Which online learning platform is right for me?
You may at least have seen many online classes on the web. And I’m not talking about school but about educating on a smaller scale.
If you want to pick up coding? There’s a course for that. Want to learn how to use excel? There’s a course for that too.
The wonders of the internet are amazing for the ability to learn anything anywhere and, most importantly, anytime.
There are loads of resources that are free, and some resources you pay for them.
The free ones will have a load of information that makes it kind of hard to stay organized, which can put you all over the place.
The courses that you pay for could be more organized and, if permitted, may even have a certificate at the end.
What’s even better, there are courses where the instructor is live and ready to take any questions you may have along the way.
Here are 7 of our suggested courses to consider in 2021.
1. Coursera
Coursera was first launched in 2012 by two professors who were inspired to offer their Stanford courses online. With the help of a few other universities, they created Coursera to develop student skills for businesses and government organizations.
Coursera offers both free and paid courses for individuals.
Their structured studies can help you learn the latest coding skills, such as python, graphic designing, and business analytics.
One amazing thing about Coursera is the potential to earn a certificate or degree, depending on the course.
You can find some of their courses starting at $39 per month for a subscription. There are more options based on the course to pay for the individual purchase, and they offer financial aid.
2. Udemy
Another hot topic when you think about online courses is Udemy, and there’s a reason why we have this company on our list.
Udemy, starting in 2010, is an online learning platform that focuses on professional adults and students. As of January of 2020, it has more than 50 million students with 57,000 instructors teaching courses in over 65 languages.
Like Coursera, the number of courses that they offer is plenty, starting at $11.99 per course; if you can catch them during their massive discount for their courses.
They offer courses from popular web design to photography, covering a broad range of skills. They even have a trending tab to filter courses that are currently popular for individual people like yourself.
3. Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning platform focused on the creator’s skill set, such as drawing, photography, film, and design.
It doesn’t stop there.
The site also focuses on building entrepreneurship, marketing, management, and analytics for your business for freelancers on self-employed individuals.
With a mix of free and premium classes, you would have options to determine if you want to fully invest in the classes to explore and expand your creative skill.
Skillshare has more than 27,000 premium classes along with 2,000 free classes, which are perfect if you want to give it a try before you spend your hard-earned money.
Not only do you get access to these varieties of classes, but Skillshare also includes a feature called “Groups,” which allows members to connect with other creators, share their work, and engage in discussions.
This would give members the ability to ask questions, give and receive feedback, and discuss the industry you’re in.
4. edX
edX is a nonprofit, online learning platform founded by two top learning institutions, Harvard and MIT. Together they partnered with schools like Berkeley, Boston University, Georgetown University, and 120 others.
There are roughly 2400+ courses that range from courses that you would find at universities such as economics, chemistry, law, and literature.
Courses are free when enrolling in a track that does not offer certificates or graded assignments. However, for those with the amplitude and want to beef their resume, there are verified certificate courses that vary in price from $50 to $300.
5. ALISON
Alison is another free online education platform that focuses on work-based skills. They can keep their certifications and courses free using advertising revenue.
Similar to edX, courses are created through big-name universities and organizations.
They offer thousands of courses as certificate, diploma, and leveling levels on nine subject categories: science, business, math, IT, and more. They also offer courses for career skills and guidance if you are wondering which course to choose.
6. Udacity
Udacity offers free and paid courses that mainly focus on computer science, from programming to data science.
The courses' format is combined with quizzes and video lectures with follow-up homework that follows a ‘learn by' doing model.
They offer C++, java developer, data analyst, full-stack web developer, and much, much more.
The courses offered focus on the skills you would need for the IT, software development, and technological world.
What makes Udacity unique is its Nanodegree program. The program is designed to teach programming and qualify for an entry-level IT position somewhere like AT&T. For a course like this, you are only looking at about $200 per month, and the coursework could take less than a year to complete.
Lastly, we have our own Info eNConnect Software & Development Training program that offers desktop applications software and career development training that focuses on the information technology industry.
The courses' format is flexible, being onsite if you are local to the area or online with a virtual live instructor where the students are free to ask any questions and get the right help along the way with a step-by-step guide.
The application software training courses are designed to help you learn productivity software such as Microsoft Office products.
Career development training focuses on using new processes and systems to do your job, such as interviewing skills, communication skills, negotiation skills, etc.
Most courses start with a one-time payment of $49 to $225, depending on the course.
Conclusion
No matter where you wish to learn or how you choose to expand your skills, online courses convenient for you to learn where you want and whenever you want is always growing in the future to come.
Courses should be picked based on what is comfortable for you and the experience you are looking for to help invest more into what you’re learning.
Whether you are trying to enhance your skills or a beginner, there is a course for you.
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Last Updated: 5/4/2021; Original Published Date: 3/4/2020