Meet Daniel, an undergraduate student at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He’s currently pursuing a bachelor of science in medical laboratory science, but as a passionate learner, he also has many other interests. Daniel came to Coursera to explore topics outside of his field of study such as IT, computer science, and more. Today, he’s using his new skills for everything from building a new social impact website for his community to providing IT support to his peers.
My school temporarily closed during the pandemic, and I decided to make good use of my free time while classes were cancelled by earning additional qualifications and skills for future employment opportunities. Coursera was a great platform for me to do that. I’ve always had a keen interest in science and research (I teach these subjects at a private school and intern at a clinical lab during academic breaks), so it was natural for me to be interested in learning computer science and IT.
The first course I enrolled in was the Web Design for Everybody Specialization from the University of Michigan. These courses introduced me to HTML5, CSS, java script, responsive design, and more. I also enrolled in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate from Google, the Patient Safety Specialization from Johns Hopkins University, and the Fundamentals of Accounting Specialization from the University of Illinois, where I learned how to read and understand financial statements.
Thanks to these courses, I now have an understanding of how computers work. I have the skills and knowledge to not only build a world-class website used to address my country’s social issues, but to also write and analyze balance sheets, confidently provide basic IT technical support to my peers at school and at home, and educate patients on cancer prevention at the hospital.
Daniel’s Advice: Keep looking for opportunities to learn — especially trending courses that relate to the real-world. We can’t know where the future will take us, but learning can take us far in life.
I love building myself through the ideas I learn from others and hope to keep learning to better the world as a medical researcher. My dream is to one day work at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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