Online education is one of the fastest-growing industries today. Look through your list of Facebook contacts, for instance, and you will likely know somebody who is enrolled in an online course.
It is a convenient way to get further education without disrupting your life too much. For instance, online biology courses are designed to accommodate your routines. You do not have to quit work because they clash with your class schedule. You still have plenty of time for the family.
As technology gets advanced, more and more people are shifting toward e-learning courses. For instance, according to estimates, the industry has a compound annual growth rate of 28.55% from 2017 to 2023. At the end of the projected period, the industry would have been worth about $132.9 billion.
But what do employers think about online biology courses, anyway? Or to put it succinctly, will you even land a job after spending time and money on your course?
E-Learning Goes Mainstream
The good news is that most companies accept applicants even if they only have an online degree. It is also not a relatively new trend.
Nicole Cox, the recruitment exec for Decision Toolbox, told USNewsback in 2016, that employers realized that reputable schools have already distance learning in their programs. They also improved their delivery systems, which helped roll out quality graduates.
A 2015 survey showed that professionals enroll in distance learning because they want a career shift. Most of those who take online biology courses, for example, already have steady jobs, but they expect something fitter for themselves and their families.
What Employers Look for in Online Degree Holders?
Of course, you still need to match the requirements of the employers when you apply for a job. Not all online courses are created the same.
- First, they will look at whether the school is accredited to offer the course. The program could be recognized at the regional or national level.
- They will look at your performance in school, such as your grades, the evaluation of your professors, your on-the-job training, etc.
- Employers will also want to know how you will perform in a collaborative setting. Although there are some opportunities to work as a team, an online course could never replicate the classroom setting.
Most of these will turn up in the interview after you have submitted your resume. They will ask you why you enrolled in an online program instead of a traditional school. So, you will have the opportunity to explain yourself better.
On the upside, the employers already know that you are self-motivated since you finished the course. You will even gain plus points if you are working on a full-time job, raising a kid, or whatever your personal circumstances are that would make finishing the course more impressive.
The National Center for Education Statistics revealed that there were more than 6.6 million students enrolled in online programs in 2017. You can view it from another angle, such as how it contributed to the decline in the college population. However, distance learning is the perfect encapsulation of the country’s entrepreneurial spirit. And online courses are providing opportunities for people to lead better lives.
Author’s Bio:
Sarah Williams is a blogger and writer who expresses her ideas and thoughts through her writings. She loves to get engaged with the readers who are seeking informative content on various niches over the internet.
She is a featured blogger at various high authority blogs and magazines in which she shared her research and experience with the vast online community.
