I had never thought about doing an online degree until I started to notice how many times online university qualifications popped up in CV's that were sent to me in job applications.

I already owned and ran a successful company that I had built up over the years with hard work, dedication and without the aid of a degree even though many of my employees were actually more academically qualified than I was. As I came from a poor family it was unthinkable that I would have gone to university when I was younger but now that I had my own home and was in a more financially stable position I began to think about how the knowledge gained from higher education could benefit my already successful business.

Obviously I knew that to take the time out to attend a 'physical' university would be impossible but the standards offered from job candidates with online qualifications were just as high as those who applied with degrees from places like Bristol or Cardiff. This made me realise that the traditional view of university was moving on in the digital age and that the opportunity of gaining a degree was more within my grasp than I could have hoped.

I did some research on online universities and when they could offer and decided to apply for a degree in internet marketing. Home learning would offer me the flexibility to carry on running my company whilst obtaining a degree in my own time and also give me the opportunity to use my extensive knowledge of business to compliment the assignments that I would be given. I applied for a place on the internet marketing degree course that Kaplan open learning offered. The online tour and the student testimonials were impressive, really stretching my thoughts on what online courses were offering. A quality resource was Kaplan Distance Learning.

As my capabilities were reviewed by my extensive work experience and personal merit and achievements I need not have worried that I had only gained a few O-levels whilst I was at school. Assignments that I have been given by the university have been challenging but rewarding and I am really enjoying being able to manage them in my own time. The interactivity and support between lecturers and fellow students has been the most interesting part as I never expected to feel so much a part of this online community, far removed from the detached lectures and assignments that I had initially expected.

My wife and I are going on holiday to the South of France in a couple of weeks but as I have internet access at our villa I wont have to miss any important lectures. I can decide when to catch up on lectures as they are pre-recorded in case you are too busy to view them right away, the lectures are so interesting that often my wife will be leaning over my shoulder to watch them herself!