Nowadays, many colleges provide distance learning degree programs. Some of the advantages of remote learning compared to studying on campus are having to commute less and being able to work full-time. However, students often end up not taking their studies seriously and they end up lacking practical skills. I also believe that traditional degrees are more valuable in the job market.
Typical university students often have to work part-time jobs or completely focus on their campus lives, this is mostly due to the fact that unless they live very close to the campus they have to commute to classes on most days, it can take 1 hour or 20 minutes, the fact stands that this is time they’re not being productive. Those who attend online classes can manage their time in a way where they can work a 9-5 job and still work on their academic degree. They don’t have to commute to school then commute to work, and they can use that time on progressing their careers. As an example, it can take a student an hour to commute to school back and forth, and then if they have to work a part-time job, another hour wasted added to that everyday. That’s two hours everyday, when they could have worked and earned more or studied for an exam.
On the other hand, online tertiary schools usually lack the strictness and rigorous curriculum that a traditional college requires, leading their students to not focus on their studies. Additionally, they can’t learn any practical skills unless they physically attend a hands on course. It goes to say that not all learners are masters in time management nor are they resistant to the temptations of procrastination. Without a rigid regiment and a strict tutor, many of those students can fall behind in their studies. They can finish the online program with both average albeit sufficient-to-pass knowledge and no practical skills assuming their full-time job wasn’t related to their degree. The job market is competitive and online college graduates are looked down upon . As an example, the general medical council, the professional authority of doctors in the UK, refuses to recognize graduates of both fully online program and partially in-person programs such as some carribean medical schools, citing that their training is inadequate to treat patients in the UK.
I’m currently studying to become a physician and I look forward to working in different countries all over the world during my lifetime career; my eyes are on the global market and a degree that doesn’t open the gates of success for me is a degree unworthy to seek.
To conclude, while online learning requires less time commitment, traditional learning offers a more sought after qualification in the job market and a rigid educational structure that has been tested for generations to ensure students stick to their studies.