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Ana felt stuck in her job as a content developer and was looking for ways to pursue her passion of writing. After taking courses on Coursera, she gained the skills and confidence she needed to make the jump and turn her dreams into reality. Here’s her story:
I heard someone talking about learning platforms and about how education is being shaped by technology, so I looked it up online and found Coursera. I can say that I was instantly hooked by their approach to education and decided to create an account right away. Since signing up, I go to Coursera for guidance whenever I need to gain in-depth knowledge of a specific subject or to improve a particular skill.
I am a Brazilian writer and content developer with a BA in History and an MA in Anthropology. I took my BA in Florianópolis, Brazil, and my MA in London, UK, from 2011 to 2012. Since I came back to my country, I’ve been applying the knowledge and experience of living abroad to building a career as a writer. For two years I worked as a writer and editor at a company that develops content, resources, and solutions for distance education. I loved my job, but the amount of time I spent going to work every morning and coming back at the end of the day started getting to me. I felt more and more drained with every passing week.
The first course I took on Coursera was Seeing Through Photographs, offered by MoMA. Photography is a hobby that I’ve been pursuing for some time. So I saw the course as an opportunity to learn more about the history of photography and to gather different perspectives on it as a tool for self-expression. Then came the Creative Writing Specialization by Wesleyan University. I felt that I needed to learn more about the process of creating and maturing plots, characters, and settings before I wrote and published my first novel. I’m halfway through my first novel now and I intend to have it published by the end of next year.
In 2016 I decided to keep writing, editing, and developing content as a freelancer. I started my own company Ana Henrique – Soluções Textuais, and have been working from home ever since. Writing in English and in Portuguese is my passion; it’s what drives me forward. Through writing I feel that I can create and improve anything.
What I learned on Coursera has impacted the way I approach the craft of writing and has made me a more nuanced and thoughtful writer and researcher. It has also provided me with some valuable insights, which in turn translated into fresh ideas and better practices.
The very opportunity of being in contact with such accomplished writers has enabled me to reflect upon the way I approach written knowledge and communication. I am proud of being a part of such initiative and thankful for the opportunity it has provided me with. To connect people to high quality learning through the internet is such a visionary thing to do. It is the future of global education and certainly a game changer for everyone. Coursera has provided me with the right set of tools to enhance my practice. The courses I took taught me how to turn theory into a more concrete and systematic effort, so I can say that Coursera has been paramount to the advancement of my career as a writer.
Explore our writing courses here: http://bit.ly/2zzpOcN
The post From Content Developer to Fiction Writer appeared first on Coursera Blog.
Continue reading...
I heard someone talking about learning platforms and about how education is being shaped by technology, so I looked it up online and found Coursera. I can say that I was instantly hooked by their approach to education and decided to create an account right away. Since signing up, I go to Coursera for guidance whenever I need to gain in-depth knowledge of a specific subject or to improve a particular skill.
I am a Brazilian writer and content developer with a BA in History and an MA in Anthropology. I took my BA in Florianópolis, Brazil, and my MA in London, UK, from 2011 to 2012. Since I came back to my country, I’ve been applying the knowledge and experience of living abroad to building a career as a writer. For two years I worked as a writer and editor at a company that develops content, resources, and solutions for distance education. I loved my job, but the amount of time I spent going to work every morning and coming back at the end of the day started getting to me. I felt more and more drained with every passing week.
The first course I took on Coursera was Seeing Through Photographs, offered by MoMA. Photography is a hobby that I’ve been pursuing for some time. So I saw the course as an opportunity to learn more about the history of photography and to gather different perspectives on it as a tool for self-expression. Then came the Creative Writing Specialization by Wesleyan University. I felt that I needed to learn more about the process of creating and maturing plots, characters, and settings before I wrote and published my first novel. I’m halfway through my first novel now and I intend to have it published by the end of next year.
In 2016 I decided to keep writing, editing, and developing content as a freelancer. I started my own company Ana Henrique – Soluções Textuais, and have been working from home ever since. Writing in English and in Portuguese is my passion; it’s what drives me forward. Through writing I feel that I can create and improve anything.
What I learned on Coursera has impacted the way I approach the craft of writing and has made me a more nuanced and thoughtful writer and researcher. It has also provided me with some valuable insights, which in turn translated into fresh ideas and better practices.
The very opportunity of being in contact with such accomplished writers has enabled me to reflect upon the way I approach written knowledge and communication. I am proud of being a part of such initiative and thankful for the opportunity it has provided me with. To connect people to high quality learning through the internet is such a visionary thing to do. It is the future of global education and certainly a game changer for everyone. Coursera has provided me with the right set of tools to enhance my practice. The courses I took taught me how to turn theory into a more concrete and systematic effort, so I can say that Coursera has been paramount to the advancement of my career as a writer.
Explore our writing courses here: http://bit.ly/2zzpOcN
The post From Content Developer to Fiction Writer appeared first on Coursera Blog.
Continue reading...
