Door Openings - Now They Make Sense

Where are you going?

I was taking some computer courses at Glendale Community College when an offer came up. Could I edit a series of books on Unix for an attractive hourly wage? My son was already involved in Unix/Linux, so I knew the name of the operating system but little else. I was asked because of my writing and editing experience, but I decided it would be good to learn Unix/Linux too.

I signed up for six credits in Unix and Linux. The professor mentioned the University of Phoenix in class, so I asked him about teaching there myself. He thought they would be very interested in me because of my academic degrees. When I wrote to JS at UOP, she replied within five minutes.

I decided to get the Linux+ certification at the same time. I applied to UOP and was accepted for teaching. The first course I taught in was Linux/Unix for that instructor. I switched into my main fields of writing and religion.

UOP led me into online teaching. JS - my first contact on the UOP staff - just wrote to me, "I wish I had your freedom to work from home."

UOP led me into teaching at Grand Canyon University, because I heard in the washroom at UOP that "someone bought GCU and wanted to turn it into a Christian UOP."

The computer background got me into teaching the first education classes, and I enjoyed them. The students encouraged me to earn the MA degree in education, and that got me teaching a steady stream of education students, mostly UOP staff.

The point of this story is this, as Aesop would say - I did not know that the book idea, which never developed, would lead to teaching at two online universities. The book idea pushed me into the training that opened the door to teaching. Now it all makes sense.

One of my favorite students of all time recently said to me, "I want to be like you. I want your freedom to teach online." That is a great compliment, and I enjoy seeing his success, which combined his insightful work with a formal education.

The Value of an MA in Education

One of my undergraduate students was finishing his degree in the capstone class. He already worked for an online university, so I encouraged him to get an MA in adult education, which focused on distance education.

I said, "Right now you are just a high school student." I said that to raise his hackles and it worked. Until someone is formally cleared to graduate, he is just a high school graduate or perhaps a GED, with some college. No one recognizes a degree until it is done.

I pointed out what was obvious to me. A previous student in the same position saw her income triple while the school paid all her costs to finish college and earn a master's degree in education.

All academic institutions love degrees, and they love education degrees most of all. It is like an automotive engineering degree where they manufacture cars. Universities manufacture graduates and they want people who know the theories behind that effort.

Also, every university wants to have credibility with its staff having advanced degrees. At the very least it shows they believe in the service they represent.

Soon enough, my former undergraduate student was in my adult education class. A few months later he completed his MA in adult education. He has been promoted and rewarded for his work and his academic achievements.

He said, "The MA gave me confidence, above all, in presenting myself."

We do not know the doors we are opening with a degree until that degree is earned. Often a different path is taken just because of that training. The post above explains how that worked for me.