Why I don’t use Coursera anymore

Coursera is a great platform. It’s awesome for learning anything new, especially in Computer Science and Finance.

I completed a Deep Learning and a Finance Specialization in Coursera and I was hooked. The way they teach stuff is amazing.

But ever since I started my Master's degree, I have stopped using it.

Of course, it is pointless to do online courses when I am already doing, you know, courses. So that’s one very obvious reason, but sometimes I do want to learn something new that’s not taught in my curriculum, and for that, it’s always best to go on Coursera first and check if they have any courses.

And yes girl, they do. They have courses on everything.

But, there is a huge “but” here that I don’t want to pay for them now. Yeah I know I should invest in myself and blah blah, but I have already invested all my savings and a huge-ass loan in my education. How much more can I invest? And taking another loan to invest more in me, while not a very bad strategy, is not a very good one either in the current scenario.

What about the financial-aid Coursera so generously provides? Oh yes, they do, but I being such an ungrateful prick, was completing one course in one week when I was paying for them but, stopped doing any course altogether when I got the financial aid.

If you haven’t realized by now that this is a rant, you are dimmer than my dorm room light.

The point is money is a big motivation for me, as for several other people, and I am ungrateful when things are just handed to me, as are several other people. Free stuff is always valued less, and that’s why I am really skeptical when Andrew Yang says that a Universal basic income is a good solution. Maybe in a world where our heads are screwed in straight, not in this world, not in this world.

Wait, I just realized that I haven’t provided any value to you guys.

So for the first tip from me — Courses are good when you are starting out, but you know what’s better?

Books

They might be more difficult to read, definitely more time-consuming and of course more difficult to digest, but they are an unparalleled alternative to expensive professional courses. Not to mention, courses most of the time offer you a solution and you don’t have to work for the knowledge, but books make you work for it, just like I made you read the whole post before finally giving a golden piece of information.

“Wait, so you are saying I should read books? That’s your golden advice?”

Yeah, it is. Duh.

Reading a book is not easy. I tried picking a book on Quantum Mechanics and you know what the first chapter was? It was probability guys, probability. When I started watching a video, the first video was on qubits — easy peasy. One spin here and one spin there and they all lived happily ever after not under observation (you know what I mean?).

So books are really good to get into when mastering something, whereas courses are better for beginners. I honestly would prefer a good book any day over a course because of the rigor and active engagement associated with reading a book.

Cheers!!!