There’s an old saying about teaching that suggests practitioners and educators were squarely in two separate camps; those who can do something and those who teach something. The saying eventually evolved to, “Those Who Can, Do. Those Who Can’t, Teach.”
The injustice of such a statement is that teachers are paid far below the corporate American wages their students can eventually earn. This only further inflames the insult that suggests teachers cannot perform as practitioners.
However, over time, educators began demonstrating just how inaccurate the “can’t do” label really is and today, teaching is one of the fastest growing virtual, work-from-anywhere remotely, careers and side hustles in the world.
Both formal education and informal how-to courses, workshops, certifications, and bootcamps are creating new ways for practitioners to share what they know with new, eager students both online and in person. Technology advancements, many of which became mainstream during COVID-19 to better enable employees around the globe to work remotely, have changed how we work, learn, and teach.
Education platforms such as Mind Valley and Teachable provide venues for coaches, doctors and therapists, artists, writers, and entrepreneurs to share their knowledge with the world. YouTube, Amazon, Linkedin and even Facebook are ed-enabled now providing relevant informational content in cybersecurity, resume writing, business startups, and job hunting.
Traditional secondary educational institutions are stepping up their game. Now more than ever, colleges and universities are offering online courses, degrees, and short courses designed to further adult education, awarding students with certifications. But who exactly is teaching these advanced courses in traditional settings? Practitioners, corporate executives, and subject matter experts (SMEs) in technology, environmental science, risk management, and accounting and finance, as examples. They are taking the lead in learning by teaching real-world expertise alongside the textbook theory of their chosen disciplines.
By opening these offerings at the university level, colleges are expanding their student body population to international enrollees and global (expert) educators. Virtual teaching provides a launchpad to “doers” who want to become “teachers” whether full-time or on a part-time basis. It’s a logical transition for longtime experts who desire to transfer their know-how to the next generation of doers while keeping one foot in the doing world.
Virtual educators have ultimate freedom. Work, live, teach, research, and publish from anywhere and everywhere. This win-win widens the curriculum syllabus and brings a fresh perspective to the classroom.
Even hybrid courses (a blend of on- and off-campus study) allow for greater flexibility and creativity in learning. It isn’t just undergrad and master’s degrees available online for both doers and teachers. Doctorates, Juris Doctorates, and Executive MBAs are now delivered online virtually through integrated platforms such as Canvas and Zoom.
As technology evolves and professionals desire more personal liberty, teaching at the collegiate level may be just the ticket to creating the new next phase of remote learning professors.
Those who can do, teach.
M