As a viable alternative to traditional learning, online education has been making leaps and bounds globally in terms of the number of students studying under it and the number of online degrees being developed. Another mark of the popularity of online education rests in the other educational alternatives open to anyone seeking an education online. Aside from providing different options that capitalize on different learning styles, these educational alternatives also show the varying degrees that people could devote to their continuing education. Here are the top 5 alternatives to online degrees, especially designed for causal learners to online studying for the over 40’s:
Online Degree Alternative #1: Online trade courses
Technical vocational courses provide opportunities for people to develop skill sets that they could bank on should there be challenges to their primary career path. Trade courses also provide a faster way for people who currently don’t have the time and resource to finish online degrees to a bankable job. A lot of options are available the online learner: culinary arts, beauty and cosmetology, fashion and retail, plumbing, carpentry, home electrician, and a whole lot more. One should also take notice that these trade courses are the best online ‘degrees’ for recession-friendly careers, because as far as we know, trade jobs will always have a market share.
Online Degree Alternative #2: Online certificate courses
If you can devote at least 6 months of your time for online learning, then a good alternative could be found in online certificate courses. These certificate courses can hold academic units but are considered as non-degree educational alternatives because they don’t lead to a full degree. These maybe specific courses that deal with specific skill sets: medical transcription, cyber security, animation, web design, etc. Depending on the type of course that was taken, an online certificate course could also lead to direct employment.
Online Degree Alternative #3: Online non-vocational courses
Fancy studying cyberpsychology? Then take a peek at the course listing for that Masters degree in psychology from your favorite online university. Interested only in the mechanics of static bodies? Then get a copy of that engineering course curriculum. When you enroll in a single course that is part of an online degree, then that is a non-vocational course. Unlike their technical vocational counterparts, these non-vocational courses could still lead to an online degree if one has the mind to continue to the whole lot. Online non-vocational courses have academic units, and could be chosen according to the learner’s current interests.
Online Degree Alternative #4: Online personal development courses
Consisting of courses that appeal more to the continuing learner, online personal development courses consists of topics that do not need certification and are only topic alternatives for the voracious learner. Online cooking classes, music, sports, typing classes, home improvement, and interior decoration are just some casual courses that students could choose from. In the language of online degrees, these courses could be seen as the electives, the ‘little extras’ that we consider to study just because they interest us. Who knows, taking these courses might lead a student to pursue the field to higher ends, paving the way to a new career path.
