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Count me as another person for whom Coursera was a life-changer. I went from disaffected lawyer to deeply satisfied software dev in 4 years, in large part due t

Count me as another person for whom Coursera was a life-changer. I went from disaffected lawyer to deeply satisfied software dev in 4 years, in large part due to Coursera and edX, with nods to MIT's OpenCourseWare and Stanford's platform as well. Classes such as Nand to Tetris, Prof Sedgwick's algorithms, Prof Ng's ML on Coursera and MIT's Intro to CS and Programming on edX, among many others, were more than enough to get me to a place where I felt confident applying for jobs. (Especially when mixed with a few years of a Pluralsight sub as well, and some time as a volunteer with a nonprofit.) I am deeply indebted to Coursera, but I always felt like they would struggle making money. People are only willing to pay for certs if they mean something, and unfortunately they don't. When I interviewed, every place I met with was impressed by the courses I had put myself through and the knowledge I had gained -- but not a single one even asked a question about any certificates. I always thought a sub model would probably fit them better, but it's obviously difficult-nigh-on-impossible to claw back free content. If they wanted the content to stay free, they really needed the strong backing of some sort of private entity.

sammorrowdrums 6y ago
100% same. Never showed certificates to a soul. But just as with you, was is not too difficult showing knowledge in software industry, at least in most startups. And yes, some of the other platforms have been amazing too. I did the full databases course on Stanfords platform. That was priceless, and also free. Relational algebra was exactly the sort of theoretical knowledge that just learning from experience and docs doesn't teach. Interestingly I also find most companies I have seen willing to pay for courses want some kind of certificate at the end. They don't seem to value abstract learning, even though that's the part that their team leverage to hopefully help their bottom line. I want the platforms to make money, but I feel like universities who were not wanting to be left behind when the concept was emerging gave away far more for a short moment than they ever were going to continue to do. Certificates and credentials and things distract from actual verifiable learning in so much of education. It is deeply ironic because that is their entire purpose. I understand regulated industries like legal, medical and engineering need to have minimum standards that require certification, but yet the quality and reliability of practitioners varies wildly. I just feel like by turning education into a product, it is a necessary evil. Government funding is an avenue that lots of academic institutions go down. Perhaps governments should invest in more free and open education. Rather than for example funneling so much money to textbook companies. Call me naïve and idealistic, I appreciate that there are problems and counter arguments, and as mentioned in many comments, competition does help to drive down prices. I certainly think we are still in a much better place now with it all. I'm still optimistic about all the amazing education opportunities online.
ghaff 6y ago
>I always thought a sub model would probably fit them better, but it's obviously difficult-nigh-on-impossible to claw back free content. That's basically the LinkedIn model as I understand it--which has what used to be Lynda and maybe other things. I have it available as part of my company's continuing ed materials. But what works as a professional resource paid for by companies doesn't necessarily work for individuals who will mostly only pay for a cert that employers are specifically looking at. Maybe some would pay a Netflix-range monthly fee but I suspect not enough.
- Exmoor 6y ago
  Anytime I see Lynda/LinkedInLearning come up I always mention that, at least in my area, a lot of local public libraries subscribe to give their residents free access. Although I don't think that site is as strong in the programming-type courses they have a huge breadth of courses that can help the average person learn a new skill.

sammorrowdrums 6y ago

100% same. Never showed certificates to a soul. But just as with you, was is not too difficult showing knowledge in software industry, at least in most startups. And yes, some of the other platforms have been amazing too. I did the full databases course on Stanfords platform. That was priceless, and also free. Relational algebra was exactly the sort of theoretical knowledge that just learning from experience and docs doesn't teach. Interestingly I also find most companies I have seen willing to pay for courses want some kind of certificate at the end. They don't seem to value abstract learning, even though that's the part that their team leverage to hopefully help their bottom line. I want the platforms to make money, but I feel like universities who were not wanting to be left behind when the concept was emerging gave away far more for a short moment than they ever were going to continue to do. Certificates and credentials and things distract from actual verifiable learning in so much of education. It is deeply ironic because that is their entire purpose. I understand regulated industries like legal, medical and engineering need to have minimum standards that require certification, but yet the quality and reliability of practitioners varies wildly. I just feel like by turning education into a product, it is a necessary evil. Government funding is an avenue that lots of academic institutions go down. Perhaps governments should invest in more free and open education. Rather than for example funneling so much money to textbook companies. Call me naïve and idealistic, I appreciate that there are problems and counter arguments, and as mentioned in many comments, competition does help to drive down prices. I certainly think we are still in a much better place now with it all. I'm still optimistic about all the amazing education opportunities online.

ghaff 6y ago

>I always thought a sub model would probably fit them better, but it's obviously difficult-nigh-on-impossible to claw back free content. That's basically the LinkedIn model as I understand it--which has what used to be Lynda and maybe other things. I have it available as part of my company's continuing ed materials. But what works as a professional resource paid for by companies doesn't necessarily work for individuals who will mostly only pay for a cert that employers are specifically looking at. Maybe some would pay a Netflix-range monthly fee but I suspect not enough.

Exmoor 6y ago
Anytime I see Lynda/LinkedInLearning come up I always mention that, at least in my area, a lot of local public libraries subscribe to give their residents free access. Although I don't think that site is as strong in the programming-type courses they have a huge breadth of courses that can help the average person learn a new skill.