The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau

Author:Chris Guillebeau
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2010-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

TOTAL COST14: $10,000 or less

Objections

As far as I can tell, the three primary objections to the alternative graduate school program, or the practice of independent learning in general are (a) you don’t receive a piece of paper at the end, (b) no career assistance is included, and (c) by studying on your own, you avoid “the experience” of being in class and on campus with other students and faculty. I’ve done my best to answer the objections below.

No piece of paper. True, if you study on your own, you will not receive a nice piece of paper at the end as an external recognition of your achievement. If you are so motivated by a piece of paper on the wall or a couple of extra letters on your resumé that you are willing to spend a year or more of your life in exchange for them, you’ll likely need a traditional institution. Otherwise, you can forgo the papers and keep the life.

No career assistance. I spent $32,000 for my master’s degree, and virtually no career assistance was included. The lack of help didn’t bother me because I’m self-employed, but some of my peers who expected more were disappointed. If you do choose to continue with higher education, be sure you understand exactly what kind of career assistance you’ll receive near the end of your studies. Just because there is a career office doesn’t mean they’ll do more than steer you to an HR website or bring a few recruiters to campus.

“The experience.” The final objection to independent learning is that without entering into a structured program with other students, you won’t benefit from a collective experience of working together and learning from others. This concern, I think, has some merit. Despite the fact that most of the academic requirements I completed were designed merely to keep the system moving along, I enjoyed some of the work due to the simple fact that others were doing the same thing. I also liked meeting new people, bonding together over shared commitments, and occasionally learning from faculty.

Therefore, I think the more important questions to ask are “How much is the experience worth?” and “Can the experience be obtained in another way?” The first question is highly personal—each person’s answer will be different—but for me, the experience was probably worth what I spent on it although I don’t see the need to spend any more at this point. Despite the likelihood that my writing career will continue to be much more successful than a career based on my graduate degree would have been, I don’t regret paying the $32,000.

Since then, however, I’ve had a wide array of fantastic experiences that cost far less. Despite being a natural introvert, I’ve connected with thousands of like-minded people all over the world. Most of these connections were initially made online, but when we’d meet in person, we’d usually pick up where we’d left off. From Bangkok to Minneapolis, I’ve met readers in at least 20 cities so far.

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