I speak to so many prospective students each day. How many of them do you think have updated their skills within the last year? It is negligible. That is shocking. Now, how many students do you think have bothered to continue to learn and improve their skills and have continued to excel even in this current economic environment? Well, the small percentage that have are in very good shape. What does this tell us? You must continue to update your skills. I can say it over and over again, but it is a fact. However, no matter how much I can try to urge people to do this; it is the job of the individual to take ownership and responsibility for their well-being.
I strongly advise for you to take at least one course a year to maintain your resume. Why? You never know what will happen moving forward. You must take control of your own life.
Even more so today, in this current environment are people hurting because they have not gotten the updates that they needed to make themselves more employable. I am seeing more and more students who come to me after they have been laid off, and now feeling the pressure of having no job, and needed to go back to school because they need to stay competitive.
My advice to you is to act now. Create an education fund so that you may continue to go back and learn. We are never done learning, and you never know when it will benefit you most. Why be caught off guard?
Call me today at 800-436-1713 ext 4203 or email me Elizabeth-Block@universityalliance.com
Master Certificate Programs 
To “update skills” is a highly ambigous phrasing. From context, your intention seems to be that it is important to continue learning even after graduation. This, I second. (And I have, regrettably, made the same experience that very many do not.)
The means you suggest, however, are dubious: Taking classes may give a diploma which can be used for verification, but otherwise classes are ineffecient and over-expensive. There are better ways to learn, e.g. by grabbing a text-book for self-study or by visiting relevant websites. Own thought and analysis are, at least for the somewhat brighter, often the very best way to learn.
Generally, the over-focus on teacher-lead eduction, educational institutions, and related, is highly detrimental—and those who are so weak that they need teacher-lead education are too weak to be interesting to me. (Admittedly, I work in a high-IQ sector and it may be different in other areas.)
By: michaeleriksson on July 14, 2010
at 3:47 AM
I appreciate your input. However, I must disagree with some of your points. I will also clarify some of my points.
I agree that we must continue to learn through self study, reading, etc. However, in terms of advancing your career, an employer is not going to take into account what you have learned on your own. You may be able to demonstrate through communication, but whether you fully understand the process and implementation of a subject cannot br proven. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perception, you will understand the value of an education and what it demonstrates to the employer.
I found it interesting That you somehow equate IQ or lack of to taking a teacher led program. I think that the moment that you feel that you cannot benefit from an expert, you have lost. There is always something that you can learn. Learning can be done through self study, books and online or offline education. Sometimes just the experience alone from a teacher can provide you with an edge.
By: Elizabeth Block on July 14, 2010
at 1:14 PM
First, let me clear up a major misunderstanding:
I am not in anyway saying that we should not learn from experts—my beef is with the kind of highly inefficient tuition that results from, mainly, lectures. I have studied on several universities in two countries (and been through a number of non-college seminars and lectures, as well as the obvious pre-college schoolling) and have experienced education based on 300-people-in-a-room, 30-people-in-a-room, 3-people-in-a-room lectures, based on text books and semi-improvised talk from the professor, based on self-study and teacher-based learning, etc.
The bottom line: Teacher-based learning in the form of lectures simple does not work well—the reasonably bright will be able to learn faster and better with the help of a good text book or similar resources. Only with unusually small groups can lectures be competitive. (As I hint in my first comment, there is a group of those too academically weak to stand on their own two feet, forming an exception to the above. However, these tend to be liabilities in a qualified professional context.)
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Now, as for career progress, I agree that many employers regrettably tend to be impressed only be diplomas and certificates. However, there are a number of other issues to consider, including:
o Whether one should learn just for career purposes.
o Whether a certificate (many of which are worth no more than the paper they are written on) is ultimately more important than the actual skills. Notably, the closer decision makings on promotions and the like are to the actual experts, the more important are the skills; the farther away, the more important is the piece of paper (in particular, when human resources or managers without domain expertise make the decisions).
o What the costs and benefits are: A good book on a particular subject is usually in the range from $10 to $80—while even a two-day seminar would be cheap at $80 (and would exclude food and lodging), and bring less value than a good book.
(IIn addition, as you are likely to agree, attending the seminar for two days is not even half the work—if the seminar is to bring an actual and long-term increase in skill, then the student needs to put in considerable later efforts at home, based on the material of the seminar.)
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For some related thoughts of mine, see e.g.
http://www.aswedeingermany.de/50Humans/50IssuesRelatingToEducation.html
and
http://www.aswedeingermany.de/50CompanyLife/50WorthOfFormalQualifications.html
By: michaeleriksson on July 14, 2010
at 5:46 PM
A very good exchange. I think you’ve both added several points to the original post worth noting.
Additional training and education for professional purposes should be viewed as more important than it is by employers. If employers based as much emphasis on further education as they should perhaps more individuals would as well, especially where tuition assistance is involved.
I agree with Michael that instructor-led education can be costly. However, I disagree that reading a “good textbook” is as highly successful in educating individuals. Perhaps some would benefit solely from textbook reading – granting the printed text isn’t out-dated by the time it is read.
However, I also agree with Michael that lectures alone can be more costly than necessary.
I believe critical thinking and a means to converse on subjects would be highly effective, given in an on-line or off-line format.
I wouldn’t suggest individuals spend a great deal of time and money at a 2 day seminar, but neither would I expect one to purchase an out-dated textbook that he may not apply himself to.
Many people need the steadiness and structure of a course. If the course combines lecture, expertise, text, interaction and critical thinking, well, I think you may have found an option worth investing in.
By: Online Professional Education on December 29, 2010
at 11:02 AM