Not everyone is physically or financially capable of attending classroom lectures on a daily basis. Some have to spend most of their time at their day job in the nearby factory while others are stuck in the house caring for children. Whatever your reason for being home bound, you should know that this need not prevent you from getting a college diploma or university degree in the discipline of your choice. This is because most post secondary schools now offer distance education online. You can learn more about getting your degree this way here.
Distance education used to be an arduous process of sending and receiving reports and assignments through the mail. However, with the surge in popularity of the internet, the telecom cost control of running a distance education department has dropped and most schools have jumped on the online education bandwagon. You can now take your degree online from major Canadian universities like Dalhousie, the University of Toronto, and Queens University. There are even some universities, like Athabasca in Canada and Phoenix in the United States, which exist almost entirely online.
The application procedure for distance education is usually the same as it is for in person education, so you'll still need to make sure you have the proper credits for admittance into the university. Another factor you'll need to prepare for is the time commitment. It is possible to do your engineering degree while working, but keep in mind that even online, universities still have deadlines for course completion and assignment submission. Not meeting your deadlines can result in failing the class. Therefore online learning should not be a casual hobby.
If your interest in online education is more casual, you can opt to forego a degree program and to simply take one or two courses on interesting topics from the school of your choice. This might be easier to fit into your schedule, and as long as your courses are at least transferable and fit within the requirements of a degree program, you can always upgrade to a degree later on. There are also some unconnected career workshops you can take for a quick refresher.
The great thing about online education is that it costs a fraction of what you would be paying to live in a big city and actually attend lectures. This means your parents can keep the returns on their investments and you can graduate with a lighter debt load than you would have had you gone to school in person. In an era where tuition costs are rising uncontrollably while scholarships have remained the same, this is an extremely important factor for many students.
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