There was a time not too long ago that a tutor was required to be sitting next to a student in order to do his job. I would know - I’ve been earning a living as a private tutor for the past 10 years. When I work a 50-hour-per-week schedule, 25 hours are spent tutoring, the other 25 are spent driving. Together with the fact that you have no income 30% of the year (whenever school is not in session or is just starting up again after the summer and major holidays), it’s impossible to do any better financially as a private tutor than just getting your bills paid.

Then one fine day, the internet was born, and along with it came the virtual tutor. Anyone anywhere in the world can now tutor anyone else anywhere in the world as if the two were sitting side by side – simply amazing. With increasing access to the internet, along with high-speed broadband connections, online tutoring has become the low-cost, most convenient method of learning anything, be it academic or non-academic. In addition, there is a world of educational activity taking place through online tutorials, videos, and voice recordings.

The Y2K generation, raised on all things electronic, is no stranger to online learning. Online tutoring has opened up a whole new world for all citizens of planet Earth – anyone capable of turning on a computer and sliding a mouse can enjoy it's benefits. Here are seven reasons why online tutoring is so powerful:

1) Adaptability – online tutoring is a natural product of our electronic age, all part of the internet revolution symbolized by words like iPhone, iPad, iPod (not to mention iCarly), Android, browser, search engine, operating system, and other technical jargon. Online tutorials update and adapt themselves to advances in technology and current research almost instantaneously, in ways that printed media cannot. Graphics and intelligent use of animation help to further refine the activity.

2) Accessibility - online tutoring sites are accessible all the time. Whenever students are ready to work, all they have to do is log in and start studying - anytime, anywhere.

3) Comfort – which one of these do you prefer, a quiet den on a soft couch or a cold, noisy classroom far from home? I know it's a tough choice.

4) Better Results – many people learn more efficiently and effectively with online tutorials than they do sitting in a classroom. One reason for this has to do with the ability of the online tutor to repeat the concept or skill again and again until understanding has been achieved. Online tutorials also point you to a vast number of reference and support sites, allowing you to pinpoint the type of help you need very quickly.

5) Perfect Pace - online tutoring provides a learning rate that matches exactly the skills and capabilities of the student, unlike classrooms, where a student is subjected to the momentum of a teacher and a class full of other students, each with unique needs and abilities.

6) Cost - online tutoring costs significantly less than conventional teaching activities. The analogy is parallel to the difference between a brick-and-mortar business and its online counterpart. No buildings, utilities, maintenance, parking lots, etc. mean vast savings for consumers, not to mention the environment. Personal tutors are therefore much more expensive than online tutors.

7) Vast Resources – whereas an individual teacher is limited by the teacher’s knowledge and experiences, online tutorials tap into the knowledge available on the internet – virtually unlimited and growing all the time.

For the reasons mentioned above, online tutoring will continue to play an increasingly important role in the field of education, especially with college students and adults taking college classes. With the advent of avatar teachers and 3D holographic instructors that will appear within your home, there is no way to predict just how advanced this area of education will become.