New Job/Online Education

[ChipShark]

Hello,

I have recently accepted an entry level tech support type job for a small software development company which I'm absolutely ecstatic My duties include phone support, e-mail, server backup, and possibly small works of design. I am curious as to what you think in terms of online education? I was very fortunate to network and land this job with very little experience and no college education in terms of IT relation. I am thinking of taking an online program or specific courses related to my job while I work full time. I suppose my questions are: Are online courses/programs related to the I.T field worth anything? Will I learn anything? I am also hoping to learn some basic web design while I have free time after work and on weekends. I'm located in Canada if that matters at all. Thanks for the responses guys!

 

[ChipShark]

bump

 

[DistraughtSysop]

I've taken online courses, but only as part of an on-campus program. For online courses you pretty much get out of it what you put into it in terms of actual learning - it's not that different from book studying something yourself, except that you have a lesson plan laid out for you and a instructor and fellow students to speak to.

It also depends on the kind of learning environment that works for you. Some people are fine with reading books and PDFs at home, while others need to be in a classroom with an instructor.

If there's something in particular that you are interested in learning then maybe you could try self-study for a while and see if that works for you. There are plenty of internet resources available to get you started. If you feel that you need a more formal education then you could look into schooling. For online classes I would recommend a traditional school that offers online courses over an online-only school.

 

[ChipShark]

I appreciate the response. Since I will have a full time job and am hoping this will benefit me in terms of job performance and advancement I will take it seriously. I think online schooling and studying is right for me. Thanks!

 

[Brinson]

These are the three programs I would consider:

MitX via edX, which is a set of like 7 classes that cover into to programming, data science, etc. Very thorough. I did the first 2 classes and feel they were worthwhile. The focus her is DEFINITELY on theory and they get pretty deep into theory...not the most practical. Will learn a ton but then still have to find ways to use the knowledge.

https://www.edx.org/xseries

Coursera also has a program through Rice University. Three classes. Far more practical. By the end you can build small programs.

https://www.coursera.org/specialization/fundamentalscomputing/9?utm_medium=listingPage

Udacity also has what they call Nanodegrees, which are pretty neat. Very much capstone based and you end every class by building an example project you can put into a portfolio.

https://www.udacity.com/nanodegrees

 

[ChipShark]

These are the three programs I would consider:

MitX via edX, which is a set of like 7 classes that cover into to programming, data science, etc. Very thorough. I did the first 2 classes and feel they were worthwhile. The focus her is DEFINITELY on theory and they get pretty deep into theory...not the most practical. Will learn a ton but then still have to find ways to use the knowledge.

https://www.edx.org/xseries

Coursera also has a program through Rice University. Three classes. Far more practical. By the end you can build small programs.

https://www.coursera.org/specialization/fundamentalscomputing/9?utm_medium=listingPage

Udacity also has what they call Nanodegrees, which are pretty neat. Very much capstone based and you end every class by building an example project you can put into a portfolio.

https://www.udacity.com/nanodegrees

Wow these all sound terrific. Now, are these schools and courses reputable? Because I do live in Canada (shouldn't matter) and there are known reputable colleges that offer several certificates through the school, though, I don't think they'd be quite as interactive and beneficial as the ones you've linked me. They seem fairly cheap too which is great!

 

[Remeran12]

I go to Western Governors University. They are completely online and extremely inexpensive. The best part about it is all the classes are pass/fail and tie into your certs. For example there is a class to obtain your A+ and to pass it you have take the actual exam. They even pay for the exam voucher.