Educational freedom. This highly underrated concept is one of the foundational bases of American education. Though many people talk about freedom in education, few have any idea of what it actually means. Further, although most people in the U.S. would agree that everyone has a right to attend a college or university, few actually understand the significance of this.

Are you aware that in many other countries, officials determine whether students as young as fourteen should be eligible to participate in a college degree program? In many countries, teachers decide which high school a student should be able to attend. Only students who attend certain high schools are eligible to earn a high school program that enables them to earn a degree at a postsecondary institution.

Many countries do this for practical reasons. No one would argue that it limits an individual’s potential, however. Students who obtain these vocational or general certificates of education will never be eligible to attend college degree programs in their home countries.

In contrast, students in the United States are free to earn a college degree at home, through distance learning programs, or through the completion of a traditional degree program. Any student who graduates from high school or earns a GED can earn a bachelor degree, attend a graduate degree program, or even earn a PhD. Although the American educational system is far from perfect, the United States still remains the land of learning opportunities for all of its citizens.

In 1989, when I was thirty years old I went back to school to get my Master’s Degree. At that time I had to commute a 90 mile roundtrip four days a week. I had to quit my job and take a part time position to have the time to go to school. I sold my house to pay my tuition. I was supporting a wife and two kids at the time and we struggled to get by. I didn’t have a choice then, but if I was going back to school today I would get my Master’s degree online from an online university.

Distance learning is a wonderful tool. It would have saved me valuable money, not having to commute every day. I would have saved hundreds of dollars back then, but think what the savings would be today with gas at $4 a gallon. Even with a car that gets 30 miles to the gallon, it would save $60 a week. Think of all the fun things you could do with an extra 60 dollars a week.

An online Master’s Degree would have saved precious time for family and friends and even allowed me to keep my full-time job. That would have made it a lot easier to pay for the extra schooling. A Distance Master’s Degree would also have allowed me to attend the online school of my choice. At the time, I really only had two schools to choose from because of where I lived.

Thinking of going back to school to get your Master’s Degree? It only makes sense to do it online with a distance learning program of your choice. Whatever your passion is, you can probably earn a Master’s Degree online in that field. The internet has done wonderful things for our society today and this is one of the best. A distance learning degree saves you time and money. Take advantage of it today.