With nearly every job field now requiring a degree for the best jobs in it, now is the best time to start seeking a degree. Online education has taken the lead over campus-based schools in cost, efficiency and practicality. For this reason, most students in 2011, regardless of age, will be seeking online education. When searching for schools, here are some helpful hints about what to look for:

1. Accreditation - this is the most important aspect of any online school. Accreditation can be verified by using the Department of Education’s online database. Avoid schools that are not accredited, as their curriculum is less than satisfactory of state and national standards.

2. Tuition prices - some online schools offer a special rate to students who are in-state residents. Universities that offer online classes tend to be expensive for out-of-state students. For-profit schools also offer lower rates, but these are offered to students regardless of whether they are in-state or out-of-state.

3. Financial aid - not every online school offers financial aid. Fill out a FAFSA application immediately and if eligibility is determined, seek schools that offer federal financial aid. This will result in the opportunity to receive free grants and low-interest loans.

4. Program degree variety - choose a program that offers the opportunity to advance if desired. Many students who start with an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree program will later decide they want a higher degree. Consider what further options the school has beyond the degree sought. Not every online school takes transfer credits from another, so students who choose one program and want to advance in a different school may face taking the same classes again.

5. Job placement assistance - most online schools, especially for-profit schools, offer a job placement assistance program. Job counseling from guidance counselors, resume assistance and services for finding open positions are some services that are usually included in job placement assistance.

Everyone has a New Year’s resolution; 2011 is the best year to make that resolution earning a degree. Make the future brighter with an education and remember what to look for.

Distance education has come a long way from correspondence courses consisting of books and papers sent by mail. Today’s distance education comes via the internet, and is nearly instantaneous in delivery. There are several factors to consider though, before signing up and logging on for a distance education instead of attending classes in person.

- How much time do you have to devote to class? Distance education brings the classroom to your living room - or your office, or anywhere else you have a computer and an internet connection. This eliminates the commute that often prevents adult students from returning to college. Depending on the program, distance education may allow you to log onto your college’s website at the time that is most convenient for you to watch a pre-recorded lecture, instead of rushing to get to class on time.

- How do you learn best? If you learn best by discussing different ideas with others, then distance education, with its online message boards and chat rooms may prove challenging. If you prefer to study as an individual and then display your mastery of knowledge with a well written paper, then distance education will allow you that experience.

- Are you disciplined? Distance learning requires a great deal of initiative on the part of the student, which can be a great opportunity for growth, since this initiative translates outside of the classroom, and into your professional career. If you are easily distracted though, remember that there is no professor standing in front of you, to keep your eyes from wandering, or tell you not to have the television on while the lecture is playing.

- Is it really distance education? Distance education comes in a lot of flavors. Some colleges and universities offer true distance education programs, which can be completed by anyone, anywhere. There are others, however, that while they offer an online component, such as requiring students to post weekly responses to readings on a message board, still require your physical presence once a semester - which is problematic if you are cross country!

Preparing to take finals through distance education can be extremely stressful. Many working adults or traditional college age students experience anxiety related to having enough time to cover all of the material to pass the test. Here are some tips on taking final exams through distance education.

Take time to gather all of the books, files, notes, and coursework related to the class. Look for the syllabus to confirm exactly which portions of the class will be on the final exam. For example, if the instructor has chosen not to cover a specific chapter there is no need to waste time looking over it.

Scan through all of the material that is to be covered one section at a time. Read through the corresponding text and notes.

Review the chapter questions to see how well the material is understood. Visit the website for the textbook publisher. Many publishers have free interactive online quizzes, definitions, and study guides.

Schedule how the final study time is to be structured. Studying in blocks of time can help prevent burnout. For example if there are three final exams, consider trying to squeeze in three forty five minute sessions a day leading up to the exam date. Study for forty five minutes, and take a break for fifteen minutes.

In the event there is little time to study, break an hour into three focused twenty minute study sessions. Use each session to focus on one subject at a time, or a different chapter within the same class.

Keep class study materials accessible at all times. Use small periods of time such as a lunch break or train or bus commute. Cut out all distractions such as unrelated internet searching, frequent checking of email, and watching television.
The weeks leading up to the final exams may require getting up earlier or going to bed later. When intense focus is placed on finding time to study, time becomes available. Use these tips on taking finals through distance education.

You’ve heard it all before: a college education is usually necessary to get your foot in the door for an interview, to secure a good job, and to move up the ladder once you have one. But what if you never had the opportunity to attend college? What if time, money or family obligations prevented you from attending? Or what if you’ve obtained a degree, but want to switch career paths? With the growing availability of quality distance education programs, a flexible, affordable and marketable education is now within reach for everyone.

