College. Certificate. Credentials. It is nice when an authority recognizes your hard work and achievements. In previous articles, we established that we choose to pursue commitments consciously. With this frame of mind, we ask the questions: Why do credentials exist, and when does it matter? How does Acton Academy navigate through this space?
This essay attempts to answer these questions through two concrete examples.
Why do credentials exist?
Here are some possible questions that drive the need for credentials:
- Is the competency visible? Can you package it into a cheap test?
- Is it regulated by certain authorities?
- Does the credential combine with unique learning experiences?
- Does it have historical prestige and an internal network?
For example, a Harvard Law School J.D.:
- Visible competency and tests. Assessing the competency of a J.D. from Harvard Law School is not straightforward—few people can interpret a lawyer’s work. That’s changing slowly, with AI and friendlier legal advice websites.
- Regulation. States and legal councils regulate legal positions. It is necessary if you plan to practice law.
- Unique learning experiences. The law school, with rigorous case studies and Socratic discussions, cultivates critical thinking. It is a unique learning experience, but such affairs are becoming more accessible via emerging online options.
- Prestige and network. The Harvard name is prestigious and does have a strong alumni network. Both are useful in a law career.
In conclusion, a J.D. from Harvard Law School has value and provides preparation for a legal career path. The big question: Do you have what it takes to get in and thrive in it?
Another example is a web designing degree. It is easy to see the skill gap — almost any web user who is willing to pay attention can tell the difference between apple.com versus other websites. Anyone can create websites; there is no regulation, and one can learn web design from many sources, often free. As to learning experience, the best comes from actual work. It is rare to design a unique learning experience from a schooling perspective. Finally, tech networks exist around GitHub and other virtual networks, and the entry ticket and hierarchy comes from visible work and occasional references. In conclusion, a Degree in Web Design has little value. The big question: Do you have what it takes to pursue this self-directed path?
The answers to these four questions are changing too. The world is increasingly questioning credentials, from government licensing to colleges. Knowledge and networks are becoming democratized with the Internet. Unique learning experiences (#3) and old networks (#4) are breaking apart. Regulation (#2) is under pressure depending on industry pressures and political interests. Competency visibility (#1) is also under pressure, as people have tools that help them make more informed assessments. What’s relevant today might not be so tomorrow.
At Acton, we take a fresh view of credentials. We focus on utility and see it with the following frame of mind:
- All experiences, including gaining credentials and college, are learning tools.
- There is a need to prove one’s worth whenever he/she delivers a promise to someone. One demonstrates this via a track record of similar work, a cheap test, or a demonstration of skills. Credentials might be necessary, too.
- There are different ways to gain relevant proofs of worth, including credentials, leading to the Next Great Adventure (NGA).
- Experiences, including gaining any credentials and college courses, are better done consciously as opposed to blindly. I’ve repeated this to stress the importance of this point!
In short, one commits to a credential (or any experience) because it is useful, and only after it is weighed by specific sacrifices, like time and money.
Acton Academy’s NGA Process Vis a Vis Credentials
So, how does Acton Academy approach credentials in the NGA process? The short answer: using questions and taking action to seek clarity.
The long answer involves wrestling with these questions while moving from the Searching and Exploring statuses to the Committing in the NGA process. We illustrate this process using two case studies: an aspiring video editor and an ambitious world-changer via environmental policymaking.
| NGA Status | Searching | Exploring | Committing |
| Activities related to navigating credentials | Check if job descriptions need them. Create a map of relevant skills, expertise, and industry knowledge. List possible questions and activities to answer them. Ask deeply about the willingness to commit 250 hours (10 hours a week for the next six months). | Pursue series of test activities to answer questions. If credentials are involved, select a segment and test it too. Refine map of relevant skills, expertise, and industry knowledge. Create enough clarity to commit. | Commit to a clear learning plan that forms the Badge Plan & a draft High School Diploma transcript. Continue to refine the path by asking questions and answer them through action. |
| Example 1: Video Editor | Research. Draw a map of relevant skills, expertise, and industry knowledge on the path of becoming a professional video editor. Test Activities: Explore the right tools + Play with some video editing (10h) | Diving Deeper to see if I am 100% committed to Video Editor: Learning Tools: Courses (create-own, structured self-paced, class-style) + research on Schools (40h) Internal Marketing Projects + Portfolio (80h) Perspective via People and Books: In the Blink of an Eye Explore further through biographies, books, etc. (20h) Interview 3 video editors (10h) Work: Freelance Dabble (20h) Apprenticeship (100h) | Goal: Find Niche Explore pre-production work (200h) Storytelling Expertise (200h) Internal Marketing Projects (500h) Freelance (500h) – Go from $5 to $20 level 2 Internships (500h) Explore building own business (300h) Exit Acton with a Transcript + Portfolio + secured job offer or start on a business |
| Example 2: Environmental Policymaking | Search for work that involves climate change, human rights, nature conservation. Keep in mind Science & Art interest, and meeting inspiring & driven people. | The goal is to see what path shall I commit. Much lengthier due to ‘bend career path.’ Part 1: Finding Integration (total 140h) Law Exploration (50h): Virtual Apprenticeships (20h) Writing Projects (24h) 3 Interviews (6h) Science Exploration (50h): Introduction Literature Reviews (34h) Identify Areas of interest (10h) 2 Interviews (6h) Humanities Exploration (40h): Psychology, Well-being & Studying (25h) Philosophy Dabble (12h) 1 Interview (3h) Part 2: Testing Environmental Law (total 120h) Environmental Law Course (20h) Plastic Pollution Project (20h) Internship in Environmental Law (80h) Part 3: College Prep (total 60h) College Research (30h) AP Test Experiment (5h) SAT Test Experiment (5h) College Research + Draw Map (20h) | Law-related Internships (600h) Online Courses (200h) Impact-related Courses (200h) Impact-related Projects (100h) Other Explorations: Writing, Science Communication (350h) Travel (200h) College Prep (1000h) Exit Acton with US High School Diploma + Portfolio + relevant tests to secure scholarship & college offers OR a hack college route. |
Diving Deeper
The table above is a summary list. You can dive deeper by going through the individual profiles in the links:
- The Video Editor Path showcases the comparisons to actual portfolio sites.
- The Environmental Policymaking Path showcases actual University options, which are narrowed to Science / Liberal Arts and Law Double Degree programs, and the plan to get there.
A common question surrounding credentials in Malaysia: how about IGCSE, SPM, or A-Levels? We believe the NGA process and Acton High School Diploma route are far more effective versus the typical cookie-cutter exam-oriented path. However, if an Eagle has an NGA path that utilizes local institutions, we recommend the IGCSE. Eagles can take IGCSE as a private candidate. The reason is simple: this is the best alternative under the legal restrictions from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
Still, this is a costly path. Here’s a detailed comparison of taking the Acton US High School Diploma route versus a typical IGCSE > A-Level route.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
– Mark Twain.
The NGA process is transformational. Credentials, when seen as tools and journeys of learning, change the Eagle’s way of being. The authority shifts from an external source to something far valuable — an internal authority (the self) — a whole, conscious human being.
The next blog will address how NGA is introduced throughout ActonKL’s Eagles journey. It is also a testament that if you have a child in a traditional school, you should not wait any longer to come to Acton for the NGA!