In last week’s blog, I mentioned setting broad goals for 2017, and gaining knowledge is one of those goals. These days, for us to be relevant, becoming lifelong students is the requirement. It’s not just for our careers but for greater overall satisfaction.
We live in an age of technology that drives industries to morph so quickly that none of us can ever afford to stop learning. Education can come from books and experiences, but to really learn a new skill, we’ve got to go to a class. In our hectic, over-filled lives…where can we go to study and do it affordably?
Typical post-graduate studies still have constraints: time, flexibility, and of course, financial. A full-time MBA program at Rice University, here in Texas, runs $53k/year, $98k if you are a professional and taking night classes. It’s a pricey option even if you can handle the schedule of work/school/life/balance(ha!). An online university program is likely much cheaper and more flexible, but what if you just want to explore an interest?
Finally, there are newer, innovative teaching institutions that are paving the way. And not only do they offer the flexibility and low cost (as compared to college programs), they offer a myriad of topics, some that just sound fun!
Recently, on Udemy, I opted for a free class that explained the SMART goals technique in 10 short videos, roughly 30 minutes. It was not only a great refresher, but one that I suggested to my college going son. It was quick, easily accessible & effective training, at a great price, basically a win-win-win.
Here are just a few other classes on Udemy: Animal Reiki Practitioner Certification, Become a Game Developer/Designer, The Zen Entrepreneur, Play Ukulele Now, SQL Made Simple, and JavaScript Training in 8 different languages. The classes run from free to a couple hundred bucks. I had fun just perusing their catalog!
Other sites such Khan Academy are more focused on high school/college students offering AP Art History & Calculus to free SAT and GMAT classes. Ironically, while writing this blog, my younger son’s high school left a message reminding him to link his college board exam account to a Khan Aca
demy account. Apparently, Khan Academy will deliver him a personalized PSAT Training Program based on his specific exam responses. Just 4 years ago, for my older son, I paid for my son to go to SAT classes…and now, just a few years later, customized training is available to my younger son, online for FREE.
Still, another site, Udacity, offers “credentials for dream jobs,” including Artificial Intelligence classes to a full Nanodegree (3 sets of 12 weeks – total $2400) to become a Self-Driving Car Engineer, with content that was developed by partnering with Mercedes-Benz & BMW, all focused on getting you hired with the latest skills.
These options are not necessarily meant to replace a college degree (at least not yet), but certainly valuable to those of us who want to keep learning, growing, and staying relevant, to our industry and to ourselves. Go sign up for a class today!
More great information is available on edX : https://www.edx.org/
Example: http://www.curbed.com/2017/1/25/14386848/harvard-gsd-free-online-architecture-course-architecture-of-imagination
I always was concerned in this subject and still am, regards for putting up.