In addition to expanding your educational horizons and enhancing both your personal and professional life, pursuing a college degree or finishing your degree is a smart way to recession-proof your career.

A good option for working adults to finish school is by pursuing a degree online.

Online degrees have gotten a bad rap by some. Often, this is just a case of being uninformed about what the degree is really like. The truth of the matter is that online degree give a profoundly adaptable and creative way to finish your education.

Here are 5 myths about online degrees—and the truth behind them.

Online Degree Myth #1:

You’re in it alone.

Yes and no. Yes, there is certainly a level of personal responsibility that comes with this kind of learning. But no, you’re not without a community. The fear of being left to your own particular devices is a valid worry, no doubt. But if you’re envisioning that it’s just you and your computer (possibly at crazy hours of the night) with seemingly no one to talk to or ask questions, you may be pleasantly surprised at how some of today’s online learning platforms help keep you associated with classmates and professors. Despite the fact that there is no classroom, chalkboard or lectern, there is a lot of interactivity happening inside the virtual walls of online learning environments. With chat rooms, forums and 1:1 instructor feedback, as well as telephone, content, email and office appointments (contingent upon your location and the program you choose), you can say that many online degree make students feel  more engaged than traditional colleges. Make a list of what’s most important to you in this area. If you turn out in favor of “con” consider traditional classroom learning. Even better, take one online class to see how you like it. Half breed classes are also quite popular – take some classes online and others face-to-face. See what you like by taking part in both.

Online Degree Myth #2:

Your degree won’t be taken seriously by prospective employers.

A generally disregarded fact is that grads of online degree programs earn the exact same degree as face-to-face students. Unless you volunteered this information during a meeting, the prospective manager would rarely know the distinction. What employers are more often searching for when measuring your qualifications is the reputation of the institution. Employers may be suspicious of a degree from one of those large, for-profit diploma mills (and sometimes as it should be), but most have nothing against online degrees in general. To ensure that prospective employers will take your degree seriously, explore your school’s relationship with the local business community. A current survey of members of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicated that 79% of those surveyed had, inside the last 12 months, hired a candidate with an online degree.

Heading back to school? Make sure you max out your Financial Aid with the assistance of this free FAFSA report.

Online Degree Myth #3:

You’re guaranteed to have professor problems.

There are no guarantees; be that as it may, some say gaining the attention of your professor may be significantly easier in the virtual world given the variety of contact methods at the disposal of today’s online student. There are many ways to interact with professors, including telephone calls, messaging, email, instant messaging, group work and chat. Some online learning environments, similar to Franklin University’s LMS (learning management system) platform, incorporate online learning tools and faculty profiles and blogs into their curriculum, giving students unprecedented access. Before choosing a program, ask how the school facilitates the working relationship between professors and students and between students and classmates.

Some questions to ask include:

• How would I contact my professor?
• Can we meet face to face, if necessary?
• Are there required in-person meetings?
• Aside from email, what different ways is course information conveyed?
• Will I get feedback from my professor? Provided that this is true, what kind and in what capacity will I get it?
• How would I get technical help?
• What if I need technical assistance at night?
• How might I get academic help or tutoring?
• Can I work offline?

Online Degree Myth #4:

Classes are too easy. You won’t learn or be challenged.

This is a typical misperception. And one exacerbated, in part, by the prevalence of search engines and the help they potentially give. In reality, you can’t just “Google” your way to test answers or a degree. There is just as much oversight in the virtual classroom as in the regular one. Rigorous standards, such as proctored exams, ensure you’ll earn your grade through hard-earned information and skill. Also, with accredited online degree programs, the coursework is equally challenging regardless of whether classes are taken online or offline, as the two modalities are held to the exact same educational standards. As in the classroom, the level of difficulty for each online class depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the subject being taught and the professor who’s teaching it.

Online Degree Myth #5:

Online degrees are not accredited, which means you’re not earning a “real” degree.

This one’s precarious because there are some institutions that are not accredited at regional and national levels. Steer clear of these diplomas, and pick instead to pursue your online degree through an accredited institution. To wind up accredited, a university or college must be evaluated and validated by a reputable outsider accrediting agency by having met established education standards. According to the U.S. Secretary of Education, “accreditation of an institution or program by a recognized accrediting agency provides a reasonable assurance of quality and acceptance by employers of diplomas and degrees.” A great place to check for accreditation information is the U.S. Department of Education website at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation. In the event that the school is accredited, it can be found in that government database.

So – given the above, what do you think? In case you’re thinking an online college degree program is something you’re interested in, or figure you may be interested in, click on the banner underneath and connect with one of our online specialists. They’ll answer all your questions, and you’ll get great insight regardless of whether an online degree is ideal for you.