How Online Education Can Be Life Changing
Back in 2001, when Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia, the concept of an online and free encyclopedia was not much developed. Its predecessors Encyclopedia Britannica and Microsoft’s Encarta were the two most reliable names in the market. Initially users and investors were both skeptical of the concept that anyone could contribute to the Encyclopedia. But it was not long before the concept started to catch on, thanks to the speed and vastness of its service. By the end of the first year, Wikipedia contained more than 20,000 articles in 18 languages. Cost, limited size and late updates were some of the challenges faced by the traditional encyclopedias that were addressed in Wikipedia’s model. And thus, Wikipedia gained its standing as a “disruptive innovation” in the world of encyclopedias.
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Online colleges are the Wikipedia of the world of education. Like the massive online encyclopedia, distance learning is a disruptive innovation – an idea that has introduced more convenience, affordability and efficiency. Online schools are offering students a solution that saves both their time and money, which is why this mode of education can easily serve as a catalyst to your life-changing experiences. Have a look at what online education can help you accomplish.
Online education can help you venture into new careers:
There comes a point in nearly everyone’s professional life, when they start to feel stagnant. For instance, 10 years into a particular job, one might start to feel saturated and exhausted. Switching is a good option, but that just means that you will be working in the same capacity – in another organization. To actually get some change of scenery in terms of work nature, online education can be of great assistance. You can enroll in a short course, weekend classes or a full time degree from home, in an entirely new subject. For instance, if you happen to be a psychology teacher at school, you might want to go for a different degree, for example, literature and start to teach it once you have completed the course. Or you could move entirely from teaching to the business side of matters and get involved in a private school’s administration. With online education, clearly, your options are vast.
Give you a good salary boost:
Money is a big motivator for most people. And education can help you achieve greater financial success. If you are doing a regular 9-to-5 job with an average salary that goes up by a set percentage every year, your financial progress will be relatively slow. For people looking for a significant upward nudge in their salary, a viable option would be enrolling in an online program to learn new skills. Just like having more skills on your resume can land you a better job initially; adding skills to it can also help you move a few steps ahead. And the best part is that you do not have to leave your current job to pursue an education for a better future. You can take advantage of the flexible timings and weekend classes to continue working while you study. This is one of the biggest hesitations among people who wish to ‘go back to school’ but can’t because of financial commitments.
Let you explore more about yourself:
The truly life-changing aspect about online education lies in the fact that it allows you to explore your own personality, interests and strengths. Since the opportunities are endless with online education, you can choose practically any subject. For instance, if you are a physicist by profession and have a profound interest in fine art, you can always take up a course to fulfill your hobby. When presented with this many options, you are likely to discover so much more about yourself and your inclinations. Whether its music, literature, architecture, arts, languages, sciences, nursing, psychology, hotel management or education, you can take up any course or degree based on your individual preferences and interests. This variety of options and the ease with which you can pick and pursue one of them will allow you to learn a lot of things about yourself. Exploring yourself is a healthy exercise that would make you satisfied as a whole and help you expand your horizons.
Teach you valuable skills like time management, discipline and flexibility:
To be able to successfully get an online degree, you have to work on your time management skills. This education process requires a lot of discipline and commitment. The flexibility option will need to be managed more vigilantly since it would be your responsibility to make time for everything. By enrolling in an online program, you will learn the art of multi-tasking and prioritizing your time. Having to deliver assignments on time and study for your exams will instill qualities like discipline and control in you. All these qualities are positive additions to your life, and will make your personal and professional life a lot more efficient and rewarding.
These benefits make online education a truly rewarding experience. So whether it is a new career you are looking for, higher salary, self exploration or valuable skills, this mode of education might be just what you need.
Making a life changing decision can be tough. It requires a lot of thought and commitment to abandon a comfortable routine and go on to pursue a different path and bigger dreams. While this would be a highly risky move, it might turn out to be the most fruitful decision of your professional life and hence a truly life-changing experience. This ‘disruptive innovation’ is making waves in the world of academics, and might soon become the preferred mode of education. So make a wise move.