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What the world learned on Coursera in 2022

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What the world learned on Coursera in 2022

By Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer, Coursera 

As 2022 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to reflect on which courses and skills were most popular over the last year. Our more than 100 million registered learners voted with their enrollments to determine the most popular courses overall and most popular courses launched this year on Coursera.

Interested in diving deeper into 2022’s top courses and skills? 
Check out a live conversation on January 17, 2023 with all-star instructors and industry experts Andrew Ng, Barbara Oakley, and Charles “Dr. Chuck” Severance moderated by Shravan Goli, Coursera’s Chief Operating Officer. Together, they’ll discuss this year’s learning trends and what they foresee looking ahead to 2023.

Career-focused content dominated the list

The top courses overall largely tie to job-relevant skills, namely in business, tech, and data science. Foundational courses from Google’s certificates in data analytics, project management, UX design, and IT support all made the list, as did Michigan’s Programming for Everybody. With demand for digital roles continuing to climb, learners clearly want to develop the right skills to go after the best job opportunities. 

Learners also pursued personal development. The Science of Well-Being – a perennial favorite – remained one of the most popular courses globally, ranking #1 among learners in France, Germany, and the UK. Primeros Auxilios Psicológicos (Psychological First Aid), a Spanish-language course taught by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, was popular in Latin America. 

Content that touched both personal and professional goals was in demand globally, including Learning How to Learn and Financial Markets. Language learning was also hot, with English for Career Development on the global top ten list, First Step Korean sought-after in Mexico and Colombia, Write Professional Emails in English trending in the UAE, and Intermediate French (B1-B2) ranking #3 among learners in France. 

Learners flocked to industry educators

Among the top ten courses launched in 2022, the majority were part of entry-level Professional Certificates, including Google’s certificates in digital marketing and e-commerce and data analytics (which was launched in Spanish this year), as well as Meta’s front-end and back-end developer certificates. 

Additionally, all three courses from DeepLearning.AI and Stanford’s new Machine Learning Specialization made the list. The Specialization, featuring instruction from ML and AI experts including Andrew Ng, is a revamped version of the original Machine Learning course launched on Coursera roughly a decade ago.

We are thankful to our global partners for bringing this top-quality learning content to the world via Coursera. In 2022, we added 20+ new partners, among them Georgetown University, Accenture, and SAP, as well as many leading universities and companies in India, including International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Tally, and PwC India. Together, with our outstanding university and industry partners, we are committed to providing global learners with the content and tools they need to reach their personal and professional goals. 

Want to kick start your learning in 2023? Check out Coursera Plus, an all-inclusive monthly and annual subscription with unlimited access to thousands of courses, projects, and certificates. 

Most popular content calculated based on enrollments between January 1, 2022 and November 18, 2022. Includes content that is available to consumers on Coursera as of November 18, 2022. 

Practice These Data Structure Interview Questions (and Answers) to Ace Your Technical Interview

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Practice These Data Structure Interview Questions (and Answers) to Ace Your Technical Interview

If you’re interviewing for a role that involves any type of coding — think Software Developer, Web Developer, Data Scientist, or Game Developer, then there’s a good chance you’ll be asked questions related to data structures. And even if you aren’t asked questions specific to this topic, learning data structures gives you a huge advantage during your technical interview.

One of the best ways to prepare for your technical interview and data structure interview questions is to set up a mock interview with a friend or relative and ask them to play the role of the interviewer. They can ask you questions from a list you generate and go in order or mix up the order to keep you on your toes. They can also ask follow-up questions that require you to explain your answers. And don’t hesitate to incorporate details from your past accomplishments and projects in your answers.

If you’re interviewing over Zoom, consider setting up your mock interview over Zoom too. If you’d rather practice solo, you can record yourself answering questions and then play the recording back to find the areas that you need to work on.

To help you prepare for your upcoming interview, here are 15 data structure questions that are worth reviewing before your actual interview.

1. What’s a Graph or Network Structure?

This is a node-and-edge-based structure that documents the relationships between items and is commonly used to model real-life networks such as street and social networks. A tree is one example of a specific type of graph.

