Sagi is a learner from Jakarta who kindly reached out to us to share his story on how Coursera changed his life. In his own words, here’s his story of self improvement and continuous learning.
A Whole New World of Opportunity
I came to Coursera thinking I’d just be learning topics that pique my interest. Little did I know that it would change my life.
What surprised me the most was the fact that for any subject I learned, I’d be able to interact with classmates from all over the world. Furthermore, I get to receive expert instruction from U.S. university professors. Coursera made it possible for me to take courses from prestigious institutions that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford.
With Coursera, there’s no more brick and mortar boundaries. No more distance boundaries. No more time constraints. No more inflexible schedules.
I’ve taken over twenty courses, but here’s a shortlist of some that stood out to me:
- Write Professional Emails in English from the Georgia Institute of Technology
- Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone from the Georgia Institute of Technology
- Chinese for Beginners from Peking University
- Build Your Professional ePortfolio in English from the Georgia Institute of Technology
- The Foundations of Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania
- Data-driven Decision Making from PwC
- Problem Solving with Excel from PwC
- Data Visualization with Advanced Excel from PwC
- Effective Business Presentation with Powerpoint from PwC
- Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach from PwC
- Tricky American English Pronunciation from UC Irvine
- Strategic Self-Marketing and Personal Branding from the State University of New York
- Strategic Career Self-Management from the State University of New York
What I Learned
The Career Self Management, Microsoft Excel, and English courses were particularly beneficial to my job as a financial auditor. The skills and knowledge I gained helped me tremendously since I use English and Microsoft Excel at work every day. Now I speak and write much better in English.
The ePortfolio and Career Management courses also opened my eyes to changing recruitment practices. I used to think that I didn’t need a portfolio because I was not working in the engineering or design industry. My digital portfolio helps me keep track of my professional achievements and informs the roadmap for my future career aspirations.
From Studying for Exams to Studying for Myself
So how exactly has Coursera changed my life? It changed my life in so many ways. So many that I can’t write all of them here:
It taught me English.
Taught me Mandarin.
Taught me psychology.
Taught me linguistics.
Taught me Excel.
Taught me career objectives.
Taught me public speaking.
But most importantly, it taught me how to be an independent thinker who always exercises critical thinking in whatever I choose to study.
It changed my mentality from studying for exams to studying for myself. Because I need the knowledge, not just the grades. My personal goal is to keep improving myself by learning subjects that are relevant to my work and life in general –– and this is possible thanks to Coursera
Education is definitely for everyone.
The post Sagi: From studying for exams to studying for himself appeared first on Coursera Blog.
Source:
https://blog.coursera.org/sagi-from-studying-for-exams-to-studying-for-himself/