[omarhaneef]

One of the interesting aspects of this account is the role of online classes (Coursera and edX).

I always thought that those kinds of things are useful and should be effective but (online) anecdotes suggest they are not. Seems like there is a missing step and the author was able to find that step. (Branded company work?)

[7d7n]

Author here: I believe the missing step is being able to APPLY the knowledge and skills (learned from online courses) to create value.

It's not difficult, you just need to know that creating an artifact is not the end of your job--it needs to be used to benefit customers and generate value. Remember to measure the impact after your feature/system is launched.

I've seen many interview candidates struggle with this (missing step) too. Those that get past it were hungry enough to want it, as well as followed up with proper validation and measurement.