Many a cartoon was built on the country bumpkin coming to the big city to make his or her future. What many city slickers may not know is it was representative of a problem of the previous century. Country living has many a virtue, but they have struggled to give the same opportunities as their urban counterparts. Unless they are going into agriculture, most country kids graduate high school to few job opportunities in their local arenas. Even the colleges they need to advance themselves are mostly located in metropolitan areas. So they leave. Some call this out-migration.
But that was a whole different millennium. A solution is starting to establish itself since the start of the 21st Century: online education. Rural students are earning online degree program through virtual colleges. The solution even comes with a side advantage – graduates improve their recruiting desirability in the comfort of their home.
There have been formal reports proving online degrees give just about anyone a boost in the professional world. Many prospective employers find successful online students have the same skills that make a successful worker, including good time management abilities, strong self-motivation skills not to forget technological savvy.
A part of the problem is that a lot of rural areas just don’t have access to high speed Internet. The essential communications infrastructure hasn’t moved beyond dial-up modems. Online education requires at least DSL, T-Line or similar to work effectively. Broadband also allows students to hookup from anywhere within district limits, whether it’s home, the library or a laundromat. Going broadband also allows students real-time communications with their teachers and fellow classmates. If that isn’t enough, many companies who need personnel in these areas want personnel who can stay in their district, but report through telecommuting.
There is another factor making virtual education attractive: cost. Virtual schools, on the average, cost much less than their on campus counterparts, even if advanced education is still expensive. This can be tough for rural areas, which are more likely to be economically challenged than their suburban and urban students. At the same time, there are other cost-saving factors such as not having to pay for a dormitory room, commuting back and forth from school and eating at home.
Here are some other options regarding the cost factor. Many rural students work and then go take their classes after hours. Further, they can talk to their school’s financial aid officers to see what kinds of grants, scholarships and even, thanks to Obama’s latest educational initiatives, tax credits are available to them.
This does leave one last challenge. A final obstacle for new users, especially rural ones, may not have the physical tools necessary for on line degrees. Many rural kids are not accustomed to communicating with peers and teachers they aren’t within eyesight of. That picture is changing though. More and more kids are finding e-learning as a fact of life. Millions of kids between kindergarten and high school today are either fully online or taking blended online/in person classes.
So e-learning is rapidly becoming a real alternative for rural education. It makes eventually going to the big city a much easier option. Many will go on in their education into a distance learning course, allowing them basically global employment. Whether associate or masters degree, online education is a large part of the future.
