Can An Online Learning Degree Really Help You Land a Job?

Online degrees are becoming more popular as non-traditional students balance work and higher learning but writes Katharine Mosher in the Nashville City Paper, are employers ready for this type of credential on a resume?

Have online degree programs overcome remnant stigmas of correspondence courses in the eyes of employers regarding the quality and rigor of a virtual education?

Area human resources professionals report acceptance of online degrees is growing daily and employees who balance coursework with a full-time job are highly regarded.

Denis Blackwelder, president of the Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resources Management, said an online education demonstrates a track record of accomplishment

“I do think the online education shows me a certain amount about their character,” Blackwelder said.

More important than whether a degree is earned online or on ground, he said is how well the individual fits the requirements of the job.

The more common online degrees become, the more widely accepted they will be, Blackwelder said.

Online education professionals are working to improve upon what their field can deliver. In one case, researchers at Columbia University are even developing an odor box to allow virtual detection of smell during online courses.

John Rhone, who earned an MBA and PhD from the University of Phoenix, argues his online coursework was harder than his undergrad years at the University of Tampa.

“I am a traditionalist,” Rhone said, “but the online education is so much harder than a traditional education. The only thing about the online education is it’s convenient for you.”