How to make a successful transition with an online degree?

The one good thing about the world witnessing a pandemic in recent years has been the emergence and rapid evolution of online learning. Remote education has been widely accepted and popularized ever since. There are several reasons attributed to its immense success among the student community. It is a credible and flexible substitute for conventional campus education, therefore making it more popular and easily accessible to all. Most importantly, you can go for a smooth career transition with an online degree. This blog explores how.

Understanding the Value of Your Online Degree  

Before you make up your mind on whether or not to switch careers with the help of an online course, let us understand the worth of an online degree.

Most employers view degrees or certifications obtained online positively as they are the best way to upgrade your skills and knowledge base with the latest tech trends in the market. This improves the employability prospects of graduates with degrees earned online.

Moreover, choosing an online degree that is accredited by a reputable university or educational body adds immense value to the degree program, making it a natural choice for most students. The accreditation makes the degree globally valid and recognized, thereby allowing graduates to find employment anywhere in the world.

Leveraging the Flexibility of Online Education   

One of the many benefits of online degrees is the flexibility they offer to students, particularly working professionals. They provide a fine work-life balance, allowing time for studies at your own pace. Self-paced learning makes studying comfortable and allows sufficient time to upgrade skills for career advancement. Some helpful tips for working professionals on managing time effectively while pursuing an online degree are shared below:

• Create a detailed timetable for every single day. Try and stick to it as far as possible. 
• Try and reduce any possible distractions during your dedicated study time.
• Avoid multitasking. Try and stay focused on your lessons to gain maximum benefit.
• Refuse politely. It’s important to prioritize your schedule over that of others and say ‘no’ when needed to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Make sure to take care of your physical and mental well-being. A healthy body and mind are critical to improving productivity and focus and achieving desirable results.

Building a Strong Professional Network

Online programs are also helpful for creating ample networking opportunities for students. One of the best ways to build a professional network through online courses is by taking part in online discussion forums on the subject of your study or topic of interest. It allows you an opportunity to exchange information and ideas with other like-minded individuals and gain valuable knowledge that can be helpful in your learning process. 

Similarly, participating in online group projects and networking events is also a great way to socialize, learn, and grow together while pursuing the program. Since online learning is unlike conventional campus learning and limits physical interaction with other students, it becomes even more important to connect with peers, the faculty, and other industry experts in the case of online learning programs.

Enhancing Your Skill Set  

Upskilling with online degrees has become a common phenomenon, thanks to the easy availability, affordability, and convenience of taking up an online course. It has allowed several students of all age groups, including adults and working professionals, to improve their skill set and fast forward their career growth. 

Online courses provide ample scope for students and graduates to practically apply the skills and knowledge that they gained from the program in real-world scenarios, such as their current job role, internship, or side project. 

In parallel, building a portfolio showcasing the practical skills you learned during your online course is important. Make sure to highlight your best projects completed during the program, particularly referring to the wide array of skills learned. You can also create a website to showcase vital skills learned and how you applied them in the professional arena. Also, make sure to cover some testimonials on your website to build credibility.

Marketing Your Online Degree   

This is an equally critical step after obtaining your online degree. It is important to promote your degree in the job market to boost your prospects of securing a rewarding job upon graduation. Building an effective resume is an integral part of this process. When showcasing an online degree on a resume, make sure to bring out the relevance of the course, the skills you learned, and its usefulness in solving real-world problems. Also, stress more on the learning gained during the program duration and the skills acquired therein.

When appearing for an interview, stay confident when sharing your online education experience before the panel. Again, discuss in detail the skills learned and how you can use them in the prospective job role.

Overcoming Potential Challenges

Despite their growing popularity, it cannot be denied that online courses do present a couple of challenges. One of the key challenges with online degrees is the potential skepticism from current or future employers or peers over earning an online degree. There is a slight reluctance generally observed in a lot of students and professionals to publicly acknowledge completing a degree online. This is perhaps due to the fear of not being taken seriously. 

The key to addressing this challenge is focusing more on the quality of education, whether pursued online and the value that the skills learned can offer to work in the relevant industry. Also, some of the key qualities gained as a result of studying online are commitment, dedication, and self-discipline. It takes all of these to pursue an online degree program through the end without losing motivation. Make sure to highlight these qualities learned as part of your online course.

Transitioning to a New Career Path

As stated in the blog earlier, online learning is one of the most helpful ways to switch to a new and different, perhaps more lucrative, career choice. This is because online courses are the easiest and the most comfortable way of learning new skills, which are relevant and desirable to starting a new career venture. The first step here is to identify transferable skills that can help you get started at entry-level job roles in a new professional industry. 

You can then choose to pursue one among the numerous online courses easily available by different recognized and accredited universities to gain the desired skills. Once you make a headstart, it is then important to keep learning continuously by pursuing more online courses and constantly upskilling yourself to remain competitive in the job market. 

Success Stories and Case Studies      

Before deciding to pursue an online degree, it helps to gather and understand reviews and testimonials from students who have pursued the course in the past to better assess the worth and value that the program has to offer. It also lends credibility to the program and encourages prospective students and working professionals to consider the decision by offering an authentic picture of the course. 

Aakriti Kumari is an online MCA program learner, who is pursuing the course from Manipal University Jaipur. Her experience reflects the program’s ability to support working professionals by providing a flexible schedule that accommodates their busy lives. Talking about the same, she says “I am currently working as a Network Associate at Accenture and aiming to advance in my job role. To achieve this, I decided to pursue an MCA degree, which has been instrumental in helping me develop additional skills. Balancing personal life, academics, and work can be challenging at times, but the weekend classes make it manageable, allowing me to strike the right balance.” 

Another learner, Sakshi Raj shared her thoughts with us on the same. She says, “As a software test engineer with 5 years of work experience, I was thrilled to receive a merit scholarship when I enrolled in this program. I am confident that completing this program will open up better job opportunities for me. The fully online format and flexible weekend classes have made my journey with MUJ enjoyable. Additionally, the virtual lab experience has been unique and seamless, enhancing my learning experience.” 

You can continue to read more about what learners think about online degrees.

Take your career forward with Online Manipal

Ready to switch careers or acquire new skill sets to advance in your career path? Sign up for an online course from Manipal University Jaipur, offered in 100% remote learning mode on the Online Manipal platform. Based on your career aspirations and personal preferences, you will find a wide array of course choices to help you make a seamless career transition on Online Manipal. Study at your own pace and achieve your career growth as and when you like it with flexible learning options. 

Conclusion

Embrace the future of education with an online degree from Manipal University Jaipur. The courses are carefully designed to enable students to make smooth career transitions and be future-ready in their new work domain. The flexible learning structure is highly popular among students and working professionals alike, allowing them to easily adapt to the career of their choice.