2. Describe what an array is and how to access it.

An array refers to a collection that contains data of the same type that are stored within memory locations that are contiguous.

Arrays are the simplest type of data structure and provide fast read/access times because elements are stored together.

3. What’s the difference between linear and non-linear data structures?

A linear structure refers to the elements of your data that are organized in sequence. On the other hand, when your data is distributed non-sequentially, as in a tree, you would say it has a non-linear structure.

4. What’s a multi-dimensional array?

A multi-dimensional array is one that has data structures spanning multiple dimensions. The most common type of array is a two-dimensional array, also known as a matrix, which is essentially a collection of single-dimension arrays.

5. What’s referred to as a linked list?

Linked lists are another common type of data structure. They are a type of collection in which elements are distributed in memory, as opposed to stored contiguously as in an array. The elements are tied or linked by references to the locations of the other items: each item in the list stores the address in memory of the next item.

6. Would a linked list be described as linear or non-linear?

In a way, this could be a kind of trick question. A linked list could be considered non-linear because of how items are stored in memory. But, more generally, it’s classified as a linear or sequential data structure like stacks and queues.

7. What’s a doubly-linked list (DLL)?

A DLL is a more complicated kind of linked list where the node has a pair of references: an address to the following node in the sequence and an address to the previous node.

8. What is meant by a stack in programming?

This can be a tough data structure interview question because “stack” (as in tech stack) can also mean different technologies within an environment. However, in the context of programming, a stack refers to a linear data structure that’s governed by the principle of last-in, first-out (LIFO).

9. What is meant by the term “queue”?

This is another question that could be confusing because it has different meanings depending on the context, but it’s important to always remember the interviewer is interested in what a term means within the programming field. In this context, “queue” refers to a linear data structure that, unlike stack, uses a first-in, first-out (FIFO) approach.

10. What makes a stack different from a queue?

This question is designed to see if you understand the concepts of FIFO and LIFO. With a stack, the most recently added item is the first one to go out. With a queue, the item that was added the first time is the first to go out.

11. What is Big “O” Notation?

Big “O” notation is a way of categorizing the worst-case performance of a given algorithm. It also denotes how an algorithm will generally perform as the input increases. Some of the classes of big “O” include constant time, log n time, and n or linear increase in time.

12. What does the term “hashmap” mean?

“Hashmap” refers to a data structure that uses a hash table, which is often also described as a dictionary. It’s a structure in which data or objects are mapped to a value using a hashing function. A hash table enables fast search, delete, and insertion speeds. It’s a structure that is often employed because of its speed attributes. It falls under the constant time class within big ‘O’ notation.

13. What is constant time complexity?

This question may or may not be a follow-up or precursor to one about hashmap. Constant time complexity refers to an algorithm that takes the same amount of time to run regardless of the scale of the input.

14. What is meant by the term “priority queue”?

“Priority queue” refers to an abstract data type that is similar to a normal queue, except it has a priority associated with its elements. Elements with a higher priority get processed before those with lower priority.

15. Can you store a duplicate key in hashmap?

No, you can’t store a duplicate key in hashmap. Any new additions to a hashmap that use an existing key will override the previous value associated with that key.

More technical interview prep

Need to brush up on any of these topics? You can get a refresher on lists, stacks, and queues and learn about how computer memory works through nodes and pointers in our Linear Data Structures course. Or you can dive into the fundamental data structures of computer science in our Introduction to Algorithms and Linear Data Structures in Swift.

If you’re looking for an advanced course, check out our Learn Complex Data Structures course that’ll get you ready to solve advanced algorithmic problems like path-finding and maintaining priority queues.

For more interview prep, give our complete guide to the technical interview a look, and our tips on answering behavioral interview questions are also good to review. Check out our advice on the whiteboard interview too. Our Career Center offers even more guidance and resources for interviewing, networking, and job-hunting.

If you’re searching for your next course to take, check out our catalog and sign up for a class today.


Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, our web development courses will help you get there.

Do You Feel Joy at Others’ Success?

