If you’re looking for a flexible, affordable way to up-level your skills, consider Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs are courses of study made available over the internet free of charge to many people. Provided by universities, professional organizations, and other programs, MOOCs are ideal for anyone wanting to improve their current skills, up-level their employment asset base, break into a new industry, or just love learning!
The ability to learn new skills is itself a sought-after skill by most employers today. Thanks to the accelerating pace of technological change making dramatic impacts in the workplace, employers need people who can keep up.
Investing your energy in MOOCs training—which you can add to your résumé and LinkedIn profile under Accomplishments/Courses—provides at least 10 Competitive Advantages and Benefits
10 Competitive Advantages and Benefits to MOOCs
1. Demonstrates long-range planning and strategic skills
2. Shows you are self-directed and take initiative to up-level your training
3. Specific skill knowledge is up to date
4. Shows commitment, willingness, and ability to learn and grow with your industry
5. Allows access to experts and contacts who may be helpful for freelance opportunities or jobs
6. Provides clearer view of future needs and good places to direct your attention
7. Makes you more adaptable
8. Boosts your morale and creates momentum to achieve your goals
9. Makes you an attractive asset to a potential client or employer
10. Extremely cost-effective as the training is usually free
No one knows how far reaching changes will be to our workforce because of the Covid-19 pandemic and technological change. One thing everyone seems to agree: preparation and proactivity will be required to succeed.
More About MOOCs
MOOCs typically consist of video lessons, reading, assessments, and discussion forums. They vary in length from several hours to 16 weeks. Sources include universities (some of the most active MOOCs hail from Harvard, MIT, and Stanford), companies (Microsoft and Google) and professional organizations (e.g., Association of International Certified Public Accountants).
MOOCs are usually taught by college professors, sometimes in partnership with universities. Some groups of MOOCs can earn college credit although this isn’t always the case. MOOCs differ from online college courses in the following ways:
- MOOCs are free
- MOOCs have unlimited class size
- Anyone can enroll in a MOOC, even if not “qualified” (no prerequisites)
- Self-directed: students can stop and start a course at any time without formal consequences
- Upon completion of a course a student will not necessarily have a tangible or formally recognized degree, certificate, or transcript of completion; however, the training can be added to the résumé or LinkedIn profile
MOOC.org and Class Central’s overview are great places to learn more and begin to investigate the many options. These sites have links to hundreds of available courses with detailed descriptions.
If you are looking for new skills and opportunities, MOOCs are a great place to start. Add the time to your calendar today.
ABOUT TALIMER
Talimer is blowing up what’s wrong with the “gig economy.” By putting freelancers first in a unique marketplace, we’re growing and empowering a diverse community of tech professionals to feel fulfilled, confident and secure in their lives. We’re doing this by providing them access to jobs, benefits and more while making it easier for businesses to secure these highly skilled, hard-to-find, on-demand freelancers. To learn more about Talimer please visit www.talimer.com. To see Talimer’s available job opportunities, please visit www.talimer.com/job-opportunities.
