# mit open courseware vs studying at a uni



## huggoo (Jan 20, 2012)

hi Guys,

First of all, please accept my congratulations on a great forum made. Really helpful for people migrating to Au.

My aussie wife and I are migrating soon to Au, depending on when my partner visa gets approved. I work as an r&d engineer in the netherlands and want to study further in engineering / business to gain more knowledge. While we've only been married 2.5 years, I dont expect to get a pr straight away. This means that I would have to fork out 30k aud to study a year. 

Im considering whether its worth spending 30k aud to study for a year versus learning from a free online source e.g. open courseware from mit. Doing a degree does not garauntee that doors will open during a job search.

pros of following an online free source like open courseware / your own books instead of being enrolled at a university: 
1. you can explore what areas you are interested in without the initial financial investment.
2. you can literally create your own study plan without any constraints, finishing when you want.

Cons of following an online source instead of being enrolled at a university:
1. if you need some help in understanding content, it might be difficult to get hold of an expert. Study groups in ocw seems to be not bad in asking questions online though.
2. there is no paper qualification, which may be to your disadvantage when looking for a job. (Although as an employer I would like to think that studying on your own shows more initiative and discipline on your part).

While I would happily study for free, the reality of life is that we have to earn to put bread on the table!  Im inclined to think now that it may be better for a person thinking of studying to do some initial exploration (if he / she is not sure of what to study) online during the first few months in australia. A degree, in my opinion, should be committed to, once it is clear that one is definitely interested in that area and there are clear prospects in australia for a graduate in that field. 

Im very curious to know what you guys would do / are planning to do?


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