Rehna Shajahan finished 81 online courses in just one day. Here’s how she did it. A lady from Kerala set a global record by finishing 81 online courses in a single day.
Rehna Shajahan, 25, of Kottayam, Kerala, entered the International Book of Records for completing the most online certifications in a single day. Rehna is a professional coach who assists students with personality development and teaches them how to pursue online courses. The previous high for the number of online certificates received in a single day was 75.
Rehna explained, “My sister was studying at Delhi University when I began dreaming of earning admission to a central university. I prepared for the M Com entrance exam at Jamia Millia Islamia for my postgraduate studies, but I missed out by 0.5 mark.”
“I opted to enrol in two master’s degrees through distance mode – Masters in Social Work and PG Diploma in Guidance and Counselling – at the same time,” she stated. A year later, I enrolled in Jamia’s MBA programme. When the results were released, I was the first person in our state to have received an MBA in Entrepreneurship.”
She stated, “I ended up finishing 55 courses in 24 hours one day during the COVID-19 lockdown. Dr Sharnas Muthu, the Director of the Delhi-based NGO Women’s Manifesto with whom I had collaborated, pushed me to seek the world record.”
For the record, Rehna, who grew up in Bahrain, has taken courses from Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, CISCO, and others.
The majority of the courses focused on digital marketing and finance.
“I wanted to improve my resume. During the COVID-19 era, I finished my MBA. When employers came to interview for placements, they would question how we spent the lockdown period in ways other than just finishing the course. I wanted to stand out from the throng,” Rehna explained.
Rehna recalled of the day she attempted the record, “I started at 8 a.m. I had gotten 66 certificates by 11 p.m. I needed to pass nine more people in one hour to break the global record. I considered giving up for a minute, but then I decided to stop counting.”
Rehna had to break the record before the clock struck 12 because the certificates merely show the date and have no time stamp. “I needed to beat the record before the calendar date changed,” Rehna stated. Most courses require at least 70 per cent marks to receive a certificate, she added.
When questioned how she completed so many certifications in such a short period of time, the 25-year-old answered, “There are several-choice questions. It is not time demanding if you have a basic understanding of the courses. I only took classes that were free and offered certifications.”
“I was working as an HR professional in Dubai and recently quit to travel to India for my father’s transplant operation next month,” Rehna explained.
She said, “My family has been my greatest source of encouragement. My mum said she’d bring meals to my room. My sister is my role model.”
