Online degrees and colleges have been around since the early 70′s. At first they were met with substantial skepticism.

Students wondered if online degrees would be worth the time and effort. And, they had ample reason for concern, as few employers put much, if any, credence in online degrees.

For many years, established, traditional colleges opposed online education. In fact, some successfully campaigned against having institutions like the University of Phoenix, Walden University, and Nova University offer classes in their states.

Today, in 2009, attitudes are far different. Students feel confident that online degrees can help them reach their professional goals. Most employers, including some of the largest corporations in America, are more than willing to hire graduates of online college programs. Even colleges and universities are hiring faculty and staff with one or more online degrees.

Most surprising of all is the fact that many of the long established, highly traditional colleges that opposed online and distance education now offer online certificate and degree programs. Even doctoral degrees and law degrees are available via online education.

Of course, a few online degree mills do exist. But state legislation has shut most of them down, and five minutes on the U.S. Department of Education website will tell you which colleges are accredited and which are not. In additional good news, students have an extremely diverse selection of online education programs.

As late as 1975 or 1980 there were a very limited number of accredited universities with online degree programs. Furthermore, they offered degrees in only a very few major areas of study. Now there are in excess of 200 fully accredited U.S. institutions offering degrees at all levels.

Even better is the fact that students in online education programs can now qualify for all kinds of financial aid. Until fairly recently, that was not the case.

The bottom line is that that folks who want to continue their educations should seriously consider both traditional and online education. Both can offer a solid education and a start on the path to career advancement.