In the technical industry a nanodegree is the new buzzword to describe a new different type of course content. The term was coined by Udacity as part of its course offering. A nanodegree promises to teach students cutting-edge skills to succeed in the tech market with a focus on self-teaching. Nanodegree promise is to provide a short version of a graduate program.
There is confusion on what is a nanodegree and how it is different from the traditional bachelor’s or master’s degrees. In this article, I will discuss nanodegree in detail and try to answer all your questions related to nanodegree.
What is a Nanodegree?
Nanodegree program is basically a collection of courses and projects in a particular discipline. Essentially, it is like an online degree. It is not as large as a 4-year degree program, rather you can call it a certification program for a shorter period of time. When you enroll in a nanodegree, I would advise you to take at least 3 to 4 months just to learn what they have in their programs. And every time you submit a project, you will have a mentor who will revise your code and tell you what is wrong, what you can do better, and how you can optimize the lines of code. So, they will teach you how to be a better developer, and this is why you are paying them for, not for the certificate. The nanodegree term sounds like a pretty fancy word and sounds maybe even a bit prestigious like in the academic sense, but nanodegree programs are not accredited, it is just a word that Udacity made up.
Why go for Nanodegree?
The main purpose of enrolling in a nanodegree is to get experience and learn about the technology specialization of your choice. Because I can tell you, if you are going to work on the actual projects that you do in these nanodegree and learn in these programs, it will help you get the job. You will do multiple projects in a nanodegree which will help you land a job in that field.
The other reason to take a nanodegree is that you get an opportunity to learn from industry experts. The courses in a nanodegree are often delivered by the top minds in the tech industry. So whichever subject you choose, data science, artificial intelligence, etc., you will be learning from an experienced and accomplished professional in that subject. The nanodegree helps you enhance your practical skills on cutting edge technology which will help you fulfill a lucrative career.
Why not go for Nanodegree?
Let me just make this clear, if you are trying to enroll in the nanodegree to get a certificate and you think the certificate will get you a job, then you are wrong! Because I can tell you a nanodegree certificate is useless by itself. The only purpose of this certificate is to hang it on the wall you like it. So if you are thinking about enrolling in a nanodegree and to finish it faster, as you can because you can finish it in one month if you want to, where you can complete the process and the projects in one month and just pay for one month. But it would be a terrible idea because when you are rushing to get the certificate to get a job, it is not going to happen.
How does Nanodegree Works?
Each nanodegree program offers a curriculum on cutting-edge technologies about the nanodegree of your choosing. Before starting a program, you will see the recommended skill level that you will need to complete, the skill levels range from beginner, intermediate, to advanced. When you enter a nano degree, you are given access to project materials that are not covered in the free material. The courses are typically taught over several short YouTube videos, less than 10 minutes, and after some sections, a quiz will be given to check your knowledge on different skills.
Then you use the information that you have learned to complete a project. While projects are self-paced and can be completed in any order, there is a suggested timeline, and you should be cautious about the estimated timeline. Everyone works differently and has a different level of skill entering a nanodegree. If you miss a deadline, no worries, you will simply be pushed back to a later timeline. This project-based approach provides students with something real, something that is made with the actual skill study and created by students themselves.
Nanodegree by Udacity
Udacity is a video-based learning platform that specializes in tech education with main nanodegree categories as follows: programming and development, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data science, autonomous business systems. For example, the data engineer nanodegree inside the data science category of Udacity will have sections such as data modelling, cloud, data warehouses, spark and data lakes, data pipeline with airflow, and it will finish up with the capstone project.
Udacity allows you to take classes online in software development topics and they are a little bit more formalized. They are like a mix between a hybrid or a classroom learning in just an online training type of thing. They are a little bit more rigid and have projects and whatnot, and it could carry a little more credential. I think they are a good idea and I think that the traditional education system is going to fail.
I think all of the academic systems that we have today are completely useless. So, when I see things like these online degrees where people are actually doing projects and actually accomplishing something, and they are not being looted for tens of thousands of dollars, so someone with a prestigious title can tell them how to think in a very uniform way and be a robot-like everyone else, I like those things.
Below are few popular nanodegrees which you should checkout:
- Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree
- Data Scientist Nanodegree
- Data Engineer Nanodegree
- Full stack Web Developer Nanodegree
- Product Manager Nanodegree
How long does it take to finish a Nanodegree?
According to Udacity, these programs take 4 to 6 months to complete, but it is all your own pace. So, you could theoretically crank one of these degrees out in a month, or you could take the scenic route and stretch it out across a year or more. So, when compared to a bachelor’s or a master’s degree education which is 4-6 years, the duration of a nanodegree is much shorter.
How much does a Nanodegree cost?
The cost of a nanodegree will depend on the subject you want to study, the length of the program, and the organization which is offering the nanodegree. So, it might vary depending on these parameters. But the cost of the majority of nanodegree will range between $1000 to $2000, which is much lesser than a bachelor’s and master’s degree cost. And looking at the growing trend of nanodegree, it is only fair to assume that the cost of nanodegree will also increase in the coming days.
Can you get a job with a Nanodegree?
Of course, a nanodegree will help you get a job if you have held your end of the bargain. Nanodegree is all about doing yourself and learning things by doing hands-on projects. So, if you have spent a fair amount of time working on the projects, there is a high chance that you will be able to get a job immediately after finishing your nanodegree. Nanodegree is more about helping you learn technical skills used in their industry and land a job and not about just certifying you or giving you a degree to showcase. The organizations today look for skilled professionals and not for an individual with a degree or certification.
Is a Nanodegree worth it?
I think not only are they worth it, but they are a steal. It is a fantastic opportunity we have today where you can have access to a literally world-class education at your fingertips for the relatively tiny, very small investment. If you look at what it would cost to attend a four-year university or the cost of these boot camps and these other options, you will literally end up spending tens of thousands of dollars. In a nanodegree, you just invest $1000 to $2000.
Also, the worth for a nanodegree for you will depend on how you approach the program and what you expect to get out of it. Well, you can go into this without any experience, but I highly suggest that you have some experience with what you are going to study. So, if you are going in a full-stack web development nanodegree program, I would suggest you spend a few months learning HTML, CSS, and a little bit of JavaScript. It will help you in finishing your nanodegree smoothly.
Final Thoughts
In my mind, when I am comparing the nanodegree to a graduate degree, I practically think a nanodegree is more beneficial in a lot of cases than a traditional degree. So, if you are looking to get skilled in cutting-edge technologies and gain more projects and hands-on experience to get industry-ready, you should surely give nanodegree a try. But having said that, you will only see the output of a nanodegree program when you put in your time and effort and follow the program curriculum as designed by the organization offering nanodegree.
