Is Udemy accredited?

Udemy courses are not accredited by any institution or governing body. Courses are made by individuals or organisations from all around the world which are willing to share their knowledge and experience, which is the reason for the wide variety of course content and its quality. Udemy platform doesn't focus on accreditation where focus is more on hands on skills rather than university like content and quality. Courses from Udemy are not licensed or approved but can offer different value than other accredited platforms. If you are looking to develop a new skill/hobby or upgrade an existing one then Udemy courses offer a great value for the price (it depends on the course creator and its content). Udemy doesn't offer graded assignments or exams. You will recieve a certificate of achievement after the successfull course completition which doesn't prove you gained all the knowledge in the course presented. This type of certificate only indicates you went through all course modules but doesn't guarantee that you actually learned something.

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Is it worth paying for Udemy?

In short Udemy is a great learning platform worth your time and money but don't forget to consider what result are you expecting from your online learning on Udemy. If you are looking for highly recognized certificates, accredited courses, university like content/assignments and exams, recognition by employers in that case Udemy is not the best fit for you and is not worth your time and money (if you are expecting this type of outcome it's better to consider EdX, Udacity, Coursera or other platforms). On the other hand if you are looking to develop a new skill/hobby or upgrade an existing one then Udemy courses are worth it (depends on the course creator). You can learn from experienced professionals within their field for reasonable price 10-200$ (most of the times is running special sale where courses are available as low as 10$, I would personally not buy Udemy course for 200$ but 10-20$ is more than reasonable price for me, it's the reason I can recommend you if the sale is not running right now it's worth to wait a few days for it). If you found Udemy as a great fit for you in order to avoid the disappointment before buying a course always check course reviews and course creator which can give you a great hint about the course content quality. If you are still not sure whether course quality will meet your expectations and you are undecided between a few courses check also the number of students already enrolled in the course and according to the course creator 's experience (can be found on LinkedIn or through Google search).

 

Is Udemy any good?

Udemy is a great study platform to further your knowledge on any job skill, hobby or personal interest. Udemy offers many great features including friendly user interface and app with offline access to your course content. You have access to more than 100 000 online courses across the most desired skills and topics. With each course you buy you get lifetime access to such course and its content acompanied by upcoming content updates and support from course instructor. There are no deadlines on Udemy so you can access course materials anytime and study on your own pace. In general, Udemy courses are aiming on hands on experience rather than college value or recognized/accredited certificates widely accepted by employers. The number of courses and their wide variety is the strongest Udemy value. If you are considering work on new skill or upgrade an existing one without certificate recognition then Udemy is the great fit for you (if you prefer recognized and accredited courses which have value and can be presented to employer then consider other platforms as EdX, Udacity or Coursera).

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Can I use Udemy certificate in my resume?

I do not recommend to use Udemy certificate in your resume without further connection as it's not recognized by employers, is not accredited and doesn't serve as proof you have neccessary skills presented within course topic. Udemy certificate can show on your resume if you have valid work experience within desired field, other accredited/recognized course/certificate or project where course content can be linked to such project or experience presenting gained knowledge. The fact you can finish 40h course within 20 minutes if you skip all the course materials lower issued certificate value. If you are aiming only on getting a certificate which you could display on your CV it's better to consider more credible platforms as EdX, Coursera or Udacity. Udemy certificate can only show you are willing to work on your skills, invest own money and free time to pursue your goal but it doesn't serve as a prove you really have certain knowledge or experience. I do not recommend to put on your resume courses with learning time under 10h. If you consider you just finished 1h course in digital marketing, does it really offer any real value to potential employer?

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Can Udemy courses get you a job?

Udemy courses are not recognized by employers due to missing graded assignments, exams and accreditation. There is no mechanism in place to help set same content quality and relevance. The fact you can finish 40h course within 20 minutes if you skip all the course materials lower issued certificate value. If you are aiming only on getting a certificate which you could display on your CV it's better to consider more credible platforms as EdX, Coursera or Udacity. Udemy certificate can only show you are willing to work on your skills, invest own money and free time to pursue your goal but it doesn't serve as a prove you really have certain knowledge or experience. Udemy certificate can offer some value if combined with hands on experience in related project or other accredited certificate where it shows you want to learn the topic in deep. Udemy courses can get you a job based on gained experience but not solely on issued certificate or the fact you finished Udemy course.

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Why is Udemy bad?

