Several weeks ago, I convinced one of my direct reports at work to apply to Kaplan University.  He was looking to get his degree, and realizes that without it, he could very well be stuck in his low-level managerial position he’s in right now.  He’s in his early 30’s with a few college hours.  He’s a very good manager, and getting a degree is just what he needs in order to move up in the next few years.

Since he is well into his first term, I recently asked him what he thought of it.  His main comment was on the diversity of the people that were attending classes.  That’s what came to my mind when I first started at Kaplan as well.  That brings us to the topic of this post.  What kinds of people are attracted to 100% online education for the purpose of earning a degree?

I believe that in my four years at Kaplan, my observations have been fairly consistent.  I confirm my observations in the “Introduction” section of the class where all the students introduce themselves and get warmed up for the term by getting to know each other.  Typically, and in a large frame of reference, you will have people from all walks of life.  You will have men and women.  You will have all age groups (although typically the people will be 30+ since online education appeals to those who are working and don’t have the time for traditional brick and mortar facilities.)

I am not sure why it sticks out in my head, but I see lots of single mothers taking courses.  I have to assume that some of these folks are looking to expand their knowledge so that they can become more productive in their current situation.  I think that when we are left to rely more on ourselves, we are put in a position to do things that we may have never thought about before.  One of those things is getting a degree.

I have also run into some blue-collar people who are either in management or are looking to advance in their current career.  I’ve had the most interaction with these people, and have enjoyed the experience of the online interaction with people who come from a different line of work than I do.  The experience puts some perspective on what other people do and why they are going to school.

I also see (though on a much more infrequent basis) white collar people who are already in management, but are looking to get a degree for the purpose of advancement.  I am in that boat as well.  In a way, I am glad that most of the people I take classes with are not like me.  It makes for a more rewarding experience.

People go to school for different reasons.  I know there are a lot of people with backgrounds and life experiences that I have not run into yet, but hope to in the future.  The undergrad programs are also a way for people to get their feet wet and see how far they want to take their education.  Some make it, and some do not.  

Unfortunately, there are people in some of my classes that are in my peripheral vision that I notice for their lack of participation or their inability to keep up.  There are some people who I notice that don’t take the simple things seriously (such as spell checking, using complete sentences, etc…).  And as in any large group of people, there will usually be a certain percentage of them that are simply not cut out for the environment and the rigors and effort required to make something out of the education in front of them.

Some people put in more effort than others, and it’s easy to tell who will be around when graduation time comes.  Some people might put in the effort to get by, but might not get the full benefit of the education because they didn’t put 100% into it.  It does take all kinds, I suppose.

But I will concede that a vast majority of my experiences at Kaplan have been positive.  The classes are occupied with students who have a goal.  The interactions have been good, and when you have a cohort with success in mind, it’s easy to feed off of each other and make great things happen.