5 Online Platforms to Learn New Skills and Kickstart Your Dream Career

Phrases like “Zoom meetings,” “online schooling,” and “Honey, did you order the groceries?” are not new but have recently become part of everyday conversations.

Today's norms bloomed out of a sad situation that is still hard to believe. Still, it has presented unique opportunities for people and families who could not have survived the global pandemic otherwise. Parents were left to choose between going to their essential jobs or quitting to homeschool their kids to avoid falling behind when schools shut down. University students who rely on their wait staff jobs to pay tuition were seemingly left with no choice but to move back in with their families.

Maybe you are one of those people. Or perhaps you are just looking for a significant change to match the substantial changes in the world. The last two years have been a wake-up call for so many people. If there has ever been the perfect time to follow your dreams, now would be it. Thankfully, there are exciting ways to turn your dreams into reality, like never before.

Learning a new skill to turn into an income or a dream career is almost as easy as pie in this post-pandemic, advanced technological world. Thanks to the internet, there is an endless sea of skills, trades, and hobbies you can learn from the comfort of your own home. You do not need to go back to college and wrack up endless amounts of debt while working for years to learn new skills. That is an option, but I am going to share with you a way to avoid it.

Ways to learn

First, I want to explain that there are several ways to go about this. There are platforms dedicated to sharing information in a vast range of fields, or you can find experts teaching online courses from their website, either in prerecorded sessions or in live classes via Zoom. In some, you complete coursework; in others, you listen to the instructor and take notes.

Most of these courses I am sharing with you are set up like online college courses, with a few exceptions. They offer video lessons along with some workbooks, exercise pages, or cheat sheets to help you follow along. Some of them are free, while others require a one-time payment or a monthly subscription. There is something here for just about everyone’s budget and time constraints to get started.

The five platforms I have selected to share with you are sites I have personally used. I am a self-taught graphic designer. I started a business from my home three years ago before I enrolled in graduate school, with no formal training in my field. My business today is still going strong. Yet, I find myself watching lessons on several of these platforms from time to time to learn a new skill, be that in accounting, writing, business branding, art, baking, or botany. I currently am using a few of these courses to supplement my college education. I am career-changing, and even though I am in grad school to help with that, there are fundamentals not covered in my courses that I need to study more. These platforms have made a difference for me.

Many of these platforms have lessons that can be useful in your day-to-day life, but if you zero in on one field for the sake of a career change, you can learn more than enough to become an expert. It is also a great way to test out your ideas, especially if you are unsure of what you are looking to do. Once you do, you can find videos and courses that offer creative ways to earn money in your field to allow you to work from home if you choose.

The five platforms

Before I dive into this list of course platforms, I want you to know I am sharing them from my favorite to my least favorite. All of them are equally equipped to help you learn a specific topic or field, but some have better instructors or offer more opportunities than others.

Linkedin Learning

Linkedin Learning is my favorite platform to learn on. All of the instructors are vetted professionals in their field with years of experience, substantial success, and many of them are college professors at reputable Universities.

It may seem expensive at first, but this platform offers courses from beginner to expert in each field that it presents. This allows you to start from scratch and build your way into a career. It is reasonably priced at $30 a month, but that includes a premium membership to Linkedin. When you finish a course, they offer to post a certificate of completion on your LinkedIn profile to show your network that you have taken the time to learn your new skill.

They offer single courses, or collective learning paths, which are single courses bundled together to teach you something specific, like starting a personal brand. Some of the courses are lengthy, reaching over 30 hours. But every minute is packed with helpful information.

Skillshare.com

This platform has a lot to offer to those interested in the creative fields. Many teachers offer to teach both skillsets and business tips to take your passion and turn it into a business. But don’t let the artistic angle scare you away. There are plenty of courses on website building, coding, office skills such as using excel, marketing courses, and more.

The cost of this platform is also in a subscription, but you can try it for free for seven days, and then it is $30 a month. The instructors here are experienced in their field, but there are no specific requirements to be a teacher. Each class is vetted for quality and to regulate material to make sure everything meets Skill Share’s standards.

Udemy

I am sharing this one because it has one advantage over the others. If you are not interested in paying a monthly subscription but would prefer to take one specific course, you can do that here. They let you sample courses, so if you like what you see and are willing to pay full price, remember that your money is paying your instructor and not just the platform it sits on. I love supporting people who are eager to share their expertise!

The classes offered range from professional skills such as learning how to use Microsoft or Apple products. Or you can develop design skills building websites using coding or master public speaking courses and beyond. Public speaking courses may be just what you need if you are camera shy, but dream of making your own Youtube videos! And they have classes for that too!

Coursera

I have used this platform to dabble in ideas more than once. It stands out from the rest of the sites I present here in one way specifically. On Coursera, you can take classes funded and offered by Universities. Some of these classes are free, but some are not. There are options to earn an entire degree or certification offered by schools like NYU, Stanford, and John Hopkins University. Some of the individual courses are free, but earning an entire degree is not.

Khan Academy

This site is excellent because it is 100% free. It sits at the bottom of my list because it is more driven towards high school students and younger. But there are many courses here to help you freshen up on math, grammar, history, and some of these lessons are college level, which could prove helpful depending on what you are looking for. The one big perk here is there are college-level courses in computer sciences and coding.

Khan Academy also offers videos on exploring careers, being an entrepreneur, and some classes on personal finance that could help you stay on budget while switching careers.

You can do this

I have never regretted spending money or time on these websites because it would have taken much longer to get to where I am today. Even if you are not trying to switch to a new career but want to add a side hustle or like to collect knowledge for the sake of doing it, these platforms could prove to be invaluable.