Laptops, wireless cards, and truck stops with free Wifi are boosting truckers into the age of the Internet. But increased access to the Internet allows truckers to do more than just surf the net and have fun with their friends. Powered with the Internet, truckers who want to get ahead now have a chance to get degrees by completing classes online.
Though truckers have a hard life on the road with little time to themselves, working towards a college degree might be worth the lost hours of pleasure. As fuel prices rise and truckers try to deal with the additional expense, the demand for truckers may soon decrease. Even if trucking is your passion, low wages make the appeal of having a second job or business on the side even greater. In fact, according to the United States Census Bureau, bachelor’s degree holders earn an average of 62 percent more money than those without a degree—an average of $50,900 compared to $31,300.
But for those who just took a job in trucking to make ends meet, the website, CollegeBoard, insists that college graduates have many more job opportunities than those with just a high school degree. Because most jobs just require a bachelor’s degree, not stipulating a subject matter, just having that piece of paper will make a big difference.
So how can you go to school when you are gone most of the month carrying loads across the country to support your family? Get a college degree online.
Online bachelor’s degree programs have sprung up rapidly since the advent of the Internet, a powerful and commonly possessed learning tool. According to the premier job search site Careerbuilder.com, in 2001, 2.9 million U.S. students ages 35 and over were attempting to earn a degree, and 4 million students in the U.S. were earning that degree online. Because online classes are convenient for those who work, many adults going back to school have chosen the online, rather than the traditional, route.
This flexibility is only one reason why an online degree is a great choice for truckers. According to Career Builder, work for online classes can be done during any part of the day, so truckers can access their courses during their obscure off-hours. Online schools also offer the freedom of acceleration or slower passed classes, and classes are often less expensive when taken online.
With online school applications popping up whenever you do a search on the subject, it is difficult to determine which online schools provide a better value for their money. Some traditional schools, like Purdue University or Penn State, offer online programs in addition to traditional tracks. In addition, new institutions, like the University of Phoenix, according to Career Builder, have been established to cater almost completely to online students.
A degree from a traditional and well-recognized university, like a state school, might look better on diplomas, but online only schools can be wonderful as well. Regardless of the type of institution, accreditation is key. Schools without accreditation often take tuition dollars and leave a student with a degree that means little. Checking to make sure that the school is accredited before application is necessary.
Whether you choose a traditional university’s online program or a newer college targeted toward online students, an online degree can increase your opportunities to make more money.
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