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When your friends share their wins with you, are you happy for them? Or do you get jealous instead?

Word of the Day: newfangled

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This word has appeared in 26 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?

What’s Going On in This Picture? | Dec. 5, 2022

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Look closely at this image, stripped of its caption, and join the moderated conversation about what you and other students see.

Together we have the power to reverse climate change

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Together we have the power to reverse climate change

Reversing the damage to our planet is urgent. Unintentionally, we have separated more and more from the simple and simple ways of living, to become practical and comfortable, yes, paying a very high price for our planet.

 

Mass consumption, in all aspects of our lives, has caused irreparable damage: The affordable purchase of fast fashion, bulk plastics, and, of course, our way of eating has changed in the last 30 years at an unsustainable pace.

 

Today, we want to reflect on food and our consumption habits and how, by adjusting our behavior, we can contribute to reducing deforestation and its impact, such as the loss of habitat for millions of species, and of course, climate change.

 

 

The world is attentive to the changes that we must implement, in fact, the United Nations in its agenda has very specific actions on how we can help and take measures, we can see them reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve a better future and more sustainable for all, which is intended to be achieved by 2030. In this case, specifically, the related objectives would be:

Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 15: Life on land 

 

Is it in our hands to change the situation?

 

The answer is categorical yes. In fact, we should not leave the fight for our planet in the hands of others. Although governments, companies, and institutions have an important part. All human beings can do something to add our grain of sand:

 

Did you know that changing the diet and 20% of vegetable protein could halve deforestation?

 

In fact, there is a movement called “Meatless Monday” and it invites 1 day a week, on Mondays, to stop eating animal protein to contribute to the environment.

 

www.colorado.edu

 

According to the article: “Swapping 20% of beef for microbial protein ‘could halve deforestation” published in The Guardian “Today, 83% of agricultural land is used for livestock and their fodder crops, but the meat and dairy products produced they represent only 18% of the calories consumed by humans. Ruminant meat production, mainly beef, but also lamb and goat, has more than doubled since 1961, but a series of studies have shown that meat consumption in wealthy nations must fall sharply to beat the climate crisis. ”.

 

Reducing meat consumption has a remarkable environmental impact. According to extensive research, if everyone went vegetarian for just one day, the US would save 100 billion gallons of water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide.

 

What other ways do we have to contribute?

  • Consume responsibly, for example, by using organic products that generate less environmental pollution, since fertilizers are not used.

  • Help plant trees or shop at environmentally responsible sites

  • Recycle, separate the garbage and reuse everything that can be

https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/deforestation_fronts_/

About deforestation

 

The RESOURCE LIBRARY of National Geographic has a very great article about the meaning that states: “Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land. Throughout history and into modern times, forests have been razed to make space for agriculture and animal grazing and to obtain wood for fuel, manufacturing, and construction.

 

Deforestation has greatly altered landscapes around the world. About 2,000 years ago, 80 percent of Western Europe was forested; today the figure is 34 percent. In North America, about half of the forests in the eastern part of the continent were cut down from the 1600s to the 1870s for timber and agriculture. China has lost great expanses of its forests over the past 4,000 years and now just over 20 percent of it is forested. Much of Earth’s farmland was once forests.

 

Today, the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring in tropical rainforests, aided by extensive road construction into regions that were once almost inaccessible. Building or upgrading roads into forests make them more accessible for exploitation. Slash-and-burn agriculture is a big contributor to deforestation in the tropics. With this agricultural method, farmers burn large swaths of forest, allowing the ash to fertilize the land for crops. The land is only fertile for a few years, however, after which the farmers move on to repeat the process elsewhere. Tropical forests are also cleared to make way for logging, cattle ranching, and oil palm and rubber tree plantations.

 

Deforestation can result in more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. That is because trees take in carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis, and carbon is locked chemically in their wood. When trees are burned, this carbon returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. With fewer trees around to take in the carbon dioxide, this greenhouse gas accumulates in the atmosphere and accelerates global warming.

