Why Online Education Is More Important Than You Might Think
Online education seemed like a thing of the distant future just a couple of decades ago, even though it was clear the internet was here to stay. And today, it’s not only a reality; it has also proven to be a viable concept that brings many benefits to the table. At this point, it’s hard to ignore the benefits of online education on the global community as a whole, and it’s important to reflect on the ways it has improved our lives and continues to do so. It’s very likely that we’re going to see a major shift away from traditional in-person education over the next decade, and we have to start embracing those changes as early as possible.
Lower Costs Can Bridge Social Gaps
One of the major issues in global education as a whole has always been the way associated costs worked as a major barrier in communities. Improving access to education and ensuring that everyone can follow their chosen career path regardless of financial status is going to be one of the best changes in our society in the next years, and it alone can lead to even more positive developments down the road. A device with internet access is no longer expensive in most parts of the world, and it can actually be less than the cumulative cost of travel, books, and other supplies.
Improved Prospects for People in Remote Areas
The same goes for those living in remote areas, who’ve traditionally faced similar issues, even in cases of families that are generally considered well-off in their respective communities. Having to travel a large distance on a regular basis can be prohibitive for many, and in some places, it’s outright impossible to find reasonable options within a commutable distance. With online education growing in popularity, this problem is already starting to vanish in some areas. It will be interesting to see how things progress in this regard over the next decade too.
Switching Careers Is Often Easier Now
It’s becoming more common for people to consider a career change late in their lives, something which was very untraditional just a couple of decades ago. Improved education prospects have no doubt played a major part in that and continue to do so. Online education can allow even the busy full-time professional to take classes on the side and gain additional education that can broaden their career options.
No GMAT MBA programs can open various doors to those who want to take on a more active role in the management of the companies where they work, and it can also make one a much more attractive candidate on the job market. This can make it easy to switch to a different career track if you feel like you’ve been stuck in your own for too long. And you’d be surprised how many people feel the same way these days – those with doubts about their career choice are far from a minority at this point, especially with the internet opening their eyes to the many opportunities they have.
Universities Can Be More Efficient in Their Resource Allocation
Universities (and other educational institutions) can do more with their resources now, which can eventually lower the barrier of entry in many places. Traditionally, admittance was limited in part due to the various physical limitations associated with having a large student body. But with the scalability that online education brings to the table, this is not going to be a problem for much longer. We’re already seeing various universities expanding their admittance numbers for this exact reason, and some online programs have no limitations of this kind at all.
Of course, other barriers will still remain, as they are still needed to ensure that students who get admitted are actually motivated to pursue their chosen programs properly. But beyond that, nobody should be excluded from following a certain degree path, and it’s good to see that universities have started to wake up to this realization.
More Flexibility in Emergency Situations
On the note of waking up to a realization, the pandemic really shook many people’s perspectives about how prepared we are as a global community to deal with something unexpected and difficult. We were lucky in some regards, as the widespread adoption of the internet all over the world meant that it was much easier to transition to living and working remotely. The same was true for students on all levels, and many schools and universities showed a surprising determination in dealing with the situation and ensuring that everyone stayed on track despite the challenges.
And in the end, this only served to highlight the importance of online education in the general context. Investing more in this field will benefit us as a whole in the (hopefully unlikely) scenario that we have to face something like this again. What’s more, the last two years kicked things into high gear for those making the important decisions regarding online education, and we saw the field growing at an accelerated rate.
Leveraging Tech to Its Full Potential in Relevant Fields
Some fields of education are more directly linked with technology than others, in some cases being fully based on it, like pretty much any degree related to IT, and various kinds of engineering disciplines. To this end, traditional in-person education actually imposes some barriers on students and limits their potential for understanding the material they’re working with. With online education, some problems are easier to work on, especially ones that require active collaboration with digital tools.
This isn’t just limited to fields specifically related to technology either. Other areas like medicine, law and finances are also seeing huge benefits from the integration of online learning in their curriculums, especially when it comes to the ability to introduce complex technological solutions to students and guide them through their use.
Breaking the Stranglehold of Certain Educational Institutions
A lot can be said about the impact of certain major educational institutions on the job market, and this has been a controversial topic for a while. It’s true that getting a good job in some fields practically requires a degree from a small set of universities, despite the fact that candidates with equal – or even better – skill sets can be found in large numbers outside of that range. Online education has been changing that landscape, and in a way that benefits students and job seekers in the end.
It’s going to take a while for this to fully develop, but we’re already seeing initial signs of what’s coming. With the help of online education, degrees from renowned, exclusive universities are slowly starting to lose their glamor as more people focus on budget-friendly options, realizing that they still provide equally good education in the end. The networking opportunities that lie in those “big name” universities are the only major issue left to address that likely won’t go away for a long time.
Students Today Are Naturally More Inclined to It
Online education also simply makes sense for the students of today. Children grow up with technology from a young age, and in many cases, they end up better than us at using smartphones, computers, social media, and the internet as a whole. For better or worse, we need to recognize that and give our children the full opportunity to utilize those skills to their full potential. This includes education. Leveraging the potential of online education can bring some undoubted benefits, like improving engagement and making materials more inviting to most students. This is a problem that teachers and schools as a whole have been trying to address for decades, and we’re finally seeing some actual breakthroughs.
It Just Makes Sense for the Future
In the end, the same goes for the world as a whole. Taking one quick look around you is enough to prove that point in most cases – technology is all around us, and it’s deeply intertwined into our lives at this point. It makes full sense to take advantage of that as much as possible, and the earlier we start, the better our long-term results are going to be. We should not underestimate how quickly things are moving in this regard either, because if the last two decades are indicative of anything, it’s that the next one is going to bring some even more amazing innovations. Artificial intelligence is one of the most obvious examples right now, and it’s already being leveraged with great success for education as well.
If you’re in a situation where you’re not sure about your next steps but know that you want to make a big change in your life, maybe that’s the answer for you as well. Just take a look around the various options you have for broadening your education on the internet and see what you can do to improve your career profile. Even if you’ve been in your career for a couple of decades or more, it’s never too late to make that change.
