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9 websites offering online classes you can take to upskill yourself


There’s nothing like a little creative or intellectual stimulation to get you out of a rut. Just because you’re stuck in a 9 to 5, doesn’t mean you can’t carve out time for self-development.

Thanks to the Internet, it’s possible to connect yourself to classes, expert teachers, and workshops online that will have you upgrading your skills and your knowledge at your own pace.

Take the first step out of the hamster wheel and dip your toes into all the possibilities that education can bring you.

 

Illustration by Jannielyn Ann Bigtas
Illustration by Jannielyn Ann Bigtas

1. Skillshare

If you passed up on photography, film or writing in college in lieu of a more “practical” course, or are currently involved in a creative field without any knowledge of business or tech, you can immerse yourself in this site for days and build up your portfolio. 

Skillshare offers over 21,000 classes and can start you off on a free trial where you can sample a selection of their many offerings. Going premium costs a minimum of P199 a month (for an annual plan), which gives you uninterrupted classes, a full smorgasbord, plus scholarship opportunities. Think about this — it costs less than your monthly coffee quota to upgrade your skillset. Go to website

2. Udemy

The world’s largest online learning marketplace, Udemy’s class selection is universal in its breadth. From IT to Health and Fitness, Academics to Language, Office Productivity to Personal Development and more, professionals can tap this online resource to add-on to their existing skills or learn something new pretty effortlessly. Classes currently come at a June blowout price of $9.99 — less than what any actual school would charge for a workshop and less the cost of your commute too. Go to website

3. Linkedin Learning

What better resource to tap than the go-to social network for floating your CV, getting leads for jobs or networking with professionals in fields you want to make good in?

LinkedIn Learning’s courses are centered around business, tech and creative, and its algorithm points you towards courses that are relevant to the industries found in your profile. The site gives out a free month trial, and charges $24.99 / month (annual plan) after.

If you’re just looking to dip your feet into a couple of classes over a short period of time, the zero-investment trial is a pretty good offer for valuable information that’ll ultimately help boost your career. Another perk? Quizzes help you assess your progress so you can keep yourself on track. Go to website

4. FutureLearn

Affiliated with The Open University, FutureLearn’s courses run for six to ten weeks, really immersing you into the school environment through your computer screen.

As in an actual course, you’re given homework in the form of activities you’re required to complete within each week. Discussions via comments thread are also encouraged among learners in order to initiate discourse and learning outside the virtual classroom.

Upgraded courses offer tests while most activities also include quizzes. Sounds like a lot of work? It’ll be worth it because course completion comes with an actual certificate. FutureLearn offers pay-as-you-go programs that build up to a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or a masters degree too. Go to website

5. Coursera

There are 11 fields of study available — from something as common as Business to something as novel as Data Sciences (which is now different from Computer Sciences) — on offer from over 50 partner universities and organizations including Stanford, National Geographic, IBM, Google AR &VR, Princeton, PennState, and more.

Classes come in video form, peer-review, and community discussion forms. If you want a complete 180-degree shift, there are online degrees that can take up to three years of study. If you simply want to dive deeper in your current field, there are specializations you can take that offer hands-on training, on actual business challenges. Go to website

6. YouTube

While the most popular video network won’t afford you the filters that many streamlined learning sites have to offer, nifty searching will land you on legitimate courses, programs and workshops on YouTube.

Everything from history to literature, politics to fiction writing can be found in the YouTube archives, if you know how and where to look. Make sure to Google your resource persons well just to double check on credibility, then sit back, relax and enjoy your free knowledge upgrade. Go to website

7. CreativeLive

With big names like Arianna Huffington and Richard Branson in their roster of teachers, CreativeLive is a space for those wanting to get serious about your learning.

This platform works on the premise that “there’s a creator in all of us.” Its classes, on air classes, and article archive all encourage learning in different creative fields: photo and video, art and design, and music and audio. Two interesting categories in CreativeLive is one for “craft and maker” and “money and life,” which fall out of the norm of the other learning websites.

Classes are slightly more expensive compared to other platforms (at $40 to $200 on average), but they do bundle classes together for a package price. Go to website

8. Squam Art Workshops

“Our goal is simple: let there be more joy – more light – more ease.” If you’re feeling on the outs with everyday life and want to infuse some sunshine into your day to day, then a Squam Art Workshop might just do the trick. Known for their retreats in the US, Squam’s online equivalent offers courses that are fun and pressure-free. Draw, sew, study The Hero’s Journey—you’ve got a slim but very positive selection that ranges from $9 to $89. Go to website

9. The Purposeful Creative

Young, energetic and a go-getter, Arriane Serafico has been making waves in the online world for years through her blog, and now, through The Purposeful Creative—a coaching site that helps creative individuals build a career or business around purpose and passion. With everything from PDF workbooks to free group challenges, Facebook Live classes to a full-on course that pushes you towards having Braver Goals, this hub is a lively, dynamic way to learn in a local, Pinoy context. Go to website

— LA, GMA News

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