Online Courses

I grew up in a traditional family with clear guidelines to life and how to live it. My grandparents and parents all followed the 'natural' course of life. Go to school finish it then go to university, get a great job and do it for the rest of your life, get married, make children grow them up and make them repeat this same pattern.

I did it until one point. I went to Uni; I wanted to demonstrate I could get accepted and follow courses that were not my main interest. Well, I got in and had the best results for a year and a half until I realized that I don't enjoy it and I'm wasting my time. I found it hard to go there day after day considering I wasn't in the best mental state at that time. I found the lecturers disinterested and with high expectations although their method of teaching was old and they did not care if we pass or not. Going to university was a disappointment to be honest. I wanted to drop out for a long time, but I kept giving it a chance because I had a voice in the back of my mind telling me that this is how life works and I have to do it just because my family did it in the past. Anyway, life has its ways of making decisions for us when we keep doing things wrong so in my last year because of some family issues I had to drop out. I can't say that it was my decision to make, but I think it was the best thing that happened.

Discovering Online Courses

I was put face to face with a lot of spare time and a need to know more. Ever since I was little, I found out that I love to learn, to develop through knowledge. I like to know everything and anything and for me, periods of doing nothing are a burden. So I started searching for methods to learn and get certificates and diplomas without actually going to a university. I found different workshops , but somehow I never got time to go there and participate with all the chaos happening in my life at that time. After a good research on numerous websites who provided online courses I stumbled upon my number 1 when it comes to online learning which is Future Learn.

FutureLearn is in my opinion the best website if you want to start online courses. I discovered it about 4 years ago with just a simple search on Google and since then it never disappointed me. It has diversity of courses, different areas of interest so I personally think it has something for everyone. Whether you just want to pass the time doing something useful or you want to learn something new or you need an accreditation/certificate/degree for your job or for any other reason, FutureLearn has it for you.

They have 3 types of courses which are : short courses, programs and online degrees. So far I only did short courses, but lately I'm thinking of starting an online degree. Whichever you want to start doing, they all are going to help you build your future and they're all done very professional. My main fear when I started learning online was that I would stumble into a course that is not well done or that I would encounter something more general when I want to go in depth of the subject I choose, but it was not the case with FutureLearn. Their partners (the ones elaborating the courses/degrees) are top universities from the UK and not only so you'll surely receive quality.

I recently found out about the offer they have which is called Unlimited. It's something you may find useful and maybe a better option for you. So when you buy Unlimited you gain access to as many short courses as you want for a year and whichever courses you finish, you get to keep the access to them after the year ends. Also, you get digital certificates when you finish each course and you don't have to pay separately. What else can you wish more? Unlimited access to courses AND getting certificates for a whole year. This is truly a bargain and I was very excited when I found out about it.

Course Gate is my number 2 website for online courses and at the moment I started two courses on their website. So far I can say that I'm pleased with this platform and would recommend it.

I discovered Course Gate through Reed which is a job website. I got an e-mail from Reed saying they have offers on online courses and I just had to click it ( I mean, courses for a tenner who wouldn't check on that). I found a lot of courses that interested me and were useful for my career development.

My advice for you if you want to start learning with Course Gate is to check first if Reed.co.uk has what you are looking for because otherwise buying directly from Course Gate can be a little expensive. I have to be honest with you and if it wasn't for that offer on Reed I don't think I would've spent that much money on an online course or I would've just went on FutureLearn where I could surely find what I was looking for at an affordable price.

Anyway, another plus side of this website is that you can get a student card for like 10 £ or 10.99£. Honestly while physically attending University I enjoyed getting discounts at shops or for travelling so after I dropped out I missed having a student card. Well, studying with Course Gate I was able to get a student card and enjoy the perks of it. Plus, you feel like a real student.

Studying online is as rewarding as going to an actual University. Of course, this type of learning is not for everyone, but it can be if you give it a chance. I think it is more convenient because of the fact that you can study from anywhere on any type of device supported and whenever you have the time. I was skeptical at first about technology and using technology to get degrees and certificates and diplomas and I was so set on the traditional way to study that I didn't see clearly from the beginning all the benefits. My only regret now is that I didn't start sooner.

I want to end this article by saying that I am not sponsored in any way by any of the websites mentioned above and this is just my experience that I wanted to share with you and what I've tried so far.

I hope this article is helpful for you and I want to wish you all good luck with your studies whether you're going to University/College or study online.