Determine your purpose for obtaining an education online. If you plan to learn for personal enrichment only, then there's no need to sign up for college or university courses. If you want a degree to work in a particular field, research that field to determine if there are potential future job prospects. The best place to start your research is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website, which provides a wealth of information about jobs in nearly every vocation.
Take free courses online to determine if online learning will work for you. There are colleges and universities that offer online courses for free. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers online audio and video lectures for free. MIT is one of the world's most well-respected universities in fields such as engineering and mathematics, but its free online courses are offered in nearly every field at the university.
Apply for admission to colleges or universities with online degree programs in your field of study. Online schools come in all shapes and sizes, as do their degree programs. If you already have some college education, there are schools that offer degree completion programs that allow you to obtain your degree quickly. If you've never taken college courses, most U.S. community colleges offer basic education courses, as do many colleges and universities. Your online education doesn't all have to come from the same school. Schools offering a large number of online degree programs include Penn State University, Nova Southeastern University and Capella University.
Examine a school's accreditation before you officially enroll in classes. Many fake accrediting agencies sound official, but have no credibility in the academic community. Ideally, your school should be accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The regional accrediting bodies of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Distance Education and Training Council are both acceptable accrediting bodies for online programs.