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Originally Posted by Basket Weaver
In the end, I don't feel as though this was anything near a quality education and there's a lot is left to be said for this type of degree. I went into this just to have a degree to put on a resume, and I will soon have it, however do I think it rivals a B&M type education? No way, not even close.
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Well I started this so I will throw in my two bobs worth.
I voted for there being no difference between my getting a degree this way or having gone the traditional route. The way I see it is that I have 40+ years of learning to supplement whatever I do via ECE. I am not looking for a quality education, I am looking for recognition for what I have learned and experienced over the years. Nor am testing out the entire degree either, as there are a number of courses directly related to my employment that I wish to do. So in essence, I am trying to combine some additional education with some recognition to achieve my desired result.
I have been on both sides of the fence. I have been a student and I have been a teacher/trainer (adult education) and believe that classroom/group learning can provide some of the best educational experiences available. Having an experienced teacher/mentor and group interaction can provide insights that just aren't available when we go it alone. But I also think that experience shouldn't be disregarded simply because someone doesn't have a formal degree. Unfortunately that is happening with many employers today (I posted a message in the "have you ever been embarrassed" thread about this).
So does it matter how we get our degree? Some will say yes and some will say no. Personally I think that the value of the degree will be diminished over time. This is something that has happened to a certain extent in the IT industry with qualifications from Microsoft and Novell etc not being worth anywhere near as much as they were in the late 80s because they have become too easy to get. Now you have qualifications such as "Project Management Professional" (PMP from PMI.org) where you require a degree and so many years experience or almost double the experience without the degree. Similar for CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) requiring a degree and 5 years experience. I think it is qualifications like these that will become what employers look for.
It wasn't that long ago that I knew of college graduates who complained that they couldn't get a job because employers wanted experience. Now employers want degrees and experience. Soon they will be asking for degrees, experience and industry qualifications so we will all have to continue our self-improvement if we wish to remain competitive. Tests will play their part, as will courses (online and traditional) but it is the individual that will matter in the end.
This is just my opinion and maybe I am completely wrong but I agree with you BW, as an educational experience this doesn’t compare to traditional methods. But then again, if I was employing I think I’d look closer at the members of this forum before I took someone fresh out of college.
Regards