I hate to say it, but nine out of ten times people who get scammed by distance learning programs are asking to be scammed. How can I say that? Well, what else could you say if you are looking for an online education program that would award you a degree based primarily on how much ‘real work’ experience you already have? What else do you say to a person who is looking for a degree after one month of online education?
These really ridiculous expectations and requirements are the reasons why so many shady online education programs exist. If there is no demand, there is no market. It is as simple as that. If there is no demand for marijuana, there will be no marijuana smokers. The same goes with cocaine.
This market dynamic of supply and demand is very true when it comes to online education scams. Distance learning programs have been around forever. Because the need for quick advance degree has existed for just as long, the shady distance learning programs also are as old as distance learning itself.
Protect Yourself From Scammers
How do you protect yourself from being scammed by distance learning programs?
1. Have realistic expectations. If you are signing up for distance education, you have to remember that this is still an education and just like with any real college or real graduate school, it takes time. You have to actually put in work. You have to actually take tests.
The most important step in making sure you do not get scammed is to have realistic expectations. Two-year programs and three-year programs are the more realistic. If the program says to you that they can get you a degree in less than three months, then ask yourself, “Is this realistic?” Most people with common sense would say no.
2. How difficult is the program? Anything in life that has value is worth going through hassles for. To put it another way, anything that is worth something is worth struggling over. If your degree from a distance learning program involves you jumping through all sorts of hoops, chances are that degree is a legit degree and the program is credible.
However, if it is so easy to pass a test or it is so easy to ‘learn’ online, then you can probably tell this is just an online diploma mill. Their primary concern is not to help you learn, but primarily to get your money. Always ask for details regarding their instruction program and how rigorous it is.
3. How sophisticated is the learning system employed? There are many distance education programs online and they vary widely. There is really no one standard website or one standard online program.
With that said, you should look for programs that have at least invested in fairly sophisticated software that helps track and monitor your progress. If the distance learning program that you signed up to did not even bother to spend money on software, it does raise flags as to the overall level of investment it has made in the quality of its program.
Of course, just because a distance education program is using sophisticated software does not necessarily mean it is a good program. However, it is a key indicator because this type of software is not cheap and investing in such software does send signals that, at least, when it comes to this consideration, the online education program is serious.
Don’t Buy A Diploma Online
The bottom line is it is very easy and very tempting to basically buy a diploma online. It would be a bad idea. I would not suggest it. Why? You are just wasting your money.
If it is so easy to get a degree from that institution, can you imagine the other slackers who did the same thing as you? Schools get their value based on the performance of the alumni. If you want your distance education degree to actually produce real results for your career or your job prospects, then go with a program that is not a scam and that actually helps you learn online.
