by Christa Barbari Updated July 31, 2024
Are you eager to break into the world of remote work but finding your skills don’t measure up? These FREE ONLINE COURSES can help you with that!
In this post and corresponding video, we unveil a treasure trove of FREE online resources that will help you to supercharge your skill sets and become a more attractive remote job candidate!
Imagine taking free online courses and being able to add training from Harvard, Berkeley, Google, Columbia University, IBM, Georgetown, and many others to your resume!!
There’s a great resource for folks who need the BASICS, too! From how to turn on your computer, to understanding email and browsers — everything you need to know to improve your computer knowledge and comfort.
These free courses can help you to bolster your resume and stand out in the competitive remote job market. Elevate your career prospects from the comfort of your own home.
Check out the following video, then scroll down for links to all of the sites Chris mentions and more!
Here are over two dozen free resources (in alphabetical order) to speed up your job search and help improve your quality of life, too.
Alison – “Our aim is to harness technology to make all education and skills training available to anyone, anywhere for free.” Alison offers over 3,500 free courses. Check out their offerings in IT, Health, Language, and Business.
Cisco Networking Academy – If you’re interested in a tech career, this is a great resource. Access Cisco products, technology, and certification courses, with video lectures and hands-on labs. Even better, they support the platform through Virtual Career Fairs, Women in IT-focused support, and access to networking and special events.
Cognitive Class offers over 300 courses and projects in the IT realm. Generative AI, Reinforcement, and an AI Time Series are currently featured.
Coursera is one of the largest and most respected learning platforms going. They offer a wide range of courses, including many that are free. You can audit courses for free or apply for financial aid for their paid courses. Look for courses related to your field of interest.
DataCamp offers courses in R, Python, SQL, Spark, BI tools, Data Science, Machine learning, and much more.
DataCamp’s mission is to “democratize data skills for everyone.” It teaches companies and individuals the skills they need to work with data in the real world.
EDUCBA is an e-learning platform with over 1 million members in more than 70 countries. They offer free online courses in a variety of topics, including Finance, Programming, Project Management, Photoshop, Interviewing, Excel, Market Research, and hundreds more.
edX is an online education platform that offers university-level courses from top universities and organizations worldwide. The platform was founded by Harvard and MIT as an experiment to make the world’s best education available to everyone. edX offers more than 3,500 courses in a wide range of topics, including AI, Computer science, Data Science, Business, and Healthcare.
Free Code Camp offers over 9,000 classes/ tutorials to improve your code game. I spied free Microsoft and Python Certifications.
You’ll learn to code by building dozens of projects, step-by-step, right in your browser, code editor, or mobile app. You’ll also earn free verified certifications along the way.
GCF Global creates and provides quality, innovative online learning opportunities to anyone who wants to improve the technology, literacy, and math skills needed to be successful in both work and life.
Grow with Google is a free online learning platform that offers training, courses, and certifications. Some are free, and others do have a cost involved. This is another great networking opportunity to find mentorship within the IT community.
Hubspot Academy is a leader in free online training for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service professionals. “We specialize in comprehensive certifications, singular-topic courses, and bite-sized lessons for professionals looking to grow their careers and businesses.” They offer quick, practical courses and comprehensive certifications.
Kaggle pares down complex topics to their key practical components, so you gain usable skills in a few hours (instead of weeks or months). The courses are provided at no cost. Level up in competitions and join over 15 million lovers of code.
Khan Academy is a well-known nonprofit that provides free online educational tools. Khan Academy was founded in 2006 and provides a “free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” Subjects include math, science, and other foundational subjects.
LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that offers video courses on business, technology, and creative skills. The courses are taught by industry experts and fall into four categories: Business, Creative, Technology, and Certifications.
Meta Blueprint provides learning courses, training programs, and certifications. They offer free courses as well as advanced certification options. See their site for full details.
Microsoft Learn is an online learning platform that offers free courses and tutorials to help you learn professional skills in Microsoft technologies. From beginner to expert, you can advance your skills in all things Microsoft. There are tons of free options. The major certifications are fee-based.
