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 Monique Danielle
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Continued Education with Online Learning
Lately, I’ve run into several business women
who are debating whether to continue their education. Maybe it’s
because September’s around the corner and back-to-school is in the
air. While they all hope that additional education will further
their career, they’ve got slightly different intentions: career change,
facilitating advancement, and/or bolstering credibility.
For some of these business women, continued education sounds like a
good idea. But for others...I really wonder if the time and
expense will be worth it in the long run. Don’t get me wrong—I
believe in the intrinsic value of education, that it teaches students
how to learn, expands horizons, builds networks, and all that.
But if the ONLY reason is to add $$$ to a paycheck... better make sure
that it really will (factoring in the cost of the education itself and
the income lost from stopping/slowing current paid work.)
In the Pacific NW, there are several good schools with flexible
programs (web sites like Petersons.com have detailed listings.)
Say you’re interested in a MBA; the University of Washington in Seattle
has both a regular and evening MBA program. In Oregon, three
largest public universities (Portland State University, Oregon State
University, and University of Oregon) joined together to create the
Oregon Executive MBA program. Boise State University in Idaho has
a program geared for both early- and mid-career professionals.
Online programs are increasingly popular, however, there are distinct
advantages and disadvantages. The University of Illinois has a
web site which provides a balance look at both sides of online learning
at
<www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/overview/strengthAndWeak.asp>.
The most important consideration for an online program is to make sure
it’s an accredited institution. Oregon even has an Office of
Degree Authorization (their web site is
<www.osac.state.or.us/oda/index.html>) which “administers laws,
standards, and services” to protect the credibility of educational
degrees. I’m not sure if Washington or Idaho have similar
enforcement entities, but it’s essential to make sure that you’re not
paying for a “diploma mill” degree that won’t be worth much more than
the paper it’s printed on. For most business women, time is too
precious to waste.
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