The Internet has recently brought forth a new kind of university, one without a geographical center. These colleges offer an education through online lectures, discussions, and assignments.

They are a good option for people without the time and money to spend four years at a college site, but can also turn out to be scams. Before enrolling in an online college, you need to determine whether it is accredited.

The Accreditation Factor

If a school has been accredited, that means it has been reviewed and certified to teach an academic program and hand out degrees.

If a school is not accredited, it can claim to teach all they like, but you will never receive a real diploma from them. Accreditation ensures that schools are providing a high quality education and a somewhat consistent curriculum for each subject core.

The Claims of Many

There are many schools claiming to be accredited, but accreditation doesn’t mean anything if it comes from a non-recognized organization.

Any organization stating they are accredited by the IAAOU (International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities), Board of Online Universities (BOUA), World Online Education Accrediting Commission (WOEA), and UCOEA (Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation), are not real universities and will not offer a quality education. Hint: no real accrediting organization has the word "online" in its title.

These so-called "online universities" that claim accreditation from such sources will, at best, provide you a poor education that few respect.

At worst, they will simply sell you a fake diploma. It is illegal in many states to claim you have a degree if all you really own is a diploma from one of these schools.

Authentic Options

There are real online schools, but legitimate ones are the in the minority. To be a valid, recognized university in the United States, a school must be accredited by an organization that has itself been recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), or both.

There are five main regional accreditors and many smaller organizations recognized by CHEA and USDE. These organizations have lists on their web sites.

Perception is Important

An online education is not as well respected as attending a physical university with a college campus, but it can be a great option for self-motivated people who need to earn a degree more quickly while they move forward with their lives.

It is not such a good idea to jump into an online education straight out of high school, but is very helpful for those already employed and who want to give their careers a little boost by finally earning that coveted degree.

Make sure the online school you are considering is accredited from a respected institution that has been approved by the CHEA or the USDE. They authenticate the only real schools online that count!

Do you want to be a registered nurse but not want to take four years to complete a degree program? It is possible for you to start working as a nurse sooner rather then later by completing a diploma in nursing or an associate’s in nursing degree. This option will get you working quicker as an RN then a four year degree program would. If your main career goal is to be a nursing helping patients and not go into a manager role then this may the way to go. If later on in your career you change your mind and do wish to get into management you may need to return to school in order to complete an RN-BSN program. An easier way to do this if you are working full time may be to choose an RN to BSN Online program of study instead of one of the campus based programs.

The above is the quicker way to get into nursing as a registered nurse. There is of course a longer way but with a higher degree and that is to pursue a 4 year degree in nursing where you earn a BSN.

If you have the time and know for sure you want more career opportunities then earning your BSN (four year) degree from the start may be a great idea for you. This will give you an opportunity to go into management and other career opportunities those with a lesser degree may not have.

Whatever choice you decide a key thing to do now is to compare all your options. This includes nursing schools and type of programs. Once that is done you can start applying for different schools. Keep in mind that all the schools will have different requirements to be accepted into their programs. In many cases you to get accepted into a nursing school you will need to take and do well on the nursing entrance test (NET) or other test. To prepare for a test one would be wise to good nursing study guides to help them do well. So to start the new year of 2009 off to a great start, you would be wise to take the time now to gather some information to help you make a good career decision.

In the closing days of 2008 things are not looking to great on the economic and employment radar’s for many industries. That does not appear to be as true with respect to the medical and health care career fields. Shortages of employees are common due to people retiring and not enough people having the proper training to enter the field. That can be good news for those looking to change careers or will be entering the workforce for the first time in the near future.

There are a lot of people around the United States who chose at some point in their lives to become either an licensed practice nurse or an LVN. The two are very similar and which one a person is may depend on where they live. Many of them probably thought maybe they should go to school to become an RN (registered nurse) but for one reason or another they choose to become and LPN/LVN. That is all fine and good, but now they are thinking there career options. Should they complete one of those lpn to rn programs some of their co-workers are talking about? Would it be worth it?

That is a good question and what only each person can answer themselves. Everyone is different and has different plans in live. Whether it is career related or not, each person has to think for themselves what is most important to them.

If you are currently working as an LPN/LVN and want more money or more responsibility then maybe you should really consider it if you plan to stay in nursing. If you do not plan to stay in nursing then obviously you should decide on something else. But if you do there are several questions to need to consider.

First off will it benefit you relatively quickly? Will you be able to get a new job where you are currently working? Will your current employer pay for you to go to school? If not how will you pay for it? Is financial aid available and do you qualify? These are all excellent question you need to thinking about, writing down and researching to help you decide.

Another great question to consider is do you want to go to a more traditional campus based college or university? Or would an lpn to rn online option be a better choice for you at this point in your life? This brings up some more questions, such as why online? One big reason is flexibility to work at your own pace which can be very important if you work fulltime and/or have a family to take care of. One thing you do want to do is act now as far as gathering information goes. Do not wait as time moves quickly. You do not need to make a decision now, but you can begin to gather the information now so you are prepared when the time comes.