There are plenty of ways to further your education, including from home. BitDegree is just one of many platforms, but is it legit and worth it?
What Is BitDegree?
BitDegree is an online learning platform that teaches courses on a range of topics, including the blockchain, business, personal development, and more. The company began in August 2017 and launched its first course in March 2018.
While other platforms deliver online classes, BitDegree is unique thanks to its blockchain focus. The team behind BitDegree based much of it on the blockchain. This includes using its own tokens and issuing blockchain certificates.
BitDegree also stands out with its high level of gamification. This promotes enthusiasm for learning, as does the reward system.
Yet another unique feature of BitDegree is how it encourages interactions between students, employers, and teachers. This helps students gain an education and find a job that puts their new skills to use.
Who Is BitDegree for?
BitDegree is for anyone of any skill level who wants to hone their digital computing skills. It can teach you about creating games, database manipulation, data mining, web development, and blockchain development, among other skills.
To show the range of skill levels that it caters to, BitDegree classifies its courses as Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.
Potential students considering edX should know that with so many options available, some courses will provide more value than others. Additionally, students tend to get more out of paid courses, as the certification improves their resumes. At the same time, free courses without certification provide an education that only requires time, delivering a great return on investment.
Although courses vary, expect the average course to require students to study four to eight hours weekly and the courses to last between four and 12 weeks.
Pros and Cons of Online Learning with BitDegree
Pros
- Integrated gamification.
- Easy to use.
- Learn on your timeline.
- Offers scholarships.
- Integrated with the blockchain.
- Courses provide clear information and are easy to understand.
- Qualified instructors.
- Recognized, blockchain-based certification.
Cons
- Minimal community features so far.
- Younger than some other brands.
- Courses mostly focus on crypto, programming, development, and IT.
Do BitDegree Certificates Improve My CV? Are BitDegree Tokens and Blockchain Certificates Worth It?
Yes, having BitDegree certifications will improve your CV. These certifications are on the blockchain, so they are immutable, and employers do not have to worry about fakes. As such, the certifications prove that you completed a BitDegree course.
Additionally, many employers look on BitDegree to find qualified applicants. These employers will definitely recognize the value of a BitDegree certificate.
What Categories Can I Find on BitDegree?
BitDegree divides its course offerings into nine categories, most of which have subcategories, as well.
- Blockchain – Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Development
- Business – Finance, Online Business/E-Commerce, and Business Strategies
- Coding and Programming – Web Development, Game Development, App Development, CMS, Programming Languages, and Interactive Learning
- Community Votes
- Data Science – Data Science/Analysis, Database Manipulation, and Machine Learning
- Design – Web Design, App Design, Game Design, and Graphic Design
- IT Security and Software – Cyber Security, Software, Information Security, and Ethical Hacking
- Marketing – Writing, SEO, Social Media, and Digital Marketing
- Personal Development – Public Speaking and Productivity
Is It a Scam? Is BitDegree Safe to Use?
BitDegree is NOT a scam, and it is safe. Even though it is relatively young compared to similar platforms, the platform has proven itself reputable.
Is BitDegree Accredited?
No, BitDegree does not have accreditation. This means that completing a course will not earn you credits that can transfer to a university degree.
However, the lack of accreditation is not an automatic negative. In many tech, crypto, and programming fields, employers value abilities more than a degree. As such, the skills you learn via BitDegree are still highly transferable.
Additionally, BitDegree offers its own blockchain-based certifications. These demonstrate your skills and training to future employers in a similar way to a degree.
What Is BitDegree Pricing Like? How Much Does It Cost?
There are courses for all budgets on BitDegree. You can choose from many free courses if you are on a budget and a beginner. There are also courses with varying price points, with many costing less than $10 and even more under $15. Some courses are more expensive, but even limiting yourself to those under $10 will provide you with hundreds of options.
The price of a course will depend on the length of the course and other factors. There are also occasional discounts available, such as sales on Black Friday.
Keep in mind that BitDegree also offers scholarships and micro-scholarships. Companies fund these as sponsors. If a company chooses to give you a scholarship, you must complete the course to receive it.
What Kinds of Features and Functionality Does BitDegree Have?
We already touched on some of the features of BitDegree that set it apart. Here is a closer look at some of the most important of those features and functions.
BitDegree Tokens
The BitDegree tokens are ERC-20 utility tokens called BDG. These tokens can incentivize reaching educational achievements. You can also use them to pay for third-party digital services via BitDegree or to pay for advertising.
The BDG tokens also allow for an element of earning as you learn. This further incentivizes learning, as you can receive some of your payment back in the form of tokens. Just keep in mind that the payout rate for BDG to other cryptocurrencies is very low.
Career Quiz
When you start using BitDegree, you can take a career quiz. After taking the quiz, BitDegree will suggest which courses the platform feels would interest you the most.
Profile Customization
BitDegree lets you customize your profile to some extent. It assigns you a character based on the results of your career quiz. You also get to choose a character flag.
Gamified Platform
As mentioned, BitDegree is a gamified platform. This means that it incorporates elements of gaming and reward systems into learning. The idea is that gamification encourages learning, something which various studies support.