 

Deforestation also threatens the world’s biodiversity. Tropical forests are home to great numbers of animal and plant species. When forests are logged or burned, it can drive many of those species into extinction. Some scientists say we are already in the midst of a mass-extinction episode.

 

More immediately, the loss of trees from a forest can leave soil more prone to erosion. This causes the remaining plants to become more vulnerable to fire as the forest shifts from being a closed, moist environment to an open, dry one. While deforestation can be permanent, this is not always the case. In North America, for example, forests in many areas are returning thanks to conservation efforts”.

 

You have the power to take actions now to help reverse the damage to the ecosystem. If you are interested in delving into this topic that affects us all, we share several articles of interest:

 

DEFORESTATION FRONTS

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Will it be sustainable to feed ourselves in 2050 as we do today?

Meatless Mondays: “Less Meat, Less Heat!”

Do You Appreciate When Celebrities Share Their Struggles?

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Stars like Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Simone Biles have been open about their hardships. Can you relate to them?

Ski Hill

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Tell us a story, real or made up, that is inspired by this image.

Word of the Day: sentry

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This word has appeared in 37 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?

Top 10 In Demand Careers to Consider in 2023

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Top 10 In Demand Careers to Consider in 2023

We’re just about wrapping the year and for most of us, this means taking stock of the year and looking ahead to the coming year. One of the things you’re most likely to review is your career. Are you enjoying your job? Is it time to start your own business? What kind of set up are you looking for? Or is it time for that big career move? And if so, what careers are in demand and worth considering for 2023.

Top 10 In Demand Careers to Consider in 2023

The top jobs of the 20th century won’t necessarily be the top jobs for the 21st century. The top-rated careers that are likely to see a demand will be those in the healthcare, finance, and technology sectors.

  1.     Network Security Engineer

Cybercrimes are on the rise and costs individuals and businesses millions annually. Much of our lives has moved online and this creates targets for criminals wanting a quick buck or to cause chaos and destruction.

Role: network security specialists work to keep all company data secure. You’ll work to analyse threats or potential areas of breach, pinpoint gaps in the system, establish best practices for business, design and configure network systems and ensure all protocols are proficient and efficient again attacks.

Qualifications: a degree in network engineering and cybersecurity are good starting points. Courses that have advanced knowledge of networks, hardware systems and control, engineering, programming, information security offer you in depth material of how the field operates. You must stay ahead of hackers and remain up to date with new tools, systems, protocols, procedures, and security to excel in this role.

  1.     Registered Nurse

Role: Registered Nurse’s (RN’s) account for many healthcare professionals. In this role you will provide care, emotional support, injury administration, and health education and services in your daily tasks and responsibilities. It’s a highly demanding and stressful job but you will touch, change, and save lives

Qualifications: to work as a registered nurse, you need to have a degree or diploma and be licensed by your country’s health professional council. Additional courses you can take are a Diploma in Nursing and Patient Care, Safe Handling and Administration of Medication, and Nursing Studies – Patient Care and Hygiene.

  1.     Veterinarian (Vet)

Go anywhere in the world and you’ll find people who love their pets. Cats, dogs, horses, or whatever pet you have, vets are in demand.

Role: as a vet, you will be responsible for the health of pets brought into your practice. This includes examining, diagnosing, and treating medical conditions, performing surgery, offering pet owners medical advice on general advice on their animal care and more.

Qualifications: veterinary medicine is a highly competitive field and applicants are required to have a relevant bachelor’s degree with courses in maths, humanities, and social sciences. You will then complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD (at an accredited veterinary college. Countries have respective licensing for veterinary practice, and you’ll have to meet all their requirements before you’re allowed to practice legally.

  1.     Finance Analyst

The markets may shift, and economies may grow through peaks and valleys but what remains is that money and investments are timeless.

Role: as a finance analyst, you will work with finance teams to analyse business performance and guide business executives on strategy and decisions based on your insights and research.

Qualifications: the most common degrees are in business, accounting, mathematics, finance, statistics, and economics. An accounting degree, however, provides you an extra edge in this field because it gives you a strong foundation for analysing financial statements.

