If you are new to online education, you probably have more questions than answers. What is online education exactly? Do employers respect online bachelor's, associate's, or master's degrees? What kinds of certificates and diplomas can one earn from an online university? Do they usually take longer than traditional degrees? How do I register?

An online university is just like any other university you might imagine, but instead of commuting to class at specified times you can stay home and access courses entirely at your leisure. Perhaps weekends are better for you, or maybe you have free afternoons every Tuesday. The point is that you design class times around your schedule and not the reverse. And because no commuting is involved, you can work from home, your office, a friend's house, or anywhere else as long as you have an Internet connection.

Let's say you want to study hospitality. How many university programs in your neighborhood offer training in this particular area? One? Two? None? By attending an online university, you are not restricted to programs in your area. You have access to the seemingly limitless selection of programs in cyberspace, so you can live in a small suburban town outside of Phoenix, Arizona and attend a hospitality school program in Boston, Massachusetts.

This is true not only for technology, but for many other disciplines out there. By pursuing an online degree, you have access to a much wider selection of programs, disciplines, degree levels, certificates, instructors, alumni networks, and curricula.

Another major advantage of online education is the price. You can save a nice amount of money on gas, tolls, car maintenance, parking fees, and other transportation costs. In addition, if you pursue a degree on an accelerated track, you can graduate that much sooner and put your degree or certificate to use shortly thereafter.