Sharpen Your Skills with Online Classes

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. 

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