mowingscooter

since there are no requirements

Think about this: those same students could do a nanodegree since there are for requirements to signing up for one.

I’m extremely sympathetic to that situation since I was an unemployed college grad looking to get a developer job when I took my first Udacity course (“How to build your own search engine” - 2012).

The problem is that it’s a competitive field out there and to give people false hope that a nanodegree will get them a job is disingenuous.

I’ve also listed the alternatives for self-taught developers to help them stand out. I think ultimately, if you weren’t going to get the interview, a nanodegree won’t help you. If you were maybe going to get the interview (by showing impressive original work in the form of projects and apps), a nanodegree might help you the slightest bit.

I’ve done online courses myself and found them immensely useful.

Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed enough to get a full degree.”

Your nanodegree realistically will never come close to competing with a formal CS degree. So don’t bother with listing it. List your github projects and apps you’ve released. Get the interview. “Oh and by the way, in my spare time, I’ve self-studied XYZ.”

That’ll impress me.

When I come across an applicant with a nanodegree, it almost sends a negative signal. If anything, do the course, leave it off your resume, and if you get an interview, you might impress your interviewer with all this unexpected technical knowledge.

I recently put up a job post for a COO position for my company and the number of bullshitters with MBAs bragging about their accomplishments on blockchain has been astronomical. It’s amazing to me that bullshitting comes so naturally to some people that I almost wanted to interview them just to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

This is nice, but nobody is going to buy a product because of your story and ambition. People make purchasing decisions based on value.

Very interesting. I remember reading that traffic accident rates go up significantly in Muslim majority countries during the first few days of Ramadan (daylight fasting), so there appears to be an adaptation period with decreased performance before the benefits kick in.