Now you can separate yourself from competition by packaging your CV with courses from Top Schools like Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Stanford, MIT, UCLA, John Hopkins, etc and guess what? It is totally free! These top schools are very prestigious and are highly ranked in the countries they domicile. The exposure one gets from attending schools like these are unending not to talk of the favorable bias amongst employers.
First a story – I was immediately drawn to Access Bank to start my career when I read about Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede – the MD of Access Bank, being an alumnus of Harvard.
Technically, this was correct but after being in the system, I realized he only attended Summer Executive Management short course with the current going rate for about a 100K USD (about 16 million Naira).
Yes, Aig could claim Harvard with a certificate and access to resources but the idea of Harvard Business School (one of the top Business Schools in the world) requires passing through the rigorous recruitment process of GMAT scores, Unique Essay Writings, Excellence Academic Records and TOEFL scores, etc. Then, passes through a 2-years gruesome and aggressive academic calendar from world’s great professors. Any Alumnus of such schools is a brand in the job market place.
Just like what the MD of Access Bank did, you could also do the same (without spending 16 million Naira) to get the required University credit.
These institutions below operate under the platform of MOOC – Massively Open Online Courses:
Coursera
This is a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the 62 top universities in the world to offer more than 250 courses online for anyone to take, for free. They envision a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students, but millions. Through this, they hope to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few. They want to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in. Many courses offer a certificate signed by the instructor or a certificate from the sponsoring university upon successful completion of a course.
Interested? Visit Coursera Here.
Edx
EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise of its founding partners Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that features learning designed specifically for interactive study via the web. Based on a long history of collaboration and their shared educational missions, the founders are creating a new online-learning experience with online courses that reflect their disciplinary breadth. EdX’s goals combine the desire to reach out to students of all ages, means, and nations, and to deliver these teachings from a faculty who reflect the diversity of its audience. EdX is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is governed by MIT and Harvard. Learners that prove their competency through edX courses will receive a certificate from Harvard, MIT, or University of California, Berkeley.
Interested? Visit Edx Here.
Udacity
The company was originally founded by roboticists teaching “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence,” – a course which soon grew to epic proportions. Now students can choose from nearly a dozen courses including Intro to Computer Science: Building a Search Engine, Web Application Engineering: How to Build a Blog, Programming Languages: Building a Web Browser, and Applied Cryptography: Science of Secrets. Learners are encouraged to progress by solving problems and completing projects. Students completing courses receive a signed certificate of completion. Those who excel can certify their skills through affiliated testing centers or even have Udacity give their resume to one of 20 partner companies including Google, Facebook, Bank of America, and other top names.
Interested? Visit Udacity Here.
Udemy
Udemy offers hundreds of courses created by experts around the world. This website allows anyone to build a course, so quality varies. Some courses are extremely well-done with video lectures, activities, and thriving peer communities. Others offer only one or two avenues of exploration (a few short videos, for example) and can be completed in just an hour or two. Udemy tries to bring in courses from big names, so expect to see courses from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Marissa Mayer of Google, top professors, and various authors. Although most of the classes are free, there are some that charge tuition.
Interested? Visit Udemy Here.
