How Employers View Online Degrees
by Gerte Brandley
http://www.hkdegree.com
Today, many people have the opportunity to follow college
courses online because of the proliferation of computers
and email. They can then receive a degree from a college
by following the standard curriculum at the college. Many
who otherwise might not be able to attend college now can
because this system offers the convenience, and flexibility
to allow them to. But there may be drawbacks if you have
to verify your education to prospective employers. Should
you be concerned that an online degree will be accepted?
The most important thing to do first, before you commit to
an online degree program is to confirm the accreditation
of the college. If this college is not fully accredited,
your degree may be useless in the job market.If you enjoyed
the courses, learned a lot for your personal life, that is
fine. However, if you expect your degree to be the stepping
stone for entry to a good job, and career advancement,
you will probably want to make sure you are dealing with
a school that is accredited by the proper agencies.
Accreditation is also important if you~re considering
transferring to a different institution, either now or in
the future. In order to qualify for transfer credits, the
online school through which you~re earning your degree must
be properly accredited, or any credits that you~ve earned
will be lost. If those requirements are met, then you can
not only transfer to a different school, but will have a
degree that~s the equivalent to that which you~d earn in a
traditional brick and mortar environment.
An accreditation agency that grants accreditation to online
schools is the Distance Education and Training Council. If
the school you are considering has been approved and
accredited by this organization, your online degree should
be accepted by most employers and other schools. Each
employer or school has their own policies concerning the
acceptance of accreditation of this organization. Attitudes
regarding online degrees have changed over recent years
and many employers, but not all, now recognize them.For the
most part, the stigma of "mail order" degrees is a thing of
the past, and about two thirds of colleges now accept them.
Sometimes, many online schools are accredited by a
professional organization such as the American Library
Association. This degree is only accepted by organizations
that specialize in that profession. If you have your online
degree in Library Sciences, for example, most likely it'll
be accepted by a library, but maybe not by a government
body or school system to work in the library of the system.
These accreditations are limited, and therefore their
acceptance usually is as well
Schools which aren~t accredited won~t be accepted by
employers or other schools, as the ~degrees~ that are
generated by that facility are not seen as valid. You may
find that you~ll need to provide some form of evidence to
back up the legitimacy of your degree, but that can be
difficult and often won~t make enough of a difference to
convince prospective employers that you~d be a valuable
asset to their company in the particular position to which
you~re applying.
It is encumbent upon you to make sure that the online
college of your choice is either accredited or that you
are prepared to defend your degree to employers who
question its validity. There are many valid online schools
from which to choose your degree. But, the sense of
inferiority of online degrees still exists in many cases,
so make sure you are not wasting your time and your money.
Do your research and make sure that your inline degree is
going to be of value in your career search, or your further
education.
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