Using Free Courses for Personal and Professional Development

You’re never too old, too busy, or too qualified to improve an area of your life – and there’s no reason to wait around for a New Year’s Resolutions to get started! No matter what your priorities are or what you’re trying to achieve, there are ways to make it happen. And in our highly digital world, there’s no limit to what you can learn online! 

Take College and Industry-Specific Courses

Coursera partners with industry leaders and accredited universities from all over the world, including Google, IBM, Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, and hundreds of others to offer single courses, certificates, and even degree modules – all online. 

Coursera offers some courses in the humanities, but its focus is on more practical areas like data science, business, computer science, and information technology. If you’re looking to learn a new coding language or obtain skills from a top tech company to enhance your professional development, Coursera can be a great option.

Learn Almost Anything on YouTube

If you’re looking to improve personal skills more than professional ones, there’s almost nothing you can’t find on YouTube. Want to learn how to tile a bathroom? Read guitar tabs? Build a personal computer? Do a perfect wheelie on your bike? Chances are, there’s a video on YouTube about it. 

Sure, you won’t earn an official certification for watching YouTube videos, but there’s always a place for personal improvement. Pick a skill you’ve always wanted to develop and start watching!

Learn a New Language

Learning a language is one of the most common areas of personal development, and Duolingo is one of the most popular tools to help you do that. The app offers lessons in 23 different languages and boasts more than 300 million users around the world, who are learning the language of their choice through desktop or mobile apps. Alternatives like Babbel and Rosetta Stone are other great options.

Free and Low-Cost Trainings Through CSU Global

If you’re not looking for a full degree program, but just want to partake in a little bit of personal development, CSU Global recently launched Global Learn. This new platform offers free and low-cost online, short-term, non-credit-bearing continuing education options to help you elevate your career and personal growth. 

And don’t forget – if you’re looking to add to your qualifications, finish a degree you started somewhere else, or if an in-person college experience simply won’t work for you, CSU Global is the perfect option. While our certificate and degree programs aren’t free, you’ll pay an affordable flat rate per credit hour, and that rate won’t increase for the duration of your enrollment at CSU Global. Ready to get started? Apply today!