Design Your online Self-education
Building a great life can be hard, this is because often people start from scratch. What if you could stand on the foundations of the greats before you?
This is what I wanted to create through the Modular Degree System. Join me on this journey by checking out the Modular Degree, and the power of Self-Education! The Modegree is something I came up with after watching many other people pursue their own Self-Edu online, such as BA in Four Weeks, No-Pay MBA, MIT Challenge, and more.
Whenever I saw those I thought there is something here, but also something missing. Not to mention I had a desire to learn about becoming a world leader, as well as Smart City Development. There is no degree, at least at that time that would let me do even one of those things very well. Now Zigurat has a Smart City masters, but that is the only one. That was my motivation, so I just simply decided okay then let’s build my own degree.
This do it yourself approach inspired the Self-Curation aspect behind it all. Allowing you to pick and choose what you are learning, and little did I know that my interests would change over time. Not that I don’t still want to pursue those two ambitions, but that I realized there were more steps involved to get there. That is a really key point I want to drive in to you, that things are going to change, whether that is purely your interests, or more importantly YOUR NEEDS.
A traditional degree would simply keep you on the same track, even if you don’t need those courses any more. You decided okay I’ll keep the shell of the degree, but I want to change my minor or even major. With the Modegree the focus is on Modularity, and so when it came time to build up PolyInnovator. In which case I created around the same time I started pursuing my Self-Education so dramatically, and I started making content to document my process.
However I needed new skills: omnichannel, content creation, video making, video ranking, marketing, content repurposing, and much more. If I was in College I would have had to teach myself all those things on top of general education that didn’t matter to me. With the Modular Degree you choose, or perhaps AI/mentor assisted down the line, what you are learning next. Meaning if something big like that comes up in your life, then you input another module to take the place of what you were currently learning.
The Modular Degree is a Do It Yourself Degree!
Do You Want an Alternative to College?
If you think that the only way to earn a degree would be to attend some sort of school to master your education, then you are sadly mistaken. Alternatively I believe with the rise of technology we can create our own EDU, & cater it to our own specific needs. The Mod Degree is the tool to do just that, and get complete control over the design of your future, and create your own educational pathway today.This designing your own pathway I think is something we desperately need in the education space, and probably more fitting for higher education. Many people across the world are suffering because of the 2020 pandemic. The cost of school as of that year was extremely expensive, and most of the time outside of careers like doctors and lawyers; There wasn't much to show for a degree, for it was not much more than a piece of paper. More and more companies are asking for 5 or 7+ years of experience for ENTRY LEVEL jobs.
This is a ridiculous circumstance, and you're not getting the on the job training or experience you need for that requirement. I do think that it comes down to the companies being more reasonable on what they label "entry-level", however there is a point to be made of self creating your own experience. If you were a hiring manager for a startup or software company, and you see two applicants in front of you. One with a degree and no on the job experience (maybe because they spent so much time in school literally no work experience), and the other is someone who decided to take their own path. That latter person started making their own personal brand and content around programming. They created tutorials, or maybe a "this is my journey while I make this app" vlog, or something we can't even imagine yet. Showing years of experience through videos, blogs, or even podcasts.
The second person is going to be much more likely to get the job, despite the fact they were self-taught.This is not to say a CS Degree is useless, and many big companies still require it. However if your goal is simply to get a job in the space, then worry about the degree this will be the path for you. Let it be known too that countless people have actually been successful with it as well!
The Modegree, and by proxy the Modular Education Platform by PolyInnovator, both are made to give you the ability to organize that education. Giving you structure, and maybe even a curriculum to follow if you want more of a hands on approach. When something doesn't work for you however, then you are not stuck with a massive bill for tuition, and you have the choice to pivot/move on.
"What frustrated me was that I couldn't find a traditional pathway to the career I wanted. There was no precedent for my Ideal Career, so I created my own."
-Dustin MillerCEO | PolyInnovator
Do it yourself - DIY
The challenge of most studies is that you can’t control what your degree will entail. You have to take the general education, you have to follow a strict pathway, you have to pass certain classes. The Mod Degree allows you to create your own semesters, with your own choices of courses.
Note: To hell with semesters, if you want something completely new, then go for it! Maybe you’re an aspiring Polymath like myself, and want to experiment with the way we even approach education as a species. Do it!
