Why distance learning degrees?

Actually, there are two questions there, each with an answer, each with three good reasons.

First, why distance learning?

The fact is,in many ways, distance education is far better than physical attendance at university or college, for several reasons.

The first is convenience: with distance learning degrees, you get to pick when you study. That\'s a lot more adaptable to your business life than having to attend a lecture every Wednesday at 10 a.m. when you might find it difficult to get time off work. And if you happen to be a night owl or early bird, it\'s perfect.

In the longer term, you can also spread your study out over several years, if you need to. There\'s no need to complete distance learning degrees in three or four years. In fact, many people take six to eight years to do so, and not always consecutive years.

Secondly, there\'s a minimum of physical attendance required. With little or no travel involved, you get more time to study. And less stress from road rage, or waiting at bus stops.

Thirdly, you get to choose which college or university you get your degree from. If you live in a small town with no further education facilities, that\'s a big advantage.

But even if you live in a city and are spoiled for universities and colleges, what if none of them offer the exact course that you want? Distance learning courses solve that problem easily.

And e-learning takes distance learning to a whole new level of convenience, if only in locating distance learning degrees in many more colleges and universities than was possible when you had to apply by post for details of their courses.

But why a degree? (the second of the two questions!)

For three reasons.

Firstly, it\'s the ultimate badge. You stop being someone people just admire because you certainly seem to know a lot about your subject, and you become someone with a degree in that subject. An Authority. It\'s the equivalent of an Olympic medal, and no one can ever take it away from you.

People with degrees command respect, even from fellow degree-holders. That applies no matter what the subject.

And that respect increases further if you can say you have a Master\'s level degree.

Secondly, a degree is not only mandatory for some vocations such as medicine or the legal professions, it\'s becoming more and more essential for other callings, too, such as Computing. As certain professional niches (for example, I.T., Training, and Human Resources in the last fifteen years) mature, so does the requirement to show that you have a related degree in order to enter them.

Thirdly, attaining a degree says something about you. It says you\'re disciplined, organized, can set and meet targets, that you know how to research, that you think beyond the here-and-now.

To prospective employers, that means you\'ll be a huge asset. If they have the choice between a job candidate with a degree and a candidate without, and all other factors are equal, who do you think they\'ll pick?