Cryptocurrency has gotten a lot of attention over the last few years. Odds are, most students have heard of it already even if they don’t have an intimate familiarity with it. The question is: is it a subject students should add to their already heavy schedule? Is it worth their valuable time? Some schools think that this is just the case.
What you'll learn 👉
What Is Cryptocurrency?
This question is actually a little more complex than it sounds. To be rather general, cryptocurrency is digital and it operates independently of a central bank.
The first cryptocurrency that made an appearance was Bitcoin was originally meant to be a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system,” not just a new currency. This was created by an anonymous person or entity known as Satoshi Nakamoto. Since then, a variety of cryptocurrencies have appeared on the scene such as Ethereum and Ripple.
How Could a Student Learn About Cryptocurrency?
Anyone who simply searches cryptocurrency and tries to learn the ins and outs of it can tell you it’s complex and confusing. This can dissuade many from trying to learn more. After all, as mentioned before, students are busy. Trying to find the time to teach themselves such a layered topic can be intimidating.
Students can learn about cryptocurrency, though, with help – just like any other subject. For instance, if you needed help learning how to write a paper, you would turn to a paper writing service like EssayPro. This service allows a user to pay them a fee and, in return, receive a quality, plagiarism-free essay no matter what topic you’re struggling with.
In much the same fashion, many universities are now offering classes that students can pay to learn about cryptocurrency. This includes more prestigious universities such as Stanford and Georgetown.
Why Are Universities Focusing On This?
For the most part, cryptocurrency courses are designed for business students – especially those that will work in fields such as finance.
The biggest misconception that needs to be addressed is that these classes are only worth the time for students who want to work directly in or with cryptocurrency. While this is true, it isn’t mutually exclusive. If a student does want to invest, they need to know the possibilities to make the most well-informed judgement.
On the other hand, if a student isn’t going to invest, they are probably still going to run into cryptocurrency – even briefly. For some students, this might mean understanding a news story and for others it might be a conversation with a business associate or colleague.
To put this into perspective, many students take courses just to have a cursory knowledge of the subject. To use business majors as an example again, a management student might take a few courses in accounting. They don’t do this to become accountants but rather to understand an aspect of their career that they will run into.
Why Focus On This While in College?
The biggest reason that students should learn to learn about cryptocurrency in college is because they are given the opportunity. This is the point when full-course classes are readily available on such a complicated topic.
It’s also always a better idea to do something today rather than tomorrow. The more you put off doing something, the less likely you are to do it.
Finally, cryptocurrency – while taking off – is still in its infancy. It will be much easier to learn about it now than to wait for it to grow into an even more convoluted topic as new cryptocurrencies emerge.
Conclusion
All in all, in today’s world, it’s a good idea to know at least the basics of cryptocurrency. Students in business and finance majors, in particular, will greatly benefit from being able to hold a conversation on the topic. It’s also worth noting that many students will go on to make investments with their money. They need to know all their options in detail to make an informed decision.