4 Reasons Why Online Learning is Good: Emeritus Learners Spill the Beans

4 Reasons Why Online Learning is Good: Emeritus Learners Spill the Beans | Learner Stories | Emeritus

Online education and its advantages/disadvantages was one of the most hotly debated (also online) topics in the post-pandemic world. At Emeritus, when a learner finishes a course with us and recommends it to others, we consider it the highest possible testament to the merits of online education. And we believe that if you want to know why online learning is good for you, the real insights lie in the experiences of individual learners. Hear it from the learners of 2022:

1. Online Learning Can Empower a Career Change at Any Age

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Learner: Pete Chu
Program Pursued: Professional Certificate in Coding: Full Time
University: MIT xPRO
Duration of Program: 4 months

There is what we call a dream job and the job we have. If you too are caught reminiscing ‘what would have been…’, you need to meet Emeritus learner Pete Chu. Computers were his first love. He had built three fully functioning computers by the time he graduated high school. Yet, Chu found himself in a career in pharmaceuticals for 20 long years. Successful as he was, he could never give up his passion for computers. Finally, at 43, he took the life-changing decision to do a coding bootcamp with Emeritus which helped him land an internship at Forbes and then a job at Accolade! 

Speaking of a career change in his forties and what it taught him, Chu says, “A frustrating experience can be reframed into a progression opportunity.”

Still think you missed the bus on your dream career? More on Pete Chu’s’ exciting learning journey here

2. Online Learning Helps Address Knowledge Gaps and Make You a Confident Professional

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Learner: Elise Johns McMurtry
Program Pursued: Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing
University: Kellogg School of Management
Duration of Program: 6 months

Did you know that the average age of a digital marketing manager in the U.S. is 38 years? Digital marketing, as a career, is in its youth and it is no wonder that this career draws young professionals like Elise Johns to it. Johns started in a digital marketing career almost immediately after college though she had not studied marketing. “I started noticing gaps in my knowledge almost immediately,” she admits. 

Working in a field that she had not trained for made Johns realize the importance of structured formal education. “I always had this nagging feeling that I did not have the baseline marketing education that some of my colleagues who had business degrees did,” she says. So she took the leap of faith to return to school, but this time it was online! All thanks to her learning stint with Kellogg and Emeritus, Johns could move to a B2C role at Newell Brands from her previous role that was in a B2B setup. 

Learning in a classroom environment (even if it is remote) with structured study material can give you a solid foundation in a career. That, in turn, will give you the confidence to take the next step in your career and grow. 

You can read about Elise Johns’ learning journey here

3. With a Clear Goal and Instructor-Led Coaching, You Will Unlock Your Potential

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Learner: Omoyemi Oni
Program Pursued: Professional Certificate in UX Design for AR/VR
University: NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Duration of Program: 6 months

While the world was shutting down during the pandemic, Omoyemi Oni was packing up his life in Nigeria and moving to the U.S. While a new life in a new country comes with many challenges, Oni went one step further and took up the challenge of a new career too! From being an experienced content creator and producer in the African continent, he moved to the field of User Experience (UX) and is currently working for Zollpa. And it took one program with Emeritus and many sleepless nights to action this change!

Oni stresses on why online learning is good with Emeritus. It is because most of our courses are instructor-led, not self paced. This comes with a certain amount of rigor and the need to hand in assignments regularly. “I like that I was challenged by this course to unlock potential that I didn’t know I had,” exclaims Oni. 

Oni stresses on the importance of having a goal before you choose online education so that the work you put in can be channelized in the right direction. You need an end-goal to work towards because there will be plenty of work to put in and more!

You can read Omoyemi Oni’s incredible success story here

4. You Learn to Optimize Your Schedule and Master the Work-Life-Parenting Balance

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Learner: Ashley Goldstein
Program Oursued: Professional Certificate in AR/VR Development and 3D Graphics
University: NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Duration of Program: 7 months

Ashley Goldstein’s journey is quite interesting! With an art degree and a career as a middle school teacher, Goldstein embraced motherhood in her teenage years. With no background in coding or technology, but a passion for gaming, Goldstein chose to take a leap in her career by pursuing an Emeritus program in AR/VR Development and 3D Graphics. Lo and behold, she managed to bag the role of Omniverse Connection Evangelist (extended reality gaming) at Nvidia even before her Emeritus program was complete! It’s hard to capture the extent of such growth with mere words. 

So how did a single mom with a day job actually manage to switch careers so drastically and quickly? “I pushed myself hard,” she says. And did the long hours of work required for this course disrupt her work-life-parenting balance? “It’s more of an investment than an imbalance,” she clarifies. So, invest in the future that you want for yourself and don’t shy away from putting in the work!

You can read Goldstein’s full career transformation story here

There can be many different answers to the question: why online learning is good. Each of our learners found goodness in their own unique ways and we wish the same for our future learners, too. If these learner experience stories have resonated with you, make a new year resolution for 2023 and explore online courses on Emeritus to start upskilling today. 

Write to us at content@emeritus.org

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