Distance learning graduates come from all different backgrounds but have a similar goal: to improve their lives and the lives of others through a degree program. Take your inspiration from these outstanding graduates of schools that offer online education, and learn how you can follow in their footsteps with an online degree.
First degree leads to big success
One online graduate tells the story of many. Ryan Rosenkaimer was working and attending high school when he saw an advertisement on television for a school that offers both online and campus-based learning. While working for a local communications provider, he worked on a computer information systems degree. By the time he graduated, Ryan was promoted to network projects engineer.
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Ryan's story is not unusual. Extra training in the IT world is often required or preferred by hiring managers in the field. According to Payscale.com, the typical salary for a project engineer in Phoenix, AZ varies between $54,957 and $86,885. Imagine earning that kind of salary, and you can understand the draw of earning your IT degree or certificate online.
Adding a degree to full-time work and family
One graduate of a school that offers online learning earned his degree while working full-time and raising five children. Like Ryan, his story is not unusual to the world of online education. Hector Fontenez worked as a technician for 17 years before earning his bachelor's degree. Mr. Fontenez now works as a software engineer for Lockheed Martin and serves as a role model to anyone considering going back to school after a long absence.
Working during the day and taking classes at night was not simple, but Mr. Fontenez persevered. His success story was featured in Minority Engineer, as he gave a word of advice to anyone considering a degree online. "My advice is to persevere," says Mr. Fontenez. "Nothing comes easy. You can put your destiny in the hands of luck or you can control your own destiny."
Succeed with an engineering degree
Earning an engineering degree online means pursuing one of the most lucrative bachelor's degrees available. Software engineers like Mr. Fontenez saw entry level salary offers averaging $56,201 in 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. Career-wide salaries go even higher, with computer applications software engineers earning mean annual wages of $87,900 in 2008. That same year, systems software engineers earned $94,520.
Whether you've been working as an engineering technician for years like Mr. Fontenez, or you're looking for a brand new career that has you inventing, designing and working on unique challenges, a bachelor's degree in engineering can give you the degree experience you're looking for.
Making management with an online degree
John J. Cerilli came from a strong working background, but used a graduate degree to push himself even higher. From 1976 until 2004, he held various executive level and management positions around the globe, including Europe, Asia and the United States. He earned his master's degree in organizational management from an online university that also offers campus classes and secured the position of Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing of AXT, a manufacturer and seller of compound semiconductor substrates.
Executives like Mr. Cerilli put their previous work experience to good use in an online degree program. The BLS notes that chief executives earned mean annual wages of $160,440 in 2008. That same year, marketing managers earned $118,160. For a shot at a six-figure salary, even workers with years of industry experience see the benefit of an online degree.
Outstanding online education alumni
As a younger woman on a trip to Africa with her sister, Dr. Sharon T. Freeman first saw the needs of the developing world. "From that moment forward, I dedicated myself to becoming an agent for change." She earned her Ph.D. online in applied management and decision sciences in 1998 and hasn't looked back, going on to work with foreign aid and institutional reform in the countries she first visited.
Dr. Freeman still thinks about how online education can improve and expand. "I would love to be involved in an endeavor to create a distance-learning program for women in developing countries," she says. "Women have special needs, gaps, and network failures that distance learning can address."
Advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge
If you already have a bachelor's degree, an online master's degree or doctoral program like the one Dr. Freeman completed can offer you the targeted education you've been looking for. Consider the M.B.A., offered in a range of specializations including management, international business and entrepreneurship.
Upgrading any degree or certificate gives you a chance to keep your skills current, revisit practices you've seen in the workforce, and proves your skills to hiring and promotions managers. It's one reason why alumni who already hold a degree go back to school for more education and training. Returning to your course of study can mean big changes in your career.
Career training moves online
While no educational program -- traditional or online -- can guarantee a particular career or salary, hiring managers often prefer or require prior training among applicants for careers like the ones mentioned above. Whether you're looking to give your career an edge, find your lifelong inspiration or simply recession-proof your career, an online education can give you the tools you need.
