There are no travel costs involved with online education and no travel time whatsoever. The only time you will need to dedicate to your learning will be time you spend studying and any trips to library or other institution you may need.

Many jobs and careers demand a good working knowledge of Internet, and by completing your course online you are already many steps closer to that end. You will have excellent knowledge on Internet research; always being able to find information that is useful to you.

There are some factors you should consider when deciding whether to opt for online education or a more traditional classroom education. You will need a reasonably up to date PC, together with an Internet Connection. Fortunately, computer prices have dropped in recent years, so you can get a capable PC for little more than $300. If you consider using Ebay or buying a refurbished PC then you can reduce this price even more. Don’t forget, you will need a printer, operating software, word processing software and an Internet connection but again price of these has dropped dramatically.

If you don’t have much working knowledge of a computer or Internet you will need to find your way around at first and this can seem a daunting task for beginner. Don’t panic, just stick with it and buy yourself (or borrow from friends or library) books on how to use software you are going to need. Once online Internet has all of this information at hand, and world becomes your playground.

A summary of online education.

Online education can help all people from all walks of like gain education they want to better themselves or to advance in career they already have. Whether you are a working parent or an unemployed bachelor, there are courses available for you to complete through online education.

Online education offers many benefits and few pitfalls when compared to more traditional ‘classroom’ approach but you should carefully consider your options before jumping in.

There are costs associated with virtually all online education courses but these are usually little more than costs to study at a college and when you consider that there are no travelling expenses and no extra living costs, you may find online education to be a much more financially viable option.

©2005 John Thompson

Aspects of specialisation (the mystification of knowledge into 'closed shops') and a centralised government system shift responsibility away from people. Many factors make it harder for an individual to act on their own behalf, on their own belief and to face uncertainty and possibly ridicule by doing something non-conformist. In education individual behaviour is still often construed as insulting and rebellious. Creativity, an Open University guide for teachers states:

"One of problems with teaching for creativity in schools is that many of personality characteristics and kind of behaviour associated with them are unpleasing to teacher. Independent children who will not accept what teacher says, simply because they say it, can be disliked by teacher, particularly when such behaviour occurs on a heavy day or with a tired teacher".

The potential for divergent, self assertive thought and action is diminished in many sectors of society. People who 'rock boat' and question authority are too often seen as a threat to established patterns. This has led to a breakdown in sensitivity to needs, generation of ideas and production of creative solutions. Financial reward and security are conditioned to be primary motivations for work and life.

With coming of automation and factories seeking cheapest labour in third world countries, emphasis in a successful economy needs to be more biased towards production of ideas that create meaningful and sustainable employment. The education organisations we have are slow to realise this and much of training they provide is still geared towards values established during Industrial Revolution.

The didactic education system we have is still partly based on training small boys for priesthood, five-hundred years ago. The development of creative potential in individuals is an issue that system simply does not know how to handle. Presently we are between two worlds, leaving generations high and dry concerning meaningful work and generation of identity.

"Whilst assimilating that which he has inherited, and adapting himself to it, man [sic] must also preserve his essential individuality. Education must assist society which nurtures it by inspiring each generation to add to culture it has received by creating something new; there should be no passive acceptance of what has been handed down from past. Serious consideration must therefore be given to extent that non-conforming ideas can be considered as an asset for life in a conforming society". (T.Powell Jones. Creative Learning in Perspective)