I came across this web article about Birmingham City University of the U.K. offering a degree in Social Media. Really? If you ask me this just sounds like a way to ploy money out peoples hands. I can see value in educating people on Social Media but to turn it into a 4 year degree program. Come on.
What’s that going to cost someone? I’ve got to imagine several thousand at the least. Take your money and save it people. Buy yourself a computer, plop yourself down in front of a computer for hours, days, weeks at a time. Once you’ve gotten your seat on (cyclists know this term very well) then you can keep plugging away behind the screen, digging and digging and digging.
I don’t think people need to be caught up in getting a degree in Social Media, they just need passion and a drive to learn on their own. You see you can learn everything you need to know for FREE, online. Oh my did I say FREE? Yes, that’s right you can educate yourself for FREE by reading articles, postings online and being a part of the conversation. That will make you a professional more than any schooling ever will.
That last sentence kind of reminds me of going to college and be inspired and wowed by the whole education thing. Yah, I got my degree and then I met the real world. Let me just give you a peace of advice, where education and reality meet up are worlds apart. Go buy yourself a Mac and a good 21+ inch monitor. Pay for that Comcast bill and spend some time behind the computer, online, engaging with the world via the Blogs, Facebooks and Twitters. That is social media. That’s where you will learn.
I won’t dispel buying books either. There are some very note worthy characters out there that have a lot to offer. Here are a few recommendations:
“What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis
“Twitter Power” by Joel Comm
“FREE” by Chris Anderson
Cost of reading this article, FREE, cost of interacting with people online in blogs, facebook & Twitter, FREE, educating yourself online and becoming a Social Media guru, Priceless.