Online college vs. traditional college/university

2014-09-22T07:36:37-04:00

Esteemed Rallypoint Members,

As an NCO who joined the Army the second after high school, did not attend college like many of my friends who remained in the civilian world. Fast-forward seven years to today and I am about 20ish credits away from finishing an undergrad at AMU. Now here I am trying to juggle a crying newborn, family, Leadership duties and a slew of other time vampires that also require my time and attention. Last night, I working on a finishing paper and trying to reason with a two month old on the fact that he should go to sleep instead of crying (I don’t think it worked). During this event, I thought to myself “whats the point “, it’s just an online school anyways. While this thought was quickly dismissed and I finished the assignment, the thought still lingers in my head. While civilian education is the most important piece of self development one can achieve and I am not trying to undercut online education. I am trying to see how an online education stacks against a traditional college in reality.

Based on the amount of veterans working in the private sector and currently serving military professionals, I am trying to understand is a online degree now at the same level of a traditional college, lower, or not worth the paper it’s printed on, when it comes to the civilian world and why is or isn’t viewed the same as a traditional college?
I know that some of the answers I am looking for maybe on Google or elsewhere on the internet… However I would rather hear it from individuals whose backgrounds generally mirror my own.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Oct 30 at 2014 2:52 AM

2014-10-30T02:52:08-04:00

Will Harvard and Princeton stand out more on your resume? Let's not even go there. Whatever you do, fight through the pain and finish your degree ASAP. Don't be like me and finish a bachelors at 40. As long as your school of choice is regionally accredited you are golden.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2014 3:25 AM

2014-10-30T03:25:21-04:00

So long its accredited you have nothing to worry about. Many main stream college/universities have online classes because they want to reach more students. The thing about any degree is what is it going to do for you professionally and into the private sector. Can it be transferred to a masters program?

I can attend a brick and mortar school and waste a lot of time traveling back and forth or I can take advantage of that extra time being spent on the road at home in order to spend time studying. Cons, well it cuts into family time. It takes self discipline to study either on-line or at a brick and mortar school which determines the success of a student not what school they attended. Also, when a person applies for a job the only thing that they care about is whether the individual graduated from an accredited school not where they obtain their degree from.

Response by SrA Marc Haynes made Oct 30 at 2014 7:23 AM

2014-10-30T07:23:55-04:00

I agree with the wisdom already posted for this question.

I work at a brick & mortar institution. I am also in charge of hiring for my unit. I do however get my teams input when hiring. Most of the people that I know are doing online classes are working simultaneously. I would hire a RN that received an online BSN while working before a new grad nurse.

Education, along with society, is becoming more digital. Companies are aware of this as well. An example of this is that very few employers actually have pen & paper applications.

So carry on with the path that you are on. It will be worth it in the end.

Response by SrA Marc Haynes made Oct 30 at 2014 7:32 AM

2014-10-30T07:32:02-04:00

Also I have worked with some individuals that received their diplomas from extremely prestigious Ivy League universities. When working with them at times I would just shake my head & lip sync "WTF"!

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Oct 30 at 2014 8:43 PM

2014-10-30T20:43:13-04:00

I will say that "for profit school" are generally not looked on as favorably as "non-profit" school regardless of if they are regionally accredited or not.

Response by SPC Daniel Edwards made Oct 31 at 2014 12:08 AM

2014-10-31T00:08:02-04:00

Online is convenient because you can do it in the privacy of your residence. But that crap about being able to do it whenever you want to isn't all it is cracked up to be. I have to finish my assignments within a week.

Response by PO2 Steven Erickson made Oct 31 at 2014 12:56 AM

2014-10-31T00:56:10-04:00

As a team leader for a consulting company, I'll throw my perspective and experience in here. I'm assuming for this that I'm only looking at a resume (I'm the butt-head who throws away your cover letter. Sorry. I don't have time, and honestly, they're usually gone by the time I see your resume.)

College degrees tell me that you have a basic knowledge of what I want you to do - but more importantly - that you are trainable. Nothing more. Don't care where it's from, as long as it stands up to the background checks. Why not? Because the FIRST THING I'm going to do is train you to do the job MY way. I don't care what your professor taught you. No professors in my business. Only team members.

