Re:Ask HN: Which of the major MOOCs provide better credentia...
by chaostheory on Tuesday August 29, 2017 @04:54PM
(#15127522)
MOOCS can be useful and I'm not saying they're bad. OP was asking if they're very useful for signaling. Imo compared to projects from professional work or open source with traction; or even traditional education - most MOOCS aren't very good for signalling. The only exception I can think of is special classes like those involving building autonomous cars.
True, but let me add this: taking a course is still a positive signal in and of itself (albeit just one signal among many) and, perhaps more to the point, I should be clear in saying that I advocate MOOCs (or an other kind of class) mainly if taking it actually helps you add useful skills to your repertoire. I wouldn't necessarily advocate paying a lot of money for classes solely for the signaling effect.