f you’ve budgeted all you can, but still have trouble meeting your savings goals, it’s time to consider how you can increase your income. Updating current skills or learning new skills can help you score extra cash. Using your skills to gain a promotion at work, freelance projects or even a side business can help you earn more money and balance your budget.
While training and education are expensive, it’s possible to enhance your skills or learn new ones with free online learning. Courses and training are available in the areas of technology, business and general knowledge, just to name a few. Following are some of the free online learning options available to increase your earning power:
Coursera
Coursera specializes in MOOCs, or Mass Open Online Courses. Visit Coursera.org, browse through the options offered by more than 100 world-class universities. Enroll in your chosen course using your name and email address.
Enrollment in Coursera does not equal enrollment at the actual university, but the educational content is the same. You’ll take the online class along with thousands of other students from around the world. And you’ll complete homework, quizzes, mid-terms and final exams according to the course syllabus.
Complete the coursework while meeting the minimum requirements and you’ll earn a certificate of completion — all with no fee.
Kahn Academy
This site offers self-paced video courses in math, from grade 3 up to Calculus and Statistics, with options in the Sciences, Humanities, Economics and more.
Stats, Badges, Coaches and Tracking are all available to help those with any interest in learning the subject matter improve their skills and track their progress along the way, all at no charge.
Codeacademy
This site helps wanna-be coders learn how to write code within various programming languages for free. Badges, feedback and dashboard-like tools help users track their progress and gives them motivation to keep going. Codeacademy also offers ‘Code Year’, a year’s worth of classes to help users learn to program a week at a time.
Free online learning doesn’t replace a university education. But anyone with a bit of time, the willingness to learn and an internet connection has the opportunity to take on new skills. How you use these new skills is up to you.
