What is a Modular Degree?
Here is a video relation to this post, as well as the PolyCast!
Have you ever wanted to make your own education? Create your own degree for college? This is why I created the Modular Degree system/framework, so that we could all have an alternative to university. Perhaps even an extension to college for those who decided to still go that route.
One should never stop learning, but also should not let schooling get in the way of their own education.
This OmniContent serves as a gateway to building your own diy modular degree, and what the importance of doing so is!
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There are many reasons for being here on this post. You may want an alternative to higher education, you may want something quicker like a boot camp, or perhaps you are multi-passionate and want to pursue multiple things.
Each of these reasons are perfect starting points for a Modegree.
Why did I decide to make this?
From all aspects of my life I was told "you need to go to college", or "you NEED to have a degree".
When I asked why, they only could muster up the explanation, well you need a degree to get a job. As if it was some magical equation, that a degree equaled job. How many people do you know in your life, if not yourself, who has a degree but doesn't have a job in that field?
The degree itself is meaning less and less, and worth less than it once did. That is not to say YOU shouldn't get one. I just think you should get one in a way that you choose. Maybe start off learning on your own, then take an accelerated pathway through WGU.
Look I get it you may not want to have that much decision making, and just want to go with the flow of the "normal path".
However that "normal path" is no longer cutting it, and you may not even be able to find a degree made for the field you want to study. For me I wanted to work in Smart City Development, of which there is literally only about 2 master's degrees IN THE WORLD to choose from. Back in the day when I started my Modular Degree, there was nothing. There may be something you want to do too, and there isn't a traditional pathway for it as it is too new.
All I am saying is that maybe you shouldn't go to a traditional pathway, and rather you can make your own!
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How can you make a Modular Degree?
It is actually very simple, as all you have to do is...
By taking your own approach, there are caveats, such as having to account for yourself. You're going to like certain courses more than others, and there is a layer of stuff you need to know. Oftentimes things you may not want to learn at first, such as the general education topics.
Here is the thing though, as you are able to choose WHERE you learn those subjects. Is coding really annoying for you to learn in class? Then take a lesson FreeCodeCamp or CodeAcademy, or maybe a bootcamp. In any case you now have the choice of where to learn that subject MOST effectively.
How does it work? Well you have to research, research, research, and there are some resources out there to make it easier. First and foremost I am going to point you to:
I've talked with the founder ages ago, and the team there seems to be really on a roll. I love how it aggregates everything from all sites, or most at least.
Get started with a Mini-Course!
Additionally, I'll be putting more and more resources together. For example I made a Self-Eduation mini course, that will help you get started on your own autodidactic journey.
Take the Self-Education Mini CourseWhat does it mean for you?
The solution here is a do it yourself degree pathway. There have been some before, but nothing on the level as this!
I wanted to create a system that was able to adapt to any person's needs, let alone help you through the tough times.
By creating systems you can then rise to the occasion to learn, but also fall to the level of your system. No matter what path you choose, there is always failure and success, it goes both ways. Like a swing going back and forth, but the way to succeed in life; Is to make sure your backwards movements are minimal, and the forward movements grand.
Personal Takeaways
I literally got started on my content creation/personal brand journey because of my own Modular Degree. When I first made my original Modegree, my focus was innovation and smart cities. Then as time went on my needs changed, there was podcasting, content repurposing, and more to all learn. I was able to adapt my learning system to account for these new endeavors that were crucial to me.
You'll need a goal to start out with, and so before you do anything think about what you want out of life. Same should for college too, but we are often encourage to just experiment AT university. Spending thousands of dollars, perhaps on something you don't even care about.
At least with the Modular Degree it is free, or dirt cheap if you go for some paid courses, and you can try out new things. When you experiment this way it is faster, cheaper, and more diverse in subject matter.
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A Modular approach to your Self-Education
It can be linked to a more official route, or you can go completely on your own. The point is that it is YOUR choice.
Going to school does not equate an education, and thus learning must come from the individual.
Recap: A Modular Degree is a do it yourself education system, built from the ground up to help you curate your own learning experience/degree.
Modegrees can also be transferred, such as if you create one to learn how to podcast. Yet your friend also now wants to learn the same topic, then you can have your friend duplicate your own. You can think of it like forking a code base on github.
By reading this post you took your first step into this journey. All you have to do now is check out the template (I'll link to it in the How to Make a Modegree post), and more importantly look at a variety of courses. Get into the shopping mentality, as if you are going on a spree. Go to all of the course sites, and see what they have to offer. Do not save any yet, but just window shop if you will.
After you gain access to the free template, then you can start to go back and collect the best of the best. The reason I have you do it this way, is to cut out the fluff. My first Modegree had over 400 courses on the list, and that lead me to get way overloaded. After a series of cuts, I got it down to 120 ish now, but I should have been more careful at the start.
I created the Self-Education mini course to be the first thing that anyone takes in their Modular Degree. This is because it teaches you how to teach yourself, and how to get into the right mindset. Not to mention I link to countless resources over the course of the well course.
Check it out here:
I just want to thank you for reading this post. Actually since the Modular Degree is my "first phase", this post has been on the back burner for a really long time. Getting it out finally has this feeling of accomplishment, and I only wanted to send it out when it felt right to do so. Now that I am providing the template for people to make their own, it finally feels right.
Thank you.