When I started to write this post about online learning, my thinking was that college isn't for everyone. And it's not. But as a recruiter in Silicon Valley, I can tell you that in order to get a job in high tech or to get ahead in a business career, you will, indeed, need a college education. The more prestigious the college, the more likely you are to snare the right job. But again, college, especially the brick and mortar kind, aren't for everyone.
So where does online education come into play? Well, first of all it can give you a boost up in your current job. Secondly it can provide you with extra knowledge about an area of interest. And lastly, it can supplement your past education. Don't rule it out.
Online education is going nowhere but UP! Even Bill Gates is a strong proponent of online learning. The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit educational organization whose mission is to"provide a high quality education to anyone, anywhere". They supply a free online collection of over 2,000 videos on mathematics, history, finance, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and economics. I think this site is great for high school students.
But there are other online courses you can take as well. The University of Washington has online classes for Arts, Biotechnology, Health & Medicine, Law and a host of other majors. Or check out Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative and take a Statistics or Biology class.
Penn State University offers a free Swedish class or a Hungarian Language course.
The University of Washington School of Medicine offers free CPR classes online, complete with video and instructional guides.
If you want to learn about dentistry, medicine, nutrition, and more, check out Tufts University.
There are a lot of syllabi from college classes that can be found on the web. Just do a Google search using this formula: site:.edu math course syllabus. Replace math with whatever subject area you're interested in. For instance, if you want to find a syllabus for an art history class, just Google this: site:.edu "art history" course syllabus. Or you can find lectures, tutorials, notes, and even online books.
You can use these online resources to enhance your existing education or maybe just to satisfy your curiosity in a particular subject. Never stop learning. Ever.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
CSI Here I Come!
My daughter hired a nanny for the grandkids this past summer. She comes home from college for the summer. During the school year the nanny is a student at the University of New Haven .
I started quizzing her about her major and what kind of career she was interested in. She said she was a die hard fan of the show CSI . For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a forensic scientist. This pdf www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/art01.pdf , put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistic, gives you a good idea of what is involved in forensic lab work. Pretty interesting stuff!
Since I had no background in forensic science, I thought it wise to check out the class descriptions from the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Here are a couple of classes (just to give you an idea):
I am in no way a science geek but I like solving mysteries. And it sounds to me like that's exactly what forensic scientists do. So if you enjoy solving mysteries and think you might actually enjoy Biology, then by all means, check out related jobs -- just do a Google search on forensic science and you'll have more reading than you ever thought possible. And also check out the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Those high school Biology classes might start looking pretty interesting ;-)
I started quizzing her about her major and what kind of career she was interested in. She said she was a die hard fan of the show CSI . For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a forensic scientist. This pdf www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/art01.pdf , put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistic, gives you a good idea of what is involved in forensic lab work. Pretty interesting stuff!
Since I had no background in forensic science, I thought it wise to check out the class descriptions from the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Here are a couple of classes (just to give you an idea):
- Forensic Microscopy
- Fingerprints
- Forensic Pathology
- Criminalistics
- Capillary Electophoresis
I am in no way a science geek but I like solving mysteries. And it sounds to me like that's exactly what forensic scientists do. So if you enjoy solving mysteries and think you might actually enjoy Biology, then by all means, check out related jobs -- just do a Google search on forensic science and you'll have more reading than you ever thought possible. And also check out the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Those high school Biology classes might start looking pretty interesting ;-)
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