Looking to get a jumpstart into your career or perhaps, enhance your knowledge and career qualifications in your field? Massive Online Open Courses offer an affordable (free) solution to those lacking a college education. While MOOCs do not replace a college degree, they can be used to earn certificates and serve as transfer credits by colleges willing to recognize your external studies. Those thinking about attending college may find use in MOOCs by utilizing them as a way of getting an idea of the courses they may soon be enrolling in prior to their formal university education. They can be used to help soon-to-be college freshman decide which concentrations appeal to them most and avoid losing valuable time, money, and credits should they realize they wish to switch majors.

Thousands of courses are offered by Ivy League Universities such as: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Berkeley, Georgetown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Juilliard, and more. Students may enroll in these courses without the worry of application fees, acceptance rates, tuition installments, or commuting. Those interested in taking courses are immediately accepted upon their enrollment. Countless classes are offered on various days/times in order to accommodate every lifestyle. An even greater number of these courses are self-paced. Meaning, the course begins the minute one enrolls and is complete as soon as one is finished. Students may leave and come back to these courses as often as they would like without being concerned about deadlines and class schedules.

While one may not be able to become a doctor or lawyer by relying on these courses alone, they are certainly able to enhance their resumes, aptitude, and become a competitive working professional beyond the typical entry-level. Courses are offered in the arts, humanities, sciences, health, business, language, law, mathematics, and more. Too often, older, more experienced employees are inevitably replaced by younger professionals who have acquired a modern college or trade education. As nearly every aspect of our careers change, utilizing MOOCs has a particular appeal for those who obtained their degree or certification years ago. MOOCs allow professionals to enroll in courses that will expand their understanding and remain up-to-date on newer concepts in their discipline.

Last, MOOCs can help individuals seeking internships, fellowships, and teaching assistantships by providing a head start in the training process. The more versed an applicant is in their desired field, the more likely they are to knock out sub-standard competition. Regardless of the need one has in furthering their education, those wishing to simply learn a new subject or further their capacity in hobbies, part-time employment, teaching, etc, will flourish with this promising new route that is surely to lead to greater opportunities.

Learn more about MOOCs at: www.edx.org