If you’re thinking of changing career or want to learn a new skill that will see your earnings potential soar, then taking a course in Python is a pretty good start.
Learning a new computer language will set you apart from hundreds of thousands of others in the job market – and it doesn’t have to put a dent in your finances. In fact, you can get started for free.
The Python For Everybody Specialization developed by the University of Michigan costs nothing to enroll, can be completed online from the comfort of your home and is designed for people with no prior programming experience.
The Python specialization contains four courses and when you’ve completed them all you get a certificate to put on your resume or show off on your profile.
The first course, Programming For Everybody, is designed to teach the language to someone with no prior experience except a very basic level of mathematics.
All you need to be able to do is follow instructions as the course takes you through step by step how to construct a program from a sequence of commands in Python.
Python is a useful asset in the programming world for two reasons. Not only can it handle a big range of tasks but a very beginner-friendly language.
The syntax uses English keywords, which makes it easy to recognize and less scary to get started.
Since it’s a general-purpose coding language, unlike HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it can be used for other types of programming and software development besides web development including AI, app development and back end server development. More purposes mean more potential jobs.
Once you’re familiar with the basics, there are courses on how to use Python for data structures, how to use it to access web data and how to create a database to store data.
The Python For Everybody Specialization is just one of hundreds of courses offered by Coursera that offers practical skills that are highly valued by employers in today’s job market.
One of the most popular among learners looking to enhance their skills is the Excel for Business Specialization taught by Macquarie University.
Learning how to use the spreadsheet platform better can assist in a range of different careers, helping with budgeting, scheduling resources and tracking inventory, as well as data analysis and trend recognition.
All specializations on Coursera are free to enroll, and you then can enjoy a seven-day trial before you decide whether you’d like to commit to a monthly subscription. This can be cancelled at any time (or ends when the user finishes the specialization).
If you’re interested in enhancing a range of skills by taking multiple courses, you can invest in a Coursera Plus subscription, which is an annual fee of £305.
For this price you get access to over 3,000 courses, specializations, professional certificates, and guided projects – and there’s no limit to how many you can take at once.
You could upskill with a IT Support Professional certification or an IT Automation certification, both of which were developed by the experts at Google.
Or you could learn about Business Foundations by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, which is the perfect starting point if you’re looking to change careers or further your education.
Source: Dailymail