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Best Free Online Scriptwriting Courses in 2024
While watching a TVC or drama, have you ever wondered who wrote those lines? Screenwriting or scriptwriting refers to the art and craft of writing scripts for digital and mass media such as TVC, YouTube, plays, feature films, video games, etc. Nowadays, scriptwriting offers a dynamic career with opportunities for writers in film, television, and digital media. Here are the best free online international scriptwriting courses in 2024 to launch your writing journey.
7 Free Online Scriptwriting Courses
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Scriptwriting: Write a Pilot Episode for a TV or Web Series (Project-Centered Course)
In this free, project-centred course, you will write a complete pilot episode for your unique TV or web series. Over 21 hours, spread across 3 weeks at 7 hours per week, you will break down the creative process, discover a structured approach, and produce a polished, pitch-ready script.
This course emphasises "Active Learning," meaning you will learn by doing. Gain confidence in your ideas and abilities, preparing you to pitch your first script and start your next project. The course holds a 4.5 out of 5 rating based on 741 reviews. You can get more details here
https://www.coursera.org/learn/script-writing
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Learn Screenwriting Basics from 'The Avengers'
This free, 30-minute tutorial introduces beginners to screenwriting, using 'The Avengers' as a prime example. Rated 4.7 out of 5 with 384 reviews, the course covers writing an outline, structuring three acts, building scenes, and creating interesting characters.
You will learn the mechanics of big movies through 8 concise lessons. By the end, you will have an outline for your next movie, utilising techniques from one of the biggest films of all time. Get enrolled here
https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-screenwriting-basics-from-the-avengers/
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An Introduction to Screenwriting
This free online course by the University of East Anglia spans 2 weeks, with a 3-hour weekly study commitment. It introduces key concepts and fundamental principles of professional screenwriting. You will learn basic theory, script analysis, and practical exercises, covering topics like story structures, character development, scene construction, and screenplay formatting.
Ideal for beginners and experienced writers aiming to elevate their skills, this course includes engaging videos, articles, and discussions. The course has a 4.8 out of 5 rating based on 884 reviews. By the end, you will be fluent in screenplay language and concepts. Find the course here
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/screenwriting
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Professional Scriptwriting for Animated Explainer Videos & Motion Graphics
In just 38 minutes, this free course teaches you how to write engaging and high-converting scripts for animated explainer videos and motion graphics. You will learn essential skills such as determining script length, designing a professional briefing form, and capturing the brand's voice.
Craft a Job-Winning Resume with AI: Step-by-Step Guide to Stand Out
The job market is increasingly competitive, and showcasing your qualifications and achievements effectively is crucial. A compelling resume is the first step towards landing your dream job. With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), numerous AI resume builder apps and software can help craft a job-winning resume. AI ensures that your resume highlights the right points and metrics to attract both recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS). Here's how you can use AI to create an impressive resume.
How AI Enhances Resume Crafting
Today’s AI technology is driven by sophisticated algorithms that analyze vast amounts of data related to job positions, descriptions, requirements, performance metrics, and successful profiles. AI uses this data to craft a resume and predict its effectiveness for specific roles. Here are some key areas where AI works its magic:
Keyword Optimization
AI identifies and incorporates essential keywords into your resume. This helps your resume stand out to human recruiters and ensures it passes through ATS filters. For example, if you’re applying for a marketing position, AI can highlight terms like “SEO,” “content strategy,” and “digital marketing,” which are likely to catch the attention of both ATS and human recruiters.
Read more: How to Customize Your Resume for Each Job Application
Content Strategy
AI can refine your resume content by rephrasing descriptions and quantifying achievements. These improvements are based on successful precedents, ensuring your resume is both impactful and relevant. For instance, if you’re a project manager, AI might suggest transforming “managed a team” into “led a team of 15 to complete a $2 million project ahead of schedule.”
Formatting and Grammar Check
AI tools can format your resume for ATS compatibility, creating a clean, minimalistic, and easy-to-navigate document. Additionally, tools like Grammarly ensure your resume is free of grammatical errors, enhancing its professionalism. A well-formatted resume with impeccable grammar presents a polished and competent image to potential employers.
Free Online AI Courses by Harvard University from Basic to Advanced Levels
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly transforming field and learning AI opens vast career opportunities across industries. If you are interested in learning AI, there are lots of free resources online. What if you can do an AI course from one of the most prestigious universities in the world? Harvard University offers several free AI courses online. These courses can help a lot to boost your AI knowledge and skills.
Free Artificial Intelligence Courses by Harvard University
Introduction to Computer Science
Students can explore the intellectual realms of computer science and grasp programming fundamentals through this course. Designed for beginners, it introduces the basics of computer science and programming, focusing on computational thinking and problem-solving with technology. Open for enrollment until December 31, 2024, this course is taught by David J. Malan.
