As of now, I have very little knowledge of computer programming. In my PLTW Principles of Engineering course, I did a little bit of coding, but I had no prior knowledge before then. So I was looking around for programs that could help me and my programming skill, and I came across Udacity.
I have read some reviews on Quora, saying that it can help people with their job applications if they get all 4 Nanodegrees (the ‘degrees’ you recieve upon completing one course of the program), so I was wondering if my chances of being admitted to a comp sci program would be improved through this course, even if I’ll only have time to get one degree (I am going to be a senior in high school when summer ends).
I don’t think that’s worth it for applying to colleges. Colleges don’t even require that you have any programming experience when you start a CS degree. (They start everyone from square one.) Having some experience is a definite plus to show you’re committed and you know what you’re getting into. But unless you’re applying to MIT or some other super-top-of-the-heap school, you don’t need crazy CS background to get in. Your overall grades, ECs, etc. that are required for general admissions are going to have a much bigger impact. I’d spend your time instead focusing on your college applications and doing programming that you enjoy.
No. I do not think it is worth it.
When you are accepted to a university for undergrad, you are admitted to the university as a whole regardless of your major (exceptions in CMU CS, etc. but ya…)
And also, as of in today’s society as a whole, unfortunately it seems that online degrees don’t put much weight in your resume. (almost none at all as well… for some reason online degrees aren’t looked as legit degrees)
However, they do give you excellent knowledge (which is a good thing) and something to build up in your portfolio (if you have any projects due to those which is also a really good thing)
But then again, online degrees are still in its infant stage so who knows? Personally, I would use Udacity not to build up your college resume but for the fun of learning. In my free time, I personally visit MITOpenCourseWare and Edx to self study the subjects I love. BUT… I do know that everything I do on my spare time won’t be acknowledged as a degree.
An online degree is in some ways like self studying a book.
You can learn an incredible amount of information BUT there is no real “proof”. In fact, even the online “degree” isn’t really seen as a proof in today’s society (maybe tomorrow’s society? :P)
I endorse online learning as knowledge is important but if you are only doing it to build your college application, it is in my opinion, definitely not worth it as colleges dont really care about that.
(Even places like MIT I doubt the nanodegrees are really looked upon.)
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Note: Online courses (or just straight self studying through book) give you lots of learning academically. But you don’t get the real paper (degree). That’s actually why many go to college. Yes, there are stories in which some get programming jobs (this is NOT cs) through self studying but it seems on more recent times, companies are slowly drifting away from those self-studiers (I remember some companies claiming since last year, they no longer look if you don’t have a degree since they have too many applicants) :l
As another side note - from my experience, there’s only so much you learn from the typical “coursework.” The way your really learn and remember CS concepts is by using them. So learn the stuff to get you started, but then make something of your own (it doesn’t have to be original) to really cement the concepts. And then you have something to show off at the end. (Pro tip: create a github account and put your stuff there.)