Obtaining a college degree provides you with more career opportunities. That includes an online degree. Today, online degrees are every bit accepted as a degree obtained by a traditional college. The issue then becomes which online degree path should you follow. This means choosing a major. Here is how to get started:
Consider Your Interests
When picking a career path, it always helps to consider your interests. This goes back to those classes that you excelled at in high school. For instance, if you enjoyed math then a degree in accounting could be a good start. If you exhibited some leadership skills with student organizations, then you might be interested in pursuing a business administration degree. Even if you enjoy playing video games, you can put that interest to work with a computer IT degree. Think about the kind of work that you might be motivated to do on a daily basis. That is always a good place to start for picking your online degree program.
Explore Job Demand
You also have to be practical when it comes to picking your career path. That will mean looking at the potential for growth and salary in the particular industries that you’re interested in. That information can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a government-sponsored website that breakdowns every single type of job and applies statistical analysis to estimate the potential for growth in that field.
The BLS is also the organization that puts out the monthly job reports. Two areas that always seem to be hiring are healthcare and hospitality. Within those categories, there are a lot of opportunities to explore. For instance, you could become a hospital administrator and always find work but it wouldn’t mean going to medical school. Hospitality management can set you up for a supervisory position in hotels anywhere in the world. You could call this, “following the money” and there is nothing wrong with that.
Research the Education Levels and Cost
You might be eager to start your new career as soon as possible. You might be able to find work in the field you pick that also allows you to earn your online degree. That might mean working in the mailroom of a business during the day and taking courses at night. If you want to focus exclusively on your degree, then you might also want to find out just how long it will take to complete the required coursework. Some degree programs require additional study and certification before they can be completed. Others could be obtained after just a year or two of study.
Cost is also a factor. Traditionally, online degree programs are a more affordable option but they aren’t free. You’ll need to budget out what your coursework will cost and how you plan on paying for it. As with a traditional college, you might also be able to tap into financial assistance for an online degree.
The benefit of learning online is flexibility. That means the major that you might pick for your first courses could evolve and change. Your online degree path will have many options.
