Column: Broaden your horizons with online classes

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NEED MORE BIKE CAVE INFO? studentaffairs.pitt.edu/pittserves/sustain/bike-cave column BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS WITH ONLINE CLASSES Josh Beylinson graduation. Tis internship was in digital marStaff Columnist keting, and I accepted it because I was unable

When Pitt transitioned to online classes to fnd other internships within government or this past spring, many students didn’t like the law. change and were turned of of the idea of onSince I didn’t have much to do over quarline learning. But online classes aren’t as bad as antine, I decided to take online classes outside they might seem — many seminars and “masPitt in digital marketing to better prepare myter classes” are available for free, and even the self for my internship. Afer taking a couple free ones that cost money are much cheaper than courses online that introduced me to the feld, any class through Pitt. I found it to be much more interesting than I

During my time at Pitt, I didn’t start to exoriginally thought. Once my internship started, plore the world of online classes until last spring I liked it even more, and it made me decide to semester was over, and I found myself with change my career path to digital marketing. nothing to do during quarantine. Sure, it was Even if someone doesn’t have an internship fun to have no responsibilities for a few weeks, lined up like I did, online classes can still be but afer that, it got old very quickly. highly benefcial to any student with free time.

Tat’s when I started taking online classes Not only are online classes much cheaper than outside Pitt. classes through Pitt, but they also allow students

Although these classes aren’t for credit, to go at their own pace throughout the course. many ofer certifcates at the end which you can While some online classes are ofered through put on your resume. Tey also allow students other universities, many of them are low-cost to explore and learn about subjects that they and ofered by companies to train or teach peowould not have been able to if they just focused ple within a certain industry. For example, the on their major. classes I found were through a private company.

I started taking online classes because I had Along with this, it’s important for students an internship over the summer that was in a difto explore their interests outside of their majors. ferent feld than what I was originally planning Not only will this allow them to broaden the on going into. When I went into college, I was scope of their knowledge, but it will also allow originally planning on going to law school afer them to apply that knowledge to their own feld.

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