I can’t believe how much something as fundamental as “school” has changed in just 10 years. I never would have considered myself old, let alone out of touch. But here I am a 30 year old working professional and mother of two and I find I am way behind the times in terms of online education. Less than 10 years ago, I was attending an on-campus university working towards my bachelor’s degree. As I rushed back and forth to class, I also found myself rushing to an almost full-time job and an unpaid internship. I was literally out of the house for 12 hours a day. When I got home at night, I spent my time doing school work and trying to catch up on some sleep.
Now as I juggle raising my two young sons and working full-time I find that my job actually brings me up to speed. Working as Marketing Manager for a major online school has really opened my eyes to new educational opportunities available to students. I can now see how much easier my life could have been during those “college years” if online education had been available to me. I get to see first-hand the benefits of an online school – no commuting to class (especially in the snow!), no group projects or battling the crowds at the book store. It probably wouldn’t have taken me 4 years to finish because I could have done the work at my speed without winter and summer months off. There are no extra costs outside of the tuition and, most importantly, I wouldn’t have a mountain of school loans to pay back after graduation.
Life would have definitely been easier if these options were available when I was in college. I’m just glad that the technology is there now should I ever want to go back to school. Having three full-time jobs (wife, mother, and manager), making my own schedule and setting my own pace regarding future schooling would definitely help to maintain my sanity.
It’s just amazing how much has changed in the past 10 years and I can only imagine how advanced things will be once my sons are old enough to attend college. The way things are going; they could enroll in a college on the other side of the country and attend class from their bedrooms using a cell phone! The opportunities are endless and only time will tell!
Contributing blogger - Stacy M.