• TechAnon@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    I learned new programming languages online using courses like those. I use them fairly consistently at work. I also went to a 4 year university prior to that. Learning online was both cheaper and faster. Also, a few university classes I took were 100% online. No difference except for cost.

    I test those that I hire now with real-world problems - all of which have college degrees due to company policy to limit which resumes I can see based on requirements. There’s a huge difference between these people - some don’t know anything and some are fairly well-versed. This standard education thing isn’t working.

    • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      Online lectures are a tool you can use to educate yourself; the lectures aren’t educating you.

      Education is an action done by a human being.

      • TechAnon@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        If that’s your definition then it’s the same as college. Most courses I took had 200-300 students in a large auditorium where we just sat there a listened to the professor, took notes, read the book (that cost $300) and took a few tests. I also took a few online courses in obtaining my degree. Educating myself later was faster and more efficient.

        • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          So you never buddied up with other people to study together after class? You never asked questions about the text or lecture?

          Those are things you just can’t do at home, and are an incredible learning resource for students.

          • TechAnon@lemm.ee
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            9 months ago

            I only partnered with people for projects where we were forced to work together (this was rare). I’ve asked a few questions during office hours regarding some work. I could absolutely do both of these things from home. It may be better to do in person classes for some people who like the interaction and overall “college experience,” but that comes down to preference. If people knew they could do all of it from home for free AND they could take a test to prove the knowledge, many wouldn’t definitely take that route.

            • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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              9 months ago

              Yeah, not every college course is better than just learning stuff on your own. I learned more about doing math from khanacademy than class. Once you’re beyond just solving problems and learning the Hows and Whys of math, though, it’s really helpful to have peers and a teacher.

          • shiftymccool@lemm.ee
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            9 months ago

            So is having a question and going out to find the answer yourself. I can only speak from a web dev perspective, but being able to answer your own questions via research is a huge skill and very useful in the workplace. It’s also a great way to get different opinions on how things should be done. Your professor isn’t always right