Many first-time distance learners assume they'll be able to breeze through an online degree. But, after their first class they realize online learning is a lot of work.

An eLearners blogger describes his experiences earning an online degree at Penn Foster College:

"How much effort does it take? Some students may tell you that the courses at Penn Foster College are easy, and after all, the exams are open-book. Some of the courses WERE easy, but I found others to be quite difficult, namely Math for Business and Finance and Principles of Management...So, to answer the question "how much time and effort does it take?" to succeed at Penn Foster College, I would say you get out of your program what you put into it. If you procrastinate, it will take you a very long time. If you put in the time and effort and schedule time to work on it each day, you should progress through the program in a reasonably short amount of time."

Just like traditional schools, quality online programs require a lot of work. Put genuine effort into it and you'll be rewarded.