Get Schooled | 6 Websites for Online Learning

Whether you’re browsing Idealist Career Advice, connecting with your mentor over coffee, or chatting with colleagues around the water cooler, there’s one bit of career advice that you’ll hear from just about everyone: Don’t stop learning!

In fact, this invaluable job-search tip can be applied to nearly every other aspect of your life, too.

Want a raise or a promotion? Trying to establish a healthier work-life-balance? Need to work on your communication skills to better understand your spouse or your children? Traveling to a country where you don’t speak the language? A little self-guided learning can be an important first step on your way finding a resolution to any of the above.

If your next thought is something along the lines of, “But where do I begin? I don’t exactly have the time—or the funds—to get another degree, and the sheer number of resources available to me is kind of overwhelming!” then you’re in luck.

Here are six of the best places you can go for online learning, most of which offer least a few free resources (with others being entirely free!).

Khan Academy

Their mission is simple: “To provide a free, world‑class education for anyone, anywhere.” Whether you’re interested in test prep, trigonometry, computer science, cosmology, or just about anything else that falls under the subjects of math, science, economics, computing, or the arts, you can learn it for free with Khan Academy.

Pro Tip: Anecdotally, the computer programming offerings on Khan Academy are pretty impressive and complete with brief but thorough lessons, as well as a hi-tech space to practice your newfound HTML and CSS skills.

Coursera

It's not free, but we think the fee is worth it. With courses taught by the world’s top instructors, and culminating with anything from a course certificate to a master’s degree, Coursera offers recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums.

YouTube

Looking for more of a one-off lesson? Perhaps you’re in search of the latest Google Chrome hacks, some expert assistance on making the perfect homemade pizza, or maybe all you’ve ever wanted to do in life is learn to juggle. No judgment. Learn it (for free) on YouTube.

Skillshare

Skillshare members enjoy unlimited access to 14,000+ classes and get to learn by doing. All classes include a project for students to complete, and from there, teachers provide feedback on the projects themselves, as well as in the "Community" board.

Pro Tip: Take advantage of Skillshare’s promo exclusively for Idealist Career Advice readers and redeem your two months of free online learning.

Grow with Google

Grow with Google is an absolute goldmine as far as useful professional development certificates and e-learning are concerned. With opportunities to gain knowledge of cybersecurity, data analytics, project management, UX design, and digital marketing, to name a few, Google's career-building platform is a great place to start learning.

TED-Ed

The free “Lessons Worth Sharing” found on TED-Ed can be easily sorted by content type, student level, duration, and subtitles, and includes a variety of lesson topics that is just as diverse and deep-diving as its lecture-series namesake, TED Talks.

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In today's dynamic world, continuous learning is key to career growth. By leveraging the platforms and resources highlighted above, you'll be more equipped to embrace professional advancement opportunities. And, if you're learning for the sake of learning alone, kudos to you! Your brain will thank you for it.