Why Online Degrees Don't Work

Why most quantitative finance firms do not like online degrees. 1) Cheating is very hard to control at any university but it becomes near impossible to prevent when exams and quizzes go online. 2) Communication with classmates and professors is reduced which results in less help and thinking about the materials you are learning. 3) Rigor often seems reduced due to the scalability of online learning. For example, long math assignments which are more concerned with the process than the answer are not feasible when you start to scale the course. Professors only have so much time. TAs can be hired but I have seen this result in them sharing the solutions with other students or future students (they get shared online as well). 4) A higher commitment is obtained by the high prices of brick and mortar universities. Once you have invested you time and money to be there it is hard to back out. Only those who are very committed will seek a higher priced degree. When the program gets difficult it helps drive you to finish. a) I do think the current programs are all over priced however this is a separate issue. 5) Competition for jobs is very high in quantitative finance. There are so many graduates every year that employers can be picky. I am sure there are some good online students however the higher standards and hurdles of brick and mortar makes the average student quality higher. So what is online learning good for? I think it is a great way to add on additional courses or topics that you didn't have time to cover during your education. It is also great if you are already working. It provides flexibility in when to take the courses and it can be very specific to something you need for your job. As a warning though, when it comes to technical topics there are many courses developed to be very high level and often get technical details wrong. Intro 0:00 Competition 1:49 Cheating 2:05 Communication 6:42 Rigor 9:14 Commitment 10:33 Online Learning is Great 14:34 Website: https://www.FancyQuantNation.com Support: https://ko-fi.com/fancyquant Quant t-shirts, mugs, and hoodies: https://www.teespring.com/stores/fancy-quant Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitri-bianco https://twitter.com/DimitriBianco