MOOC: the cheap (or even free!) yet powerful and stimulating way to learn

As I described in “Painless culture and life-changing skills now available for everyone“, one of the most effective ways to learn new stuff or deepen your knowledge, from basic to pro level, is following a MOOC. A Massive Open Online Course is an online course designed to be “massive” (so, unlike normal classes, provided to unlimited participation) and “open” (so publicly accessible via the Internet). Introduced in the late 2000s, they usually consist of traditional course materials (filmed lectures, readings, and optional/mandatory quizzes). But some of them also have forums or social media discussions to support community interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants. Whether they are about Artificial Intelligence, advanced Coding, Management, Productivity hacks, or Design, they absolutely gained the first position in my education. I found them as valuable as the classic lessons I took during my University Master Degrees.

I followed dozens of MOOCs, mostly with intermediate and final tests (needed especially in case you want to earn a certificate) and I can say it was indeed time well wasted: I really enjoyed almost all of them. Since I’m in the IT field, you can assume I just needed coding. Well, not at all. Obviously, I expanded my knowledge in IT Security and Machine Learning, but I also studied Social Psychology, Arts, Economics, foreign languages, Jazz improvisation, and a lot of other stuff. Theory and Hands-on Projects.

In the last period, I see that some fees are raising, compared to a few years ago. Yes, it’s true that “you waste $150000 on an education you could get for $1.50 in late fees at the public library” (as Matt Damon said in Good Will Hunting), but the little extra money you could pay in case a course will ask you for a little money (or in case you want to earn a certificate, as I did also because I wanted to support some organizations), it’s really well-worth: only an expert can suggest you a path. Otherwise, you will find yourself drowning in a sea of infinite material.

Platforms you can use

The first two big providers (I am a big fan of) are Coursera and EdX – both partner with more than 200 leading universities and companies. Yes, exactly: courses provided by those two organizations are usually at university quality level and I can tell you that most of the time I didn’t see any difference between them and the courses I followed “offline” when I attended University. Moreover, some of the courses are provided by well-known companies, teaching trending skills you absolutely use in your real life.
You can also earn formal Master’s Degrees (but in that case you have to pay quite a lot – those are “out of scope”, in my opinion).

Completely different from the two previous ones is Udemy, but there’s a really big difference: courses come without any warranty. It means that you can find a really valuable course for 10$, but since everyone can teach their own material, you can also be involved in some useless course, wasting money and a lot of time, so you have to be extremely careful before choosing a course there. I did enjoy some great courses, but no one can guarantee that the material is correct and effectively explained, that’s why I could recommend it only for very specific technical skills if you already have some experience, rather than exploring something really new for you.

Another platform I tried is Linkedin Learning (formerly Lynda), available after paying a fee, approximately $250/year. I could say it’s more or less like Udemy: courses are usually taken by individuals without a proper “warranty” by institutions or companies, that’s why I suggest reading reviews before enrolling courses on Linkedin

Generally speaking, MOOCs are great because you can find almost everything you want – if you don’t believe me, have a look at Coursera and EdX course catalogs, you’ll be amazed. Courses come mostly self-paced or with a really relaxed schedule, so you can even choose to learn in small chunks of time (even if I strongly suggest dedicating an uninterrupted period of “deep work”, in your “state of flow”). Choose your subject, your provider, and your time! You really don’t have any excuses.