Many people enjoy their time in the military, defending their country. However, you may not want to be in this career path forever. You need to have a strategy for how you will support yourself and pursue a new career when you leave the military and resume civilian life. For many military members, that strategy begins when they enroll in an online university. Here are five benefits of enrolling in an online university for military personnel.

1. You get to move towards your new career while still in the military.

Your military schedule is probably a busy one. You may find it difficult or impossible to enroll in a traditional university since the class times will conflict with your schedule. If you were to go this route, you would not be able to start school until after you leave the military. However, when you enroll in online university, you can find a way to work the classes into your already busy schedule. There's no reason to wait -- you can start your schooling while still in the service so you are closer to a new career by the time to leave the military. This means there will be a smaller gap in your earnings; you can get right back to work!

2. You can choose from a wide range of majors.

If you were to attend a college near you instead, you could only choose from the majors that particular college offered. You may not find a major that is overly appealing to you. With an online university, your options are virtually limitless. You want your next career to be one you truly love, so it's important to pick a major that really means something to you. Some online universities even let you design your own major by melding a few of their existing programs. This may be a great choice if you have a wide range of interests and don't want to box yourself into one pursuit.

3. Online universities are used to dealing with time zone challenges.

When you are in the military and traveling often, you may have trouble navigating due dates for school work when the time zones change. Online universities, however, are used to dealing with time zone challenges since they enroll students from all over the world. The school's system may be set up to always display the due date in one specific time zone, or to change automatically as you move. Either way, online schools take on the burden of this challenge so you don't have to.

4. You get to meet others from around the world.

Your classes at an online university will include people from all over the world. You will communicate with them in forums and chat rooms as a part of your learning process. You never know who you may become friends with and how that connection might help you in your post-military career. You might meet someone working for a company that can hire you, or you may just make a friend who introduces you to their city, which later becomes your own home.

5. You get to use your brain in a new way.

In military life, you get used to living your life in a certain way and always following commands. When you begin working outside of the military, you may need to work more independently, follow different work processes, and function in a different environment. Taking online classes can help get you used to using your brain in different ways so that settling into a new career post-military does not come as such a shock.