We will take a closer look at some of the gamification features separately.
Experience
One of the gamification features on BitDegree is the inclusion of experience. You earn XP for completing courses.
Levels
As you accumulate more XP, you level up.
Rewards for Goals
BitDegree gives you rewards both daily and weekly when you reach your goals. Examples of goals include completing a lecture.
Badges
Some of the rewards for reaching a goal can include badges.
Statistics
You can view statistics related to your studying habits on BitDegree. This includes the amount of time that you study for
Friends
BitDegree lets you add friends. This allows you to track the progress your friends have made. This includes levels and hours spent learning. It also encourages competition to continue learning, furthering the gamification element.
Certificates
When you complete a course on BitDegree, you earn a blockchain certificate. Because they are on the blockchain, no one can counterfeit them, and they are secure. They are immutable proof that you completed a course.
Scholarships
For those who can’t afford to pay for courses, scholarships are available. Companies sponsor these scholarships and pay you upon completing a course. In many cases, the sponsoring companies recruit employees from those who finish the courses.
Interactive Courses
Many of the courses on BitDegree are interactive. This promotes engagement, which helps you learn and retain the lessons better.
BitDegree Learn
BitDegree Learn appeals to students who want additional programming knowledge. You will find thousands of coding examples, short tutorials, and mini-lessons that cover more than 12 coding languages.
You can also use this space to try developing code examples, providing some practical experience.
BitDegree Tutorials
BitDegree Tutorials features written materials, including comparisons and articles, on popular topics in crypto and IT.
Recommended BitDegree Courses on Elektev
The following are just a handful of the BitDegree courses available on Elektev. They show the range of offerings available, both in terms of topics and skill level.
Amazon Affiliate Marketing: Work from Home as an Amazon Affiliate
This $9.99 course teaches you the skills you need to become a successful Amazon Affiliate. It covers topics such as finding products worth promotion, creating your Amazon Affiliate site, and improving your traffic and conversion rates.
Bootstrap and PHP Blog Tutorial Step by Step
This free course teaches you about coding a blog even if you are a beginner with no experience. You learn the basics of PHP and Bootstrap, as well as how to use them together.
Dreamweaver Tutorial for Beginners: Introduction to Web Design
This free course teaches beginners how to use Dreamweaver, including managing and customizing websites and using Cascade Style Sheets.
HTML Coding for Beginners Course: Learn HTML in 1 Hour
This $2.99 course teaches you the basics of HTML structure as well as the foundations of syntax in HTML. You learn to link pages to create websites, use basic JavaScript on interactive sites, and create buttons and fillable forms.
Learn How to Make a Puzzle Game App: Master iOS and Publish Your Game
This free course teaches you how to create a game without having to learn complicated coding or any coding outside of the course. It also teaches you how to publish the game in the iTunes App Store and get passive income.
The Ultimate Leadership Class: How to Be a Leader
This course costs $9.99 and teaches students leadership skills. These include identifying the needs of people. It also includes learning when to use various leadership styles and goal setting.
How to Pick the Best BitDegree Course
With hundreds to thousands of courses, BitDegree offers educational opportunities regardless of your interests. The best BitDegree courses for you will be unique to your goals and current skills. Consider the following factors as you choose a course.
Category and Topic
The best course for you will be something relevant to your interests or career goals. For example, a course in web design may not be a smart choice for someone interested in machine learning. Or a course in game development may not appeal to someone who only wants to develop websites or applications.
Before signing up for a course, read the description, both in bullet points and paragraph form. This will give you a better idea of whether it matches your goals.
Requirements
Most BitDegree courses list requirements. These may include familiarity with a programming language or having a type of program on your computer. To get the most from a course, only take it if you meet its requirements.
Price
You will also want to consider the price of a given course. More expensive courses are not automatically better. However, you may get more value from some of the paid courses than the free ones. Your pricing decisions will depend on your budget.
Reviews
You can get a feel for the quality of a BitDegree course based on the reviews from current and past students. Elektev displays ratings out of five stars. Better courses tend to have higher scores.
As you look at the rating out of five stars, avoid doing so in a vacuum. Pay attention to how many reviews the rating includes. The greater the number of reviews, the more accurate and less biased the rating likely is.
Enrollment
You can also see how many students a course has in its description. More popular courses are typically better, although this is not always the case.
How to Use Elektev to Find Courses on BitDegree, Udemy, and More
It is easy to use Elektev to find courses on BitDegree, as well as other online learning platforms like Udemy. You can search courses by provider, category, or keyword. Category options include business, development, design, finance and accounting, IT and software, marketing, music, lifestyle, office productivity, teaching and academics, personal development, and photography.
If you want, you can limit your search to courses within a given category or from a specific provider. On the search results page, you will see the name of the course as well as its enrollment, rating, and price. Clicking on a course shows you that information as well as where the course is from, its description, any requirements, and reviews.
Click on “Go to Course” in green on the right side of the page when you find a course you want to take.
Discover a course that will improve your skills and CV today on Elektev.