Should I complete a degree via distance learning?

[Strawberrykiwi75]

I was one of those people who didn't know what they wanted to do when they went to university. I spent about 4 years playing the idea of university, completing a couple papers per year while working. It was a very half-assed time in my life. However I excelled at work during this period, so all was not lost. I should mention the papers I completed are all different disciplines.

I now have a successful career in banking due to smooth talking and quick math- plus more than a little luck. I really enjoy my work and I'm rather good at it. However, I do worry about the future. What if I want to move up in the bank? I currently have no qualifications except those I earnt within the bank and in hospitality. I wonder if I should study for a degree. I would probably study a bachelor of commerce, major undecided.

There is a quite good distance learning university here in NZ. I would need to do it extra-murally as I have a mortgage to pay and couldn't afford to study full time. It would take approximately 6 years to complete if I study year round. Each paper would cost about $700. Should I do it?

[Phil_Moore]

I can't really speak to distance-learning, I've never done that, but if you really want a degree (and 6 years doesn't put you right at FI anyway) and work in a reputable firm you should talk to your HR/Development person. At all of the non-shonky places I've worked they would pay for at least a portion of studies as long as you could demonstrate it was relevant to your work. I've done it a couple of times and it worked out nicely.

Just check the rules carefully in case you might leave the company or decide to back out of the course, usually they will bill you for anything they put in - which seems fair to be honest.

[Kaminoge]

It sounds like a good idea to me. I completed my Masters that way while working full time. My theory is it's never going to hurt to have a qualification and while it sounds like you're doing pretty well without a degree you might get to a point in your career where you feel you need one. Obviously if it's going to take a few years it's not ideal to decide to start studying at that point. Much better to study now while you are doing well without it.

[Rural]

I know you say the college is good, but do be sure it's accredited and nonprofit. If it isn't, remember the big advantage of distance education: you can go schools anywhere in the world that way.

[Strawberrykiwi75]

Kaminoge, how did you find the work-life balance? Did you find it hard to study after a day at work? Was it difficult to remain focused?

[Kaminoge]

Well it wasn't ideal work/life balance but I survived. I knew it was only for a few years (a Masters is a lot quicker than a whole degree). One of the reasons I decided to do it at that point (apart from wanting to get in quick before politicians ruined the excellent deal on education I could get as an Australian) was because I was feeling pretty stable in my career and I thought I could handle it. I moved countries when I still had 6 months to do and that last 6 months was probably the toughest because I was trying to cope simultaneously with a new job/new country.

I didn't do that much study after work. A little, but mainly I used weekends and holidays. It's the only time in my life that I haven't spent all of my holidays traveling.

Yes, it was difficult to remain focused but I had a goal in mind and I knew what it would take to get there.

Overall I found the experience fairly positive. I had a "goal orientated" approach which perhaps wasn't the best educationally but that meant I focused on passing and didn't stress about doing everything to perfection. The university I did it through (University of New England) deal with a lot of distance students and they were really great to work with.

[Travis]

I'm two months away from finishing a distance learning Masters Degree with a full time job and one of the things I've found great about the program is the ability to manage my own time.  I usually have to put in an hour or two a day after work and a few hours on the weekend if I'm writing a paper or something.  I won't have to use the degree for a while so I can't speak to the professional difference between a DL and brick & mortar degree, but as someone said earlier just be sure it's a degree you'll need from a school that is accredited.  Due to my work schedule it took me just over two years taking one class at a time, but if you need to take a semester off for whatever reason it's a lot easier to do than at a regular university.

[Kaminoge]

Just to clarify - in Australia anyway - there is absolutely no difference between a degree got through DL and one where you turned up every lecture. It's not an online programme, it's the same course as everyone else is taking. So the piece of paper I got for my Masters and the transcripts etc have nothing on them that indicate that it was done through DL.

I think in Australia (and probably NZ) we have to worry a lot less about accredited universities. Basically all of our universities are public and there's not exactly a huge number of them so it's easy to know whether or not a uni is the real deal.

[Kaktus]

I used distance learning for three years when I was changing careers. I had to finish the degree in university after passing certain point, which was a pity. Distance learning enabled me to set my own pace and study faster. I recommend it to people who are highly motivated and have previous experience of planning their studies.  Books were easier to get and it was much cheaper method than doing the classes locally.

If you have family/partner, discuss your plans and make sure they support you. My husband took three years off to take care of our children when I was studying. I spent several weekends away attending lectures in other part of the country, held a job with 4-hour commute to get experience in new field and did not have much time for anything else than working and writing essays. I had to take computer with me on family holidays to attend seminary discussions. Basically I did 5 years worth of studies in 3. We feel it was worth it, because now I make more money than he does and our family's financial situation has changed drastically.

If you are choosing classes from several universities, make sure they all are counted towards degree. I did this because other university offered cheaper tuition and more web-based classes, and ended up doing too many credits because my old university didn't require as many for bachelor studies.

Make sure you know all the requirements for classes. Also the ones which are not listed in course requirements! I wasn't happy when I was informed after finishing a course that I should have participated in forum discussion early during the week (on Monday or Tuesday, not Wednesday and onwards like I did) and my grade suffered from that. Teacher didn't tell me that during the course, and I was really pissed because I needed great grades to apply for Master's. Our definition of active participation was different.

Work/life balance won't be ideal. Not kidding about that. You can do this, but you have to put most of your hobbies aside for a while.  And really take care of yourself, rest and eat well.  I was sick most of the time when I was studying and working full time, and actually ended up in hospital for a month after getting endocarditis seemingly out of nowhere. I was 30 and had no previous history of heart problems.

[Strawberrykiwi75]

Thanks everyone :-) really helpful!

I thought over everyone's comments and spent some time mulling over the website. I also had dinner with a friend and talked over the pros and cons.

 Kaminoge is right, we only have a small selection of universities and they are government funded. So that was one less thing to worry about!

I had a look over my employer policy for further learning and they won't contribute as a general rule to undergraduate study. I guess they need to be consistent- after all, it's very large! However they do pay for postgraduate and also if I want to become an authorised financial advisor. So there are still options in the future.

I think I'll have a meeting with a course planner and see what I'm getting into. I'm really keen but am nervous about taking on too much at once. My thought is to enrol in one paper at first, then see how it goes- then maybe enrol in two. However, I might wait for the next paper in November to start as I'm in the middle of a house renovation. I want to give both my full attention.

Apart from that, I think my mind is made up! I'm kinda excited :-)

[ace1224]

awesome! i got my MBA through a distance education program at a state university.  i loved it, its the only way i could have done it.

[gooki]

Trying one or a couple of papers first is a great idea.

If you find level 100 classes too easy, you can try to enrol in the higher level classes and use your current experience as the prerequisite. I did this with Massey University and they accepted it, but I didn't end up pulling the trigger (children).

In the end I don't regret it. I found more focused training online at a much lower cost. And a couple of job changes has got me earning more than I ever would have received from my previous employer.

Also don't underestimate yourself. If your looking to move up within the corporation, talk to HR, and your manager now, and get the wheels moving. A lot of shit can be taught on the job to motivated people.

[LibrarIan]

Having just completed a degree via distance learning, I'm all for it if. If you decide that getting a degree of any sort fits your life goals and you feel it will make you happy and benefit you, do it. Distance learning saves on transportation, time and stress (if it's asynchronous). You just have to make sure you keep yourself motivated. You won't have any regularly scheduled classes or meetings, so you need to push yourself to finish the work and study for tests. The hardest part of distance learning for me was the motivation to get things done - as opposed to my undergrad degree which was all face-to-face and there I felt compelled to do the work when I had that structure.