At this point it is clear: Work From Home orders will continue indefinitely, and most of us won’t step back into our offices until 2021. WFH gives you the unique opportunity to learn a new skill for your current job or even help you find an even better one.
There are a ton of free online resources to get you started. You can learn a hard skill (like copywriting, grant writing, bookkeeping or web design) or a soft skill (like performance management, coaching or meeting facilitation).
Just ten years ago, only a few online courses existed and they were often poorly produced. But today there are a plethora of free or low-cost online courses to improve your career and your personal life.Here’s a roundup of some great course opportunities:
Your first stop for online courses should be Nonprofit Courses. Founded by Successful Nonprofits® Podcast guest Matt Huggs, this one-stop-shop offers free and paid courses. Though most of them require at least a nominal payment, here are some free courses you may want to check out:
As of this publication, 940 universities have listed no cost courses in management, accounting, marketing, and more at Class Central. Not only are these well-known schools like Stanford, Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, but many even offer certificate programs:
The British website Find Courses offers paid and free training, and users can easily sort the search results by cost. They offer courses in human resources, accounting, web design and more. A good course to check out is Improving Performance through Learning Journeys. Find Courses also hosts a website designed for the needs of the North American workforce. This site shares trainings, articles and reports that help users stay on top of trends and best practices. Check out this article on Transactional vs Transformational leadership.
At the end of this Pandemic, we’ll look back and think about the ways we all pulled together to get through the tough times. But we’ll also ask ourselves, “What did I do with the time I had at home? Did I strengthen my relationships? Did I write that book? Did I learn that new skill?” Right now, this is the perfect time to consider what courses you can take to move yourself to an even better post-pandemic self.