Why it matters which programme or qualification you study for and which organization or association is behind it.
How “Academic Inflation” is pushing us to differentiate.
Knowledge is available almost everywhere. You can access it from anywhere. Similarly, you can opt for a University degree, a designation or qualification on-line and receive a degree or certificate at your own pace. Mass on-line open courses, University degrees, College degrees, certificates, designations, diplomas and more. Undoubtedly that’s great, as it fulfills the vision we all have deep in our minds of living in an educated world.
However, a very important question arises: How do you stand out? Everyone seems to have a degree or ‘degrees’ and a certificate or ‘certificates’ or ‘qualifications’. The supply is there – in many cases at no cost. The minimum requirements or the benchmarks have changed and I have written extensively on this issue. We are experiencing an “academic inflation” and eventually there will also be a ‘designation inflation’ if we continue at the same pace. This process towards academic inflation is accelerated – or ‘will’ be accelerated by the logical requirement for all of us to stay employable through continuing professional development. With everything changing dynamically, one way to ‘prove’ our employability will be the number of certifications we have gained that will assist in keeping us competitive.
Having all these options on how to study, what to study and where to study has heightened the issue of quality more than ever. For example, this oversupply of educational opportunities should put pressure on business schools, Universities, associations, institutes and the like to raise the bar and make their programmes of study of better quality, matching the requirements of the 21stcentury, more useful and more innovative in terms of their educational methodologies. I am not sure we are seeing anything different in 80% of the organizations. Differentiation, when it is real, can make the difference. This is why some people buy a Mercedes and dream of a Maclaren, or ladies buy a Chanel or a Luis Vuitton bag and dream of an Hermes “Kelly” bag.
The question is what kind of education do you want? Is it really a matter of getting a certificate or is it a matter of gaining the best knowledge to make a difference in life? When was the last time you made a difference by the way? In a world that is more and more based on low cost strategy (or freemium in many cases), I feel we need some differentiators, especially in education – and yes –we may have to pay a little bit more for something better…
Bite Size Management Thoughts
by Dr. Constantine “Dino” Kiritsis
Excellent post