It offers a comprehensive entry-level experience for majors and non-majors, with or without prior programming knowledge. Over 11 weeks, students learn to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently, covering topics such as abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development.
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Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
This course explores the fundamentals of AI and machine learning, focusing on Python programming, making it perfect for those interested in this rapidly evolving field. Through this course, you will uncover foundational AI concepts and machine learning algorithms, diving into the ideas behind technologies such as game-playing engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation.
Open for enrollment until December 31, 2024, the course is 7 weeks long.
Data Science: Machine Learning
This self-paced course offers a hands-on learning experience, guiding participants through the creation of a movie recommendation system and demonstrating the practical application of machine learning within data science. Ideal for those seeking insights into machine learning, a cornerstone of data science, the course culminates in building a functional movie recommendation system.
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As part of the Professional Certificate Program in Data Science, you will learn popular machine learning algorithms, principal component analysis, and regularisation techniques. This course can help you gain practical experience and deepen your understanding of machine learning.
Web Programming with Python and JavaScript
Elevate your web development skills with this 12-week course, expanding upon CS50 basics to delve into Python, JavaScript, and SQL for advanced app design and implementation. Ideal for those looking to enhance their programming skills, it offers a thorough exploration of modern web application development techniques.
Covered topics include database design, scalability, security, and user experience. Through hands-on projects, you will learn to develop and use APIs, create interactive user interfaces, and utilise cloud services such as GitHub and Heroku. By the course's end, you will have the knowledge and experience to design and deploy applications on the Internet. You can enrol this course to advance your web development skills.
Read more: How to Answer “Why Did You Choose this Job?” Effectively
Understanding Technology
The Understanding Technology course demystifies everyday technology by exploring its functionality and implications in daily life, perfect for curious minds. Ideal for those seeking deeper insights into how technology shapes our world without needing a computer science or engineering background, this course is an introduction to technology for students who do not (yet) consider themselves tech-savvy.
Designed for individuals who use technology daily but may not understand its inner workings or know how to troubleshoot issues, this 6-week course fills in the gaps, empowering you to use and solve problems with technology more effectively.
Additional Course Description
These free AI courses from Harvard University provide learners with the opportunity to grasp AI fundamentals and understand the intricacies of technology without any financial burden. Designed to expand knowledge and shape individuals’ tech journeys, these self-paced courses allow participants to learn at their convenience.
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Enrolment is currently open, with courses available until December 31, 2024, offering ample time to partake in this educational opportunity. Harvard University’s free AI courses, available via Coursera, are a significant contribution to the democratisation of AI education, blending the institution’s academic prestige with the benefits of digital learning platforms.
Closing Lines
Online courses can significantly advance your career prospects. Free online courses by Harvard University can open limitless opportunities for people of all ages and cultures around the world.
The above-mentioned free and open courses from Harvard University can provide a strong foundation for understanding AI. With dedication and further exploration, you can pursue a rewarding career path in the growing field of AI.
Read more: Distance Learning: Top Universities Offering Online Courses for International Students
How to Answer “Why Did You Choose this Job?” Effectively
One of the most common questions in any job interview is “Why did you choose/apply for this job?” As an interviewee, it can throw you off-guard if you didn’t prepare beforehand. It's important to be strategic while answering this question as it can be a make-or-break situation when it comes to securing the job. Here’s how you should go about it.
Why Do Recruiters Ask “Why Did You Choose this Job?”
The two main reasons why recruiters ask this question are your motivation and organizational fit. Recruiters want to know whether you are motivated enough for the specific role. They also want to understand whether your ideas and values align with the organization's.
The question also allows them to assess your long-term career goals, skills, and preparedness for the position. It provides an insight into your character, vision, and suitability for the organization in the long run.
Read more: How to Make a Video Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide
How Do You Justify the Choice?
Now, if you’re in an interview and asked this question, you will need to justify why you chose or applied for the job. It's granted that you cannot say stuff like you like the salary or the designation. While these certainly can be motivating factors, recruiters want to know the in-job aspects that interest you or align with your skills and aspirations. Keep the following points in mind while justifying your choice.
- Highlight your research on the company and the position - Show opportunities for growth - Highlight your potential impact and contribution to the organization - Personal connection - Show eagerness, enthusiasm, and commitment to the role.
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What is Your Desired Salary? How to Answer Recruitment’s Trickiest Question
What’s your desired salary? It’s a question that will sweat out even the most confident applicant. The question will eventually pop up at one stage or the other during the recruitment process. What you need to do is be strategic about it. If you lowball the number, you will have to settle for less. If you go for the high, you might not be considered anymore. So how do you answer this? Let’s find out.
What is Desired Salary?
A desired salary is pretty much self-explanatory. It refers to the amount you expect in exchange for your service. A desired salary is useful both for the employer and the potential employee. It allows the employer to understand the expectations of the potential recruit and assess whether it fits within their budget or not.
