Is it better to study online free courses or to take a course in a university?

I have an engineering degree in hydraulic engineering, and i want to completely switch career to data science. My question is for me later to get a job, is it best to:
1- Study online free courses on coursera and then afterwards pass certification Azure/GC/AWS.

2- Look for a university for a Master's degree (and probably study online).


I'm not working nor planning to work this whole entire time, so i'm looking for a cost effective solution , And i …

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