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| A college degree Worth the paper and tassel |
It’s a good
question at any age.
I believe people learn something
new each day merely by interacting with others or reading something new. There are free lectures to attend at
libraries or local college campuses, how-to books to read, and online,
single-subject classes or webinars to participate in. There are also introductory online courses
such as MOOC’s to interact in. MOOC’s
are “massive open online courses” taught by professors of respectable colleges
and universities.
I’ve participated in a business
course taught by a Wharton Business School professor and modern poetry from a
Kelly Writers’ House professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Archeology at Brown University and health and
wellness at the University of California.
Almost any topic can be presented to an online audience. In addition to listening to lectures, MOOC’s
have quizzes and writing assignments to test your understanding of the material
if you wish to receive a certificate for course completion. The web environment has online support and
question and answer links. These courses
do require a lot of time and there is a time limit for completion. But I love learning new things and enjoy
lectures.
That being said, I still believe a
college degree, with its varied curricula and face-to-face interaction, matters
in today’s world. Many professions
require a degree.
Earning a college degree demands years
of a person’s life, large amounts of work and understanding, and the student,
regardless of age, grows and changes because of this learning environment. Earning a college degree demonstrates
endurance and the determination to see things to completion.
What do you think about
this? Is a college degree still
necessary in today’s world?
A college degree is more necessary than ever. The MA is now becoming like a BA. When you look at earning potential, there's more $ the higher your degree (usually). While I enjoy many workshops I take, I learn the most in college courses. Even more, I have more of a chance to challenge my way of thinking in college courses.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Theresa, for bringing up these points. I agree with you except I might tweak it a bit and say the MA has become the new BA. While I firmly believe that a college degree is very important to anyone's life because of the growth potential in that person, it seems that more and more professions ask for a master's degree. Yes, I believe the earning potential is there for the higher degrees, and it's there for the bachelor's degree as well.
ReplyDeleteWorkshops are narrow topic specific and are hugely important to many people, writers among them, but I agree with you. A college education widens the scope in courses and is extremely challenging. I hope your master's course(s) is going well. You are braver than I.
Thank you so much, Theresa, for visiting my Adventures in Writing blog. Please stop by again.
I'm not sure I'd say it's necessary, but I would say it's an advantage. Of course, it depends what you want to learn.
ReplyDeleteIt depends upon what you want to learn and the profession you would like. I always feel a college education is an advantage. Thanks so much, Lynda, for visiting my Adventures in Writing blog. Please stop by again.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Theresa Milstein. A college degree is very important. Without it, you can't get too far. I'm a teacher, and sometimes, you need a Masters Degree to teach. I might go back for my Masters Degree just so I can stay fresh on all the new pedagogy. It's amazing how much we still need to learn in our current jobs. You never stop learning.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that's very interesting that I could take some free online classes. I might consider that. Thanks for the information.
Thank you, Michelle, for visiting my Adventures in Writing blog. Many professions require a college degree. Several school teachers I know have masters' degrees, and all college professors require them, I believe.
ReplyDeleteI think you are correct. We never do stop learning, and MOOC's are a great way to discover information on different topics. Thanks again for stopping by my Adventures in Writing blog. Please stop by again.
Stopping over to congratulate you on the Cricket Magazine publication!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Theresa. Let's hope it is only the beginning. Thanks again for stopping by my Adventures in Writing blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's only the beginning. Keep at it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the vote of confidence,Theresa. And thank you for letting me know there is someone out there to talk to.
DeleteThanks for stopping by my Adventures in Writing blog.