On the other hand, a potential candidate can determine a desired salary based on their experience and skills for a position. However, it is important to research the market rate for similar positions and be prepared to negotiate to reach a mutually satisfactory salary package.
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How to Determine the Appropriate Desired Salary
From the perspective of Bangladesh, the concept of desired salary holds little value in most hiring cases. Unless you are applying for a highly technical position or a mid-career switch, the negotiations hardly work in favor of a candidate. Still, there are several ways to determine the appropriate salary. Here’s how.
Understand the Industry Standards
Research what the industry standard is for the role you’re applying to. Consider location, required skills, and level of experience in this regard. Bdjobs, Chakri, and CareerJet can be good starting points for the research.
Match Your Skills and Experience
Be realistic about where you are skills and experience-wise. For example, if you apply for a position requiring 2-3 years of experience as a fresher, chances are you won’t even make it to the preliminary screening let alone salary negotiations.
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The best approach would be to again research what other companies are paying for your skills and experience level to get an estimate.
Factor in the Benefits
Many organizations offer benefits and perks like commute allowance, mobile allowance, rent subsidy, and high bonuses. Consider all the benefits you will be getting before estimating a number.
Consider Future Growth Potential
Another thing to consider is the future growth potential of the company. In the case of a company with a robust growth and promotion structure, an initial low salary can be offset by long-term career earnings.
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How to Customize Your Resume for Each Job Application
During the shortlisting step of a hiring process, employers today look for personalized, and streamlined resumes that match the provided job descriptions and experience requirements. However, most of the applicants tend to prepare a common resume and send it with all applications. As a result many deserving candidates often miss interview calls. Let’s discuss why this traditional method does not work any more and ways to rework your resume according to the specific job circulars.
Why Not to Submit the Same Resume for Every Job Application
The best way to make the most out of any job application would be to customize the resume according to the job need. Fortunately, it isn’t as tedious a process as it sounds.
The main reason why you shouldn’t submit the same resume to every job application is because of relevance. Different jobs have different requirements. Tailoring your resume allows you to highlight the specific skills and experiences that are most relevant to each position.
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Most companies these days use ATS or Application Tracking System which is designed to filter out resumes based on keywords. Customizing the resume targeting a specific job will allow you to incorporate as many keywords as possible.
Think of what recruiters are looking for in your resume. How well you fit in the role and what competitive advantage do you bring to the position? For example, you might want to highlight and link your projects for a data scientist role rather than including your organizational responsibilities. It will allow you to demonstrate skills that make you a good fit and also showcase your competitive edge.
Submitting the same resume for every job will not only reduce the response rate but will also fail to highlight your true potential to the recruiters.
Read more: Why Backbenchers are Often More Successful in the Professional World
Does Everyone Need to Learn Programming? The Truth About Coding in The Age of AI
It probably wasn’t even half a decade ago when people thought programming and coding were the future. Every tech pundit and industry leader chimed in on how knowledge of programming would be an essential career skill in the new frontier.
But the world has shifted much since then. The frontier tech evolved so much and so drastically that recently at the World Government Summit, Dubai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had something entirely different to say. He stressed that with the rapid integration of AI, programming, and coding would soon cease to be a vital skill.
That posits an interesting question, should everybody learn coding or programming? Let’s try to find an answer.
How to Know if Programming or Coding is Essential for Your Career Growth?
Let’s assume that programming in the future will cease to be an in-demand or vital skill. But does that make programming or coding obsolete? Absolutely not. In fact, the paradigm shift in frontier tech would require upskilling the existing programming knowledge. A programmer would effectively move from writing lines of code to a more strategic and oversight role as AI takes up the tedious task of coding.
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So rather than asking whether programming is right for you or not, it is important to assess whether you are equipped to adapt to the changing role in the future.
Pros of Learning Programming
- Wide range of career opportunities in software development, web development, data science, artificial intelligence, and more - Improving logical thinking and problem-solving skills - Promotes creative thinking - High demand - A lifelong learning opportunity - Automation, efficiency, and flexibility of knowledge application.
Cons of Learning Programming
- Involves a steep learning curve - Sedentary nature of work - Keeping up with the rapid changes in the industry - Complexity and high expectations.
Read more: Empower Your Tech Career in 2024: Master These In-Demand Skills for Success
Why Backbenchers are Often More Successful in the Professional World
Imagine a 12-year-old girl who’s constantly struggling with her studies. Her imagination runs wild with stories as she gets constantly bullied in school. Even later in university, the girl finds herself to be a below-par student with not much enthusiasm for academics.
While one would assume that it’s a dead end for a career, we’re of course talking about J.K. Rowling, the beloved creator of Harry Potter.
