The first thing that anybody over the age of 50 will ask when you tell them that you want to do a degree online is, “but will you be able to get a job with that?” The question of whether an online degree carries the same weight as a degree from a traditional brick-and-mortar university is of growing concern now that up to 40% of students are doing some or all of their studying online.
For the most part, the question is often moot. This is due to the fact that many online students are older than the average college freshman – they already have a traditional degree and a few years’ experience in their field, and so are infinitely more employable than someone with only an online degree.
In some universities, like New York State, for example, it doesn’t matter whether you chose to do your degree online or in the classroom – all students receive the same degree. You can choose to do as much or as little of your studying online or in a classroom, and no employer will ever ask whether your online studying is the equal of work done on campus.
However, the question remains for those who only have an online degree, and little work experience. It boils down to the two factors that have always been a consideration for any employer looking at a resume:
1) Is the university properly accredited?
2) Does the school have a good reputation?
Nothing is new here, but because there are so many universities that nobody has ever heard of, they are both well worth thinking about before deciding on a school.
Accreditation
This is a tedious but vital detail that sadly goes unconsidered by some college applicants. It’s not enough to simply “be accredited” – your school has to have the right kind of accreditation for the work you plan on doing. Most universities are Regionally Accredited, as this allows the easy transfer of credits, and it allows students access to federal funding.
Some specialized trades, such as medicine or law, require additional accreditation from a third party governing body that maintains the standards of the industry. You would do well to check this out before starting any specialized online degree, such as personal training, artisan trades, or any trade that has a bar or standards committee overseeing its practitioners.
What’s in a Name?
Everyone knows that a degree from Harvard carries more weight than a degree from your local community college, but the distinction is a little more subtle than that. A good indication of whether an online university is well-respected by employers is whether or not any employers will pay for their employees to take courses there.
A good example is the University of Phoenix – up to 59% of its students are sponsored at least in part by their employers. The University of Phoenix is a for-profit university that is entirely targeted at working adults who do not have the time or freedom to go to class on campus, and for whom online learning is the only way to further their own educations.
The fact that this university has gained so much employer support is a good indication that employers will accept a degree from a university of this type, provided that the university itself has a good name.
What to Expect From the Job Market With an Online Degree
When you have a degree, remember that thousands of other people have that same degree, and probably want a similar job to you. The story isn’t any different with an online degree, but while many employers these days make no official distinction between online degrees and degrees from traditional universities, there is still some “discrimination”.
There is not yet any hard data on whether online students get more or fewer interviews, but a reasonable inference is that an HR administrator looking through 1,000 applications will be less inclined to include applicants from small, unknown online universities in the interview pile.
Expect to be grilled in interviews about the nature of your education, and be prepared to justify why you think it is equal to a traditional education. As long as you can do this, you shouldn’t have any other problems so long as you can demonstrate that you have learnt what was expected from a person with your degree.
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