Employers View of Online Degrees

Back in the Stone Age when the only way to get a degree was by trekking to a traditional classroom and spending hours on end listening to lectures, employers probably looked hard and fast at the educational pedigrees of job-seekers. After all, what choice did they have?

The Internet changed everything.

And employers and employees, alike have learned a hard lesson: adapt or die.

Businesses understand that they neglect the Internet at their peril. Communicating, marketing, selling –it’s all done through the Internet, now.

And often, so is hiring.

So of course, those same businesses embracing the Internet in all areas of corporate life cannot then turn around and dis the notion of degrees obtained online. In fact job-seekers who are so tech-savvy that they’ve opted out of traditional instruction and into the Internet may be exactly the candidate businesses need to take them into some serious 21st century competition.

Since even Ivy League colleges have embraced online learning, it’s no surprise that employers get that obtaining a degree online doesn’t carry much of a stigma. And for many reasons, some employers will make those online degrees and the job candidates who hold them, their first choice for hire.

Mastering while working
Nothing better demonstrates a go-to, can-do, attitude than going the extra mile to get a degree while you’re also working a full-time job. Whether you’re pursuing an Associate’s, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, that singular action speaks volumes about the kind of employee you might make. An online degree is a natural partner to full-time work. Your future employer will likely take more note of your initiative and drive in accomplishing such a feat than he will of the style by which you chose to study.

Online Intelligence
While the savviest businessmen understand the power and value of the Internet, they may not be all that familiar with the ins and outs of the Internet. Your online degree is front-and-center proof that you get the Internet. In addition to the subject matter you’ve learned through online instruction, you may also possess something your future boss does not: a real comfort level with navigating life online.

A gaining reputation
Even though some employers who came from traditional degree backgrounds may be reluctant to hire online candidates, the hesitation seems to be waning. According to a Society for Human Resource Management poll conducted in 2010, most organizations viewed applicants who had the same experience as equals, regardless of whether they received their degrees in a traditional classroom or online.

Blending degrees
Probably the best of all worlds, though, is some combination of the two: online and offline instruction. If you received your Bachelor’s degree in a traditional college setting, go online for the next degree. Not only will you expand your knowledge (the reason you’re going to college in the first place) but you’ll also increase your marketability and your overall earning potential –regardless of whether you do it in front of a classroom or in front of a computer.