For those who wish to pursue their education, online learning can be a legitimate way to advance education as well as their career (as the two often go hand in hand). In fact, the majority of those who take at least one class online do so because it allows them to balance their family life, social life, and existing career. Many people who participate in online learning also said that they like online learning in part because it allows them to study whenever, wherever. Online learning is becoming more and more popular now, with over 30% of all students enrolled in at least one online class, if not more.
Many people choose to pursue online learning in order to advance their career. In fact, as nearly 60% of jobs will soon require a post secondary education at least in the next coming years, online learning is a great way to move forward in one’s career. Nearly half of all people who are taking an online course cite this is their main reason for pursuing online learning. These people are what we call “professional learners,” or those who pursue learning in order to move forward in a career. These professional learners make up over 60% of all online learners.
Many people pursue online learning just for the sake of learning itself. These people, called personal learners, make up around 70% of all people taking at least one online class. Personal learners pursue learning for a number of reasons. One reason, which over 40% of personal learners cite as motivation for them, is to be better involved in their community and volunteer programs. Many personal learners also pursue learning in order to make new friends. Around 80% of personal learners want to learn simply to broaden their own horizons and know more about the world. They said that they wanted to make their lives more interesting and full, and wanted to pursue learning as a way to do that.
No matter what your reason for pursuing online learning, taking an online class is an easy way to grow both professionally and personally. Taking even just one online class can make you a different person than you were before, and open up new doors in your career. It’s important to note that online learning is more popular than ever before, in part because it makes education accessible to more people than ever before, giving people the opportunity to balance getting an education with their social lives, family lives, and existing jobs and careers.

Education is important, we can all agree on this. The value of a college degree is inarguable. A degree can open doors and provide career pathways that would know otherwise exist. In fact, studies have shown that up to 60% of jobs with require some type of post secondary education by 2020 – just a scant few years from now. But a traditional education is not always the best course for some students, be it because of how they learn or because of their busy lives. Sometimes, learning from home, in an online setting, can provide a doorway to furthering education that may not have existed before.
Not everyone learns best in a classroom – in fact, many people do not. And not everyone has time to take an in person class. Many students – almost 70% – who take classes from home do so because it allows them to juggle other responsibilities like family, a career, and even a social life. The vast majority of online students said they loved taking classes online because it opened up their availability so much. They could study whenever, wherever, when it best fit into their schedules. And online learning is becoming ever the more popular. Even among those who engage in traditional classroom learning, over 30% of students take at least one online course in their time as a student. The overall number of students participating in home study courses is by now over 6 million, according to a 2013 study done by the Babson Survey Research Group.
There are many reasons to participate in some type of home learning, be it an online course or even just online lectures. While many people take online courses to further advance their careers (these account for over 40% of online learners and are classified as “professional learners,” meaning that they are pursuing more education with the purpose of applying it to their career), many people fall under the category of “personal learner.” A personal learner is someone who learns simply to benefit themselves or enrich their lives in some way. Almost 70% of personal learners stated that taking classes at home helped open up new perspectives in life as well as making them feel more well rounded. Many felt that it helped them connect with people and foster new friendships as well.
No matter what the cause for furthering education, be it personal or professional learning, learning from home is always an option that can expand your world and your knowledge of it. Learning from home broadens horizons, opens doors, and connects people. It makes education infinitely more accessible.