How much street cred does an online degree have?
And how much does learning via multimedia presentations, streamed video lectures, MP3 files and the Web solidify your job candidacy?
More than ever, say today's employers. At least, detractors are increasingly mum as online education gains as much acceptance as the "bricks and mortar" education model.
One reason is that online education keeps skills fresh. In theory you can party like it's 1999, but you can't work like it's 1999. By upgrading managerial, technical or even basic remedial skills, online education is an increasingly attractive investment for competitive employers.
So attractive, some mid-sized to large employers will reimburse your tuition. Some even foot the bill directly via Third Party Billing.
For example, an online course can train student-employees to use corporate computer systems via simulations. While mimicking a real-world software environment, this reduces error risk to nil or few. Also, costs are not duplicated if students repeat an online course.
Employers have done the math, and it’s a “win-win” proposition: Distance-learning students learn relevant, valuable skills which they plough back to the workplace.
