#i just got the whole 'due to copyright we can't send you a PDF of the required reading even though it's our book 🤪' clown shit

[choking-on-roses]

Huge rant about academia incoming:

As someone who did an online master's degree and is now taking more professional development courses, I think you should be allowed to take online courses first and then decide afterwards how much you're willing to pay for what just happened to you because my god, some of these online "courses" are REACHING.

Like "oh okay here are some blurry recordings of lectures taken in 2017 with the audio quality of a WWII submarine radio. Also you can't ask questions if you don't understand anything because I'm not actually there. Office hours are Tuesdays from 1pm to 2pm and with the time difference that ensures at least a week's turn around on emails except I will somehow misunderstand you the first time and not answer your question so that's at least 3 weeks to get one question answered. By the way, due to copyright laws you I can't email you a PDF of my book, which is required reading for the course. You have questions about your grades? Too bad you never get to meet the person grading you directly. Also don't bother contesting it because we never accept those. No, we can't email a copy of the diploma to you for a job application even though you have officially graduated and everyone who attends the physical campus received theirs already. You should have thought of that before you decided to live in a different country than us! Study online from anywhere!! That'll be $18,000."