Utilising the best online courses available: Part 2

Online courses have appealed to people globally due to their autonomous learning characteristics. In the second part of the series, we will introduce you to some of the most popular learning sites, offering a wide range of courses for people from all backgrounds.

Codecademy

Codecademy mainly offers courses on data science and web-related software programming. They are designed for all age groups. This site is also quite popular for offering in-browser coding consoles for course-takers.

Coursera

Coursera is a learning site offering free content when you audit a course. They have over a hundred partners that include top universities from over twenty countries, as well as non-university partners. They put related courses in a recommended sequence, to the benefit and comfort of the learner. Paid option provides certification.

Code.org

Code.org is the home of the "Hour of Code" campaign that offers computer programming courses. They offer courses from the beginner level, making it an excellent site for amateurs to develop their programming skills.

Udacity

Udacity mainly emphasises on the skills desired by the tech companies in Silicon Valley. The available courses are mostly free and based on monthly subscription. It offers paid certification after completion.

Apple Developer Site

Although the Apple Developer Centre is very specific when it comes to choosing topics for lessons, this site can work as a free source of documentation and tutorials for software developers, especially the ones who aim to develop apps for iOS Mobile, Mac OS X desktop and Safari Web.

CodeHS

CodeHS offers software coding lessons for individuals who want to learn from home. The courses are applicable for high school students as well.

Sheikh Rafi Ahmed, a third year student of Economics in the University of Dhaka said, "These courses benefited me primarily because they are free of cost and are conducted by individuals who are highly qualified in their own fields. In addition, they tend to explain a lot of difficult topics in quite a simple manner."  He further warned individuals against procrastination, "Once you start procrastinating, it's very difficult to get back on track. To get the best out of these courses, my suggestion would be to get through with them while you still have the passion to learn that particular topic."

Nahaly Nafisa Khan is an Economics major currently studying in Dhaka University. She procrastinates a lot, yet is obsessed with meeting deadlines. You can reach her at nahalynafisa@gmail.com.