There are tons of examples of backbenchers succeeding in life, sometimes more than the toppers. What might be the reason behind that? Let’s explore.
Leading Through Example: The Successful Backbenchers
The list of successful backbenchers is surprisingly long. It's undeniable that many successful persons in today’s world had been bad students at some point in their lives. Consider the case of Virgin’s Richard Branson, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s Steve Jobs. All of them reached the pinnacle of success in respective career paths even if they have histories of being dropouts in educational lives.
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There are even presidential candidates like Al Gore who weren’t particularly excelling in studies. Movie stars like Drew Barrymore, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Cameron Diaz have been outspoken about their rather lackluster academics.
It’s not difficult to find backbenchers who succeeded in life. The question is, why are they successful? What sets them apart from the toppers? The short answer is not being bound by the constraints of conformity. Backbenchers often have the freedom of not having to conform to societal expectations. They can take different routes, risks and even explore ideas that a topper usually won’t. While these risks and off-the-beaten-path approach paid off for many, it’s not always guaranteed to succeed.
Why are Backbenchers so Successful?
The entire idea that backbenchers are surprisingly successful comes down to a few points. Some of these are character traits, some are behavioral and some are situations surrounding the individual.
Out-of-the-Box Thinking
Believe it or not, the traditional education system based on learning and assessment dates back to the Industrial Revolution. The Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest somehow got incorporated in the education system as well which made it less about learning, and more about staying ahead in everything.
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This is where backbenchers are different. For them, classroom learning and grades aren’t everything. They might explore a variety of interests, which can lead to a more diverse skill set. This broader perspective can be advantageous in professions that require a holistic understanding of different disciplines. It can also contribute to a more well-rounded and adaptable individual.
Most In-Demand High-Paying Non-Technical Jobs in 2024
There’s a common misconception that all lucrative jobs are technical or IT-related. But the truth couldn’t be further off. While it is true that IT jobs make the most money by 2024 standards, there are other non-tech jobs as well that fetch well over six digits. Here’s what they are and what you’ll need to secure one.
10 Best Careers for Non-Technical Professionals
For the sake of uniformity, the job requirements and the annual payout will be according to the US national standard. While the payout might vary across regions, the skill set and requirements remain more or less the same.
PR Specialist
A public relations specialist is essentially the face of any company. The primary responsibilities of a PR specialist include everything related to the customer side interactions. A PR specialist is also responsible for developing PR strategies and overseeing implementation procedures.
Other key responsibilities include drafting press releases, speeches, and other communication materials. In extraordinary cases, a PR specialist is also responsible for crisis management strategies. These include avoidance of negative publicity.
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A PR specialist is expected to have degrees in public relations, communication, or other related fields. An APR certification is an added plus for a specialist role.
The average salary for a PR specialist is around 60,122 USD or around 6,58,6557 BDT per year (1 USD = 109.55 BDT).
Content Manager
A content manager is responsible for curating and executing the content strategy of any business. Additionally, a content manager is expected to create and publish content. The medium includes social networks and media outlets. One of the key responsibilities for this position is to ensure precise consistency in brand messaging. A content manager is also responsible for analyzing different performance metrics.
The position requires a bachelor's in marketing, communication, journalism, or related fields. The annual salary for the content manager position is around 60,634 USD or 6,64,2648 BDT per year.
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Market Research Manager
Market research managers are responsible for analyzing the market. It also encompasses the identification of relevant trends within the organization’s operating industry. The position comes with the stringent responsibility of analyzing and drawing insights from the market. The data output helps to make informed decisions. A market research manager is also expected to develop and implement new research methodologies. The goal is to cater to organizational needs and efficiency. Another key responsibility for this position is to maintain liaison with the management.
A market research manager is expected to have a bachelor’s or master’s in marketing, business, statistics, or business analytics. The gross salary for this position is around 60,442 USD or 6,62,1614 BDT per year.
DSE launches online platform for smart management of stocks
The Dhaka Stock Exchange on Monday launched the platform "Smart Submission System of DSE" with an aim of keeping an effective role in the country's capital market through innovation and research.
In line with the 'Smart Bangladesh' philosophy, the DSE has created an online platform for the integrated online data collection, price-sensitive information, and direct payment of financial accounts to increase transparency and efficiency of various compliances of securities laws of listed companies.This platform is a big step for the country's technology-based capital market. Transparency and accountability of the country's capital market will increase through online submission of information.Through this system various companies will be able to automatically disclose price-sensitive information in accordance with securities rules and various compliances will be maintained.Chairman of DSE Professor Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Hasan Babu was present as the chief guest at the event.Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC) President Rupali Haque Chowdhury and DSE Brokers Association (DBA) President Saiful Islam were present as special guests.Among others, the managing director of DSE ATM Tarikuzzaman CPA and Chief Regulatory Officer Khairul Bashar Abu Taher Mohammad, according to a press release.