Online College

We've all seen those commercials about online college. They encourage us to get our degree online. But is it worth it? Up to now, I am not so sure it is worth it. If you are a stay-at-home mom, your options are limited if you have not worked in several years. Even if you have a degree that you got online, you're going to hear these phrases when you apply for jobs, even jobs that your so-called degree qualify you for: "You don't have enough work experience;" "You have no work history;" "You don't have the experience we're looking for."

Unless you have been working in a field, do not go for a degree in that field; unless you have some sort of work experience, it will be nearly impossible to get a job, unless you know someone with a connection in that industry who can help you. This even includes "trainee" jobs; I have received emails regarding applications I submitted for trainee jobs that said,"You don't have the experience we're looking for." ????? What does that mean? I did not know a trainee had to have experience. I thought a trainee meant that you would be trained. Why would you need experience for that? Obviously, we have been deceived about the value of these online degrees.

And, by the way, I have a Master of Science degree and had a 3.83 GPA, so I was not a goof-off when I was working toward this degree. I worked my hardest, and still have yet to find any job that does not require "experience" of at least three to five years. How can I gain experience in the field my degree is in if I am never given the opportunity to work in that field? I have even had people tell me that I should get a job working in a hospital lab to get some experience and then move on to the forensics lab. Well, guess what? The hospital lab positions require experience, too. You have to go to college and take a class and get "certified" to work in a lab before you can work in a lab of any kind. Why do I have to be certified when I have worked so hard for this degree and thought I was learning what I needed to work in this field? I have to go to more college???? I have to go to a community college and get a certificate to work in this lab after I have already been to a University and earned a Master of Science degree, and did lab work for that?? Sounds fishy, doesn't it?

I just don't get it. Plus, there are some states that do not even honor online degrees. You should also look into that before you try for an online degree. If states are not going to honor online degrees, why are they even offered at colleges in those states? So, if you are considering going for an online degree, do your homework first, and make sure your state honors those degrees, and that you won't be stuck with a huge college loan debt and no job to pay it off with.