How an Online High School Can Prepare Your Child for Employment

Getting a high school diploma is not just what a virtual high school can give you. The skills and discipline provided also prepare you for future employment – making you more competitive in the workforce. With today’s high unemployment rates and stiff competition, every advantage you can offer potential employers will count in your favor.

Some people may think that taking courses in an online school is a walk in the park, where students simply breeze through the lessons without a lot of effort. However, that is simply not true. There is a specific set of skills that a student of an online high school needs to have for him to successfully finish his courses.

Here are some skills developed while enrolled in an online high school:

• Technology skills. With today’s online world, it is a distinct advantage to have a high level of proficiency and confidence with using the Internet and computers. Learning online exposes the student to a wide range of technologies – video chat and web telephony, e-mail, discussions over forums and other technologies required for online learning.
• Communication skills. With getting high school courses online, a student needs to be able to effectively communicate with his teachers. You also need to coordinate with online “classmates” via e-mail and chat. The need to be able to clearly express yourself through writing helps you sharpen your communication skills.
• Discipline and self-motivation. Online learning provides the student with a great level of freedom and flexibility. You are able to work based on the pace you set, even with deadlines for projects and assignments. There are no teachers who will follow up on work to be done. In order to finish coursework on time, it is necessary for a student to develop a certain level of discipline and be able to motivate himself. Being personally responsible for one’s own learning is a great skill to develop. Being a “self-starter” who gets things done even with little supervision (instead of someone who simply waits for instructions) is a skill that will be appreciated by future employers.
• Time management. Usually, a student opts to go to an online high school because of certain circumstances. He may be an athlete who goes out on competitions often, or someone who is already working but would like to earn his high school diploma, or someone whose family travels often. With these special circumstances, there is a need to be able to juggle not just one’s schooling but also other areas of his life – his family, his social life, his passions and pursuits or his work. An online student needs to learn how to set his priorities and set his schedule accordingly. He needs to manage his days, weeks and months in order not to be left behind in his coursework.
• Flexibility. As they say, life happens. Something may come up that is not according to schedule. The student or someone in the family may get sick. The internet connection may have problems. A competition he has joined may eat up more time than expected or his travel time has been considerably increased due to flight delays. The student must learn to adapt with these circumstances and respond positively in order to accomplish his goals.
• Wider scope of knowledge. Online schools such as The American Academy provide a wide range of courses – from the basic Math and English courses to electives such as Advertising & Promotion, Interior Design or Business Webpage Design. This opportunity to learn more about the world and to learn about subjects that interest the student and that can be useful to future employment can make him more competitive.