Can Google Teach Me Everything?
Can you rely on Google to teach the skills you need for a career change or do you need more traditional learning?
Google is extremely helpful at a lot of things. Learning how to boil the perfect egg and creating the perfect smokey eye make-up technique are just some of the helpful searches which may come to mind. But there are some things that Google just can’t teach you.
Search
According to Google Trends, the most used search terms in 2013 were Nelson Mandela, Walker and Oscar Pistorius. This makes it clear that the searches most often made involve breaking news stories and not learning new skills. When internet users have asked Google their question prefaced with the words “how to” the trend results are slightly different but no more educational. Then it was how to twerk, fight and survive which people were most curious about.
Google is great
Most of us agree that we couldn’t function without Google and not a day goes by when we don’t use it. It is by far the most used search engine in the world. Statistics show that Google has about 78 percent of the global search share.
But not everything is true
But it is very clear that not everything on Google is true, factually correct or even vaguely believable. This article advises: “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. In fact, it’s probably a good practice to not believe anything you read or see anywhere, and certainly never from a single source. If there is a subject or controversy that interests you, dig a little deeper. Read the counter-argument. Read a few counter arguments. It’s probably a good rule of thumb to read at least two arguments and counter arguments, but to be honest that shouldn’t be enough.”
Real skills
If you are looking to learn new skills it is better to get that information from an institution which can be trusted. And if you are looking for those skills in order to make a career change, it may be useful to have a certified qualification from a reputable organisation. If you were to pursue web development courses it may be difficult to pick up those skills yourself. In these instances it would be more useful to have a lecturer nearby to provide assistance and valuable insights.