Have you heard about MOOCs? No, it’s not some fitness fad. MOOC is short for massive open online course. They are free online college courses many from very well known universities. The other day I saw a LinkedIn article about a gal getting her MBA for less than $1000. Of course, I totally fell for it. I thought how the hell is that even possible?
Google told me it is.
I found a few sites and searching through the available classes, my mind was blown. These aren’t random people w/questionable credentials trying to earn a buck by teaching common sense. These are honest to God university courses.
Most of them are free.
I kept thinking, there’s no reason for people to be ignorant anymore. You can learn about whatever your heart desires. There were classes about Thomas Jefferson, beginning physics, building start ups, genetics, Shakespeare, software testing, cryptography, microeconomics…you name it, you can probably learn about it.
Even the University of Minnesota has some courses available. I am considering taking the Creative Problem Solving course. I love expanding my mind.
I hated school…well, I love learning, I just hate being in classrooms with groups of people. They annoy me. They slow down my learning. They force me to take subjects that I don’t like…ok, mostly they just hold me back. It’s not my fault people can’t learn as fast as I do.
Online courses cut down on the human interaction. OK, I like human interaction, I’m just picky about the level of stupidity I can handle each day and driving usually pushes my limits…
Honestly, I still can’t believe these are free classes. I’d heard that Harvard and MIT would be offering some free online classes, but I never realized other schools would be getting in on the act.
Isn’t the internet awesome?
It’s truly amazing how you can learn just about anything indeed via the internet – mostly free or at the very least at a much more reasonable cost compared to traditional schooling. I will be checking out this link as I love to expand my horizons as well, thanks for sharing Amy! -Iva
You’re welcome! There are a couple of other sites that offer online classes from universities, but that Coursera site seems to have the most to offer.
This is like learning nirvana! The opportunities seem endless, Amy. I had heard of Coursera, and there’s General Assembly also, but this is my first time hearing about MOOC. I’ll definitely be checking it out. Thanks! #SITSBlogging
This is so amazing – I definitely need to check it out!
Cool! Thanks for sharing this.
I wish I learned about these before I went to college. I have a massssssssssssive student loan debt I am paying off (think mortgage for a really nice house kinda payments). I’ve been slowly getting my masters this way because I want to further my education, but there is no way I am paying those prices ever again. I think it’s awesome that you are sharing this information with others!
Glad I could help! I really need to keep an eye on those classes for something that would be fun to learn or I have been wanting to learn.
This is such funny timing, I’m reading your post two days before my student loans need to be paid back for my Masters. And believe me, that final number is way higher than $1,000! Thanks for sharing this, I am definitely going to check it out! Stopping by from #SITSBlogging.