Today’s students truly do have more options available to them than ever before if they are willing to invest the time and effort into their studies, there are few limits to the level of education you can receive, even if it has been years since you last attended a university or community college. Even those colleges and universities that do not offer full fledged degree programs exclusively through online learning mediums are beginning to offer many courses online for students with busy schedules and lifestyles. This means that you now have the opportunity to combine distance or online learning with a few night or weekend courses in order to complete your degree even if you have a full time day job and family that needs to see you at home on occasion.

Even if a degree is not something you are necessarily seeking you might be amazed at the wide array of courses that are available for those interested in increasing their depth of knowledge on different issues from the comfort of their own homes. I know that the idea of self-directed online learning opportunities appeal to me on many levels. These opportunities however, are not necessarily a good idea for everyone. We all learn in different manners and some of us learn best by actually being in the classroom and hearing what has to be said or from hands on experience. This type of learning is not necessarily possible when it comes to distance learning in an email or bulletin board type of environment, which is how many Internet classrooms operate.

Online learning is also not a good idea for those who aren’t perfectly willing, able, and capable of holding themselves responsible for their learning. Face it, for some of us it is much easier to get up and go to a classroom than it is to force ourselves to log on and pay attention at home. We all have areas in which our discipline is well in hand and others where we seem to have no discipline whatsoever. If you can’t hold yourself on task or have difficulties not being distracted by the many other novel things there are to do online you might be best served through an actual classroom experience rather than a distance learning environment like those of online classes.

This is not meant to discourage you from distance learning or online classrooms. In fact, I think these are by far the best option for many working professionals who are seeking to advance their careers, knowledge, and/or earning potential. You will not need to feel as though you are choosing between the future needs of yourself and your family and the limited time you have with your family already. You can schedule around your family time and make the sacrifice when it comes to sleep.

With online classes it doesn’t matter if you are in your pajamas or in a suit and tie you can still do the work you need to do online and no one will be the wiser. You also might find that you can squeeze your education into your lunch hour, particularly if you can type and chew at the same time. The truth is that online classes offer superior flexibility to those hoping to further their education. Whether you are hoping to earn a degree or simply wish to broaden your horizons by taking a few online classes, you just might find that the possibilities are limitless once you begin taking these courses from home.

Another major theme: You don’t have to teach. They just need to learn. You don’t necessarily have to teach ANYTHING in high school, you only have to make sure your children learn it. I didn’t know the answers to a lot of the math or science. You’d think I would because I’m a nurse, but it’s not true! I completely lost it with math about a month into Algebra 2. Everyone loses it in high school math – everyone. But, again, it’s not our job to learn the stuff. We just have to make sure our student learns the stuff.

My kids did chemistry and physics completely on their own. They did Algebra 2, pre-calculus and calculus completely on their own. I only gave them the tests, and had to look up the answers. By the time we got to calculus, I didn’t even know what the symbols meant anymore. I only knew that the answer had to look like the answer in the book. I had one mom tell me her high school wasn’t working because she could no longer teach them writing. She said “they are better writers than me – and I’m a professional.” I just had to point out to her that homeschooling appeared to be working because they WERE succeeding. Once you get into high school, writing is mostly about practice. Edit the papers for spelling and grammar, yes, but it’s mostly important to practice, practice, practice.

I couldn’t keep up with the books either. I have confessed before that I didn’t do “literature analysis” with my kids. I just asked them if they liked the book (to which they usually said “yes” and not much more.) They have grown up and done fabulously with the honors literature courses in college, so I know they weren’t damaged by my weaknesses. I couldn’t keep up with my kids reading either, but you know what? They were reading thousands of books for fun, and I didn’t stress out about reading those books ahead of them. So why did I stress out about reading their school books ahead of them? I don’t know! Consider public school for a moment. Would the teacher pre-read every book? No, just the one or two they used in a year. Would the teacher be able to help with writing more than you? No, likely it would be just grammar and spelling.

What about science? I didn’t help my kids at science at all, but my boys both got straight-As in college science after homeschooling, so I know that it worked. My concern with the comments that “Homeschooling isn’t working” is that people forget the alternative. Homeschooling may be hard (OK, it absolutely IS hard) but it is much more effective than a public or private school. It is the 1 to 1 tutoring, the mastery before moving on, the absolute love for the student that make homeschoolers succeed. None of those things are available at a public or private school. There are lots of resources for homeschoolers. Online courses, tutors, co-ops, video programs, and curricula for every learning style. You may need help, but that doesn’t mean that homeschooling isn’t working OR that putting your child into school is THE one and only answer to problems.

Understanding your own learning style will help you select a program that suits you-making the journey toward a higher degree more profitable and pleasurable.

Universities have responded to the need for flexibility, portability and convenience by responding to different learning styles. Working adults can earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from local, regional and national universities-by attending day school, night school, weekend programs, online and blended programs.

The point is: the “college experience” now runs the gamut from day classes on campus to online courserooms that let you log in from home or a post in the Middle East. To make the most of the educational experience, choose wisely.

Consider the following before you select a university:

1. Are you a visual or auditory learner?

Visual learners: About 40 percent of students are visual learners. If you are a visual learner, you learn best with the help of written words, pictures, diagrams, films, and demonstrations. You prefer visual stimuli and may have trouble concentrating in a noisy environment. Consider online education.

Auditory learners: If you are an auditory learner, you prefer listening to seeing, would rather give an oral report than a written one, and are better at following spoken rather than written directions. Check out on-campus programs.

2. Does frequent interaction with your peers inspire you to higher performance?

This is a tricky question. What does interaction look like to you? Does it mean being in the same room with your classmates? And if so, are you really conversing with other students or simply listening to a lecture together? Do you desire interaction that will improve your mastery of the subject matter?

Interaction in both on-campus and online courserooms can be robust-often depending on the style and skill of the instructor. One significant difference in online courserooms is that mastery of the subject is typically demonstrated through writing rather than tests. During your tenure in the course, you’ll have the opportunity to see other students’ best thinking in writing; this level of interaction often greatly enhances learning.

3. Where will education fit best into your schedule?

Nearly half of all grad students enroll between ages 24 and 35 and one-quarter start at age 36 or older. About a third of grad students are rearing children. In other words, the “average” student these days has lots of obligations.