Post-bachelor's degree? Nice, as long as it's focused on what I need you to do. I'd rather see a Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security Studies than a Master's in Public Sector Administration. Again - I don't care where it's from. Well, sort of.

If you're trying to get work doing private-public interaction (e.g., private security force coordination with LLEA), I'm going to care a lot if your degree/certificate is from Henley-Putnam as opposed to the Haah-vaard Kennedy School of Public Administration. (Sorry...)

That's how I filter resumes regarding "education". I see about a dozen for each of the two major projects I handle each year.

My 2 cents - and you can keep the change.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2014 1:04 AM

2014-10-31T01:04:06-04:00

Brick and Mortar institutions will face a crisis in the not so distant future as online classes are more convenient and cheaper for the student. I could actually see Universities renting out space for people in need or just for students. Either way, the mounting debt by these institutions will cause many parents to opt for a keeper alternative. This is coming!!! It is kind of like video rental stores and streaming internet. Corporations will buy up bandwidth and meter it too with premium prices will be exorbitant for a very long while and then like cell-phones alacarte alternatives flourished.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2014 6:49 AM

2014-10-31T06:49:26-04:00

I have a BS and MA, both from online schools. Once you have the degree, it doesn't matter.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2014 12:02 PM

2014-10-31T12:02:48-04:00

I am currently activated with the national guard and am taking online classes. I spent 7 years in the Navy and didn't take advantage of college then. In the civilian world I am a police officer and am married with two kids, work an extra job now and then, and then the guard. I have been to both brick and mortar schools and online. I find that online school can be challenging. You don't have the interaction with instructors and other students and you have to be self motivated, as well as worry about problems with the computer or internet connection. I think both types of institutions have there ups and downs, but for my situation it works best for me. I am currently working on my bachelors in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2014 12:17 PM

2014-10-31T12:17:37-04:00

It all depends on the person and the resume. I recently retired (again) with 15 year experience as a Vice President of Corporate Security in a Fortune 500 corporation. I led both IT and Physical Security groups. The resumes were usually screened by an HR recruiter by the time they made it to my inbox. HR's screening was based on what I told them if it was a direct report to me. I looked at experience first and then any education. Normally experience outweighed formal education. Did I put any weight on a traditional college versus on-line? Not really because by the time I looked at a candidates education I was probably already interested because of their experience.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2014 1:20 PM

2014-10-31T13:20:27-04:00

I advise caution with online schools and especially any for profit school, if you have any plan to transfer schools/credits it is often very problematic as a lot of the credits won't transfer (varies from school to school). Other than that a degree is a degree. Each career goal is different and your extra curricular activities can go a long way.

Response by 1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2014 4:13 PM

2014-10-31T16:13:08-04:00

For whomever doesn't say it doesn't matter is completely wrong. Major corporations look not only at your GPA but the credibility of the school. Now being military lots of times we are given a pass of some sort you can say. This leads back to depending on the field. Medical you would never get by with on-line degree or certifications. The same with master degrees and so forth. My uncle being a guy who hires for Eli Lilly, 6 figure position I may add, explain to me about how they hire for big corporations. the quickest way of elimination that they go by is the school attended.

Response by SPC Chelsea Fernandez made Oct 31 at 2014 10:37 PM

2014-10-31T22:37:32-04:00

Since I started working again I find that going to school online is way better. You don't have to waste gas going to and from school. If you're a single parent it maybe more convenience and cut down on some daycare expenses. As long as you have a degree that all that seems to matter.

Response by MAJ(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2015 2:19 PM

2015-02-10T14:19:58-05:00

Online degrees are viewed differently than traditional "brick and mortar" degrees, just as a brick and mortar degree from a relatively unknown regional college is viewed differently than a degree from a Top Tier US News and World Report ranked Univeristy.

Fair or not, top paying employers recruit from top ranked schools. That said, the cache of a degree (or lack there of) becomes less relevant the longer you are in the career field as your work experience becomes more relevant.

This doesn't mean online degrees are valueless; it is certainly better to have an online degree than no degree - but you should always go to the most prestigious school you can afford in order to have the most options upon graduation (I wish I had).

...unless you have a "gee, thanks Dad" job lined up.