Courses have also been translated into 65 languages. Udemy hosts 40 million worldwide users. It has its headquarters in San Francisco and has been in operation since 2010. Udemy is a platform developed with the idea of keeping learning constant, interactive and easily accessible. Often users will be looking to upskill or learn a new ability in a very specific form or area. This means that undertaking a quick-access online course makes much more sense than say enrolling onto a year-long business school course and obtaining a degree. Rather than specifically employing accredited professors like a college, university or business school would, Udemy hires instructors who constantly work within the area that they are teaching, meaning that they are up to date and possess a real focus and enthusiasm for their subject.
Are Udemy Courses Accredited?
Although a certificate of completion is offered at the end of every Udemy course, Udemy courses are not formally accredited, as Udemy itself is not a formally accredited institution such as a college, business school or university. This means that you cannot use an Udemy course to gain college credits or CEUs (continuing education units). However, Udemy’s certificates of completion are available to download in .pdf and .jpeg formats so that you can easily present them in print and online form as part of your professional resume. Undertaking a professional course to improve your skill set is definitely an admirable undertaking, and one that will help you stand out from the crowd when making job applications.
Who Is Udemy For?
Udemy is aimed at professional adults and students. It also has an arm of its business entirely dedicated to businesses looking to enroll employees onto new courses. This means that workplace teams can be trained simultaneously. If you are thinking of a career change and looking to learn the skills necessary for this, or you are looking to improve your career chances within your chosen field against stiff competition or you simply want to become better at your job, undertaking an Udemy course might be the right plan of action for you. A Udemy course is especially handy when you are managing a busy lifestyle, as you can fit it in around your schedule, rather than needing to go to scheduled lectures and seminars. Furthermore, Udemy is open to anyone; you do not need to prove prior skills or qualifications to enroll onto an Udemy course.
What Courses Does Udemy Have?
Udemy offers a huge range of courses, so when you are searching for the course that you want to do, it’s easiest to use the menu options available on the site to break content down for you. These menu breakdowns start with broad topics, such as ‘Marketing’, and are further broken down into subcategories, with additional filtering options such as level, price and features. It’s also important to consider when picking the correct Udemy course for you that you pick one at the right stage of difficulty, so that you progress with your learning and your mind is occupied and engaged. The right stage should not be so difficult that you struggle and therefore become frustrated. Luckily, Udemy offers trials of its courses, so you can view course content before signing up. Some of the most popular courses on Udemy cover Python, Microsoft Excel, web development, JavaScript, data science, AWS certification and drawing.
What Is the Quality of Udemy Content?
While all Udemy courses are different, they will all go through a quality checklist. This checklist requires every course to have HD video and at least 30 minutes of video content, accompanying good-quality audio and five lectures or more. All Udemy courses should be regularly updated, with the most recent updates being shown publicly in the course header. When you are learning new software that is regularly updated, this is particularly reassuring and useful information to be aware of. Udemy also offers a Q&A feature on its courses, meaning that you won’t have to watch and read content in an isolated way. Answers and questions are also published, so you will have the opportunity to see previous interactions between instructors and students that may be helpful for you. However, the quality of the support you receive is of course entirely dependent on the instructor of the course that you have selected.
What Is the Pricing of Udemy Courses?
Pricing of Udemy courses starts from as little as $19.99, rising to $199.99. There are frequent sales across different courses, as well as promotional discount codes available online, so Udemy is generally a very cost-effective way of gaining skills and a certificate for your resume. Courses that are more information-heavy than others on more difficult subjects, or courses that are longer tend to be more costly. The reputation and expertise of the instructor for the course will also have a significant impact on the cost of the given course. In practice, however, many courses can still be subject to discounts and to different seasonal sales, so it’s worth bearing this in mind if you are keen on a course that may be a little more than your budget. Signing up for an Udemy course is very straightforward. All Udemy courses have a one-off payment system and you will be given lifelong access, so you can return to view the course multiple times to refresh yourself on the content post-completion.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate AWS Certified Developer – Associate AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-203: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure CompTIA A+ (220-1001) CompTIA A+ (220-1002) CompTIA Security+ Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Project Management Professional (PMP) Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Quality of course content can vary – Although all Udemy content is monitored, to make sure that you have the best experience possible, it is highly recommended that you check the rating and student feedback for each course. You will also be able to check the experience, qualifications and expertise of each instructor.
Tips for Choosing a Quality Course on Udemy
Find courses by renowned industry experts – Amongst the thousands of instructors on Udemy, there are some who are incredibly popular and respected in their field, often holding degrees from some of the world’s top learning institutions, such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and Santa Clara University. Another common denominator between these top instructors is their proven and ongoing work experience in their chosen areas of work and focus. Thoroughly read reviews – This is fairly self-explanatory; it’s easy when scrolling through lots of different options to make a hasty decision, but even though reviews for a course might look largely positive at first glance, it’s worth reading further to check that the teaching style and course layout is suited to you. Read through the course content – As with thoroughly reading past reviews of the course, it’s best to check carefully through course content so that you can be sure you’re making an informed decision that is best for you. Remember, you have the power to pick your own way of learning – you may as well pick the best way. Compare with other courses – To further make your informed decision as strong as possible, make sure to check out your options once you have narrowed your choices down to a handful that you like the look of.
Can You Put Udemy Courses on Your Resume?
When putting your resume together for a new job opportunity, it is tempting to include all of your skills, knowledge, courses and experience. However, before you pile it all on, take a step back to ask yourself if the Udemy course you want to include is actually relevant to the job that you are applying for. If it isn’t, consider cherry-picking skills you have learnt to include in a specific ‘skills’ section, or skip it entirely. Recruiters value what is commonly termed as ‘continual learners’; candidates who are constantly looking for opportunities to upskill and be the best professional versions of themselves. The dedication that you can demonstrate as taking the initiative to enroll in an online course will add positive weight to your application. When considering where to list courses, it might be prudent to include a specific ‘courses’ section in your resume. You might also be able to cover dry periods where you haven’t been employed by explaining how you have used the time to upskill and gain knowledge as an online student.
Final Thoughts
As Malcolm X once famously said, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. When you make a decision to spend your free time learning something new, or getting better at something you already have prior understanding of, you are carving a path to succeed. With its wide range of courses and the flexibility to learn at your own pace and fit study into your existing schedule, Udemy can help you along that path to success.