Some Udemy courses offer poor quality content which is not worth even for the low price of 10$.  Courses are made by individuals which is reason why their content and quality is not consistent and their content is not reviewed by a higher authority. Courses do not contain graded assignments or exams which is the reason why issued certificate of achievement upon course completion is not a proof you went through all the course materials and gained the presented knowledge. If you are aiming only on earning a certificate you can do so by skipping all the course videos and get a certificate from 40h course under 20 minutes. This is the reason courses are not accredited and there is no way how to check whether you really went through all the materials. I do not recommend to present Udemy certificate on your CV/resume unless supported by hands on experience connected with the course topic. Not like the other platforms (EdX, Coursera, Udacity) certificate on its own does not have much value. Not all the instructors have credible experience to support their course content quality. The highest value is based on what you are axpecting from such a course. Would you like to learn digital marketing, programming, project management, photography, etc.? Udemy courses will help you with your goal and will support your hands on experience. 

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Why Udemy courses are so cheap?

Most of students are not willing to pay 100-200$ on Udemy for not accredited courses (including me) eventhough in many cases created by professionals with on hands experience in their fields. Udemy ourses don't have graded assignments, exams, essays or accredation which reduces course credibility but drives also price much lower than on other learning platforms (university-like courses as EdX, Coursera or Udacity). Provided certificate after the course completion doesn't have significant or credible value for employers as it's only certificate of achievement and as such doesn't guarantee you really went through all modules and gained all the knowledge presented in the course. These are the reasons why many learners would not invest 100-200$ per course (I believe many of Udemy courses realy have this value). On the other hand Udemy courses focuse more on hands on experience rather than on theory (watch-repeat-practice approach, where it gives you necessary basic experience if you do follow all course materials and guidelines).

Example 1) Udemy has more than 50 millions students (isn't better to get 10$ from 98% of students than 200$ from 2% of them - not mentioning how happy will be those 98% of students who didn't spend so much and will come back for another course).

 

Which is better Udemy or Coursera?

Unfortunately it's little bit more complicated than that. Both study platforms are great but each serves a different purpose. Which is the reason we will not do traditional pros and cons and we will rather focus on how to help you pick the best platform in order to accomplish your goals. If you would like to upgrade an existing skill, learn new skill, hobby or an interest with focus on hands on experience where earning an accreddited certificate recognized by employers is not your main goal then Udemy should be your best match. If you are aiming on getting a job, promotion, accreddited certificates recognized by employers and university like courses with assignments in that case I would recommend Coursera. Both platforms offer low price: Coursera courses are available for 29-99$ per course or 49$ monthly payment, Udemy offers courses for full price 100-200$ where almost all the time sale is running on Udemy site with discounted price 10$ per course (I don't recommend to buy course on Udemy for the full price, it's woth to wait a few days for the sale). Many people are picking the platform according to the price where this decision might not be the best. If the price would be the most important for you then Udemy course in sale would be a clear choice (10$ per course). In case you are looking for accredited certificate recognized by an employer then such decision would result in disappointment. You saved 40$ but invested time and money will not be worth it as earned certificate from Udemy will not be accreddited nor recognized by employers. On the other hand if you would like to learn digital marketing only as a hobby, you don't need accreddited and recognized certificate and investment to Coursera course might not be worth it. If you are willing to invest more time and money for exchange of getting higher value consider also Udacity or EdX platforms.

Example 1) Imagine you need a new laptop so you go to the store and buy headphones because they were cheaper. When you realize on one hand you saved money but on the other hand the desired outcome is not met, is it really what you want?

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Can I add Udemy certificate to LinkedIn?

I do not recommend to use Udemy certificate in your LinkedIn profile (especially courses with study time under 10h) without further connection as it's not recognized by employers, is not accredited and doesn't serve as proof you have neccessary skills presented within course topic. Udemy certificate can show on your LinkedIn profile if you have valid work experience within desired field, other accredited/recognized course/certificate or project where course content can be linked to such project or experience presenting gained knowledge. The fact you can finish 40h course within 20 minutes if you skip all the course materials lower issued certificate value. If you are aiming only on getting a certificate which you could display on your LinkedIn profile it's better to consider more credible platforms as EdX, Coursera or Udacity. Udemy certificate can only show you are willing to work on your skills, invest own money and free time to pursue your goal but it doesn't serve as a prove you really have certain knowledge or experience. I do not recommend to put on your LinkedIn profile courses with learning time under 10h. If you consider you just finished 1h course in digital marketing, does it really offer any real value to an employer?

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Do Udemy courses expire?

