Today, it is extraordinarily difficult to land a good-paying job without a degree. Companies want to hire accredited people. And completing at least a 4-year degree lets people know that you are familiar in your area of study, that you can plan out and set goals or tasks, and that you can accomplish them. With that in mind, there are a couple of benefits of getting a degree online that may blow the option of traditional schooling right out of the water.

• Lower costs – Although tuition costs may be similar, pursuing a degree online gives you the advantage of not having to pay fees such as housing, dining plans; or other extra costs such as technology, health, or other miscellaneous fees.

• Convenience – All of your work and learning will take place in your home, so you won’t have to worry about things like bad weather or a long commute to your school.

• Doing things at your own pace – Lots of online classes are flexible regarding the due dates of their assignments, so you can alter your schedule to accommodate your homework load. You can also choose when to have effective study times. And an advantage to having all the coursework online is that you can review all the material or lectures online repeatedly (rather than asking a professor to repeat himself in front of a giant lecture hall and potentially waste your classmates’ time).

• Balancing a work life – Working and going to school simultaneously is extraordinarily difficult in a traditional school setting. Juggling the responsibilities of work and school – as well as the miscellaneous obstacles life throws at you – is challenging. An online degree may give you enough flexibility to manage a 40-hour workweek so that you can eat, pay rent, and pay for tuition.

• Transferring Credits – Some students like to take advantage of summer quarter and take classes to advance their degree, but often times they can run into problems. The university may not offer the classes they need or the student may have obligations such as a summer job or internship they must attend to. But online coursework solves this problem. It may be possible within your institution to take coursework over the summer through an online system and transfer the credits to your major.

Of course, thoroughly research your online degree to make sure the institution is legitimate and that the degree will apply to your profession before enrolling in courses.