Should I pay for an online course certificate?

If you have an avocational interest, then pursue it. E.g. if you're interested in photography, or computer programming, it may be worth it to you. However, you get what you pay for. Freebie courses typically are worth their cost - nothing. And paying $50 for a piece of paper is expensive toilet paper.

It absolutely will NOT look good on your college applications. Spending several hundred on Pimsleur or Rosetta Stone to learn a language not offered at your high school, and completing beginning & intermediate levels would be advantageous. Some diddly-bop freebie is useless - except to YOU if it's a good program. Probably not, or they would charge for it.

Only if it somehow enhance something you are striving for; just collecting certificates that dont relate to something specific is a waste of $.

it is like trying to use credit card,
when you 0 balance in your debit card.

check with your state Education Association to find out if you can get official credit towards a degree with those credits BEFORE you pay for them.

where is this certificate from?? Make sure it is 'accredited' otherwise you will be throwing your money away.

k-12 has to provide you with free education. College does not have to. And it does matter if a college is accredited or not. It means your degree is actually worth something.

Even a community college has to have this--it means the people are experts in their respective field and did not just print out their diploma/cut it out of the back of a cereal box.

You have to pay for classes and graduation at a legitimate place. Be really wary of something which says it's free even if it is online. Even online courses should cost.

1. all college material from Harvard /MIT /Univ of california /Univ of Texas /Univ of michigan is now free free free on the web.


2. pay $10 or $50 dollars for a certificate to prove you passed the class.