I came across this article about the acceptance of DL degrees. Maybe it is nothing new to this forum, but I found it a real downer. I intend to get a degree from TESC and go into public relations, and then I find this article. Especially troubling to me was the quote from a VP at a PR firm. Am I wasting my time pursuing a DL degree, or should I tough it out and go to a brick and morter school part-time for the next several years? I'm 40 now, and I really don't have that kind of time. Suggestions? http://www.collegejournal.com/jobhunting/searchstrategies/20011108-vogt.html
The most important thing is that your DL degree is accredited. The company that I work for is a government contractor and it doesn't matter where you got the degree from as long as it is accredited. Companies realize that everyone can't go to B&M schools. You can never waste your time on education period.
that was a 2000 study. technology far outspeeds the views people tend to have. i'm sure that in another 10 years that study will be way diffrent. it is different now. But it will continue to improve.
For goodness sake, don't be discouraged. by that article. I suspect that the writer of that piece had to ask a whole lot of PR people questions about DL degrees before he got a good quote to use! The plain fact is that most employers only care about your ability to do the job and contribute to the firm's success. By definition a person with a DL degree has exhibitted several personal and professional qualities employers want. These are as follows: 1. the ability to be self-motivated. 2 The ability to set and meet self-imposed deadlines. 3. The ability to be organized in terms of work and setting appropriate priorities. 4. Technical savy with the internet and computers! 5. It shows a willingness to work towards a long-term goal and a desire to upgrade your qualifications. These are all pluses! I just got a job with a social services consulting firm due to my having a DL MS degree in psychology. I got them precisely due to those reasons I mentioned above. I just had a training session with them Friday where one of the big complaints expressed about previous employees was the inabilty of some person's with a masters degree or a higher degree such as an Ed.S. to useand send friggen e-mail attachments! When they found out I was going for a DL Ph.D. they went apeshit and started picking my brains! A DL degree actually can be a huge selling point with many firms!
[My parochial two-cents] I hire an average of 15 people/yr. Interview proportionally more. Salaries from 80's to the mid-six figures. Been doing it for quite some time. I've never hired or turned down anyone based on where they earned a degree. Strong brands (Ivy, Service Academy, etc.) make me look closer but as long as the box (B.S., M.S., etc.) is checked, we quickly move on. Hiring decisions are always based on direct experience and soft skills. If the candidate is viable, it'll show through experience - or not. Last week I passed on an Emory MBA but hired a Penn State B.S. Came down to inter-personal chemistry. Truth be told, until I pursued distance ed., I couldn't tell the difference between a distance degree and a B&M degree. Am I the exception? I doubt it. The world will always need competent people. There always seem to be a shortage. If you think a DL degree will make you more competent, go for it. Someone is going to need/want you.
I think this topic comes up every few months. Yes, it is true, there is bias, and once upon a time if someone : used the phone rather than making a housecall, there was bias, sent an e-mail rather than calling, there was bias etc.... Being on the ledging edge is lonely, but rewarding.
I have 20+ years of experience in journalism and communications, so I do have that going for me. I just need the B.S., or B.A. to help me advance further or change fields to PR. I plan on investing a lot of time and effort into the DL degree. I just wanted to make sure it was going to be worth pursuing, or I needed to consider a different route.
I would agree with chrislarsen who has lucidly laid out the qualities one exhibts while pursuing a DL course. A accredited DL course is as good as a B & M course. There will always be nay-sayers, doubters but so will there be people who would be appreciating your effort in getting higher qualifications..
With that amount of experience I would expect that the degree discussion would be a tick in the box - you could get it at TESC, and I doubt it would even come up in the interview. Things like good grooming and a personable manner would be higher on the list. However, if it did, you can say that you didn't have the chance to go to school back then and instead pursued a career. Having the discipline to go back to school while you're working counts for a lot. The degree is just the pre-requisite to get in the door. Remember, 20+ years of experience means that you could probably teach a lot of the courses you would be taking. All the degree does is formalize the fact that you have this knowledge and get you past HR. Cheers, Mark
All else being equal, I would be no more inclined to prefer a B&M degree holder over a DL degree holder than I would to hire people with even shoe sizes over odd shoe sizes. BTW, I do NOT have a DL degree and probably won't be getting one (has nothing to do with predjudice against DL programs). This whole thing reminds me of the great military pilot versus commercially trained pilot controversy among airline pilots. An intensive study done in the later 1990's shows there's no difference whatsoever in the professionalism of either group.
While the article raises some very real issues, some of the quotes are not really representative, such as this one: "If someone has never set foot on a campus and is 23 or 24 years old, they won't have some of the socialization skills or maturation that their contemporaries gained by being on a college campus," says Mr. Bacas. Absolute nonsense. There are numerous studies that show that re-entry students (those who return to school after having taken a "break" to raise children or work) bring "socialization and maturation" skills that their younger peers who went straight to college often lack. Research done at Arizona State University demonstrated that adult re-entry students tend to perform at or above the level of their "traditional student" peers. Regarding distance learning, learners with DL degrees are being accepted into grad schools and are getting jobs. Since many industries are now relying upon DL in their staff development programs, many hiring managers are now beginning to recognize that those who are experienced online learners have an advantage over those without any DL background. Tony Pina Northeastern Illinois University
As with anything new there is bound to be some bias. The potential for bias grows, in my opinion, if the individual doing the hiring went to a b&m school. I believe most probably did. As time passes the bias will decrease. Pug
