Am I crazy? Don’t I have enough on my plate already? Thanks to my AMWA colleagues, I was introduced to the world of free online courses at Coursera. Since graduating, I’ve often mentioned that it would be nice to go back to school – and now I can for free. I’m a little more than halfway through a science writing course from Stanford and in week 3 of a genomics course from U Penn, and as much extra work as it is, I am having a blast.
The writing course in particular has been a priceless experience. Great tips, great exercises, just an overall great refresher on how to write better.
The genomics class is making me work hard – it’s poking that part of my brain that has been dormant for a decade – the part that remembers homework and writing papers. But I love it. I might even be a better student now than I was back then – but maybe that’s because the stress level is a little lower. I get a certificate if I complete the course with a decent grade, but the most valuable part of all this is the access to the class content. It’s learning for learning’s sake, and that’s just enjoyable.
Now I just have to make sure I don’t sign up for too many at a time…