The MicroTrain Blog

Sharpen Your Skills with Online Classes

by Eric Margules on May 28th, 2013

Image N/A

Finding a job can take a while, so it’s crucial you keep your technical skills sharp in the time between interviews and resume workshops. Fortunately, whether you’re looking for a refresher course or to learn something new to boost your resume, there’s a wealth of online resources designed to help you expand your skill set on the cheap.

But where should you start?

Embrace the Blogosphere

Recently, the folks over at Lifehacker put together a list of the best (free!) online courses the internet has to offer this summer. With everything from Harvard University law courses to a web development program at Udacity, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

Google is your best friend here. A simple internet search will reveal dozens of similar results. Everyone from CNET, to the Huffington Post, and even TED seems to have compiled a list, so take some time to sift through their research before doing too much of your own

Get Started with Start-Ups

Online institutions like Khan Academy and Coursera paved the way for free online education and have come a long way since their early days on the internet. These organizations now tout extensive lists of high-quality courses from many top institutions around the world. If it’s been a while since your last visit, or if this is your first time, they're worth a look.

Don't be Afraid to Spend Some Money

Free is great, but there’s something to the old saying “you get what you pay for.” When you’re ready to get serious about your online education, there are a lot of excellent resources available for those with a few dollars to spend.

If you have an iPhone or iPad or another mobile device, iTunesU is a great place to start. With thousands of free and paid courses at your fingertips, iTunesU boasts one of the world’s largest collection of online courses on some of the most widespread platforms available.

Lynda.com is another useful tool that focuses mostly on computer skills. While its subscription fee of $25 per month may seem high, you can get a week of free access to their vast archive of professional training courses via a 7 day free trial.

Distinguish Yourself

As the list of institutions offering online courses attracts more established names every day, online education is becoming an integral component of many job seekers’ technical repertoire, and may represent the edge you need to separate yourself from the competition. 

Photo: Shutterstock

Raves & Praise

Christopher Fowler

MCSA

Very thorough, good mix of lecture and lab work. Al is great! Keeps classes interesting and supplements required test material with need-to-know items from real world experience.

Jean S.

PMP Certification Training, Lombard, 2008

I was laid off for many months and not really getting many callbacks for my resume and no job offers. After I put the letters PMP on it, not only did I see an increase in quantity, but also quality of interviews. I had been spinning my wheels for 5 months, and after the PMP went on, I had 2 job offers in 6 weeks. It really was the "golden ticket"

Robert Graf

MCSA

Microtrain presents the course material in an interesting and concise manner. Microtrain gives the student all the resources necessary to pass the certification exams. Both the Chicago and Lombard facilities were excellent, and the staff goes to any length to accommodate any student changes.

Scott Wilson - Team Bradley

Employer Partner Feedback

Dawn has been a pleasure to work with. She is diligent in her efforts to give MicroTrain’s students the best opportunities to connect and network with various companies and players in the job market. The curriculums and certification programs are in line with today’s current IT needs. It’s good to see that they evolve with what employers are most seeking out there. I would recommend to any employer that hires skilled IT workers that they look into MicroTrain’s career services department as a potential source of candidates. The business of hiring can be quite costly, and Dawn and her staff provide a free service to outside companies. This value-add for MicroTrain’s students aligns with their mission in both training and job assistance to set up a win/win scenario for all involved.

Jennie

Student Employment Success - Project/Process Manager

My Career Services Manager was very friendly and helpful and had excellent follow-up. She seemed to really care how things were going and kept me moving in the right direction. The resources available in job search were great and the visibility that there were jobs out there looking for my skillset was promising. Additionally, the training, as well as having an updated resume stating the Microtrain course work I had taken made me feel more confident and marketable as I looked for employment. It showed that I was dedicated and took project management and process management seriously.

Connect with MicroTrain

Begin building a successful long-term career pathway.

(630) 981-0200

Back to Top