Ascend the E-Learning curve

Vibha Singh

“In your career, knowledge is like milk. It has a shelf life stamped right on the carton. The shelf life of a degree in engineering is about three years. If you’re not replacing everything you know by then, your career is going to turn sour fast.”

—     Louis Ross, CTO, Ford Motor company, addressing engineering students.

Yes, Ross was speaking to a group of engineering students. And, yes, hyperbole can make any statement seem startling. But, no, you’re not exempt from the logic or scope of what he had to say. Why? Because, whether you like it or not, you’re a member of the electronic age.

In the last century, becoming a “well-qualified” individual meant doing time at the usual “reputed” institutes. You departed with your degree tucked between copies of your bio-data and found parking space in a “good” company. Then you settled into your seat and waited to play musical chairs in the official hierarchy.

But all that’s changed, and  how well you know it. Now, there’s always someone else—better qualified, more aggressive, more clued in—and she wants your chair (See story “If you Sit Back. You’ll be Left Behind, July 26, 2000). What do you do to protect yourself? Well, you could take a year off, apply for that course at Wharton, and hope you’ll return to a double promotion. Or your could hit the Net.

Learn on the job. E-learning today is about more than just surfing the Web to update your general knowledge. A whole bevy of websites compete with each other to offer you structured courses on a range of subjects, which are often accompanied by certifications and even degrees. All of which you can ‘attend’ at your convenience, and many of which will cost you nothing. Says Anurag Jain, chief executive officer, openlearningworld.com: “E-learning is helpful for those who want to update their skills, discover a new talent, or chart a career path at their own pace and convenience.”

As Ekta Jain is discovering. Drawn into the family business, Jain realised after only a month that her training in International Business had left her ignorant of many aspect of finance. Chancing upon openlearningworld.com, she registered for ‘Finance for Managers’. Says Jain: “E-learning is a convenient way to enhance your skills and pursue what you want to do without compromising on your job.”

Says Taruna Aggarwal, junior marketing manager, Modern organics, who did an online course on customer care at openlearningworld: “I was really happy when my teacher kept in constant touch with me through e-mail. They were responsive to my need and made the whole process lively.  

The Great E-Learning Web