One of the things I’ve been getting into lately is re-building my freelance career. Having taken some time out to tend to things on the homefront left me a bit rusty. So, in between logging hours for my new clients and interviewing for gigs, I’m pursuing a bit of career development. And it’s about damn time, lemme tell ya!
Enter Hubspot Courses & Certifications.
These guys have been a market leader in, well, marketing for a long time. Their Inbound Marketing Certification was something I started several years ago. School got too intense though (I was double-majoring) and I never found the time to finish it. Now I’m back in and at it with a vengeance.
They offer other free courses too. The Content Marketing Certification is next, considering my freelance specialty is content-related. From there, I’m thinking the latest SEO training and maybe something to get me brushed back up on social media marketing.
Other career development options include:
Alison – This is another I’ve personally used myself. They offer free courses in a variety of areas, from business and marketing to IT, science and lifestyle. They stay open by offering premium options (like a formal certificate when you complete a course) for a fee.
Udemy – I wanna say I’ve caught a quick free course here a while back. However, most of these are paid courses, ranging in price from a little to a lot. Sometimes, you can catch ’em when they’re having a great deal (like 90% off!). The categories are many and you should be able to find a course that fits your needs.
Duolingo offers free language lessons, if that’s on your radar. I’m a member of this site, but neither my sons nor I have signed in for a while. The lessons provide visuals and audio, so you can learn word association and know you’re using correct pronunciation.
The Muse, a career resource and resume site, offers lists of free and/or cheap career development courses also. One of these can be found here (the rest are in the ‘tools and resources’ section of the site). Some of these are the free courses made available by well-regarded universities, like MIT coding classes and Harvard business lessons.
Honestly, had I known about all of these free learning opportunities a few years ago, I would’ve chosen them over going back to college. Considering my career was built largely off of what I already knew and picked up (mostly for free) along the way, it could’ve saved me a ton of money and debt. I turned down good jobs to stay in school. With courses like the ones listed here, I wouldn’t have had to. Plus, I could have customized my whole learning experience.
But, live and learn. The career development options are many and there’s something for every budget.
Have you ever taken an online course? Do you feel you got good value for your time and money?
A Doe in the Foothills 