Be suspicious of online "colleges" offering quick degrees; most are scams with no meaningful content and useless diplomas. Use the Department of Education's database of accredited programs to check out the legitimacy of the program you've chosen. Make sure the program's web page, phone number and address match the ones you found on the Department of Education's database. Another resource is the Council of Higher Education Accreditation's database. To view it, you must click on a user's agreement.
If the idea of joining an online course feels strange, ask if you can audit a class to confirm that distance learning is for you. You may be concerned that online credits can't be transferred to conventional colleges, yet many conventional colleges do accept credits earned online. Another issue may be individual attention. Be assured that a good connection between student and professor can be created via email, instant messenging and video conferences.
Distance learning is economical in that students have no transportation costs. There's no need to rent accommodations to be near classes because the computer is your campus. Studying from home, there are no extra expenses in meals or groceries. Childcare expenses may still be a consideration, but no traveling time means fewer childcare hours. In addition, there is no need to upgrade your wardrobe. However, you may need to buy software in order to participate in specific programs.
Permanent access to course material, handy when you need to review something weeks or months later, is a plus to online learning. Everything is on your hard drive. Increased online skills are an additional benefit. These include taking part in group projects that may span the globe, downloading and using video material, sharpening your research ability using online sources and acquiring ease with new software. These extra skills are an advantage in today's workplace.