Recent employment studies revealed that in 2019, 87% of those within the age range of 25-34 with a bachelor’s degree or higher were employed. 80% of those with some college completed were employed. The percentage lowered with only 74% of those with a high school education being in the workforce. 

These statistics reveal the importance of the education and learning skills necessary to succeed in the job market. Education can get expensive, so finding free online courses to take is a great way to help advance your own learning. 

Keep reading to learn about the best platforms to find these free educational resources.

Edx 

This online platform is one of the most popular, it was created by Harvard and MIT. Edx offers courses in plenty of different subjects if you love to learn for the fun of it. 

You have the ability to do more in-depth learning with specialized courses. You can also earn a certification to add to your resume to make yourself a more competitive employee. These certifications come with a price, which varies depending on the courses you take. 

Some of the interesting courses found on the platform include learning about superheroes as a cultural phenomenon, the study of wine, and learning the basics of coding and they’re all free. 

Coursera

Next on the list of MOOCs, or massive open online courses, is the platform Coursera. This platform is great for those who’ve always dreamed of going to a certain prestigious university, now you can attend online. 

Coursera offers courses from universities and other organizations around the world. You can take classes in the areas of sociology or history or more specialized classes from the over 110 organizations found on Coursera. 

Canvas Network

Canvas Network is a platform designed for those in the field of education. It offers courses for educators to continue learning the skills necessary to apply in the classroom and become better teachers. 

These classes that teach professional development are available in multiple languages including Spanish and Portuguese. The platform allows learners to create their own course of study which can help them focus on the skills they need most. 

Udacity

Udacity is a great platform created in 2011 that makes e-learning easy to navigate. Its list of online classes includes those in the subjects of data science, business, and programming. Popular courses include Predictive Analytics for Business and Data Science. 

While the courses offer an estimated time of completion, you’re able to study at your own pace. Another great thing about Udacity is how courses are based on learning the skills you’d use in a real work setting, assignments often include this type of practical learning. 

FutureLearn

FutureLearn is owned by the organizations The Open University and Seek Group, both operating in the UK. They provide courses from some of the best educational and cultural organizations in the country. This opportunity allows you to study any topic in depth. 

While free courses are limited to a trial run, payment allows you to earn certification and study at your own pace. You can study anything from Shakespeare’s tragedies to first aid while it’s free.

In order to focus and complete your courses without distraction, you should look into getting an email client installed on your computer. Go there to learn how it can help organize your inbox and keep your working on your classes productively. 

Khan Academy

Online education is a great way to gain the knowledge and skills to make you a competitive potential employee all from the comfort of your home. Khan Academy was created in 2008 as a nonprofit that offers educational resources to students for free. 

Many of the courses offered on this platform offer lessons in video format, this is especially useful for the more audio/visual learners. Khan Academy offers courses that range from the pre-K level up to college. It also covers every topic from math to reading to life skills. 

Cognitive Class

Created by IBM, Cognitive Class focuses on teaching data science and computing. Whether you’re a student eager to learn a new subject or a professional needing to brush up on your skills, the courses offered on this platform can help you. 

You can take classes in the fundamentals of data or in Hadoop Programming. You can put your skills to the test through the labs offered on the site. While courses on Cognitive Class don’t offer certification you’re able to earn badges that you can add to your portfolio. 

LinkedIn Learning

Most working individuals know about LinkedIn, the popular social platform for every professional. LinkedIn Learning offers courses to individuals to help them build the skills necessary to further advance their careers.

So whether you’re an engineer or a photographer, the platform offers courses that can help you. The style of self-paced learning makes the courses more enjoyable and frees you of the stress that comes with deadlines and last-minute study sessions. 

General Assembly

This platform was first created in 2011 as a co-working space in New York and was later turned into a school. It offers on-campus courses as well as fully online coursework in subjects like software engineering, marketing, and technology. The full-time courses at one of their campuses can be pretty pricey but GA offers many shorter free online classes for you to choose from. 

Alison

Alison is one of the best online education platforms because it offers a digital certificate in many different areas of study, whether you’re learning a language or something in the area of health. With over 2,000 courses to choose from, there’s something for everyone. 

Free Online Courses: Here’s How to Find Them

Furthering your education and learning new skills doesn’t have to be so expensive. There are plenty of platforms with free online courses to help you become more competitive in the job market.

Make sure you check out some of our other blogs to learn more.