Harry Husted
Meet Harry Husted
Online learning is a great way to take your education to the next step. For one writer, he's putting his words into educational action.
He may not be the next Stephen King (yet!), but this adult student hopes that an online degree will help him to advance his literary career.
Though Harry Husted, 49, had an associate's degree, it wasn't until March 2006 that he decided to bite the bullet and enroll at Ellis College of New York Institute of Technology, located in Westbury, New York. He's working towards his B.A. in English, majoring in professional writing. The Bronx resident is expected to graduate in June 2008.
"From the time I was in my 20s till today, I always wanted to get my bachelor's degree. Now I strongly believe I am living my dreams by getting the degree I always wanted and am now achieving. Studying online helped me do it," says Harry, who plans on getting his next degree via distance learning.
Currently a writer involved in a myriad of projects including ghostwriting, copywriting, and article writing, Harry says he notices a lot of jobs that require a bachelor's degree, which is why he realized he needed one, too.
"This is one of the incentives I realized is important to getting my degree," he says.
We talked to Harry about life as a writer, and how it is to take your current degree a step further with distance learning.
What has been the most difficult thing for you about distance learning?
The hardest thing about distance learning I found was being able to log in to my classroom without the school's computer crashing, thereby knocking me out of my classroom.
This is especially hard when you have an assignment that is due at the last minute and you are making an effort to log in so you can upload your assignment. Then either you or the school develops hardware problems.
What has been the most difficult thing for you about distance learning? (cont'd)
Another part that I consider hard is being able to communicate with my instructor one-on-one when I have a problem or issue.
Instead, I have to communicate via email or instant message. And then the instructor doesn't always reply fast enough. So in that case, I have to either do my best or wait for a response.
Tell us a little bit about buying books for online classes.
Another thing about distance learning is having to wait for your books in the mail. You can't always just pick them up at the bookstore. You have to purchase them at either Amazon.com or another bookstore online.
I buy books online for a whole lot less. In some cases, I buy them used at $2 a shot. Why buy new ones when used are just as good? I don't care if the book is worn or written in. I will only use it for the class and probably discard it later.
What's it like having virtual classmates?
There is the anxiety of being placed in a group with someone you may not like (based on comments that person may have said). It is hard to communicate with the student without maybe offending him or her because of the way you express your words.
You have to be careful at the way you express yourself online because the comments you leave are recorded and displayed for a long time to come.
Do you comment on other's posts on the online forums?
Commenting on other people's posts on the online forums really is a waste of my time. I prefer to just log into my classroom, read over my assignment, perform my assignment, turn it in, and get graded for it. That's it.
I do not wish to waste time commenting on someone else's post. But the college policy dictates it has to be done. So I just grin and bear it.
That's a great point. What is one of the most positive aspects of learning online?
The easiest thing about online education is there are many resources available for you to look at to get information about any subject you are studying.
It doesn't matter the subject; you have online libraries to log into for information, and you also have other resources the college may provide for you to get your project or assignment finished on time. Everything is basically handed to you as long as you have access to it.
What do you like the best about distance learning?
What I love the best is there is no commuting to school everyday. You just have to log into your classroom and follow the outline provided. Any assignments listed, you have to fulfill on any given day.
You don't have to hurry up and get dressed to go to school, travel through town, face backed up traffic, and just barely get to school on time. Instead, you can stay dressed in your pajamas and log in to your classroom without worrying about anyone seeing you.
Another thing I love about online education is that you can log on at any time of the day or night. You are not restricted to only a certain time.
You can get up in the morning, log in and check your messages. Or you can log on in the afternoon. Whatever you want to do regarding your log in time is mainly up to you.
Approximately how much is your degree going to cost you?
So far I have paid around $30,000 and that amount is climbing. The average amount I spend per year is about $8,000.
