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The story is based on a conversation with a former Manager of Data Engineering at Ford. For clarity, the following has been edited.
I have worked as a Kmart cashier, fishmonger, Ragu factory worker, and Geek Squad member. I oversaw the machines that chop the broccoli and chicken for Bertolli when I was cleaning fish.
I realized that if I wanted to break out of the cycle of poverty, I had to work. I got my undergrad degree in computer information systems at the University of Louisville, studying what I thought were employable skills.
My career was put in motion by taking online courses from platforms like edX and Coursera. I earned over 20 professional certificates in topics from data analysis and machine learning to strategic management and international leadership, which helped me get a management position at Ford and a senior director role at a $5 billion data company.
Online learning has helped me advance in my career. I was able to learn from some of the best professors in the world.
I've probably spent more time learning from these courses than the average college student because I'll be starting my business degree at the University of Michigan in May.
There are four lessons I learned from taking online courses and how to make the most of them.
Before you reach the core of what you're majoring in, there is a fair amount of baseline classes you have to take. The meat of what will help you most in your career may not be until your second or third year.
I started taking online classes while I was getting my degree because I wanted to be as well known as possible after graduation. MIT's introduction to computer science and programming using python and introduction to computational thinking and data science courses helped me get started quickly, and I continued to build from there.
I was able to take more challenging courses later on, such as the Machine Learning specialization from Stanford.
To learn how to be a better boss, I took courses in everything from inclusive leadership to strategic communications.
I have a hunch that most successful leaders will have a mix of all the skills they need to take companies to the future and make better business decisions.
Online learning gives you what you put in. If it's available, I highly encourage you to take advantage of that feature, even if you don't interact with the faculty at all.
One of the biggest surprises for me was how involved the instructors are in these online courses, it would always take me a while to get a response from an actual professor. Dr. Andrew Ng and his team helped me answer my questions about the machine learning program.
It's easy to see that the teachers at top institutions are in their ivory towers and we will never hope to reach them. Because online courses are so accessible, there was a small gap to cross in making connections that otherwise would not have been afforded to me.
While many of the courses on edX and Coursera are free, paying for them earns you a certificate of completion that can be displayed on your LinkedIn page.
It's always good to show off your personal growth, but it can also help you stand out. Technical professionals are often pigeonholed as the data person or the IT guy. You can do more than your job title suggests, if you have a range of courses on your page.
I was able to advance my career quickly because of online courses. I joined the data engineering team at Ford as a data scientist after jumping from being a business analytic intern.
I run the entire data platform for a company with more than 4,000 retail locations across several different businesses.
I taught an online course myself through Data Camp, keeping in mind what I loved most about the ones I took.
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