Coursera "NaNo prep" courses

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JetFueledCar

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I got an email from NaNoWriMo a couple weeks ago about this. And I was going to write it off as "I already know this stuff" until one of my offline writing friends said she'd started auditing because if nothing else the exercises would help her get her book in order and get some writing going. She found the first exercise useful, at least, and I wanted to see if anyone else had gone for it, and if you've done more than that and how it is overall. I took a look at the overview for the specialization and the first course, but there's not much you can actually see without enrolling.

Link here for anyone curious.

Personally, aside from questions of how useful this is... I see absolutely zero point to paying for a certificate for this. As far as I can tell, the certificates are so you can show people you completed it and put it on your resume. If QueryShark has taught me anything, it's that no one considering publishing your work is going to be swayed by such a certificate. I understand Coursera needs to make money, but that doesn't mean I have to give it to them.
 

CoffeeBeans

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So, I poked around the course and ended up signing up to audit as well. You can participate in the entire course for free (but you have to create a log in). The only thing paying for the course will do is allow you to participate in the final element of the course, and get the certificate. Those seem to be standard for all courses on the platform. A certification for nano is probably not worth anything, but from the rest of the site, people use it as a way to get certificates for other things that might be career/school related.

I participated in the process for the first course, but didn't go any further. It was a good exercise, but it does seem mostly exactly that. As an old person who already has gotten an English degree, it looks a lot like usual coursework. For the younger/HS-aged nanos and those who haven't done any coursework, it's probably a good practice.
 

BenPanced

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I've looked at it, as well, and I'm thinking it might be cheaper than a community college/continuing education credit or something similar. However, I don't see the value of putting this certificate on a resume; potential employers these days are more interested in a full degree.

And I'm kinda peeved they only deign to show the prices after you've gone through the registration process and create a profile. Yeah, no obligation etc., etc., but still.

And for some reason, the Firefox tab title and a section of the course flipped over to Spanish after I'd registered. WTF?
 
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