September is the traditional back-to-school month and it’s a great time to do something that most developers find rewarding – sign up to learn something new. Whether you’re embarking on a new career or just want to learn new skills for your current job, there are plenty of opportunities available through online certification.
With its end of summer offer, Udacity has a 70% discount on its regular prices, plus an additional 15% to be applied when you pay in advance. This means that even for a 4 month course, you could be paying less than the $399 per month which is Udacity’s “Pay as you go” rate.
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There are so many choices it’s hard to know where to start. However let’s choose SQL. In the recent IEEE Spectrum Top Programming Languages 2022, SQL came out on top of uses and was identified as:
the second programming language that everyone should know.
So why not hone your skills in this area and get a certificate that gives you an extra selling point?
At the beginner level, Learn SQL is a 2-month program in which participants:
Perform analytics on data stored in relational and non-relational database systems to fuel strategic decision-making. Learn how to determine, create, and execute SQL and NoSQL queries that manipulate and dissect large-scale datasets. Start by leveraging the power of SQL data cleansing commands, functions, and methodologies to join, aggregate, and clean tables, as well as comprehensive performance analysis to provide strategic business recommendations. Finally, apply relational database management techniques to standardize data schemas to create the supporting data structures for a social news aggregator.
As is the case with all Udacity programs, the learning environment promotes a hands-on approach with hands-on projects, support from technical mentors, and feedback from experienced examiners. Services include GitHub review and Linkedin profile optimization.
If you are already past the beginner level and are looking for an intermediate or advanced level program, follow the links from my previous report, Data Scientist or Data Engineer? Choose your path on Udacity.
For another additional area of expertise Cybersecurity is “in demand”. Udacity’s offers a beginner level program – the 4 months Introduction to cybersecurity at the end of which you will be able to:
- Evaluate the specific security techniques used to administer a system that meets industry standards and basic controls.
- Explain methods for establishing and maintaining network, computing environment, and application security.
- Apply control techniques to secure networks, operating systems and applications.
Beyond that, at the intermediate level, there is a choice between two 4-month programs
- Security engineer in which the focus is on how to protect a company’s computer systems, networks, applications, and infrastructure from security threats or attacks.
- Security Analyst in which you learn how to identify, correct and respond to security weaknesses and incidents by determining the appropriate security controls to secure a network, system or application and by evaluating security threats through vulnerability scans and threat assessments.
At the Advanced level, the 2 months Ethical hacker nanodegree is a 2-month program designed to equip students with the skills they need to advance in their security career and become an ethical hacker or penetration tester. You will learn how to find and exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in various systems, design and execute a penetration testing plan, and report results using project evidence.
The other currently advertised offer on I Programmer is $100 off Coursera Plus, which reduces the price of an annual pick-and-mix subscription to $299 and you can find courses and specializations on both subjects which we discussed. at universities you can expect a more academic approach – but Coursera specializations culminate in a capstone project that requires putting theory into practice and its professional certificates are also project-based.
Of course, you might prefer to expand your portfolio by adding a new programming language – Python or C++ perhaps. You might want to move from desktop to cloud or you might be interested in DevOps or AI/ML. Whether Udacity or Coursera is your favorite online learning platform, sign up now to take advantage of September’s offers.
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