Get an Associate Degree Online

You've already heard all of the reasons that you should complete your education through a distance-learning program, and now you're ready to do so. But finding a suitable program is not as easy as some websites would lead you to believe.

That's because many colleges and universities have entrance requirements that you might not be able to meet. For example, it's common for four-year schools to require prospective students to submit ACT or SAT scores along with their applications.

In addition, with more people wanting to get a college education than ever before, there's no guarantee that you will even be admitted to the school of your choice -- especially if you don't have a stellar academic record to bolster your credentials. For an alternative route that could prove to be easier in the long run, I recommend that you first get an Associate degree online.

There are several important advantages to getting an Associate degree online before pursuing a Bachelor's. First of all, most of the schools that offer Associate degrees online are community colleges, which means that they're open to anyone who is at least 18 years old and has completed high school (or who has a GED).

There are no extra tests to take, no essays to write, and no rejections to worry about. You can enroll rather than apply, and you can start earning your Associate degree online whenever you're ready.

A second important advantage of earning your Associate degree online is that you'll open up a lot of options for yourself. For example, you might discover that completing an Associate degree online is enough to get you the job of your dreams.

Not every profession out there requires a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD; two years of college is enough for you to get started as a paralegal, medical technician, dental hygienist, transcriptionist, and more.

Of course, should you want to continue on to a four-year school after earning your Associate degree online, it would be possible for you to do so. As long as you attend an accredited school, a significant portion of your coursework should transfer, which means you would only have to take two more years worth of classes in order to obtain a Bachelor's.

That brings us to a third advantage of getting an Associate degree online first: you'll end up saving a lot of money should you choose to continue your education at a four-year school. Community colleges are meant to be accessible to everyone. As such, the tuition is much lower than anything you would find at a four-year college or university. So by earning your Associate degree online, you could potentially save thousands of dollars over taking equivalent classes at a four-year school.

Wanting to complete your education is definitely a step in the right direction. But don't just assume that you need to get a Bachelor's degree in order for your education to mean something. Check out some programs that will allow you to earn an Associate degree online and see if that's a better fit for your life at this point.