Can Online Courses Get You a Job? Online vs. Traditional Education (2024)

Online courses have changed the state of education. Nowadays, you don’t have to have a degree to learn skills that will get you a job. Read on if you’ve been wondering whether or not an online course can get you a job. We will go over the advantages of online education vs. traditional education.

Advantages of Online Education vs. Traditional Education

#1. Monetary Returns

Traditionally, people attended college because this was seen as the best way to get a high-paying job and maximize your salary. But times have changed, and jobs tend to be more focused on the skills, not how you get them. That means that the answer to “Can online courses get you a job?” is a resounding yes.

The right certification from an online course can easily get you an online job. In fact, many people get an online certification and start making a high salary. They can then use that salary to attend college and get a traditional education if they choose to. So, one of the advantages of online education vs. traditional education is that you can get the same income, if not a better one, without making a large investment.

#2. Less or No Debt

The most obvious of the advantages of online education vs. traditional education is the amount of money you will spend. You can easily find a high-quality course or a Bootcamp that will give you a useful certificate for a thousand dollars or a few thousand dollars. Some courses teach you useful skills for $10 or $50.

By contrast, a college education costs tens of thousands of dollars each year, easily adding up to one or two hundred thousand over the course of four years.

In either case, you get the same marketability of showing you earned a degree or certificate. Even better, many major universities, such as Cal Berkeley, are starting to understand the appeal of these smaller online courses for certificates. So, you can still get a certificate and have that big name on your resume without paying tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Additionally, many companies actually offer to pay for furthering your education or develop their own e learning for employees that you can take advantage of at no additional cost.

#3. Time Spent and Commitment

Yet another of the advantages of online education vs. traditional education is the time you spend completing the course or degree. Traditional education has a four-year commitment. That is a lot of time, and it gives you more opportunities to get sidetracked from your goal.

By contrast, most online courses are shorter, lasting about six months or a year. This lets you start your career sooner. It also gives you less chance of getting sidetracked, increasing your chances of finishing it.

You can also think of this in terms of being able to change your goals. If you are already tens of thousands of dollars in debt and start to rethink your degree after a year or two, you will still likely decide to continue.

After all, you will have already sunk money into it, so it can be hard to convince yourself to switch paths, even if it makes sense. But with a shorter, more affordable online course, you have less money sunk into it, and you may have already finished the course by the time you rethink it.

Conclusion

Online courses give you similar or better potential monetary returns than traditional education. They are also much more affordable and require a shorter time commitment. So, if you’ve wondered, “Can online courses get me a job?” it’s a definite yes. Just make sure the courses you take are from a credible source.

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Can Online Courses Get You a Job? Online vs. Traditional Education (2024)

FAQs

Can Online Courses Get You a Job? Online vs. Traditional Education? ›

The right certification from an online course can easily get you an online job. In fact, many people get an online certification and start making a high salary. They can then use that salary to attend college and get a traditional education if they choose to. So, one of the advantages of online education vs.

Is online education more effective than traditional? ›

Different studies have found that participants learn five times more material in online learning courses using multimedia content than in traditional face to face courses. Because online courses give students full control over their own learning, students are able to work at their own speed.

Do employers recognize online courses? ›

Experts say employers are largely more interested in the person than the degree. They generally won't recognize immediately if that person's degree was obtained online or in person. Some schools are fully online while others offer online programs in addition to their traditional in-person options.

What is the success rate of online courses? ›

Various research has the percentage rate for completion of online courses between 5 and 15 percent, with research from Research Gate putting Massive Open Online Courses at 3 to 6 percent. Because people are not completing their self-paced online courses, they are not getting the full impact of the learning.

Is learning online just as good as learning in a traditional classroom? ›

Online learning is great for those who want to manage studies with work and other life activities. With adjustable schedules and less burden, they can learn with ease. Classrooms require more discipline and active participation. Teachers get greater command over students in a traditional learning environment.

Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools? ›

If you're considering an online degree or are taking at least a few for-credit online courses, there's good news. According to a recent MIT study, massive open online courses (MOOCs) are just as effective as what has traditionally been taught in a classroom or a lecture hall.

Are students more successful through online learning? ›

Some students do as well in online courses as in in-person courses, some may actually do better, but, on average, students do worse in the online setting, and this is particularly true for students with weaker academic backgrounds. Students who struggle in in-person classes are likely to struggle even more online.

Do online courses look good on resume? ›

Online courses are a great way to improve your professional skills, so you may want to list them on your resume. Including relevant courses that boost in-demand skills can help differentiate you from other candidates and showcase your professional development commitment.

Do companies actually verify education? ›

Sometimes, a hiring manager may ask you to present your diploma, so they can keep a copy of it in your file. Other applications can require you to submit or order a sealed transcript. Another way a hiring manager may authenticate your education is by contacting the schools or universities that you attended.

Do employers take Coursera certificates seriously? ›

Employers value Coursera certificates, and these certificates reveal to potential employers that: You have a track record of completing tasks. Ninety percent of people who start online courses never finish them. Finishing a course that takes months to complete proves that you are a dedicated person.

What percentage of people don't finish online courses? ›

What is this? But then there's the downside. That nagging statistic that you keep seeing: 90% of the people who sign up for online classes don't complete them! (In fact, the real stats, from higher education researchers, technically show that 93% of students won't finish.)

Are any online degrees respected? ›

According to the experts, degrees earned from accredited online schools are taken just as seriously as degrees earned at brick-and-mortar institutions. Although, it's also important to remember that hiring managers look at other aspects of your job application or resume before extending an offer.

Do online courses still make money? ›

So, yes, online courses are profitable! From the numbers above, you can see that the online course market is thriving. The remarkable growth in market size and revenue projections point to a sustained interest in and demand for online learning.

Why is online classes better than traditional classes? ›

More Accessible for Working Adults: The flexible nature of online learning is better suited to people who need to work full time or part time. If physical attendance is required (most often it's not), they typically only meet once per week. “Attend” Class Anywhere: Say goodbye to commutes to campus.

What are the disadvantages of traditional education? ›

The following are some challenges of traditional teaching methods:
  • Limited Interactive Learning:
  • One-Size-Fits-All Approach:
  • Memorisation Over Understanding:
  • Potential Lack of Engagement:
  • Limited Accessibipty:
  • Technological Lag:
  • Teacher-Centric Dynamics:
  • Resource Dependency:
Dec 19, 2023

Why is online teaching better than traditional teaching? ›

Online learning offers unmatched flexibility.

With an internet connection, students can access course materials and lectures anytime, anywhere, and revisit them whenever they need clarification or additional study time.

Is online teaching more effective than classroom teaching? ›

More Interaction and Greater Ability to Concentrate

While not true for every student, studies suggest that students who are shy participate in online class discussions more easily than face-to-face. Some students also report better concentration in online classes due to the lack of classroom distractions.

Is online teaching more effective than offline teaching? ›

Online education offers immense advantages over traditional offline education, including flexibility, personalized learning, diverse resources, cost-effectiveness, and global accessibility.

Is e learning more effective than offline education? ›

Online learning is close to individualised learning because it has especially helped students who struggle to grasp and understand concepts and topics. In online learning, there is zero pressure on students for competing with classmates to be the class topper.

Which is more effective traditional or modern teaching? ›

Because traditional techniques used repetition and memorisation of information to educate students, it meant that they were not developing their critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills. Modern learning encourages students to collaborate and therefore be more productive.

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