With streaming services now available to consumers in every area of the U.S., it's no longer a question of whether you should be accessing content from Netflix and/or Disney+ to enjoy binge-worthy television. In fact, I know that many people have been looking for ways to view their favorite movies and series on their smartphones or tablets.
With these options becoming so popular, there is really no excuse not to give them a try. But what exactly are they capable of when it comes to viewing quality?
I recently purchased an Amazon Fire TV device from Best Buy (here's how to get yours). After watching just about every movie and TV show available to me via streaming service, as well as my personal favorites, I can honestly say that this was by far the most convenient viewing experience I've ever experienced. As a result of that purchase, I can confidently pronounce myself a huge fan of Starz.
Starz specializes in providing its customers with a wide array of premium offerings, including original programming like "The Man In the High Castle," "The Voice" and "The Big Sick." This review will focus solely upon the company's latest addition, "Jobs For America, Inc.," which is focused primarily upon empowering unemployed Americans through employment opportunities in business. However, this documentary also shows us just that you don't always need to stay out of work to succeed financially.
As expected, when you consider all the benefits provided by working on your own while also earning a living, the chances of getting hired are absolutely phenomenal. And why wouldn't that be true if we all had jobs? If everyone had a job, then you could assume you could do whatever it takes to live life to the fullest and pay your bills. But here's where things start to go awry. There are jobs and careers that require little to no education or skills. You might even be able to make some money by teaching others while making very good wages. Yet the majority of those occupations require almost no training or experience, meaning we are in the unfortunate position of being responsible only for ourselves.
You probably knew that Starz offers such jobs, but did you know they are actually paid exceptionally well? Yes, you probably did, as the company has offered employees a whopping average paycheck of $29,200 per year, well above the national median income of $23,600. That's because of the low cost of production and distribution. But it does get worse when you consider the fact that those who work at stores such as Wal-Mart and Ikea receive minimum hourly salaries. So while all these jobs can be highly sought after, I'm sure some of those paying minimum wage are still struggling to find work!
On top of that, let's talk about the fact that all those jobs typically provide a tremendous amount of flexibility. You can learn on a whim whatever courses you choose. Also, you can have more of anything you want—from yoga certification or online coaching to culinary training—all without any additional costs. While you would obviously need money to pursue such knowledge or classes, the reality is that anyone can afford them for free on Amazon Prime (and if you're lucky enough to have one of the best Amazon Prime Unlimited plans available). Some companies like Walmart have even come up with deals to help pay for courses. For families, kids' programs can be purchased on sites such as "Teenship" and "Educate Kids Now" and other similar resources. But there are countless different course providers and educational entities available, all of which can be accessed at no fee. From there, any young person could easily graduate from their studies.
As a former high school teacher and lifelong learner, I've personally experienced firsthand the possibilities we represent as individuals, regardless of our individual interests. When I left my job, I found myself teaching both social workers and criminal defense volunteers and I had the opportunity to earn a few thousand dollars each month teaching students various subjects. These are just two examples of the multitude of opportunities that millions of adults across the United States can fulfill within their lifetime. However, it's undeniable that there are so much less accessible courses than the ones offered by major corporations, such as Top Universities, Coursera and Udemy. But there is hope and the truth that people in general understand. People want access to courses that will open doors to incredible opportunities. They can feel comfortable with courses that don't involve going to college. Why? Because these courses offer freedom and flexibility. Everyone's ability to explore new things depends on their willingness to take risks, create relationships based on trust, and continue learning throughout multiple stages of their career and throughout life. Of course, that assumes nothing else. All this freedom means is having the freedom to experiment and discover new skills and opportunities in order to achieve goals and dreams.
From someone who has given up the normal 9-5 office occupation for something less structured, the idea of having the right to do what they like seems incredibly liberating. Especially for those in underserved communities in the nation, who don't necessarily benefit from formal education. Imagine walking around the city with no knowledge of the art form or art history in hand. Yet that's the world we currently live in. Instead of following trends, we have to create those trends ourselves—or we find ourselves behind bars.
That being said, it's important to realize that the real value we get from attending university is more than academic freedom. A university degree often equips students with valuable skills and attributes that can dramatically affect their financial future. Additionally, higher degrees usually provide greater levels of professional expertise; so students often need to further refine those skills before entering the workforce. Moreover, there are thousands of jobs in today's economy today where one or two years of college degree is not nearly sufficient to land a full time role.
From a student point of view, I think this makes perfect sense. College is expensive, especially in terms of out-of-state tuition fees which can range anywhere from $10,000 to $300,000 and even higher for books purchased in the same time frame. It's hard to justify the expense of attending such a large program when it's clear that there is great potential to earn so much money elsewhere without spending the time and effort necessary to attend university. Plus, as a whole, I feel like there is no way that attending college is better than pursuing a profession. One person can go into a field, while another knows none of the intricacies of the industry and another has never met a client. Regardless of your interest, as long as you possess the skills needed to succeed in a certain job, you will always be guaranteed good employability. So it doesn't matter if you are an artist, a law firm or even a software developer, you can take advantage of opportunities that require minimal amounts of schooling such as tutoring, online lessons, seminars and workshops and mentorship.
While I believe that attending college is definitely preferable over pursuing employment, there are plenty of other factors in play when considering how much you spend on obtaining a degree. Depending on the type of degree you go with, it can cost anywhere between $10,000 to $100,000. But for the sake of argument, suppose you decided to go with an online diploma on a subject such as political science rather than attend a traditional classroom session—I would wager my friend that it would cost you anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000. Each of those amounts is significantly larger, depending on the level of difficulty, the complexity of the subject, and how many hours you decide to invest. Still, that's several hundred of dollars more than a typical four years of post grad degree. Obviously, this is merely an estimation, but I truly believe that these numbers could be significantly smaller if there were a lot of competition in the market for online learners. Online learners can be considered virtually any student, regardless of your interest in a particular discipline.
If you are planning on spending thousands of dollars on classes, I would recommend taking a hybrid approach, perhaps attending a campus for the semester but then using the option to stay home from day three onward. This would allow you to save a significant amount of money and use that savings on travel expenses, for example. Or perhaps you decide to go back to your hometown, and instead of staying on campus, enroll in your local community college or simply take online classes while traveling home each week. Either way, you should know that you have options to meet your budgeting needs. Just like with everything else in life, you shouldn't simply take it at face value and expect others to. Do your research and use the facts available to you. Make informed decisions and stick with what works for you.
As mentioned before, I did the math and calculated that even though I would likely have to fork over six figures per year in four years and about five figures in total. Which of course begs the question. How much of that would be covered by insurance or loans? Although there are lots of excellent online schools offering affordable options with varying degrees of difficulty, I do wish to dispel that notion entirely and state the obvious answer—if you plan on doing it. You don't actually need to worry about this and can use the scholarship money to cover the costs of attending a particular school (as discussed above) or buy some sort of off the shelf package. Most places would offer discounted rates for such services and packages to fit your budget. Whether it would be attending a university, attending classes through Amazon Flex, tutoring, or other types of support, this is not something to fret over. If anything, it's crucial that you look at situations carefully. The bottom line is this: we only really care about the money. What is the overall impact of attending university? What are the real benefits of the study? Can you manage it yourself versus relying on assistance from other sources? Are there any downsides to this experience?
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