Post Graduation Learning

[TexasTink]

I'm starting to think ahead to some things I want to work on after I graduate.  I was looking for advice on what would be most beneficial regarding learning that I do post-graduation - especially in regards to employment.

I'm currently an Administrative Coordinator at a cultural organization/non-profit.  Later this year, I'd like to transition into the creative arts industry and particularly classical music.  I don't know exactly what I want to do as far as a job role, but I do want to work behind the scenes in administration/event planning somehow.  I don't currently foresee myself pursuing a master's degree, although y'all are certainly inspirational!  

There are a few music courses I'm interested in through EdX or Coursera.  Would it be more beneficial to me to pay for the official certificate for those classes or just audit them for free?  Also, is there any value in their professional certificates?

I was also thinking about taking a couple general business classes.  Would it matter as far as employers go whether I audited those classes, got a certificate for them, or took them for credit?  Are those things employers would care about and I should pay for the credit bearing courses or does it not matter and I can just take the free versions?

[sanantone]

I can't answer your question because I know that employers aren't very good at verifying things. My thinking is that anyone can say that he or she audited a MOOC. How can we prove that the person watched all the videos and did the assignments? How do we know that the person understood the material?