With online courses, you can learn on your own schedule and even continue working a full-time job in the meantime. Even better, you can read and study during the times of the day when you’re at your most productive and not when the registrar says you should be. Also convenient is that if you find that you’re truly overwhelmed with balancing the workload and your other commitments, you may be able to stop the course and restart when you’re ready.
Aside from the time management aspects, with some online courses you have more control of the learning process, i.e., you can learn at your own pace. You have the freedom to skim subjects you know well from other courses or from work experience and instead spend more time concentrating on other material you’re having a hard time grasping. In order for this to be a true advantage, of course, you must be honest with yourself about what you know and what you don’t know.
Online courses are usually less expensive than traditional courses, particularly if you’re not financially or otherwise ready to pursue a full degree program. You will save money on travel, books, and possibly even food. Another advantage regarding cost is that you can budget when to take courses so that if you are feeling cash-strapped one semester, you can always take a break and go back for more courses when your wallet says you can.