Would You Invest in an Unofficial Class?
August 27, 2009 by Allison Boyer
Filed under Jobs
You can find writing classes all around the world. Most colleges offer them for non-traditional students, and I know many writers who have taken advantage of these training sessions. You can get a lot from taking a credit or non-credit college class, especially if you have a professional who is an expert in his or her field.
Image: sxc.hu
Problem is, these classes can be very expensive. I looked into taking some classes at a local community college, and they cost a few hundred dollars per credit. And that’s on the low end. The classes I’d really like to take, from a private college in my area, are part of a master’s program. They cost over $6,000 each, and I have to take quite a few classes to be a degree candidate. Ouch. Online classes usually fall between the $300 and $6,000 price point, so this isn’t a cheap option either.
Plus, you have to actually go to class. Sometimes, if you take a class online, you have some leeway, but you still have a set amount of classwork that has to be turned in within a certain time period. The “work at your own pace” appeal to online classes only stretch so far.
So, I have a question for you – would you consider an “unofficial” form of education. In other words, would you ever take a class, online or off, that isn’t offered by an accredited college? I’m not talking about purchasing an informative ebook or taking in a guest speaker while you’re at a writing conference. I mean, the same experience as you’d get with a college course in terms of education, but with no time constraints. Of course, you also don’t get any sort of credit out of a class like that, now or in the future, and they probably don’t have much worth on a resume. It’s purely for your own education.
I’ve seen a number of websites offering courses on a variety of subjects. They aren’t official by any means, but there isn’t a schedule per se and they are a lot less expensive. I’ve always wondered about the popularity of such a course, though. As a writer, would you consider paying for something like that?
I have, but as of today, I haven’t made any education purchases. There are writing courses that I’m considering taking right now, though, just to improve my skills.
Leave a comment below with your opinion on this topic!
This is a subject that is currently being investigated by MIT – they’re opening up several of the classes and offering the lectures and additional material for free. You can learn at your own pace and take whatever classes you want. The drawback, of course, is that it doesn’t “count” for anything as far as transcripts or grades go. Also, because it’s MIT, the classes offered are mostly science/engineering. In case anyone is curious:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm
I’ve seen a lot of informal “classes” on various writers websites. One of the (now gone) writers communities I used to belong to had “Above and Beyond”, and there were readings to do, homework to turn in, and deadlines to do it all in… It all seemed just as time consuming as an actual class. But I think things like deadlines help, especially for people like me who are incorrigable procrastinators!
The question is would I take one of these unofficial classes? And my answer is “sure, why not?” If I’m not working toward a degree and just want feedback on my writing, I think it’d be fine.
Thanks for all the opinions so far! Jami – I will say that I think you’re right and deadlines in some sense are a definite plus.
I think the real question here, though, but be whether or not people are willing to actually PAY for an “unofficial” writing class, not just devote the time to take one.