MIT Open Courseware offers a wide variety of subject matter, whether you’re improving career skills or a lifelong learner. Currently, featured studies include classes in African studies, Queer Cinema and Visual Culture, Quantum Information Science, and Mathematics for Computer Science. 100’s more are available in their learning library.
MongoDB University is a free online education platform that offers interactive courses for beginners and advanced MongoDB users. The courses include lectures, hands-on exercises, and certification exams. The education team keeps the courses up-to-date and builds new content around the latest features.
openSAP is SAP’s free learning platform for everyone interested in learning about its latest innovations and how to survive in the digital economy. openSAP Enterprise MOOCs (large online courses) are complete, and learners can earn a certificate to demonstrate the knowledge they’ve acquired. Complementary learning opportunities exist in the form of openSAP Podcasts and openSAP Microlearning.
Saylor Academy is a nonprofit organization that offers free, self-paced online courses. The courses are designed for college and professional levels and are built by subject matter experts. “Saylor Academy has worked with over 500 credentialed professors and instructors to create a library of courses…”
They add, “Learn new skills, earn credit toward a degree, or advance your career at your own pace. Join the 1,700,296 students that have started their journey with us, and build your bridge to better anywhere, any time, with free courses at Saylor Academy.”
Simon Sez IT – is a YouTube channel with the motto, “Software Training Made Simple,” and they have a huge library of simple, easy-to-understand tutorials.
Skill Up – “Our non-profit connects workers with the right tools, resources, and support to make confident career shifts. We’ll help you find training and high-growth, good-wage jobs that don’t require a degree…” Check out career paths on their easy-to-navigate site, and see what speaks to you!
Trailhead by Salesforce – You can learn Salesforce from Salesforce itself! Trailhead is their education and credentialing platform, and it can connect you to industry professionals. Salesforce skills are in demand in the work-from-home arena.
Twitter (X) Flight School – If you want to grow your personal or business branding, Flight School offers courses to gain followers and advertising revenue. There’s a lot more than retweets (or reposts) to make an X campaign successful. Get tips and tricks from the experts on the platform.
Udemy is a popular platform offering Programming, Marketing, Data Science, Business skills, Technology skills, Business and leadership skills, and Wellness skills. Udemy’s courses are affordable, with some free or cheap options. You can also follow sales and get coupons for more expensive classes.
Zendesk – You may have noticed that MANY remote call center and customer service job postings list ZENDESK as a required or preferred skill. Zendesk provides software-as-a-service (SaaS — another term you may be seeing in job postings) products related to customer support, sales, and other customer communications.
Zendesk has a variety of free courses to teach you all how to use their software in a variety of roles.
Below are more free resources to help shorten your job search.
Check your local American Job Center for free training and job counseling. AJCs are free resources for job seekers, maintained by the US Labor Dept. and state or local agencies. There are almost 2,500 nationwide.
AJCs can be very helpful in identifying federal or state programs you may qualify for, for free skills training or other benefits. You can often get free job placement assistance, too. And free career assessments can help you ensure you’re on the right career path. If you’re a veteran, veterans representatives may also be available for counseling on benefits. For more, click here. To find the nearest American Job Center, click here.
SNAP participants (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) may get free job skills training. If you qualify for SNAP food benefits, you may also be eligible for a SNAP E & T training program to help you gain career skills. Find out more here.
Mental health, substance abuse, and domestic conflicts are also common challenges that can escalate during unemployment. If you’re among the millions of job seekers facing these challenges — or you know someone who is — here are some resources to help!
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Crisis Text Line: Text “LA” to 741741
Disaster Distress Helpline: (800) 985-5990
Trevor Project Lifeline: (800) 788-7386
Substance Abuse Service Helpline: (844) 804-7500
Domestic violence victims can contact https://www.thehotline.org/ or text:START to 88788
Good luck in your next steps, and may you be working from home soon!
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