  1.     Data Scientist

Data science is a broad field where you use analytical skills to process and interpret data.

Role: this job involves collecting raw data and information and turning it into information that others can read and understand. You will work in any number of industries and use mathematics and processing tools to help companies make key decisions.

Qualifications: you will need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, statistics, applied mathematics, computer engineering, and related subjects. Most companies also require you to be pursuing a master’s degree in data, data science, or business analytics fields.

  1.     Machine Learning Engineering

Machine Learning Engineers are also known as AI Developers, AI Professionals, or Machine Learning Developers. Companies and organisations are looking for these skilled professionals to help them protect their businesses against disruptions.

Role: your job as a ML engineer is to improve systems, collect data, build, and manage data pipelines to test algorithms on built models to enable it to find patterns and make predictions.  You will also work with others in the data fields to design, develop, deploy, and monitor various systems and infrastructure

Qualifications: Because it is still a new field, there aren’t many degrees with a specialised focus on machine learning. A degree in the computer sciences, software engineering, IT, physics, stats, computer programming, and courses in a related field are a good place to start. Additional courses and certifications can be acquired in python, and cloud computing.

  1.     IT Specialist

Role: this career is ideal for individuals who love problem solving and computers. In this role, you will be responsible for helping organisation secure their data and prevent cyber-attacks. Creativity and logic work well together to help you assess threats, provide support, create awareness, and develop data encryption programs and technologies for different business models.

Qualifications: some companies do seek candidates with a degree in computer science or related field. However, you can take courses like Understanding Information Control for IT Managers to ensure safe operations.

  1.     Software Developer

Role: as a software developer, you are at the core of creating a software program. You will run software tests to look for problems as well as analysing security requirements that are needed and work with a programmer who will write this code for the set requirements.

Qualifications: software development is a technical role and a degree in computer science, information systems, mathematics, and software engineering are ideal. You need to be able to showcase your technical ability, have the right certifications, and be proficient in C/C++ programming.

  1.     Physician’s Assistant

Role: this career differs from a registered nurse in that it has its own programme with a large focus on science. A physician’s assistant works closely with a medical doctor or someone in the medical field like a psychiatrist. They are medically trained to provide care to patients, can carry out administrative duties, and order tests. Furthermore, they can develop treatment plans to manage patient recovery; evaluate the effectiveness of the plans.

Qualifications: a degree in life or health sciences or an allied health degree is a minimum requirement to work as a physician assistant. Experience within the health services will give you entry into specialised programmes to test and begin working in this role.

  1. Truck Drivers

Truck drivers drive the economy and keep the supply chain moving.

Role: as a truck driver, you will make up a core part of the transportation industry, ensuring the safe delivery of goods and materials from farms to factories, warehouses, manufacturing plants, shops, and many other locations. Your route is determined by a set schedule and you’re also responsible for making delivery notes, recording driving and rest hours, discrepancies, or complaints from customers. As a driver, you are also tasked with vehicle inspections and maintaining safety procedures at all delivery and collection points.

Qualifications: all truck drivers need a valid driver’s license to work and those who drive large trucks transporting hazardous material need a commercial driver’s license (CDL). For other trucks, you don’t need a degree to become a truck driver. However, you can take courses through a truck driving school and take defensive driving courses for the different types of trucks.

Top Tips for Switching Careers

It’s natural to become excited about the thought of embarking on a new and exciting career path. Here are a few essential things to note of before sending your job application:

o   Take a Workplace Personality Assessment

If you’re not sure where your strengths lie, or what skills you have or need, our Workplace Personality Assessment will provide you with these answers. Upon completion, we’ll recommend to you a list of courses you can take to get you the necessary knowledge and skills to put you on the right path.

o   Update your resume

A winning resume will give you a head start in the eyes of recruitment managers. Take advantage of Alison’s Resume Builder tool and let it create an eye-catching resume that highlights your skills and experience.

Finding a job that pays well and has career growth prospects is great and worth pursuing. But if you can find one that provides you these and gives you a sense of fulfillment, you’ll be one of the lucky ones who wake up on Monday with a smile.