The first time Cindy Bitzer went to college, her full-time work life pushed her academic goals to the side. Thirteen years later, Bitzer, a special education assistant for Cherry Hill (N.J.) School District, found that her work life was shoving her back into college.

"Due to the No Child Left Behind Act, all educational assistants within the Cherry Hill district are required to have 48 college credits by 2006," she says. "As this was a requirement for my employment, I decided to return to school after a 13-year absence."

Investigating her options, Bitzer noticed a major difference between college 13 years ago and college today: the widespread availability of online courses.

"Since my return to college last year, I have taken two types of courses," she says. "Internet courses are ideal compared to regular courses for various reasons. At the time, the Internet courses were available and I was ready for a challenge. They also helped me spend more time at home with my children."

"I liked the fact that I did not have to commute to courses," Bitzer says. "I also was able to commit more time to schoolwork when I did not need to leave the house for classes."

Bitzer says she also likes the immediate access to coursework and tests that online courses provide, as well as the ability to set her own pace. "I liked the flexibility of completing work ahead of schedule via Internet courses," she adds.

But is there a downside to all the additional control and extra time online courses offer?

"The element that I liked least was that — since I am a very conscientious student — the computer was always there," she says.

Bitzer might have found the one pitfall of college anytime, anywhere.

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An online class is a still a college-level course with college-level challenges, Bitzer emphasizes.

"An Internet course is full of specific deadlines and writing," she says. "There were timed tests which were involved with my testing. The pressure to complete essays within a specific time limit was slightly challenging. There were also many writing assignments, so if writing skills were weak, it would be shown quickly."

Still, with any challenge comes rewards, and Bitzer says she has been rewarded for all her writing by becoming a better writer.

Based on her online experiences, Bitzer urges newcomers to online education to give themselves enough time to effectively complete the course. "Be sure to schedule enough time and to be disciplined enough to give your studies complete attention," she advises.

Bitzer is already putting her college work to use. "I have used the knowledge that I acquired in my 'Trends in Education' online course daily in my work within the school district," she notes.

And education is becoming an even larger part of her life. "I am not going to stop at 48 credits, but I'm continuing on for my associate's, and then on to my bachelor's degree," she says.

Cindy Bitzer attends Camden County College in New Jersey.