Online College Degrees - Not Just for Working Adults

It used to be that the people most interested in getting a degree online were adult elearners with day jobs hoping to finally get a degree or complete a degree.

Things have changed! The average age of students enrolling for online college courses in 1996, according to a survey conducted by Degree.com, of those responding was 38 years old and had some college behind them. An online bachelor degree or a distance learning masters degree was relatively unheard of by most students, and not widely accepted by employers.

A lot has changed in the past 13 years. Today, online college degrees are widely accepted by employers, possibly because of the wide advertising done by the many of the online programs and online universities, and the fact that so many well known and well respected universities are offering online degree programs.

In fact, most brick and mortar universities are offering degrees that may be completed entirely online or at the least some online classes. In a recent survey at Degree.com they found the average age of those responding was 25, and many were under 20 years of age! In 1996 none who responded were under 22. A full 22 % had no college experience. In 1996 all of those responding had some college. and needed to complete a degree.

These days, online education is becoming a first choice for many students rather than an alternative option. Students may finish their degrees faster and study on their own schedule. Many students find it is easier to have jobs and attend classes full time when they are enrolled in a distance learning degree, since they are not tied to a set classrooom schedule.

Now that the economy has slowed down people are more motivated than ever to complete a degree to become more competitive in the job market. Earning a college degree can put you ahead of the competition, so people are heading back to school both online and in traditional on-campus programs.