FREE online courses you can try during lockdown
First and foremost, we are in an epidemic. Please do not feel pressurised to work or overburden yourself. With less time spent outdoors and with little to keep you stimulated, I can understand why people feel as if they should be doing more…
Do you want to study at the likes of Harvard for FREE? Look no further!
IF you do happen to have some extra time on your hands and want to learn something useful, there are plenty of online courses available to you FOR FREE where you can learn a new skill or enhance an existing skill/interest. These can be as short as one day and can be done in your own time, so why not get started?
Personally, I’m still going to work and I’m working more hours than usual. I’m seeing all these amazing courses and I’m going to try and complete one if I can. I won’t push myself though and if you’re in the same boat I suggest you choose rest over courses if you’re tight for time. The most important thing is your health and well-being so don’t add more to your plate. HOWEVER, If you can fit in a cheeky course and you have the energy for it then gwarnnnn to you!
THE COURSES
There are a lot of prestigious universities giving out free courses at the moment with most starting on Mon 20th April 2020.
Harvard University (yup you heard right) are offering 61 free courses. You can finally be like Rihanna and say you made it to Harvard! Check out the courses here.
Other Ivy League courses are also available from the likes of Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia universities and the University fo Pennsylvania. Most of these courses are on Coursera but you may find it confusing to access some. Feel free to use this guide for more info on how to access.
The Open University are also offering free courses in a variety of subjects which you can find here.
Class central also has links to universities such as Cambridge University and others mentioned above alongside courses that have been made available due to COVID-19. See more here.
The British Council have free courses with free certification so check out their options here.
Harvard business school are offering free sessions here.
For Digital marketing and more check out:
Google Analytics academy for all things Analytics, Google’s digital marketing course and Google’s SkillShop.
Social media marketing at Boston University starting from April 20th 2020.
Microsoft have a few free courses available here
For the creatives:
12 hours of FREE cinematography lessons are available here.
Nikon school are offering free tutorials for photography this month. You can find them here.
Apple are also offering extended trial subscriptions for their Pro apps such as Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X! These are usually only 30 day trials but they have been extended to 90 days! Woohoo. Why not download them and play about with the software! There are other softwares with extended trials such as adobe so do have a quick google and look out for deals!
For those interested in coding and computer science/tech related things:
Udemey is a good place to start and they are offering free courses.
Pluralsight are offering free access to courses for the all of April. Catch on before the month ends!
FreeCodeCamp are offering basics in Python etc on their add-free course.
Code Institute are offering a free 5 day Coding challenge on HTML, CSS & JavaScript which can be done in your own time. It starts from the 20th of April 2020.
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I could be here forever listing every course for every topic but that would be a very boring read and I’ve plugged all the links above. Most will be found on Coursera, Class Central and EdX so head over there if you’re a little confused. Even if you’re sitting on the fence about it all, a cheeky scroll won’t hurt!
Saying that, with so many free courses available I can understand if it feels overwhelming. The best thing to do is to pick a subject/interest before you search and then refine it from there.
Tips:
I would suggest that you read the reviews and check the validation of any certifications before you enrol.
It’s good to check for any catches (eg if it is a trial first) so that you don’t get sucked into paying without your knowledge.
A lot of the courses LOOK great on the outside but it’s always better to do your research (especially if you plan to enhance your CV with them) so that you don’t waste your time. Check if they are globally recognised and if they pass the standards in your field!
Many courses are in conjunction with EdX which allows you to access the notes etc but you won’t get a certification unless you pay. Still, you’ll be learning so if a certificate is not major, it’s still worth the free investment.
I hope this has given you some extra motivation during quarantine! It seems like we’ve been in lockdown for so long and no-one knows how much longer we’ll be here for so why not make the most of this time off.
Again, please don’t feel like you have to but these links should get you in the right direction should you wish to! All the best and happy learning!
Liz x