2023 was one for the books for Udacity students! From landing their first job to sticking the landing on a career switch to securing a promotion and salary increase, we’re proud of the outcomes our learners were able to drive for themselves over the past year. As the curtain closes on a successful 2023, we wanted to take a moment and share some of the many highlights from our students: professional outcomes, most popular courses, trending projects learners are loving, and more.
Students Took Their Career Outcomes To The Bank
- 80% of Udacity graduates reported a positive career benefit, whether it be starting a new job, gaining confidence for current and future roles, or something in between.
- 1 in 3 Udacity graduates reported concrete employment outcomes such as a promotion, a new job, or starting their own business.
- Udacity learners landed new jobs and internships at top employers across sectors, including Apple, AT&T, Toyota, Huawei, and many more.
Real Voices, Real Results: What Students Had To Say About Their Udacity Experience
- “As a veteran developer this Nanodegree program helped me to keep up with the latest technologies and increased my employability.” – Oscar Perez, Front End Nanodegree program graduate. Oscar has since gone on to start his own non-profit project.
- “I was wrapping up my PhD in physics before this Udacity course, but once I started I got myself a new career path and this course was instrumental to my switch. It provided me the guidance I needed.” Vivek Lohani, Data Scientist Nanodegree program graduate. Vivek was hired by Bosch as a Data Scientist six months after his Udacity graduation.
- “Udacity helped me land my first job!” Fatma Boharoun, graduate of the Data Analysis and Visualization Power BI Nanodegree program. Six months after graduating, Fatma was hired at Amazon.
80% of Udacity graduates reported a positive career benefit, whether it be starting a new job, gaining confidence for current/future roles, or something in between.
Unlimited Learning Opportunities For Students
In September, we rolled out the next evolution of Udacity to students everywhere: our all access model. Previously, students needed to enroll in standalone Nanodegree programs and Courses. Now, with ‘all access’, students are able to get unlimited access to Udacity’s content library with a single membership. That’s 80+ Nanodegree programs, 350+ courses, 370+ real-world projects, and 2,500+ skills in the fields that are powering the digital future. In a world where the skills you need to succeed are constantly evolving, Udacity all access is a subscription tailor-made for professionals looking to stay in demand.
Nanodegree Programs & Courses That Are A Cut Above
In 2023, we released over 100 new programs, while making significant upgrades to some of the classics in our catalog. Udacity students enrolled in a diverse range of offerings, but the most popular programs were:
- Data Engineering with AWS
- AI Programming w Python
- C++
- Data Analyst
- Product Manager
- AI for Trading
- Data Scientist
- Business Analytics
- Intro to Programming
- Deep Learning
Job-Ready Projects For Promotion-Ready Professionals
Why do Udacity students achieve such great outcomes? Because our programs feature one-of-a-kind projects that are focused on real-world application of the skills you learn, as you learn them.
At A Glance:
- 248,566 projects submitted this year
- Fast response time: On average, students received personalized feedback from mentors in under an hour.
2023’s Most Popular Projects:
- Working with Data (part of our Business Analyst Nanodegree program)
- Use a Pre-trained Image Classifier to Identify Dog Breeds (part of AI Programming with Python)
- Investigate a Dataset (part of the Data Analyst Nanodegree program)
- Telling Stories with Data (part of Data Visualization)
- Working with a Mock Client (part of our Digital Freelancer program)
- Analyze NYSE Data (part of Business Analyst)
- Animal Trading Cards (part of Intro to Programming)
- Create Your Own Image Classifier (part of Intro to Machine Learning with Tensorflow)
- Explore US Bikeshare Data (part of Programming for Data Science with Python)
- Music SQL Database (part of Business Analyst)
A Look Ahead To 2024
No matter if you’re one of the many who built new skills in 2023 or not, here’s how to take full advantage of the year ahead.
#1.) Take inventory of how far you’ve come. By celebrating the professional wins you had over the past year, you’ll help build confidence in your abilities and momentum for 2024. Take out a notebook and pencil or open up a Google Doc, and begin to list out the strides – big, small, and everything in between – you took this year when it comes to your career. Did you learn a new skill that’s trending in your industry? Did you upgrade your website or LinkedIn profile? Did you land a new job or promotion?
#2.) Map out where you want to go. With your 2023 wins top of mind, think deeply about where you want to go in the coming year. Are you content with your current career trajectory, or are you seeking a pivot? Are you satisfied with the rate you’re learning new skills, or do you need to prioritize job-related learning in 2024? When you put down where you want to go on paper, you take it from being just another idea to now being a part of a larger plan.
#3.) Establish a ‘learning routine’ to get you there. From athletes to executives, most of the top performers around the world have a morning routine that sets them up for success throughout the rest of their day. In the same spirit, we encourage you to create a learning routine to help you achieve your learning goals for 2024. Use your answers from steps 1 and 2 to plot out what a realistic routine looks like for you. As you do, be sure to be specific about the time (what time of day works best for your learning), cadence (how many times per week you’re able to commit to your learning), and intent (what about the courses or content you’re learning from aligns with your career goals). From there, you’ll need to decide on the structure of the learning you’ll be embarking on. We recommend a combination of ‘active’ learning (participating in hackathons, completing projects, contributing to open source projects), as well as ‘passive’ learning (reading industry blogs, watching YouTube tutorials, etc.).
Craft Your 2024 Career Story With Udacity
Want to join other driven professionals as you climb the career ladder this year? Be sure to check out our catalog to see all the Nanodegree programs, Courses, and Lessons we have available to you. Until next time, we’re wishing you a smooth, successful, and fulfilling 2024.
Source Data/Survey Methodology
*Student outcomes statistics are derived from data collected by Udacity between January 1st, 2023, and December 5th, 2023, from 8620+ Udacity program graduates. The data were collected via a survey distributed to all Udacity graduates via email between 3-12 months after the students’ graduation. The survey asked whether the graduates experienced any of ten distinct “positive career benefits”, six of which we categorized as “concrete employment outcomes” (i.e., I got a raise or promotion; I started a freelancing gig; I started a new academic program; I started a new job; I started an internship; and I started my own business), and four of which we categorized as “indirect career outcomes” (i.e., I picked a more fulfilling career path; I feel more confident when applying for jobs; I got one or more interviews; and I feel better at my current job).
