Awesome online learning resources to grow skills as a freelancer
It's spring break -- why not go back to school?
As a freelancer, you're promoting yourself based off your niche and expertise. But what happens when you want or have to pivot? Rather than calling it quits or working in a field that's no longer enjoyable or lucrative for you, taking online classes to expand upon your skills set is a great option, as you'll learn in Lightpost, Paste BN's step-by-step guide to helping people become freelancers.
If you're a print designer, why not try your hand at going digital? Why not bolster your web development skills, or learn another language to offer with your translation services?There are tons of options online -- some free and some not -- which we've listed below. Check it out, and happy learning!
- Will evolving your career require a specific certification? 360training offers courses for certifications in fields like real estate and insurance. Similarly, SimpliLearn offers online courses for certifications like scrum (agile project management), IT management and wireless hacking and security.
- For visual learners, Lynda offers video-based, expert-taught online technology courses in genres like software development, photography, design and business.
- Udemy is an online learning platform targeted for professionals looking to expand their skills set. Sound like you? Courses cost money, but they’re not pricey — for example, “How to come up with killer business ideas” and “The complete SQL Bootcamp” are both on sale right now for $10.
- Wishing you could go back to college? EdX and Coursera both provide free online courses — everything from object-oriented programming to analytics modeling — from the world's best universities, including MIT, Harvard and Berkeley. Want the best of the best? MIT has released almost all of its course content online for your learning needs at MIT OpenCourseware.
- Looking to learn fast? General Assembly offers well-respected bootcamps both online and in-person in fields like coding, data science, user experience and more.
- Many a developer has learned to code with the interactive courses from Codecademy.
- Learn the many things Adobe products can do with Adobe KnowHow's classes.
- We love The Muse for its coaching and career resources. And we especially love this article: “43 Free Career-Advancing Courses You Can Take (and Actually Finish) This Summer."
- And of course, for all things freelance-related, head to Paste BN's Lightpost for a step-by-step guide on how to make your ideal freelance lifestyle work for you. Happy learning!