Where to learn online for free?

I have always enjoyed learning skills and the internet has made these courses and resources much more accessible. It is also important to note that students should aim to have some relevant work experience before graduating so they know what sort of jobs they want to head into.

Here are a few websites I recommend using to broaden your knowledge. These free virtual work experiences and courses can boost your CV and LinkedIn, and once you have completed the program, you get a certificate!

Forage

This one is my personal favourite because ANYONE can sign up for it. These programs take about 5–6 hours to complete, and there is no time limit to learning these skills at your own pace. The featured programs include companies such as JP Morgan, PwC and Goldman Sachs etc. These work experiences are more suited for people who want to pursue a career in investment banking, accountancy, real estate, etc. Most of these companies are related to finance.

Corporate Finance Institute

I see many people on LinkedIn have this on their profile page. Some of their courses are paid, but some free ones too. They have online courses for financial modelling, commercial banking, capital markets & data analysis. Employers like to see that you are putting in the effort to acquire new skills, so remember to put it in your CV when you've finished!

HubSpot Academy

They are great for marketing, design, coding and business, with certificates to advance your career. They also provide a lot of courses in SEO and Instagram to grow your presence.

Z-Library

This is the most extensive digital library in the world. You can download books and articles for free. In the basic free plan, you can download ten texts per day. P.S. Rich Dad Poor Dad is on there!)

Udemy

Great for marketing, design, coding and business with certificates to advance your career. Lots of courses in SEO and Instagram to grow your online presence.

Google Digital Garage

With digital marketing courses with certificates by Google, it is easy to learn and save your progress and learn.

Open Learn

Produced by the Open University, hundreds of free courses in a wide range of areas and work through them at your own pace.

Springpod

This website is more suited for students in college. However, if I can remember correctly, anyone aged 19 or below can still join it. If you plan to study at university next year, their work experiences are perfect for you! You get to meet industry experts, complete mini activities and get noticed by employers. There are programmes specifically for technology, finance, healthcare, etc., to pick which companies you want to experience.

LinkedIn Learning

If you're a university student, this is perfect for you. Sometimes your university provides this online course access for free as well. You can learn Microsoft Office Excel, PowerPoint, and Word and complete assessments to test your knowledge. You can then showcase your certificate on your LinkedIn profile, so employers are more likely to hire you when they see you have acquired those skills. There is academic learning, but you can learn how to socialise, build a better CV, deal with mental health, join communities and make friends.

YouTube

Of course, there is YouTube. Lots of YouTubers provide free resources and lessons, for example, programming, fitness, investing and marketing. A good thing about YouTube is you can like their videos to show your gratitude, and comment to ask any questions you aren't sure of.

I hope this has benefited you! Let me know if there are any topics you'd like me to cover.