Life’s short. There’s so much to see, so much to do, and so little time. Putting down roots at a four year college at the one time in your life when you’re most likely to be young, free and single, able to go anywhere and do anything, can seem incredibly restricting.
But there is a way to obtain a first class degree from a quality college while you explore the world. You don’t have to give up your dream of working and traveling abroad to get your education. If that sounds like music to your ears, then read on.
Study with an Online Degree Program
Colleges have come roaring into the 21st century and many now offer fully accredited online degree programs. Instead of being trapped on campus, you could be travelling the world and checking off items on your bucket list.
So what kind of degree can you study for? Pretty much anything that doesn’t require hands on work. You wouldn’t be able to get a medical degree or a robotics degree for example, but there are hundreds of others to choose from. You could study for an online civil engineering degree, a business administration degree, or a bachelor’s degree in physics or computer forensics. You could even get a degree in criminal justice, clinical psychology or healthcare management.
Make Sure That You Have Internet Access
When you study for an online degree, you’ll have to complete regular assignments and join in with class discussions, so a reliable internet connection is a must! And your internet should ideally be in a quiet place. If you have to go and sit in an internet café in a crowded market, you’re not going to be able to study properly, or write papers.
Some courses will let you download material for offline study, while others limit you to online access only. So that’s a consideration if you’re hoping to use your weekends to get off the beaten track, but you still want to put in some study hours.
Know Your Time Zones
Whether you’re planning to study for an online degree in civil engineering, a degree in computer science or a degree in English, you must make sure that you can work with differing time zones before you commit to any courses.
If you plan to head off to the Far East, to work teaching English as a Foreign Language for a couple of years while you travel, then you might find it hard to participate in live classes and team based assignments. When it’s 10 a.m. on the east coast, it is 11 p.m. in China. You’ll also need to consider how the time zone differences affect your access to faculty support.
Know your limits. If you’re the type of person who falls apart if their sleep is interrupted, then you won’t do well if you have to wake up to take classes at 4 a.m.
When you return home, degree in hand, you’ll have an advantage over the graduates who attended a traditional school because you’ll have work experience and the can-do attitude employers are looking for. So remember, you don’t have to choose between travel and school – you can do both!
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