Do you know what Udemy is and how you can use it to get amazing courses? Keep reading to learn more about Udemy and its unique features.
The current economic climate necessitates having certifications, an impressive resume, and certain skills to land jobs.
If you’ve ever wanted to develop new skills but didn’t have the money or time to enroll in an institution, then you can enroll in online courses.
Online courses allow you to learn wherever and whenever you want. This is what you get from Udemy.
What is Udemy?
Udemy is an online learning website that has more than 130,000 online courses. The Udemy platform is a great option if you want to develop a particular skill. The different categories of courses on the site include:
- Business
- Development
- IT and software
- Finance and accounting
- Teaching and academics
- Personal development
- Design
- Marketing
- Lifestyle
- Health and fitness
- Music, and
- Photography and video
How Udemy Works
Here are the things you need to know about using Udemy:
You Can Learn Lots of Skills on the Platform
Udemy has courses that are taught by professionals throughout the world. There are different categories with numerous courses that you can choose from. As a result, you will find something that you can learn on Udemy.
Udemy Makes Learning Affordable
You can find courses that are as cheap as $20 on Udemy. Also, there are lots of promotional coupon codes that can help you get discounts on courses that cost hundreds of dollars.
The coupon codes can give you access to expensive courses for as cheap as $10.
You Can Learn Whenever You Want
If you find any course that you like on Udemy, you can sign up for the course whenever you’re ready. You can listen to lectures, download study files, complete exercises, and also discuss your course with your fellow students and instructors.
The courses can be completed at the pace that you like.
Showcase Your Achievement
When you complete an Udemy course, you will be given a certificate of achievement which you can share with others. This will add more value to your resume. You can even use this to show that you’re progressing towards some technical certifications.
How Do Find the Perfect Udemy Course?
If you’re wondering about how you can find the course you need on Udemy, here are some tips that you can use:
Use Udemy Filters
One of the most useful features of Udemy is its filter. When you know the category of the course that you want, you can then browse the courses in the category; this is where the filter comes in.
You can use different filters such as video duration, ratings, subcategories, topic, price, language, level, and subtitles. These filters will help you narrow down what you’re searching for and find what you need.
Go Through the Content of the Course
The platform allows you to check the content of a course before purchasing it. By going through the course content, you will find out the lectures in the course and the duration of each of the videos.
This gives you an in-depth overview of the course and the details of the modules.
Read the Reviews of the Course
Every course has reviews left by past students. You can check these reviews to see what the students have to say about a course that you’re interested in.
The platform’s rating system will also allow you to select courses based on the number of stars they have.
Go Through the Instructor’s Profile
Each of the courses on the site has an instructor’s bio section. In this section, you can read about the instructor, and learn about the instructor’s experience and feedback from their students.
The bio will help you know more about the person that will teach a specific course. Some instructors can also allow you to get in touch with them and ask them questions about the course.
Find Out When the Course was Launched
Courses are regularly updated on the platform and you can easily find out when a course was last updated in the course’s header.
This feature will come in handy when you want to learn a new software since you need to learn about the latest version of the application.
Check the Quality of the Course Preview
You can also preview a course before purchasing it. This is one of the best features you can use to know what to expect from a course. It helps you to gauge the quality of the course you intend to buy.
Choose a Course that Fits into Your Budget
Most of the courses are discounted to make them affordable. If you have a slim budget, you can search for courses by price from the lowest price to the highest price. Also, there are lots of free courses on the platform.
Comparison Between Udemy and Other Online Learning Platforms
Udemy Vs. Coursera
If you want to learn a particular skill, you can get step-by-step instructions that you need to achieve a goal from Udemy courses. Coursera focuses more on academic courses and subjects.
Udemy is a cheaper option if you are interested in specific subjects or want to study at a slower pace. Most of the courses on Udemy focus on practical and hands-on applications.
It is free to sign up on Coursera and this gives you access to over 1,000 free courses. Individual courses charge users a one-time payment and this gives users access to paid courses for 180 days.
Unlike Coursera, Udemy does not offer graded assignments, mentorship, and specialized certificates. The specializations on Coursera contain different courses and the platform operates on a subscription basis between $39 and $89 monthly.
A unique feature that Coursera offers is the ability to apply for financial assistance.
Udemy Vs. Skillshare
Just like Udemy, Skillshare has thousands of online courses with different pricing structures and course durations.
