Is Coursera Plus Worth It?
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Learning a new subject can be difficult, especially due to the fact that there are so many different online course platforms available to choose from. It is hard to know which ones are the best to go to, and which ones are going to be worth your money.
Coursera is a great platform to go to if you are looking for a new course to take part in, and within Coursera, there is Coursera Plus. This is an additional paid-for option that provides you with unlimited access to lots of courses and more.
However, you might be wondering if the additional fee is worth it, and this is what you will find out in this article.
We are going to be looking at Coursera Plus in detail, so you can decide whether or not this added extra would be suitable for you.
Table of Contents
Is Coursera Plus Worth It?
There are a few things that you will need to consider if you are looking at purchasing Coursera Plus, and we are going to go through them in this section so you will have a better understanding of what it is all about.
This way, you will be able to make a well-informed decision about whether it is suitable for you.
Cost and Value for Money
The overall cost of Coursera Plus is $399 per year of use. This works out to be $33.25 a month, but the subscription will be billed annually instead of monthly like some other services.
This might seem like a high price, but you will receive unlimited access to lots of different courses and resources that you can make use of for an entire year.
So, even though the initial cost might seem like a lot, Coursera Plus is a great investment for anyone that is looking to study online. There are some companies that charge this amount for a single course, so you will definitely be getting your money’s worth.
As long as you utilize everything that this platform has to offer, the initial cost won’t seem so high with the amount that you would save in the long term.
The more that you are able to take advantage of the services that this platform has to offer, the more money that you will be saving.
Coursera Plus even comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, which means that you can test the service before you commit to the subscription.
This will allow you to find out for yourself how suitable for you it is, and if you are not happy with the results, you can cancel for a full refund.
Coursera is more than worth the money, especially for those online students that wish to take multiple courses over the span of one year. You will end up saving more than you spend with this subscription.
However, if you are only interested in one course, then it might be better for you to stick with the original Coursera platform without the additional content.
What is the Difference Between Coursera and Coursera Plus?
The main difference between Coursera and Coursera Plus is the way in which you pay for the services. When you are using Coursera, you can browse through the courses and choose the one that you want to complete.
There will be an individual course fee that you will need to pay, though some of the courses are free, and then you will be able to access the course.
If you subscribe to Coursera Plus, then you will have to pay the $399 fee annually to be given unlimited access to over 3000 online courses.
Both of these services have their own advantages, and if you are only looking at doing one course, then you should probably choose and pay for the course through Coursera.
However, if you want to take part in multiple courses, then Coursera Plus is probably the most cost-effective option for you.
Coursera Plus also gives you the advantage of switching between courses if you want to change things up a bit.
If you are planning on taking multiple courses, you can access them all through your subscription, and switch between them to keep things new and interesting. You won’t be disappointed with the flexibility of this platform.
With Coursera Plus, you will also be able to earn a certificate for every course that you complete without incurring any additional costs.
With Coursera, you may encounter an additional fee to receive a certificate, but this is not the case for the Plus version. You can complete as many courses as you like throughout the year and get a free certificate for each and every one of them.
About Coursera Plus – How Does it Work?
Coursera Plus is an additional paid-for annual subscription that you can purchase through Coursera, and it provides you with unlimited access to over 3000 courses, guided projects, specializations, and professional certificates.
All of these learning resources are available in a variety of different subjects, and it is more than likely that you will find multiple courses that will provide you with exactly what you are looking for.
Some of the subjects that are included are:
- Data Science
- Business
- Computer Science
- Health
- Personal Development
- Humanities
These are not the only course subjects that are available, there are many more, and they are taught by top instructors from leading universities and companies like Duke, Johns Hopkins University, Google Cloud, and more.
Most of the courses that are included on Coursera will be included with your subscription.
Additionally, there are over 1000 specializations that are great for developing an existing knowledge of a certain subject and honing your skills to something more specific.
For example, if you are an artist, you can learn about using a specific medium, or if you are a massage therapist, you can look at specific techniques that you can use.
These courses will provide you with a more in-depth understanding of a specific topic.
You can also get eleven different types of professional certificates that can either help qualify you for your newly chosen career path or help to improve your CV. There are lots of different programs available and each will give you different levels of certification.
Some of the professional certificate programs include Google’s IT Support, Arizona State University’s TESOL, and Cloud Architecture with Google Cloud.
Coursera Plus also provides you with access to over 100 guided projects, which are some of Coursera’s newest learning resources. They enable students to develop job-relevant skills through a variety of shorter projects.
Something that you should know is that the Coursera Plus does not include free access to the degrees or MasterTrack certificates, and these will still need to be paid for separately.
All you need to do to take advantage of Coursera Plus is to sign up through their website. Once you have paid, you will be given complete access to all of the available courses.
Don’t forget, you can cancel your subscription within 14 days if you find that the courses are not for you.
The Benefits of Coursera Plus
There are lots of different benefits of using Coursera Plus, including:
- Flexible learning allows users to work at their own pace and switch between courses if they need to.
- Excellent value for money with access to over 3000 courses at no additional cost
- Coursera Plus can help you to save hundreds of dollars, if not more
- Diverse learning experiences will allow students to take advantage of a variety of courses with different learning styles
- You can work towards as many certificates as you want without any additional fees
- Certificates that you earn can help you to get a job or boost your CV
- You can share your certifications through your LinkedIn profile to help attract work
- They offer verified certificates that are recognized by a variety of employers
Who Should Get Coursera Plus?
Anyone that is looking to study something new should seriously consider Coursera Plus, as it is a great way to advance your skills and knowledge in a specific field of study.
It can really help to prepare you for the world of work in your chosen subject and give you an idea of the things that you will be doing. Knowledge is key, and Coursera Plus will provide you with a vast amount of knowledge at your fingertips.
Coursera Plus is also perfect for anyone with busier lives and schedules that don’t have time to go to college or university to study.
Instead, you can learn everything that you need to know online in the comfort of your own home. The certifications that you receive from these courses are recognized by lots of different employers, and they can help you get a job.
If you are only looking to do one or two courses, then Coursera Plus probably isn’t the best option for you, as you might end up spending more money on the annual cost than you would be paying for the individual courses.
You should look at the cost of the courses that you want to do and weigh up the options to see which options are more cost-effective. Typically, the courses are not too expensive individually, so this would probably be your best option.
Another thing that you should think about is whether or not Coursera is able to provide you with the information and knowledge that you need in order to progress.
While they have lots of different courses to choose from, this does not guarantee that they will have the courses that you are looking for. You should take a look at what they have to offer before committing to a subscription.
However, you can also take advantage of the 14-day money-back guarantee, and if you find that they do not have what you are looking for, you can cancel your subscription for a full refund.
Coursera Plus might be suitable for lots of people, but that doesn’t mean that it will be suitable for everyone.
Coursera Plus Alternatives
An alternative online course platform to use instead of Coursera is Udemy. This might be a better option for you if you can’t find the courses that you were looking for in order to progress.
Udemy has over 10,000 courses available, which means that you are much more likely to find what you are looking for.
Conclusion
Coursera Plus is definitely worth it for those who are looking at taking multiple courses over the space of one year. The initial cost of $399 will be more than worth it if you are going to take advantage of as many learning opportunities as possible.
This subscription can help you to learn what you need to know, specialize in certain areas of learning, and achieve certificates upon completion of your courses.
Overall, we highly recommend Coursera Plus for those that want to learn as much as they possibly can.
About the Author Jacob M.
Jacob has a background in finance and engineering. Outside of his day job, he is a lifelong learner, who enjoys reading, taking online courses, and writing about what he's learned.
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