I've taken five online courses this year, from coding to creative writing, and I've noticed I only finish about half of them. The flexibility of learning at my own pace is great, but without a fixed schedule, my motivation fades by week three. Online education also lacks the spontaneous discussions that happen in a physical classroom, which sometimes sparks the best ideas. But is that trade-off acceptable for the convenience of studying anywhere, or do we lose something essential in the process?