Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Work?
I left ministry work at CLC Kenya to start homeschooling our daughter Adnah McKenna and get my second baby Ella. I had been a Marketing Manager for about 3 years. I was at home and had some extra time. Though I had done Finance and Banking at the university, I had not practiced for 6 years. I tried to enroll at KCA and KIM but timewise, things were not going to work. I got online and by the grace of God landed on Alison Learning where I got courses on Accounting to refresh myself. I was able to build our accounting and business consultancy firm to 4 consultants and average of six figures revenues.
I did this for a number of years then I was pulled to full time to head an Accounting Department. I was not very familiar with the employer’s area of accounting as it was very specialized. So I would get to the office 45 minutes before everyone else and do a free online course every day for 6 months. It costed me nothing other than time and commitment – the wifi was at the office. My work so good because I was implementing things daily and improving the workplace. The headquarters started to notice me and headhunt me so I moved to the headquarters on a salary increment in just 6 months.
Keep Improving Yourself
I was offered a position of Business Intelligence Analyst - something I had not heard before then. I immediately enrolled on a business intelligence course and I got really good at the job and I enjoyed being able to implement great ideas and concepts I was learning on MOOC. I discovered EdX courses by Harvard University, MIT and other universities. I also discovered Iversity Love to Learn Online - these two offered me amazing learning opportunities, some with certificates or learner profile. I even joined a Business Analysts community on the recommendation of one of the online tutors I met online. It turned out to be a very helpful place for me to belong at the time.
My bosses changed and the new one asked me to help her do Finance Modelling. I had never done it before but it was accounting and finance and I was happy to learn - quickly. It took me 3 months to learn online and from the new boss. The boss who had headhunted me earlier asked me to join him in his consultancy firm, which I gladly did. I had to learn new skills on top of what I had. We were then contracted by a parastatal to offer services in our competency and we did a good job with this boss. But he left for another opportunity and allowed me to continue.
It's A Lifelong Journey
The parastatal asked me to help in their Incubation Program for their Green Enterprises and I needed to have an Entrepreneurship training on top of my Finance and Business skills. I was to submit my papers in 3 days. I immediately enrolled in an online class and for 3 days, I did the course day and night. I submitted the certificates and got the job. It paid several hundreds of thousands for a job I did in several weeks.
Life is a Series of Mountains
Then I joined my husband back at CLC Kenya and needed to re-learn the book industry and publishing. I took other courses on Alison Learning and Google Digital Skills for Africa that enabled me help towards setting up the Publishing House for CLC Kenya and all the other amazing things God has enabled us to do the last 5 years at CLC Kenya. I have so many free online certificates accumulated over the last decade - but they are not just free certificates, they helped me stay on top of my game when I needed them the most. They empowered me with relevant and implementable knowledge that caused an impact in a real way.
I am continuously trying to develop myself. And though I got an opportunity to do a Masters Course in an institutional school this season, the knowledge I have acquired through the certificate and diploma courses I have done free online, are equally beneficial.
My Advice to YOU
Do not get stuck in your job, career, side hustle or business when there is so much credible resource online. If you need personal development to get to the next level, please join me. It works and I am a testimony to that. Allow me to show you how... As it was given to me freely, I give it you also.
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