Learning online is a perfect way to gain specialized skills that you can use in the workforce. There are many free and paid websites for online learning opportunities. All of the websites listed below are for your own personal development. Some online courses may provide you with a certificate of completion while other courses are only learning opportunities, but they will not fulfill college credits.
Online college classes are becoming more popular and abundant. They offer an enormous amount of flexibility and are conducive to most schedules. Many of the below resources offer self-paced online courses. This allows the student to take as much time as they need to learn the material. However, these courses are typically designed to be completed in a certain number of weeks. For the platforms that offer courses, the class overviews will provide you with the information you need to know such as the start date and end date, the total hours of materials, and the designed completion timeline.
To ensure you’re prepared for online learning How To Take Free Online Courses And Certifications From Top Universities will get you ready.
1. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a great website for online learning. It is a personalized learning resource for all ages. They offer practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Khan Academy tackles math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more, including K-14 and test preparation (SAT, Praxis, LSAT) content. They focus on skill mastery to help students establish strong foundations, so there’s no limit to what they can learn next. The best part is everything is FREE!
2. Coursera
Another great online course provider is Coursera. Coursera collaborates with universities and companies to offer professional certificates, degrees, and specializations and courses. On Coursera, you can browse topics and skills in computer science (CS), data science, information technology (IT), language learning, physical science and engineering, and more.
Not everything on Coursera is free, but there are some great free options available. When going to browse, you can filter courses by ‘free’. Coursera collaborates with schools including Stanford University, University of Michigan, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and more. Additionally, Coursera collaborates with companies such as Google, IBM, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and more.
Google Career Certificates are offered on the Coursera platform and are great for college students and working professionals because they offer flexible online programs for job-ready skills. These certificates are perfect for busy college students and working professionals because they do not require any prior experience. Google Career Certificates are self-pacing allowing you to learn at your own speed and typically take 3 to 6 months to complete. Additionally, these certificates can make your resume more competitive and can put you on the fast track to jobs in high-growth fields.
If you have an interest in learning more about Google Career Certificates, What Are Google Career Certificates And Why Should You Get One will give you a good overview.
3. edX
One of the leading free websites for online learning is edX. This platform offers university-level courses in a variety of subjects, including computer science (CS), data science, engineering, business, and more. Not all of edX’s online courses are free, but many free options are available. Some of edX’s schools include MIT, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, Boston University, and more. Most edX courses have the option to take the course for free.
On edX, this is called the audit track which allows you temporary access to materials and any non-graded assignments or discussions. Access will typically expire at the end of the free course. The paid versions allow full access after the course is complete, allows access to assignments that will be graded by the instructors, and a certificate of completion.
4. YouTube
You can find everything and anything on YouTube, music videos, funny videos, and educational videos. If you search for it, you will be able to find it. Personally, I know many people who use YouTube to learn and grow their skill sets. YouTube is a great place for college students to get help understanding certain concepts in their college courses or certain subjects.
YouTube is a great resource if you need help with math. I mentioned these two YouTube Channels in How To Pass Your Math Classes.
- Professor Brandon Leonard: Professor Leonard’s Youtube Channel is dedicated to quality mathematics education. And it is absolutely FREE. Videos are organized in playlists and are course specific.
- patrickJMT: PartickJMT has been creating free Mathematics videos since 2007. He has over 1.3 million followers and covers an array of math topics.
5. Udemy
Udemy is a website for online learning that offers over 170,000 free and paid courses. This platform typically has more paid courses than free, but they have a large variety of classes. You can learn anything from music to software. Browse by their categories to see thousands of courses. Their categories include Development, Business, Finance & Accounting, IT & Software, Office Productivity, Personal Development, Design, Marketing, Lifestyle, Photography & Video, Health & Fitness, Music, and Teaching & Academics.
6. Udacity
Udacity is for businesses, governments, and individuals. The origin of the name Udacity comes from the company’s desire to be “audacious for you, the student”. Udacity’s focus is on the latest tech skills and creating job-ready digital skills. Their schools include Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems, Business, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and more.
7. Ted Talks
TED is a non-profit organization. Therefore, all of their “talks” or videos are free for anyone to view. TED has much to offer to students. You can discover topics such as Astronomy, Business, Democracy, DNA, Ethics, Global Issues, or Religion.
Personally, I enjoy watching and listening to TED Talks. Many of their speakers and topics make you think critically and introduce new viewpoints. TED also has podcasts that dig into exciting ideas.
In addition to TED’s free videos and podcasts, they also have a website offering paid courses. TEDCourses are 4-week courses designed to spark your inspiration and gain knowledge. Currently, TEDCourses only have 9 courses offered and their main focus is on building your confidence, bringing balance to your life, and connecting with others.
8. BitDegree
BitDegree is one of the top websites for learning code online. The platform offers various free and paid courses. Their online courses are more specialized than some of the other platforms on this list. BitDegree offers courses in subjects including cryptocurrency and coding languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. Therefore, if you are looking to learn to code, this is the perfect place to start.
9. Skillshare
Skillshare is an online educational platform for learning creative skills. Their courses are available through a monthly subscription. Skillshare’s topics are specialized in creative skills. Topics include Music, Social Media, Flim & Video, Drawing & Painting, Graphic Design, Marketing, and more.
10. LinkedIn Learning
Most wouldn’t think about LinkedIn as being one of the top websites for online learning. LinkedIn is a professional social networking site that allows college students and professionals to showcase their skillsets, achievements, work, and academic experiences. Your LinkedIn profile acts as an online informal resume. LinkedIn can be especially important for college students who are just starting out in their careers because it lets them connect with individuals in the industry and build a network.
If you don’t already have an account, visit The Complete LinkedIn Workshop for College Students and create one.
LinkedIn Learning assists you in identifying the skills that are desired for certain job positions you are interested in. You can type in a job title and search for the most popular skills for that job. Then you can browse through the different courses available to help you gain those skills. Then once you complete the course you can share it with your connections and add those new skills to your LinkedIn profile.
Learning Online
Education has the power to change and unlock your potential. Education can change your life. That’s why I can’t recommend learning online enough. The websites above are the perfect way to start learning about a specific subject or gain a new skill online. Whether it’s for your career, major, or personal interest, the skills you gain will always look great on your resume. It is one strategy on How To Get An Entry-Level Job With No Experience.
—Sensei
