#1 – Learn to Code and/or IT
The
Odin Project is an open source project that pulls from curriculums all
across the web to give you the tools it requires to become an employed web
developer, including a portfolio of projects on Github. The enterprise is
named the all father of the gods in Norse mythology whose defining
characteristic, above all, was curiosity for
new knowledge.
If you are curious about a career
in computers, this course promises to take you through to the other
(employably skilled) side in about 1000 hours.
#2 – SEO and/or Google Analytics
Take it from me, a lot of people
are currently making their living writing for the internet and anything that
you write for the internet needs to be cognizant of search
engine optimization and that is a field that is CONSTANTLY changing. A
good way to stay abreast of best practices as they now stand is to read a blog
that posts daily on the topic. Search
Engine Journal is just such a blog. They also run regular webinars on
new topics and sponsor a weekly podcast, the Search Engine Nerds.
#3 – Better Cover Letter and Resume = Better Job
Lynda.com (run
by LinkedIn) is an online course provider that offers 30 days of free access to
their multitude of courses. The particular class we are interested in is in
the Writing
Resumes and Cover Letters section. This course is designed for college
graduates, but many of the lessons are useful at other career points. Work
in the class includes a focus on networking and
establishing your personal
brand. The course is approximately 90 minutes in videos and is a segment of
the larger “Job Hunting for College Grads” segment.
#4 – Microsoft Excel
An unexpected hurdle in
researching online Excel
courses was the unhelpful design of several otherwise seemingly
perfectly useful resources. Being confronted with unranked grids of data while
I try to improve my skills to learn about using grids of data, sets one up for
frustration. One site that avoids this pitfall is Chandoo.org,
where the information is beneficially organized and free, at least for the
basics. Paid components are available for those who wish to truly become
“excellent” at Excel.
#5 – Learn Chinese
You already know all the
compelling reasons to pick up this language that
is spoken by more than a billion potential clients. Now with Domino Chinese’s
flexible pricing plans starting at just $2 a month, you are that much closer to
broadening your horizons and your customer base. As is typical of contemporary
online language study, Domino Chinese balances video, brief lessons, and live
chatting practice, against the backdrop of a former Chinese television host
named Felix who serves as your language guru.
#6 – Podcasting
Who doesn’t have a podcast idea
kicking around in the back of their head? If you have decided what format of
podcast you will be doing, the next step is to obtain the highest quality
equipment that a limited budget (and, all budgets are limited) can
afford. Podcastconsultant.com has
a good list of necessary equipment at multiple price points for each piece of
gear. A lot of resources recommend having at least one co-host, and the more
chemistry you have together the better your end
product will be.
#7 – YouTube
A really solid resource for
developing a knowledge base of what YouTube is,
and how it can be utilized to put money in your pocket is the Creator
Academy at YouTube itself. It is a series of 31 lessons that start
with the basics and branches out into how to avoid burnout among other topics.
The lessons are of course submitted in YouTube video format coupled with
multiple choice questions that help you define your vision for what you are
hoping to gain from this online platform.
#8 – Photography Skills
You got a sweet deal on a nice
DSLR on Facebook Marketplace and are ready to get your side hustle off the
ground. Now you just need…some skills to learn. Luckily, the internet has your
back. YouTube is an amazing resource in this department. The popular website
FStoppers expanded into YouTube and both the channel and
the website are
a great resource to learn
basic skills, and commune with other shutterbugs. They offer tutorials,
equipment reviews, and they have a regular video feature where photography pros
review amateur photos in a helpful manner.
#9 – Technical Writing
Study.com features the online
class English
305 which starts with the basics of technical writing and ends with
writing instructions, manuals, and proposals. This class does not count for
college credit, but it can prepare you to access their paid service of
proctored testing for college credit. For $29.99 a month you get basic access
to this course and hundred of others, complete with video lessons, graded
assignments, and the aforementioned testing for college credit.
#10 – PhotoShop
TUTS+ is
our choice for the top site to learn the ins and outs of Adobe Photoshop online
for free. They do offer paid content as well, but the freebies offered here
will get you well on your way being Photoshop proficient. With how-to tutorials
and reviews of new effects packages, this site will keep you abreast of best
practices in the field of photo manipulation. With paid access, the
site offers complete courses
and ebooks. But there is plenty of free content to keep
you busy.
#11 – Project Management
Alison.com offers
their content for free, and then if you wish to receive a diploma at the end of
coursework, that costs. Their diploma in project management is a good
beginner’s option for learning the terminology, methodology, and “project life
cycle.” It takes six to ten hours to complete the coursework, and the
assessment at the end is no easy A. In case you do not choose to purchase your
diploma, you are still eligible for Learner Achievement Verification on the
site’s dashboard.