Udemy courses do not expire. Once you bought a course you got a lifetime access to the course (online and offline), instructor support and future course content updates. You are not in any rush and can study on your own pace whether its 1 or 100 study hours per year. You can still access the course content after the course completition and when certficated was already issued. There is no extra fee for maintaining your learning profile on Udemy so you don't need to worry about any additional costs. Once you enrolled to free, paid or discounted course you get a lifetime access to its content.

Unfortunately there are a few cases (they happen rarely and in such cases you can contact Udemy support and they will provide you adequate help related to your case) when you can lose access to the course content. As courses can be made by anyone a huge role plays content copyright. If a course violated any Udemy terms such course can be removed by Udemy. In case instructor deleted his account on Udemy then his courses are no longer available to new learners but you still have access to your already enrolled course content. In case you violated Udemy terms you can be banned from Udemy and no longer be able to access your courses/account (depends on specific case details and if this happens contact Udemy support).

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Does Udemy certificate has any value?

Udemy certificate doesn't have real academic value but it can offer some value especially if combined with other accredited course or related (work) experience. Unfortunately the certificate on its own (without any further connection) is not accredited or recognized by employers and doesn't serve as prove you learned all the course materials and gained all the knowledge presented in the course (graded assignments and exams are not implemented in Udemy courses). Courses on Udemy can be made by anyone (mostly independent professionals with or without experience within their field) which is the reason course content and its quality ranges from hardly acceptable to excellent. The main Udemy certificate value is based on your expectations. Certificate doesn't have value for employers (it only shows you are willing to invest your free time and money in order to get better in your job and provide a higher value for an employer) but can have a huge value for you. You can master for example photography or digital marketing skills with hands on experience course from Udemy, lift your self-esteem and prove to yourself you really did it, you learned something new, gained experience and the certificate serves as a proof for you - You did it! - that is the main value for you and the motivation to finish the course.

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What are the best courses on Udemy?

The best courses on Udemy are courses connected with hands on experience where is the main focus of Udemy platform. I would recommend longer courses (rather than courses under 2 hours) offering higher value and you can learn more about desired topic from different angles. Courses with great reviews, regular content update and large number of students with combination checking course creator credibility via LinkedIn or Google will lead you to the best course within your dsired topic. I wouldn't recommend to pick any courses if your desired outcome is to get a new job or you are expecting accredited certificate or recognition by employers. On the other hand if you would like to update an existing skill, learn a new skill/hobby or interest then Udemy is the best pick for you.

Courses with hands on experience connection will offer higher value (learn/watch-do-review style) where you can excercise gained knowledge in real life project connected with the topic such as photography, design, coding, digital marketing, photoshop, social media and others. Courses aiming on management, business, leadership and others where extensive experience and accreddited courses are neccessary in that case is better to consider other platforms - Udacity, EdX, Coursera, ICS Learning.

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Should I take Udemy courses?

If you would like to update an existing skill, learn a new skill/hobby or interest then you should take Udemy courses. In case your desired outcome from Udemy course is to get a new job or accreddited certificate recognized by employers then I would recommend other learning platforms as EdX, Coursera or Udacity (in order to avoid wasting your time and money). The full price for a Udemy course is 100-200$ but most of the time is running 90% sale where courses are available for as low as 10$ (it's worth to wait couple of days for such a discount). Udemy courses are aiming on hands on skills where you can learn desired topic by watching course videos (or reading course materials) and immediately try it on your own to get desired experience. You will not find any graded assignments or an exam as a part of the course which is the reason why courses on Udemy are not recognized or accredited. With the 10$ pricetag to help you start with a new skill/hobby/interest or to upgrade an existing one (with step by step guide) is a reasonable price. Courses on Udemy can be made by anyone which is the reason why content quality vary a lot depending on the course creator. Always check the course reviews, number of students enrolled in the course and course author credibility (via Google search or LinkedIn - whether author has necessary knowledge and experience as he claims to have) before buying a course. I have better experience with longer courses (5 hours or more) where course creators are realy trying to provide a higher value for their students and offer quality content (in general).

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Do employers recognize Udemy?

Udemy courses are not recognized by employers. Courses on Udemy can be made by anyone, that's why course content quality vary a lot but the main reason is that graded assignments, course progress check and exam is not part of Udemy courses. This is the reason why on Udemy is no way how to prove you really went through all course materials and learned presented topic. You will recieve a certificate of completion but it has the most value for you than for anyone else. If you consider you are able to finish a 40 hours course within 20 minutes if you skip all course chapters and you will recieve certificate of completion anyway. It's the main reason why employers do not recognize Udemy. Udemy is mostly aiming on learning new skills/hobby/interest or updating an existing one. Some value from such a course/certificate can be offered to employers when combined with other accredited course or project where you can present hands on experience within selested field. Eventhough Udemy certificate dosn't have a real value for an employer it can show on the other hand your commitment and the fact you are willing to invest your money and free time in order to achieve your goals in professional life.

