WA vs MBA classes
Tomorrow evening, I have a finance exam. I should be studying for it. However, I am thinking about the difference between WA and my MBA courses. Bottom line upfront: the information that we can learn on WA is up to date. Much of the information in the college classes is either very basic foundation material or antiquated. WA is nimble. WA costs a lot less.
A college degree has its benefits. This is especially true if you want to work in a field that requires a college degree. Last summer, I missed out on a job opportunity because I did not have a masters degree. So I decided that maybe I should get one. After all, I enjoy learning. So, here I am - an MBA student.
After discovering WA, I fell in LOVE with marketing. Online marketing in particular. So, I chose a marketing class as my first MBA course. Most of the stuff that we were required to read was at least 10 - 12 years old. Some was even older than that. My required reading included articles that were pre-Facebook and pre-Amazon as we know it. I always able to include things that I first learned about marketing on the WA platform in my essay responses.
Thanks to WA, I made a 98. As a Wealthy Affiliate member, I felt like I had been on the cutting edge of what was going on in the marketing world.
I understand that in academia they can not publish things as quickly as we can do with a blog. In academia - they are compelled to research everything. Then they conduct statistical analyses to determine if there really are cause and effect relationships. After that they do peer reviews to make sure that everything they want to say makes sense. Once a piece of "research" has gone through all those stages, it can be published. I admit, I've been a little disappointed by how dated much of the information that I'm learning is. I am learning some things but WA spoiled me.
For my finance class, I had to resort to watching YouTube videos so I could figure out how to work a hand held financial calculator. It turns out that many of these videos have over 25,000 views.
Afterwards, I experimented with recording my own YouTube video demonstrating how to clear the calculator's memory. I made another video demonstrating how to calculate cash flows.
However after recording the videos, I am not so convinced that I want to clutter up YouTube channel with antiquated information such as "how to use your calculator so that you don't fail your exam." I certainly don't want my real estate clients to think that I believe they should use a calculator do investment analysis.
Please know that higher education is evolving. It just moves much more slowly than a training platform like WA.
One last thought..... the WA premium plus plan is significantly cheaper than even one college class. Back in November, I didn't upgrade to the Premium Plus plan because I really didn't have time to take advantage of it. Two weeks after this semester started, I decided the Premium Plus plan would be a bargain compared to what I am paying in tuition.
Are you taking advantage of all the learning opportunities that are available on WA?
Take care,
Sondra
Recent Comments
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Sondra,
Thank you for shedding some light on the higher education system.
You are in an amazing field, and you get a chance to crunch the numbers. This knowledge will certainly come in handy for your online business.
As you pointed out, all of the resources that we have at our disposal as members of Wealthy Affiliate are phenomenal. Thank you bringing this to our attention,
Congratulations on you 98. This is very impressive.
Rachele
“ The chance it crunch numbers.” That makes it sound fun. If you are ever interested in an accounting job on Texas, let me know. People are looking for positive attitudes like yours.
I look forward to reading about your success stories as you build and get grow your online business.
Sondra,
An accounting job in Texas sounds exciting. I only have an Associate 's of science degree in business administration. I guess I could always take more courses. I forgot that I have a certificate in accounting & bookkeeping (B+).
Thanks for the information. I never put all of my eggs in one basket.
Rachele
Putting the academic learning aside… Wealthy Affiliate provides website hosting. College does not.
Nuff Said 🎤
Hi Sondra, I couldn't agree more. I have a Masters degree in Commerce which I got back in the day and it cost a small fortune. If I were going through it all again I have to say that I would really think twice about going down that path. I love that education is evolving into more targeted niche topics that have a high level of relevance rather than the more generic stuff. The stuff I've learned here at WA is far more relevant to me than a lot of what I studied at uni, and it costs a fraction. That said, it is nice to be able to say you have a Masters degree, and the MBA is a fantastic qualification to have.
I agree with you. It will be interesting to see how education continues to evolve.
In some ways, I feel like my time spent taking MBA classes is the hobby. However, if I want to grow my business, WA is the best place to spend my time.
Wow, Sondra. Thank you so much! And to think I was just looking into universities for an MBA.
Short story: I remember one summer during undergrad, I took some classes at the local community college back home. The registrar looked at me and in a very serious, warning tone told me the cost of the entire semester. My response was to laugh. "Ma'am that was the cost of last semester's textbooks"
Ouch….the textbooks. That is a subject that I try to avoid thinking about.
My current strategy is to pay for the online course access- which is required for homework and quizzes. You get access to online textbook for a LIMITED period of time.
For my classes, they have been about $120 -$140. Afterwards you don’t have anything to sell back or to serve as a keepsake to remind you of the class.
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Hi Sondra,
I hope you do well on your finance exam. Focusing on growing a business while in school with your MBA program can take a lot of work. I went through college myself and got stuck with student loan debts. They did get paid off, though, long before I joined WA. Suppose I had to do it all over again; I would have done what Kyle and Carson did when they were younger to build a business. I learned about affiliate marketing after reading a blog post about this platform four years ago. Back then, I only knew that network marketing (MLM) was a side hustle business to make money. I was good at selling the products, but I sucked at recruiting. I wouldn't say I liked the recruiting part. I am glad I found this platform. I've learned so much from everyone here.
Hi Brenda,
The exam could have gone better but I should have prepared better. However, I had a great day regardless.
Like you, I am so glad I found this platform. We are learning things that can be applied to our business immediately.