My third trip to Europe was end of January 2019. Usually on
these business trips, you fly-in the night before the meetings, do all the
meetings for the week and fly out the next day. And I have just done that for
the last 2 trips.
This year, I decided that I would do something different,
that I would see abit of Europe after the meetings in Amsterdam. My plan was to
take a train and travel to Norway via German, Denmark and Sweden. Reason for
Norway was that I wanted to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.
Nas Daily – Planet Iceland – a great vidblog
So I requested for a week break after the meetings and
during the week of travel, a friend alerted me to fly direct to Iceland from Netherlands. So
after little search, I found direct flights that are just $150 dollars (K400)
return from Amsterdam to Reykjavik.
Cathedral of Christ the King in Reykjavik.
January is in the Winter Season for Iceland, and when I arrive…..from the airport to the hotel, there is only ICE covering almost everything I can see. One thing good about ICELAND is that they are so well organized. You have tour buses picking you right at the airport, drops you at the hotel, picks you up again when you ready and takes you straight to your tour sites. All you do is book them online and everything is organize for you.
So off I went….see the Aurora Borealis and also get to swim in the ‘Secret Lake’ in the middle of the night! Yes, it was cold and it was minus 10 degrees but I have come these far to just stay in the room. I was determined to see that Northern Lights and show Papua New Guinea that I have seen it with my eyes.
But the highlight of my trip is the ‘Secret Lake’ in the middle of nowhere! After driving 2 hours, we came to a small lake, that we all changed and went it. The feeling was divine! I felt I was reborn that my whole system had reset itself…….now I feel I should do an annual pilgrimage there again.
There are several problems with the traditional system of
education. First of all, you need to pay thousands per term to attend a
prestigious school. With all those budget cuts, busy classrooms, and course
shortages, you won’t always get the chance to study exactly what you want.
It’s no wonder why millions of students from all around the
world opt for online degree programs or take at least one college course
through an online platform. Online learning has to be the greatest revolution
in contemporary education. It made a huge change in the system and opened great
opportunities for everyone who wants to learn something.
Nevertheless, online education is still related to
stereotypes. People often think that online students are not smart enough for a
traditional college or university, they are lazy, and they don’t get “real”
degrees. These claims discourage many people from taking online courses, so
they get stuck in the traditional educational system that consumes a huge deal of
money, nerves, and years of their lives.
Allow us to explain why online learning is more awesome than
you think. We have 5 advantages of online learning that will make you
reconsider your attitude towards this type of education.
1. You can learn whatever you want!
Benefits of working online
You can pick the program of your dreams in traditional
education, too, but that would involve traveling away from home, living in a
completely unknown city, and struggling in an extremely competitive learning
environment. With online education, you can take any program or course present
in traditional four-year universities.
For example, let’s say you’re mostly interested in neuroscience. All it takes is a Google search for such online course, and you’ll easily find the online programs offered by some of the most prestigious universities from all around the world. You can take such a course even if you have no aspirations to apply that knowledge in your future profession, but you’re simply curious to discover new interests and understand how the human brain works. The great variety of online programs and courses is a huge advantage of this type of education. It doesn’t matter where you live and what you want to study – you can always find a suitable course or even a degree program that you can follow from home.
2. Comfort.
Forget about attending classes for hours, sitting in an
uncomfortable chair, and suffering from back pain by the end of the day. You
will not be bound to physical class session when you opt for online education.
All lectures and needed materials are provided via online platforms, so you’ll
easily access them from the comfort of your home. You will not take public
transport to get to campus, you won’t have to spend money on gas for your car,
you won’t have to get up early to get dressed for class… the list of
conveniences goes on and on.
Studying Anywhere
Comfort is a strong advantage, but it can go both ways. You
mustn’t allow yourself to get too comfortable when studying from home, so it
would be best to abandon the couch for few hours a day and set up an
inspirational studying environment in your home. All you need is a large desk
and a nice, comfortable chair.
3. Online courses look great on a resume.
Online Certificate from IBM
It doesn’t matter where your career stands at this moment;
an online program will always look good on your resume. It will show potential
employers that you’re committed to learning and you’re eager to obtain more
knowledge and new skills. Hiring managers don’t see online degrees as inferior
to traditional ones. A degree is a degree. If you obtain an online degree from
a prestigious university, you’ll boost your career with the speed of light. You
will certainly become a better candidate for a job promotion, and your resume
will look much better when you apply for new positions.
4. Self-paced learning.
When you start browsing through interesting online courses
and programs, you’ll notice the Self-Paced label on most of them. What does
this mean? Self-paced learning means that the students can start completing the
targets at any time, and he can arrange a learning schedule that meets his
individual needs.
When you enroll in a traditional college program, you’ll
have to forget about work, hobbies, and even family. In such setting, studying
has to be a priority. That’s why many single parents and people who work decide
to forget all about their dreams to get a higher degree.
A self-paced system enables them to make progress with
rhythm that suits them. This type of system does not require attending live
sessions; you can access the materials at any time that works for you. If you
have to work or take care of your home and children during the day, you can
study at night. That’s an advantage the traditional educational system cannot
beat.
5. Lower costs.
The fact that online programs are cheaper when compared to
the ones held in a traditional campus setting is enough to convince you to
consider them. The average tuition for online courses depends on multiple
factors, so it varies from one program to another. If, for example, you want to
enroll in the Big Data Specialization program provided by University
California, San Diego through Coursera, you’ll pay $399 (K1,000). You also have
an option to pay $49 (K110) per course. Financial Aid is available for learners
who cannot afford this fee, so that’s something you should always keep in mind.
We saved the best part for last: many online courses are
completely free of charge. MIT, for example, offers all course materials online
without any charges. Free courses don’t usually come with certificate of
completion, but they are still more than useful for anyone who wants to learn
from prestigious educators.
Online Education Is Totally Worth The Effort
Online courses and degree programs are more convenient and
cheaper than their counterparts in traditional education. Those are the two
main advantages of online learning that lead many students to opt for online
platforms when they want to earn a degree or certificate.
The best thing about online learning is that you can learn
in a relaxed manner even if you don’t want to get certified. You only need
passion for learning and a quick online search that will take you to the right
course. From that point on, you will be the master of your own education.
Have alot of friends from around the world who asks me to tell
them about Papua New Guinea.
I usually start to tell about Manus only and really don’t include bits about the highlands nor do I get to include the Milne Bay and most certainly don’t tell them anything about Western Province. The summary of the version of Papua New Guinea is just places I am comfortable with.
I was browsing through youtube and found this cool video from Geography Now. Whilst there are some places and things I felt should be included (not enough of Manus me think), I do believe it has more than what I would tell anyone about Papua New Guinea.
So for friends and relatives who want to tell others about Papua New Guinea….ask them to watch this video
Paura - the Digital Nomad 