by Tamara Ponama

Created on: November 05, 2007   Last Updated: December 11, 2008

It is enticing to earn your degree in one quantum leap then land that high paying job you have been hungering for. All of that, delivered to you with the ease and comfort of sitting at your home computer. Allow me to tell you about my personal experience and share some success building tips.

Don't let the enticement fool you into thinking that online learning is a slam-dunk way to get an education. I have managed to complete my AA in Business through a highly respected online university. It was not easy. Along the way I discovered some useful tips that helped me to maintain my 3.75 GPA. Oh, by the way, I am sixty years old and never dreamed I would be going to college at this point in my life!

Online learning is absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed in tremendously and the professors were very high caliber instructors who conveyed their desire to teach so that their students actually learned. There is no way one can squeak through online education without absorbing an education. All of the courses were coordinated to lead students from one gradient to another. Often two compatible courses were taken concurrently, offering a complimentary flow to each other.

Before choosing your online school I highly recommend researching how the school presents its online education. Some schools require that all students meet in online group forums at specific times for open discussion. Other schools allow discussion threads which can be posted within certain timeframes. Two important questions to ask while you are researching are:

1. How many students are in a class? (Remember, smaller classes usually provide students with more individualized attention) 2. What are are the qualifications for instructors at the university? This can usually be found in the school's website, or perhaps a search under their job openings will shed light.

After you have chosen your school, enrolled and are ready to go for it; this is what I highly recommend:

1. Self-discipline and good time management skills are a must. Plan to study a minimum of two - three hours every single day; sometimes more. 2. Learn to read and take notes from your computer screen. It is challenging at first, but saves time and money. Paper textbooks are expensive. Printing the books from online is great, but it requires an abundance of ink cartridges. If you have the finances, go for it! I did not; and learned to study from the screen. Algebra was the most difficult, I ended up having to print that whole book! 3. Cut and paste text

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