Where can I find free courses to study online?
If you are a freelancer or are looking to train in a specific area, there are many platforms with certified courses, where you can register for free and choose from thousands of topics to study. Many of them can be found for free or at a very affordable cost. In this article, we will see a list of the best platforms to prepare yourself and acquire new skills as a professional.
Learning new things for your professional improvement is now easier than ever, thanks to the variety of free courses that you can find on the internet. These allow you to obtain accreditation or certification of your knowledge.
These are some of the best options to take free or very low-cost online courses:
Bonuses (honorable mention):
Now let’s see why study courses and diplomas online…
Are online studies worth it in companies?
The ease of access to information together with the need to switch to remote mode many aspects of our lives as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic have changed the way we learn. This poses a challenge for traditional educational entities and universities, as well as for the old educational models.
In an era where knowledge is of great value for companies, little by little the free training courses are winning weight to function in the world of work.
More and more recruiters accept the “micro-credentials” as proof of technical knowledge. Little by little, recruitment policies are oriented towards being more based on skills than in the fact of having taken a degree and nothing more.
According to a study by the Career Advisory Board of Devri University, a 87% of employers are willing to take into account the knowledge acquired in free courses to consider a candidate.
Also anant agarwalCEO of EdX, comments on the site BusinessBecause that MOOCs (massive open online courses) or massive open online courses are helping to revolutionize the way of obtaining credentials as an expert and academic credit.
Above all, we are at a time when business needs have arisen for which there are still no university degrees. And in some cases, even though the degree already exists, the curriculum or curricular frameworks are not up to date with the latest demands that the world of work needs.
The best way to catch up and get ahead is to study those skills on your own.
What can I study online?
It doesn’t matter if you work in graphic design, programming, writing, photography or marketing. Or even if you want to take an English course or learn another language like French, German, Portuguese, now you can learn it online.
You may have searched for courses related to your job or career and wanted to enroll. But attending face-to-face classes on fixed days and hours is not always feasible, due to your time or the distance to attend classes.
This is the solution:
The best option to learn at your own pace without neglecting your other activities, are the free online courses. If you study at the university and there is something that interests you, but it is not in the study plan of your degree, free online training courses will also be of great help.
You can start from the level that you consider necessary and study whenever you want, without leaving your study or work aside.
There are courses and study programs of all kinds, from free courses and payment up to master’s degrees certified by various educational institutions. And from those that are just a few video-tutorials to some that last for months and include tests and exercises. It all depends on what you are looking for.
Are you ready?
We have searched and found for you the 10 best places to study online and learn what you want so that you can improve your skills. Find free courses on the following sites:
That’s right, Google offers free courses to acquire skills such as digital marketing, professional development, business, programming, data, online security, digital work tools, among others. Several of these courses have a digital certification, which you can add to your CV to highlight your profile.
Best of all is the friendly format of the platform, with simple quizzes after each chapter, to reinforce the topic.
Signing up is also free. You can do it with your same Google account by connecting it to Google Activate. A highly recommended option, without a doubt.
Developed by the Carlos Slim Foundation, Aprende.org is an online self-training site with topics from many different categories, to improve your employability.
Although its interface is not the most modern, the themes are very current and relevant for all types of work.
Some of the categories in which you will find courses are:
- Administration and finance
- Trade
- Technology
- global society
- Sustainability
- digitization
But you will also find training for more traditional areas such as construction, fashion and beauty, health and even farming techniques. Therefore, it is appropriate to obtain certificates in skills that you already have and in which you do not have a certificate to support you.
Each course is designed with modules containing videos and infographics.
Of course: you have to pay close attention to each video and read very well. In addition, before each exam you are provided with an ungraded activity sheet that you need to do anyway, since you will be asked later in the test for each unit.
You must get 80% correct answers to pass each exam. In this sense, it can be said that the site really cares about making sure that you not only memorized, but that you understand the subject.
Best of all: It is 100% free and in Spanish.
A highly recommended site, specially designed to help parents and teachers with the study of children. But it is also useful for university students and anyone. The areas of study it contains are mathematics, economics and finance, science and computing. The content is in English and Spanish.
Its teaching methodology is through videos and practical tests that allow you to go through levels, so it is very entertaining and really effective. A site that you must try!
Pixar offers a free course at Khan Academy:
Enter the Pixar in a Box course and learn how Pixar artists do their work. Yes, the number one in the graphic animation market. Sign up to create your own animations too.
The price? Free. But don’t forget to make your donation to bring free online education to more people in the world.
A site oriented to the Spanish public, but if you are from any other Spanish-speaking country, of course you can take advantage of the opportunity as well. In video format, with complementary PDF materials and tests in each module, the Fundación Telefónica courses are oriented towards employability.
Some topics of interest that you can find are: Brand building, negotiation tactics, online security, digital marketing, project management, big data principles, among others.
At the end of the course, you can opt for a digital certification for a very low cost of 10 to 20 euros. If we compare it with taking a course in an institution, this price is almost a gift.
Certifications come with a registration or tracking number for you to add to your digital profiles (including LinkedIn). All the courses are, of course, in Spanish and the presenters are very dynamic.
Coursera is a well-known site, where you will find hundreds of international university courses. There are in English and Spanish, with expert professions in the field.
This site is very popular for the quality of its content. In addition, in each course, it is possible to get help from fellow students, as well as certify yourself in each course you take.
Certificates can be around 20 and 50 dollars. A fairly reasonable price, taking into account that Coursera has content from important universities, such as the Pontificia Universidad de Chile, the Universidad de Los Andes, the Tecnológico de Monterrey, the UNAM, the University of Palermo, the University of Barcelona, among others. hispanic In addition to associates from other prestigious entities.
The lessons are organized in weekly modules and in video format with short tests and tasks graded by the other students. A very interesting plus is that this platform has the option to save notes just by selecting the script of each video. Additional comments can then be added to each note. This is useful when reviewing before the final exam. A platform that you should not stop trying.
Offers online courses and study center programs and universities of great prestige internationally. Most of the courses are in English. However, also content in Spanish. You can study free courses for free and obtain a paid certification upon completion.
At EdX you will find topics from architecture, law or chemistry to music, ethics and social sciences.
If you speak English you will be interested in this:
Through EdX, you can study one of the open courses of harvard, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, considered even the best in the world. The themes that you will see are very varied and interesting.
Available in Spanish and Portuguese. Upon entering the site, you will be able to see online courses from prestigious Spanish and Latin American international universities and institutions, which are available for you to apply.
You will find, mainly, topics related to Communication technologies, digital marketing and SEO. But there are very diverse and interesting areas that you can take advantage of to study.
Best of all, you can choose free online courses and then get a certificate of participation. You can also purchase a certificate for completing the course and mastering the subject, for a small payment that can vary between 19 and 49 euros.
A 100% online course platform in Spanish that also allows you to choose free courses with the option to purchase the certification for a very low cost.
The courses are organized in the form of videos and textual summaries by modules. A very simple platform to use and with a community in Spanish that, without a doubt, facilitates participation with other members.
The themes of the courses are very diverse, such as programming, administration and business, computer science, graphic design, marketing, languages, engineering and science, among others. Highly recommended for its ease of use.
A highly recommended site, where you will find courses of all kinds and in several languages. You can also choose between free and paid options at very good prices. You even find promotional courses that can cost you from USD $10 on highly useful topics.
Udemy has a very friendly interface and learning is through videos. A very important plus is that you can continue watching your lessons where you left off last time (a…
