Why 2020 Is the Year To Pursue Online Education

 2020 is the year to pursue online education whether you're looking to access new employment opportunities or you're looking to use time at home to advance your credentials.

The global pandemic has introduced a number of new challenges for people in every country, and most of them have to do with the need to remain safely distant from others to minimize infection because our educational systems and workplaces are not built with that in mind.

The result has been chaotic in some industries and a wildly lucrative opportunity in others, but the one constant is that it has changed the game.

Whether you're looking to access new employment opportunities in a field that has suddenly become high-demand or you're looking to use time at home to advance your credentials in your current field, there are a lot of opportunities out there.

 

Leadership Training and Career Advancement

For learners in a career with the degree credentials to establish themselves, leadership training is often a distinguishing factor that helps single out candidates for career advancement.

Online degree programs have been adding them to their selections for years because of the demand for asynchronous learning options for working professionals, and the rise in online learning due to the pandemic has only made them easier to access because of traditional face to face programs are also online now.

These certifications can give you the competitive edge you need on your resume, but more importantly, they can give you the skills you need to show you can bring a team together and get them to give their best performance, and people are sure to see that whether they know you have gone to class or not.

New Career Opportunities

You can also pursue whole degrees online, and programs that have been designed for remote learners for years are poised to provide quality materials and class structures that have the benefit of years of assessment and refinement, something newly pivoted online learning doesn't have the ability to offer.

As a result, even if you've been enrolled in a degree program, a transfer to established online programs in the field could make the difference in your skills and connections to career opportunities. Online healthcare degree programs have been meeting those needs for years, after all.

Their processes are well-established and their instructors trained in the system and its nuances.

Degree-Plus Programs

If you're looking at business degrees online, the question of extra certifications or double majoring becomes very important in your choice of schools.

Today's business environment is competitive, and a general business education tends to mean less on its own than it does as part of a narrative of your skills.

That's why many future executives are combining a business degree that tracks into an MBA program with extra credentialing in the form of program certificates or even a second major.

Oil and biotech professionals commonly have scientific degrees in addition to their business education, for example.

This is where the proliferation of leadership training and project management programs can really help you out, though.

Often, these certificates require only a couple of extra classes, and sometimes they even count toward parts of your core degree requirement, so you might not need to take extra credits to add one to a degree as you go.

A lot depends on your specific program and certification goals.