by Sonja Albrecht
Find Online Colleges Columnist

“Life Isn’t Just As You Want It? Remix It!” screams the title of Steven Levy’s Newsweek column, The Technologist. Levy is referring to all the little customizable gadgets that allow us to put our own stamp on our world—TiVo, RSS media feeds, MP3 music files, and more. But he could just as well include the ultimate resource for remixing your life: online education.

Education, Your Way

“When you get down to it,” observes Levy, “the remixing metaphor applies to almost any area you can think of.” We no longer watch the Thursday night television line-up, buy the entire music CD, or read magazines cover to cover. New media and technology have abandoned the one-size-fits-all approach, ceding more and more control to users.

Add an Online Degree to the Mix

Elearning programs have done the same thing for education. Few of today’s college students can afford to put their lives on hold for a four-year campus degree. Enter online education, which allows you to ‘remix’ your daily obligations to include getting a college degree.

The typical online student is a working adult between ages 24 and 50, reports The Washington Post. That means elearning shares time work and child-rearing commitments. Mary was able to pursue an online master’s degree in educational technology because of “the flexibility. [Elearning] allows me to continue working full time, obtain a degree, and manage family life.” Online education also allows professionals to take specific courses as needed, sharpening a targeted job skill.

Online education has enjoyed phenomenal success because it offers the flexibility people have come to expect in every aspect of their lives. If your life isn’t just as you want it, elearning lets you remix it.

Sources

The Sloan Consortium
Newsweek.com
International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning

About the Author

Sonja Albrecht is a freelance writer. She has also taught college writing and completed a Ph.D. in English.