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In today's highly competitive business environment, it can be difficult to improve career prospects without a higher degree. This can be a particularly true for women. Using salary levels at the end of the millennium for men and women who graduated high school only, the salary differential was nearly 50%, with women at the bottom of the pile. However, this discrepancy decreased as qualification attainment level increased. For men and women with bachelor's degrees, the difference was 32%, decreasing further to 28% a master's degree level. This demonstrates clearly that the earning power of women increases more than men for the same level of educational attainment.
For many parents, working full-time and earning a degree can seem like an impossible dream. Any working mother will testify to the difficulty in scheduling even one full day per week to devote totally to something other than work or children. For single parents especially, finding the time or the money to embark on a traditional campus degree would probably be out of the question. This is where the flexibility of an online degree makes it ideal for working mothers who cannot commit to the rigid timetable of a traditional course but want to boost or redirect their career.
Which Online Program?
The MBA is undoubtedly the world's best-known and most widely recognized postgraduate degree, with a deserved reputation as a quality, broadly relevant, professional qualification. Graduating with an online MBA is tangible proof of academic ability and ability to retain knowledge relevant to the workplace, and it can make a significant impact on earning potential. This includes mothers, although many have a hard time imagining themselves as high-flying executives.
A bachelor's or master's degree from the renowned University of Phoenix is a qualification in which you can have confidence. University of Phoenix is one of the pioneers of online learning, launching their first program in 1989. Their programs are designed specifically for working professionals who want an education that fits their timetable and the demands of the employment market. The focus is on flexibility and convenience. All discussions are conducted asynchronously, like email, so you can participate at any time of the day or night to your own schedule. This approach means that your child's birthday party, soccer practice or a visit to the zoo never have to take second place to Mom's studying.
Warren National University , established in 1984, offers a range of self-paced, online independent study programs designed for mid-career professionals, something many working women will relate to. Any mother torn between spending time with her children and ensuring that she remains viable in the job market can rest assured that she can do both with the right online degree.
Time is money and online students want to be able to complete their program and start applying it as quickly as possible. Programs at University of Phoenix , Ellis College , Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University , AIU Online, (American InterContinental University) and Capella University are designed to provide students with workplace relevant, practical knowledge from day one. AIU Online also offers one of the shortest M.B.A. programs at just 10 months, while students at Ellis College can complete an M.B.A. within 2 years. The sooner a parent can reap the rewards of their efforts, the sooner their children will benefit, too. A pay rise and promotion after gaining an online degree could mean the difference between worrying and scrimping, or relaxing in the knowledge that you have the funds available to do what you want.
Choice is everything at Capella University a leading accredited online university with over 600 online courses in a wide range of subject areas leading to a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree. Even busy mothers tied to the inescapable daily routine of wake-up, breakfast, packed lunch, school run, work, collect from school, feed and put to bed, need something for themselves. Studying the right online course could be the release you need.
Flexibility and accessibility are the most important features for some. DeVry University and the the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University offer programs that can be customized to meet your own personal goals and career emphasis. Completing a degree while working and caring for children is reason enough to need a customized program.
Finally, if you like the idea of some face to face classroom interaction, but cannot commit to a permanent regular schedule, a University of Phoenix FlexNet program could be the answer. The first and last sessions are held on campus, where you have the opportunity to meet fellow students and professors, and the rest is online. For some mothers, social interaction is restricted to their work environment and their children. Regular time-out isn't an option. A FlexNet program provides the opportunity to meet new people without requiring regular daily or weekly visits.
Meet the Challenge and Reap the Rewards
An online degree is a challenge that is valued and rewarded in the employment market. Anyone undertaking a degree through distance learning sets their own schedule, manages their own programs, establishes their own goals and determines how they will achieve them. The flexibility this self-motivated control gives is vital for single, working women, especially those with children. A successful online student will develop skills for direct application in the workplace, learning to set targets, develop strategies to meet them, identify potential problems and formulate and implement solutions. A working mother with children knows she has these innate skills. She uses them every day juggling her working life, managing the house-hold and caring for her children. However, employers sometimes need formal evidence of your ability to succeed in a career. Enroll in an online degree program and you'll end up with all the proof you need.
Researched and written by Katrina Boydon
Katrina Boydon has been a writer in the scientific and business communities for nearly twenty years. She has worked as a research microbiologist at the Royal London Hospital Medical College, as assistant editor-in-chief for a journal published by Blackwell Scientific Publications, served as managing director of a postal and courier company, and set up her own business distributing newspapers and magazines in Moscow, Russia. She has a degree in microbiology and studied part-time at the London Business School.
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