Educate Yourself and Reap the Rewards

According to the parable of the talents, we should make the most of all the abilities we have. Completing high school or a University degree straight from high school can seem like the culmination of our intellectual efforts.

Touched by the Internet

Thanks to the wide-ranging reach of the internet, education is undergoing a revolution. Colleges and universities have recognized that classroom-based learning is rarely an option for individuals already established in a job, or with family and financial commitments. For these people, an online degree could provide the flexibility needed to combine continuing education with their work and home lives.

The Internet allows the delivery of education programs into your own home or office via a computer. All you need is a reasonably up-to-date PC with internet connectivity, and you can be a part of a "virtual classroom". Online learning not only takes away the geographical problems, it allows you to choose the times you study. Study packages are delivered to you online and you can use them at your convenience. Chat rooms and email allow you to communicate with fellow students and professors, and to take part in discussions and tutorials. Written work and even examinations can be submitted via the net. In fact, many colleges and universities use a combination of educational media, delivering lectures and meetings on campus and issuing materials and assignments over the net.

Opening the Doors to Success

Most people study as adult learners for career purposes. These days, in order to progress in most jobs, it is necessary to update qualifications and to learn new techniques. Bettering your qualifications can also open up the way to a new career; an appropriate associate or bachelor's degree can be the basic entry qualification to the careers in education, management, design, technology, or health care services. For example, promotion in education is highly dependent on both higher qualifications and experience, and as teaching methods respond to social needs and education research, teachers have to be sure that they are up to date in both theory and practice.

For ambitious managers, a Master of Business Administration degree is a qualification that has much greater value when combined with real-life experience in business and management. Developments in technology make ongoing study in related subjects almost a requirement if you want to stay up to date with new techniques and applications. Many people take it upon themselves to learn in their own time, with no recognizable qualification for their efforts. It makes more sense to do this by going back to university and gaining a formal qualification.

Get thee Behind me

The internet has become an answer to many people's prayers, enabling them to do justice to their innate talents. Ensuring that you have a solid education behind you is one way of ensuring that God's will is propagated by the most able and capable people. To paraphrase John Wesley, Anglican clergyman, evangelist and cofounder of Methodism, 'don't let Satan have all the best resources'. God helps those who help themselves, and education is no exception.



About the Author

A freelancer writer, Mary Hobson is a Christian currently working as a consultant for technology start-ups in Russia. She has also worked as an executive officer in a defense facility and as a university lecturer in computer science and management information. She earned her first degree in textile marketing and subsequently studied education and computer science at a Master's degree level.