7 Ways to Learn New Skills in Technology Without Spending a Dime

Twenty years ago if you had wanted to learn about cutting edge wireless communication technology, you would have had to sign up for some high level courses at a major university. Training and information used to be expensive. Thankfully those days are gone. If you’re looking for a new job, trying to start your own business, or simply curious, you should know about these completely free resources for teaching yourself just about anything you want.

iTunes U – If you’re an iPhone/iPod owner, you are likely familiar with iTunes, but a surprising number of people don’t know about iTunes U, an iTunes-based system for completing courses online. Many major universities offer free classes through iTunes U, and all their material is conveniently available from your portable Apple device. With iTunes U you can watch videos, read notes, and listen to audio samples from courses, plus it integrates nicely with iBooks in case you want to purchase the textbook for reference.

MIT Open Courseware – As you probably know, MIT is one of the most respected schools for mathematical and scientific research. One of the best things that you may not know about the university is that they offer hundreds of their courses online for free. These classes aren’t limited to engineering, physics, or advanced calculus though. MIT has included a smattering of courses from Anthropology to Women’s Studies. Many other colleges and universities have followed MIT’s lead and begun offering even more courses that might be right up your alley.

Khan Academy – Khan Academy is a non-profit with the goal of ” providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.” One of the best things about Khan Academy is that they take their courses a step further, offering modules to practice the skills taught in their videos as well as access to coaches and volunteers who can answer questions you might have. If you’re looking to give back, you can quickly sign up to help your fellow students by offering coaching in an area you already know.

YouTube – There are a surprising number of educational videos on YouTube. Some are recordings of university lectures, and some are just good-hearted people who took the time to pass their knowledge on to the world. The nice thing about YouTube videos is that you can pause and revisit them any time you have access to a computer with an internet connection. You can also share them easily with your friends to show off the latest piece of knowledge you picked up.

Wikipedia – This community-managed online encyclopedia is one of the most linked-to websites on the internet. While some have been skeptical about its accuracy, it has shown itself to be generally as accurate as most printed encyclopedias. If you want a broad base of information about a variety of topics, Wikipedia is probably one of the best places to start…just try not to get distracted by the Wikipedia Game.

Codecademy – Programming skills are one of the most highly-demanded in today’s marketplace. Codecademy offers free online training and practice for anyone who’s ready to take the plunge. This year is really a breakout year for the website as they have gathered almost 400,000 people who have committed to learn code in 2012. They have also decided to allow third parties to develop their own courses to integrate with Codecademy, so it’s likely that there will be many more exercises and languages available soon.

Search Engines – While the above six resources cover almost anything, it’s possible that they won’t meet your exact needs. In this case, it’s time to start searching. There is an art to making the most of search engine results, but it is probably the fastest way to find what you’re looking for. As I always say, “when in doubt, Google it!” This list includes just a few of the thousands of ways that you can teach yourself new skills online. I’d love to hear about any resources you have used that I missed, so feel free to pass them along in the comments below!


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *