From accounting to zoology - and everything in between - E-learning has something to suit everyone!

Almost every college and university in business today offers online courses that lead to accredited certificates, diplomas or degrees. The question that today's student is asking is not so much "I should study online?" but rather "which online course I should take?", and, unless an area of study is almost totally based in the physical, there will be at least one online course available on every level for every discipline. The beauty of E-learning is also that the course does not have to be offered by a school in the same city - or even the same country - for a student to be able to access it.

The two things that matter most to almost every student are time and money, and, when a student studies online instead of on-campus, he or she will get to save both precious commodities. If a student chooses E-learning over on-campus study, there is no need to spend hours every day commuting to and from school - or moving half of one's life to school and back again every few months - and this represents a major savings of both money and time. Students who study at home would also not have to give up their day job, and they would actually make money while getting their qualification rather than just spending it. Residence fees are also a thing of this past, and, as living on campus usually costs thousands of dollars, this is where E-learning really comes out on top.

Another major advantage of E-learning is that students can study at their own pace. No more would a student need to feel that a class is leaving him behind or that he is stagnating because he is so far ahead of everyone else as E-learners are free to progress exactly as fast as they want to. Students are also not limited as to when or where they study, and completing a paper at 10pm at night at the nearest coffee-shop or at 4am in the morning when they can't sleep is just as acceptable as doing so in the classroom in broad daylight.

Not only are E-learning courses offered in all disciplines, they are also offered at all levels. The Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions specialize in certificates, diplomas and associate degrees, which last for anything from 12 through 24 months, while those higher education providers that are classed as universities offer bachelor's degrees, master's programs and doctorates that last for four years or more. The recent advances in E-learning have made it possible for all of these types of courses to be represented in the E-learning arena in almost every field.

Many of the courses offered online are also accredited by professional associations in one particular field or another. Should a student wish to make his online course a prelude to his life's work, he should then make sure that the course(s) that he chooses are accredited. Should, however, he just be studying out of a desire to better himself, accreditation would not be so important.

Different types of E-learning courses are also available, and students are free to choose whichever type works best for them. Methods of E-learning range from pure online learning to blended learning, which is generally a combination of face-to-face and online learning, and courses can either be web-based, computer based (CD-ROM) or taped-based learning, which makes use of audio and video tapes. Information can be delivered to the student through media like emails, streaming video, blogs, e-zines and/or video- or tele-conferences, and the e-possibilities are truly endless.

E-learning is truly a win-win situation for all concerned as a student no longer has to put his whole life on hold while going to school. Getting an education also no longer costs the earth, and knowledge is now accessible to everyone.