Undergraduate degrees are available in almost all majors that are offered at traditional college institutions for much less tuition than attending school on campus. If the ultimate goal is to enter the workforce with experience in various thinking systems that may be applied to a profession, then a college that offers home study may suit the goal. If a student wishes to transfer to a graduate program at an accredited university, more care must be exercised to ensure that the credits will transfer. If credits won't transfer, consider that several colleges that offer home-study programs award graduate degrees with concentrations in everything from marketing to health care.
Students may pursue technological courses of study from home with a great degree of success, if the student has access to the tools she needs in the given course. A student learning IT systems can log on to the school's Intranet or other digital training ground to gain the requisite skills to obtain a degree. Even a student who requires access to things like luxury cars or airplanes in order to learn programming may succeed if the college has sufficient simulators available online. For technological careers that require hands-on work, a traditional college atmosphere with an instructor in the room is more appropriate.
Tradespeople can benefit greatly from colleges that offer home or off-campus study. Many of the programs geared to skilled laborers seek to qualify the knowledge of workers who previously may not have had the opportunity to certify their skills. This qualification can allow tradespeople to increase their value in the job market. For students entering trades, a combination of home study and on-site work, classroom labs, or goal-oriented internships may be most suitable. Since trades are hands-on jobs that require specific knowledge, experience is a teacher that a website can't replace. Learning theories or small-business management skills remotely is a good way to take advantage of independent time management and lower tuition, though.
Vocations often call to people more strongly than a career. The element of personal attachment to a vocation, such as ministry, Christian counseling, or humanitarian work, means that education can sometimes seem a secondary concern next to the primary concern of reaching out with the work that matters most. Education is especially important when working in areas that seek to heal the world, though, as a qualification and a canon on which one may rely when challenged. Colleges that offer home study may be perfect for vocations, because they allow the student to tailor the curriculum in a specific and meaningful way through independent study. The only reason a student may prefer a traditional education is if a final career goal is to work for a large government agency that may require graduation from an accredited university.