Accreditation, in general terms, is the vehicle by which a school is officially introduced and recognized as a provider of a satisfactory education on which public institutions (i.e. employers) can count. It is a voluntary process that requires the school to meet minimum requirements that are established by various regional accrediting agencies.
In common, the lack of one official accrediting agency creates a chance for sub par online schools that are trying to obtain students through any possible means. In another word, just about any organization can utter that they are an accrediting agency, so potential online school enrollers should do their research before signing up for classes at a particular online school.
Unfortunately, a number of online schools create false accrediting agencies in order to make candidates think that they are trustworthy and established. So to avoid this conflict, be sure to check whether or not an online school is accredited by one of the six major regional accrediting agencies. If your online school is accredited, your degree will be seen as legitimate by most employers. However, if your online school is not accredited but by a false accrediting agency, your degree may not be acceptable to most employers.