While the numbers of adults and youth engaged in online degrees has grown steadily over the years as students have come to appreciate its flexible scheduling, the year 2020 proved that taking classes remotely was the ideal way to get an education without getting COVID19.
In a May 2020 online article, technology entrepreneur and Forbes magazine contributor Ilker Koksal noted that “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, online learning has become more centric in people’s lives. The pandemic has forced schools, universities, and companies to remote working and this booms the usage of online learning.”
The advantages of online earning in terms of time and money saved are apparent to students who may be juggling work and family in addition to classes. But what happens when the classes are finished and the degree is in hand? Can an online degree lead to a great career? The evidence says yes!
For all those students who are in search of an online degree but want confirmation that the upcoming years of juggling their job, their family and their schedules are going to be rewarded with a profitable career that will provide them with a good salary and a steady profession.
The most popular online college degree is business administration, both because there are so many directions in which to use it and because it’s a field that promises steady employment. In fact, business administration has more online students than any of the other degree programs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bachelor’s degree, the minimum requirement to be a Chief Executive Officer, can expect to earn its owner over two million dollars during the course of a career.
If you do happen to become a CEO, you can expect to earn approximately $193,850 a year. So to answer the question of whether sacrificing now will lead to future financial rewards, just start thinking of those bonuses. By investing 120 credit hours in an online business program, you’ll reap a job in a field that serves up success.
But maybe business isn’t your thing. Maybe you’re working as a server in a restaurant: you like people, you like the environment, but the pay leaves something to be desired. How can you capitalize on the experience you already have? You can consider pursuing a degree in hospitality management.
This is a program that’s ideal for people who are already working in the hospitality industry, perhaps in restaurants, but also in hotels, casinos, and cruise ships, because remote learning and a working schedule that’s not the traditional 9 to 5 shift lets students do their coursework on their own time frame.
Hospitality management graduates aren’t going to earn the kind of money that someone with a degree in business administration expects. But you might be quite happy with that because in exchange, you’re not confined to an office all day. Salaries range in the mid $50,000 range for hospitality management graduates. Who may be earning those dollars working as spa directors, restaurant, or even managing travel for professional sports teams.
Online degrees offer the flexibility and versatility that today’s students, whether fresh out of high school or grads or adults who have been in the work force for some time, welcome. The COVID19 pandemic has placed a renewed focus on health care workers, which is also a field that’s well suited for online learning.
Health care administration is a field that’s growing fast and pays a median income of $96,540; according to the BLS, this is considerably higher than the national average for all other occupations. This profession brings together business knowledge with medical practice, identifying the purpose of the health professions with the structure and savvy that’s needed to support the business aspect of the field.
There is an amazing variety in the range of occupations and salaries that can be found in health care. An online associate’s degree presents an opportunity to work with the data that is an inevitable part of the medical field. Health information technicians and medical records clerks work to update patient records, implement specialized equipment and programs, and place patients in the treatment program that’s suited to their particular conditions. The median income for someone in this position is $38,040.
Online degree programs have embraced newer professions which are increasing in popularity as our society changes For those people who are interested in working in a field where their concern for the environment is nurtured by obtaining an online degree in the field of environmental science or sustainable and renewable energy, a “green” job might be a smart choice.
With the ever-increasing need to conserve energy and protect the environment, this field is rapidly growing in demand. The quest to clean up pollution and conserve our natural resources involves legislators and businesses. which provides employment for biologists, geoscientists and foresters. Salaries in the sustainability and energy or environmental science fields can range from $46,540 for an associate’s degree to more than $70,000 for a bachelor’s degree, which expecting to see continued growth.
Another online program that enables students to pursue their personal ethics with a career is a degree in criminal justice, which can often take fewer than two years to complete. Your education will introduce you to the law enforcement skills that depend upon data analysis, research, reporting for employment in a law firm, the court room, and government agencies. The average salary for a police officer is $61,600; a probation officer can expect to earn $50,160 in a field that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is predicted to grow by 17%.
These are just a sample of the many great careers that can be obtained by pursuing an education. As you can see, there is no limit to the possibilities that await students who are looking for a way to have a great career while enrolling in an educational program that doesn’t confine them to a rigid classroom schedule. Your online degree is your route to a bright, more prosperous future.
