College has always been an expensive choice. This is why so many graduate with a bachelor's degree and a depressing student's debt. While many choose this road, some opt out of it. They'd rather start working early than be stumped from the cost of a college education. But the trend has changed, and studying in a university isn't the only thing that can give someone a leverage.It's not just the expenses that hinder's one's journey to learning. Universities usually have a cut-off and GWA requirements. Instead of getting into a program you desire, you only end up in one that can accommodate your grade point average. They are often forced into majors that they don't particularly like. So instead of chasing their dreams as early as possible, they're chasing for a passing grade that can't really give them their desired happiness.Good thing not having the college education you've always wanted is never enough to hinder your chances to success. These days, the name of your university may mean a lot, but it doesn't mean everything. Though being an honor student or an Ivy League graduate are all good, often times it's your skills that will determine your success. You may not have graduated with a degree on business management, but it doesn't mean you cannot manage your own business. After all, it's not just in a formal school that you can run how to run a business.
This is where Open Education comes in
Many universities open their educational system to people who can't attend regular school. But this isn't the only form of open education that's in existence. There's an abundance of educational courses on any topics available online. Suddenly, you can be an accountant but take writing classes online. You can be a graphic artist and learn about web programming for free through an open course.Education is now a commodity that anyone with a computer and an internet connection can receive. Though there's no cum laude nor a graduation every time one finishes a course, it's definite some learning has taken place. For someone who wants to start a business but has no idea how, taking up an online business course is a good start.
Top 5 Reason why you must consider Open Education
- Grades are non-existent.
Average SAT results? Passable grades in school? It doesn't matter. When you enrol in an online class, no one will check whether you're qualified for it or not. Because no matter what grade you got for English back in high school, you can still take as many writing courses you want. The only thing they require from you is the commitment to learn. - You can choose from a variety of courses from different fields.
The available online courses aren't just limited to science and technology. There's a course for pretty much every field of knowledge there is. So if you know next to nothing about management, you can easily find an introductory course about it. There's also a mix and match type of options, since you can take multiple classes on different subjects any time. - Most of the time, it's completely free.
Don't worry about the expenses, because most of the time it costs nothing at all. Though there are online learning website that requires a small fee for the lessons, there are numerous sites that offer it for nothing at all. In fact, most of the well-established ones are free. - Many Ivy League universities support open education.
Many of the Ivy League schools have collaborated with these online schools and share some of their best courses to everyone. So if studying in Harvard was your childhood dream, you can take a step closer to reality by taking a Harvard Extention course. It's an exciting innovation that hopefully lasts for years. - Open education adjusts to your schedule.
You're not restricted by a single schedule to study. So if you're working full-time or running a business, you always have the option of taking the classes at night or during the weekends! It's really up to the student to decide on how they can work it around their schedule.
The next step
If you're still unsure, below is a list of credible online learning websites:
- MIT OpenCourseWare
Massachusetts Institute of Technology open their doors to everyone by providing learning materials and making it accessible to anyone completely free. - edX.org
Take courses from some of the universities worldwide with the wide selection of courses on fields ranging from Mathematics to English to Medicine. - Coursera
One of the few sites that offer courses not just in English but even in Chinese, Russian and even French. Learn from universities not just in the US but also from Europe and Asia. - Stanford Online
The platform allows anyone to learn from the Stanford faculty on many subjects most specially programming and science. It's also available on Youtube and iTunes.
There's really nothing else to do but take the plunge and register for an online course.
