Learn programming on Coursera and choose the right courses

A student at the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics uses Coursera both for professional development and to get extra credit at the university. Danylo Shporta studies programming and software engineering at the Faculty of Computer Science. The platform often helps him to understand more about any topic, such as cloud storage, because the information there is very structured and clear, as the student notes. Read on to find out what motivates Danylo to take courses and what difficulties he faces during online learning. 

How did you start taking courses on the platform? 

I mostly take courses on the platform as part of my university studies. This means additional study of topics. Sometimes, with the help of Coursera, I get additional points in subjects, provided that I complete the courses and have certificates. I take courses on topics such as cloud services, probability theory and other topics related to my university studies. My experience of using the platform is quite positive. However, some coding is missing for certificates, because employers do not want to accept them, which I have checked on my own experience.  

Do you discuss the courses in class or with friends? 

Currently, the courses are only for self-study. This is an additional workload that the student chooses independently. The teacher only checks for a certificate, and sometimes may ask some questions to make sure that the student has really completed everything. I studied one course together with my classmate: we reviewed the assignments together, consulted and worked on our mistakes. 

What is your principle for choosing courses?

I always look for courses on a specific topic that interests me. When choosing, I take into account the rating, ratings, and user reviews. The course developer is also crucial. For example, when I saw the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) mark on a course, I was intrigued and immediately registered. 

Did you face any difficulties during the course?

There were no problems with finding information. However, when I was studying PostgreSQL (an object-relational database management system), there were questions in the course that I did not understand, so I had to look for additional information on the Internet. There is also a problem with adding certificates to a CV. Sometimes answers to Coursera tests are freely available, and this prevents employers from taking into account the achievements confirmed by the certificate. 

When I was going to work for the IT company EPAM, they did not accept such certificates because they had to additionally check whether the answers to the course were publicly available.

What advice would you give to students who haven't used Coursera yet? Should they start? 

I think they should, because among the free courses that are currently available online, the Coursera platform is the best option. Compared to self-education on the Internet, it is faster because the information is already organised by topic. Therefore, you don't have to spend a lot of time searching for the right article or information. There is also an immediate assessment function, because it is not always possible to assess yourself. 

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