|
 "The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who
cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn"-Alvin Toffler
Are you an engineer looking to walk the career path? Or an engineering
entrepreneur working to ensure your start-up becomes a force to reckon with in
today's rapidly evolving tech space? Regardless of your answer to the above
question, one thing is clear, which is the simple fact that to become a
successful engineer requires a lot of dedication to developing yourself
professionally.
But the truth for both the career-minded engineer and the entrepreneur
is that your day to day working schedule leaves you with little time to focus
on extra-curricular professional development activities and for those with a
family to support, that 'little time' quickly turns to 'no time at all' for
familial responsibilities will become your weekend priorities.
So what is an
Engineer to do?
Although your personal and business commitments can keep you
away from the classroom or other forms of organized education, you will agree
with me that these commitments do not overtly limit the time spent on using
your favorite smart device and this is the where the advantages of Massive Open
Online Course (MOOC) platforms comes in handy to the busy engineer. Some of the
aforementioned advantages of MOOC include;
- Setting your own learning pace and attendance
schedule
- Choosing the particular subject matter you want
to learn
- Learning from the comfort of your home
- Reputable certification that can augment your
CV.
The MOOC Platforms you
can participate in
There are a multiple of MOOC platforms engineers can
patronize for their professional development as well as to satiate your need
for real-life answers or experiences and here are three very important ones.
Quora-yes you read it right, Quora
is one of the most resourceful online platforms where entrepreneurial minded
engineers can receive practical information and knowledge on how to navigate
the tech scene. This is in part due to the experienced personalities currently
on Quora and their willingness to answer your questions using their experiences
to provide you with the insight or knowledge you desire.
Coursera-this is
definitely the most popular MOOC platform out there today and this means you
can find almost any course-professional or otherwise- you are interested in
participating in. The beauty of Coursera lies in the fact that most universities
and reputable professors have working profiles where they teach their students
independently. The Coursera mobile app is also a plus as it makes learning on
the go possible.
Edx Platform-like
Coursera, EDX is one of the popular 'go to' MOOC platforms for engineers due to
the abundance of engineering professors and courses on its platform. Also,
reputable tech giants like Google have taken advantage of the flexibility EDX
offers by creating courses for their engineering teams where information, ideas
and plans are shared.
The wide array of
learning opportunities Massive Open Online Course platforms provide an engineer
cannot be over-estimated for it places in your palms the keys to develop both
the technical and inter-personal skills for a successful career in the field of
engineering.
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Re: Are MOOC Courses Any Value to an Engineer’s Career?
