Learning online has become more popular due to its convenience and flexibility. You can learn anytime and anywhere. There are many free and paid online courses that can match your interests and help you improve your skills. Here are the top 7 online platforms that can boost your education.
1. Coursera
Coursera offers many free online courses from the top universities and companies around the world. You can receive certificates of completed courses if you pay for them. In other words, you have to pay for some courses. The price range is from $39 to $79. However, you can always apply for financial aid on Coursera. You will need to fill out an application to let them know why they should grant you free courses. After they approve, you can access all the learning materials and earn certificates for free.
Click here to sign up for courses on Coursera.
2. edX
You can learn about computer science, languages, business & management, engineering, etc. on edX. The instructors are from the top universities around the globe. You can learn for free by auditing courses. However, you will be unable to access to graded assignments and earn certificates. The fees for the edX courses are around $50 to $300. You can apply for the financial assistance program to get a 90% discount if you cannot pay the full price. Therefore, you still have to pay a small amount of money after they approve your application. More importantly, please keep in mind that you can only be approved up to five times per year.
Click here to sign up for courses on edX.
3. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization. This platform offers free online education to kids and adults. All the courses are created and taught by experts, and they are free. Khan Academy does not provide college-level courses as Courera and edX, so their courses cannot count as college credits. Therefore, you will not receive any certificates after completing courses on the Khan Academy platform.
Click here to sign up for free courses on Khan Academy.
4. Skillshare
Skillshare is good for animation, design, illustration, photography & filming, business, and writing. Practitioners create and offer courses to learners on Skillshare. They can work for themselves or small companies. In other words, their courses are not accredited. Hence, this online platform does not offer any certificates when you complete courses. You can sign up for free. However, if you want to have full access to their courses, you will need to upgrade to a premium membership. It can cost $8.25 per month or $99 per year.
Click here to sign up for courses on Skillshare.
5. Udacity
Udacity is a great source to learn about information technology. If you are interested in coding, artificial intelligence, data science, SQL, etc., Udacity is one of the best choices for you. Udacity collaborates with experts to create the materials. Nonetheless, they do not offer any certificates upon completion of the courses. The main purpose of Udacity’s courses is to help you improve your skills, not for your academic programs. You can have one month free to access 1 of over 40 eligible Nanodegree programs then they will charge you $399 per month.
Click here to sign up for courses on Udacity.
6. Udemy
Udemy has more than 150,000 courses and 57,000 instructors from around the world. You can likely learn anything on Udemy. Most of the courses are for adults. Nevertheless, some instructors also create courses for kids. Udemy does offer some free online courses. Also, you can pay for courses on this platform if you want. Depending on how difficult and long the courses are, they can be up to $300. Furthermore, you can get certificates when you complete courses on Udemy. However, recruiters do not usually care about Udemy certificates because they are not as good as certificates that are granted by accredited institutions.
Click here to sign up for courses on Udemy.
7. Lynda – LinkedIn Learning
Lynda was founded in 1995 by Lynda Weinman. In 2015, LinkedIn acquired this platform and changed its name to LinkedIn Learning. This platform has over 16,000 expert-led courses. They offer certificates of completion, but they are not recognized by recruiters and value as the ones from accredited institutions. LinkedIn Learning provides a 1-month free trial to new learners then you will need to pay $19.99-$29.99 per month to keep studying on this platform.
Click here to sign up for courses on LinkedIn Learning.
These 7 online platforms can change your life because they enhance your education and provide you with amazing opportunities to find better jobs or improve your productivity (Click here if you want to know how to have a productive day). Depending on your interest, you can choose the best online platform that suits your needs and boosts your education.
Please feel free to share these top 7 online platforms with your loved ones to enhance their education and tell us your experience if you study on these platforms on the PHORum. Your opinions can help people choose a good learning platform and change their lives.