Why is distance education so important?

1. Working adults can continue employment while taking classes.

Distance education allows a great deal of flexibility, which is perfect for people who already have employment and cannot afford to take time away from their jobs for education. With online tools and flexible scheduling, working adults can plan when to do coursework and interact with professors or other students on their own time.

2. Students can complete their educations at their own pace.

Most distance education programs allow students to complete their degrees at their own pace. Taking one or two courses at a time means that students still have time for other obligations such as work and family.

3. Students have more options for specific trades or degree programs.

Many distance education programs allow students to focus their studies on one particular trade or area of study. Instead of having to fulfill requirements for core classes that may or may not be in your area of interest, distance education programs are concentrated on a specific area of study or trade. That means less time and money spent on work that does not meet your specific needs.

4. There are no expensive moving costs or living adjustments.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of distance education is that there is no need to move to attend a specific college, no matter where it is located. There’s no need to uproot your family or pack up your belongings, as class is only as far as the nearest computer.

Take some time to research a distance education program today!

Hopefully, you’re a great student who would never need to use an excuse in a class, right? For those people who do make excuses for work not being done, there are often several go-to options. However, many of these just won’t fly in an online class. Here are ten excuses that won’t work in an online course.

1. “My printer stopped working.”
A classic excuse for many that is hard to dispute, this one simply doesn’t work in an online course when you submit all of your assignments digitally.

2. “My car broke down on the way to class.”
This one is popular because it can happen to anyone. However, when you’re working in an online course, you probably don’t need your car to commute downstairs to the computer.

3. “I don’t have internet access.”
Some students may get away with this excuse in a traditional classroom environment, but it would be pretty difficult to pull this one over on your online instructor.

4. “I lost the assignment.”
Assignment papers are easy to lose amidst your other schoolwork - but when the teacher is posting the assignments online? You could always download another.

5. “I got pulled over.”
Though getting pulled over on the way to class is hard to argue with, there are no patrol cars watching your internet speed.

6. “My paper blew away in the wind while I was walking to class.”
When your assignments are all saved and submitted online, there’s no need to worry about errant pages drifting away.

7. “I couldn’t find any resources.”
With the entire internet at your fingertips, it’s always possible to find a source.

8. “My alarm didn’t go off.”
Online classes are convenient because you can study whenever it’s best for you - but that means you can’t say you overslept and missed class.

9. “I got lost.”
The web is a big place, but there’s no getting lost on your way to class when you’re taking online courses.

10. “My dog ate it.”
And of course, the age-old favorite. This one simply doesn’t work in an online course.

One of the greatest benefits of attending an online college is the opportunity to make contacts among your classmates, and Facebook is a great tool to use to get in touch with them. Here are ten tips on using Facebook to network with fellow students from your online college.

1. Create a group for the class
Making a page or group for the class is a great way to bring all of your classmates together for centralized communication.

2. Check out mutual friends you may have
See if you and your classmates share mutual friends, as you may know some of the same people in your industry.

3. See if you “like” any of the same pages
Finding out what common interests you share through pages you “like” is a great way to connect with your classmates on an individual level.

4. Befriend people who you’ve connected with and send a message
Communicate with the people you’ve already interacted with in the course via wall posts or messages to further the relationships.

5. Friend request the other students and introduce yourself
If there’s someone you haven’t met yet, send them a friend request and introduce yourself.

6. Update your status about things relating to the course
Use your status updates to stay in touch - let everyone know when you’re working on a paper or studying for that big test!

7. Share links to valuable material
When you come across material that’s relevant to your course, share it in a link on Facebook to help others.

8. See if there is anyone you can help
Look for people who mention needing help with their work in their statuses, and offer your assistance as a friendly gesture.

9. Use Places to check in when you’re out studying
If you’re at a coffee shop studying, use Facebook Places to check in and invite others to join you.

10. Stay in touch outside of the course
Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with people after the course is over and to also connect with your classmates on a different level.

One of the greatest benefits to attending college online is the possibility to study and work from anywhere. However, you may find more convenience by working from home using a desktop computer. Here are ten advantages to using a desktop for attending an online university.

1. Greater storage space
Desktop computers come with more memory and storage than laptop computers or net-books do, which allows you to retain important files for reference later.

2. Work with ease using a full screen and mouse
Many people enjoy the ease of having a full screen and mouse available. Though you can always purchase an additional mouse with USB cable, desktop computers are all-inclusive.

