Guest post: A replacement to the university?

Hello people,

today I'm doing something which I've never done before: a guest post. Recently I've been contacted by the people of WallstreetOasis with the request of featuring one of their posts on this blog to follow up the online education post which I made in the past (if you have no idea what I'm talking about you can check it out HERE)
Well I've read their article and I thought it would be well worth sharing it with all of you so prepare for the first guest post ever on this blog:

A REPLACEMENT TO THE UNIVERSITY?

"The cost of post-secondary education is relevant to many users on this board. Those not in school are likely paying off loans or considering a graduate degree.

There have been several attempts to open elite educational institutions to the masses, most notably MITs OpenCourseWare. The problem is you can't exactly use it to qualify for a job like a degree.
You might have done the work, but can't prove it.

The NYT ran an article discussing the possible of online certificate programs. Free courses with paid exams, so as to discourage cheating. Could these certifications eventually replace a college degree for many jobs that don't really need a degree? (Does my postman need 4 years of college?)


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/education/moocs-large-courses-open-to-all-topple-campus-walls.html?src=me&ref=general

Of course, you can cheat on these exams, but cheating in college is also possible. More broadly, could we move from general BAs to specialized certificate programs? MSFT has done a great job with their certifications- you can get a good IT job without paying for a degree, and the certifications actually do demonstrate knowledge Are these tailored certificates a way to end the educational arms race?"

Source: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/a-replacement-to-the-university

If you liked the approach of this article and wish to discuss it with others who are interested you can follow the source link to their forum and discuss the matter there, or alternatively you can also just post your opinion in here, right on this blog... The choice is yours to make!

Thanks to the people from wallstreetoasis for this opportunity and I hope you enjoyed the reading... I certainly did!

See you next time!