Dave Milner ⋅ Franklin, TN U.S. Air Force ⋅ 26 years experience

The point is you attended a school of higher learning. More schools are including on-line courses so it is not out of the normal as many above have stated. Make sure when you have signed up for on-line courses they are from accredited schools. Don't lie about how you attended school if asked but there is no requirement to volunteer the information. BL: "I attended XX College/University and achieved an BS/MS/BA/MA in __________ and maintained a X.X GPA."

Frank Aburto ⋅ Jersey City, NJ U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 6 years served

I would discuss it in my interview rather than on my resume. I saw you had a question regarding how employers value the online degree and it seemed that it got mixed answers. When your interviewer asks your background you can bring it up then and emphasize how difficult it was to balance your duties to the Navy, studying, and any other activities you had at the time. This may avoid the pitfall of an employer who has a negative opinion of the online degree.

Logan Sankaran ⋅ Plano, TX Hewlett Packard ⋅ 25 years experience

An online degree in no way should diminish the education you aquire or the skills you learn. So, you have no reason to volunteer this information in your resume. If this topic comes up in an interview, be honest and openly discuss how and from where you got your degree and if necessary, why you chose this path. The instituition from where you get your degree should be of less importance to any employer who is more interested in the quality of education and experience. Good-luck.
Logan

David "Reid" Fairburn ⋅ Rockford, MI General Electric ⋅ 29 years experience

Don't volunteer information that may not be of concern! Tell them you have a degree in xxxxx but do not mention how you obtained it unless asked. The important thing is that you worked hard to get that degree, you should be proud of it.

Bob Borek ⋅ North Reading, MA General Electric ⋅ 44 years experience

I agree with Frank Aburto. Doing your Job and getting a degree shows many skills; perseverance, setting priorities, dedication, maturity. Tell a story at the interview if youas to how your education progressed it helped job skills. I always liked it when people could explain there contribution to an effort and how it made a difference. Ex; "I kept the meeting minutes to ensure tasks and responsibilities were clear. This went a long way to keeping the the program on track". or "my unique problem solving skills (describe) resulted in preventing the delay of a key shipment".

Craig Lehman ⋅ Greer, SC General Electric ⋅ 24 years experience

On your resume, you would document your education, and where the degress were awarded. I would not list the "method" used to obtain the degree.
For myself, and many others out there from the submarine community, "online" degrees were/are the only practical method for obtaining the degree. The course work is not easier than course works delivered on site, and should not be view differently.
The fact that you did your full time job, and finished your degree speaks volumes more that completing your degree without working.

Robert Sawyer ⋅ Woodstock, GA Sikich LLP ⋅ 9 years experience

I don't think it is necessary to disclose whether or not your degree was earned online unless it is a university that does not have a brick and mortar traditional setting. While many focus on what to say during an interview, you also need to focus on what not to say. Don't worry about an explanation or justification to a question that isn't asked. Additionally, choosing to make the best use of your time and not allowing circumstances to dictate your abilities to further your education demonstrates critical thinking skills and judgment. Sometimes it is not the information that is most important...it is how it is presented.

Best regards,
Robert

Vince R. ⋅ Estero, FL ⋅ 10 years experience

Earning a degree is no simple feat, whether in person or online. I’d certainly include this on your resume and highlight that work/life balance skill required to do so.

Furthermore, you may highlight the benefits of obtaining a degree online. The clear trend in nearly every industry is to do more with less; being extremely well versed in how to effectively leverage technology (i.e. obtaining a degree online) can translate into good business practices. Since you’ll have spent such a great deal of time studying, collaborating with teams and using the internet as a useful tool, this should be viewed as true transferable and relevant asset to any prosperous company. Thanks!

Andy Rosengard ⋅ San Antonio, TX ⋅ 20 years experience

In today's job market, a bachelors degree is your chip to get in the game. As long as your degree is from an accredited university, put it on your resume. As Frank and Charles stated, talking about the difficulties you overcame in going to school while serving will impress a potential boss.

Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Dallas, TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 25 years experience

Getting a degree online is no different from one where you physically attend classes. Employers are looking for certain skills and experience and are more concerned with those than where you took classes. With your years of service, you have lots of management and organizational skills that any employer would be lucky to find in an employee. Send me your resume and I will give you a call and we can discuss what skills you should highlight. tomlinsonjk@aol.com
Judy Tomlinson

Charles McGrue ⋅ U.S. Army Reserve, Captain ⋅ 21 years served

I'd agree with Frank on this one. In addition, it shows that you are able to employ time management skills in order to complete your education, while still doing your job in the Navy. Time management is a key skill, for some positions more than others, but a key skill nonetheless.

Charles