#12 – Microsoft Word
LinkedIn offers
30 days free access to their 10k+ classes taught by experts in the field. They
have multiple courses on Microsoft
Word that can get you inserting charts and using macros, no matter
which version of Word you are using. After 30 days, access costs $24.99
monthly, with up to a 20% discount for those who pay annually. LinkedIn
helpfully points out that many employers find this a valuable resource and will
reimburse you for expenses in this area.
#13 – Public Speaking
This course offered by the
University of Washington through the platform of Coursera is
part of a four course Public
Speaking Specialization. Taking about sixteen hours to complete, the
100% online course offers flexible deadlines to meet your scheduling needs. The
coursework consists of about an hour of lecture per week, readings, and
quizzes. Skills to learn through the class include confidence and presentation
planning. Full access to the course requires paid membership, but
completion of the four course sequence will unlock a specialization that can be
added to your LinkedIn profile or CV.
#14 – Personal Finance
Forget old school budgeting. This
task causes most people unwanted stress and wastes time tracking things that
are already tracked if you primarily spend with a credit or debit card. Current
research points to three key things that can help soothe most money worries. 1)
Be aware of what your financial
responsibilities are each month and year. 2) Automate as many bills as
possible to minimize missed payments and also keep you from spending that money
before you need it to pay the bill. 3) Know how much money you have to spend
each month (not on expenses or debt paydown) and STICK TO THAT NUMBER. If you
see that your funds for non-essentials are dwindling faster than the days left
in the month, then cut back where you can and let the savings accrue.
#15 – Mac Skills
If you are looking for Apple IT
skills to learn, the company offers
online seminars and tutorials that are geared for the education sector, but
often the topics apply more universally. Registration is required to
participate or view archived content, but access is free. The site also offers
the Lion Server Documentation Guide, which can be a good resource for other
Apple concepts as well. As a company, Apple places special emphasis on the
education sector as it grows the user base and gets their products into wider
circulation.
#16 – Human Resources
This free online course
from Udemy is
about 75 minutes in length and titled Introduction to Human
Resource Management. It is a good place to start for anyone wanting to go
into general business management who is foggy on the purpose and skill set of
the HR department. The special management
needs of human resource departments are also covered. The course comes
with a Certificate of Completion. Tips for effective HR management are the
capstone element of this course.
#17 – Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access training
for Microsoft.com is
a well laid out introduction to databases, tables, and relationships used in
the program. Hint: This course assumes you know your way around Excel, so you
might run over the resources at #4 on this list if you are not up to speed in
that department. The resources offered by Microsoft are a series of
introductory videos and then a series of decision trees to help you suss out
your particular needs from the program.
#18 – Math
Basic
Statistics Through R from edX offers to teach you basic statistical
analysis through the programming language R. This introductory level course
uses examples from health sciences and bioinformatics. But the skills acquired
in this course are largely applicable in any field involving Big
Data. The class is free and calls for 8 hours a week of study time, though
the class can be completed on your own time schedule.
#19 – Culinary Skills
Learning new culinary skills
expands your repertoire of meals you can cook which makes eating at home more
interesting, which can save you money by keeping you out of restaurants.
Ordering a weekly food box (like Hello Fresh of Blue Apron) is a good way to
learn new recipes and automate some of your food spending. Deals for food boxes
abound, and you can easily skip from one meal box company to the next as the
deal prices run out. The Food Box is a good fit for savings as you try new
things, but you should also get input into the system so you aren’t spending
money on food you won’t want to eat.
#20 – Pet Care
Rover is
a great resource for finding a little side hustle and getting in some quality
doggo time if you find yourself short on this important natural
resource. The sign up process is quick and you can use their app to track
your appointments and mark your availability on your own terms. The website
mentions earnings of up to $1000 a month and you select which services you want
to offer, from in house dog/cat sitting (the best paying option) to doggy
daycare or simple dog walking.
#21 – WordPress
WP101 offers
monthly and yearly all-access passes to their coursework on WordPress and
its attendant plugins like Yoast and Jetpack. WordPress was originally just for
blogs, but now can be used for complete websites, stores, and many others.
WP101’s website also offers exclusive discounts for companies offering web
hosting and themes for WordPress. The site also partners with Codeable
to provide WordPress experts for hire, starting at $60 an hour. Which you can
take as reinforcement to how lucrative upping your WordPress game can be.
#22 – Accounting
The
Open University offers a plethora of online accounting knowledge that
is, in keeping with their mission, completely free. They start with basics like
introduction to bookkeeping, but branch into specifics like liquidity management.
If you are interested in becoming credentialed in accounting, a more formal
program from a community college or university would be required. But the open
university can get you from basics up to operating speed, and you get a digital
badge or statement of participation for completing their free coursework.
#23 – Credit Score Repair
The first step is to ascertain
your position by obtaining all three credit reports for free from annualcreditreport.com.
Check for errors and be prepared to dispute them with all three credit bureaus.
