipline. You need to be able to meet deadlines, take the tests, and hold yourself responsible for learning all the information that you need to in order to pass the course. There is no one to blame but yourself if you do not do well in your online classes.
2) How do you learn best? We all have different learning styles. Even though, one is not better than the other, we need to be certain which style we are. Online courses are reading intensive. If you have difficulties retaining the information you read you may need to find an alternate learning method or seek solutions with the assistance of the course instructor before moving forward in an online learning environment.
3) Do you have a true desire to succeed? The answer to this question is quite important in determining whether or not online learning is for you. This type of learning, more than any other is easy to give up on through apathy. If you aren't determined to do the assignments, to study the notes, and to really learn the material that is presented to you then you really do not need to waste yours or the instructor's time by continually making up excuses. Online courses are largely self-paced but you do have a limited amount of time in which to learn the material before you need to move on.

Whether you are a first time college student or a professional that is returning to school after a long absence online learning can open new doors of opportunity for your learning pleasure however in order to be successful you must be willing to walk through those doors and take the information that is presented to you. My hope is that before beginning everyone reading this will carefully consider whether or not the lack of structure of many online courses is going to be conducive to your specific learning and educational needs .