Buy or Lease?

If given the option, do you buy or lease?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you have had some conversation with someone at some point about the pros and cons of leasing. What I don't know is if the concept of leasing a car or house or office is one that brings you comfort or concern.

I like ownership. I generally feel comfortable with the risks involved and like the sense of attachment that comes from making the decision to buy something. But, my opinion has been altered a little with the current economic landscape. Leasing can remove the obstacle of needing that initial investment and it can also allow a person the ability to more easily change her mind if a mistake has been made or use of the item is only temporary. So, what's that got to do with online career counselling?

Leasing came to mind recently when I read a facebook post from a cousin of mine. It was the end of his first semester of college. In it, he was complaining about the fact that he'd spent $500+ on books at the start of the semester and was offered just $4 at book buyback (been there/done that). The debate among his "friends" was centered around whether or not the $4 was actually a good deal. Was he going to use those books enough in the future to out weigh the costs of shelving, storing, and moving those books over the coming years. I wonder if he would have been better off renting them through http://www.chegg.com/ or another book rental company?


How we store and display our photos, buy our music, and receive our news is leaning more, if not completely, toward a subscription type model. As a result, how people are creating and accessing educational content online is changing as we speak. Not only is access to technology driving this change, the users may have little initial investment and be hestitant to make the commitment that comes with ownership. It begs the question -are clients going to be willing to own the content they seek, the resources they access, or the expertise they tap into or will a subscription model better meet their needs?

Are you asking clients to lease or buy when they work with you?

Questions of Access...a decade later

In 1999, when I first stepped into the conversations about eLearning, I couldn't read an article or interact with another practitioner without having much of the conversation be dominated by the concept of access. Questions raised were:

How will clients access computer technology?
Which clients will have access to the Internet? Which won't? What speed?
What browser will they be using? Operating System?
How will issues of literacy or computer skills impact engagement?
How will clients receive adequate technical support?

At that time, many practitioners considered eLearning risky to students or clients who might already have educational disadvantages. The distance between a practitioner and a client was often viewed as an insurmountable barrier to overcome. Sure many clients had the equipment and skills to thrive online, but it was feared that the great technical divide would only increase as more education and training took place online.

I walked the conference halls with other colleagues. The back drop was big corporate eLearning platforms promising great return on investment. Bells and whistles wowed us, but only made those access questions even more real. Big price tags were clearly present. What seemed to be missing were those educators, counselors, and instructional designers who knew the client, who knew the educational challenges...not just the bottom line. As more online communication tools have gotten into the hands of educators and counselors, it seems some fear has dissipated.

Today, unlike a decade ago, a new reality presents itself and the conversations about access continue. Interestingly, the questions are often the same. This time, however, it's not with barriers in mind. Instead, the questions are asked with a drive to reach new learners, expand the traditional walls, and create possibilities in new locations.

I've recently been inspired by the eLearning Africa Newsportal. Arguably one of the places challenged most by the access questions, Africa stands to benefit from this shift in thinking.

Check out their One Laptop Per Child project. You can visit this portal for developments in Africa or enter the conversation by joining as one of their Facebook friends.

In this decade we can ask ourselves...what do we currently view as a barrier that with a slight shift in perspective we might see as a way to reach, expand, and create new possibilities?