From the Library of Congress Woman reading a book (Eloyse et Abailard) |
From what I can gather there is a lot of choices on
education out there; professional level all the way down to hobbyist. I still don’t know what I want to achieve
with this new found path of mine, but I do know that I still feel like I am
missing some key component to my education in this world. When I was reading up on the subject I found
this great post by Gena P. Ortega called Getting
a Genealogical Education. She had a
good listing of free and paid classes, podcasts, university settings, and
more. You want an education? Gena tells
you how to accomplish it.
I have come to the conclusion that I am a researcher at
heart. This is a fact; it is something that
I have been doing for years. You have
read about how I love to sit on the floor of libraries, crawl around dusty
books, and drink my tea while spending hours searching the internet. The research is the thrill for me, which is
why I loved my undergraduate research project.
The main difference between that and this was in one I watched crystals
grow under a microscope for three years and now I hunt down dead people. The crawling around libraries hasn’t changed
though.
What I need to get better at is putting it all together. Mainly taking my findings then making them
into a useable and engaging piece and finally putting them out there in the world
for others to read. It is still hard for
me to think of myself as a writer after years of being told this is something I
would never excel at (once again, there are only so many ways to write a lab
report) that it may take a while to break down those built up walls in my
head. Talking with you is easy, maybe
because I only know a handful personally.
Besides being a better, more researched, and well-spoken writer
I think one day I would also like to help others. I have a service streak a mile wide in
me. Giving back and helping is second
nature to me, and has got me in hot water a time or two with over
volunteering. However, if I could turn
this obsession into something that could assist others and possibly garner a
pay check, that would be awesome.
There are many free resources out there, and I have used
most of them. I guess I need to know if
I am missing something by not taking “formal” classes. Right now I am only looking at things I can
do online. As a busy mom I have to work
around school schedules and bus times which leave little opportunity for me to
up and go anywhere (like an institute for a week). Below is the list I complied of places I have
looked at and my thoughts on them. If
you think I have missed one that I should consider, or have an insight into a
program, I would love to know.
Boston University: I have been looking at this program for over
a year. In fact, I even filled out their
online questionnaire and talked to a representative from the college. The Certificate Program in Genealogical
Research is supposed to give you a basis to prepare yourself for Certification
through the Board for Certification
of Genealogists (BCD). Certification
is a process that I really want to go through for some reason, even though I am
not sure why I have the urge.
National
Institute for Genealogical Studies:
They offer a variety of courses that certify you in a specific record
group (there are 9 to choose from).
After completing the program you receive a Certificate in Genealogical
Studies and can use the postnomials PLCGS (Professional Learning Certificate in
Genealogical Studies). Looking at the certificates
available through the program think I could get the most out of either the
General Methodology Certificate, or one of the specialized certificates in a
country that I am interested in. The
Librarianship Certificate looks interesting, but as I have no training as a
librarian nor do I work at a library so it would be silly to take it.
National
Genealogical Society(NGS): As a
member (which you all should be… it’s a steal) you can participate in the Home
Study Course. However, this course means
you, the student, have to be self-motived and on top of everything. There is a graded option, which would be my
choice since that would force me to work in a timely manner and not procrastinate. In addition to this course the NGS also has a
plethora of other materials available for their members, some free some not.
Heritage
Genealogical College: This site was
intriguing to me. Still poking around
it, but I am not sure that I would be able to dedicate myself to a full course
load of 15-19 hours for the foreseeable future.
At least not until my youngest one is a bit older and isn’t as dependent
on me. Besides, you can never have too
many Bachelor’s degrees right?
Decisions… decisions…
Looked at the Heritage Genealogical College but could find nothing about their accreditation. Do you information on that?
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good question. I will find out and post back here when I get a reply from them.
DeleteOn the menu down the right side of the page they tell you their degree requirements. There is a certificate, Associates, and bachelors degree in genealogical research.
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