3. Higher processing power speeds up your work
As desktop computers come with higher-power processors, you can spend your time working rather than waiting for files to load or the internet to connect.

4. Larger monitor allows multiple windows and detailed work
When you work with a full-size monitor, you can open multiple windows to work in. For those working on detailed material such as graphic design, you also eliminate eye-strain.

5. Create a routine for yourself
A desktop computer encourages you to create a routine, as you will be more apt to plan time to work.

6. Keep all files in one space
With additional storage space, you’ll be able to keep all of your work in the same place instead of transferring files.

7. Better video card and graphics
Many desktop computers come equipped with better video cards and graphic displays, which improves your experience.

8. Have an organized workplace
By having a desktop computer with printer, speakers, and other attachments organized together in your workspace, you’ll create a system for yourself that can keep you focused.

9. Draw on references from previous courses
Desktop computers make it easy for you to reference past assignments and tutorials, whereas laptops can get cluttered and run slowly with extra files.

10. Use extra accessories with your computer
Many additional accessories, such as tablets or webcams, are easier to use with desktop computers that remain in a stationary work environment.

If you are returning to school after many years in the working world, you are probably more than a little nervous. One of the skills that you will need for online classes is writing and communication. Chances are that if you are not writing on a daily basis, you will need to make some improvements and just brush up on your writing skills before you attend classes. Here are ten ways that you can improve your writing.

1. Read. It may seem a bit ironic that the best thing you can do to improve your writing is to read more often. Read anything. Magazines, newspapers, books or websites. Reading stimulates your communication centers and refreshes your vocabulary.

2. Write. It should seem like common sense that if you want to improve your writing, you should write more often. Much like reading, it doesn’t matter what you write as long as you write something. Send emails to friends and families, start a blog or just carry a notebook and write things down instead of simply trying to remember them.

3. Test yourself. Test your understanding after watching a television show or reading an article by writing a summary of what you just learned.

4. Work on being concise. If you are going to take online classes, concise communication is critical to getting your point across and answering questions without lengthy responses.

5. Start thinking. It is always best to sit down and think about what you are going to write before you actually start writing. This holds true for everything, especially college coursework.

6. Take an online workshop. There are many free and inexpensive online writing workshops set up to help new students master the techniques necessary for college writing.

7. Review the writing process. Chances are, it has been years since you wrote your last academic paper or homework assignment. Familiarize yourself with the steps of writing a research paper, simple book report or comprehension question.

8. Talk More. Just like reading and writing, conversation alone can help make you a better writer.

9. Pay attention to source materials. If you are studying business, you will want to familiarize yourself with business magazines and other publications. If you are studying something in the medical field, then you should stay current on important topics. This will help you be a better writer.

10. Practice. If you are nervous about writing and researching for online classes, practice. Assign yourself a book chapter to be outlined and then write a paragraph about the chapter from that outline. The more you practice writing, the more comfortable you will become with the process.

The rapid growth of schools offering online degrees equivalent to those that might be earned at a traditional brick and mortar school, has opened the door for millions who otherwise would not have been able to pursue higher education. More and more students of many different backgrounds are choosing to pursue an online degree. From the comfort of your own home, a college degree is within your grasp. Following are 10 advantages of attending online colleges attached to traditional universities.

1. Learn at Your Own Pace

When you decide to study and when you decide to take classes is up to you. If you have the time and are so inclined, you can take a heavy course load and graduate quickly. If other obligations take up much of your time or you’re just not in a rush, you can earn your degree over a longer period of time.

2. Geographic Barriers Disappear

Distance and isolation from brick and mortar campuses are no longer a problem. You can enroll in an online college from any state in the union (foreign students also accepted).

3. Work During the Day, Study at Night

Freedom to study during hours you choose. You may study any time of the day. Most traditional classes are held during the day or early evening hours. You can get up at 2:00 am and attend classes if so desired.

4. Weekend Classes Available

Saturday or Sunday and holidays, class is open.

5. Learning Materials at Hand

Online libraries and study materials are just a few keystrokes away. Don’t spend hours in a university library researching a paper.

6. More Time With Family

Home study means more time to enjoy the company of your friends and family.

7. Save Money on Commuting

Traveling back and forth to a traditional school can run up your gasoline bill and put extra wear and tear on your car. Online study eliminates that concern.

8. Age is No Barrier

If you are an older person pursuing a degree, you might not feel comfortable in a traditional school full of younger students.

9. Financial Aid Available

Many sources of help available, just as with traditional colleges.

10. Degree Accepted By Employers

A degree in finance from an accredited online college carries the same weight with employers as a degree earned in a traditional university setting.