If raising your credit score is your aim, make a schedule so you can make all
payments on time going forward (you can shift payment dates on borrower
websites), and try not to open any new lines of credit while you focus on
paying down your current debt. One counterintuitive thing to try is to ask the
borrower to raise your limit. If you are in good standing, this will lessen
your ratio of credit used and often boost your score a bit.
#24 – PowerPoint
Skillshare.com’s Presentation
Design for Smart People class can be accessed for three months on the
site for just 99 cents, according to a current promotion. The 3+ hour course covers
narrative arc, the three types of presentations, and storyboards. The latter
half of the class entails graphic design and visual hierarchy as well as
helpful dos and don’ts for fonts and colors. The program includes one well
designed visually pleasing presentation that you will present to the class.
#25 – Investing
The
Investing Classroom at Morningstar.com is offered to holders of a free
membership to the website and provides access to more than a hundred classes on
topics including stocks, funds, bonds, and portfolios. As you pass through the
curriculum, you gain points and once you reach a certain number of points you
are rewarded with a free 60-day membership to Morningstar.com so you can start
putting your new knowledge to work accessing the site’s analyst reports and
stock buy and sell recommendations.
#26 – Digital Marketing
Google
Online Marketing Challenge is a program for college students at any
level to gain real world marketing experience
assisting a participating nonprofit with their online ad campaigns. Google
provides the teams of 2-5 students with a Google Ad Grant of up to $10,000 per
month to purchase Google ads for the nonprofit. The students work under a
faculty member and ideally build a relationship with the client and provide a
Post-Campaign Analysis at the end of the program.
#27 – Ethical Hacking
The complete ethical hacking
bundle sold by BoingBoing is
an eight course bundle that, true to the spirit of Boing Boing’s ethic,
requires you pay what you want. They mean it. Course titles include: “Learn
Website Hacking and Penetration Testing From Scratch,” “From Zero to Hero in
Web, Network, and WiFi Hacking,” and “Hack People Systems and Mobile Devices.”
Remember that white hat/ethical
hacking is designed to test and strengthen systems protections and
make us savvier consumers and producers of electronic content.
#28 – Copywriting
Writing of any kind needs to be
clear and concise with a strong voice. Copy
Hackers can help you take the prose you construct for pay to the next
level. One of its co-founders, Joanna Wiebe, describes their outlook as not one
of crass direct-selling but
of finding each client’s voice that also happens to draw readers and,
potentially, clients. In their introductory page, they offer free ebooks that
offer how to write newsletters that get read and a guide for “Conversion
Marketers” to achieve marketable copy.
#29 – Finance and Economics
If you are of a certain,
self-directed mindset and ready take advantage of sophisticated–and free–course
materials in economics from a model research technical institution, MIT offers
dozens of graduate and undergraduate course elements from Principles of
Microeconomics to Microeconomic Theory and Public Policy to Advanced
Macroeconomics. Offered since 2001, currently MIT
Open Course Ware offers access to previously run courses that have run
through 2018. These courses often include supporting texts in PDF, syllabi,
clearly-arranged topic units, exams, and other supplementals. Most courses also
have a single-location site to download all the course materials and links for
recorded lectures.
#30 – Keyboarding
If you have made it this far in
life on the hunt and peck method alone, a) congratulations and b) it’s really
time you learned the correct method. Speedtyping.com offers
free lessons that get you through the basics and once you have that down, life
should throw you enough practice to keep your skills sharp. If opportunities
with the keyboard do dry up, the site also offers games to keep your newly
learned skills up until they are called upon again. This skill to
learn may not directly add dollars to your pocket in the immediate sense, but
it will (eventually) increase
your productivity at work and thereby make you a more valuable
employee, which can lead (down the road) to raises and promotions.
Online Learning Platforms:
- Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/ - A well-respected platform offering courses from top universities and companies on various skills.
- edX: https://www.edx.org/ - Another leading platform with online courses from prestigious institutions, providing a vast selection for skill development.
Learning Resources and Skill Selection:
- Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/ - A popular platform with a wide range of instructor-created courses on diverse skills, helpful for exploring options.
- Skillshare: https://www.skillshare.com/ - Offers creative and practical courses for developing in-demand skills.
Tips on Selecting and Learning Online Skills:
- Forbes: How to Choose the Right Online Course (forbes.com) - Explores factors to consider when selecting online courses for skill development.
- The Muse: 5 Tips for Picking the Perfect Online Course (themuse.com) - Offers practical tips from The Muse to help you choose the right online course for your learning goals.
Effective Online Learning Strategies:
- Harvard Business Review: How to Learn More Effectively From Online Courses (hbr.org) - Examines strategies for maximizing your learning from online courses.
- E-Learning Industry - 7 Habits of Highly Effective Online Learners - Explores habits of successful online learners to optimize your online skill development journey.
- Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/ - A non-profit educational platform offering free online courses on various academic and professional skills.
- TED Talks: https://www.ted.com/talks - TED Talks offer inspirational and informative talks on diverse topics, a great way to spark new skill interests and find learning resources.
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