Whether you’re looking to improve your skills to move up in your company, pick up some freelance work for a little extra cash every month, or change careers entirely, adding to your knowledge base and your resume is never a bad idea. Unfortunately, in-person classes often clash with work schedules or prove exhausting when it comes to commuting to and from if you already have a full-time job you can’t quit. Fortunately, in our modern times, there is another way to gain these skills – online classes. According to Career Progress, there is “a vast selection of comprehensive online courses available, so you can choose the one that fits best with your career profile.” Online courses allow you to fit your continuing self-education around your work and life schedule while giving you the benefit of a teacher who can point you in the right direction. Here are 5 highly usable career skills that you can learn online.
1: Coding
One of the most popular self-taught skills is coding. Applicable to a massive number of professions and highly marketable as a freelancer, coding is one of those skills you can easily teach yourself online. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to find out where to start, which is where online courses come in. Many websites offer free coding resources, with some having a more self-taught track while others are a more traditional class format with lectures and projects. Learning common coding languages such as CSS, Python, and Javascript will allow you to apply your knowledge in a variety of fields, such as web and app development and data analysis.
Embarking on the coding journey, understanding how to start coding becomes a crucial initial step. This self-taught skill holds immense applicability across various professions and offers freelancing opportunities. Online learning platforms and free coding resources provide a pathway, offering diverse formats, from independent learning tracks to structured classes with lectures and projects. Mastering common coding languages like CSS, Python, and Javascript facilitates the application of acquired knowledge in web and app development, along with data analysis.
2: Graphic Design
Every website we go to has an element of graphic design to it – graphic design makes websites usable and attractive and allows businesses to attract customers through branding and images. If you have an artist’s eye, getting a trial of Photoshop or another art and photo editing software and signing up for a free course may be an interesting path to take. Graphic design is a massive field for freelancers, so this is a great area to beef up if you’re looking for a little extra cash in your pocket.
3: Grant Writing
If you’re more interested in words than pictures and want to look into a field that can do a lot of good, grant writing is a specialization that may interest you. Unlike other forms of writing, grant writing requires incredibly specialized skills and a combination of creativity and strict format that many find both challenging and rewarding. Sites such as Nonprofit Ready have free grant writing courses, and this is another skill that can lead to either regular freelance work or a part-time gig with a nonprofit organization.
4: SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is one of those rather ephemeral skills that is nevertheless essential for any business or organization that wants to make an impact in the digital market. Essentially, Search Engine Optimization uses keywords and inter-web site links to make a certain website easier to find through various search engines such as Google and Bing. There are several free guides to SEO, from proprietorial ones such as Google’s SEO starter guide to more neutral resources. Since SEO best practices are changing all the time, it’s easy to become fluent in SEO even if you’re starting as a beginner.
5: Language Fluency
Foreign languages are a great way to open new career doors and beef up your resume. Fluency in common languages such as Spanish will give you a leg up on other candidates if you’re searching for a new job, and learning Chinese, Korean, or Japanese can open the door to teaching foreign students either in person or through virtual school programs. Start with free apps to learn basic vocabulary, then beef up your fluency through paid programs that will allow you to learn conversational skills. In addition, you can learn listening and reading skills by reading books or watching movies or TV shows in that language once you have the basics down.
