Statistics may build case for taking shorter, online certificate programmes
“With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them: Myths and Realities About Why So Many Students Fail to Finish College”, a Public Agenda report, has recently been released. Underwritten by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the study looks at all the reasons behind two important statistics. According to the U.S. Department of Education: 1.) only 20 percent of young adults who begin their higher education at two-year institutions graduate within three years, and 2.) in the case of four-year institutions, only four out of 10 students receive a degree within six years. (more…)
Remember when classes required you to purchase a hardcopy textbook? Those days are coming to an end. Today, the Internet world is changing the way we purchase books, and it is progressing similarly to the way we now purchase music and buy episodes of our favorite TV programme. It’s all moving online. Electronic readers like Amazon.com’s Kindle are becoming more popular for consumers, and traditional booksellers are acting accordingly by selling online digital copies of their material.
As the scope of Internet is growing in mainstream usage, traditional booksellers are taking full advantage of it. Reported by Reuters, an estimate of 3 million eReaders will be sold in the U.S. alone this year, and that number will double next year. Bookstores are even jumping on the profitable online vending bandwagon. In July 2009, Barnes & Noble launched the world’s largest online bookstore and is set to unveil its own e-reading technology next year. Its reader will feature a color touch screen, something not available on other readers at this time.
In addition, book publishers are looking to make deals with leading global search engine, Google. Google offers to scan books that are currently out of print and make them freely available online through Google Books. This YouTube video shows how the online product works and explains the recent settlement agreement between the search engine giant and publishers.
What does all this mean for education? A 2008 surveyof 6,452 students worldwide found 51 percent of students say that when they have a choice, they opt to use an electronic version over a print version of a book “often” or “very often.” That percentage is on the rise even today.To find the motivation behind choosing digital books over hard copies, let’s consider the issue from the viewpoint of a student in today’s deflated economic times.
A hardcopy textbook might run a student anywhere from $40 to $250. In one class, a student might even be required to purchase two or three books to complement different subjects the professor will be covering throughout the semester. The Kindle, available globally, reads text for every class and any subject and is priced at $259 (an affordable option when you consider hard cover prices). Students can then purchase e-books which are read through Kindle for as little as $1.99 for classic titles and $9.99 for new releases, far cheaper than the physical versions in most cases.
Another advantage for the use of digital books is that it fits in with the technology students are already using. Anything from lessons, lectures to classroom discussions can be videoed as a podcast and available for students to download onto devices like Apple’s iPhone or iPod. Consider the practicality of textbooks available in the same way. Students can avoid long lines at bookstores, skirt the waiting time for out-of-stock books and save hundreds of dollars per class.
In support of the digital books movement, Gatlin International’s certificate classes provide online digital books and downloadable material to supplement lessons. Discover the convenience and affordability of online digital books in popular courses like business marketing design and Six Sigma.
If you’ve considered going to school for a college degree, then you’ve considered tuition costs, textbook fees and travel expenses. People also turn to online education to extend and expand their career options. Online classes eliminate textbook and travel costs and offer an economical solution to rising tuition of traditional education. While it’s true that quality online programmes and degree programs aren’t free, they are affordable, especially when you consider the cost of not having a higher education at all.
Gaining higher education has a direct effect on your career. In fact, statistics show that the higher the level of education, the higher the amount in earnings a person will receive, proving that continuing education past a high school level is the best way to hold on to a career and achieve financial success.
Higher education is vital to remain competitive in the job market. According to “The Book of Knowledge” put out by Merrill Lynch, 50 percent of employee skills become outdated in three to five years. In India, nine out of 10 employees in an international workplace survey said they feared that their current skills would be outdated within five years. On the company side, the cost of replacing lost talent averages to 150 percent of a person’s salary (Mercer Survey of Australia at Work). This makes a strong case for companies and employees to invest in higher education to upgrade and update skill sets. Gaining certification allows you to re-train to ensure you can keep the job you have or easily transfer to another position. Taking online courses is an affordable and fast way to earn a certificate that confirms you have the skills that meet the demands of a continuously changing industry.
Credentials are everything. Think about it. Would you go to a dentist who only has a high school diploma framed on the wall? Would you hire a lawyer who dropped out of college before gaining full expertise in law? You feel more comfortable paying a person more money when you trust that they know what they are doing and have the education and certification to back it up. To convince employers and customers you have the skills to do the job, certifications and degree programs are the way to go.
Higher wages brought on by higher education isn’t new. In the early 1900’s, education was scarce and only a minority of adults had a high school diploma. Working life was dictated by supply of labor and the demand for skilled workers; formal education was not necessary to do the job. As society has continued to evolve, annual earnings of workers increased with education. In the 1970’s, as technological changes started to occur, the corporate world favoured a more educated working population and started compensating generously to attract educated employees. By 1975, full-time workers with a higher education earned 1.5 times the annual wage of workers with a high school diploma. And, by 1999, this ratio had edged up to 1.8.
Statistics prove that gaining higher education and achieving certification is the best way to get the expertise you need to land a more lucrative career. For a higher education experience that works around your schedule, turn to Gatlin International. GI certificate courses can help you gain a lucrative position in the industry of your choice, empowering you to reach financial goals and provide for your future.
