Hey, hey!
We are all currently living through something that still seems surreal to me. I won’t get into that since there’s plenty of COVID-19 on the news and everyone is talking about it, so I want to shift my focus to something else for the moment. I recently finished a 12-month work term and I am a full-time student again. However, I no longer have my student internship and I was laid off from my part-time job, and I have had a lot more time to relax and focus on myself. One of the things I’ve been working on is this blog, amongst other things, but one thing that is next on my to-do list is completing some online courses/certificates, where I can further my education for free and smartly pass my free time.
Although I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce at the moment, there is a lot I’m curious about, related and unrelated to my studies, that I do not get from the university. I know that a lot of people have additional interests besides what they are studying or what their career is in, and I believe that taking the time to pursue additional interests is important. These courses are not for credit, they’re simple for your gain, to help you develop both professionally and personally. As a marketing student, a lot of my interest lies in digital marketing, and there is an overwhelming amount of courses online that will help me with this personal interest of mine, which one day might come in handy in the workplace! I believe that these extracurricular interests and willingness to learn can set you apart, especially if you’re a student looking for employment.
Anyway, with all that said, people are working from home, some that are not working at all, and everything in between. The current pandemic isn’t easy on us, and if you have extra time and you’ve always wanted to learn something (a language, a computer program, an instrument, etc.) I think now is a great time!
Below are some free courses I found online, some of which are only free for the time being. There are a few I’m interested in and looking forward to starting learning!
Offering 61 FREE courses, Harvard’s online learning offers courses for subject matter ranging from computer science, religion, business, and more! There are some data science courses that I’m curious about, like the R Basics and Machine Learning courses both 8 weeks long. This is the kind of material I’m learning for myself, out of curiosity, to broaden my education! And I mean come on...it’s HARVARD! lol
At the online Nikon School, you can stream every class for free! I’m planning to take the fundamentals of photography for a start, and then see where that takes me. If you’ve ever been curious about photography or want to sharpen some of your skills, the Nikon courses are worth a shot.
As a marketing student, and someone passionate about the industry, Hubspot is my GO-TO for free courses regarding a variety of marketing topics. Looking into starting an e-commerce business now that you’re stuck at home? Take the ‘Learn Ecommerce Marketing and Sell More Online Course’ to prepare! Maybe you’d rather learn about advertising or branding. All I’m trying to say is that Hubspot offers an incredible amount of (free) and educational courses that can introduce you to the world of marketing or broaden the knowledge you do have. I can’t WAIT to start to take as many of their courses as I can because as someone passionate about marketing who wants a future in that industry, this information is extremely valuable to me.
We all use it, some of us love it, some of us are creeped out by how much it knows about us, but Google is incredible. There are online courses and free live training through webinars for topics related to marketing, building your resume, and more!
Although not free for everyone, if you have a Calgary Public Library account (which is also free) you get access to thousands of free courses on Lynda! If you’re interested and do not have a CPL membership, check-in with your employer/university/organization you’re affiliated with if they offer some sort of discount or membership to Lynda. If not, you can always give it a try for one month for free! Lynda is incredible in that it offers courses from a wide range of topics. Want to learn how to code? Curious about search engine optimization? Interested in improving your photography skills? I can keep going, but you know what I mean. Lynda is a great source offering quick courses that cover a variety of topics. I completed a Search Engine Optimization course that has benefited me so far in my personal (social media obsessed) life as well as in my digital marketing pursuits. I’m going to browse their courses and take some more.
That’s all I have to offer to you, please let me know if any sites are offering free courses regarding anything! I’m always on the lookout for new topics to learn, and I’d love to share any other resources with my friends, family, and social media followers.
If you have some time while in quarantine or are looking to further your education in either what you’re currently doing or something you’ve always wanted to try, I believe that now is the time! I’m all about that personal and professional development and free resources on the internet offer a way to that!
Until next time...
- Jana with a Y
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