Are Alison certificates worth getting?
It depends on your circumstances and why you are doing the course. If you want to bolster your resume or CV with more educational qualifications, then it is definitely better to purchase an official diploma or certification as many employers will check your credentials. If you have been away from the formal workplace for a while (owing to ill health, parental leave, incarceration or a host of other reasons), a certificate or diploma shows potential employers that you are serious about sharpening your skills and are dedicated to learning more about your chosen field or industry.
If, like many Alison learners, you are simply doing courses for the fun of it or to broaden your knowledge of a hobby, then a certificate may not be necessary. If, for example, you simply want to learn how to groom your dog yourself rather than take it to the parlour, then perhaps a certificate isn’t really needed. But if you want to start a dog-grooming business, you should definitely buy a certificate. We should add, however, that many people choose to purchase the optional certificate as a way of celebrating their achievement and having a tangible memento to hang on the wall.
Does Alison give free certificates and diplomas?
All Alison’s courses are free to enroll in and complete. You can choose to do as many as you like, all at no charge. If you want to advance to the next stage, which is getting an official certificate or diploma, a nominal fee is levied to cover the administrative and shipping expenses connected to this. If you compare a traditional diploma with an Alison one, Alison’s are far less expensive to acquire. To see what Alison’s certificates and diplomas cost, please click here.
What careers can these courses help me with?
Being certified in courses connected to soft skills and EQ don’t necessarily qualify you for a specific career but they are invaluable across a host of fields. Any job where you work closely with people and help them solve problems will be so much easier and more fulfilling if you have great ‘people skills’ and an understanding of human emotional development. Vocations such as nursing, teaching, HR, caring, early-childhood development, coaching, therapy or even insurance, real estate and undertaking need a fine balance of hard and soft skills.
That said, every career can benefit if you can manage your time better, project more confidence and speak more eloquently. Even if you work from home or in a profession with little contact with clients, customers or patients, the majority of employers want staff who can balance their hard and soft skills. If you run your own business, upping your ‘soft touch’ can make all the difference to attracting new opportunities and retaining existing clientele.
Are Alison courses legitimate?
Yes, they are. Alison was founded in 2007 on the principle that the Internet is a powerful tool for making education available to as many people as possible, regardless of where they live, their educational background or what they can afford. Since then, millions of people around the world have graduated with Alison courses relevant to their careers, hobbies or even just passions. We work with legitimate publishers across the education spectrum to bring you their course material for free.
There is no scam: all you do is sign up for an Alison account and choose the course you want to do. You can check what is covered in the course modules, who the publisher or tutor is, and what the accreditation is. If you find that the course is not for you, you can discontinue it and start another - you are not locked into any monthly subscription fees nor do you have to pay upfront for any certification you may not actually attain.
