Single moms always have a lot on their plates. Finding ways to make more money and singlehandedly cover those ever-growing household expenses. If you don't have a college degree and you work long enough, however, you soon come to find that you can only go so far and make so much unless you go back to get your degree.
So then you start looking into your college options, and the first thing you notice is that they take a lot of time. And time isn't something you have an abundance of. Between your job, paying bills, getting some kind of nutrition in the table, shuttling kids to school and other activities, keeping your home from looking like a demilitarized zone, laundry, helping kids with homework, and getting them bathed and off to bed, you barely have time to enjoy your favorite TV show before you pass out from exhaustion.
You know a college degree will give your little family the boost it seriously needs, but how are you supposed to commit to drive to campus, sit in classes, go to the library to do research, complete assignments and get them into your professors' hands, and take exams when you barely have so little time and children who need you?
Before you resign yourself to the idea that a college degree just isn't possible for a single mom like you, there is another option. If you have a home computer and an internet connection and a little bit of determination, you might just be able to earn your college degree online.
Unlike traditional college degree programs, which require your butt to physically be in a seat in a classroom on campus, online degrees can be completed from anywhere, often on your own schedule. If this has piqued your interest, here are six really good reasons that online degrees are perfect for single moms like you:
1. Online degrees work around your work schedule.
Whether you work days or nights, or even two jobs at both, online classes are very flexible about when you do them. With these classes, lectures are usually videos and assignments can usually be submitted via the course website. That means you can watch lectures or read assignments on your computer whenever you have an open slot. You might, for instance, watch half a lecture during your lunch break and catch the other half after dinner. You might do your reading assignments after your kids retire to bed.
2. Online degrees let you learn from home.
If there's anything single moms worry about as much as money, it's making sure they're still giving their kids all the attention and care they need. This makes the thought of taking off to spend a couple hours on campus a few nights a week very unappealing. You might be getting the education need, but you'll also feel like you'e failing as a mother.
Online programs eliminate this issue by letting you study from within the walls of your. Even while completing a term paper, you can be sitting right next to your child. If they need help with homework or a scraped knee, you can always hit pause on your lecture and do what moms do best.
3. Online degrees go wherever your computer goes.
With online classes, you can get to all of the materials you need via the Internet, as has already been stated. This gives you the option to study at work, on your smartphone or tablet, on the wifi at Starbucks, at the city library, in your living room, or from a hotel in Cancun. The point here is, when you're ready to study, no matter where you are, your classes are ready for you.
4. Online degrees are usually covered by tuition reimbursement programs.
Many employers are now encouraging their employees to gain advanced degrees and certificates and they'll even pay for all or part of the expenses. Now, it used to be that employers wouldn't reimburse employees for online degree programs, but things have changed. Nowadays, more and more employers consider online education a perfect option for employees who work all day but still want to advance their training.
To find out for sure, you'll need to talk to your employer directly, as every organization has a different take on tuition reimbursement.
5. Online degrees give you plenty of time to complete courses.
Traditional college courses typically give you a syllabus at the beginning of every term, in which the due dates for every lecture, assignment, and exam are written (practically in stone). As a student, you can't really change those dates. You either get them in when the professor dictates or your stuff is late.
Thankfully, online classes are much more flexible about when you take lectures, submit assignments, or complete exams. They will usually give you an absolute deadline to have the entire course completed (usually within a year of starting the course), but when you complete each requirement during that time is up to you.
You might find that you have more time after starting and just decide to knock out the course in three months. You might space assignments and exams out over the entire 12 months. If you have a family vacation coming up, you can put lectures and assignments on hold until you get back. Or you procrastinators might wait until the last couple months to get everything done.
Whichever way works best for you and your family, online courses give you the flexibility to decide when you'll take on each requirement.
6. Online degrees still get the greater earning potential you're looking for.
With online degrees, which are still viewed as something new (even though they've been around now for two decades), there is always the fear that employers won' view it with the same regard that they do traditional degrees. Directly connected with that is the fear that you won' earn as much as you would've with a traditional degree.
But studies show that more and more employers view online degrees as equal to traditional ones. One survey found that 61 percent of CEOs and small business owners are familiar with online or distance learning degrees, and then 83 percent said they were just as good as traditional degrees.
So would your online degree get you the same earning power as a traditional degree? While there are some employers who cling to the old way doing things, it's clear that most will acknowledge your degree and reward you accordingly.
Wnat to read more? Check out our Guide for College Moms: Online College and Career Resource for Moms
