Cheated by Android Kotlin Developer Nanodegree Course from Udacity

I did not aware the courses offered by the Android Kotlin Developer Nanodegree from Udacity are 100% same with the free versions provided by Udacity. So I feel a bit cheated.

When you look at the following screenshot, can you tell the courses offered by the Nanodegree is completely free?

It is not obvious at all. It feels like the content should be different, and implies there is a progression from the free version to the paid version. Unfortunately, it turns out both courses content are 100% same.

I realized this because I took the free course first before I enrolled the Nanodegree (luckily I have 75% discount). It turned out that I was just repeating the courses. :(

The syllabus contains 4 courses:

• Course 1: Developing Android Apps, Part 1
• Course 2: Developing Android Apps, Part 2
• Course 3: Advanced Android Apps with Kotlin, Part 2
• Course 4: Advanced Android Apps with Kotlin, Part 2

For course 1 and course 2, you can get it free from Developing Android Apps with Kotlin.

For course 3 and course 4, you can it free from Advanced Android with Kotlin.

So, all contents provided by the Android Kotlin Developer Nanodegree are FREE!

So, What is NOT Free?

The projects offered by the Nanodegree are not free:

• Course 1 Project: Build a Shoe Store Inventory App
• Course 2 Project: Build an Asteroid Radar
• Course 3 Project: Design an App with Application Loading Status
• Course 4 Project: Build a Location Reminder App
• Final Capstone Project: Design and Build an Android Application

What is not free is at the end of each course, you have hands-on experience to complete and submit a project. Once you submitted the project, you get feedback from the mentor.

There are also "Mentor Help" and "Peer Chat" discussion forums where you can search or ask any questions that you may have.

Another thing is the "Personal Career Service" which you can get your resume, LinkedIn, and GitHub accounts reviewed.

One final thing, you will get the "certificate".

So, is It Worth?

Is it worth, you may ask? I do not know. I just completed course 1 and 2 projects and I have 3 more projects to go. It is quite an expensive course. I enrolled it because I have the 75% discount (which is a lot) and that was the reason I thought It must be worth. So, I took the course.

In my opinion, what you pay for is NOT the content, but the hands-on projects (I did not aware previously). You pay for someone to review your projects, pay for getting help when you get stuck, and pay for someone to review and improve your professional profile.

Strictly speaking, you do not really need to pay for it because you still can learn from the free courses. For those Nanodegree projects, many students have shared them in their GitHub accounts, including mine one here, which are publicly available.

If you need the paid services and on tight budget, what you can do is you complete all the free courses first. After that, you pay a minimum one-month fee to enroll Nanodegree program. Then, you can skip the content, go directly to submit those projects, get your resume reviewed and get your certificate. I think is the most cost-effective way. You pay for what you really need.

My Final Words

Since I have already paid for it, I want to make sure it is worth. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure I can make it worth because I usually look for the answer myself instead of asking someone. Maybe I should change my study style?

Nevertheless, I will try my best to make use of all the provided non-free services. Probably I will write another post about it once I have completed the courses.

Update: 12/11/2021: I finally have graduated. I shared whether this program is worth it or not here.

I hope this article is useful, especially for those who are deciding whether you want to take this Nanodegree program. At least you know exactly what you pay for. Good luck!