5 Benefits You’ll Get By Upgrading Your Skills Through Distance Learning
Depending on your schedule, family commitments, and other responsibilities, you might not be able to take time off work to go back to school. The good news is you don’t have to.
Whether you don’t want to be confined to a classroom on a campus across town or the logistics would make continuing your education in school nearly impossible, online learning is a good option.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, around 9.4 million students in the fall of 2021, or around six in 10 of all undergrads, were enrolled in at least one distance learning course.
But it’s not just post-secondary students who can benefit from distance learning. If you’re in the workforce and want to upgrade your skills to further your career, distance learning is worth considering.
Some people indeed prefer to get an education in a brick-and-mortar building — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Even so, here are five benefits of learning online over doing things the old-fashioned way.
1. Learn Where You Want
Arguably the most compelling benefit of distance learning is you can learn wherever you want. Instead of having to get up, travel to a building, and go to a classroom for instruction, you can get your education from anywhere, as long as you have a computer and internet access.
Whether you want to learn at home, at the cottage, in a coffee shop, or elsewhere, distance learning allows you to choose where you take your program or course.
2. Learn When You Want
Is there a certain part of the day when you’re more likely to retain information? Unless you’re a morning person, it might be hard to wake up early and go to school. You can use a distance learning program to complete your studies when most advantageous. You can do it during the day if you’re an early worm or at night if you’re a night owl.
As long as you have the discipline to keep up with lectures, readings, homework, and assignments without anyone hounding you, distance learning can be a game-changer and help you obtain the skills you want.
3. Learn Without Forsaking Other Commitments
It can be hard to achieve a good work-life balance. In fact, some people believe that doing so is impossible. But if you have a job, a family, and other responsibilities, it might be unrealistic to take classes at a college campus.
That’s one reason some people forsake their dreams of improving their skills. Attending classes at a campus might mean stretching themselves too thin and exceeding their bandwidth.
4. Learn Without Giving Up Your Paycheck
Another benefit of online learning is that you won’t have to give up your day job. Distance learning means you can fit your learning around your life rather than the other way around. That can make it easier to pursue more education since you won’t have to take time off work.
Not everyone can afford to take a sabbatical and focus solely on a program or course without a paycheck coming in. With distance learning, you don’t have to choose between your job and your education. You can have both since you’ll have the flexibility to do both.
5. Learn Something New to Start a New Career
Yet another benefit of distance learning is that you can learn new skills to enter a new career path or start a side hustle. And you can do this without quitting your day job.
An example of this is pursuing a certification. Case in point: you can get a same-day forklift certification that is 100% compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That’s just the tip of the iceberg since certifications exist for tons of different careers and jobs.
If you want skills you can use right away, such a certification is worth considering. You don’t have to spend years, months, or even weeks earning a certification that can land you a job.
These are some benefits of upgrading your skills through online education. With distance learning, you don’t have to forsake your other commitments or take a leave of absence from your full-time job. You can get what you want since distance learning affords flexibility.
