????還有別的好處嗎？有。你可以在無需辭職、無需失去兩年的工作經驗、無需支付高達六位數學費的情況下，獲得所有這些好處。事實上，你甚至沒必要死磕GMAT考試，聘請一位MBA入學顧問，也不必膽戰心驚地計算被排名前10的商學院錄取的幾率。

????當然，參加MOOC課程也有缺點。你將沒有機會炫耀你的平均績點(GPA)。如果你的英語不夠好，你就無法參與課程時代和edX提供的許多帶有外語字幕的課程。盡管有留言板和交互式討論，但MOOC平臺依然缺乏那種有利于學習的面對面互動，尤其是涉及到案例研究的時候。在一個數百、甚至數千人的課堂上，猶如滄海一粟的你或許得不到任何關注或支持。僅僅一個人學習，這本身就是一件難事。完成相關作業和測試需要足夠的驅動力。由于沒有約束機制，你很容易失去興趣，特別是當免費課程意味著你沒有切身利益參與其中的時候。此外，MOOC會讓你陷入任憑技術擺布的境地。盡管教授們懷抱滿腔熱忱，但他們依然在適應錄影棚的上課環境。

????最重要的是，MOOC無法提供商學院真正吸引人的東西：人際關系網絡和實習機會。從理論上講，MOOC可以給你一些工具，趕超那些人脈更深厚的同學。但說句老實話，他們的實習機會和校友網絡將為他們提供一個極好的開端（即使你不斷努力，也恐怕望塵莫及）。此外，無論公平與否，學位依然很重要。如果你沒有獲得一家知名教育品牌的認證，很少有雇主相信你已經掌握了先進的課程。

????那么，你究竟應不應該冒險嘗試一下呢？這取決于你自己。但請參考下面這則消息：2014年，哈佛大學將加入沃頓商學院的行列，準備在線提供基礎性MBA課程。有鑒于此，頂尖商學院之間的MOOC軍備競賽預計將隆重上演。

????盡管如此，還是需要提醒你一下：MOOC不會永遠免費。沒錯，頂尖商學院正在給予學生機會，領略自己課程的風采，以打造學校的自身品牌。最終，它們需要把各自的開源理想與收入流聯系在一起。否則的話，MOOC有可能破壞和蠶食它們現有的業務。

????就像媒體在近20年前所做的那樣，通過免費奉送內容，教育工作者已經打開了潘多拉魔盒。客戶開始期待免費的內容。它導致這一市場進一步整合和分化。10年后，學者們或許會把目前視為MOOC的鼎盛時期。為了延續這種模式，教育工作者最終將需要為內容收費，減少課程的訪問時間或質量。

????所以，如果你打算參加MOOC課程，事不宜遲，現在就報名吧。付費墻和種種限制估計很快就要來了。（財富中文網）

????譯者：葉寒????

????Another benefit? You can enjoy all of these benefits without quitting your job, losing two years of work experience, and shelling out six figures for tuition. In fact, you won't even need to study for your GMAT, pony up for an MBA admissions consultant, or face those daunting odds of getting into a top 10 business school.

????To be sure, there are drawbacks. You won't be able to flaunt your GPA. If you struggle with English, you won't find many courses with foreign language subtitles on Coursera or edX. Despite message boards and interactive discussions, MOOCs still lack that face-to-face give-and-take that facilitates learning, particularly when case studies are involved. In a class of hundreds (or thousands), you'll probably receive little personal attention or support. And just being on your own is difficult. It takes significant drive to complete assignments and tests. Without structure, it is easy to lose interest, particularly when free classes mean you have no skin in the game. What's more, MOOCs put you at the mercy of technology. And, despite their earnest efforts, professors are still adapting to teaching out of a studio.

????Most important, MOOCs can't deliver the real draws of business school: The network and internship. Theoretically, MOOCs can give you the tools to run circles around your more pedigreed peers. But their internship opportunities and alumni network will give them a huge head start (even if you keep working). Fair or not, degrees matter. Without certification from a renowned educational brand, few employers will trust that you've mastered advanced coursework.

????So should you take the plunge? That's up to you. But consider this: In 2014, Harvard will join Wharton in making foundational MBA courses available online. With that, you can expect a MOOC arms race among the top business schools.

????That said, here's a word of warning: MOOCs won't stay free forever. Sure, top institutions are building their brands by giving students a taste of their content. Eventually, they'll need to tie their open source ideals to a revenue stream. Otherwise, MOOCs could potentially disrupt and cannibalize their existing businesses.

????By giving content away for free, educators have opened the same Pandora's Box that media outlets did nearly 20 years ago. Customers began to expect free content. And it resulted in a consolidation and decentralization of that market. A decade from now, academics may view the present as the heyday of MOOCs. To continue this model, educators will eventually need to charge for the content or reduce access or quality.

????So if you're going to enroll in a MOOC, do it now. Paywalls and restrictions are soon to come.