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Can I use Udemy offline?

You can use Udemy course videos offline through the mobile app. You can only access in offline mode course content which you downloaded while you were online. You can't search for a new course or access other details while offline. Practice quizzes and tests can be accessed only online. The most of the course content are videos or other materials (90-95% of the course content) which can be downloaded and can be available for you anytime and anywhere through the Udemy app. It's a great way how to make use of otherwise wasted time during the commute or waiting.

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Can I download Udemy videos?

You can download Udemy videos through the mobile app and access them offline anywhere and anytime you need. All you need to do is to download to your phone/tablet (not available on PC) Udemy app. You can only download videos/lectures from already purchased courses. Open the Udemy app on your device, select My courses from the bottom navigation bar, select the course, download videos by click on the arrow next to the each lecture  (one by one) or all course videos at once by click on the top arrow. Yes! It's that easy! Now you can access course videos anywhere anytime.

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Can MOOCs get you a job?

Online courses can get you a job but there is no guarantee as this depends on the selected platform, course creator, type of exam, certificate issued, course content and quality, whether essays or assignments are part of the course and how much in detail is the topic covered. Also depends on the company, where is the company from, whether it's international/local company along with its size, if company is innovative or rather traditional these are measures influencing the credibility of the online course and how much credible is the course in the eyes of the company. 

In general it's the best approach to have along with the certificate related experience within the field. If you are considering a new job or promotion it's better to aim for credible courses (EdX, ILM/ICM, Udacity) which are more expensive, require more of your time but bring you a higher value. Courses from Udemy are more suitable for learning a new skill/hobby or updating an existing one. Online courses aren't just solely about the knowledge gained but can tell more about yourself and your willingness to step out of the crowd. Online course in your resume/CV can:

​1) Set yourself apart from the other applicants. It’s not every day that an interviewer sees an online course or program on a resume 

2) It demonstrates personal drive and discipline, intellectual maturity, curiosity, and a strong willingness to learn—all of which are important to employers

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Does Udemy have an app?

Udemy has a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. You can download Udemy app for Android device here and for iOS device here. Udemy app offers an easy access to the whole platform along with a better user experience than using just a web browser in your phone. Udemy app has an additional value, you can download course content for offline use (video lectures). You can download Udemy videos through the mobile app and access them offline anywhere and anytime you need. All you need to do is to download to your phone/tablet (not available on PC) Udemy app. You can only download videos/lectures from already purchased courses.

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How do I enroll in a Udemy course?

It's an easy process how to enroll to a Udemy course. Go to Udemy and find your desired course (you can use search bar on the top of the Udemy page and search for the keywords or the course name, second way is to choose a desired course category on the top of the page and then pick the course from the list - using course filters next to the list of courses will help). After the finding the desired course just click on the course. You will see the new page with the course description and all its details. You can find on the right side of the screen "Buy Now" button (or "Add to cart" in case you want to buy multiple courses). Click on the "Buy Now" button. If you have already an account you will continue to the payment. In case you don't have an account yet you will just register in a few easy and fast steps and then continue to payment. When you purchased the course it will become immediately available in your account in the section "My Courses". 

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How do I add Udemy course to my resume?

There isn't standardized way how to add an online course achieved to your resume/CV yet. Many ways and approaches are applied but none of those is the one that would be accepted everywhere. You can list an online course in the section under your work history as "Professional Training" in the following format:

2-4/2020 Social Media Management 2020, John Smith (via Udemy), Certificate of Completion, 32hr

 

2-4/2020 - shows when did you study the course

Social Media Management 2020 - full official name of the course

John Smith - course creator (the more recognized field professional more value certificate gets)

(via Udemy) - where did you study the course

Certificate of Completion - type of certificate achieved

32hr - average study time (can be found on the certificate or in the course description), I don't recommend list courses with study time under 5-10 hours unless recognized or accredited (rarely found on Udemy)

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Why to list Udemy course on your resume at all when it's not recognized or accredited? 

1) Set yourself apart from the other applicants. It’s not every day that an interviewer sees an online course or program on a resume 

2) It demonstrates personal drive and discipline, intellectual maturity, curiosity, and a strong willingness to learn—all of which are important to employers