Get feedback where you need it most
I created this site as a means to explain my own education, as the Mod Degree is still being born. There is a lack of professional respect for Self-Education as a whole. This is not the case here, your endeavor is just as important as mine. I will help you along the way to your growth!
Since I am experimenting too, then we both become pioneers of this education revolution. Higher Ed is continuously proving it can’t keep up with the rapidly changing times. Get feedback from peers, mentors*, and even myself while we are still growing out the platform!
Modular & Changeable
You never know what life will bring to you next, and you go to college/school in order to “prepare” for the challenges of life. However things change, and why shouldn’t your education?
We are a species of adaptation, and so what we need is not a one size fits all curriculum for each person. Each learner is unique, and may have their own learning needs/wants. Let that person grow an education that fits them.
Fall in love with the Modularity
Since things are curated by you then it follows your own interests. While we don't want to get complacent with pathways that get hard, if something you are pursuing starts to become boring or out of mind; Then you can switch to another task instead.
Think of doing homework for two or three different classes in school back in the day, and when one class got too annoying you would just switch to another one for a while. Sure you'd have to go back eventually, but what if you could change that work to something else? If you are trying to learn a specific micro-skill for a subject, and it isn't making sense. Then instead of pushing that same resource material, you can switch to a different instructor/video/resource that teaches you the information differently.
Gives you a Plan for Growth
The point of the Modular Degree, is to give you a framework based around the concepts of spaced repetition, interleaving, and maximizing your interest in the learning. Ever growing your knowledge in that area.
Community Building
The cool thing about building your own is that other people can do it too. If I make an MBA Modegree, and you make one for Philosophy, then we decide we want to pursue each other's path. Then we have that ability to share that pathway with each other.
Amazingly Thought Out
Resources could be found anywhere, and you never know which one will become the one that truly teaches you the most. Could be an article, or it could be a 40 hour MOOC, but the point being is that you track it. Then you can prove you learned from it.
Easy to Use Concepts
Sure Self-Education is a pretty big idea in the first place, and being an Autodidact can sometimes be hard in the modern world. This is why I created the Modegree, so that it makes it easier for you pursue it.
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
What is a Modular Degree?
A Mod Degree is a self-curated list of courses, microcredentials, and other learning materials. When put together they can create your own semesters, and faciliate your growth.
Is it free ?
The concept itself sure, but I’ve created a specific framework to maximize your success. By taking the courses provided on this website you will be much more capable at doing it successfully.
The Notion template is free to duplicate and use.
Is it hard?
Considering we are pioneering into a realm of autodidactism that history hasn’t really seen I would say yes it is hard. However when you look at it from the point that you are simply organizing your own self-learning then no it is not.
How I can edit/start my Mod Degree?
If you check out the courses in the PolyInnovator Academy, then that will help you get started*. As for actually doing it, then you would need some sort of sheets program like Google sheets or Microsoft Excel, or Airtable. Regardless just some way to organize all the data!
What is the purpose?
To act as proof of your learning, and as a means to organize your learning endeavors. Especially if you plan on not attending university, this gives a viable alternative, and a means to choose what you learn.
Can I get help?
While it is still possible I will be here during your journey to help you along. Just reach out to me and/or take the courses, or read the free content on the Omniblog!
There will be more and more content around taking your own Modegree!
About the Project
What does this Self-Education endeavor mean to me? Well it started out of a desire to learn about Smart City development, as well as cultivating a Polymath Degree. Something that of an interdisciplinary studies you would find in a traditional education. However I soon found that what I was looking for was not readily available, as well as there was more and more online courses I was finding that I wished to pursue.
Combining these two problems into an actionable plan was my next step, and I started creating a large list. Eventually it culminated into a Google Sheet worth of over 400 courses, also including Micro-Credentials of various kinds.
As you may be able to guess this was daunting, and probably unrealistic to pursue, even for a speed learner like myself. I decided to cut it down (I would continue to do this again and again), as well as divide them up into 9 smaller semester chunks. Towards the end of 2019 I was able to define the courses into 5 manageable semesters. These were more applicable to the career I wanted, Global Innovation Polymath, and I could more easily document my journey on this site.
Cheers to Self-Education!