About Udacity Nanodegrees
The Nanodegree concept is one of the most complete offerings in the online course space adding real skills and value. Because of the heavy focus in the technology space, Udacity nanodegrees aren’t going to be for everyone, but most businesses these days need people with the skills you can gain through these degrees.
Each of the Nanodegrees we looked at had a cost somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 with most coming in at the lower end of that spectrum. You are given a 3-4 month period of access with the nanodegrees costing $339 if you pay upfront. More on pricing below.
It should be noted that many of the Udacity Nanodegree programs are advanced in nature and have some prerequisites. While looking at the detail page for each of the degrees you can see what those might be and what the nanodegree syllabus includes. This will give you a good idea of whether the program is a good fit for you.
Udacity Prices
Udacity nanodegree programs have an amazingly simple pricing structure given its wide variety of courses. Each course costs $339 per month, and typically runs for 3-4 months, although timing can vary. This pricing is contingent upon you paying for the entire length of the course upfront and currently represents a 15% discount. If you’d like to pay on a month-to-month basis, that’s fine, but you will end up paying $399 per month. It’s not a big difference, but if you’re willing to take a month’s investment, you’re probably going the distance, so go ahead and pay all at once if that’s an option for you.
Another Udacity payment option is to use their financing partner Affirm. They will allow you to finance the cost of a Udacity course if you qualify. The terms of those plans are typically 3, 6, or 12 months, and are subject to a credit check.
The key point to make about Udacity pricing is that you have options. It also represents good value for the skills you gain. See below for more detail on courses and the cost of each based on the length of the program
Udacity Features
Real-World Projects
Textbook learning is one thing, but anyone who’s been out in the world knows we need real-world experience. Much of what we learn comes from these experiences, and Udacity has leveraged relationships with companies to bring you this immersive content. This will help align the skills you build directly with the needs of actual companies.
Industry Designed Curriculum
Not only will you get real-world experience, but Udacity has used these same business relationships to build their curriculum. In the world of nanodegrees, it’s crucial these skills are directly aligned with the needs of businesses. Because Udacity focuses on tech programs, there is a huge demand for many of the skills they can teach you.
Mentors
Some of these degrees can get complex, especially if you’re not a naturally technical person. When learning a new coding language or something of that nature, it’s always good to have some help nearby. Udacity mentors provide this element by giving you someone to answer your questions and improve your skills.
Career Services
Once you earn your nanodegree from Udacity, you will be looking for a job, or another way to benefit from your new skills. For that reason, Udacity offers career services to help you grow in your career. Maybe that’s finding a new job, or maybe it’s moving up in your current organization. Either way, Udacity will help you with things like interview prep, and resume and online profile reviews to take advantage of your new skills.
Flexible Learning
One of the best things about online classes and nanodegrees is the flexibility to learn at your own pace. Udacity will create a tailored plan that allows you to work around your schedule. This is critical for those that are using Udacity to supplement current skills and have busy work schedules
Udacity for Enterprises
Udacity partners with larger enterprises and businesses to increase the skills of their current employees. With an obvious increase in many tech skills needed, Udacity offers an efficient way for enterprises to train their workforce in much-needed areas without going back to traditional schools.
They currently have multiple key areas of focus on their enterprise product. Those include Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, Data Science, and Programming and Development.
Udacity Courses
Paid Courses
Udacity courses focus entirely on technical skills, so if you are looking for something different, try a different service. That said, their course selection when it comes to different technology training is spectacular, and you will find nanodegrees for almost all valuable tech skills at Udacity.
They currently have six high-level categories of courses:
- Programming and Development
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cloud Computing
- Data Science
- Business
- Autonomous Systems
Within these broader categories, Udactiy has over 60 unique courses.
Free Courses
Udacity also has a large selection of free courses to choose from. Many people are out looking for ways to increase their knowledge with little to no cost, and this feature is a good intro to many topics.
Their free courses are much shorter than their main programs, which is to be expected. They can be looked at as good starting material. and are a place to start if you are curious about a particular topic and want to see if it’s worth pursuing a full nanodegree.
Best Udacity Nanodegree Reviews
There are a handful of companies out there that review individual Udacity nanodegrees. Let’s take a look at some of the best-reviewed nanodegrees on classcentral.
Data Analyst – This is an intermediate class you learn to use Python, SQL, and statistics to create data-driven solutions.
Front-End Web Developer – You will learn how to build websites and dynamic applications to create a great user experience.
Deep Learning – Learn about neural networks and how to implement them using the deep learning framework.
Become an Android Developer – Built in partnership with Google, you will need intermediate programming abilities for this course. You will learn the skills to become a professional Android developer.
Full Stack Web Developer – Designed to give learners the skills to build database-backed API’s and web applications.
Udacity Career Services
One major benefit of Udacity is their assistance in helping land a job after getting your nanodegree. Because of this they offer the ability to speak directly with a career coach or submit your resume, LinkedIn, or GitHub profiles for review. They will also build your network by connecting you with past alumni.
The alumni from Udacity number in the thousands of people working at some of the best companies in the world. Companies like Amazon, BMW, Facebook, and Google are all prime candidates for people graduating with the skills Udacity is teaching.
Alternatives
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