The reasons why a No-Pay MPH made sense for me, even without a degree

♦ The reasons why a No-Pay MPH made sense for me, even without a degree. ♦

This is the question I field most frequently when I tell people that I created my own Public Health education program using MOOCs and then created a Facebook group about it.

While I did get a fabulous Public Health education, I did not get an MPH degree. I also didn’t get buried under a mountain of debt, nor did I waste time (or money) in classes that weren’t interesting or relevant to my career ambitions.

Perhaps you’ve considered taking a few Public Health MOOCs, or even undertaking a complete MPH-style education as I did. If so, then you may also be wondering whether it makes sense to pursue an education that doesn’t come with that piece of paper.

Here are the reasons why a No-Pay MPH made sense for me, even without a degree.

♦ I am confident in my ability to present my No-Pay MPH as a legitimate part of my education.

While some employers might not consider my resume due to the fact that I don’t have a true MPH, I expect that many will be intrigued by my choice to pursue an unconventional learning path. But don’t take my word for it. Once I get an interview, I’ll be happy to demonstrate my Public Health skills and savvy. I also have my blogsite to back me up, but you wouldn’t need a whole blogsite to showcase your learning. A strong portfolio would probably do the trick.

♦ Given m personal career ambitions, the investment in a traditional MPH wouldn’t have paid off.

I can certainly understand the financial case for getting an MPH, especially for people with very specific goals or people who want to enter certain industries (e.g. NGOs). But my situation is a little different. My career thus far is in international development, not known for salaries of the kind that make an MPH investment worthwhile. I enjoy this work and the opportunity it provides to have a globe-spanning career. Now that I have finished my No-Pay MPH, I plan to follow a more entrepreneurial path. Being debt-free leaves me open to riskier options, such as starting my own Public Health or working for a startup. I am happy not to be saddled with a debt burden that constrains my choices. And I’ve done my homework.

♦ The content of an MPH is valuable with or without the degree!

How cynical are we if we can’t see that the education itself has value, whether or not you get the piece of paper to prove it? In my view, what you get at a traditional Public Health school has three components – the educational content, the network, and the degree. It is probably true that of those three, the slice that makes up the smallest share of the total price tag of an MPH is the educational content. Still, I believe that education has intrinsic value. And Public Health education has more than intrinsic value.

My No-Pay MPH did earn me a promotion and a sizeable raise. I was also able to start putting my new skills into practice immediately on the job, bringing additional value to my employer right away.

♦ The MPH is no longer the only credential in town.

The MOOCs platforms are hard at work creating credentials that will hopefully have real value in the job market. So-called “microcredentials” encompass many kinds of credentials that are less than a full degree, including verified certificates of completion from the MOOC providers, Udacity’s Nanodegrees, and edX’s MicroMasters, among others. EdSurge recently reported that these kinds of credentials are proliferating. During my studies, I earned many MOOC Statements of Accomplishment.

So yes, I took a risk by getting a Public Health education that didn’t result in a degree. It cost me much, much less than a traditional MPH would have, and it paid off in both financial and personal ways. What about you? Do you think a Public Health education can be “worth it”, even if it doesn’t result in an MPH degree?