Are you deliberating whether or not to go for a traditional degree within the four walls of an institution or to instead do an online degree from the comfort of your home?

If you fall into this category, then stay with us as we are going to delve into the pros and cons of either choice, and we say pros and cons because like everything in life, there is always the good and bad side to anything.

We are going to start by enumerating the advantages and disadvantages of studying at home, and by so doing, the problems of studying at home will be the advantage of studying at a university while the merits of studying at home will be the demerits of studying at an institution.

Merits of Home/distance learning

Flexibility

One of the most appealing attributes of distance learning is “flexibility.” In this present dispensation, where parents are so busy with both work and running a family, it becomes challenging to leave everything and go back to school. But with distance learning, it is easier to combine work and social responsibilities with it. Moreso, with the advancement in technology, distance learning has become a breeze as you can be driving and listening to lectures or cooking while you are viewing lectures.

Cost-effective

A lot of postgraduate degrees holders have taken to online or distance learning as they find that huge student debts have created a significant setback in their finances, and will rather not incur more to the massive loans already accrued from their previous study. Apart from the fact that distance learning is cheaper, good online universities like James Cook allow for installment payments, thereby making the financial commitment a very burdenless attraction.

In this type of system, you save on not only the actual tuition but also the interim cost of transportation and accommodation that accrues as a result of studying at a university campus.

Better storage

With online learning, most of the materials for study are most often in digital format, which is readily accessible on major electronic devices. This medium of information exchange makes recording and storing very easy especially since all the data are already in digital format, plus if you already have access to cloud computing, then it is way more comfortable to upload any information you want to have stored away.

Better time management

When it comes to distant learning, because you can study at your own time and pace, you are better able to manage your time to suit your schedules. Moreso, if you are a worker looking to upgrade your education, this will be a more suitable route to ply. Unlike the traditional system of schooling where classes and exams are set in place regardless of whether or not it aligns with your itinerary.

Demerits of Home/distance learning

Distractions

If you happen to be in a union with kids involved—we all know how hectic it can be taking care of a child let alone two or more—In such a case it might be tough for you to pay close attention to studies because at every point in time you are being interrupted by the kids. Unlike if you were in a traditional learning institution where you have a library or the privacy of your dormitory.

No networking

The university is an excellent place to have a good network connection of people, as you will make friends with people whom their parents are from different walks of life. But with distance learning, the reverse is the case, and the reason good networking is essential is that you can be made aware of job openings from friends and acquaintances alike.

Lack of Motivation

When doing a distant program, there is always this tendency to take that education less seriously because first, the fees don’t make you break the bank and secondly there is no sense of competition. On the other hand in a traditional classroom environment, there are other people you are learning with, which gives you a form of motivation and a subconscious sense of competition, because you don’t want to be the worst in the class.

No study Group

Because online studies are usually at “home,” there is little or no interaction with other participants of the program. While a typical university campus has a lot of study groups, in which one can attach themselves to share ideas and information. Moreso, on campus, one can find students that are a year or two years ahead of them within the same department offering after-school lectures to students that have difficulties in some subject areas.

In conclusion

Like we said earlier, there are pros and cons to whatever path you choose, but depending on your situation, you have the liberty to select the most suitable option for yourself. At least now we have a choice—imagine if we didn’t have that choice, and we’re stuck with only the possibility of traditional classroom experience.