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Duke University’s Java Programming Specialization helped Maurice Op de Beek reinvent his career after he lost his job. Now, he’s a successful CTO.
In 2012, after years of fighting for his livelihood in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Maurice Op de Beek was laid off from his job as a stock market trader. He’d worked in the industry for 14 years, and felt that he had no other marketable skills.
Maurice had no idea where to turn to get back on his feet, but when a friend sent him a link to Coursera, he began taking data science and programming courses - including the Java Programming: An Introduction to Software Specialization from Duke University. He soon discovered that he had a passion, and an untapped talent, for computer science.
With the skills he’d built on Coursera, Maurice was able to approach his job search with renewed optimism and confidence. His updated resume caught the eye of a top interactive toy manufacturer, and he beat out several other candidates to become the company’s new CTO.
“Coursera was the best thing that happened to me,” says Maurice. “At age 40, I wanted to do something completely different. Coursera made it possible to change my life.”
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