Google Offers courses on Udacity

Google has recently announced its partnership with Udacity to launch a six-course Android development nanodegree.

The Nanodegree programs can help get jobs better than other online courses in the sense that they have teamed up with leading tech organizations to develop a new kind of online curriculum.

The program further mentions that these organizations know their hiring needs. They invent and use new technologies. So they know what skills matter better than anyone else because tech is changing fast. The skills you learned in school may not be the ones you need going forward, and you may not have the luxury to go back to school full time.

Nanodegree programs also focus on learning by doing so you can practice and demonstrate your new skills.

Curriculum is designed to help you become job-ready. Students get to work on projects which have to be submitted by a given deadline for validation. Each course and project builds on each other so, at the end, you’ll have a portfolio of projects to demonstrate to potential employers that you’re job-ready.

Google too has launched these courses to help developers learn how to write apps for Google’s mobile operating system in a way where they could potentially be hired by Google itself. So this course caters more to the advanced developers.

Android development

Developers will have to finish six courses and a number of projects to get their degree. The six courses include:

Frond end Web developer : This course is designed to learn the fundamentals of how the web works and gain a working knowledge of the three foundational languages that power each and every website: HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Data Analyst : It is the most efficient curriculum to prepare you for a job as a Data Analyst. Through this program you’ll also have the opportunity to prepare for your new career with reviews of your online presence (resume, LinkedIn, portfolio), prepare for interviews and take part in workshops.

iOS Developer : This Nanodegree program will teach you the skills required to become an iOS Developer. Developing for iOS allows you to connect users around the world in interesting and innovative ways.

All the video content is free but if students wish to get a certificate and access to teaching assistants, they will have to pay a fee, which is $200 per month for this course.

The course can be completed in six to nine months. Google will invite 50 students to a three-day summit in Mountain View at the end of the year which will include a hackathon, as well as meetings with hiring engineers. So Google clearly plans on hiring at least a few of the students in this course.

In addition, Google has partnered with the government of Egypt to localize/adapt the six Android courses that are part of this degree into Modern Standard Arabic. Google will offer 2,000 scholarships for students in Egypt and host job fairs and sessions for students there.

This the organizers say “could reduce the number of wars” in the area and shift focus to better equip students.