The courses on Skillshare can be at least 10 minutes while those on Udemy are at least 30 minutes. Both sites offer courses that last for several hours. However, Udemy is more detailed while Skillshare offers shorter and more direct courses.
More so, users pay for each of the Udemy courses they sign up for while Skillshare charges a flat rate monthly or yearly for premium access to all courses. You can also find free courses on Skillshare.
Both Udemy and Skillshare have courses that are created by individuals (not companies or universities). The instructors on the platforms include photographers, web developers, business executives, programmers, and other experts.
If you want to keep learning new things, the premium subscription on Skillshare is the ideal option for you.
However, if you want to learn specific skills, then Udemy is the platform you need. Each platform is designed to help you acquire skills without pursuing a degree.
Website: skillshare.com
Udemy Vs. Pluralsight
One of the main differences between Udemy and Pluralsight is their purchase model. Udemy allows users to purchase a single course with lifetime access.
You can have lifetime access to articles, practice questions, quizzes, and other materials that are connected to the course you purchased.
On the other hand, Pluralsight has a monthly subscription fee that allows users to have access to over 7,500 courses. You can also learn offline when you sign up on Pluralsight.
The courses on Udemy comprise topics that focus on music, marketing, development, and other topics while Pluralsight offers courses on coding and programming. The courses also have more select training options and well-defined skills.
Udemy is ideal for casual learners while those that want to become tech professionals will benefit from the in-depth professional courses that Pluralsight offers.
Website: pluralsight.com
Is Udemy Safe to Use?
Yes, Udemy is safe to use. As a legitimate company, the courses on Udemy are created to help you develop a specific skill.
What Can You Learn from a Paid Udemy Course?
Udemy courses offer hours of video lectures. You can view the videos on your mobile device or computer. Paid courses also give you lifetime access to the content of the course.
How Much do Udemy Courses Cost?
To have access to a paid Udemy course, you must pay a one-time fee that can be between $19.99 and $189.99.
Unlike LinkedIn Learning or Skillshare, Udemy does not have subscriptions or free trials; you will pay for each of the courses that you want.
How Often Do Udemy Deals Take Place?
If the course you’re interested in is expensive, you can take advantage of the sales Udemy holds. These sales can give you access to courses that are as low as $12.99.
All you need to do is always check the platform- you will find Udemy deals covering most of the website.
Can You Give Out an Udemy Course as a Gift?
Yes, you can. Since courses are sold individually on the platform, it is easy to gift a course. Simply go to the course of your choice and hit ‘Gift this course.’ You will find this at the top left side of your screen.
Is Udemy Worth It?
If you are interested in learning new skills but you don’t want a course that is affiliated with a College or University, Udemy is the right platform for you. Udemy issues certificates but they are not aligned with any university.
However, this does not mean that the skill you gain on Udemy cannot advance your career or learning.
Check out this guide to learn more about why you need Udemy.
FAQs
Are there free courses on Udemy?
Yes, there are lots of free courses on Udemy. Udemy has over 500 free courses on different topics such as introductory photography, time management, game development, and public speaking amongst others.
Although free courses don’t issue certificates, they can be a good way for you to learn new topics.
What are the pros of Udemy?
Some of the pros that make Udemy a great online learning platform include the following:
- Its prices are affordable.
- It offers a wide range of courses and a huge range of languages.
- Udemy offers lifetime access and is also easy to use.
- Learning on the platform is easy since it does not have deadlines.
- Instructors can also use different strategies to increase their online course engagement.
What is Udemy used for?
Udemy allows instructors to create online courses on topics of their choice. By using the development platform that the platform offers, instructors can upload PowerPoint presentations, videos, ZIP files, audio, PDFs, and live classes.
Are Udemy certificates useful?
Udemy issues certificates so that users can demonstrate their accomplishments. However, since the platform is not an accredited institution, you cannot use the certificates for formal accreditation.
Conclusion
Now that I’ve covered what Udemy is, how it works, and how you can find the perfect course on the platform, we can conclude that Udemy is worth it.
If you want to learn a new hobby, Udemy has lots of courses that you can choose from. The platform also offers good value for the money used in getting the courses.
The Udemy website is a good option for users looking for personal and professional development courses.
However, if you need a platform that focuses on academic courses, then Coursera is a better option since its courses are accredited by universities.
If you want to use Udemy as an instructor, here’s a guide on how you can create profitable online courses. These tips will guide you in creating valuable courses on the platform.
Thank you for reading.
