Can't Afford the High Cost of Education? Well, There is so Much Free Education Resources Available Online

Soap Box Rants/A WEEKLY COLUMN
By Pamela Bratcher-McMillan
President, Chair & CEO, of PETAL et al.

If you are one of those people who constantly bicker about the high cost of education, guess what? You are still living in the previous millennium. There is so much free education online. And no one should have an excuse for not knowing anything about worthwhile things. With websites like udacity.com, khanacademy.org, memrise.com, coursera.org and the thought-provoking topics on ted.com, anyone can be a person of interest. Why waste time on watching mindless television when you can become a blooming intellectual? I have often thought how it would better serve humanity if we spent more time learning things that could help improve the world and quality of life for its citizens.

Imagine a world where people would focus on life improvement when meeting at the coffee house, utilizing skills they learned online. Online, you can learn anything from start to finish. First, come up with an idea, find people that are passionate about the same things you are, be a mentor and get to work. Don’t know any? Well, as a starter you can search meetup.com for a group that shares your interest. Go to a meeting and identify people you would like to spend some offline time with. You may even find your mentor there.

Now you’re probably thinking, I spend all that time learning and developing, not sure I want to be self-employed. I would prefer to work a job, and they want me to have a degree. Well how about a free online degree in Business or Computer Science. Yes a free degree from the University of the People (uopeople.org). You say an online degree is not a real degree? Think again. This university has the support of institutions like Yale and New York University, United Nations and Hewlett Packard. Ever hear of them? We are living in the computer age where many reputable and prestigious institutions are providing online degrees or accredited classes that can be used toward a degree.

Don’t have a computer? Try your public library. Not only are many libraries providing access to the internet with computers, the quiet is welcome. You don’t have distractions that usually take place at home. You are there to just focus on learning. Even better, you have books, trade magazines, DVD’s, CD’s  on the shelf you can use for reference or check out of the library for further study. I bet you’re now thinking, why do I need a book when I can search online for information? My answer to that is, no matter how much time I spend on the web, there’ nothing like having a book in my hand, reading it and the smell of the pages take me back to times when things were a little more sane and unrushed. I feel relaxed. A book is portable, and I don’t have to worry about the battery running out, but I digress.

Remember, we are living in an information age. There is no excuse for not knowing anything. Each day I learn something I didn’t know yesterday, and tomorrow I will learn something I don’t know today. While I love books and the library, online access and the knowledge that can be acquired 24 hours a day via a few clicks on the computer keyboard are invaluable. Start learning something today so you’ll have something to talk about tomorrow!

Pamela Bratcher-McMillan is a technology Expert and President, Chair & CEO, of PETAL et al.