Online education just exploded in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
While online classes may be a completely new experience for many students, self-education online business has been steadily expanding for a decade.
This period might be the perfect time for you also to expand your knowledge base.
You can further your interests, explore topics you have been curious about or even dive deep into some obscure niche offered on one of the many online course platforms.
Courses vary greatly such as, design, personal growth, business, exercise, arts and crafts— the possibilities are endless.
We find it best to search specific sections of interest, but also like to casually explore the platforms, discovering new interests.
Where to Start?
Here are six platforms for online courses. Double check the fees as many of these sites currently offer great discounts, including freebies.
1 – Udemy (Web, Android, iOS)
Udemy is one of the first online course platforms and still the largest with 100,000 video courses from instructors around the globe.
2 – Skillshare (Web, Android, iOS)
Another ‘old is gold’ course platform, Skillshare also offers thousands of courses and opportunities for plenty of feedback on your work. This is especially nice for creatives.
3 – Linkedin Learning (Web, Android, iOS)
Especially nice for business-related topics, Linkedin Learning has thousands of courses available.
It also serves the biz side of creatives’ needs, such as how-to’s for YouTube channels, photography, e-books, customer service and so on. LL’s courses deserve a good look-through.
4 – Coursera (Web, Android, iOS)
A well-known platform for good reason, Coursera offers classes from big name global companies and universities, including Duke, John Hopkins, and Stanford. You can even earn a degree online through Coursera.
5 – edX (Web, Android, iOS)
An open source (meaning free) platform founded by Harvard and MIT, edX can boast of having served “more than 20 million learners.” It offers many degrees and verification certificates for its immense catalog of courses.
6 – Udacity (Web, Android, iOS)
Enhance your work skills with Udacity’s “nanodegrees” in five schools: data science; artificial intelligence; programming; autonomous systems; and cloud computing.
Keep It in The Family
Also check with friends and family for what online classes they have enjoyed. You may also discover that people you know are offering e-courses, it’s a great opportunity to support people in your community.
How to Choose a Course?
1. Read the courses reviews
2. Check the course description thoroughly and make sure you will be able to participate in its setup
3. Watch a sample video of the course to see if you like its style
4. Check the platform’s refund policy, just in case you have doubts
Ready? Enjoy! Who knows, maybe you’ll find a desire to teach a course too.