OpenClassrooms has many paths with a series of projects, supplemental courses, and potential careers. Once you have chosen what specialization you prefer, you can subscribe to gain access to that path and even start the first project immediately.
The training is relatively simple but quite unique from traditional learning.
- Your program is made of projects built around real-world work scenarios and based on relevant competencies.
- You will be paired with a mentor, who has experience with these skills and your industry. Each month you will meet with your mentor four times to go through these projects
- Each project comes with recommended (but not required) courses. In addition, your mentor might provide you with additional resources and you can ask alumni, classmates, and others for tips.
- Each project will be presented to a third party, the Assessor. You can have one assessor presentation per month. After you present your work in a Video Call, the Assessor will determine if you have mastered the skills enough to move on to the next project.
- In the process, everything from mastering skills required for the profession to the collaboration and assessment of your final project, you will learn how to be a professional in that industry.
Dashboard
Your dashboard will display the list of projects for the chosen path. In addition, there will be optional courses accessible on this page. Begin with the first project and schedule your first mentoring session. Your mentor will be assigned shortly so you can begin your regular meetings.
Mentor Assignment
Upon your subscription, our team selects a mentor to accompany you during your training. You will receive an email from your mentor to schedule the first session. Mentoring sessions will be conducted via video conferencing. They are an opportunity to ask questions, clarify concerns, and receive industry advice.
In the meantime, do not hesitate to start the courses related to your first project in order to be ready with questions for this first session.
What to expect in your first mentoring session
This session aims, first of all, to get to know you, to discover your professional aspirations as well as all the practical details (hours of availability, the difference of time zones, need of arranging particular means of work etc.) necessary to set up your schedule. If you have questions about your program, this is a great time to ask!
Mentoring sessions in general
After this introductory session, you will have four meetings each month with your mentor to measure your progress in completing different projects. What difficulties have you encountered? Have you made progress on your project? Is your project ready to be submitted to an Assessment? If not, consider asking questions and feedback to ensure you continue making progress towards that goal.
Take care to avoid the expectation that your mentor is there to do your work for you. Your mentor is a guide to help you understand the learning process and define concepts that have challenged you. Mentors might read your code, for example, and explain any areas of error so you can refine your technique.
Jury
Once you have made it to the end of your list of projects, take some time to celebrate! It is a challenging achievement of hard work and perseverance.
The Jury is made up of a group of experts, OpenClassrooms representatives, and industry professionals who will review your portfolio of projects. It is the jury's duty to validate your skills and award diplomas. No action is required by you for this process after you submit a zip file of all of your files. Everything is 100% online and your presence is not required.
If your projects are all confirmed, you will be notified that you are a successful graduate of your Path. Should any skills be missing, you will be notified of the work to be redone at no cost to you. Once you have received notification that you have passed the Jury, your diploma will be mailed out to you a few weeks later.
Career Coaching
While the Jury reviews your work, you will have your own tasks: working with your Career Coach to develop your job search plan! We have designed a Land Your Dream Job Path to help you develop your application materials, job descriptions, online presence, and interview questions. You’ll meet with your Career Coach once a week to discuss your progress on each Project and any questions you might have about your job-seeking process.
Already happy in your job? Not to worry, the Career Coaching process is totally optional. If you aren’t actively seeking a new position, you can use these meetings to discuss your five-year career plan and opportunities to seek promotions.