First off you need to konw what program of study you plan to follow and if it is available at each of the colleges you are considering. Secondly, you need to make sure that all three have fully accredited programs (they probably do, but I would check for sure).

About online college: This is quickly becoming a very popular method for taking classes. I have known a few people who have taken online classes (full time or just one or two classes) and what I have come to learn is that for the most part they are good for classes in which you are highly interested in and already knowledgeable in. They are more difficult if it is something you are not familiar with because you don’t have the option of asking questions. Yes…you can email the profs, but that takes time and sometimes by time you do that you aren’t in education mode anymore.

Also, if the answer to your question doesn’t help, you have to ask another question….point is you could email back in forth several times before understanding whereas in a class setting you get immediate feedback.

I also understand that grad students enjoy the online programs better than undergrad students because the courses are within their field. No matter what you study, there will be those required courses that you have to take that you may not be interested in and it will be MUCH harder to grasp these classes online than in a class setting.

As for choosing between the other schools I would not be concerned about your job. After all you can find a jewelery store in almost any town and Kay’s is a national chain so they may even have a store you can transfer to.

The hard decision is about leaving your fiance. Is he in a position where he could go with you? If so then the decision could be much easier because he can easily go and you can choose OU. IF not, then you need to decide if your relationship can handle the separation. 140 miles is really not that far and you could easily come home each weekend, or alternate weekend where he comes to see you as well.

I would recommend OU just to get away. Going away to college has been the greatest experience for me and I am now in a place I never thought I would ever be. I know where I want to live for the next several years of my life and where I want to work. I found these things by leaving home.

Good luck!

I would think long and hard about the online university, for several reasons.

First, are they accredited? If not, you can’t transfer your work to another school if you move or want to take classes again for another degree at some point.

Second, will employers accept or even recognize the diploma? Ask your boss now “If you had 2 candidates, one of which had a degree from My State University, and the other from U. of Phoenix, and both were equal in other qualifications, which would you hire?”

Finally, as a practical matter, online classes may be poor ways to learn. I took a computer programming class this way, and I’d never, ever do it again. The lack of interaction between me and the instructor, and with the rest of the class, meant that it was much harder to understand the course material. ALL assignments were received as downloads or e-mail. ALL interactions and homework was done as e-mail. You lose the face-to-face communication.

Also, this instructor didn’t usually respond to e-mails for 2-3 days. If you had a followup question, you could be almost a week behind before you understood a concept. I finally had to take time off from work and drive to the college to see the instructor to get an answer that would have taken 2 minutes before or after a traditional class. For me, it made for a lousy way to try to learn.

The other 2 options may be difficult, but they’re not impossible. College is not easy – if it was, everyone would do it. But if you’re young, single, don’t have kids, this is the best time you’ll ever have to go to college. Once you’re married, have kids, jobs, etc, it only gets harder. Don’t let it scare you – you can do it if you make the commitment.

You mention that the nearest school is Chisolm College – so I’m assuming that you are in Australia? That was the only one I could find online.

First of all, I would not do the degree online. I don’t think you get enough from those degrees to make them worthwhile, and just the fact that you would be doing it so that it wouldn’t interfere with your current life tells me that you would not take it as seriously as a good college ought to be taken.

If you didn’t know what you wanted to do, or if you were going to work in other areas of business or in the professions or sciences, I would definitely tell you to go to the major university. To become a jeweler, however, I’m not sure that you need that level of education (retail business is one area in which a college degree is not necessarily required), so a local college, as long as it is properly accredited, might be fine. The only problem would occur if you decided to change your life goals and go into something else.

If you’re certain about your desired career, then I would take a look at online college or community college first. Here are a few reasons:

Online College: Earning your degree from an online college, like University of Phoenix, is smart when you’re going for a major like business. In this case, I’m sure you’ll be working to earn a business degree if you aspire to become a jeweler. Otherwise, I’m not quite sure what you would study.

Community College: If you enjoy your job at Kay’s, but you’re still unsure if it’s exactly what you want to do as a career, take a few courses at your local community college. Take everything from mathematics, history, philosophy, even creative writing. This will allow you to learn more about yourself — that way, you can be sure that you’ll be choosing the right career for you.

Another great benefit of community college is their transfer options. Be sure to take courses that are transferable to a university. That way, if you do decide to go to a university, you’ll already be a step ahead of most incoming freshmen.

I highly recommend you try community college. Online college can be difficult if you’re used to learning in a classroom setting. In addition, some community colleges offer online classes as well, so you can take both traditional classes and online classes in the same semester. Plus, you won’t have to worry about attending two schools!

Good luck!

I think online degrees are the upcoming thing. One of my adjunct positions is at University of Phoenix which is a University that other online programs model themselves after. It is unfortunately a business and because you can live anywhere in the world and go to various different schools (right at home) other schools have to compete. Most schools do or will have an online component at some point. It is also important to know that you have to be very disciplined to do an online program since you do not have designated times to be in the class. I would set up designated times to “go to class” just so you can organize your schedule around it.

Considering all of the things you listed I think the best thing for you to do would be to do on line classes. They are still hard and even a little bit harder because you don’t have an actual class to attend so it can be easy to slack but if there is an on line degree you can get that will help you to become a jeweler I say do it.